The fourth day, everything changed. Her sleep calmed, her mind blanking. The aches and pains faded. Finally, blessedly, even the trembling and the sweating eased, and strength returned to her limbs. She stretched and struggled to a sitting position, dizziness waiting at the fringes of her mind, ready to devour her entire being.
She looked at her surroundingsshe was still inside the cloudthen at herself. She was dressed in a white robe as soft as cashmere and scrubbed clean from head to toe, despite the length of time that had passed. Who had changed her? Bathed her?
Zacharel?
Her cheeks flushed with heat. Yeah, Zacharel. His part hadnt been a dream, after all, but straight-up reality.
How nice of him.
Zacharel didnt seem like the type to concern himself with the suffering of others, especially at the expense of his own comfort, but hed risked a few slaps from a whacked-out female just to ensure she ate.
Poor guy. He probably regretted releasing her.
She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood, swayed. It was time to hunt Zacharel down, thank him and figure out her next move.
PESKY HUMAN, ZACHAREL muttered as he paced the center of his cloud. He had never before taken care of a sick human, or even a sick angel, for that matter. Clearly. Under his care, Annabelle had only gotten worse.
And shed slapped him! On multiple occasions! Not even his Deity had ever dared such a thing. Whip him, yes. Zacharel was still recovering from his latest round with the leather strap, but slap him? Never. Not that the puny actions had hurt. It was the principle of the thing. Hed taken time out of his day to care for her, precious time he should be devoting to his new army and their various missions, and she couldnt thank him?
Typical mortal, he grumbled now. His anger with her did not stem from worry, he was certain of it. He rubbed the heel of his palm up and down the center of his chest and smacked his lips, cringing at the sour taste in his mouth.
He wouldnt voice a lie, but he would certainly entertain one in his own mind.
Annabelle would live or she would die, and Zacharel wasnt going to concern himself one way or the other any longer. He just wasnt.
He grimaced as that sour taste intensified. Enough of this! He would do what any other man would have done in this situation. He would summon a female to take over. Jamila. Yes, Jamila would ensure Annabelles safety.
Inform Jamila I require her presence, he told the cloud.
How long would it take her to fly here? It would take him less than a minute to thrust Annabelle into her arms and kick them both out of his home. He was tired of thinking about Annabelle, tired of wondering how badly she hurt, if she would survive whatever sickness had struck her. Tired of reaching inside the air pocket containing his vial of water from the River of Life, only to catch himself before he made contact with it. To even consider giving her the remaining drop was ludicrous.
More threats? Jamila asked the moment she arrived.
At last. He whirled to meet her head-on. Youre late.
Golden eyes glittered with anger? Couldnt be. There was heat there, but nothing irate. How can I be late? You didnt give me a time frame. Her wings tucked into her sides, and dark curls settled over her shoulders, falling down the smooth expanse of her arms. Besides, I didnt feel a need to rush to another scolding.
I have no intention of scolding you further. You disobeyed the night of the battle, and I proclaimed your punishment. That subject is now closed.
She twirled one of her ringlets around her finger. Then why am I here?
You are female.
A slight quirk of her mouth. Nice of you to notice.
I want you to I need you to He pursed his lips, massaged his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He tried to speak again. Failed. The words refused to leave him.
If he placed Annabelle in Jamilas care, he would not be able to see her without begging an invitation to the angels home. He would never know what happened to her. And Jamila was so impulsive, so often controlled by her emotions. What if Annabelle angered her? Annabelle possessed a bit of a temper, and did not always mind her words. How would Jamila react to a callous retort from a lowly human? Not well, that much he knew.
I cant place Annabelle in her care.
A strange sort of relief crashed over him, lifting a debilitating weight from his shoulders and shining something light and bright into his heart. No, not relief. Couldnt be. He felt irritated by this turn of events, surely. He was back to where hed started, to where he had no desire to be.
The angel was staring at him expectantly.
What do females require? he asked, refusing to change his mind yet again. Annabelle stayed, and that was that.
Jamila shifted to the side, her robe rippling with the motion. Require for what?
For the meeting of needs.
Her eyes widened, her pupils flaring and gulping down all that gold. Rosy pink flushed her cheeks, her lips softening, parting. I had no idea you had begun to experience desire, Zacharel. You should have said something sooner. I could have told you that I require only your cooperation.
As he tried to process her words, she stepped into the line of his body, wound her arms around his neck and lifted to her tiptoes. Then she meshed her mouth into his, and forced her tongue past his teeth.
O-KAY. THE ULTRACOLD Zacharel was capable of emotion. Desire. But that didnt make him any less of a jerk.
Annabelle had wanted to know where he was, not because she cared about the manshe didntbut because hed done something to the cloud to prevent her from leaving her room. Enraged, shed demanded that the cloud show her where he was and what he was doing, and ithe? she?had.
A TV-like screen had appeared just in front of her, comprised of nothing but air. Shed watched, her hands fisting, her eyes narrowing, as a stunner with curling dark hair wrapped herself around Zacharel, molding the two of them together and feeding him a decadent kiss. The rise in her temper wasnt about jealousy, but about her circumstances. She was trapped, and he was making out.
Now she watched as Zacharel jerked away from the girl. He growled, What are you doing?
Again the stunner conquered the distance, trying to refit her mouth over his. Im kissing you. Now kiss me back.
No. Frowning, he set her away from him, and this time, he held her in place. His wings were tucked into his sides, though they arced backward, away from the female. Snowflakes rained from their tips, tiny crystals that formed little piles on the floor. Why are you kissing me?
The girls sensual confidence died a slow, torturous death. Because you hunger for me as I have hungered for you these past few months? A question when shed probably meant it to be a statement.
