Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks [26]
“Little?” He arched a brow. “Do ye need another look?”
“For goodness’ sake, I was not referring to your size. The Lord knows you’re definitely—” Her cheeks blazed hotter, and it didn’t help that he appeared to be enjoying her discomfort. She turned away stiffly. “In truth, I hardly noticed.”
The minute the words escaped, she froze in shock. What was she doing? Never before in her entire existence had she uttered a falsehood.
Her gaze fell on the apple Darafer had tossed onto the grass. A reminder that the longer she stayed on Earth, the more human she would become. The more susceptible she would be to sin. As in hiding the truth. Telling lies.
Or feeling lust.
Good Lord! She’d never get back to heaven if she fell into sin.
“Marielle?” Connor asked softly, and his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
She dashed to the cabin and let herself inside. She paced around the large room, weaving a trail around the couch and through what appeared to be a kitchen and dining area. Around and around she went, and her heart kept pounding, thundering in her ears. This wasn’t helping. She felt caged in. She’d always had wings before. She’d always had the ability to fly anywhere she wanted.
She had to get back to where she belonged. There had to be a way.
She stopped and brought her clenched hands up to her face. Don’t panic. Think. Unfortunately, her thoughts seemed to bounce around, echoing in the empty cavern of her mind where she was used to hearing thousands of voices. Voices that sang praises and offered a constant stream of encouragement and comfort. They were all gone. She was so alone.
Don’t panic. Darafer was counting on her panic and fear so he could lure her in. No doubt, he figured she would miss the company of angels so badly, she’d be willing to join the fallen ones just to regain some sense of belonging. But the lure was false. There would be no comfort in hell.
There had to be a purpose to what she was enduring. The Heavenly Father was always big on learning through experience. He was forgiving, too. She just needed to find the right path, the right penance that would convince Him she’d learned her lesson.
Maybe there was something she was supposed to do here on Earth. Some noble mission. And once she’d proven herself worthy, she’d be allowed back into heaven.
She resumed her pacing. That had to be it. She was simply being tested. The Father would never completely abandon her. She was not a fallen angel. No matter what Darafer said.
Like all of Lucifer’s servants, Dare was a deceiver. He would try anything, say anything to confound her. And without her connection to the Heavenly Host, she had succumbed too easily to fear. She couldn’t let that happen again. She would have to be strong. Fearless. Gird herself with righteous armor.
She jumped when the door clicked shut. Oh great, that was real fearless of her. She gave Connor a wary look.
He stood by the door, watching her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her back. His hand gripped his dagger once again. He must have found the weapon somewhere on the grass. He leaned over to slip it into the sheath beneath his knee sock.
The cabin felt much smaller with him there.
She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “I’m sorry you had to experience a demon. He’ll come again, so it’s not safe for you to be with me. I appreciate your noble intentions, but it would be in your best interest to leave.”
“Ye think I turn tail and run that easily?” His blue eyes glittered. “Ye consider me a coward?”
“No! I think you’re very brave. Amazingly brave, really, since it’s highly unlikely that a human could ever defeat a demon in battle. Not without help from the Heavenly Host, and I’m afraid they’re not going to respond if I call them. So I won’t blame you if you want to go . . .”
He watched her closely. “I’m no’ going.”
Her breath whooshed out. She hadn’t realized she was holding it. She definitely hadn’t realized how much she wanted him to stay. “Thank you.”
He nodded, then wandered toward the kitchen. “Before we go any further, I need