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The griht told hi off now He let the power ebb accordingly It was then he realized he wasn’t alone

It wasn’t a surprise He hadn’t expected he would be for long, because there were forces in the universe that went on full alert when power like that was exercised, even in a chaotically controlled way as he’d just done it

All the angels he’d met in his life had been male, and warriors He didn’t know if they were all like that, or those were just the kind his work involved When he lifted his head, he saw a phalanx of about a dozen of the funnel of his power, the shi they’d added so it

Crap He dropped to a knee in autoies, my lords Didn’t uy in front Silver-white wings, solid dark eyes and dark hair, praises to the Goddess etched on his greaves and wrist guards Derek suspected he was pretty high up in the echelon, a commander At his raised brow, a silent request for htened He wasn’t a diplomat, and didn’t see the need to coht quirk el lifted his left aruard A bracelet of braided golden-brown hair So angels did know about love, and ht

She stands against the angels…

His lips pressed in a fire of Ruby, of Mikhael, and Mikhael’s words

You didn’t ask angels for anything They either helped or didn’t, depending on their purpose in your business But when the angel saw the ihten The coht, a burly, powerful-lookingsword in a back harness, neatly fitted in the channel between his wings

There was apparently soel looked back at Derek His expression got evenwords, delivered direct to his esture to the others, and they turned, winging back up in the sky

Derek watched theo At different ti him, for sure, but more than that Sometimes, like now, they felt like backup Reinforce so directly in the Lord and Lady’s service was an even e It cleared his thened his resolve

It was tiet this Great Rite out of the way, pick up Ruby’s trail and deal with this She was too dath she had, both as a woman and a witch, he knew she could send that Darkness shrieking out of her like a scalded cat So he was going to help her deal hatever had put her between the rock and hard place and be whatever she needed him to be so she could blast out of it

Help her soon

I’m on it

Chapter 15

THE SUN SET OVER THE MARSH WITH A PAINTER’S dreaold hues, deep violet blue slashes of sky throughout The breeze slid through the long grasses, creating hushed whispers It was as if all the ele forces of earlier in the day, they were pitching in to help restore order

At least that hat Derek hoped He adjusted the belt of his ritual robe, probably for the sixth tined to slide off easily, of course He’d done Great Rites plenty of times, was co difficulty getting his head in the right place on this, he didn’t know Linda was an exeht to the fault line, reinforce it, get the job done

But ered for it to be Ruby He needed to touch her, needed to integrate their personalas Lord and Lady It would be more powerful that way; he knew it Better for the fault line, better for her, better for all of them He shouldn’t have sent her away

When the door opened behind him, he assumed it was Jocelyn, come to see if he was ready Instead he faced Linda in her priestess garb, the pearl coronet representing the moon on her forehead, her black dress beaded with tiny bits of starlight The garment fell in a si to unbound, generous breasts, the line of hip

"Blessings of the Lord and Lady upon you this night," she said for him a bow

"And you, my lady," he returned It was unusual for the head priestess, the one ould be serving as the Lady in the Great Rite, to be here, talking to him beforehand, but since he could tell she had a specific purpose, he waited for her to gather her thoughts She’d bowed her head, thinking, but now she lifted it, uidance in all things, Derek And though your power and grasp of Their Will is greater than ht, I believe ivemy position to another more appropriate for this Great Rite She will await you in the circle"