Free Dark Awakening by Charlotte Featherstone Page A

watch the sun set. Meet me at my favourite statue and I'll buy you a cup of tea. Be there, Mary."
    He glared at the machine. The woman's voice made his nerves taut. There was something about the hypnotic quality of her voice. He played the message again, not because he didn't already have the information memorised, but because he wanted to hear the woman's voice.
    "Langdon Park.... be there."
    The machine clicked and he dropped it onto the table. He knew the place well. Langdon was a quiet wooded park with lush gardens and crumbling statues of mythological creatures and heavenly icons. It was dark and secluded, and hardly ever frequented as it was on the fringes of the city.
    All in all, it was the perfect place for Mary Murphy to spend her last night on Earth.

Chapter Two
    Nadira gazed up at the bronze statue of an angel whose face was contorted with agony. The angel's head was thrown back, revealing a thick, corded neck and shoulder length curls that were windswept behind him. His massive arms, all sculpted muscles, were outstretched as if he were trying to break his fall.
    Shivering, Nadira rubbed her palms up and down her arms. The summer air was heavy and humid. Every once in a while the wind came, chilling her. Dampness scented the breeze, telling her that it had recently rained somewhere nearby. The thunder in the distance was a warning that the storm was now approaching the city.
    Still shuddering, Nadira once more looked upon the massive statue, marvelling at the impressive size of the winged man. She took in the sculpted body, the breadth of his chest, the strength of his arms and the power of his thighs, before she read the plaque on the stone base. ‘The fall of Gadriel from the Heavens'.
    A flash of grey flooded her vision and she swayed on her feet, before looking up into the face of the bronzed angel; a face wracked with pain. Another sweep of grey, followed by a brilliant burst of white, swam before her. The vision that had plagued her for weeks was suddenly upon her.
    In her vision, the sky was falling. Unnaturally black clouds churned above her, reminding her of how hurricanes appeared on the weather radar. In a circle they swirled, growing, gathering until only a small opening of the slate grey sky remained in the centre.
    A crack of thunder, followed by a forked line of lightening shot out of the black mass. She tried to run, but she was frozen, standing directly below those strange clouds and the ominous eye that seemed to leer down at her.
    And then it came, that shadowed image of spread wings and the body of a man hurtling down from the clouds.
    An angel.
    His naked body tumbled through the sky, feet first, until he landed softly in a crouching position only a few steps away from her. He did not see her standing on the street, but she could see him, kneeling, his head bent, his chest heaving as if struggling to breathe. Slowly his breathing normalised and he looked up—not at her, but straight ahead, at the tall apartment building across the street. She knew that building, knew who lived there and she shuddered, feeling the imposing weight of fear pressing upon her.
    The creature rose from the balls of his feet, standing to his full height, which had to be over six foot four. As he did, the magnificent white feathery wings furled back, disappearing between the points of his massive shoulders.
    Clothes magically appeared with his every step, covering his naked body with black leather pants and a black T-shirt that was stretched tight across his chest. A long, brown woollen coat covered his shoulders and he wrapped the sides around his lean waist as he walked forward, toward the entrance of the alley, where she stood cowering.
    Stopping, he turned his head in her direction. “Shhh.” He pressed his finger against her trembling lips. “Soon, all will be revealed.” Then he stepped off the sidewalk and crossed the street, disappearing amongst the cars and buildings.
    As the vision faded, Nadira's