Free An Archangel's Promise by Jess Buffett

was
confused.
    “Oh Christ. Another one?” Nolan quipped.
    “Who is that?” Gabriella asked softly, though she had no
doubt the angel could hear her. The angel was powerful, that much was obvious,
but what she recognized most was the little things. The way he stood in the
perfectly tailored suit he wore, the natural quirk of his dark brow, and those
eyes that stood out against the crisp white of his silk shirt. She knew those
eyes. “Is he your father?”
    The angel looked so much like Hunter, with his dark brown
hair and sapphire blue eyes. They even shared the same stark white wings with
tips of midnight. The angel was handsome, rather young looking given he was
Hunter’s father. The men could have been mistaken for brothers.
    “Are you?” Hunter asked. While most wouldn’t have heard it,
Gabriella could hear the disguised longing in his voice.
    The angel smiled at Hunter, his eyes softening as he spoke.
“Yes, my son. I have missed you.”
    Gabriella tugged at Hunter’s hand, she had an uneasy feeling
about this. “You were serious when you said your father was powerful, weren’t
you?”
    “Yes, honey, I was.”
    “Hunter,” she whispered. She could hear the strain in her
own voice. “Who the hell is your father?”
    Hunter took a deep breath, then brought her hand to his
lips, kissing it lightly. “Gabriella, I would like you to meet my father, the archangel
Gabriel.”
    Gabriella knew then that she had finally reached the breaking
point. As her eyes rolled up and everything went black, the only thing she
could think was she hoped someone caught her.
    * * * *
    Hunter, not expecting Gabriella’s reaction, barely caught her
in time as she slumped in his arms. Checking her over, he sighed in relief when
he realized she had only passed out. Honestly, he was surprised she had lasted
this long.
    Beside him, Nolan growled. “You idiot. Look what you’ve done
now.”
    Hunter glared at the human. He understood Nolan was most
likely freaking out, and therefore acting out, but he was really starting to
get on Hunter’s nerves.
    “Smooth, son.” Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head. “Do you
think you could have delivered that a little more gently?”
    “She handled everything else so well, I thought she would be
fine.” He shrugged. “Besides, if you’re so wise then pray tell, Father, how
should one tell his bonded something like that?”
    At Gabriel’s intake of breath, Hunter glanced over at him.
    “Are you okay?”
    Blinking his eyes rapidly, the archangel cleared his throat.
“Yes, sorry. It’s just been so long since I have seen you… I started to lose
hope that I would ever hear you call me father.”
    Hunter hadn’t even realized he had called him father. At a
loss for words, Hunter just stood there with Gabriella in his arms. He was
extremely thankful when she began to stir, because he didn’t know what to do
with his father. He held no animosity toward him, not anymore at least, but he
still didn’t know the guy. Hell, he had just met him. No amount of stories can
compare to the real thing, and right now he was torn between awe and fear.
After all, his father was an archangel for crying out loud.
    “Hey there, honey. You back with us?” Hunter crooned, trying
to wake Gabriella up slowly. The last thing he wanted was for her to go into
shock again. Striding over to the nearest seat, Hunter cradled her in his arms.
“Come on, Gabby.”
    When all she did was moan, he sighed.
    “Give her time, son. She has had one hell of a night.
Besides, I should explain some things to you.”
    “So I finally get to know all the secrets, huh?” he asked,
not hiding the sarcasm in his voice. Okay, so maybe he still held a little
resentment toward the guy.
    Gabriel didn’t seem angry, if anything, he looked guilty. “I
never wanted to be away from you. I knew that when you began your transition I
would have to keep my distance, but I had not planned to leave so soon.”
    “Why at all?” he