Free Vampire Mine by Kerrelyn Sparks

prigs did to you. They tortured you. Cut off your wings. Left you in the dirt to die.”

    She winced inwardly. In her mind, she knew better than to heed the words of a demon, but there was enough truth in what he said to make her heart squeeze in her chest. Banished.
    Connor seemed aware of her pain, for he drew closer.

    Darafer‟s upper lip curled in disgust. “Even your best friend rejected you.”

    And that slashed at her more painfully than having her wings ripped off. “He had to follow orders.”

    “Did he? Why didn‟t he disobey?” Darafer‟s blue eyes glittered. “You have the courage to disobey. You‟re more like us than you realize.”

    That shocked her out of her pain. “I will never be like you! You spread evil across the world.”

    He waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah, it‟s a dirty job but somebody has to do it.”

    Anger flashed inside her. “You make light of it when millions of people suffer because of your evil?”

    His eyes turned solid black. Beside her, Connor tensed.

    “I wasn‟t joking,” Darafer snarled. “Somebody does have to do it. Your precious Father in Heaven couldn‟t play the good guy if we weren‟t doing our part. He needs us as much as He needs you. Where would Jesus be without Judas? By joining us, you can play a valuable role in the grand scheme.”

    She shuddered. “You‟re twisting the truth to suit your own purposes.”

    “You think so?” Darafer snorted. “Maybe now that you‟re disconnected from the all-holy collective, you‟ll start thinking for yourself.” He stepped closer. “Who created us, Marielle? All of us fallen angels—who made us the way we are?”

    She stiffened. “The Lord is good. It was your decision to rebel against Him.”

    Darafer smirked. “And wasn‟t it your decision to rebel, too, little angel?”

    Her skin chilled. Connor gave her arm a tug as if he wanted to move her back. She held her ground, even though inside, she cringed with fear. Was there any going back now? What if she‟d already doomed herself?

    Darafer‟s eyes turned back to blue, and he gave her a knowing look. “Yeah. Free will. It has a way of coming back to bite you in the butt.”

    Her heart raced. “Just because I disobeyed a few times doesn‟t make me like you. I was trying to protect the innocent. You derive a sick pleasure out of tormenting them.”

    He shrugged. “All in the grand scheme, angel. Sometimes a little torment drives the sheep right back into the Father‟s arms. You could say we‟re doing Him a favor.” Dare‟s mouth curled. “Of course, sometimes it leads them straight to hell. Speaking of which—” He extended a hand toward her. “Are you ready?”

    With a shudder, she stepped back.

    Darafer chuckled. “It‟s a bit warmer there. You‟ll like it.”

    She shook her head. “I will never go with you.”

    Connor remained close by her side. “Ye have yer answer, now go.”

    Darafer gave the Scotsman a bland look, then turned back to Marielle. “Have you ever heard of a banished angel being reinstated?”

    No, she hadn‟t. Panic swelled inside her, and she fought against the surge of fear and despair. She couldn‟t give up hope.

    “The longer you stay on Earth, the more human you will become,” Darafer continued.
    “Do you really want to lose all your power? How about your immortality? Do you want to grow old and turn to dust?”

    She forced the words past the lump in her throat. “Better to lose my immortality than my honor.”

    Connor inhaled sharply, drawing her attention. He was staring at her, his eyes gleaming with strong emotion. He inclined his head. “Well said, lass.”

    Her heart expanded in her chest. He understood. He approved of her even when heaven had rejected her. A spring of gratitude and affection bubbled up inside her, and the panic faded away. “Thank you.”

    Darafer snorted. “Pardon me while I puke.”

    She glared at him. “I‟m not going with you.