Present day, Seattle

Sariel

“Watch it, asshole.” The cab driver lays on the horn, swerving to avoid me as I blindly step into the busy traffic of downtown Seattle. I’m still not accustomed to the weakened reflexes of my mostly human body. Centuries upon centuries of living within the body of one vampire or another has left me unsure of this form’s capabilities and limitations. I’m reminded of where my limits lie every day.

Shaking my head to clear my mind, I return to the sidewalk, but my eyes never leave the woman across the street. Selah, the reincarnation of my soul mate, the reason I fell from Heaven and lost my wings, the woman I’ve been cursed to live without for millennia. She’s sitting on a stool in front of the large bank of windows of a Starbucks in Pike Place, just like she does nearly every morning. Dark hair cascades over one shoulder as she nurses her drink, and, damn it to hell and back, she’s still as painfully beautiful as I remember. My cock hardens as her fingers slide absently across her collarbone. Would that I could taste her skin.

And then the light catches on the fucking engagement ring on her hand. Possessive rage courses through me. I’m going to have to do something about that.

She’s mine.

She doesn’t know it yet, but she will.

“Let her be, brother.” The archangel Gabriel’s voice catches me off guard. I flinch at his words but work to control my reaction. I don’t want him to see how weakened I am. The last body I’d shared a consciousness with had been one of the strongest vampires I’ve known. I never had to worry about my angelic brothers being able to sneak up on me. I’d feel their presence before they spoke, didn’t need food or even exercise to maintain my strength. All I’d needed was blood and sex to feed. But I’ll take the warmth of the sun on my skin and the pleasures of life over speed and bloodlust any day. Now that I’ve been restored to my original self, I can have all that…but most of all, I can have Selah.

My heart gives an uncomfortable squeeze as she fiddles with the bauble on her finger.

“She’s meant for me.”

The archangel rests a hand on my shoulder, sending a pulsing sting along the raised golden ink under my skin. My big brother Michael restored some of my angelic power in the form of grace etched into my back. A slight hiss escapes me as the burn flows through the expanse of the pattern, reminding me of what I stand to regain. My wings and my place in Heaven. And the one thing I’ll lose if I choose to go home—my Selah.

“Sariel, you’ve found her. That doesn’t mean she’ll be yours. She may not want you.”

“She will.” The thought of her not choosing me sends a primal flash of rage through my blood.

“Your focus needs to be on stopping the other Watchers, ending this conflict before it begins, not bedding the woman who caused your fall. She’s only a human, after all.”

That pulls my attention from her. I’m sure my anger is visible as I turn my gaze to him. And all he can do is smirk. The fucker. He’s lucky he can’t die. Brother or not, I’d push his winged ass right into traffic. “She’s not any woman. You know that.”

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Gabriel begins walking away, his posture the stiff, uncomfortable stance of a being unwilling to learn how to blend in with the natives. I follow. I know this conversation isn’t over and I’d rather feel in control of my choices. When I cast a fleeting glance back at Selah, my heart sinks when all I find is an empty window. Damn.

“You can’t spend all your time watching her. That’s not what we restored you for, and certainly not why we provided you with more than enough funds to live comfortably.”

My hackles rise. I hate being beholden to them. “Go ahead and take back the money. I’ll get a job.”

Gabriel laughs in my face. “Doing what? I suppose you could become a professional stalker.”

“Fuck off, Gabriel.”

He continues to laugh, heedless of the humans around him. Finally, after wiping a tear from his eye, his expression goes back to his usual stony one.

“Has the vampire come to terms with his soul being returned?” he asks.

“Devin. His name is still Devin. And, no. I haven’t told him yet.”

Turning on me, Gabriel frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I haven’t seen him since Michael branded me with this grace. I see no reason to bring Devin and Willow further into this until they’re needed. Azazel is gone. The Watchers have no leader. We can leave them out of it for now.”

A dark chuckle falls from Gabriel. “Have you gone soft? The Sariel I know has always been focused on one thing: himself. But the more involved with these vampires and their women you’ve become, the less ruthless you seem.”

He’s right. Watching as Galen and Devin both found their soul mates has changed me. Maybe I have softened. I could have let them each die, left their souls in purgatory until they were judged, but I didn’t.

“They earned their souls. You know that as well as I do.”

Nodding, he stops in front of the lot where I’ve parked my car for my daily stalking session. It’s laughable, really, to think I’m a fallen fucking angel, reduced to nothing better than a lovesick puppy begging for attention.

“The Watchers aren’t without a leader, Sariel.”

Gabriel’s words send a chill through me. “Who has taken control?”

“We’re not sure, but we suspect it is Lucifer.”

“How the hell are you not sure?”

“You know he’s amassed a wealth of power since he was cast out. As the world becomes ever more faithless, so grows his strength. He’s been able to cloak himself from us, change his form, manipulate those around him, but his skills have improved vastly in the last hundred years. If he doesn’t want us to find him, we won’t.”

Running my hand through my hair, I grip the back of my neck. This isn’t good. I know Gabriel wants to give our remaining fallen brothers a chance to repent, but if Lucifer has them, there’s no going back.

“Sariel, you and I have a lot of work to do. You’ll be better off if you keep your attention on the battle to come rather than on a woman you don’t have.”

I force myself to bite my tongue. He’s picking at me on purpose, knowing I’ll lose my temper and use my power. But I can’t. Every time I give in, I know it takes me farther from Selah and closer to becoming the weapon the archangels want me to be.