“Come on, enough with the show,” I egged the woman on, eager to get this done and over with.
“Gabe, no!” Mel’s eyes pleaded with me in the mirror’s surface. I turned away from her reflection, unable to bear it. This was the right decision. I knew it. I could probably take Azraella in a fight but doing that would only draw the upper echelons of Paradise’s hierarchy like a swarm of bees on a kid with a stick.
“It’s alright. I don’t need them anymore.”
“It’s not alright!” Her voice was shrill. Azrealla ignored her, as any high-powered celestial like her would ignore a human. And anyone knowing Mel would tell you that that was a mistake.
The celestial took a step forward, heels clicking on my floor. My skin crawled under the heat of the blazing flame. It was impossibly hot, but I didn’t allow myself to shrink away from its blade.
“No!” Mel leapt onto Azrealla’s back, her arm drawn tight under her chin. “Get the fuck away from him!”
Holy shit. My ward was actually trying to choke out an arch celestial.
I got a small bout of sick satisfaction, seeing the way my ex’s eyes filled with pure shock as Azraella registered that she was being attacked by a human who wasn’t even tall enough to ride the roller coaster at certain theme parks.
Before sparks flew, I whirled around and tugged Melanie off her, setting my love down gently in bed. “Stop it, both of you. This is complete madness. You’re not allowed to strangle my boss, Melanie.”
Her cheeks flushed to a glorious shade of scarlet, and she raised her chin, tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m not a bad person. I just don’t want her to hurt you.” She sniffed.
“Shh. It’s alright, Mel Bell.” I wrapped my arms tight around my mate, stroking her hair to give her comfort. I pulled back just enough to flash her a reassuring smile. “Not to toot my own horn, but I’m very strong and courageous, you know? Comes along with the whole guardian thing.”
“But that’s because of your wings. If you lose them, you’ll lose your source of power.”
Pressing a knuckle under her chin, I lifted her face so that her eyes were level with mine. “I once thought that, yes. But I have something else that gives me true strength, true courage. And as long as I have her, I don’t need a damn thing more.”
Melanie’s lips softened, tears gliding down her cheeks. “Oh Gabriel…” She collapsed into my arms and sobbed into my chest. “I don’t want her to take any part of you.”
“And I won’t.” The voice I had by some miracle forgotten for a few seconds cut through the moment Mel and I were so tightly wrapped in. We both turned to look at Azraella.
I’d known the celestial for many years, but never had I seen her wear the expression that was sadly a rarity among our kind. Compassion.
It looked foreign on her botoxed features, but all the same, it was a relief to see it there.
Before I could ask her why she changed her mind, Mel nearly shouted, “Really? You’ll let him keep his wings?”
The angel heaved an irritated sigh. “Watching you two is making me sick to my stomach. Add any gore to that, and I’ll be sick for the rest of the century.”
I couldn’t quite believe it, but Azrealla, sure as God, had decided to invoke a miracle born purely from the goodness of her heart. I turned to press my mouth to Mel’s, my lips feathering over hers in a warm, wet and happy kiss.
When I shifted my attention back to the arch celestial to thank her, she was gone.
Mel gapped at the spot where she’d stood not a second ago, blinking rapidly, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Um…What just happened?”
“A miracle. A freaking miracle. She wasmovedby human emotions!”
Mel giggled, pulling herself to her knees on my bed. She poked at a bare arm from under her afghan and flexed her bicep. “A miracle? Sure it wasn’t my mad moves that protected you? MaybeIshould be the guardian angel in this outfit.”
I grinned at her and, with one swift yank, pull the blanket from her body. “I think that’s enoughWrestlemaniafor you, my little ward. Now, let’s get some food.”
“God, yes. I’m starving. Committing celestial crimes really works up an appetite, huh? Where from?”
I paused, rubbing my chin with thought. “Well, I’m pretty sure we’re the first angel and human bonded couple to receive a blessing from Paradise. We’ve made history. So someplace fitting such a momentous day in history.”
A slow smile crept over her face. “IHOP?”
I mirrored her smile, a swell of happiness practically outshining the wings still attached at my back. “IHOP sounds perfect.”
