Free Dark Admirer by Charlotte Featherstone Page B

bottle to his lips and chugged back the remainder of the cold beer, trying not to think of how Eve Parker had felt in his arms, or how his cock was hard in his jeans. He tried to chase away the memory of her lying on the floor; his hand hovering over her as he allowed himself to absorb her energy, to take it deep inside himself so that he could draw on it, could feel her inside him despite the fact that she was so far away from him.
    “The woman is not your concern, do you understand?”
    “I don’t need any damn lectures on my duties,” Anael growled, slamming the bottle onto the table. “I’ll make certain Richard Stokes gets the woman of his dreams, and then I’m leaving this world behind, never to return.”
    “And Eve Parker?”
    “What about her?”
    “You’ll leave her alone.”
    “Why?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “You got something else planned for her?” Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Samael who was sitting quiet and sullen beside Sariel. “You’re not here for her, are you?” he asked, his voice suddenly breaking up. “Christ, Samael, you’re not taking her. No,” he choked, thinking of Eve and her spirit and the way she exuded life. “No, not now. Christ, no. He can’t have her.”
    “Her future is none of your concern.”
    “Like hell it isn’t. I didn’t fall onto her doorstep for no reason.”
    “You listen to me,” Sariel hissed as he all but lunged across the table. “You will leave the woman alone if you know what is good for you.”
    “And what are you gonna do to me, Sariel?” he demanded as he stood and fished through his pockets for some money. “What can you possibly do to me that is worse than your original punishment?”
    “Ah yes, the Abyss for seventy generations. Did you enjoy it?”
    “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he growled as he leaned down and stared into Sariel’s blue eyes. “You get off on that sort of shit, Sariel? You wanna know what the Incubus and Succubus did to me in that dark pit? Is that how you get off and still keep your wings white?”
    “You came out of the abyss with a lot more sins tattooed to your face than when you entered it.”
    “Why don’t you look closely, Sariel,” he hissed, grabbing his brother by the throat and forcing him to look at the angelic script that covered two thirds of his face. “Read them and see what they did to me—what you sanctioned them to do. You like reading that shit? You hard now, Sariel, or are you still sexless just trying to find a way to get off?”
    “Fuck you.”
    “Yeah, you already did that.” Anael shoved Sariel backwards. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, brothers , I’ve got a loser mortal to find love for.”
    Chapter Six

    Eve couldn’t concentrate on anything, most especially the conversation flowing around her. Tuesday night was her book club night. Tonight they were discussing an erotic novel by Anais Nin. Normally, chatting about the steamier side of romance was totally her thing, but tonight she was restless, unfocused.
    She couldn’t stop thinking about the man she’d found in the alley. Couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. It had been two days since she’d awakened to find herself in her bookstore, the stranger nowhere in sight. And yet, she’d felt his presence. It was never really far from her. And being watched? She was certain it was him, but every time she glanced over her shoulder, or checked the window, there was no-one there.
    But the food tray she put out every day at the back door of the store was always emptied, and an origami set of wings were always placed atop the empty plate.
    He was still around, but why? And why was he watching her?
    After two days of little sleep and a running imagination, Eve wasn’t certain what she believed anymore. She hadn’t found the symbol in the book she used for research. In fact, there wasn’t a lot written about angels. And was he really an angel, or was he just some stranger with weird tattoos? Had