Wrath of the Fallen by Eve Archer

Chapter Eleven

Ella

“Who the hell does he think he is?” I gripped the metal railing as I stared over the rooftops of the old city, the hard steel cold against my flesh. I breathed in the warm summer air, squinting as the sun shone down impossibly bright in the bone-white sky.

This was better, I thought as I concentrated on steadying my breathing and squeezing the railing. It was hard to erupt with rage when I was standing on the rooftop of the convent and overlooking Jerusalem. The gray, iron dome of the basilica was so close it felt like I could reach out and touch it, a cross topping the dark metal and ivory structure. Farther away was a pointed minaret carved from the same creamy stone that appeared to have built the city, and beyond that was the gilded Dome of the Rock, gleaming gold in the unforgiving rays of the sun.

Technically, Dominick was the gorgeous mob boss who’d paid off all my debts in exchange for me spending the summer with him. Of course, I’d agreed to that before I knew he was a fallen angel and before I’d fallen for him—hard. Still, none of that gave him the right to make major decisions for my life. Paying my debts didn’t mean he could simply hand me over to the angel Gabriel and let him zip me up to heaven.

I shook my head, the insanity of the whole situation hitting me. Fallen angels? Archangels? No wonder I felt like I was losing my mind. None of this was normal. As much as I’d rolled with the punches, even I had to admit that learning about my own angelic DNA had pushed me over the edge. Not that it was easy for Dominick, either. He’d thought he was falling for a human with an angelic mark, and in reality, he’d hooked up with the secret love child of the archangel Gabriel.

My anger melted under the sun’s warmth and the breathtaking views, my fingers relaxing the death grip I had on the railing as I thought about everything from Dominick’s point of view. When there was no longer rage simmering inside me, hurt took its place, an ache building in my chest.

Even if he was overwhelmed by the situation, how could Dominick have said those things? How could he have thought them? He’d asked Rami how he could stand in the way of me having a celestial life, but I’d never wanted anything like that. Then again, how would he know that? We hadn’t talked much about it since the archangels had appeared, making revelations and threats. I’d thought it was because he didn’t want to discuss Gabriel, whom he clearly despised, but maybe it had been more about me. Did Dominick think I wouldn’t choose him if I really thought about my options?

The ache in my heart morphed into an ache for him as I imagined what it had been like to discover that I was the daughter of an archangel. No longer was he the most powerful creature I knew, or the only one who could change my life. And he couldn’t give me immortality, while it seemed my godfather—correction, my father—could.

“Poor Dominick,” I whispered, letting my gaze sweep over the russet-colored roofs, and distant hilltops sparsely dotted with flat topped trees. His willingness to let me choose immortality was less about controlling me and more about a sacrifice. He would give me up, but only so I could have what he could never give me. Suddenly, I realized that giving me up would be the ultimate sacrifice for love.

I straightened, taking a deep breath and garnering strength from the sounds and scents of the ancient city—the chatter of voices in the streets below, the savory smell of food from vendors, the chime of a faraway bell. As I thought about Dominick and how he’d probably seen this city evolve over thousands of years, the skyline changing but the open sky and gentle hills staying the same, heat tingled through my body. My hands still holding the railing warmed until a faint light glowed from between my fingers.

Stepping back and snatching my hands away from the metal, I stared down at them. As soon as I’d stopped thinking about Dominick, the light had dissipated. Was he connected to my power? Almost every time I’d summoned it, he’d been with me, or I’d been thinking of him.

I wiggled my fingers, glancing around me. At least there was no one else on the rooftop terrace. Jerusalem might be a religious city, but I doubted there were many actual miracles or supernatural events taking place or many demi-angels hanging out on rooftops, come to think of it.

“Way to keep a low profile,” I muttered to myself, peering up at the cloudless sky. Dominick had been very clear that we were going to Jerusalem because the archangels and demons wouldn’t think of looking for us here. Apparently, the epicenter of religion wasn’t a big draw for fallen angels. At least, not now.

I took a final look at the domes and minarets popping above the roofs and headed for the door leading inside. I’d probably freaked out Sara when I’d stormed into our room, and knowing her, she’d be assembling a rescue party to look for me. I groaned as I thought of the apology I owed her.

A crack drew my gaze heavenward, a bolt of lightning spitting the sky and then vanishing. I gave my head a shake, not sure if I’d imagined it. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky or any signs of the storm. The boom that came next nearly knocked me off my feet, shaking the terrace and making me throw my arms out to brace my impact on the stone floor. “What the actual fuck?”

My hands stung from the impact and my teeth rattled from the hard jolt. When I looked up, the sky was no longer white and cloudless, and I was no longer alone.

Dark clouds massed overhead, swirling into a funnel, crackles of light flashing from within. But that wasn’t the most shocking change. The angel standing between me and door was tall and broad shouldered, his chest bare and his white wings unfurled so that they reached from one side of the terrace to the other. His hair was light brown, the curls brushing his shoulders, and his pale eyes were hard as they locked on me. He wasn’t one of the ones who’d been with Gabriel, and he didn’t look friendly.

I stood and wiped my hands on the front of my dress, appraising my very slim chances of getting around his massive wingspan to the door. “Who are you?”

“I’m Azrael,” he said, his voice like honey as he tilted his head at me and smiled, the warmth never reaching his eyes. “I’m the angel of death.”

“If Gabriel sent you to take me back to heaven, I’m sorry to waste your time. I’m not going.”

My mouth went dry as he drew the sword that Gabriel had snatched from Uriel when he’d wanted to wrest me from Dominick, the blue-white flames licking down the length of it. “And I’m sorry to disappoint you, daughter of Gabriel. I didn’t come to take you back to heaven.”

I backed up until my ass bumped the railing, my eyes never leaving the menacing angel. This wasn’t good.