I do not hunger for you, Jamila.
Ouch. There was such brutal honesty in his tone, even Annabelle flinched.
But you said Jamila floundered. I thought
Oh, honey. Just walk away before he does more than trample on your pride, Annabelle thought, sympathy for the girl momentarily superseding her anger with Zacharel.
I said nothing to make you think I desired you, he stated with the same coldness that always infused his words. You simply assumed. Therefore, now I will tell you plainly. I do not want you. I have never wanted you, and I will never want you.
Okay, so, wrong again. The man had no feelings.
A sob parted the womans lips, and she spun on her heel, her wings expanding in a burst of movement. Hers possessed far less gold than Zacharels, but they were lovely nonetheless. She shot into the air and out of the cloud.
He faced the screen Annabelle still watched, and she knew he was headed into her room. Not wanting to be caught spying, she waved the TV screen away. Go!
The air thinned, until only the cloud wall remained.
A second later, Zacharel stepped through that wall, seeming to appear out of a forbidden midnight dream far better than the ones shed entertained. Thick, silken black hair tumbled down a flawless forehead and into a gaze that studied her with unwavering intensity. Though his features had been painted with a brush of youth, he appeared beyond ancient, the wintry green of his eyes seeing everything, missing nothing.
A long, white robe draped him, somehow displaying his incredible strength, and oh, oh, oh, but he had brought the chill of the Arctic with him. She drew her arms around her middle for warmth.
He looked her over. Something passed over his expression, something she couldnt read, before he carefully blanked his features. You are well.
I will not be intimidated, and I absolutely will not be awed by his appearance. Annabelle forced herself to unleash the ire shed been nursing. And you are a douche. You made me a prisoner, after I told you Id rather die!
Far from intimidated, he said, That is no way to speak to me, Annabelle. I am in a dangerous mood.
Like she wasnt? Well, well, the mighty Zacharel actually feels something, she said snippily. Its a Christmas miracle.
It is not Christmas, and I suggest you sweeten your tone. Otherwise, I might take you at your word and kill you. How about that?
She gasped, stepped back until she hit the edge of the bed and almost fell. You wouldnt dare. Not after you went to so much trouble to save me.
Stark self-loathing darkened his eyes. I killed my own brother, Annabelle. There is no one I will not take down.
Wait, wait, wait. Hed done what? Youre lying. He had to be lying.
He snapped his teeth at her, reminding her of an injured animal in too much pain to accept aid from anyone. I do not lie. There is no need. People lie because they worry over the consequences of admitting the truth. I worry over nothing. People lie because they wish to impress those around them. I seek to impress no one. You would be wise to remember that.
How was this the same man who had cared for her so sweetly? Why did you kill your brother?
That is none of your concern.
She persisted. How did you kill your brother?
Silence.
An accident?
Annabelle!
A chastisement if ever shed heard one. Fine. Shed drop the subject for now. The wounded-animal thing made sense, though. Whatever hed done, he suffered for it.
Why are you letting me stay in your cloud, she said, when I so clearly frighten you? And I do frighten you, no matter what you say. Why else would you lock me up?
A heartbeat of quiet, his anger seeming to drain from him. You mean to bait me with that question, I think. You hope to embarrass me into apologizing, into vowing never to lock you up again.
No. Well, maybe a little.
Did you wish to leave my cloud?
I wished to leave the room.
And failed in your attempt.
Your cloud was the failure, not me.
He rolled his eyes. Why did you wish to leave?
Rather than lieor slap him again as he so richly deservedshe tossed his earlier words back at him. That is none of your concern.
Were the corners of his lips twitching? Did you want to see me? Speak to me?
Every word caused heat to deepen in her cheeks. I will not answer those questions, either.
Smart girl. You have realized it is better to refuse me than to lie to me. But with your nonanswers, you have told me what I wanted to know. Yes, you wished to see me, to speak to me. But about what?
Irritating angel. Look. Either you promise never to lock me up again, or I bail sooner rather than later. And I realize thats not really a deterrent for you, but those are the only options Im willing to entertain.
Fine. I will never again lock you in this room.
He offered the vow so easily, she was momentarily taken aback. Well, okay, then.
You will stay?
Yes. For a little while longer, because she wasnt sure where else to go or how to return to earth without spilling her guts. But enough about me, she said, not wanting him to change his mind. Did you have to be so mean to that woman? So much for hiding the fact that shed been spying.
His gaze flicked to the empty space beside her, narrowed and returned to her. You watched me. The words were velvet, soft in a way he probably hadnt intended. All the while, vapor puffed in front of his face, adding to the erotic-dream factor.
This isnt your business, Miller. And yet she nodded to encourage him to continue. I did, she said, and the scent of him suddenly clinging to every inch of her nearly sent her to her knees. How had she missed its allure before this moment?
One of his brows arched, slipping under that fall of hair. How was I mean to her? I simply told her the truth.
You told her the truth, sure, but you did it with no concern for her feelings. Do not reach out and brush that hair away.
Yes, and she kissed me with no certainty of my feelings.
All right. Okay. That changed everything. Annabelle had been forcibly kissed before, and she had hated every moment of it. She had lashed out at the culprit, too. His reaction was understandable.
Actually, he added, if I was mean to her, and Im not admitting that I was, it was to spare her feelings in the future. Now she knows my thoughts on the matter, without any doubt. She will not make the same mistake twice. Furthermore, the truth might hurt but when used properly, its never purposely cruel.
What kind of woman would take this man on? she mused. A brave one, certainly. And why was she even entertaining such thoughts? His stupid scent must be affecting her brain.
Are you married? The notion shouldnt bother her, but it did. But only because she would feel guilty about finding him so attractive when he belonged to another woman, surely.