“So I’m going to live forever now. Wow.” She spoke out loud to no one in particular. “But I don’t feel any different. How am I supposed to feel? Am I going to stay this age forever…?”
“Serena, listen to me!” Raphael shook her out of her reverie. “You can read my thoughts and I can read yours. Put your hands on my head and see. You’ll know exactly how I feel about Sirona, and how I feel about you. You’ll be able to trust in my words. Please, Serena, do this. I beg of you,” he pleaded.
“That’s nonsense, Raphael. I can’t do that.”
Raphael grabbed her hands. “Do it!” he demanded. He placed them on his temples and helped her connect with his mind. She felt every thought he had had of Sirona over the years straight to the present down their threaded connection. She heard every thought he’d had of her, including every word he had spoken while holding her in his arms at Dr. Chappo’s estate. He sent her everything that filled his heart and soul about her, and finally, at last, she knew.
She knew. And knowing was everything to her. He gently brought her hands away from his face, kissing her fingertips as he eased them down, and she took a few steps backward, looking at him as if for the first time. No one before had ever felt about her the way he felt about her, let alone express so strongly all he had expressed when she’d lain dying in his arms.
“You’re in love with me.” She gasped, astonished. Tears welled again in her eyes, but this time, for a very different reason.
“Yes.” He took a bold step toward her.
“I’m your forever love.”
“Yes.” He took another step.
“And you want to marry me.”
“Yes.” He snatched her into his arms. “But you weren’t supposed to know that part yet.”
“Yes.”
“Yes? What do you mean, yes?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” A slow grin brightened Raphael’s face, and she, buoyed by his love, literally transformed from a lost soul with no hope to one ready to conquer the world.
“I guess you know about the ring, too, huh?”
“Uh huh,” she nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed him with all the passion she had repressed for so long. So fierce and fervent, the kiss sent them both stumbling on the uneven ground until they fell to the ground with Serena on top. And still the kiss went on, as Raphael answered her call of passion with a soul-searing response of his own.
“Raphael, my sweet, sweet angel,” Serena muttered against his mouth. “I love you so.” Waves upon waves of desire threatened to drown her right there. Raphael sat them up abruptly and pulled her away from him in a sudden jerk. “Whatever’s gotten into you?” she asked, her lips impatiently craving his return.
“I haven’t given you the ring yet. I haven’t even really asked you to marry me yet. I have to make it official, Serena. We can’t go on without making it official.” He settled her squarely on her feet as he, too, stood up to retrieve something from his shorts pocket. “Stay right there. Don’t move,” he commanded her. She stood still and nodded in acquiescence.
Emotion overwhelmed her, for there, in front of her petite self, kneeled a ruthless giant, a bulldozer, an immortal behemoth of a man who could nearly look her in the eye when bent down on one knee. But when he gazed into her eyes, she saw nothing more than a nervous lad, a fumbling fool, and most importantly, the only man she ever wanted to be with for the rest of her days.
“Serena Sikes,” Raphael started and coughed a couple of times. “Serena Sikes, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my life, forever until the end of time?” He held a ring box in his hand, opened it, and offered it to her. She stole a glance at it and saw a ring larger than life, just like him.
“Raphael,” Serena began, “Raphael, I don’t even know your last name, for heaven’s sake! I’m about to say yes to a man whose last name I don’t even know!” She’d become flustered and confused, unable to go on for being lost in doubting thoughts and misgivings. Raphael rushed to her aid, standing up and grasping her shoulders.
“It’s okay, Serena. I have no last name. Not all of us Brethren do. It’s just Raphael. You know all there is to know about me, sweetheart. And from this moment on, we’ll spend the rest of eternity getting to know
us
. So, you were about to say yes again. Would you do me a favor and do it? Put me out of my misery.”
She considered letting him stew for a couple more minutes, but she couldn’t wait to tell him either, so with all sincerity, she did. “Raphael, I have dreamt of you for so long, and dreamed you into life, so it would seem. You have and always will be the only man for me. So yes, Raphael, my answer is still yes.”
