Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Instead, my shoulders grow tense once again, and I swallow hard. This is why Tatiana gives me a bag of weapons every time I leave the house. I want to walk away, but I’m frozen. I want to breathe, but my lungs are locked tight.
And then…
…I feel him.
His hard chest presses against my small back, and I shiver. It’s not the cold body of the vamp, though, it’s someone else. I can feel his heartbeat. I can hear him breathe me in just like the vamp did, his breath setting my neck to tingling.
I want to run, away from him. How can he set this off in me? And who is he? I don’t think I actually want to know who it is. Because anyone who wants to invade my space this way isn’t someone I would want to know. Managing to take a shaky breath, I try to calm myself. I can still feel him at the base of my neck.
He doesn’t say a word.
He doesn’t move.
When I take a step forward, he does too, until we are once again touching. We continue this until I get to the counter. The mistress baker looks at me with a smile that quickly fades when she sees who is behind me.
My hand is shaking when I hand her the token, and she avoids all eye contact. Only when I accept the bread and move to the side to exit the line do I see who it is.
An angel.
One I have seen before many times but only from afar.
His masculine beauty is something I always admire. The angel is dressed all in white, his hair pushed back and silver eyes locked on me. His white trench coat almost hits the ground, and he carries the air of authority all angels possess. He looks out of place here where everyone wears black. All angels are beautiful, handsome, but this one holds something else that makes you wet your lips with your tongue.
Those around us mirror the mistress baker, their gazes downcast as they scurry in different directions. But I can’t move. I’m caught in his eyes, left staring at their magnificence. They shine bright, like pure silver radiating from the irises. In turn, he studies me. The angel cocks his head slightly to the side, eyes traveling the length of my body. I swallow hard at the attention and am unsure how to deal with it. The corners of his lips twitch, and something inside me stirs.
He creates more questions than answers, and that alone makes me step back. Breaking his hypnotic hold on me, I take off in the direction I came, my hands shaking and my breathing laboured, not allowing myself to glance behind me on my way.
Just like the vampire, I can feel the angel watching me, his impenetrable gaze burning into me as I make my escape.
But unlike the vampire’s culinary desires, the angel comes with a much more sinister warning. Trouble is brewing, and I have no idea what it is or how to stop it.
Chapter Three
I find Tatiana in the kitchen preparing dinner as I walk inside. When her knife stills and she looks up to see me standing in the doorway, she’s immediately confused.
Tanya isn’t home yet. She should have been already. When she goes to the castle, she is always at home before I return.
“Did you see Tanya in your travels?” She tries to hide her panic, but I know better.
I shake my head. “She always takes the Eastside because she misses the market crowd.”
She slams the knife down on the counter and curses. I know things are bad when she swears. In a heartbeat, Tatiana is past me, running to the door. She swings it open so hard it smashes into the wall, but she is forced to come to a halt. In the doorway, silhouetted by the evening sun, is a figure so large, even I take a step back.
“You need to come with us,” a dark and heavy voice commands.
I don’t move, and I wait for Tatiana to give some instruction.
“Why?” she asks, mustering authority.
“We don’t answer to you,” he replies, cool and calm, yet the tone is loaded with a warning. Angels have been known to not answer to no one, so why do they answer to her?
Tatiana’s hand grips the door, knuckles white as she turns to me. “Stay here and wait for Tanya.”
I nod, unable to speak. I count five angels on the porch. To have one angel pay you a visit is intimidating enough, but to have five is downright terrifying and unheard of.
“You are both required.” The angel stops Tatiana and looks over her shoulder at me. “Immediately.”
Tatiana shakes her head. “No, she stays here! I will come and sort out whatever it is you need.” She’s always in protective mode. Always.