Page 3 of Secrets in the Shadow

“How are you not working?”

Raziel faded into invisibility, watching intently as the human pivoted in slow, uncertain circles. The man squinted at the deepening shadows, visible puffs of warm air escaping his mouth.

“I don’t remember any of this.”

He must be lost.

The sun was already setting, and soon the woods would grow too dark for a human to properly navigate. The natural inhabitants would wander out, and not all of them would be docile creatures. But as Raziel watched the stranger, his gaze swept over the man’s handsome face, thinking to himself that he wouldn’t mind fucking the guy.

As far back as he could remember, Raziel had been drawn to humans. They were fascinating, with many complex emotions. Unlike angels, most of whom were as frigid as the air around him.

Raziel snorted. It wasn’t as if he would know since celestial beings weren’t supposed to have sex.

With anyone.

Not even by their own hand.

Which was why Nephilim were an affront. Their existence was proof an angel had defiled him or herself.

And Raziel defiled himself any chance he had. If he wasn’t meant to have sex, then why did he derive so much pleasure from it? Made no sense to him.

The human froze in place, his wide eyes scanning the surrounding woods. “Is someone there?” he called, his voice steady but his hand tightening around his phone.

Raziel was stunned. How had the man detected him? That shouldn’t have been possible. There were only a few who could see or sense angels while invisible, like babies of any species or powerful beings.

The human was neither.

“I’m lost,” he called out. “The compass on my phone isn’t working. I just need to be pointed in the right direction.”

I’ll point you right to my bed, gorgeous.

But if the man didn’t stop shouting, he would attract the wrong attention. Raziel could sense three wolves nearby, hungry and more than willing to eat a lost hiker.

Remaining invisible, he flashed from beside the tree he had been leaning against to directly behind the human male.

Carefully, he reached out, hesitated for a brief moment, and then touched the very ends of the stranger’s red hair. Raziel had always been a sucker for redheads. They had such fire and passion, especially when it came to sex.

With that single touch he knew who this man was. Cody McGillis, who was a mere twenty-nine years old and the new veterinary technician in Midnight Falls.

A noble profession.

Cody stilled. “Who’s there?”

Continue straight and I will guide you back to your car.

“I’m not taking directions from someone I can’t even see,” Cody argued.

Once again Raziel was stunned. The human wasn’t frightened. Did that mean he knew about the preternatural world?

“I would advise you to follow my directions if you don’t want those wolves that are closing the distance to catch up with you.”

“Wolves?” Cody’s breath came out a little faster. “But you could just be saying that to get me to follow you.”

It seemed Raziel wasn’t the only paranoid and mistrusting person. He’d just met this human and—

A gut-wrenching urge to grab Cody and never let him go struck Raziel.

No. He took a step back, his feet crunching in the snow. Cody spun around, his gaze darting.

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