“Ignore you?” The angel’s laughter warmed her skin like sunshine. Her muscles loosened and relaxed. She felt that she could have lain on the nearby bench and slept for an age.
She shook herself, trying to steel herself against the effect his presence had. “Cut it out,” she growled.
“So you think he’s ignored you? Lovely Kate, I want you to remember something. The investigation for which you won your great award—do you recall the details of that day?”
“Of course. The discovery of that nest of vampires changed my life.”
“In the cave, when your flash woke the oldest, the most powerful, you ran toward the cave’s yawning mouth, toward the sunlight, but you knew you wouldn’t make it. You’d gotten too close. You felt the brush of cold fingers, and sharp nails grazed your skin when you were still eight feet from freedom. What happened?”
Adrenaline spiked her blood at the memory of that terrifying moment. If that vampire had gotten a firm hold, her bones would’ve joined the pile of human remains in that cave. “I got lucky. The vamp tripped.”
“Are ancient vampires clumsy? And even if one stumbled, could you outrun it once it regained its balance?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying something watches over you. I’m saying a warrior angel waded into the shadow and when that vampire reached out and would have grabbed you and dragged you back, a deadlier creature struck him down. You travel to the most dangerous places on earth and live in solitary safety because you claim the attention and the protection of an archangel.”
Her jaw dipped open as her mind reeled. Had Nathaniel been there? It shocked and pleased her to think so. She wished she’d realized . . . had been able to thank him . . . to touch him. “He never spoke to me or made himself known.”
“He fears it.”
Why? I’d never have rejected him. I wanted to find him so badly! “Fears it because he’s shy?” she mumbled, confused.
“No, because he sensed if he got so close, he would not be able to pull back. Angels belong to Heaven. They may not consort with humans.”
“Never?”
He shook his head.
“Then why show us to each other?” she cried, sharp pain piercing her heart. She couldn’t have Nathaniel. “That’s cruel! Why let us meet now when nothing can come of it?”
He frowned, casting a thousand shadows that chilled her skin. “If you believe it’s a hopeless cause, it will be. I don’t offer a solution. Only a choice. For him and for you.”
“Why? When there isn’t time enough for us to commit? I’m sure his wings will be finished forming soon. When? How long?”
“Hours.”
“Hours?” she snapped. “But we’ve just met. We barely know each other.”
“I’ve shown you what you needed to see. You’ve felt his pain and know his character. Take action or do not. I only offer a chance. The rest must be chosen.”
As Nathaniel used his invitation to enter the hotel, he heard music emanating from the ballroom. B. B. King sang “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Nathaniel smiled. He’d been to a King concert in Philadelphia sometime in the 1970s. He’d listened from the stadium rafters.
Nathaniel wasn’t sure if he’d loved music when he’d been human, but once he’d become an angel, he couldn’t resist it. The original angels had invented dancing, and a passion for music had been passed to every generation since.
When Nathaniel spotted Kate, she was laughing, and he thought there might be something he could love as much as music.
On his way across the ballroom, he encountered Alissa whom he recognized from a picture that Merrick had shown him. Nathaniel wanted to ignore his promise to Merrick because he hated for anything to delay him reaching Kate, but an archangel’s promise had to be honored.
“Hello,” he said.
“Hello.” Alissa smiled, and Nathaniel noted that she smelled nice, of fresh and powerful magic and pretty perfume. Still, it didn’t move him the way the scent of Kate’s skin did when they were close.
Nathaniel removed Merrick’s gift from inside his jacket and passed it to Alissa.
“A present. How kind of you, but unnecessary, Mr.—?”
“I’m Nathaniel, and that’s not from me.”