Archangel's Heart

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a dangerous and exhilarating world where a deadly, beautiful archangel and his once-mortal consort are caught in a fury of twisted darkness… “Raphael and Elena are the heart of this series…they are what keep me coming back for more.”--Fiction Vixen One of the most vicious archangels in the world has disappeared. No one knows if Lijuan is dead or has chosen to Sleep the long sleep of an immortal. But with her lands falling into chaos under a rising tide of vampiric bloodlust, a mysterious and ancient order of angels known as the Luminata calls the entire Cadre together to discuss the fate of her territory. Accompanying her archangelic lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, guild hunter-turned-angel Elena senses that all is not as it seems. Secrets echo from within the stone walls of the compound, and the deeper Elena goes, the uglier the darkness. But neither Raphael nor Elena is ready for the brutal truths hidden within--truths that will change everything Elena thinks she knows about who she is… Nothing will ever be the same again.

**Praise for *Archangel's Heart

“This eighth novel highlights the author's ability to weave threads of devastation and hopefulness together; it is emotionally jarring and at times grim yet ultimately fulfilling, resonating with the conviction that love is the strongest force in the universe. Singh explores power, love, and redemption with her typical consummate skill.”—*Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for Archangel’s Enigma
 
“Eight books in and the Guild Hunter Series continues to build on that early momentum and evolve into the one of the most dynamic and compelling series in its genre. Singh’s balance of romanticism and action and adventure is unparalleled. The battle scenes are epic, the sensuality is potent, and the story arcs twine and bend to blow your mind.”—Smexy Books
 
“Singh breathes new energy into the Guild Hunter series with her splendid eighth installment...The blend of intimate tenderness and globe-spanning action reaches new highs in Singh's most exciting novel yet.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Singh is a brilliant writer, and her words about the world of angels and vampires sing from the pages...Archangel’s Engima is another hands-down winner by virtuoso Nalini Singh, proving her worthy of her reigning queen of PNR status. Brava, Ms. Singh!”—Fresh Fiction
 
“It’s happy dance time! The incomparable Singh finally reveals the origins of the fascinating and feral Naasir! Naasir’s presence as an intriguing secondary character has quickly made him a fan favorite, and his story is everything we hoped for. As always with a Singh novel, not only is there a compelling relationship story mixed with high-stakes action, but it also includes critical advancement of the overarching series plot. Singh is one of those rare storytellers who literally never disappoints!”—RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars, Top Pick)

Auteur

Nalini Singh

Résumé
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a dangerous and exhilarating world where a deadly, beautiful archangel and his once-mortal consort are caught in a fury of twisted darkness…
 
“Raphael and Elena are the heart of this series…they are what keep me coming back for more.”—Fiction Vixen
 
One of the most vicious archangels in the world has disappeared. No one knows if Lijuan is dead or has chosen to Sleep the long sleep of an immortal. But with her lands falling into chaos under a rising tide of vampiric bloodlust, a mysterious and ancient order of angels known as the Luminata calls the entire Cadre together to discuss the fate of her territory.
 
Accompanying her archangelic lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, guild hunter-turned-angel Elena senses that all is not as it seems. Secrets echo from within the stone walls of the compound, and the deeper Elena goes, the uglier the darkness. But neither Raphael nor Elena is ready for the brutal truths hidden within—truths that will change everything Elena thinks she knows about who she is…
 
Nothing will ever be the same again.

Échantillon de lecture
1

Two years had passed.

Two years since Alexander woke.

Two years since the last confirmed sighting of Zhou Lijuan.

Two years since Illium threatened to burn up in a catastrophic explosion of power.

Two years while the Cascade seemed to hit Pause.

Elena was fucking over waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Come on already," she muttered up at the sky, Manhattan a toy borough hundreds of feet below the edge of the railing-free Tower balcony on which she stood.

"Speaking to your ancestors, Elena-mine?" The voice came from behind her, familiar and imbued with a power so violently deep that the mere sound of it engendered fear in the hearts of mortals and immortals alike.

It made Elena's own heart ache, the love she felt for her archangel a painful, terrifying thing in these times of uncertainty. If she lost him . . . No, she couldn't think that way. Even if that damn other shoe was still smirking at her, just waiting to thunk down on top of her head when she least expected it.

"Whoever or whatever it is that controls the Cascade, that's who I'm talking to." She leaned back into Raphael. The position trapped her wings in between, but with Raphael, she could be vulnerable, she could be weaponless, and still be safe. Not that she wasn't armed to the teeth, but that was habit and none of it would ever be turned against Raphael except when they sparred-or when he pushed her buttons a little too hard.

Her archangel hadn't quite got the hang of the fact he wasn't lord and master over his consort. He tried but a thousand-five-hundred-years-plus of power had a way of messing with his attempts at seeing his once-mortal lover as an equal when it came to their personal relationship.

Elena cut him some slack every so often. "Some" being the operative word.

Today, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, his jaw brushing her hair as the two of them looked out over their city from their vantage point on the cloud-piercing form of Archangel Tower. New York. Brash and messy and noisy and full of color and energy and life. So much life. Elena could hear it on the busy streets far, far below, sense it with every beat of her heart, taste it in the myriad scents that clashed and fought and yet somehow made their peace.

Her blood hummed in awareness.

"I have news," Raphael murmured. "It may inject a little excitement into your currently mundane life."

Elena snorted. "I don't need any more excitement. I just need the damn Cascade off Pause so we can get it done." Her hand twitched to go for the lightweight crossbow strapped to her thigh.

Unfortunately, she didn't have anyone or anything to shoot at right now.

Raphael's chuckle vibrated against her. "You sound a little tense, Consort."

Elena would've elbowed him if her wings hadn't been in the way. "Why are you in such a good mood?" The past two years had been as tautly tense for him as they'd been for her. All the archangels had stayed within the borders of their own territories-but for a few secret trips here and there-in preparation for further Cascade madness.

Only the unpredictable worldwide phenomenon that caused dangerous power fluctuations in the archangels as well as some angels, along with tumult across the earth in the form of storms, quakes, and floods, seemed to have decided it was finished. But of course, they all knew it wasn't. Not by a long shot. Even Elena could feel the thunderous …