Thousands of years ago, Mesopotamia

Selah

Sweat trickles down in a line between my shoulder blades as I watch my mother choose yet another dye for the fabric she’s woven.

“Selah, my dove, come over here so I can see you better. These are your wedding clothes we are having made, not mine.”

Sick dread rolls through my stomach at the thought of exactly why this has been commissioned. I am to wed my father’s business partner and then be shipped off to Greece with the hope of building a strong and lasting alliance between our families. It is the last thing I want to do, to be practically sold to a fat old man with deep pockets.

“Whatever you choose will be fine, Mother.”

I can feel the frustration rolling off my mother in waves, encouraging me to wander farther away. But soon she is engrossed in dyes of all color and quality, and I slip away, unnoticed. The market is filled with people, all shopping with their eyes on the best bargains they can find. Vendors sell everything from figs and dates, to fish and handmade pottery. No one spares a glance as I pass through the array of tents. I need time and space to clear my head before my family obligations suffocate me. Cutting through the narrow roads and alleyways I first learned as a child, I make my way to my place. I’m sure it’s no secret, but to me, the patch of land hidden behind a wizened old pistachio tree has always been my sanctuary. The tree greets me like an old friend, offering shade and a place to reflect.

The gnarled and knotted branches reach for the heavens, vivid green leaves spreading across my field of vision as they cut into the blue sky and bright sun. I take my place at the base of the trunk, leaning against the rough bark. Closing my eyes, I listen to the soft babble of the river as it runs across rocks. I take slow, deep breaths as I work to center myself. The warmth of the afternoon sun quickly sends me from relaxed to drowsy, and I’m soon dozing, in a state of semiconscious awareness.

I wake with a start as something soft brushes against my cheek. My gaze connects with the most alarming set of silver irises. Scrambling backward, I try to get away, but the tree blocks my escape.

“Take your hands off me,” I hiss.

His face breaks into a heart-stopping smile, but he does as I ask, removing his hand and rising from the crouch he’d been settled in.

“I’m sorry. You looked so beautiful, I couldn’t resist checking to see if your skin was as soft as I thought it would be.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks at his bold statement. No man ever dared speak to me this way.

“It isn’t,” he says, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“What?”

“Your skin. It isn’t as soft as I thought. It is softer.”

Getting to my feet, I gather my skirts in preparation to run from this man, but the look in his startling eyes stops me. He stares at me as though he knows me. I want to leave, but I can’t look away. I’ve never seen a being more brilliantly gorgeous than the man standing mere feet away from me. He towers over my small frame, his big body thickly muscled and bronzed by the sun. The sheer size of him should alarm me—he could have me under him in moments without much effort—but his golden hair takes my breath away, pulling me toward him.

“You are so beautiful, my little one.” The deep rumble of his voice sends a shiver of some unknown feeling through me, making my breasts ache.

Remembering myself, I step back. “You are too familiar with me. I do not know who you are.”

He chuckles and ignores my protestations, gripping my hand in both of his. At the contact, my chest tightens.

“Forgive me. My name is Sariel. I came upon you as you slept and could not bear leaving you here alone. Tell me your name.”

“S-Selah,” I manage.

“Oh, Selah, it is my great honor to meet you.” He dips his head and presses his perfect lips to the top of my hand, just brushing my knuckles with the warm softness of his skin.

I tremble.

There’s nothing else I can do at this moment. If he wanted to take me, I don’t think I would be able to make myself stop him. Those molten silver eyes lock on mine as he releases my hand, and all I can do is stare.

“Why are you afraid, little one?”

“I’m not afraid. You are…different from any man I’ve met.”

“That is true.”

“Where do you come from?”

The edge of his mouth twitches into a slight smile, one golden eyebrow rising. “Somewhere you would not know. It is far from this place.”

Anger rises in me, hot and fierce. He may be beautiful, but he isn’t as different as I thought. “Are you being deliberately evasive? I don’t appreciate men thinking they can treat me like a toy or a child who cannot understand things beyond menial chores and making myself pretty.” Turning in a whirl of fabric, I walk away, feeling his gaze upon me as I do so.

Before I get past the large tree and into the clearing, he is in front of me. A truly impossible feat that makes my heart stutter. His warm hand closes over my arm, sending shockwaves through me.

“My Selah, please.”

“I am not your Selah.” I wrench my arm free of his grasp even though all I want is for him to keep touching me. But the speed with which he moves has sent fear catapulting over my nerves. “Are you a sorcerer of some kind? A demon?”

A laugh fills the air as he shakes his head. “I am no sorcerer, I can assure you. And as for your question of demons… Do you believe they even exist? Angels, demons, Heaven, Hell. How do you know they are real?”

“It is a question of faith.”

“And do you have faith?”

Closing my eyes, I take a moment before I answer. “I do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am needed. My mother will be missing me.”

“And what if I will be missing you?”

A thrill races up my spine. “That is unfortunate for you, Sariel.”

He steps to the side, letting me pass, but calls out, “When will you allow me to look upon your beauty again?”

“That cannot happen. I am to be wed in a few short weeks.”

He surprises me with a chuckle, making me cast a glance over my shoulder.

“We shall see about that, my Selah.”

