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  “But he’s touched her now, held her in his arms. There’s no way he’ll be able to resist her again.”

  “If she offers herself. She still thinks what they did is to be one time only. She doesn’t understand that they’re meant to come together fully, to complete each other. The key must enter the lock, and Micah must fill her with his essence in order for their mortal bonds to be broken.”

  “How could she understand? She doesn’t know anything—neither of them do. You’re making this sound impossible.”

  A sigh. “Not impossible, just very, very difficult.”

  A thoughtful rustling sound. “They’ll have to be brought around it slowly. We need to plant the seed in their minds in a very roundabout way.”

  A sigh and the whisper of wings. “That’s going to be the difficult part. I think Ariel will give Micah almost anything, but she has to know what she needs to give him first.”

  “Leave Ariel to me. I’ll see that she gets the idea. Even if she still believes it’s wrong, she’ll want to give herself fully to Micah. She wants it as much as he does, and she feels that he needs it.”

  “He does need it. The twain have never gone this long without joining in their entire existence. Micah must be starving for her. He has to be made to give in to his hunger.”

  “Well, Micah is your department. Is there anything you can do?”

  “Not much.” A sigh. “He’s so obstinate. All I can do is encourage him and try to assuage his guilt. But he’s very sensitive to what he considers to be right and wrong. I think the human taboo has a much stronger hold on his mind than it does on Ariel’s.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  “So if she can be brought around…”

  “She will. Give her time.”

  “Time is exactly what we don’t have.”

  “I know… We can only hope we’ll see them together in heaven soon, breaking the seal to the throne room and warning the Almighty that hell has breached our defenses.”

  “At least there’s no one to interfere—not since I cast that imp into the pit. Hell has no idea what’s going on. Hopefully everything will be back to normal soon, and you and I will go back to singing in the choir.”

  “I don’t know. I rather like this guardian-angel business. I think…I think I’ll miss it when this is all over.”

  “Yes. When it’s all over. One way or another.”

  “What are you talking about, ‘one way or another’? There’s only one way this can end—in victory.”

  Another long pause and a doubtful sigh. “I hope you’re right.”

  * * *

  The imp crawled over the lip of the pit, shaking the charred black framework of what had once been a pair of beautiful black leathery wings. Their delicate membrane had been seared away in the eternal fires of damnation, leaving only the blackened bones clinging to his back. The pain was dreadful, of course—unspeakable. But nothing compared to what Lord Beelzebub would do to him if he found out what had happened.

  Blasted guardian angels, always meddling where they aren’t wanted! Next time I see that big one, I’ll be certain to give him a taste of his own medicine. He shook himself again, his wing bones rattling mournfully, and cast a last glance into the lake of fire. The moans and screams of the damned drifted out of it, barely audible over the roar of the hungry flames. Shapes danced in its hellish light, black shadows against the red, contorted in never-ending agony. Demon though he was, he had barely escaped its hungry jaws, and the human souls condemned to burn there for all eternity were not so lucky. He was fortunate to have lost nothing but his wings.

  Sighing, he looked upward. He wouldn’t be able to fly until the membranes of his wings grew back, but he couldn’t afford to wait for that. The climb back to earth was certain to be even more arduous than the journey to the lip of the pit. He supposed he could ask for help…but if it got back to Lord Beelzebub that he had been absent from his post for even a single night… “He’ll have my hide,” muttered the imp. “Skin me alive and cast me back down in the fire.” And without his hard, leathery skin to protect him, he would fare no better than the souls of the damned.

  The imp shivered and shook his head. No, he would just have to get back to earth on his own. Then, as soon as he had a moment to spare, he would have to report to his lord that Micah and Ariel were together again.

  He just hoped they were still keeping each other at an arm’s length, or there would be hell to pay.

  Chapter Nine

  Leah was still asleep when he opened his eyes, so Owen spent some time just watching her, her beautiful features quiet in repose and her thick hair spread over the pillow like a golden corona. A halo. God, she was lovely and loving too. The way she’d allowed him to touch her the night before, just to prove her love for him, had touched Owen deeply. She had such a giving heart. It made her every bit as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

  A great surge of love and protectiveness flowed through him as he watched her. He wanted to hold her forever, to defend her against any threat or harm, to protect her and provide for her always. At that moment he knew she was more to him than his sweet little sister—she was the love of his life, and he would kill or die for her if it was necessary to keep her safe.

  But I can’t feel that way about her. It’s wrong. And the things we did last night were wrong too. Oh, Leah, I love you so much. Why can’t I keep myself from wanting you?

  Then her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up to see him watching her. “Oh, Owen.” She laughed nervously. “Are you okay? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He opened his mouth to tell her how he felt about her, how much he loved her…and closed it again. He couldn’t declare his undying love for her. So instead he just smiled and said, “I was just thinking how beautiful you are when you sleep.”

  “Stop it, now. You’re making me blush.” She sat up in bed, and the thin covers fell away, revealing her full, bare breasts and the ripe mound of her pussy. Owen sucked in a breath. God, she was lovely. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her and then suck her tight pink nipples, just as she’d allowed him to do the night before.

  “Here,” he said stiffly, finding the T-shirt she’d worn to bed and handing it to her. “Maybe you’d better cover up.”

  Leah pulled the shirt on quickly and then looked at him, her big eyes filled with uncertainty. “I’m sorry, Owen. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I’m not upset,” he lied. Then he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m sorry, Leah. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. After all, I saw everything last night.”

  “But it was dark last night. You couldn’t have seen many details.”

  “I saw enough to know how beautiful you are.” He cupped her cheek. “Beautiful all over, Leah. Inside and out.”

  Leah’s eyes went soft, and for a moment he thought she was going to lean in for a kiss. But that would have started everything all over again. Reluctantly he drew his hand away. “I love you, little sister,” he said softly, deliberately reminding both of them of what their relationship really was—of the way it had to stay.

  “And I love you, big brother,” she whispered back without a trace of irony.

  That’s how she thinks of me. As her big brother—and that’s all. She doesn’t need from me what I need from her. She was just giving herself to help me last night because she cares for me. Not because she loves me the way I love her.

  The realization cemented his decision not to let anything else happen between them, no matter how much he wanted it. Leah seemed to see the determination in his eyes, because she frowned.

  “What is it, Owen? You look so serious all of a sudden.”

  “It’s nothing.” He looked away. “I was just…thinking about something that happened a long time ago. Do you remember that time we went swimming down at the lake when we went to visit Grandma Forester?”

  “Of course I do. That was a great summer. We h