Her grandmother opened her eyes and smiled at the kids. “You kids being good for your Mama?”
“Yes, Grammy Angel,” they said in unison.
They stayed another ten minutes or so, but she could see her grandmother was fading. “Time to let Grammy rest guys.”
The kids each kissed Grammy quickly on the cheek and then scuttled toward the door. “Bye Grammy.”
She prayed she was up to the task. Saving her grandmother was too important. Angelina had to try. She had to. Angelina leaned down to air kiss Grammy’s pale cheek.She squeezed Grammy’s hand once more. Grammy squeezed back. An overwhelming urge to get home and start the training nearly blindsided her. If she wanted to heal her grandmother, she needed to learn. Yesterday.
SIXTEEN
She was descended from a matriarchal line of Angels.
Angelina sat at her kitchen table and let that truth sink in. She finally believed him. She didn’t quite understand why she had been able to touch Grammy and not suffer the same reaction that she’d had with Peter or with Brandt but she could question Rafe later. Right now she was thankful that Grammy had perked up enough to chat and to hold her hand.
Obviously Angelina had quite a bit to learn about the healing process. She planned to learn with her grandmother so they could have more time with her.
“The visit was good.” She fidgeted in the ladder-back chair. “Thank you for going with me.”
“I have great affection for your grandmother.”
“She likes you, too.” Angelina smiled wanly. “I could tell.”
One detail bothered her. She didn’t want to bring it up for the sheer ick factor but she also really wanted to know. “Did you and she ever...ah....”
“No. I’ve told you. It’s--”
“Forbidden.” She got that. “Then why...?”
“I don’t know.” Rafe looked out through the panes of glass on the French doors to the backyard. “You want to get started?”
So he wouldn’t answer her. In reality it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting the rest of the power so that she could learn how to heal and then fix her grandmother.
“Transfer of power first.” Rafe still stood by the sink. The overhead light illuminated half his face with an unearthly glow, the other half was etched in shadows. Suddenly those shadows took on a menace. “You need to do exactly what I say.”
“Fine.” She just wanted to get it over with. And still he just stood there. “Don’t you have to be closer?”
Rafe cleared his throat. “Let’s go to your room.”
“I can’t with the kids here,” she reprimanded primly. “It was bad enough you were up there earlier today. I broke the house rule.”
Rafe just waited.
“What about your place?”
His lips quirked.
“Where do you live?”
“Pretty far away.”
Again with the cryptic. “How far?”
“Parallel universe, Angelic Realm, really far.”
“Are humans forbidden there?”
“Not in theory, but so few visit that everyone notices.”
“Well, then where can we go?” Jeez, she felt like a teenager who wanted to make out with her boyfriend. “Car?”
“Too cramped.”
“Park?”
“Too public.”
“Well, where do you suggest, then?” She couldn’t help it. She had to say it. “My parents’ bedroom is out.”
Rafe frowned. “Why would you suggest that?”
“Sorry, it was a joke.” Except that was what it felt like they were doing. An assignation for a secret tryst. Where could they go? And then she had the perfect place.
Angelina led Rafe into the backyard.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” She snickered and then laughed. Her stomach hurt she laughed so hard. She had to pause and adjust her grip on the ladder.
“I can’t believe it either.” Rafe didn’t exactly grumble but he definitely wasn’t happy. “I would hate to break these rungs.”
“We had the tree house built to withstand four-hundred-pound adults.”
“Your husband was that good of a carpenter?”
“Our carpenter was that good of a
“Yes, Grammy Angel,” they said in unison.
They stayed another ten minutes or so, but she could see her grandmother was fading. “Time to let Grammy rest guys.”
The kids each kissed Grammy quickly on the cheek and then scuttled toward the door. “Bye Grammy.”
She prayed she was up to the task. Saving her grandmother was too important. Angelina had to try. She had to. Angelina leaned down to air kiss Grammy’s pale cheek.She squeezed Grammy’s hand once more. Grammy squeezed back. An overwhelming urge to get home and start the training nearly blindsided her. If she wanted to heal her grandmother, she needed to learn. Yesterday.
SIXTEEN
She was descended from a matriarchal line of Angels.
Angelina sat at her kitchen table and let that truth sink in. She finally believed him. She didn’t quite understand why she had been able to touch Grammy and not suffer the same reaction that she’d had with Peter or with Brandt but she could question Rafe later. Right now she was thankful that Grammy had perked up enough to chat and to hold her hand.
Obviously Angelina had quite a bit to learn about the healing process. She planned to learn with her grandmother so they could have more time with her.
“The visit was good.” She fidgeted in the ladder-back chair. “Thank you for going with me.”
“I have great affection for your grandmother.”
“She likes you, too.” Angelina smiled wanly. “I could tell.”
One detail bothered her. She didn’t want to bring it up for the sheer ick factor but she also really wanted to know. “Did you and she ever...ah....”
“No. I’ve told you. It’s--”
“Forbidden.” She got that. “Then why...?”
“I don’t know.” Rafe looked out through the panes of glass on the French doors to the backyard. “You want to get started?”
So he wouldn’t answer her. In reality it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting the rest of the power so that she could learn how to heal and then fix her grandmother.
“Transfer of power first.” Rafe still stood by the sink. The overhead light illuminated half his face with an unearthly glow, the other half was etched in shadows. Suddenly those shadows took on a menace. “You need to do exactly what I say.”
“Fine.” She just wanted to get it over with. And still he just stood there. “Don’t you have to be closer?”
Rafe cleared his throat. “Let’s go to your room.”
“I can’t with the kids here,” she reprimanded primly. “It was bad enough you were up there earlier today. I broke the house rule.”
Rafe just waited.
“What about your place?”
His lips quirked.
“Where do you live?”
“Pretty far away.”
Again with the cryptic. “How far?”
“Parallel universe, Angelic Realm, really far.”
“Are humans forbidden there?”
“Not in theory, but so few visit that everyone notices.”
“Well, then where can we go?” Jeez, she felt like a teenager who wanted to make out with her boyfriend. “Car?”
“Too cramped.”
“Park?”
“Too public.”
“Well, where do you suggest, then?” She couldn’t help it. She had to say it. “My parents’ bedroom is out.”
Rafe frowned. “Why would you suggest that?”
“Sorry, it was a joke.” Except that was what it felt like they were doing. An assignation for a secret tryst. Where could they go? And then she had the perfect place.
Angelina led Rafe into the backyard.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” She snickered and then laughed. Her stomach hurt she laughed so hard. She had to pause and adjust her grip on the ladder.
“I can’t believe it either.” Rafe didn’t exactly grumble but he definitely wasn’t happy. “I would hate to break these rungs.”
“We had the tree house built to withstand four-hundred-pound adults.”
“Your husband was that good of a carpenter?”
“Our carpenter was that good of a
Similar Books