“Wahoo!” he shouted and placed the ring on her finger. He lifted her in the air and swung her around. She squealed with glee, and as he slowly stopped spinning, he slid her down against his body, cradling the back of her head to ease her into a heart-stopping, breath-stealing kiss. A kiss that all too soon became frantic with hunger and need.
“Raphael.” Serena sought release in his smoldering eyes. “Take me….” Her lips, like magnets, sought his yet again. Her hands renewed their acquaintance with his powerful shoulders.
“Take you…!” He smothered her with renewed fervor, his hands journeying through her long, curling tresses.
“Take me! Now, Raphael!” She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist.
But too many clothes separated them, and there was too much open space around them. He nuzzled her neck, and she moaned. For a brief moment, she could think and remembered a cave not far from where they stood, but very much off the beaten path. She disengaged him long enough to tell him so, and he took them there.
***
The cave wasn’t huge, but tall enough for Raphael to stand and deep enough for them to make love in the shadows. And make love they did. He wasted no time at all pulling off his clothes and hers amidst giggles, casting them aside carelessly. And so began their sojourn into love’s rapture.
He trapped her with his hard body just a whisper away against the cave wall. His face, so close to hers, exposed a desire in his eyes she’d never seen before, a look that others would call dangerous, but she would call sexually devastating. That’s all it took for her, and she shivered with heated anticipation. His touch along the sides of her breasts and down her ribcage sent a different message to her brain altogether, a tenderness and devotion unparalleled. And as his fingers forayed seductively downward, he tossed her body into sensory overload. She could barely respond before Raphael’s lips descended upon hers, stealing from her any cries of pleasure.
“Oh God, Serena!” he moaned against her lips. “You’re on fire, love.” And he teased her some more while feasting on her neck and shoulders.
“For you, Raphael, it’s all for you.” She groaned as the pleasure and ecstasy intensified. Her hands kneaded frenetically about his waist and trailed up to his shoulder blades. “Show yourself to me, angel. Show all of yourself to me. Let me touch you, know you, take you.”
Raphael took a step back and closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply and his wings grew out from their hiding places. As glorious as ever, they glowed with a brilliant golden aura and fluttered hypnotically. Serena stepped forward, remembering quite vividly what touching his wings would do to him, and wicked thoughts crept across her mind. She reached out her arms and lightly stroked the edges of his wings from top to bottom. His eyes opened and rolled back while his whole body shuddered. He reached out and grabbed her to him, holding her so close they were as one.
His wings fanned out, and he lifted the two of them off the ground, turning and rolling so that they were floating horizontally with Serena on top. Her hair dripped down, creating a curtain to hide their faces from the world. She gazed down upon him and spoke. “I’m yours forever, Raphael, and you are mine.”
“I am yours forever, Serena. And you are mine.” He plunged inside her, and she met his urgency. Together, they rode the rapturous tide again and again until they heard each other shout, “Mine!” in a final climactic display of possession and ultimate love.
Serena rested her head against his chest, eyes closed, and feathered light kisses across its expanse. Her hair brushed softly, tantalizingly against his stomach, sticking to it in places where it mingled with his sweat. She couldn’t get enough of him. The taste of him, the scent of him, the feel of his strength surrounding her, kept her at a heightened state of arousal. She couldn’t stop it or fight it, and instead decided to give in to it.
“Mmm, you’re killin’ me, sweetheart,” Raphael mumbled drowsily.
“Silly boy, I can’t kill you. I can only make you wish I could,” she retorted with mock cruelty. “Care for a demonstration?” Her hand crept down his rock hard stomach to parts very well known.
He grabbed her hand and kissed its palm. “Let’s get out of here so you can kill me at home, in a soft, cushy bed.”
“Mmm. Home, with you. I like that idea. A lot.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Raphael spent the next few days cloistered with Serena, away from everyone and everything, like a honeymoon before the wedding. But every morning he made creative excuses to tear himself away from her for a little while and work with Fred. To make sure she didn’t visit her father, he dropped her off at her shop first so she could plan a small wedding with Callie and catch up on the mountains of paperwork.
The healing sessions with Serena’s father went spectacularly, and with Raphael’s charisma, he convinced the nursing home staff to keep any improvements secret from her. They thought it romantic that he came to help with his fiancée’s father’s rehabilitation. Everyone there rooted for him, amazed at his miraculous awakening. All of the therapists worked their tails off during his therapy sessions, wanting to see their severely stroke-damaged patient beat the odds and walk his daughter down the aisle.
