Gabriel had taken Nyalla’s words at breakfast to heart. Whatever the future might hold, he was a human right now and he needed to adjust his ideas of was a good and moral path to accommodate the needs of this physical form. And its limitations, as well. He’d consume healthy food and drink in moderation. He’d steer clear of vice, and strive to be ideal in more human terms. As a result, while Nyalla was down making arrangements for their day’s activities, he read every bit of material in the hotel room that he could find in hopes of becoming a better human.

The instruction manual for the microwave was particularly enlightening as was a book on Brazilian Cuisine. He mastered operation of the television and remote via a helpful card permanently affixed to the stand. There were also instructive notes posted in the room about emergency exits, what to do in case of a fire, and the various activities that were not allowed in the room, as well as how to place the bath linen if he wished to have clean replacements.

Nyalla had not returned even after he’d completed reading all the material the hotel room had to offer, so Gabe turned his attention back to her books. He finished the pirate book, quite happy that Annette had finally decided to consent to sexual intercourse with the captain, who proved to be a loyal and devoted partner. That left him to choose between a novel about an emotionally damaged hockey player and a plucky news reporter, or one about a dystopian-type world where angels lived among the humans and ruled in a very autocratic, hands-on fashion.

That cut a little too close to non-fiction for him. But as drawn as he was to the emotionally damaged hockey player and plucky reporter, Gabe couldn’t help but begin reading the other book, mostly because the main angel-character’s name was Raphael, and it seemed very amusing to be reading about his brother in a fictional tale.

And the book was quite enlightening, if somewhat disturbing. By the time Nyalla arrived back into the room, he had questions.

“Have you read this one yet?” he asked. “These angels are truly horrible beings. And I really do not appreciate how this Raphael character treats the human woman. I don’t care how devastatingly attractive he is, he is cruel and manipulative, and clearly abuses his power. Just because the human is a lesser being doesn’t give him the right to act in a threatening manner toward her. If my brother Rafi ever behaved this way, he would be doing penance for centuries.”

Her lips twitched as she closed the door behind her. “It’s a romance. Women find powerful men attractive. And while in real life we might not appreciate being manipulated and threatened, sometimes we like to fantasize about reforming a bad-boy.”

Gabe tossed the book aside in disgust. Then picked it back up, carefully marked the page, and lined it up on top of the others. “That is a horrible idea of love, even if it is fictional. Please tell me you don’t have those sorts of fantasies.”

She gave him an odd look. “I do. I have fantasies about a powerful being. But he respects me and admires my strengths and talents. He’s there to catch me if I fall, though, to protect me when I need it but not interfere if it’s obvious that I have a situation under control. He’s the one I tell all my secrets to, the one I confide in. He’s fun, and I enjoying spending time and sharing the activities I love with him. In fact, when he’s not with me, I think about him and long for the time when we’re together again. At night, I sleep better by his side, with his arms around me. And when we have sex, we bring all our love into our passion. It’s a holy act for us, a joining together. A way in which two become one.”

He caught his breath at the vision her words produced. Could she….was she talking about him? She couldn’t possibly mean that to be about him. He’d only known her for one day. She couldn’t possibly mean him.

“Have you met anyone who comes close to these fantasies?”

Her dark blue eyes were intense as they met his. “Yes, but when I first meet someone they often seem to fit the fantasy. In reality, especially after a few months with them, they turn out to be someone else entirely. But I hope…I think I might have met him.”

She’d met him? And here she had this book with a sexy character who had the same name as his brother. A white-hot emotion blazed through him. Jealousy? It wasn’t something he was used to feeling.

But he had to know. “Raphael? Is it Rafi?” The humans always adored his younger brother, thinking Rafi to be charming and attractive. The very personality flaws that made other Angels of Order treat him with disdain seemed to fascinate the humans.

Nyalla bit her lower lip, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “This isn’t the right time to have this conversation.” She waved a brochure in the air. “Not when we have a sailing excursion to be at in thirty minutes.”

“A catamaran? Like the one we swam to last night?” Gabriel jumped to his feet, feeling giddy with excitement, the book and the thought that his brother may have won Nyalla’s heart temporarily pushed aside with the anticipatory thrill of their sailboat adventure.

“No, but it’s going to be so much fun. I chartered a little twenty-eight-foot sailboat. The captain is going to show us how to steer it, and trim the sails, and all these other nautical things that I don’t know about.”

Wait. Captain? Gabe looked down at the table and picked up the pirate book. “If this captain attempts to have sexual intercourse with you, I will need to throw him overboard.”

She giggled. “That’s just a story, Gabe. We’re paying this man to sail us around. He wouldn’t jeopardize his livelihood by hitting on me. Well, not with you on the boat. You wouldn’t really throw him overboard, would you?”

Gabe sat the book down on the table, nudging it so the spine was aligned perfectly with the others. “I’ve done it before. And I happily filled out the four-nine-five report for it, too. Two hundred pages of investigational details and an impact analysis was a small price to pay to rid the world of such a horrible creature. As much as I abhor violence, as much as I detest the lack of restraint and forethought, the abuse of power, I would most definitely kill a human who threatened to harm you.”

She tilted her head and regarded him thoughtfully. “And if I were willing? As I told you, some feel that my enjoyment of sex means I’m indulging in the sin of lust. I might find this captain very attractive, and decide to willingly have sex with him.”

Gabe felt as though the omelet he’d eaten an hour ago was about to come surging up through his digestive system and out his mouth. He took a deep breath, trying to settle the crazy emotions running through him. “I cannot, I would not stand in your way if you willingly wanted to have physical relations with anyone. I don’t have the right to restrict your behavior. I’ll never have the right to restrict your behavior.”

Her shoulders slumped, the light in her eyes dying. It was then that Gabriel remembered what she’d just said about women and fantasies.

“You have the right to choose who you spend time with, who you experience a physical connection with. I respect that. And if you have sex with this captain, then I’ll just have to restrain myself, because what I’d really want to do is rip his limbs off and feed him to the sharks one little bit at a time.”

There. Now she looked happy again.

.