Gates of Death - Rae Foxx Page 0,2

own. In Montana. I was going through the house to see if I could sense anything at all."

My heart ached for them. I knew they were exhausted, pushing themselves to their limits to look for Ariel. He sighed again and moved his arm so his hand laid palm up on the bed. I took it and wiped the soot from his knuckles with the already-ruined sheet. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault," Gabriel said darkly. He shot Lucifer a scathing look. "I've been chasing a rumor of a strange man and a baby on the Galapagos Islands. It wasn't them."

"Is there any news of Abaddon?" Lucifer asked. "How are the gates?"

Gabriel shook his head and walked to the bed scooting Michael’s feet out of the way and sitting down. "We can only see it from the outside. I haven't been there in several days."

Michael threw his arm over his eyes. "I went yesterday. They're pretty bad, but I think the speed of the decay might have slowed. I expected them to be worse than they were."

Lucifer paced the room while Gabriel and I watched. Michael let out a soft snore.

"Who knew about the baby?" Lucifer asked. "Besides us?"

"Raphael, obviously," I said. "Since they sensed him in the baby's room and he's MIA. And Sandalphon. We think that's all."

Lucifer's rage bubbled over again. "What the hell were you two doing while we were stuck here? Did none of the fools in heaven notice Raphael's disappearance?"

"Lucifer, be mindful of your words," I cautioned. He was more agitated than he'd been this morning, and who knew what he might say to his friends or me.

"This situation is impossible," he replied. "I need some air, or I'm going to blow."

He stalked from the room and soon we heard the back door slam. He had to have slammed it for us to hear it in the upstairs bedroom. I leaned against the pillows with a sigh and a heavy heart.

"Is he gone?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah. He'll walk around outside for a while with Jellybean and come back calmed down," I said.

The black pit looked better and better. If I sank into it, I might go into an oblivion where it didn't hurt as much.

Gabriel watched me, a concerned expression on his face. "We're going to find her," he said. "Raphael can't disappear off the face of the earth."

He focused on Michael and pulled the soot off of his body. His eyes narrowed and it whirled in the air until it formed a small ball, then he walked into the bathroom with it. When he came back, he wore just his boxers, and the soot was gone. “There,” he said, then walked around the bed to slide in beside me. I adjusted myself so I could let him hold and comfort me.

As I rested my head on Gabriel’s chest, I sighed and tried to go to sleep.

And tried.

And tried.

"Lil?" he whispered a while later. "Want me to try to take your mind off of things?"

My heart wasn't in it, but it was better than lying there deep in my sorrows all night. "I guess," I replied.

We didn't want to disturb Michael beside us, who was still emitting soft snores. Gabriel shifted carefully out from under me and pressed his lips to my neck. That was good. I didn't want the emotional connection of kisses.

"Fast and dirty," I whispered.

He looked up at me in surprise, but then nodded. Rising higher, he pushed his boxers down, then yanked up my nightgown. I shimmied out of my panties and seconds later, Gabriel slipped into me, filling me fast. He pressed deep, and I sighed as my mind and body focused on the feeling of him inside me instead of the pit of despair I'd been circling.

Michael snorted and rolled over, and we froze. He'd been exhausted. I didn't want to exclude him, but he needed to rest.

Gabriel moved slowly until we were sure Michael was out cold, then hiked my legs up over his arms. The angle was exquisite, and I nearly cried out as Gabe found his pace. He angled his hips so that his head plowed into my g-spot, then slid further in with every thrust. He brought me closer and closer to my peak with every powerful thrust. I bit my tongue as the urge to scream tried to break through. My pleasure was almost too strong.

Gabriel balanced himself on one arm and put his hand over my mouth with the