Yes, he loved her in all her faces, but this face, it was her truest one.
They moved in silence down the hallways. And as they did, Raphael told her of Aodhan’s observations, warned her of the possible risk to her.
“I think it’s something else,” she replied. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you ab—” She cut herself off as they spotted a Luminata flowing down the hallway. We’ll talk in the air, she added mind to mind.
Keeping his silence until they reached the courtyard in which they’d originally landed, Raphael then wrapped his arms around Elena’s waist. “Let them assume you do not have the ability for a vertical takeoff,” he murmured against her ear. “It gives you one more weapon in your arsenal.”
A small nod from his consort as she wrapped her arm around his neck and they rose into the air, her weight nothing to Raphael’s archangel strength. Aodhan rose after them, having stayed below to watch their backs. Unlike his usual preference, today he remained low while they went high.
Releasing Elena once they were at a high enough altitude that she could sweep out into a stable position without difficulty, he flew beside her as she headed toward the mountains in the distance. They were farther away than they appeared and the three of them only reached the nearest peak after about twenty-five minutes of flight.
Landing, Elena blew out a breath. “Man, that felt good!”
She waved up at Aodhan, who continued to glide across the sky.
The angel dipped his wings to show he’d seen her.
Smiling, Elena walked to the very edge of a cliff and took a seat, her legs hanging over the edge and her wings spread on the stony surface behind her. Raphael sat beside her. Except for the change from day to night, the view was similar to when they’d arrived at Lumia. The stronghold stood in their direct line of sight, all graceful curves atop a gentle hill, its windows glowing with light.
“Beauty and peace in luminescence,” he murmured. “That is their motto according to the few Luminata I spoke to in the time prior to dinner.”
“Total BS,” Elena scowled. “That place seethes. That’s the right word. Seethes. There’s all this stuff below the surface and it’s something ugly.”
It was a deeply felt reaction to a stronghold and a sect she’d earlier described as merely “spooky.” “Tell me.”
So she did, laying out the conversation she’d overheard about a woman with hair of near-white and skin of dark gold. She was right—the two Luminata could’ve been talking only about her. No one else in the entire immortal world had the same looks as Elena. No one. “It appears you may have accidentally stumbled upon an ancestor.”
Elena blew out a breath. “Sounds like it, doesn’t it?” Eyes narrowed, she said, “Funny coincidence, don’t you think?”
“Or not a coincidence at all,” Raphael murmured. “The entire world saw images of you after the battle in New York.” The most iconic images had been taken by people on the ground as he fell with her broken body in his arms, her hair a pale banner and his wings eaten away by angelfire.
His chest squeezed still when he thought of how close he’d come to losing her, losing the chance to build this life that made immortality a gift. “The Luminata had to know I’d bring you with me if they called a meeting.”
Snorting, Elena said, “I don’t have delusions of grandeur—I don’t think they called a meeting of the Cadre just to see me close up, but I do think it might be a nice side benefit.” Her throat moved. “But it’s clear Gian was involved with someone who looked like me. What are the chances it could’ve been my grandmother?”
16
Raphael thought of what he’d glimpsed in the eyes of the Luminata leader when he first greeted Elena. Gian hadn’t stepped over any lines, which was why he was still alive. But there had been distinct male admiration in his gaze. “We can’t know until we track down your family line and discover if the unusual coloring is strong in the line, or if your grandmother was the first.”
Lips twisting, Elena stared out at Lumia. “Whoever Gian’s lover was, these guys could put me on the path to finding the truth about that side of my history, but I have the feeling no one’s going to just answer my questions if I ask.”
“The angels you overheard, you should find out how long they’ve been Luminata.”
“Why?”
“Because unless they knew Gian in the outside world, it’s possible Gian was already Luminata when he was involved with the unknown woman. And not just a brother—he’s been the Luminata for centuries.”
Elena sucked in a breath. “He’d have broken his vows. Shit, if that’s true, no wonder it’s verboten to discuss it.”
Gripping his protective instincts in a fierce hold, Raphael spread his wings so that his left wing was lying across her back. “If the Cadre meeting drags on as I expect it to, you’ll have several days to explore Lumia and try to unearth the truth. But never forget—angelic secrets can be deadly.”
Elena wove her fingers through his. “I can feel you gritting your teeth, Archangel.”
Raphael turned to look at her, raising a single eyebrow. It was a look Elena had more than once labeled “pure archangelic arrogance.”
Instead of responding with a wicked grin as she so often did, his consort leaned over and kissed him on the cheek with unexpected sweetness, the shadow of his wing shading them both. “Doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the effort.” The grin peeked out.