Angel's Shield Read Online Free Page A

you?”
    She frowned. “No. I mean, I suppose the skunk would’ve attacked me
if I’d gotten close, but I just called the sheriff and he took care of it.
Rabies isn’t something to fool around with.”
    He sighed and pushed away his empty plate. “Well. That’s good, I
guess.”
    She didn’t know what they were getting at, but the bandage on
Jeremiel’s arm worried her. “What happened to your arm? Is that why you’re
asking me about wild animals?” She didn’t forget that he’d dodged her question
about his tattoos earlier.
    He glanced at her sharply, then sighed when she raised her
eyebrows.
    “I fell. Scraped it against a branch.”
    He was lying to her. Charmeine wondered if she should call him on
it, but his body language told her to forget it and she wasn’t brave enough to
nag him. He’d angled away from her, tilting his arm so the bandage was less
obvious. No way was she going to find out what really happened. She just hoped
it wasn’t dangerous for them to stay here.
    “Why don’t I show you the room where you can sleep,” she said,
standing up. “I’m turning in early tonight, too.” Might as well try and get some sleep.
    The men followed her lead, gathering their backpacks. “Thanks,”
Haniel murmured, his voice a soft velvet that shivered over her skin.
    She swallowed and led the way to the stairs. She wasn’t sure what
was going to happen with them in the house. She’d never been this attracted to
anyone before, ever. She’d never anticipated wanting two men so badly, so she
had no way to deal with it.
    “Don’t worry, we would never hurt a woman,” Jeremiel said, as if
he’d read her mind.
    “Um, thanks,” she said awkwardly. Didn’t serial killers say that
right before they tied up their victims? She stifled nervous laughter and
showed them the spare room. It wasn’t fancy, but it would do. She pushed open
the door and flicked on the light switch. Warm light from the lamp on the
nightstand flooded the room, highlighting the old quilt on the double bed. It
was soft and comfortable, a lot like the room itself. She remembered painting
the walls a year before her grandmother had died. ‘Pale blue, for sweet skies,’
the old lady had said, and Charmeine indulged her, rolling the color on in
great wide swaths. She shook her head. That day felt like it had happened ages
ago, not just a little over two years.
    Enough reminiscing, she told herself, stepping inside. “There’s only one bed, but I
figure if you’re used to sleeping out in the woods, one of you can handle the
floor.” She paused. “Or you can use the sofa downstairs.”
    “Charmeine,” Haniel began, but she cut him off.
    “I’m not worried.” She forced a smile. She wasn’t. She was
unsettled. Aroused. Lonely. “The bathroom’s down the hall,” she said as she
backed out. She needed to get away from them before she did something stupid. Like
ask one of them to kiss me, she mused, hurrying down the hall to the safety
of her bedroom. She closed her door and leaned against it, closing her eyes as
she let herself imagine what it would feel like to kiss a man who understood
her need for the skies. The need she’d never, ever be able to fill.

 
    Chapter Three
     
    “We can share the bed,” Haniel said, setting his backpack on the
floor.
    Jeremiel rubbed his face. “Is it just me, or did she seem really
skittish?” He picked at his bandage, ignoring the twinge that told him he
should leave it alone.
    Haniel shrugged. “She did, but don’t forget, she’s letting two strange
men sleep in her house. That would make any woman skittish.”
    “That’s not what I mean and you know it,” Jeremiel said, sitting
on the bed. The quilt was faded blue and very soft. He looked out the window. A
large tree blocked most of the view, but he could just make out the glitter of
stars beyond the branches.
    “She knows you’re an angel.”
    Jeremiel tensed. “Not for certain, she doesn’t.” He kept trying to
forget