Sentinal's Tear (Book #1 in Requiem Series) [formally titled Lacrimosa]

Chapter 5

Nesy

There are few things I hate more than feeling weak. Needing help or failing top the list. The worst, however, is knowing that all three just happened.

My soulless human form sleeps without me. I had to get away from her body, her chaotic feelings, if only for a moment. I never wanted to be locked in flesh. But glamour, illusion, will never fool an UnHoly like Aydan. No, I had no choice but to become human again.

I stare at the human girl, wondering what her life was like. Did she always feel so off balance? So confused? Did she ever feel love and hatred as I do in her body? Or has she always been nothing more than a shell created to serve the Council? I know the answer even before the question is fully formed. She is flesh and bone, memory and emotions. Nothing more. No soul, no higher purpose. A tool to serve the Council when we must interact with the humans we are sworn to protect. A vehicle that allows us to get closer to the UnHoly and the Dark One.

Shards of golden light reflect from my skin and dance around the room as I contemplate the night. My wings, an intricate web of spun gold and translucent feathers, unfurl behind me. Released from the confines of humanity, I can relax. Think.

My emotions, human emotions, got the better of me tonight. No doubt the Council will want an explanation. And soon.

A true warrior should've been able to block those feelings and focus only on the mission. A true warrior never would've lost control.

A true warrior wouldn't have failed.

I think of my training, think of what Mikayel, the head of my order, would say if he knew of my weakness.

Of course he knows.

"Where's your control, Sentinal?" I can almost hear his voice booming in my ear. "Focus. Practice."

I have practiced, for centuries. I joined the Sentinals so I could forget—Adam, my human life, everything.

Trained in combat and dedicated to control, the path of the Sentinal was my best hope for survival. My time on Earth had scarred me. Secrets and feelings no angel should possess were permanently tattooed on my soul.

Images of my training stream through my thoughts. Decades learning to handle a sword. Even more time spent learning the ways of the UnHoly and the Dark One.

I trained my mind, closed off my heart, transcended all emotions. I forgot.

Until tonight.

Tonight's events rewind and I relive each heart beat, looking for the moment I lost control. Aydan fills my thoughts.

Amber eyes...so like his.

The feel of his body against mine...inviting, familiar.