by Delilah Hunt
Cover art: Marteeka Karland
ISBN: 978-1-60521-589-1
Genre(s): Paranormal, Dark Fantasy
Theme(s): Interracial
Length: Novella
http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1544
Blurb:
Thrown out of Heaven for a crime he didn't commit, Callum, a fallen angel turned demon, wants revenge. When an angelic beauty falls to the floors of Hell, the captain of Lucifer's army is torn between his need for vengeance and his lust for the bronze-skinned angel.Excerpt:
Forgoing her life in the heavens, Amara descends into the underworld in search of the demon who has captivated her thoughts. Instead of the warm welcome she anticipated, Amara finds herself a prisoner willing to risk it all for the love of a hardened demon.
Hell's Angel
Delilah Hunt
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2011 Delilah Hunt
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Amara dipped her finger inside the crystalline bowl. A vivid display of copper and orange vapors swirled above the purified water. She pulled her finger back, her eyes widening in horror and curiosity at the forbidden underworld. Hell. Her wings fluttered and a mysterious tide of emotions welled inside her chest. Oh, but how she would love to be permitted to deliver a missive to the fiery underworld. She was a messenger angel, and so far the only messages she had been instructed to deliver were those from the Keepers of the Gate to the Guardian Angels, informing them when a new soul was due to arrive at Heaven's entrance.
Amara stifled a gasp when the vapors began to move, shifting into images. Her eyes skimmed the depiction, looking past the harried and tortured souls she could see twisting in their own agony. A demon turned the corner, stepping over one of the souls with his long legs. Her gaze settled and softened on him. Callum, the fierce captain of Lucifer's army. While Lucifer sat upon his throne ruling over the Underworld, it was Callum's duty to maintain order and prevent the countless number of souls from escaping their eternal damnation.
She leaned closer to the bowl and peered downward, memorizing every single detail about him. He wore black armor with spiked metal spaulders above his shoulders. The same armor protected his legs, and metallic boots wrapped his calves. His horns, thick and massive, curled off to the sides of his blond head.
If her best friend Reina knew she'd been sneaking peeks inside the forbidden realm, the eldest of the messenger angels would deny all access to her quarters. Amara's excuses of merely wishing to spend time with Reina would no longer cut it. Glancing backward, Amara checked to make sure the telltale sign of a portal was not being opened, signaling Reina's return. No traces of silver threads looping in the air. Good.
She returned her focus to Callum, knowing this was the closest she would ever get to the demon. What a sorry sight she made. A two hundred-year-old angel who had never traveled beyond the boundaries of the Pearly Gates captivated by the captain of the army that had once attempted to conquer Heaven.
"You're still here? I thought for sure you would have returned to your garden."
Flushing with guilt, Amara jumped away from the bowl and snapped her head to the side. Specks of silver shimmered around the auburn-haired angel. "I'm sorry, Reina. I lost track of the time." She raised her head, centering her eyes on the large bookshelf in the corner of the room. "Your books are all so fascinating."
Reina arched her eyebrow. "Only the books, Amara? Have you been using the vessel?"
"No!" Amara closed her eyes and struggled to breathe. Her tongue became heavy, and her nostrils flared, attempting to take in air. "I stole one glance." She wheezed. Her breathing returned to normal and the weight on her tongue lifted. "I was curious, Reina. Forgive me."
A shadow fell over Reina's face. "You didn't have to lie. We both know the painful consequences of doing so. I've known all along that you've been sneaking glances into Hell. Is it the demon Callum who has piqued your curiosity?"
She lowered her head a notch. "It is. I can't stop thinking about him, and I don't know how to control this feeling. Some days it's as if these emotions threaten to consume me. I wish to touch him, Reina. To look into his eyes and know that he can see into mine."
"It's called desire." Reina lounged on her green velvet chaise. "It will pass, and if it doesn't you will learn to live with it. There is nothing to be done about this feeling, Amara. The demons and every other being are free to act upon their desires. We are forbidden. Worse, to act upon such desires with a Hell-bound demon is an abomination. Take your mind from him. Callum would taint you in ways you're much too innocent to comprehend."
Amara nodded, thankful Reina had not admonished her by threatening to take the matter to the elders. "I'll try not to dwell on him. I know it is an impossible situation. An angel -- a mere messenger one, at that -- would be of no use to Lucifer's warrior. I'll take your advice."
Reina's face brightened and she patted Amara's shoulder. "You'll be saved a ton of heartache in the end."
Spreading her wings, Amara waved goodbye to her friend. She flew over the misty clouds that surrounded the realm. Soaring through the marble pillars separating her garden from that of the other angels, Amara allowed the reckless thoughts of Callum to float through her mind. Five months had passed since she'd first set sight on the mysterious demon. She'd seen him by accident after taking a look inside Reina's mysterious bowl. For days she'd spent every free minute scouring the ancient texts and tomes, seeking information about the demon. The only thing she'd found was a hand-drawn portrait of him in his heavenly glory, his large white wings outlined with silver. She knew he no longer possessed those angelic features; instead he had black wings curved upward at the tip, sharp as barbed wire.
Her knowledge of him and his time in the heavens was limited. The one thing she knew for sure was that he was one of the first angels created by the Decider of Chaos. He'd been an archangel, the highest order of angels in the heavens, revered for the single-minded focus on vanquishing all that stood in the way of the righteous path of the Decider.
"Amara!"
She pivoted toward the voice of her friend Sierra, frowning at the anxious look on the angel's face. "What's wrong?"
"Can you deliver a message for me to the Realm of the Fae?"
She nodded, thrilled at the chance of seeing outside Heaven. "Did you bring a portal with you?"
Sierra reached into her pouch, withdrawing a woven envelope. "Here." She handed the silver threads to Amara. "And do hurry, Amara. I was supposed to have delivered this in the morning."
Amara waved off the angel and then flicked the threads into the air. Her heart skipped a beat. The Realm of Fae was situated directly above the Hell dimension. She shook her head, pushing away the traitorous thoughts meandering through her mind. Deliver the message and return.
Stepping through the portal, Amara silently spoke the name of her destination. She arrived there immediately, delivering the envelope into the hands of a waiting faerie. She returned inside the gaping portal, and in a split-second decision, Amara whispered the one word, the only word forbidden in her travels. Hell.
The portal seemed to come to life, quaking all around her. She was lifted into the air and spun upside down, tumbling into an abyss. It was as if someone had snapped her wings in two and thrown her from the heavens. Her stomach plummeted, and a thick wave of fear rose inside her throat. Fire blazed around her and the pungent stench of sulfur invaded her nostrils. Amara kept falling until she landed with a hard thud on her side, her face hitting the soot-covered ground.
Groaning in pain, Amara tried to sit up, but found there was no need to. A rough hand dragged her off the dirt. "Inform the captain of our visitor."
http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1544
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