AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s go somewhere private and talk about it,” I offered.
She flinched as if I had touched her with a hot poker. The unnatural glow flared again but she blinked rapidly dousing it. “No,” she declared and before I could react, she raced out of the hall. The guards turned to give chase.
“Let her go,” I ordered, halting their steps.
“You can’t stay unmated for long,” Nosha rushed to my side. “An Archangel’s mate not only enhances power. If left unmated after they found the one, it drains the Archangel. Usually, it takes a few years to drain their power. But given you are so far removed from the blood line; your power will drain quicker. In a matter of days,” the Prime Minister advised softly, concern lit his face.
Clenching my jaw, I reigned in the storm that threatened to spill. “I don’t care about power if Chloe isn’t ready,” I seethed. The Prime Minister flinched but held his ground. I admired him for that.
“That may be but you are an Archangel now. If you are weak, so is your territory. And before long, the Azund vampires will make a feast of your citizenry.”
My wings flared wide. The thought of a threat to my citizens was as unbearable as hurting Chloe. But as the Prime Minister reminded me, I’m an Archangel and choices needed to be made. Losing power was a risk I was willing to take. My duty is to the citizens of Clifton. I’ll always fight for and protect them.
And that includes my mate, Chloe as well.
Chloe
I slammed shut my front door, bolted it. Quickly, I moved to the windows, drawing the blinds shut. Everyone had been staring at me as I fled upstairs to the fifth floor. Whispers followed my escape. How the hell did they find out so fast? It was probably all over the news as well.
Safe in my room from prying eyes, I choked back a sob as I ran over to my oversized, reading chair, and dropped into it. I let out a deep sigh and rubbed the back of my neck, trying to ease the tension there.
What an absolute clusterfuck of a day.
It had been terrifying to see Raphael collapse like a doll at the old Archangel’s funeral pyre. If I didn’t care for him so much, it would’ve been hilarious to watch a man of his size crumple. Then, I tricked the guards to let me into the palace because they felt I was too “common” to see my best friend. But I had to see him with my own eyes. I couldn’t trust their word that he’d recovered from whatever had happened.
But just as I entered the coronation hall, I’m hit by this intense pull in my gut. My knees almost buckled with the molten need that gripped me and pooled in my core. That and the fact that I was blind for a few seconds there had freaked me out.
And what do you know, after that terrifying episode, that bastard, former best friend of mine, Raphael, declares that I’m his mate in front of everyone. I’m going to kill him when he visits. Because he will visit. Soon. I can’t wait because the thought of murdering him feels so satisfying.
I rub my tired eyes. I’m glad the vision issue wasn’t permanent. But how could it be possible? I’m a human. An ordinary cybersecurity engineer who has zero interest in being the center of attention. Not the mate of the Archangel. Can humans and angels even mate?
Archangels are incredibly powerful, more powerful than ordinary angels. Raphael was always strong and was one hell of a guard and Chief of Security for Clifton. With his easy-going nature, no one would guess how violent he could be when it came to protecting what’s his. As an orphan, Clifton was his family. His everything.
Clifton citizens couldn’t have gotten a better Archangel. A smile lifted my lips as my anger cooled. I’m so thrilled for him. My best friend…sorry former best friend is an Archangel.
I push a clenched fist into my belly, trying to soothe the pain. I worry as well.
Everyone knew of the attacks. The mutilation of bodies - humans and angels alike. If anyone survived a vampire attack, the bite’s infection drove the survivors into an even worse death. The previous protections weren’t effective. The old Archangel wasn’t even immune to the bite’s disease. If he could fall, anyone could. Brutal strength wasn’t working. Too many people were dying. The citizens were without hope. Now Raphael bears that burden, though, Raphael will prevent the attacks better. I would walk lock-in-step with him for everything.
But as a mate? Disbelief, anger, and doubt warred within me. Rubbing my sweaty hands on my jeans, I rested my head on the back of the chair, staring at the door.
Another thought had me gasping. Do I become immortal if I mate with an Archangel?
I rack my brain recalling the few human friends who married angels, but they didn’t look changed to me at all. But then, it was a regular marriage. Only Archangels mate. I chewed on my lip as the new possibility took root. If I become an immortal, I would watch everyone I love die. My mother, my friends.
No. This is insanity. What if Raphael dies leaving me alone? Archangels have an immortal life and can heal fast, but they could be killed with a weapon. They could certainly die of vampire bites like Archangel Raika.
No way I’m going to mate with Raphael. What’s the point of all this if I lose everyone? It’s much better this way.
I rubbed my face and pulled out my hairband. My dark hair fell softly over my shoulders, the tension in my scalp releasing a tiny bit.
Raphael. His beautiful face was all I could see as soon as my sight returned at the palace. He was a hunk on any given day and if I wasn’t already with my ex-boyfriend when I met him several years ago, I’d have been open to dating him. But we were better as friends. But today at the palace…I never noticed how green his eyes were or the way his jaw flexed when he was angry. When he closed the distance between us, I swear I felt like a rope tied us tight enough to squeeze the air out of my lungs.
A sudden image of a very naked Raphael leaning over me forced a moan out. I clasped a hand over my mouth, horrified and embarrassed. What the actual fuck!
The ring of the doorbell shattered my downward spiral. As if my legs moved on their own, I found myself pulled to the door. But I fought back with the choicest curse at the unnatural magic that had taken hold of me.
I opened it to find Raphael looking exactly as I expect my best friend to look, in jeans and his abs-hugging black t-shirt. Except now, his wings grew enough to crowd the doorway. And his face had a subtle glow that refuted any doubt of his Archangel lineage. I wonder what else got oversized. My face warmed.
