Enrapture | The Angels Series Book 2 | Slow Updates

Chapter One

She watched the angel closely as he trudged through the desert. He had been wandering aimlessly for a while now, and she wondered whether he had any destination in mind. She could sense his heavy heart, even as she hid at the base of the large mountain she had recently made her new home. She never got too comfortable. Picking up and moving quickly had long since become the norm for her. He was handsome, as she knew he would be. As an omnia, she was able to see into the future. Not only that, but she could look into the past as well as reveal on goings of the present.

She did so now, looking through the veil of wisdom that descended over her eyes. She could watch the angel in real time and if she so pleased, could look into his past. She didn’t need to, however, for since she had been watching him she knew why it was that he ran. He ran from the same creature she had run from for most of her life. It felt strange, watching the angel with anticipation of his arrival rather than preparing herself for an attack.

It was almost contrast to the way she had watched Uriel as he hunted her so many centuries ago. Her mind suddenly flipped a switch and rather than watching the rogue angel, she had called a vision of the past. The dark familiarity of the memory made her skin crawl.

She was running out of time. Uriel had discovered yet another one of her sanctums and was breaking through her wards to reach her. Her heart hammered in her throat as she quickly tried to devise an escape plan. She hadn’t been safe in Egypt, and Greece had only offered her protection for so long. She was able to keep herself well-hidden for a few centuries before her strength finally started to fail her.

She needed to surface and make herself known to the mortals. Her kind could no longer live without worship, thanks to her ancestors. Being so wise, she had been able to survive with monuments and just a few temples, as long as they continued to pray to her. It was incredible, the power of prayer. It kept her alive and her abilities strong. She had formed a family with others of her kind that had settled in Greece, and together they were able to take on their roles and collectively draw strength from the mortals that offered themselves to them willingly.

She knew she had been playing with fire and that the surge in prayers and worship would gain Heaven’s attention. Uriel had nearly wiped her kinsmen out completely, and now he came for her. She had no choice. She would have to be frugal with her remaining power and descend to the underworld. She had enough to last her a few centuries, but it meant living a very humble life, indeed. She blinked, lifting the veil of sight from her eyes and returning her focus to the spell before her.

She ran her fingers over the brittle pages of the book and recited the words exactly as they were written. A dark portal opened before her and she quickly gathered a few important items and tossed them into a leather satchel. She turned and took one last look at the temple she had come to know as her home. She felt it the moment Uriel broke through the last of her wards, and stepped into the sucking black hole. A tear escaped her eye as she said good-bye to the world she loved.

She shook away the vision and willed herself to see into the present. Focusing back on the handsome, weary angel, she felt something squeeze in her chest. She understood his pain. Uriel had forced him away the same way he had forced her away. Not being able to belong anywhere or call any place home was a curse she had lived with for too long. She smiled slightly, realizing that it might make things easier, having something so profound in common with the angel. After all, she had foreseen their future and it looked as though their paths would be intertwined for a long time.

He was getting closer to her location, and she knew she would have to reveal herself soon. Had it been anyone else stumbling across her hideout, she would have vanished as quickly as she could. She blinked and cleared away the white film from her eyes, revealing their natural, honey-gold color. She stood and took a shuddering breath, hoping to inhale some courage from somewhere.

It was time.