For Love of an Angel (The Fallen Warriors Series) by Rosalie Lario Page B

won't mind, I can assure you."
    "I hope not." Among human roommates, taking someone else's clothes without permission was asking for a serious fight. She had absolutely no desire to war with an angel over anything, much less clothing.
    "Come." He nodded toward the door. "I'll show you the bathing facilities."
    Michael led her back to the staircase, but this time they went down. Again she noticed the lack of angels. "Where is everyone?"
    "They left earlier today. Had to go on a research mission. It's just the two of us for now." His stilted tone, along with the note of discomfort floating off him, made it clear why they'd really left. Her essence made them uncomfortable.
    Could she possibly be more humiliated right now?
    After leading the way to the lowest level, Michael took her down a long, narrow corridor. The walls shone, and when she touched them she came away with moisture. Eew, slimy. She opened her mouth about to ask about it, when she heard the soft whoosh of running water. They rounded a corner.
    Freezing in place, Eva's mouth dropped open. She surveyed the large, open area. Perpendicular to the entrance, a wall of rock rose about two feet from the ground forming a bank of sorts for the stream that trickled through the space.
    "Oh my God, this is incredible!" She rushed toward the bank and leaned over, looking from left to right. The water slowly swept in from a crevice on one end of the cavern before flowing out a small hole on the other.
    "I thought you might like this." Michael chuckled and took his place next to her. "Touch the water."
    With a shrug, she bent to trickle her fingers through the water. She gasped and swiveled her head toward him. "It's warm."
    "Hot spring." He gazed at her from between heavy lids. "Feeds down to the stream below, on the outside of the cave."
    "Unbelievable." She shivered in anticipation of the feel of the water against her flesh. A wooden bucket lay on the bank and when she peeked inside she saw several tiny bars of soap. "This is perfect ."
    Eva moved to snatch a bar of soap, but when she lifted it out of the bucket, Michael grabbed her hand. "Wait. I have one more area to show you."
    "But..." She gave a longing glance toward the stream.
    "Don’t fret." Michael laughed. "You'll find this place worth the wait."
    "Okay. If you say so."
    She made to drop the soap but he said, "No, keep it."
    Perplexed, she followed him up the stairs to the main level. They walked through the living room and toward the entrance. "Outside? Is that where you're showing me?"
    "You'll see." When they reached the pitch-black cavern, he held her hand and showed her how to slide the toe of her sandal along the ground to make sure she stayed on the worn path.
    After what seemed like an eternity, the light from outside the cave started to filter in. When they finally reached the mouth of the cave, Eva took a deep breath before stepping out into the daylight. She scanned her surroundings. "Holy crap. I've died and gone to Heaven."
    Michael let out a husky laugh beside her. "Close, but not quite."
    They were on a ledge about twenty feet above a flowing stream that cut in between their mountain and the neighboring one. Bits of gray rock peeked out in between the dense green patches of trees that forested the bluff, and a light mist flowed up off the water. Looking up, she saw the top of the mountain curved slightly forming a canopy of sorts over the water. It was perfect. No angel would be able to spot this part of the stream from the air. They would have to fly down a fair distance to see it. And no doubt Michael and his crew had installed precautionary measures to advise them of anyone approaching from above.
    "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite so beautiful," she murmured.
    "Nor have I."
    His voice was hoarse, and when she gazed back at him, she found him studying her face instead of the landscape. Blushing, she glanced back down to the stream.
    "Do you care to see it up close?"
    Eva sucked in a