Read Online Rebel Angel: A Sainted Sinners Novel by Vivian Wood - Free Book Online Page A

water.
    “Nice!” Aurora said, moving closer. She glanced back. “Have you gone in?”
    “This is the part where I spent most of my time,” he admitted. “It’s cold, but very refreshing. We didn’t really come prepared to swim, though.”
    “Hmm?” she asked, distracted by walking around to get closer to the little pond.
    “I assume you’d want to swim in a suit. Since I’m a murderous angel, according to you. And a stranger.”
    “Oh,” she said, her cheeks going pink. “Well, yes. But maybe we could stick our feet in.”
    “I think that’d be fine,” Ezra said.
    They both unlaced and kicked off their shoes. Aurora wore ridiculous red sneakers, but after spending a little time with her, Ezra realized that they suited her perfectly. Practical, somewhat stylish, and a little whimsical.
    That seemed right.
    Aurora rolled up her jeans to the knee.
    “You seem well-versed in this,” he commented.
    Aurora gave him a happy smile. “When I was a kid…”
    Her smile dimmed, and she glanced down.
    “When you were a kid, what?”
    “I was going to say, Jackson and I used to go down to the creek near my house. We’d do just the same, take off our shoes, roll up our jeans,” she said, glancing at him.
    Sadness flashed in her eyes. Ezra cleared his throat, uncomfortable. When she was upbeat, he liked the emotional stuff well enough. Excitement, joy, those were all well and good.
    The dark stuff, though… that was not his purview.
    “I think there’s a flat, dry spot over on the other side,” Ezra said, changing the topic. He pointed, and Aurora gave him a half-hearted smile.
    Ezra walked around the stone ledge of the pool, leading her to a good spot. He settled and dipped his feet into the water, hissing at the chill of it.
    “Yeesh,” Aurora said, after dipping a toe in. “Too cold!”
    “Ask it to warm up,” Ezra said.
    “Oh. Okay. Um… water, will you be like… room temperature?”
    The wind rustled the leaves around them, and after a moment warmer jets of water began to rise.
    “I think it’s safe now,” Ezra said.
    Aurora put her feet in, then let her legs dangle with a contented sigh. “Nice.”
    “Yeah. Actually…” he said, glancing around. “Make it dusk!”
    The sky slowly darkened, and Aurora gave him a curious look.
    “Why dusk?” she asked.
    “You’ll see in a minute.”
    She made a soft mmm noise, leaning back. For a couple of minutes, they were quiet, soaking it in.
    “This place is amazing,” she said, breaking the silence.
    “I agree.”
    “Why were you here before?” she asked.
    Her eyes were closed, her features relaxed. Ezra mulled over her question for a second, unsure how to respond.
    “I came here when I defected from Hell,” he said.
    Aurora opened one eye, glancing at him. “You were hiding?”
    “Yeah. There was a pretty hefty ransom on my return, so I wasn’t sure where to go.”
    “You went to the voodoo queen, then?” she asked.
    Ezra watched her closely, trying to figure out her intentions. Aurora glanced at him and shrugged.
    “You don’t have to tell me, I’m just curious. I mean, it’s not every day I talk to a Fallen angel that left Hell.”
    “Right, right,” Ezra said. “Well, Mere Marie actually found me. I hid out in New York for a while, figured no one could find anyone there. Needle in a haystack, looking for one person in such a big city.”
    “And she offered you, what? A job?”
    “Not exactly. At first, she offered me a place to hide. Then, a way to unburden myself. Serve as a protector for mankind, help keep Heaven and Hell in check. Keep myself off their radar, undo some of the chaos I wrought in my time serving Lucifer.”
    “Hmmm. And Mere Marie, she works for Le Medcin?”
    “That she does.”
    Another silence, shorter this time. Aurora looked at him, then glanced away.
    “Ask,” he said.
    “Hmm?”
    “You want to ask me why I Fell. Or maybe you want to know why I left Hell?”
    “Both, kind of,” she admitted.