A Caress of Wings Read Online Free PDF

it.”
    The door opened behind him and she yanked away guiltily.
    “Okay, so here’s—” Aurelia’s voice tapered off. “Is everything all right, Siobhán?”
    He turned away and headed toward Aurelia, giving Siobhán a chance to pull herself together. “That smells awesome,” he said, making sure he kept Aurelia’s attention on him. “Let’s hope I remember how to eat.”
    “I’m sure it’ll come back to you,” she said drily. “Mortals do seem to love eating.”
    “It’s one of the simple pleasures of life.”
    She pulled up a barstool beside him as he began unpacking the large plastic bag filled with food. “What are some of the others?”
    “Well, that’s different for everyone. Gender plays a role, too.” He pulled the lid off the bucket of chicken and pulled out a drumstick, swallowing as his mouth watered. “For men, I’d say food, competitive sports, and sex rank at the top of the list.”
    Shaking her head, she said, “Simple is right.”
    He ripped off a piece of greasy chicken with his teeth and moaned as the flavor exploded in his mouth. His salivary glands kicked in and he was pretty sure his eyes rolled back in his head. “I can’t believe you guys are here on earth and you can’t enjoy the cuisine.”
    “I thought cuisine referred to food of exceptional quality?”
    Trevor laughed at the skeptical look she shot at his bucket of fried poultry parts. “I was actually thinking of my mother’s fried chicken recipe.”
    Siobhán came over and lightly touched his biceps. “I’m going to make the rounds. I’ll be back in a bit.”
    “Want me to go with you?” he asked, grabbing a napkin.
    “No. You need to eat.” Her touch managed to hold off the anxiety that starting building at the thought of her leaving him, even for a few minutes. “Aurelia will sit with you while I’m gone.”
    “You won’t be long?” He was more than willing to forgo food if they were going to be apart for an appreciable length of time.
    “A half hour, maybe.”
    He glanced at the clock on the wall, briefly mulling the thought of angels living by mortal time. “Okay.”
    “You timing me?” she asked, with the faintest gleam of amusement in her eyes.
    “I am, yes.” He smiled. If she could be amused, she could feel other things, too.
    “I’d better get moving then.”
    Trevor watched her walk out, taking a deep breath when the door closed behind her and the first tingles of panic raised the hairs on his nape.
    “Are you all right?” Aurelia asked, reaching out to set a hand on his arm.
    He pulled away quickly, feeling his skin crawl. “Please don’t touch me.”
    She frowned and he felt bad, but his breath was coming too quickly to explain right away. He took a moment to pull himself together, to push the remembered feel of greedy, vicious hands and mouths out of his mind. “I’m sorry, Aurelia. I just . . . touching . . . I’m not ready yet.”
    Her frown deepened. “But you let Siobhán touch you.”
    “I think she’s the only one who can. It’s not personal against you, I swear. I think I’m going to have trouble with anyone but Siobhán touching me. At least for a while.”
    “But if you let me touch you, I can heal you so that you
are
ready.”
    Trevor stared at her, realizing her cluelessness was for real. She really didn’t understand. But then, maybe she couldn’t. If she’d never felt emotion, how could she possibly empathize with what he was going through?
    And yet Siobhán could. She had at least a small spark of humanity in her. “Siobhán already healed me,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to eat this if she hadn’t.”
    “She healed your body,” Aurelia qualified. “She hasn’t yet healed your mind.”
    He paused with a forkful of coleslaw lifted partway to his mouth. “How would she do that?”
    She studied him with wide, curious eyes. “By touching you. We can go into your mind and wipe all memories of your ordeal away. No ordeal, no residual