Bad Angels Falling Belinda McBride

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.He liked the mint but didn’t care for the yarrow.“Some you can eat, some you shouldn’t?”“Aye.” Rex turned away from his mortar and pestle, showing Hunter how the plants were sorted.Since the angel showed a distinct affinity for plants, he might as well teach.“Rex, sometimes people come here to see you, but you hide me away.Why?”“Here, Hunter, crush a few leaves of this into the stew.” Rex pulled a stool over by the fire and propped his bum against it.“They come to me because they are ill, and sometimes their illness causes them discomfort.”“Physical?”“Yes, but sometimes they are embarrassed.”“Why?”Rex thought back through the years, the unmarried women who wanted to avoid pregnancy, the men with ailments brought on by excessive drink, or by sexual impropriety.Silly accidents and outright tragedies.“Sometimes their ailments are very personal in nature.Sometimes they ail due to their own behavior.”Rex fingered his chin as he watched Hunter move about the cooking area of the small cottage.The angel was tall, and while initially clumsy, had quickly adapted to his body of flesh.Hunter now moved with a fluid grace and economy of movement.Belinda McBrideBad Angels 1: Falling12He’d been here nearly a month, and his language skills were phenomenal.Hunter quickly absorbed all there was to learn.It was probably time to introduce him to the locals at the village.Still, there was the issue of his appearance.Once the dirt and mud had been washed away, the angel had been revealed as heartstoppingly beautiful.His auburn hair glowed like flame in the sunshine; his milky skin took on a golden hue in the sun.Hunter’s face was near perfection, with eyes the color of cobalt and cheekbones that were high and chiseled.That first day as he stepped from the bath, Rex’s heart had constricted in his chest.His cock had hardened just at the sight of the angel, and Rex rarely felt attraction to men.Attraction to one of the Fallen was not only unwise, it was quite possibly dangerous.But still his body stirred, and when he thought of the pull of the moontide, his heart sunk in his chest.How would he deal with this attraction at the peak of his sexual need?They sat before the fire for hours, not speaking, as Rex carefully combed and braided the length of fine hair.Even among his people, few could boast such beautiful hair.He never let his own grow, as it curled into a wild, tangled mess.He envied Hunter that crown of silk and found that tending it had become one of his favorite tasks.Initially, Hunter had been curiously blank, but now personality was beginning to show, and slowly, Rex’s fears about his development began to stir.Fallen angels were notoriously unstable.Hunter was always watching, listening, soaking in the environment in which he’d landed.Thus far, he’d shown no indication of impatience or anger, merely curiosity.He displayed no affection, though some compassion for others had begun to glimmer in his eyes as Rex explained about the people who visited.“Rex, are there others like me?”He hesitated before answering.“A few.Yes, there have been a few.”Hunter sat at the table, carefully slicing another root with a sharp knife.“I thought so.You knew to come and find me, as well as how to tend my needs.”Belinda McBrideBad Angels 1: Falling13As Rex watched, every slice grew more precise and confident.“How did you know where I was?”“I often watch the sky.That night, many stars fell, but your light didn’t burn out.Instead, the sky grew bright with your fire.You were not difficult to locate.”“How long was I underground?”“Just a few hours, I suppose.”Hunter paused in his task, looking up at Rex.“I’d have supposed it to be longer.It felt much longer.”“Time can be a funny thing, Hunter.” In the angel’s altered reality, he might very well have been buried for years.Hunter returned to his work, shifting his back uncomfortably.His wings were recovering well.First, the bones had knit; now feathers were beginning to emerge.They shimmered white and gold and promised to be stunningly beautiful.It was rather sad that nobody would see them.He’d have to learn to keep them hidden for all the rest of his days.Rex rose and moved behind Hunter, nudging the loose shirt up off his shoulders.Obligingly, Hunter pulled the garment over his head.He shifted the thick rope of his braid to the side.“They look better today.” Rex gently ran his hands over the bony framework, noticing that Hunter’s skin pebbled with goose bumps.“Do they hurt?”“Aye, a bit.Mostly they itch.” Tentatively, he stretched the wings out, shocking Rex with the breadth of the span.Folded, they were quite compact.Wings like this would easily carry a man his size.“Humans are not like me.”It wasn’t a question, but Rex answered anyway.“No, Hunter, humans are not like you.”“What will they think of my wings?”Rex sighed and turned away.“They won’t.We’ll have to keep them hidden.”Belinda McBrideBad Angels 1: Falling14Pulling his shirt back over his head, Hunter turned on the wooden bench, facing Rex.“I know that you aren’t as you appear.Will you hide me the way you hide yourself?”Rex went still, his heart beating fast.“What do you mean, Hunter?”He stood for a long moment, hazel eyes meeting blue, and the depth of knowledge that he saw in the other man frightened him.Nor did Hunter hesitate to meet his gaze.There was power there in the angel’s eyes.“When I look in your direction, but not directly at you, I see… something.When it’s just the two of us, you relax a bit.When the humans come, I can no longer see it.”Rex resisted the urge to press a hand over his pounding heart.His magic had been breached! Perhaps he’d grown lazy around Hunter, or perhaps the angel was simply more powerful at seeing through illusion.He took a deep breath, willing his racing heart to slow.“No, Hunter, I’m not as you see me.Not much different, but it’s still not wise to show myself completely [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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