"Keep it there, so you don't bleed out," Cora ordered then tilted her head to the side. "Gabriel."
"Oh, no," Deidre mumbled. She wasn't ready to face him yet!
She hurt. She'd never felt pain as a deity. She'd never been attacked by a demon, either.
Wooziness turned to lightheadedness. The world faded into shadow and light then into an uncomfortable darkness, not quite sleep but not consciousness either. Deidre closed her eyes, unable to fathom some stupid demon had hurt her.
She was human. She was weak.
She was terrified.
Something warm drifted through her, and her body felt like it was floating. The pain faded then stopped suddenly, but she wasn't able to leave the in-between place.
Wake up, sweetheart. The quiet command was accompanied by a flare of warmth and strength within her. Deidre's eyelids fluttered open. She was lying in her bedroom, on her bed. Someone had figured out how to turn off the overhead lights that blinded her earlier.
She had a nasty headache and groaned, touching her head. Soft voices drew her attention to the doorway, where she was able to hear but not see Cora behind the massive frame of Gabriel.
Deidre stared at him, not remembering him to be as big as he was. Just under seven feet tall and muscular, he wore all black with weapons strapped to various parts of his body. His back was to her, his arms crossed, and his t-shirt stretched tightly across his thick back and shoulders. His hips were slim, his long legs shapely. She didn't remember the aura of power and command around him either. It was subtle but compelling, drawing her attention involuntarily.
Her Gabriel, who spent his life a part of the shadows, radiated the quiet power of a deity that reached her from across the room. He'd never blend into the shadows again.
Her heart was racing and something new fluttered through her, warmth that pooled at the base of her belly. And fear. If a demon nowhere near his size was able to hurt her, what could Gabriel do, if he was upset at her for any reason? If he found out the extent she'd gone to in order to be here with him?
In his place, she'd kill him.
She reclined back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. The soft bed was warm from her body heat, and she found herself running a hand over the downy comforter while she tried to understand the emotions within her.
"Are you okay?"
Deidre's heart flip-flopped at Gabriel's husky baritone. He sat down on the bed beside her. Her breath caught.