Archangel Rafe (A Novel of The Seven Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Too many things kept her up at night. Too many worries, too many heartaches.
    She tilted her head onto the soft velour cushion and inhaled softly.
    If she could just rest for a little bit. Tired. She was so tired. She inhaled slowly, deeply, then let out her breath and slid gently into slumber and longed for her dream angel.
     
    ***
     
    Rafe’s assistant Nathan stood straight as Gabe’s divining rod. “Archangel Raphael the Healer,” Nathan proclaimed.
    Rafe sighed. “Call me Rafe.” They did this dance every Monday morning, month after month, year after year. And since the very moment he’d become Rafe’s assistant, Nathan insisted on formality and stiffly followed protocol, always beginning his report with Rafe’s official title. He was frighteningly efficient.
    Rafe slouched in the oversized leather chair with his chin propped in his hand and listened with only a fraction of his attention, while he contemplated the bookshelves full of musty old medical tomes.
    “Things in Africa seem to be better.” Angel Melissa Gates had managed to accomplish a lot with her programs. There was no way his Angels on earth could eradicate HIV without destroying themselves. Tragically several had died before Rafe had forbidden them to use their healing gift to control a disease of that magnitude. He’d had to encourage thinking outside the box and have them come up with creative solutions.
    Nathan continued to ramble about Antarctica and Europe. Technically the Archangels were supposed to be the guardians and their foot soldiers were the Angels on Earth, but the world had gotten so large, they’d added more Angels in the Third Sphere to help the Archangels and moved responsibilities around. Delegated. So, he spent the bulk of his time in the Realm lab and searched for cures to biological weapons and disease rather than among actual humans.
    Nathan scrolled through his overview on Rafe’s area of responsibility, the health of the earth’s inhabitants. “There seems to be a certain dearth of spirit in the Americas. The financial markets continue to bounce like a pogo stick.” Nathan loved similes, especially ones that involved moving parts. “And I think that is contributing to the general malcontent. At this point, the situation might reverse itself but we should definitely keep an eye on the situation.”
    The Americas reminded Rafe of Angelina. And her dreams. And the fact that he had not started her training.
    “Europe feels out of balance.” Nathan paused, and stared out at the nebula that lit the angelic realm, his blond eyebrows curved downward in a frown. “I sense a disturbance but I can’t seem to find it.”
    Rafe forced himself to focus on Nathan. “What kind of disturbance?”
    “It seems to be isolated in the more rural areas. Just a flutter of unease, nothing specific.”
    Rafe wanted to care. Instead his thoughts drifted back to Angelina. “Should we alert the Virtues?”
    “I...don’t think so. I just haven’t encountered this before.” Nathan waved off his unease. “It’s probably nothing.”
    But Rafe had to wonder. He hadn’t been paying attention lately. All of the Seven had their own staffs and assistants similar to Nathan. “Any other Archangels report anything out of the ordinary?”
    “Good point, sir.” Nathan jotted a quick note in his state of the art PDA. “I’ll check with the other aides. Thank you.”
    “Just keep me apprised.” But already his thoughts had returned to Angelina. Once he got started on her transition and he ascended, these problems would be someone else’s. His conscience pricked at him.
    And then it started. A tingle began in Rafe’s toes. The mild burning spread upward through his limbs and torso, and heat poured into his heart and then his mind. He knew he should resist the temptation, the sheer fascination, but this contact filled him with a joy that had been missing for a very long time. Every time Angelina initiated contact with him in her dreams,