Archangels consort guild.., p.1
Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter Book 3), page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Teaser chapter
PRAISE FOR THE GUILD HUNTER NOVELS OF NALINI SINGH Archangel’s Kiss
“Everything that urban fantasy romance fans could ask for—sexy thrills, compelling characters, and an original mythology combined with more than a dash of horror. Paranormal romance doesn’t get better than this.”
—Love Vampires
“The world is heartbreakingly original . . . The characters . . . are mesmerizing . . . Sizzling hot.”
—Errant Dreams Reviews
“The mystifying world of angels beckons in the second installment of Singh’s remarkable urban fantasy series . . . Better clear off more space on your keeper shelf!”
—Romantic Times (Top Pick)
“In the mood for a dark, intense, and smoldering sexy read that may have you gasping for breath? Nalini Singh delivers this in ways you can’t imagine with Archangel’s Kiss . . . I’m already anxious to read [the] next installment.”
—Babbling About Books, and More
“I’m so intrigued by this world, so captivated . . . that I simply cannot wait until the next Angel book.”
—Dear Author
“Nalini Singh has really outdone herself with Archangel’s Kiss. I could not put this book down and continued to read well into the night . . . Nalini Singh is a master at her craft. I can’t wait for the next book.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“Ms. Singh’s books never fail to draw me in and keep me enthralled until the very end . . . Utterly fascinating. The Guild Hunter series is one that will not disappoint and will keep readers invested until the very end.”
—Romance Junkies
“Terrific ... [It] grips the audience.”
—Midwest Book Review
Angels’ Blood
“Terrifyingly, passionately awesome . . . You’ll love it.”
—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“I loved every word, could picture every scene, and cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is amazing in every way!”
—Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author
“This is probably one of the best stories I have ever read and will be one that I will rave about for quite a while.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“Amazing. Fantastic. Simmering with both violence and sexual tension, and with vivid worldbuilding that blew my socks off.”
—Meljean Brook, national bestselling author
“A refreshing twist on vampire and angel lore combined with sizzling sexual tension make this paranormal romance a winner.”
—Monsters and Critics
“With the launch of a second paranormal series, Singh provides incontrovertible evidence that she’s an unrivaled story-teller . . . Tremendous!”
—Romantic Times (Top Pick)
“Nalini Singh should take a bow! Angels’ Blood is going to leave you hungering for more instantly.”
—Romance Junkies
FURTHER PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS
OF NALINI SINGH
Blaze of Memory
“Blaze of Memory is another incredibly strong entry in the Psy-Changeling series, my very favorite in paranormal romance.”
—Romance Novel TV
“This is a keeper ... A definite classic.”
—A Romance Review
Branded by Fire
“An emotional masterpiece.”
—Romance Junkies
“[Singh] grabs the reader . . . and leaves them begging for more.”
—Night Owl Reviews
Hostage to Pleasure
“Singh is on the fast track to becoming a genre giant!”
—Romantic Times (Top Pick)
“A thrilling read with action, danger, passion, and drama.”
—Romance Junkies
“An intriguing world that’s sure to keep readers coming back for more.”
—Darque Reviews
Mine to Possess
“Fierce . . . Paranormal romance at its best.”
—Publishers Weekly
“If you’ve been looking for a book that will entice and entrance, look no further.”
—Romance Reviews Today
Caressed by Ice
“A fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat romantic paranormal that will pull you straight into the story and into the amazing Psy-Changeling world!”
—Romance Reader at Heart
“The paranormal romance of the year.”
—Romance Junkies
“Craving the passionate and electrifying world created by the mega-talented Singh? Your next fix is here! . . . Mind-blowing!”
—Romantic Times (4½ stars, Top Pick)
Visions of Heat
“Breathtaking blend of passion, adventure, and the paranormal.”
—Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author
“This author just moved to the top of my auto-buy list.”
—All About Romance
“Will set all your senses ablaze and leave your fingers singed with each turn of the page. Visions of Heat is that intense!”
—Romance Junkies
Slave to Sensation
“I LOVE this book! It’s a must read for all of my fans. Nalini Singh is a major new talent.”
—Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“An electrifying . . . volcanic start to a new series that’ll leave you craving more.”
—Romance Junkies
“AWESOME! . . . A purely mesmerizing book that surely stands out among the other paranormal books out there.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
Berkley Titles by Nalini Singh
Psy-Changeling Series
SLAVE TO SENSATION
VISIONS OF HEAT
CARESSED BY ICE
MINE TO POSSESS
HOSTAGE TO PLEASURE
BRANDED BY FIRE
BLAZE OF MEMORY
BONDS OF JUSTICE
PLAY OF PASSION
Guild Hunter Series
ANGELS’ BLOOD
ANGELS’ PAWN
(A Berkley Sensation eSpecial)
ARCHANGEL’S KISS
ARCHANGEL’S CONSORT
Anthologies
AN ENCHANTED SEASON
(with Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, and Jean Johnson)
THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS CAT
(with Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, and Linda Winstead Jones)
MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS
(with Charlaine Harris, Ilona Andrews, and Meljean Brook)
BURNING UP
(with Angela Knight, Virginia Kantra, and Meljean Brook)
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
ARCHANGEL’S CONSORT
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / February 2011
Copyright © 2011 by
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 9781101476925
BERKLEY® SENSATION
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY® SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
http://us.penguingroup.com
Version_2
To everyone who has ever dreamed of flying
and to all of you who have flown with me.
