Remember Me

By Nina Croft

Unable to bear the thought of losing his mortal wife, Caden Wolfe steals the Elixir of Life and offers her eternity. But the theft is discovered, his wife is slain, and Caden is stripped of his angel’s wings and cast down into the Abyss.
Having drunk of the Elixir of Life, Phoebe’s soul is tied to the earth in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Unaware that she has lived countless lives, Phoebe is haunted by the loss of a love she has no memory of.
Caden has spent a thousand years searching for his wife. Now he has found her, and only Phoebe’s love can redeem them both. But Phoebe fell in love with an angel, and Caden is now a demon of the Abyss. Can she see past what he has become, remember the love they once shared, and have a second chance at forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nina Croft
• Release date: May 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310949203

Nina Croft

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 nine-to-five work. She's since then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary), and has settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain. Nina writes all types of romance, often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

Book preview

Remember Me

By

Nina Croft

For anyone who has loved and lost—I hope you get a second chance.

Remember Me

Copyright © 2015 by Nina Croft

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

***

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

***

Smashwords Edition

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Epilogue

About the Author

Also by Nina Croft…

Prologue

110 BC…

Cade offered the golden goblet to Eleni. Drink.

She wrapped her hands around his and raised the cup to her lips. Cade held his breath—his hopes and dreams within his grasp. But at the last moment, she glanced up at him, and uncertainty flickered in her dark eyes. If I drink, will we be together for always?

For eternity.

Her sweet mouth curved into a smile as she leaned toward him and sipped the liquid. Cade watched the movement of her throat as she swallowed, and the tension drained from him, his silver wings spreading in triumph.

There was no going back now. Right or wrong, the deed was done.

He had betrayed his own people in stealing the Elixir, but he had no regrets. He would gladly forsake Heaven if that was the price he had to pay to be with Eleni. He’d found his own heaven here on Earth, and he knew his brothers felt the same.

He dropped the goblet to the ground, cupped her beloved face in his hand, and lowered his head to kiss her.

The sharp, bittersweet tang of the Elixir lingered on her lips, and a shudder of unease ran through him. He shook off the feeling. There had been no other way. Come, we need to leave. The others will be waiting.

A small frown formed between her brows. She nodded at the goblet, where it lay in the sand at their feet. Will you be in trouble for this?

He forced a smile. Not if they don’t find us.

He had arranged to meet his brothers at a clearing close to Eleni’s village. Clasping her small hand in his, he pulled her against his side, and fought the urge to take to the air—but they couldn’t draw attention to themselves. The theft would be discovered soon enough; they had to be away from this place before that occurred.

The sun blazed high above them. An unnatural silence hung in the air. Cade couldn’t dismiss the nagging sense of disquiet, and he increased his pace.

They were almost there—he could see his brothers and their wives gathered, waiting—when a clap of thunder sounded overhead. The sky opened, and a host of angels appeared, blocking out the sun. The beating of a thousand wings filled the air. In seconds, they were surrounded.

Cade cursed. How could they have discovered the theft so soon? Cade! Eleni’s high-pitched scream tore into him.

Hands reached for her. Cade tried to wrap her in his arms, but they wrenched her from his grasp. He fought, then. Furiously. But there were too many, and too strong, and he could only scream his rage as they dragged her from him.

All around, his brothers were fighting. Cade drew the sword from the scabbard at his back, whirling and countering the blows that came from all directions, desperate to reach Eleni. But for each one he cut down another took his place. Finally, his strength failed, and the sword dropped from his fingers. He hung exhausted in the grip of two of his captors, his breath coming hard and fast, as despair swamped him.

He lifted his head. Gabriel stood before him, golden wings spread. You broke the rules, Caden. This time you’ve gone too far. You stole the Elixir of Life. The words were softly spoken, but beneath that, Cade could hear the outrage.

How did you know? he asked.

You should have remembered that humans are fickle, jealous creatures.

Cade’s mind frantically searched for a way out. My wife? Where is she?

The human? Gabriel shrugged. Her own kind will deal with her as they see fit.

The fighting had died to nothing, but Cade couldn’t see Eleni, and panic clawed at his guts.

Cade!

Through the confusion, she cried out his name, her voice hoarse with terror and panic. The host parted, and he caught sight of her. They had tied her to a stake—people from her own village, people she had cared for—and piled brush wood around her. She was struggling wildly against the restraints, but to no avail, and fear stopped his heart. It couldn’t end like this. He tore at the hands that held him, screaming her name.

For a brief moment, their eyes met and some of the panic faded from her face. I love you. She mouthed the words.

For eternity, he whispered.

Then the flames licked at her bare legs, and she screamed in agony.

He lost sight of her as they closed in around him. The acrid scent of smoke, burning pitch, and roasting flesh clogged his nostrils. He fell to his knees and gagged as Eleni’s shrill screams filled his mind.

Finally, she fell silent.

Cade’s heart shattered. He threw back his head and howled.

Long minutes, he knelt there, unsure whether he could even move. His mind reeled in disbelief. She couldn’t be gone, but there was a huge gaping hole inside him, where she had been for so long.

He pushed down the pain and allowed ice-cold fury to envelop his heart as he struggled to his feet. They had gathered his six brothers together, their faces reflecting his own despair.

For violating the laws of Heaven, you are banished.

Gabriel waved his hand and a portal opened, a break in reality. Cade sensed the shadows reaching up to him, and he embraced them.

He stood immobile, barely feeling the pain as they ripped his wings from his back, and then he was plummeting through darkness. He