Present day, Seattle

Sariel

My brother stands in an empty parking lot, illuminated by the light of a lone streetlamp. I can almost see the broken silhouette of his lost wings as I approach.

“Tamiel,” I say, pushing through the uncomfortable lump in my throat.

His head hangs low, dark hair covering his face. “It didn’t take you very long to find me.”

I shrug, trying to appear cool and confident. “Once you lifted your cloak, you stood out to Gabriel and Michael like a beacon.”

A dark chuckle escapes him. “Funny how you’re the one who convinced us there was more to our existence, that we didn’t need to listen to them any longer. But now you are their errand boy.”

“Where have you been? Surely not working with Azazel all this time. You were certain you’d find your soul mate when you fell.”

“Up until the last ten years, I’d been happily draining a small little town in Northern England. I embraced my vampire body. I’d given up hope, realized you’d led me astray. Azazel found me and told me of his plan to reenter Heaven. So, I joined their ranks.”

“He lied.”

Tamiel puts his hands in his pockets and sighs as he nods. “And then I saw her. I saw the one who was meant for me for a fleeting moment.”

“But…where is she now?”

His dark gaze locks on mine. “Dead.”

My gut clenches. I’d been through the loss of the woman I loved. “How?”

“Murdered by Gadriel. It took me thousands of years to find her, then, before I was able to speak a word to her, she was taken from me. I’ve spent twenty-five years without her, a fraction of the time you’ve been without your mate, but I can’t go on like this.”

The mention of Gadriel brings back memories from five years ago. He’d nearly killed Galen in an attempt to get to me. “So you’ve deserted them?”

He nods, and I can see the pain written across his features. “I don’t want to return to Heaven, not with them.”

“But if she’s—”

“You know as well as I do, we won’t get to Heaven again. It’s over for me. I wish I’d never seen her—that I hadn’t fallen. But now that she’s gone, it feels like my soul has been cleaved in two.”

“I know the feeling well, brother.”

His lower lip trembles, just enough to show me how hard he’s fighting to keep it together. “How did you bear it?”

“I didn’t. I went dormant after I couldn’t take it any longer. Tamiel, there’s still hope. She might be returned to you. My Selah is here, reincarnated in this life.”

“How do you know He won’t take her from you again?”

Anxiety settles over me, a cold weight across my skin as his words echo the buried fears in my heart. “I don’t. But getting to love her for any span of time is a gift I’m not willing to sacrifice.”

“I think you’re a fool, Sariel. I only wish I’d seen it before I chose to follow you and lost my wings.”

I step toward him, though I don’t know what I can do to convince him to join with us and stop the rest of our fallen brothers. With the speed only a vampire possesses, he’s gone, leaving me standing alone in the beam of light in an empty parking lot.

* * *

“Sam! I’ve got a grande caramel mocha here for Sam.” It takes a moment for me to register that I am Sam, as the barista continues to call my assumed name.

I’ve spent the last three mornings in this Starbucks, hoping for a glimpse of her. I need to speak to her again, to feel her touch. Especially after talking with Tamiel and sensing his despair. Now that I’ve had just the barest sliver of Selah’s attention, I need more. Like a damn junkie looking for a fix.

I hadn’t been inside a coffee shop since I’d been given back my own body. The scents and sounds overwhelmed me at first. Music and chatter everywhere, bouncing off the walls while the rich aroma of brewing coffee and sugary pastries layered the air. I almost had to turn around and leave, needing a reprieve from the assault on my senses. Then I remembered the sight of her bare ring finger, the feel of her hand gliding over my back, and I got in line, ordered the exact same thing the woman in front of me asked for, and settled in the window to wait—and watch.

“Hey! Tattoo guy.” Selah’s voice flows over me like a healing balm. Finally, she’s here.

Turning in my chair, I lock gazes with her and can’t fight my broad smile. “Hello, Selah. It’s nice to see you again.” I’m impressed with my ability to keep my cool. She’s so near, her heavenly scent eclipsing everything else around us.

She takes her full bottom lip between her teeth and shifts on her feet, but those gray irises never leave mine. “Sam, right?”

My back stiffens, but I nod. This will have to do for now.

“Selah,” the barista calls. “One-pump vanilla latte with an extra shot!”

Glancing over her shoulder, she turns back to me with an apologetic smile. “That’s mine.”

I don’t want her to leave. In fact, what I really want to do is toss her over my shoulder and take her back to my bed. I want to love her until she forgets any other man. “You’re welcome to join me,” I offer.

A grin spreads over her rosy lips, and my heart lifts. “That sounds great. Thanks.”

I watch her body move with a dancer’s grace as she navigates the crowd and collects her cup. Her hips sway with a mesmerizing quality that has my blood rushing straight to my underused cock. Selah has always carried an air of sensuality. It’s just something about her. But this woman has an added confidence, and every man in the vicinity notices. As she collects some napkins from the condiment bar, one of the brown paper coffee sleeves falls to the floor. I have to bite back a groan when she bends to pick it up. Her ass is round and toned, on full display in the tight jeans she’s wearing. Shit. I’m not going to survive her.

Two guys who are seated close by turn their focus to her as well. They’re close enough for me to make out some of their words. My hands grip my knees so hard, my knuckles turn white. But Selah walks past them without a word, eyes only on me. Standing, I pull out a chair for her, and a sense of pride fills me as I stare down the two assholes. They blanch, and both rise, leaving without another word.

“I’ve never seen you here before,” Selah says, turning my attention back to her.

“I recently developed a love for coffee.”

She grins and takes a tentative sip. “It’s heaven in a cup.”

The mention of Heaven sends a pang through me. “I can think of a few things more heavenly.”

“Like what? Name one thing.”

“Oh, Selah. I don’t think you know me well enough for that admission.”

Her cheeks turn a bright pink, but there’s a glimmer of interest in her eyes. My gaze travels to her hand, and my stomach turns to stone at the sight of that glittering diamond.

“You’re engaged?” I ask, hoping she doesn’t notice the break in my voice.

Setting down her cup, she fiddles with the band. “Yeah.”

“I’m not going to lie to you and say congratulations.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“Because I haven’t had my chance.”

She tears her gaze away from mine. “I don’t know you.”

“You can’t deny there’s something here.” I know I’m pushing too hard, but damn if I’m going to waste any time.

“I’m not… Sam, you can’t talk to me like that.”

I take her hand, the contact sending a wave of desire through me. I know she feels the connection, because her fingers grip mine. “You weren’t wearing a ring when we met.”

A guilty expression flits across her face, knitting her brow. “I…I forgot to put it back on after washing my hands.”

“Are you sure that’s all it was? He’s not right for you, and you know it.”

Pulling her hand free, she pushes back her chair. The scratch of the wooden legs over the stone floor is loud enough to garner attention from the people closest to us. “You don’t know me.”

“And you aren’t denying anything. Just think about it.”

Defiance burns in her expression as she hitches her purse high on her shoulder and turns, whirling away from me without saying goodbye.