Embracing Eternity Read Free Page B

kissed her. Kissed Meela. The angel he’d loved forever and the demon he’d mourned since her Fall. Her body had trembled against him and he knew if he licked his lips, he’d taste her smoky flavor clinging to them.
    He grimaced and reached down to tug at the fly of his jeans. The human clothing had seemed to be a good idea. Something to make him look less angelic, more approachable. Safer.
    He hadn’t anticipated that she would be in his arms, her body against him, fighting him, rubbing against him.
    Merciful Heavens…the friction .
    The attempt to calm her had become an embrace, and the embrace had turned to something more, something which ought not to have been. Worse yet, he’d fed her, given her his power. The essence of life and strength, coveted by all demons, and he’d simply filled her up, given her as much as she could take.
    “What in Heaven’s name are you doing?”
    Evan sighed and turned to face the newcomer. He should have known Raphael was nearby. The Archangel of Guardians watched his angels as closely as they watched over their charges.
    “Saving a soul?” Even to his own ear, that answer sounded idiotic.
    “A soul? The soul you should have been guarding has long since gone. That was a demon.”
    The human had been beyond saving. A disparate life had closed him off to the urgings of any Guardian long ago. Evan had been unable to stop the man’s downward slide into Hell.
    Until recently, he would have said the same of Philomela. Demons, after all, were known to be soulless, without conscience or qualm.
    But something had changed. She was showing signs of regret and remorse, the first cues a lost human soul was ready to be found.
    Surely it was no different for the Fallen.
    “Meela is an angel. She belongs in Heaven.” Evan fought to regain control of his emotions. The last thing he needed was for Raphael to see him longing for the kiss of a demon.
    He turned slowly, certain his superior could tell that his motivation in kissing Meela had been less than divine.
    The archangel wore an aura of Heaven’s purity and his golden plumage still glistened with its glory. His frown of disapproval, however, was anything but Heavenly.
    “If that was a jest, it wasn’t amusing.” Raphael shook his wings in irritation.
    For a moment, Evan debated. To admit his suspicions would invite unwanted scrutiny, but ignoring them could mean Meela would lose her only chance at redemption.
    And he, his only chance to be with her.
    “You do not believe a demon can be redeemed?”
    Raphael shot him a look of disgust. “Redemption is for mankind, not beings of the Realms. You know this.”
    “I know nothing of the sort.” There had to be redemption. Everyone deserved mercy, didn’t they? Even demons.
    “Stubbornness and denial are not virtues you should embrace. I will remind you they did Dominicus no good.”
    Evan looked away from his superior, shamed. He was right. Those were not character traits befitting an angel, especially one whose duty it was to guide others to truth.
    And yet, while those traits had earned Dom a two-centuries-long banishment, they had also given him Maggie, a human woman whom he loved, and who loved him in return. Maybe a little stubbornness and determination would bring Meela to Evan as well.
    She was as lovely to him as she’d ever been, even in demon form. Her blackened scales and red eyes meant nothing to him. The sweet and generous spirit he’d once loved was still there, still beautiful.
    “Evangelos.” Raphael’s voice gentled into a tone of understanding. “I realize that you always held Meela in your affections, even though she never returned your sentiments. You must not let nostalgia or lingering tenderness for what she once was cloud your judgment. If she uses the power you’ve given her to do evil or corrupt Creation, there will be consequences. You realize this, don’t you?”
    “She won’t.”
    “You cannot know this. She is a demon. Evil is her