Free Fall Into Darkness by Valerie Twombly

looked good. Her body couldn’t help but respond every time he touched her. It was a no brainer.
    Add the fact she could actually look into his eyes—beautiful ones, at that. A small part of her wondered what it would be like to make love to a man and gaze into his eyes at the same time.
    She shook the thought free. Geez, I must be insane to even think it. She looked up and noticed the scars on his back. Long, thick, red scars formed a vertical line along the inside of his shoulder blade, one on each side. Odd, they appeared identical. She reached out and fingered the one on the right.
    He jumped forward and spun around. “What the hell?”
    With the unexpected lack of support, she put her weight on the injured leg. Her knee buckled and she lost her balance. Tumbling forward, she braced herself for impact with the hard tile below. Instead, she landed against a chest of corded muscles. Strong arms encircled her and pulled her close.
    She squealed in pain. Her ribs had taken the brunt of the hit. Tears welled and streamed down her cheeks as she tried to push herself free.
    “Ah, damn it. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He tipped her chin up and she noted the sincerity on his face.
    “I-it’s.” Her chest burned and she gasped for air.
    “Shit.”
    His mouth brushed hers. Gentle kisses peppered her lips.
    Open for me.
    She heard a voice in her head. How the hell had he done that? The pain must be causing her to hallucinate.
    Let me help you, now part your lips.
    This time she had no fight left and did as he commanded. His tongue slipped past and slid across hers. He savored every inch of her and she him. He tasted of vanilla and she wanted to devour him. Her pain eased to the background, but her breathing increased from arousal.
    He broke off the kiss and they stared at each other for several seconds before he picked her up and carried her back to bed. He laid her down then took several steps backwards.
    “What the hell just happened?” she whispered.
    Both brows shot up. “You really need me to explain it?”
    She maneuvered into a sitting position, careful that her towel didn’t open and reveal anything when she confronted him. “You were talking in my head and you kissed me. Why?”
    He crossed his arms over his naked chest. “Most women would ask for more not ask me why.”
    Oh the guy had an ego the size of Texas. “Look, I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I need some answers. Who are you, really?”
    He glanced out the window as if contemplating his escape. The snow came down so heavy he wouldn’t be able to see one foot in front of the other. There was no place for him to go. “Fine. You startled me when you touched the scars. By kissing you, I absorbed your pain.”
    She tipped her head and thought about what he said. The pain did decrease significantly, but he was still not telling her everything. “Perhaps I should be asking, not who you are, but what?” Her gut said he was something other. But what?
    “I’m an archangel. To be exact, I’m a bounty hunter for the Tribunal.”
    She let her jaw drop before snapping it shut and narrowed her gaze. She really wanted to believe him, but her faith had been lost long ago. Still… “Angel, huh? Let me see your wings.” She sat back and waited for the impressive show and tell.
    “The scars on my back are where they used to be. They were taken from me.”
    Could he really have had wings at one time? They were pretty massive marks on his back and anguish settled in her gut. How painful would it have been? She couldn’t let up just yet. “Who took them from you and why are you here?”
    Eli moved back to the bed and sat on the edge. His body rigid, she sensed he was uncomfortable. “I hunt fallen angels and bring them back for judgment. The last few I killed instead, but that wasn’t the icing on the cake. I am here because I left a human alone to suffer. The Seven condemned me to earth to find my humanity.”
    The story got stranger by the