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I nodded. “Okay, then come with me,” I told the blond one. He raised his eyebrows. “I’ll show you where you’re staying, and you can direct the others when they catch up while I go and find you some supplies.”
He said nothing, but he turned and began to follow me up the hill. We walked in silence until I reached the barn. I pushed the door open, and the smell of straw and cow manure drifted out. The angel wrinkled his nose.
“I’m really sorry. Normally this barn is empty, but we’ve got a pregnant cow in here. And... well, I’m sorry he won’t let you...”
The angel turned to me and placed his hand on my arm. “Don’t apologize, this is fine. We’re very grateful for any help. I’m sure your father is just trying to protect you.”
I looked up into his golden eyes. “Um, yeah... of course. Anyway...” I blinked and looked away. “I’ll just go and get you some blankets and stuff. Keep an eye out for your friends.”
I set off for the house, feeling his eyes on me. I suddenly felt self-conscious in my nightdress, even with my jacket on.
“Wait!”
I stopped, but I didn’t turn around.
“What’s your name? Your... father said it before, but I didn’t catch it.”
“Dylan. It’s Dylan.”
“Thank you, Dylan. Thank you for letting us stay and for helping us fight.”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat at the sound of my name on his perfect lips and nodded before I walked back to the house.
THREE
DYLAN
I hadn’t glanced at the clock when my father had woken me, but the sky was lightening to the east when I came back outside. I loaded a small wagon with the food I’d quickly cooked, bottles of water, a medical kit, and a pile of blankets and pillows from the two spare bedrooms in the house. My heart hammered as I started to drag it toward the barn, and I wasn’t sure if it was from fear of the hellions or if I was excited to see the angels again. As servants of God, surely my father couldn’t really think they’d prove to be any kind of threat to us, and I found myself desperately hoping they might stay for a while—anything to break up the monotony of my life and have someone to talk to other than the animals.
I’d been in a rush, so I’d just thrown on my jeans and shirt from yesterday and hoped they weren’t too dirty. I’d brushed my hair out and tied it back in a ponytail, but I’d pulled a few tendrils down around my face to soften the look. I found myself wishing my father allowed me to wear makeup.
Silly girl, I chided myself.These are angels, not men.They won’t even look at you that way. You are so far beneath them, the idea of them noticing you like that is just funny.
I sighed and pushed the barn door open wide enough to get the wagon through. The electric lights threw a golden gleam over everything. My stomach was rolling from nerves. I’d never been alone with four men before, and I sent up a prayer that I wouldn’t do anything to embarrass myself. I tried to make my expression completely neutral as I moved between the stalls to the empty ones at the end.
My nerves twisted even more when I saw them in the light and I realized how hot they all were. The image of God indeed. Somehow, their wings had vanished, and they looked more like normal men. If one could call beings as delicious as these normal. My eyes fell on the dark angel first as he got up and came toward me. His curly dark hair was closely cropped, and his warm, dark brown eyes swirled with flecks of gold. His armor was now stacked away in the corner, leaving him in a white sleeveless linen shirt, which clearly displayed his wide shoulders and muscular arms. He was easily a foot taller than me, and I swallowed nervously as he approached. He reached out and took my hand, and I loved the warmth of his touch around my cold fingers.
“Dylan, I can’t thank you enough for this. It’s been a hard few months, and you have shown us more kindness than we have seen in a good while. My name is Adamachus. I give you my word that we will do you no harm while you allow us to stay.”
I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry as he released my hand and looked over at the golden-haired angel. “This is Eleth, my second.” I nodded, trying to summon a smile for the adonis I was being introduced to. His golden hair gleamed under the electric lights, and his tan skin made him look as though he were glowing from the inside. He stared back at me with a hint of a smile on his full lips, and I felt my cheeks redden as I dropped my gaze to the angel still sitting on the floor. Black hair fell softly to his ears and over his dark gray and golden eyes. He was just as muscular as the other two, but leaner. He smiled up at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back until I looked at the angel lying in the clean straw.
The dark-haired one had called him Remiel earlier on. He had reddish-brown hair, which looked longer than the others’ locks from here, and a closely cropped beard. He looked huge even lying down. He’d been stripped of his shirt, which appeared to have been torn up to create makeshift bandages for his wounds, and my eyes traveled down the sculpted muscles of his chest to where they converged in a V that disappeared below his waistband. My face flushed with heat, and I pulled my gaze up to meet his eyes. He returned my gaze with a cold look that forced me back to the present.
For crying out loud, Dylan. He’s injured and probably in a great deal of pain, and you’re eyeing him up like some shameless hussy!I chided myself.
“I’m sorry I took so long, and I’m sorry again for you having to stay in the barn. My father...” I trailed off, but Eleth stepped forward with a smile.
“As Ade said, we’re grateful for any help you can give us. It’s been a while since we even had a roof over our heads, so thank you.”
I returned his smile and took a breath. “Okay, so I brought you some blankets and pillows and some breakfast.”
Eleth’s mouth dropped open, and the dark-haired angel scrambled to his feet. “Breakfast?”
I grinned and turned back to the wagon, lifting out a stack of plates and passing them to Ade. I took out the plastic tubs I’d filled with bacon, eggs, and toast and handed them to the dark-haired one. He stared down at them for a moment, and I wondered if angels actually ate human food, but a grin spread across his face and he looked up at me.
“Is that okay?” I asked hesitantly.
Ade smiled and took one of the tubs from the dark-haired one. “Sorry about Jophiel. We’ve been running on empty for several days now. This is really generous of you.”