On the morning of the fifth day, Raphael got Fred walking without any assistance.
“Come on, Fred, you can do it. I’ve completely healed your tendons, ligaments, and muscles. There’s no more atrophy. So it’s mind over matter now. Stand up and walk, just like you used to.”
“I’m nervous. You sure about this?”
“I’m absolutely positive. Healing is my business. I know what I’m doing. Now come on, stop stalling.”
Fred put the brakes on his wheelchair and stood up. He bounced a little as if to check the fortitude of his legs. Raphael knew they were strong enough, but would he believe it? He hadn’t walked in so many years, so he understood his apprehension. Fred took one tentative step, then another, and another without hesitation. Staffers were stopping by the room to take a peek in on him, and an explosive cheer rang through the halls when they saw him walking. Hugs and tears, pats on the back, and words of encouragement were flying everywhere. When he reached the mighty savior, his eyes were glistening with tears.
“In two day’s time, I’m walking my daughter down the aisle.” His voice broke with emotion. “To you. I couldn’t think of a better man to give her away to. You’ve given so much to our family. I’m forever grateful…son.” He hugged Raphael and patted him heartily on the back.
“No thanks needed. In truth, you’re giving me so much more—the woman I love, and a family to call mine for the first time. So let me just say thanks…Dad.” Raphael cleared his throat and continued. “Well, I think it’s time to see a man about a tux.”
Two days. Two days and Serena would be his wife, forever. Reality set in, and he liked it.
***
“Two days! Two days, Callie!” Serena yelped, forgotten pencils flying like darts from her hair. “Let’s go over the list. Church, reserved. Hall, reserved. Caterer, reserved. Friends, invited. Ooh. Do we know if everyone from Brethren Security is coming?”
“Yes, they are. I talked to Kemuel, who talked to Gabriel, who told him everyone’s coming. Well, except for their boss, E.L. He doesn’t do personal appearances. Whatever.” Callie scoffed.
“Now, Callie…. All right, what else? Flowers, purchased. Wedding gown and veil, purchased. God Callie, isn’t it a beautiful gown?” Serena sighed wistfully.
“Yeah, it sure is. Lucky for you you’re the perfect sample size.” Callie chuckled and nudged her.
“I know, I know. Hey, looks like we’re all set.” Serena stopped and grasped Callie’s hand. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you. You know, you’re the closest thing I’ve got to a sister, and I thank God every day I have you in my life.”
“Me, too.” Callie quietly sniffed and squeezed Serena’s hand. They both started bawling and hugging each other, when Raphael came sauntering into the office.
“Hey, what’s going on here? We’re supposed to be happy, happy. What’s with the crying?”
Callie and Serena both picked up one of the many squishy toys Serena had on her desk and flung them at him. He dodged them with ease.
“We are happy! That’s why we’re crying!” Serena cried and laughed at the same time.
“Oh. I guess it’s one of those woman things. Hey, let’s go sweetheart.” Raphael tapped his foot impatiently. “We’ve got things to do.” He walked over and grabbed her hand, pulling her up from her seat.
“Yeah, I just bet you have ‘things’ to do,” Callie snorted and went back to work.
“Bye, Callie! Talk to you tomorrow!” Serena shouted over her shoulder. “Raphael, what do we have to do?” She scurried to keep up with his long, strong legs. They reached his car, and he finally stopped, turning her into his arms with dancing flair and dipped her.
“This….” He proceeded to consume her lips greedily in a scorching kiss. When he finished, he twirled her back up, sat her in her seat, and went to his side of the car, leaving Serena speechless and on fire.
***
As he drove off with great speed, Raphael put the top down and heard her murmur, “Oh my,” and he preened like a peacock.
“There’s more where that came from, sweetheart,” he teased as he moved his hand from the steering wheel, leisurely up her thigh, to rest between Serena’s legs. She’d worn a skirt, giving Raphael all sorts of wild fantasies, each one of them including a car and his woman, and doing the most erotic things to her in it.