Jeremy (Broken Angel #4) by L. G. Castillo

Lash had forgiven him. Slowly, the smile dropped and hazel eyes narrowed. In a blink, he was flying backward with Lash’s arms crushing him.
    Angels scrambled out of the way and they landed with a crash. Jeremy pushed against him, careful not to hurt him. He wouldn’t budge. Lash was stronger than he remembered, and for some reason that irritated him. Using all his strength, Jeremy shoved Lash off him and leapt to his feet.
    “Stop it, Lash. I will not fight you.”
    “Fine by me, asshole!”
    Shocked by Lash’s growls, he didn’t see the fist aiming for his face. Jeremy had always found a way to calm down his friend no matter how pissed Lash was. And Lash never attacked anyone—ever. Before he could move, Lash’s fist connected to his nose. The force was so powerful he stumbled back.
    What the hell?
    Shocked, he wiped the back of his hand across his face as he glared at Lash. He’d had enough of Lash’s tantrums. Lash was always whining that Jeremy was the favored one. That everyone loved him. If he’d only shut up and listen, he’d see that he had people on his side as well.
    Jeremy marched to him, hands curled into fists. Lash had been given a second chance. Lash, who’d always walked the edge, questioning and defying the rules, had been given a chance to redeem himself. And not only had he been able to return, but he’d been able to come back with Naomi.
    And I was stupid enough to volunteer to bring him to her!
    The moment his fists smashed into Lash’s chest, he felt the rage. The anger that had been simmering deep inside of him since he first saw Lash with Naomi at Shiprock rushed down his arms and to his fists. He told himself he was just angry at Lash for taking him down in front of the other angels. He told himself he was just teaching his best friend a lesson, that archangels were in a position of power for a reason. It wasn’t true. None of it. As each punch sailed through the air, he only had one thought—Naomi wanted Lash.
    He couldn’t see past the red haze that filled his vision, not even when Raphael placed his hand on Lash’s shoulder and was punched in the stomach, and not even when his newfound father fell to his knees, gasping. He barely heard Gabrielle’s command to stop. All he could think about was how he wished Lash had failed his assignment. Then he would be the one to bring the seventh archangel to Heaven, and he’d be the one standing by Naomi’s side. It wasn’t until she placed herself between them, her emerald eyes glittering, that what he’d done began to sink in.
    He gazed around the silent corridor. All eyes were on him. Even as Lash threatened to take down Gabrielle, they watched him. They expected that kind of behavior from his rebellious friend, not from an archangel.
    As Gabrielle helped Raphael up, his words echoed in Jeremy’s mind. “The past has a way of catching up to the present.”
    Her eyes flicked to his before she turned her attention back to Raphael and Lash. If he didn’t know better, he could’ve sworn he saw something that looked like pity. It was the same expression she used to give Rachel before Uri came.
    He sucked in a breath. She knows.
    The crowd of angels scurried away when Gabrielle commanded them to leave. Of course she knew. Like Rachel, she’d seen the past. She had access to memories he didn’t.
    His mouth grew dry and he swallowed nervously, wondering if somehow she could read what had been in his heart ever since he’d first laid eyes on Naomi, the feelings that he struggled to hide from himself. It was as if she could read what was in his heart as he stood there watching Lash prepared to battle anyone for a woman he thought he’d lost.
    When she turned away and gazed at Raphael, the glitter in her eyes softened. Longing flashed over her beautiful face so quickly no one seemed to notice. And then he knew.
    They were the same.
    As if in a fog, he followed Gabrielle and the others as they headed to the Hall of Judgment. He gazed at