Hello friends! I'm so grateful to Kelly Anne for putting together this amazing block party! I wanted to take a second and thank all of you for helping me get my start! Just when I'd reached a point of giving up on ever getting The Awakener published, you Wattpad readers gave my novel new life!

I'm thrilled that I can now share a sneak peek into the second book of that series, Holy and the Fallen (coming out May 12th). This is a rough sneak peek (ahem...hasn't been through my editor.) So not a lot of eyes of seen this. Because I love my Wattpad friends I wanted you to be some of the first!! One of the best things about book two coming out in May is I'll be putting the entire The Awakener novel back up on Wattpad!!!

You are all amazing!!! Thank you for believing in me and my crazy stories :)

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"Gabriel?" Eden called softly. It was late, she knew she should be sleeping, but talking about him today with her parents had left a void in her heart. Her once again, one-sided conversations were not as comforting as they use to be.

"I guess I got a bit spoiled seeing you so much," she admitted, staring off into the distance. "You probably ran straight to the angel council and told them to fix it so I couldn't. Was it that bad? Me seeing you?"

She felt nothing and sighed. "I know you said it made things complicated."

Again nothing.

"Gabriel? Hey, are you there still?" She tried to push the panic down and gripped her blankets tighter.

Nothing.

Now her eyes roamed her room, darting to her floor just to make sure there were no claws coming out from under her bed. She knew she was being ridiculous. He was always there. Maybe she wasn't focusing on the good feeling. Maybe if she just held still and stopped freaking out she'd feel the calmness and know he was there.

Maybe...

She felt something else. A cold, draining sensation in her back. It spread down her limbs, leaving her one wrists searing in pain. Eden doubled over, gripping her arm to her chest.

"Gabriel!" she gasped. She peeked down just to make sure no blood oozed out. Her flesh remained intact, pink and healthy, but her insides screamed, like her bones were being snapped in two. Pain rocketed her whole frame, shooting from two points of origin; where the demon had nearly bitten her hand off and where Oeillet's staff had punctured her back.

She curled into a fetal position, hugging her knees, pinching her eyes shut, trying to manage the agony. When her lungs refused to fill with air, she panicked. Oh my gosh! I'm suffocating! She tried to scream for help but nothing came out but mangled sounds. Hot pain coursed through her chest, wrapping around her heart like fingers made of fire. What's happening! She saw no demon, no staff protruding from her heart, but it felt like one was there.

Gabriel where are you?!

"Eden!" a voice bellowed at the same time white light shot through her room. Arms wrapped around her and pulled her from her bed. A hand brushed hair from her face, clearing her vision. Bright blue eyes gazed back at her, practically buried under the furrowed brow line.

"Gabriel," she barely gasped through gritted teeth.

"Eden, what's wrong?" While holding her, his eyes scanned her body. "What's happened to you? Where are you hurt?"

She clutched at her chest and tried to speak, but nothing came out. His eyes widened. With one swift motion, he laid her down and placed both hands on her head. Shutting his eyes, he moved his hands down her frame, lightly touching her shoulders, arms, wrist, back, and torso. He stopped where the staff had punctured her months ago. A stream of fluid words came from his mouth, none of which did she understand.

"Curses," he muttered in English, "I should've known."

With his hand still on her lower back, air seeped into her lungs again. She inhaled, the pain ebbing, becoming less ragged, and turning from fire to a dull ache. When she'd taken three or four deep breaths she found her voice again.

"What's happening to me?" she asked, placing her hand on his arm, not wanting him to move an inch. Whatever his touch provided it took the pain away and the thought of it returning terrified her.

"I'm sorry Eden. I was..." he stopped.

"Where were you? You were gone weren't you?" she tightened her grip on his arm.

"No, I wasn't gone, I was fighting."

For the first time she noticed his hair was wet. That's why it looks so curly. His face smudged, his arms scraped, and his flaming sword hissed from its sheath.

"Fighting?" she asked, afraid of his answer.

"You've attracted a lot of attention since the temple was reclaimed. Don't worry it's nothing we can't handle."

"We?"

His mouth twisted into a half a smile. "I recruited a few other cherubim. Seems you're a high maintenance girl."

She knew he was trying to lighten the mood. She tried to smile back at him, but her fears finally won out.

"What just happened Gabriel? I felt like it was prom night all over again. I thought Andrew healed me."

Instantly his blue eyes clouded over. "He did, but we are dealing with more than just demons here. I should've known when Oeillet bragged about his staff. He all but told me it was special, but I wasn't thinking about what that could mean."

"I don't understand. What does it mean?"

"Means his staff had, for lack of a better word, been dipped in magic. Remember asking me about angel and demon hierarchy, how they each have their own order and powers?"

Eden nodded hoping he didn't expect her to remember the details.

"Oeillet wasn't much of an opponent for me, I far outranked him. His staff, however, was a different story. I should've known when he made a point of telling me that it was a cherub staff and then it took a minute to break the thing."

Eden remembered that all too well; Gabriel's sword had been temporarily derailed by that staff, long enough for Oeillet to attack her.

"Is that why I'm still not healed all the way, because of the staff?" she asked, trying to understand.

"Sort of. It was obviously a gift to him since it didn't belong to him by rank. Just makes me wonder who gave it to him."

Gabriel remained quiet and Eden began to put the pieces together.

"Oh, you think it was that Watcher who's after me and Micah," she licked her lips and forced herself to say his name, "Semjaza. You think he gave Oeillet the staff?"

He removed his hand and leaned back. In all their urgent talking she had sort of forgotten he'd been leaning over her.

"I need to find out more before I can say for certain, Eden. But Semjaza's known for his enchantments. I felt your wounds just now...there's something familiar about them."

She sat up and wrapped her arms around herself. "You've been around Semjaza before?"

He glanced away. "Another time, another life," he mumbled.

"Gabriel? What happened?"

"Nothing that will help us now."

Eden leaned forward and placed her hand on his arm. "Did he hurt someone you knew...loved?"

His brows lowered. "Why do you think that?"

"I know you were one of the holy angels who got rid of The Watchers." That part Eden remembered quite clearly. Micah had been unfolding the tale of the angels, who'd destroyed the Watchers' offspring and banished them to be buried in the earth, then he'd rattled off the main four angels who'd done it; Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel.

"It makes sense you had to face Semjaza and you said my injuries are familiar to you. Who was it?"
"Who was what?" he asked.

"The one he hurt, who was it?"

He shook his head. "None of that matters now, Eden."

She gazed back at him, it felt like his mood seeped into her soul. Sadness overwhelmed her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't mean to bring up something painful and I'm sorry Semjaza hurt someone you cared about."
Gabriel met her gaze. "Semjaza will pay for his crimes, then and now. We may not have as much time as we'd like. He seems to be gaining more power from his bindings. Soon he will have to face justice for all his deeds."

"What do you mean face justice and we don't have time?"

Gabriel went silent, his face suddenly a blank slate. Eden knew that expression all too well; it was the one she got from Gabriel and Micah when they'd said too much.

"Oh come on Gabriel, you have to tell me! What's about to happen?" Eden begged, gripping his arm.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he paused, "tonight. Now get some sleep. I won't leave your side, you have my word." His jaw was set.

Eden sighed and settled back into her bed. The one highlight of the excruciating pain she'd just experienced was Gabriel was here again. Visible and beside her. It almost made it all worth it. Almost.

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25 EPIC Prizes for the Wattpad Block Party Event:

http://kellyanneblountauthor.blogspot.com/2015/02/over-20-amazing-wattpad-block-party.html