Echoes and Embers (Rebel Angels) Read Free Page B

simply tell her the truth?” Sariel’s deep voice emanated from behind them. “If she has forgotten what brought her here, explain it to her.”
    Alyssa turned her head and found Sariel standing in the shadows beyond the firelight. Her heart gave a little leap and heat settled deep in her belly. Lailah had only just returned. He must have been two steps behind.
    “I’ve explained it to her a hundred times, Sariel. She confuses the details before I finish speaking them. She must remember for herself or—” She broke off, unable to complete the sentence.
    “Gideon loved Naomi,” Alyssa said emphatically. She didn’t understand Lailah’s disappointment, but she was certain of that fact.
    “Aye. Gideon loved Naomi very much.”
    “Then what am I not remembering?”
    Lailah heaved an audible sigh and stood. The firelight accented the contrast between her alabaster skin and her night-black eyes. “Think about Gideon, not Naomi. Gideon is the key.”
    “The key to what?” Again Alyssa sensed her friend’s frustration but didn’t understand the cause. Lailah’s disappointment compounded her own anxiety.
    “I’ve been given my next assignment. I have to leave in the morning. I’ll only be gone a few days. Sariel has promised not to pass judgment until I return.”
    “Pass judgment?” Alyssa’s voice snapped with indignation. “Who is he to pass judgment on Rosalind? Of what is she accused?”
    “I’m not obligated to extend even this courtesy.” His deep voice made the words sound like a growl. “Don’t antagonize me.”
    Alyssa gasped at his arrogance. “My questions remain. Who are you to pass judgment on Rosalind and what is her crime?”
    “I am Sariel, Prince of the Angelic Order of Grigori. If Rosalind is a Nephilim , as I believe, then I have been sanctioned and ordained by Almighty God to pass judgment upon her.”
    Staggering back a step, Alyssa shook her head. “A Nephilim ? Half human and half angel? It’s not possible. The Nephilim were killed in the Great Flood.”
    “Accounts of their extinction have been greatly exaggerated, I assure you.” Sariel crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed and glistening.
    What was he talking about? None of this made sense, and it wasn’t just her muddled memory confusing the issue. “You’re inferring one of Rosalind’s parents was an angel. Can the Black Death kill an angel?” She raised her brow in silent challenge. “You must be mistaken.”
    “Death is easy for an angel to simulate, especially when they’re ready to move on. I have yet to make my final decision, but Rosalind’s nature is not entirely human.”
    “Gideon.” Alyssa beamed, relief driving away her fear. “Of course. That must be what you’re sensing. Gideon was an angel…” Her words trailed away as her thoughts collapsed in on themselves . What had she been about to say? How did she know Gideon was an angel?
    Her gaze darted to Lailah and the hope shining in her eyes made Alyssa’s confusion all the more frustrating. Gideon was the key. She had to think about Gideon. But what did Gideon have to do with Sariel?
    What was the problem again?
    Raking her fingers through her tousled hair, Alyssa surrendered to the mist. It was useless. The harder she concentrated, the more confused she became.
    “Where are you going?” Alyssa asked Lailah, embarrassed by her uselessness.
    “You know where I’m going. Where do I always go?”
    Alyssa didn’t respond. She should know the answer but she didn’t. Why didn’t she know? Was her condition getting worse? Panic surged through her in violent waves. Her thoughts spun faster. Was she going mad? With all this talk of angels and living countless centuries, it was little wonder she was confused.
    “I must speak with Mae.” Though filled with frustration and conflict, the present made more sense than the past. “Perhaps she can tell me what has Rosalind so distraught.”
    “I’m sure she can, but why would she?”