Page 21 of Rekindled Prophecy

She did not understand. A shadow creature had just attempted to kill her. It was perfectly reasonable to assume Kael had employed the shadow. But instead, his eyes were laser-focused on her, checking her for injuries like a parent tending a wounded child. Unsettling.

To make the situation worse, her body started shaking as if from severe cold. The temperature was not the problem. Of that, she was positive. His face was bare inches from her own as he inspected the cut on her forehead. His breath, as warm and soft as a caress from a tropical breeze, brushed against her cheek.

Satisfied the wound was healing, Kael began to briskly rub both her arms. “You could be cold in the Sahara Desert, I swear.” The contact only caused her to tremble more violently. Not able to withstand the intensity any longer, she wrenched herself away.

The warmth evaporated instantly. Looking up, Greylyn saw his expression change. The grin he wore while teasing her transformed into something else she could not quite place. Hurt? No, that could not be it. Whatever it was, it spooked her out of her reverie and back to reality.

He was the bad guy. They were enemies. There was a strange comfort in the truth.

Clinging to that thought as if it were a life preserver in a raging storm at sea, she indignantly stood and marched back to her suite in the Carriage House without so much as a “thank you.”

***

Watching her stomp away like a drunk, with her clothes sagging off her petite frame, Kael’s soft, but deep chuckle reverberated in the night air as she slammed the door. Oh, how he adored that fiery Irish temper of hers. They had not spent this much time in proximity for centuries. It was…fun.

His brow furrowed with concern though.

What the bloody hell is up with a shadow creature making an appearance? And going after Greylyn?

Someone was going to have to answer for that flagrant misstep. If someone was after her, they had to come through him first.

Time was not on his side. Tomorrow, Kelly and Matthew would arrive. Then his job took precedence. Playing around with the angel would have to wait.

Chapter 9

Sunny Side Up

After a less than stellar night’s sleep, Greylyn woke to stomping overhead from the upstairs occupant of the Carriage House.

Maybe it was the mass consumption of wine last night mixed with her near-drowning experience, but her head pounded in agony.

Seriously, does he have a herd of elephants up there?

Tenderly feeling the location of the head gash, she realized it had indeed healed already. Inhaling deeply, her lungs were free from the pond water. Yes, she could have easily drowned last night, but it would not have killed her. Not exactly. Recovery would have been a bitch and explaining how she was not dead after hours under water would have been impossible, but nevertheless she was alive. Too bad her angelic healing abilities did not encompass obliterating the effects of too much alcohol.

What she needed was coffee. Ah, coffee! Tall, strong, dark! Okay, so that also described Kael, but it was the beverage she yearned for at this moment.

Splashing cold water on her face, she took a long, analytical look at the woman gazing back at her in the small, oval bathroom mirror. Thankfully, neither the lack of sleep nor the head trauma from her midnight dive reflected back at her. The perks of being a guardian angel. Some days she would have preferred a paycheck and a 401K, but anti-aging, quick healing, and immortality were decent job benefits.

After pulling her hair back from her face with a cotton hairband and throwing on a faded, and well-worn, gray West Point t-shirt and jean shorts, she took a deep cleansing breath before opening the door to welcome the bright morning sun. Streaks of blinding pain shot through her skull.

Sunglasses would be nice about now.

As she glanced over at the koi pond, a shiver ran up her spine. It was not the recollection of the shadow creature shutting off her airway that bothered her. It was the image of Kael gently blotting the blood from her face with the shirt off his back. His expression had been tender.

No. No. No. Stop thinking like that, Grey. It was an act.

The balcony door of the second story suite creaked open. Casually, she turned to make her way into the main house. Kael cleared his throat. “Do a guy a favor and get your medallion from under the mat on your way inside, please.”

Greylyn could not suppress a smirk. It would serve him right to keep it where it was and make his entry into the house painful. Instead, she knelt and removed the medallion from its hiding spot. Pocketing the item as she opened the back door to the inn, mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen welcomed her. Bacon, eggs, biscuits, fried potatoes. With only two guests, their host had cooked up a breakfast feast! Good thing too. This guest was starving.

First things first, though. Coffee. Lots of it. She headed into the dining room where she knew there would already be a tall carafe of coffee waiting. Instead of dainty cups, large beer mugs were laid out on the counter. Greylyn chuckled as she filled two mugs up to the top and strolled towards the kitchen.

“Good morning, sunshine,” she said as she rounded the corner into the large country kitchen where she found Maureen covered in flour. Her host smiled broadly as Greylyn set one of the coffee mugs down beside her on the counter.

“Thought you could use this after last night,” she grinned. “I know I will need at least three refills to clear my head after all that wine.”

Laughing, the innkeeper thanked her profusely. “My mum always said that the best cure for a hangover was caffeine, a large greasy breakfast, and Excedrin.” By the looks of it, Maureen was preparing to cure the entire town. She nodded towards one of the kitchen cabinets. “Excedrin is in there, if you need it, lass.”

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