1
Swathed in the silken shadows of deepest night, New York was the same . . . and altered beyond compare. Once Elena had watched angels take flight from the light-filled column of the Tower as she sat in front of the distant window of her cherished apartment. Now, she was one of those angels, perched high atop a balcony that had no railing, nothing to prevent a deadly fall.
Except of course, she would no longer fall.
Her wings were stronger now. She was stronger.
Flaring out those wings, she took a deep breath of the air of home. A fusion of scents—spice and smoke, human and vampire, earthy and sophisticated—hit her with the wild fever of a welcoming rainstorm. Her chest, tight for so long, relaxed, and she stretched her wings out to their greatest width. It was time to explore this familiar place that had become foreign, this home that was suddenly new again.
Diving down from the balcony, she swept across Manhattan on air currents kissed by the cool bite of spring. The bright green season had thawed the snows that had kept the city in thrall this winter, and now held court, summer not even a peach-colored blush on the horizon. This was the time of rebirth, of blooming things and baby birds, bright and young and fragile even in the frenetic rush of a city that never slept.
Home. I’m home.
Letting the air currents sweep her where they would above the diamond-studded lights of the city, she tested her wings, tested her strength.
Stronger.
But still weak. An immortal barely-Made.
One whose heart remained painfully mortal.
So it was no surprise when she found herself trying to hover outside the plate-glass window of her apartment. She didn’t yet have the skill to execute the maneuver, and she kept dropping, then having to pull herself back up with fast wingbeats. Still, she saw enough in those fleeting glimpses to know that while the once-shattered glass had been flawlessly repaired, the rooms were empty.
There wasn’t even a bloodstain on the carpet to mark the spot where she’d spilled Raphael’s blood, where she’d tried to staunch the crimson river until her fingers were the same murderous shade.
Elena.
The scent of the wind and the rain, fresh and wild, around her, inside her, and then strong hands on her hips as Raphael held her effortlessly in position so she could look her fill through the window, her hands flat on the glass.
Emptiness.
No sign remained of the home she’d created piece by precious piece.
“You must teach me how to hover,” she said, forcing herself to speak past the knot of loss. It was just a place. Just things. “It’ll be a very good way to spy on potential targets.”
“I intend to teach you many things.” Tugging her back against his body, her wings trapped in between, the Archangel of New York pressed his lips to the tip of her ear. “You are full of sorrow.”
It was instinct to lie, to protect herself, but they’d gone beyond that, she and her archangel. “I guess I somehow expected my apartment to still be here. Sara didn’t say anything when she sent me my things.” And her best friend had never lied to her.
“It was as you left it when Sara visited,” Raphael said, drawing back enough that she could flare out her wings and angle her body into the air currents once again. Come, I have something to show you.
The words were in her mind, along with the wind and the rain. She didn’t order him to get out—because she knew he wasn’t in it. This, the way she could sense him so deeply, speak to him with such ease, was part of whatever it was that tied them to one another ... that taut, twisting emotion that ripped away old scars and created new vulnerabilities in a whip of fire across the soul.
But as she watched him fly through the lush black of the sky high over the glittering city, her archangel with his wings of white-gold and eyes of endless, relentless blue, she wasn’t sorry. She didn’t want to turn back the clock, didn’t want to return to a life in which she’d never been held in the arms of an archangel, never felt her heart tear open and reform into something stronger, capable of such furies of emotion that it scared her at times. Where are you taking me, Archangel?
Patience, Guild Hunter.
She smiled, her grief at the loss of her apartment buried under a wave of amusement. No matter how many times he decreed that her loyalty was now to the angels and not to the Hunters’ Guild, he kept betraying how he saw her—as a hunter, as a warrior. Shooting down below him, she dove then rose through the biting freshness of the air with hard, strong wingbeats. Her back and shoulder muscles protested the acrobatics, but she was having too much fun to worry—she’d pay for it in a few hours, no doubt about it, but for now, she felt free and protected in the dark.
“Do you think anyone is watching?” she asked, breathless from the exertion, once they were side by side once more.
“Perhaps. But the darkness will conceal your identity for the moment.”
Tomorrow, she knew, when light broke, the circus would begin. An angel-Made ... Even the oldest of vampires and the angels themselves found her a curiosity. She had no doubts about how the human population would react. “Can’t you do your scary thing and make them keep their distance?” However, even as she spoke, she knew it wasn’t the reaction of the general population that worried her.
Her father . . . No. She wouldn’t think about Jeffrey. Not tonight.
As she forced away thoughts of the man who had repudiated her when she’d been barely eighteen, Raphael swept out over the Hudson, dropping so hard and fast that she yelped before she could catch herself. The Archangel of New York was one hell of a flier—he skimmed along the water until he could’ve trailed his fingers in its rushing cold, before pulling himself up in a steep ascent. Showing off.
For her.
It made her heart lighten, her lips curve.
Dipping down to join him at a lower altitude, she watched the night winds whip that sleek ebony hair across his face, as if they could not resist touching him.
It will do no good.
“What?” Fascinated by the almost cruel beauty of him, this male she dared call her lover, she’d forgotten what she’d asked him.
