Today is a super, awesome, wonderful day, and not just because I’m a year older today. According to the talented Gabriela Lessa, it’s also Valentine’s Day in Brazil. To get everyone involved in this sweet holiday, she’s hosting a contest and brilliant literary agent, Weronika Janczuk, of Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd, is judging the final round.
How epic is that?
There’s a catch, though. Today’s entries all have to be love scenes from a finished novel. Any kind of love – romantic, plantonic, etc. But love is the core requirement. Which kind of stumped me because my finished novel is suprisingly barren when it comes to love scenes that aren’t thinly veiled power plays.
But I found one. One of my favorite parts of the whole story. The main character, Ronnie, hears voices. She’s recently discovered one of them is the voice of an angel who was killed thousands of years ago. This is a snippet of the angel’s memory from way back then, tied to someone Ronnie knows in her modern life.
“Hey, stranger.” Actaeon’s soft greeting brushed her ear and his hands rested on her hips.
The contact startled Metatron out of her musing, and she jumped.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” His voice was quiet.
“It’s okay.” She blinked a couple of times, forcing her thoughts back to the present. She had been sitting outside the city long enough she’d lost track of time, trying to make sense of the brief conversation with Lucifer that afternoon. Still in a thoughtful state of mind, her question tumbled out before she could consider whether or not she should ask it. “Why are you here?”
He laughed and slid to the ground, pulling her down next to him. “Is that a philosophical question?”
Her brow furrowed and it took her a minute to figure out what he meant. She knelt facing him, needing to watch his expression while they talked. Lucifer had taught her you could read a lot in facial tics, and something told her that would be important. “No. I mean why are you in Sumeria?”
Actaeon shrugged, not letting go of her hand. His expression never wavered. “Vacation.”
“Somewhere you can’t speak the language?”
“Somewhere Zeus can’t lord over me. I get tired of the constant surveillance and he can’t see me here.” Again, his face gave away nothing.“Am I under investigation?”
She decided she should have listened more closely when Lucifer taught her about body language. “No.” she laughed nervously when she realized what she was doing. “I was just curious, I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer.” Maybe she should stop asking questions. They’d only gotten her in trouble recently.
Silence stretched between them. He stood, pulling his hand away from hers long enough to brush the sand from his robes before offering her a hand up. “I’d bet money you won’t go inside city walls dressed like that.”
Glancing down, she realized she had never replaced her robe after she’d stormed out of heaven. Michael was probably furious that she’d been that close to his territory without the proper clothing. For a moment she considered taking the bet. Not to mention upping the stakes by waltzing back into town with her wings out. The childish idea was quickly squelched when she remembered she still didn’t understand why Lucifer was upset with her. Best not to push her luck. She could blink back home in a little bit and grab something less revealing, but wasn’t interested in being there yet. She flopped back onto the sand with a sigh. “You’re right.”
He moved to sit behind her and this time she didn’t stop him. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll stay out here for a while.”
She smiled and leaned back into his arms, pushing away the confusion.
***
Her surroundings swam into focus and she became aware of a something warm and solid resting beneath her cheek. Vague memories drifted back as she listened to Ace’s steady breathing and heart. She couldn’t believe they had fallen asleep talking.
Her living pillow shifted and she groaned in protest. It moved again and muttered.
“Don’t.” Her plea was soft on the late-night air, fingers grabbing the front of his tunic and holding him in place.
His question rumbled through his chest. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t move.” She didn’t open her eyes. “You’re warm. I’m comfortable.”
His fingers trailed through her hair. “As you wish.”
She tilted her head back, lids fluttering open and red gaze locking on him. “Unless you have somewhere more important to be.”
He paused, silence enveloping them. His lips brushed her forehead. “Nope.”
She tilted her head, studying him. “You’re glowing. Have you always glowed?”
“Sort of. I mean, it’s kind of something that happens at night, especially when the moon’s out. I can stop if you want.”
“No.” She buried her head again, muffling her response. “I like it. It makes me feel safe.”
I love the play of emotions in the angels. The references to Michael and Lucifer and their lessons and authority were intriguing.
I am guessing that the second scene includes Ronnie who hears the angel’s voices and her current lover (was he a reincarnation of the angel in the first scene?). The fact I have questions shows I would want to read more!
Happy birthday! Hope you have a great day.
I really like this scene, It’s romantic but so subtle. Everything is kind of played out between the lines rather than being shoved in your face. Which is perfect when we’re dealing with ethereal beings.
I’d like to read more,
I’m not totally into this genre, but I enjoyed your post. Good job. I think I saw one grammar error. S wasn’t caps.
“She decided she should have listened more closely when Lucifer taught her about body language. “No.” (S)she laughed nervously when she realized what she was doing.”