Love Knows No Bounds (20 page)

Epilogue

Eternity

The flames flickered and died, and the fire vanished as though it had never been. Cade stood before her, and the last of her fear washed away. Phoebe gazed up at him, watching the expressions flash across his face. Awe. Wonder. Love.

“Say it again,” he whispered.

“I love you.”

As the words left her mouth, it was as though a curtain drew back in her mind, and she almost staggered under the blast of memories.

She was Eleni.

In another life, Cade had loved her, married her, promised her eternity. Then he’d left her.

An image of Cade as he had been in that other life filled her mind. The first time she had ever seen him, she thought she’d gone to Heaven. He’d been the most beautiful thing she’d ever encountered, his eyes the deep blue of the sky above the desert, his wings silver in the sunlight. Oh God, she’d fallen in love with an angel, and she’d paid the price. But so had he.

“I remember you. You’re an angel.”

His face filled with a fierce satisfaction, and he threw back his head, roaring his triumph to the sky. Without giving her warning, he scooped her up in his arms, pulling her tight against him, and they were flying. She clung to his broad shoulders, wrapped her legs around his waist as they rose higher, until at last they burst free of the darkness, and they were standing on the rooftop in London under a star-filled sky.

For a few seconds, she continued to cling, but then she slid down his body and stood, her forehead resting against his chest, breathing in the remembered scent of him.

Cade loosened his hold and stepped back, his hand coming up to cup her face. “I love you,” he said. “I’ve always loved you. But I’m no longer an angel. Can you accept me as I am now?”

She examined him, swallowing down her fear as she took in the blood red wings, the wildness in his eyes. She had a sudden inkling of what he had become. A shaft of fear pierced her, but she forced it down. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t love you because you were an angel.”

He lowered his head, and his lips slanted over hers. For many long minutes, she lost herself in his kiss.

Finally, she pulled away, pressed her hand to his chest, and felt the steady thud of his heart beneath her palm. “Tell me you’ll never leave me again.”

“I’ll never leave.”

Never was such a long time. “You promised me eternity.”

He leaned in close, kissed her again, and she felt the words against her lips. “It’s yours.”

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for giving me the wonderful opportunity to contribute to such a worthwhile cause. And especially to my editor, Libby, for her fabulous help and fantastic suggestions.

About the Author

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain. Nina’s writing mixes romance with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

You can find Nina at www.ninacroft.com.