Kristina Douglas - The Fallen 1 - Raziel by Kristina Douglas Page B

mind, and he tends to be bad-tempered in the morning. In the afternoon as wel ,” she added rueful y.
    “Is there ever a time when he isn’t grumpy?” I asked with my usual lack of tact.
    “Not often,” Sarah said. “He has too many responsibilities. Now, let me find someone who wil know where Raziel’s gone. He’s probably up in the caves—he spends most of his time there.”

    “I admit, he does have batlike tendencies. The black clothes.”
    “The wings,” Sarah added cheerful y, then saw my expression.
    “Oh, you haven’t seen his wings yet? They’re quite . . . astonishing. A deep, iridescent blue. You’l love them.”
    “I doubt it.”
    Sarah smiled. “Let’s find some help. I’m not al owed up there or I’d take you. Besides, with me you’d have to walk and it would take days. Come with me.” She led me, blessedly, toward the open door and the sea.
    I stopped for a moment, blinded by the sunlight, and let the cool salty breeze wash over me like a blessing—like a lover’s caress. I opened my eyes to see Sarah watching me with a faint smile.
    “You fit wel here,” she said.
    “I hadn’t realized how much I love the sea.”
    “It’s not just that.” But before I could ask her what she meant, she started walking toward two men who were standing in the bright sunlight, watching our approach.
    “I stil can’t get over why they don’t turn into piles of ashes,” I muttered. “I thought vampires couldn’t handle the sun.”
    Sarah laughed. “Vampires are a myth.”
    “And fal en angels who drink blood are part of reality television?”
    “Reality television is a myth too, from what I hear. I would suggest you reserve judgment. Tamlel, Sammael,” she greeted them, and the two of them bowed.
    Raziel was so ridiculously gorgeous he made my knees weak, and Azazel’s stern beauty was impressive. These two were damned pretty as wel , and for a moment I wondered if you could be gay in the afterlife.
    One of them was older, with dark brown hair tied back, warmth in his eyes. The younger one was blond and cherubic, and it was probably my imagination that he looked slightly sul en. They greeted Sarah with warmth, but it was clear they were unsure about me.
    “This is Al egra,” Sarah said. “But you already know that. Al ie, this is Tamlel, general y considered to be in charge of scribes. And the young one is Sammael.”
    He was looking at me with a sulky expression, and I’d always had little patience for sul en teenagers. Though this particular teenager was probably thousands of years old. “And what are you in charge of?”
    There was a moment of silence, and then Sarah spoke. “In fact, he’s one of the angels of death. But since the Fal en have eternal life, he hasn’t had much to do since he fel . Our only connection with humans is to take them to their final home.”

    “One of the angels of death?” I echoed. “Like Raziel?”
    “Raziel isn’t a death angel.”
    “You could have fooled me,” I grumbled, thinking back to that bus.
    “What’s he doing now—kil ing someone new?”
    Tamlel looked distressed. “We don’t kil . We are charged with transporting—”
    “Never mind.” I took pity on him.
    “Raziel is the angel of knowledge and mysteries,” Sarah said patiently. “He keeps the secrets of the ages.”
    “Typical male,” I muttered.
    Sarah laughed, and even Tamlel smothered a grin. Sammael, however, kept a stony expression. “Wil one of you take Al ie up to Raziel? He shouldn’t have left her alone on her first day with us.”
    “How long is she going to stay?” Sammael demanded in a tone just this side of rudeness. I guess if you were an angel of death, you could get away with it.
    “We don’t know yet. There are more important things to worry about right now. Her presence among us wil be dealt with when the time is right.”
    That didn’t sound particularly promising. I wasn’t in the mood to be dealt with, and no one apart from Sarah seemed