* * *

Wiping my sweaty palms across my gown, I veer down the path I shouldn’t be taking, searching for a man I shouldn’t wish to see. But still I continue. Sariel has been there in my dreams every night since our meeting nine days earlier. I cannot keep him from my thoughts, even though I try with all my might. I have avoided the clearing behind the old tree every day, but it hasn’t become any easier. My yearning to see him has only grown stronger.

The evening sun casts a deep orange glow across the sky as it sinks below the horizon. I should not be out this late, not alone, but I have to prove to myself he isn’t waiting for me. Maybe then I can move on and seal away all fantasies of a life I can’t have.

Circling the tree trunk, I fight my racing pulse and guard myself against disappointment. The clearing is empty, as I’d known it would be, but the unmistakable sinking of my heart has me sighing. I lean against the old tree, letting seconds turn to minutes as night creeps in. Closing my eyes, I think of the fat old man my father has chained me to for his own benefit. I try to picture myself happy with him, but I can’t.

“Such a beautiful mouth should not be turned down in a frown.” Sariel’s rich baritone flows over me, sending waves of warmth to places I shouldn’t be thinking of.

Instead of looking at him, I sigh and train my gaze on the ground, letting my hair fall like a curtain in front of my face.

“My Selah, why do you hide your beauty from me?”

His fingers slide along my bare arm, leaving heat in their wake. Without my permission, my body reacts, leaning into him. He cups my chin and turns my face toward him. Then I’m lost in his gaze, and the world around us falls away. Nothing matters but him and me. His lips hover a heartbeat away from mine, his warmth radiating around us.

Blinking hard to clear my head, I pull back. “How did you know I was here?”

A smirk turns up the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been waiting.” He runs his fingers through my long hair. “Watching.” His hand drifts to cradle my jaw, the pad of his thumb trailing along my lower lip. “Hoping to see you here again. For a chance to be close to you.”

My heart is beating so hard, I think it might burst. I can’t breathe because his otherworldly scent makes me feel faint and I desperately want him to kiss me. Never in my life have I felt like this.

“You are certainly close right now,” I sigh.

A chuckle rumbles through him. “Not nearly enough.” His hand snakes around my waist, and in one smooth movement, he pulls me tight to his large body and spins us until my back is pressed against the tree. “Kiss me, my Selah.”

Why is he asking? I could not get away if I tried, and that realization sends a shiver of desire through me. But truly, I want nothing more than to feel the heat of his mouth on mine, to know what this connection will be like if we deepen it. He is not the man I will marry, but I can’t go my whole life dreaming of Sariel and not have at least taken a kiss to remember him by.

Locking my eyes on his, I reach up and run my fingers through his hair. The glimmering blond strands feel like silk under my skin, and his breath hitches as I tighten my grip. Rising up on my toes, I pull him down and brush my lips with his. I just want a light kiss, a way to ease into something I’ve never done before, but as soon as we touch, he groans and his whole body tenses.

“More,” he murmurs against my mouth. His hands, once gentle, now clutch my waist as he deepens the kiss and presses his tongue between my lips.

This is unlike anything I’ve fantasized. My head swims with the overwhelming sensation of him. He covers me with his body, fills me with his scent, his warmth, his need. My nipples harden as a shiver runs through me, and, God help me, I melt into him. When he pulls away, my head is spinning and my body is missing the connection.

“Why have I waited so long to do that?” he asks, wonder in his tone. His forehead is resting on mine, those mercury-hued irises almost glowing as he stares into my soul with amazement shining in his eyes.

I can’t help but laugh. “You have only been in my presence twice. You haven’t waited long at all.”

Grinning, he takes a lock of my hair between his thumb and forefinger, twirling the dark strands as he stares. “Any time without you is too long to wait.”

“Sariel, we know nothing about each other. How can you feel so much for me?”

His expression turns serious. “We are meant for each other.”

The stern set of his jaw and his tight posture make any argument seem thin and unwarranted. He is certain.

I shake my head and take his hand, removing myself from his grip before stepping to the side. “How can I be? In six days, I will be married. I have told you this.”

“Do you love the man?”

Shrugging, I walk slowly along the edge of the river, catching sight of my reflection in the calmly moving water. “I have never loved anyone.”

“You have not met the correct one.”

“And I suppose you think that man is you?”

He stands so close, I can feel his energy buzzing in the small space between us. “I know it.”

He’s not touching me, but my body reacts to his nearness. “How do you—” He dips his head, silencing me in one smooth movement. This time, there is nothing tentative or hesitant—no discovery. He fists my hair and holds me against him. Sariel is hard—everywhere. The length of him pressing into my belly is thick and hard as stone, and the thought of what he might do with it makes me shiver in anticipation. Brazenly, I run my hand down his chest, feeling planes of muscles even under his clothing.

A shudder courses through him as my hand glides over his arousal. Breaking our kiss, he steps away. “What are you doing to me, my Selah? No one has… I’ve never reacted this way.”

Mortification rushes up my cheeks in the form of a heated blush. What had I been thinking? “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have—”

In the time it takes to blink, he vanishes, and I’m left standing alone, breaths ragged, lips swollen, and heart aching for the choice I have to make.