Free AGThanksgiving_JCSmith by Jessica Coulter Smith Page A

Adriel assures me that Radha and you are in heaven. That thought gives me
comfort.”
    Tears gathered in his eyes. “I
wish I could see you. Just one more time. I’d give anything to just look at you
one last time.”
    He closed his eyes and the
tears slipped down his cheeks. The air around him warmed and he opened his eyes
to a brilliant light. He lifted an arm to shield his eyes until the light
dissipated. As his gaze focused again, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack.
    “The archangel Gabriel decided
to honor your request,” the angel, Remiel , said.
    Gabriel heard the words, but
he barely acknowledged the angel’s presence. Standing next to him, in flowing
white robes, was his beloved wife. More tears slid down his cheeks as he looked
at her smiling face.
    “Kiera.”
    She moved forward and ran her
fingers through his hair. “I’m here.”
    “I’ve missed you.”
    “I know. I’ve been watching
you and it broke my heart, watching you hide out in the house, haunting Radha’s and our room. I was happy when Autumn arrived and
drew you out into the sunshine again.”
    He wiped the tears from his
eyes and reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He buried his
face against her stomach and breathed her in.
    “I don’t know what to do,
Kiera. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish you were still with me.”
    “It was my time to go,
Gabriel. At first, I was angry and sad because I didn’t want to leave you. But
then the angels showed me what my life would have been like if I had stayed, if
I had survived.”
    He lifted his gaze. “Was it so
terrible that you would prefer death?”
    “I would have died anyway,”
she said. “Had I lived, Autumn wouldn’t be the only royal heir left. The
outcast fairies would have come for our children and me. In the dead of night,
they would have killed us all, and then they would have found Autumn, who would
have been defenseless.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    She smiled. “Autumn is your
destiny, Gabriel. I loved you with all my heart, and we had a happy life
together. But I was never meant to stay on earth for long. It was my destiny to
show you that you had more love in your heart than any man has a right to. And
it was my destiny to make you aware of Halflings. Because of me, you recognized
Autumn’s scent.”
    “I can’t believe that I was
destined to love you only to lose you. God wouldn’t be that cruel.”
    Her fingers smoothed his hair
again in long, calming strokes. “God has a great plan for you, Gabriel. Autumn
and you. The two of you together will bring about great things.”
    “What things?”
    “You will have many children
together, if you ever fully open your heart to her. Your firstborn son will be
the next alpha, a man even greater than his father and a truly wonderful
leader. Your first daughter will become the queen of the fae, ruling with a
fair hand and beloved by her people for hundreds of years.”
    “Why are you telling me this?
It should be Radha and you by my side. I’d have
preferred dying with you rather than living without you.”
    She frowned at him. “That is
the most selfish thing I’ve ever heard you say. Would you truly leave Autumn
without a way to defend herself? Until you give her permission to love the way
she yearns to, her powers will stay locked away. Unlike me, she will have great
defensive powers, powers that will aid her against the outcasts. Without those
powers…”
    “What happens if she doesn’t
have her powers?”
    “She dies and the outcasts
will take over the fae realm. Even now, they have my grandfather in their
grasp. It’s only a matter of time before he dies. But if Autumn fights back and
wins, he will be freed and will rule until your daughter is ready to claim her
rightful place on the throne.”
    Gabriel shook his head. “It’s
too much. Too unbelievable.”
    “I can’t force you to listen
to me, Gabriel, but you should listen to your instincts. I know they’ve been
telling you to