Archangel's Heart(34)

“Yes, it’s not exactly convenient for a people with wings. Ceilings are relatively low for angelic dwellings, and once past the courtyard, there aren’t any openings from which to take off.” She glanced around, saw a notepad of thick cream paper on a small white writing desk. Beside it was a pen.

Taking both, she began to draw. “These are all the courtyards we saw from above.”

“You’ve memorized them?” He could blast through stone if need be, but his consort wasn’t powerful enough to smash her way out.

“Yes, but I’ll need to do some exploring, get an idea of distances involved.” Putting down the map, Elena stared at the door through which they’d entered. “The corridors are so circular and winding that it’s hard to figure out how much time it’ll take to go anywhere.”

Raphael closed his hand around the side of her neck. “Stay with Aodhan as much as you can. This place . . . it has a darkness to it that may simply be a result of secrecy and long isolation, but we will take no chances.”

Elena rose on her toes to brush her lips over his, her hands on his shoulders. “I won’t drop my guard. I mean seriously, even if the Luminata are just odd because they spend so much time alone out here, there’s still Michaela, Charisemnon, and the others to worry about.” She twisted her lips . . . but her jaundiced expression turned suddenly into a smile. “Do you think Astaad will bring Mele?”

“He knows you are friends, so perhaps.” Astaad also favored Mele above all his other concubines. “But Mele is a beautiful, fragile bloom—he may not bring her into such a perilous situation.” Astaad had his faults but his care of his concubines wasn’t one of them. “You will still have Hannah.” Elijah’s consort was as fragile a bloom as Mele, an artist happier with a paintbrush than with a blade, but custom dictated that she be at Elijah’s side for this gathering.

“We’ve already made plans to meet up.” Where Elena wanted to explore the nooks and crannies of Lumia and get into their historical archives, Hannah was itching to look through the repository of angelic art held in trust by the Luminata.

“I figure if we get bored, Hannah’ll teach me about art so I can pull off snooty if need be”—she raised her nose into the air and pursed her lips like a stuck-up antique dealer she’d met once during a hunt—“and I can teach her how to throw knives more accurately. Paint knives, of course, since that’s her weapon of choice.”

Raphael’s laughter wrapped around her like the crashing sea. “I’m sure Elijah will be most grateful. Hannah’s aim leaves much to be desired, and with the pumas who follow her around like pets, she’s beginning to rely on them for her personal safety during the times she’s otherwise on her own.”

Elena shook her head, conscious Elijah had been attempting to teach Hannah defensive skills for years. “She’s stubborn in her own way.”

“All consorts worth their salt know how to stand their ground.”

“Sweet talker.” Her words were light, but Elena’s skin prickled; she didn’t like how little she knew about this place, saw the same disquiet in the hard lines of Raphael’s expression. “Want to look around?”

Raphael’s nod was curt. “But first, eat something. Energy is finite and your body is still burning an incredible amount of it as you grow further into your immortality.”

Having begun to feel the sharp pangs of a hunger that seemed endless these days, her body so hungry for fuel that she was going through a box of energy bars a day in between meals, Elena didn’t argue, just picked up a large handful of nuts and dried fruits. If it was fuel her body needed to become stronger, tougher, then she’d drink every energy shake Montgomery made her, chew down endless bars, eat like a freaking linebacker.

The stronger she was, the less people would look on her as vulnerable prey—and the less chance that an enemy would get to her archangel through hurting her. When she put one of the dried fruits to Raphael’s lips, he took the offering with a brush of his lips on her fingers. A sweet kiss. It made her feel like a silly teenage girl—but then, she’d never been that. So maybe she was due.

“Try this.” Raphael fed her a hunk of cheese that had a rich, creamy taste to it. “It’s a delicacy, meant to be partnered with these peppers.”

Elena made a face. “No thanks. I’ll stick to naked cheese.”

When she leaned forward, he gave her another bite, ate the second half himself. “Make sure Aodhan is eating, too.” She knew older angels could survive for long periods without food, but it had an impact eventually. “He didn’t eat anything on the plane.” She knew she didn’t have to tell Raphael why she was worried about the other angel.