Knight's Absolution (Knights of Hell Book 5)

by Sherilee Gray

  Gunner had gone still again. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing, and his smile was tight. “Glad as fuck to hear that.”

  Silence fell between them, and his gaze moved over her face. After several long seconds, and desperate to break the tension, Luna reached for a pastry.

  Gunner swiped it away from her with a gritty laugh. “Hold up, Miss Sweet Tooth. We’re sharing this one. I might be a nice guy, but I’m not that nice.”

  He was that nice. He’d proven it from the moment he pulled her from the basement and brought her here. He tore it in half, shoving his portion into his mouth. She expected him to hand her the other half, instead, he held it to her lips. “Try it. The cream is lightly sweetened.”

  The scent was most definitely sweet, but also slightly salty, and there was no missing the richness of the cream. So, so tempting. Without thought, Luna leaned in. Her hunger for new tastes and sensations pulling her in as if she were a toddler trying something for the first time.

  She took a bite.

  Cream coated her tongue, and her taste buds exploded to life. She moaned. “Oh, wow.”

  Gunner’s Adam’s apple bobbed again. “Yeah?”

  Nodding, she leaned in and took another bite. “It’s amazing. You have excellent taste.” Then she wrapped her hand around his and brought his fingers closer, taking the last little morsel. There was cream on his fingers, and without thought, she swiped her tongue over one, but she didn’t get it all, so giggling, she pulled the first finger into her mouth and sucked it clean, then licked powdered sugar off the next two.

  A rumbling, repetitive sound had her looking back up. Gunner was watching her with black eyes. His cheeks were dark and his nostrils were flaring.

  The sound was coming from him.

  “Sorry.” She quickly dropped his hand, inwardly cringing. “I’m so used to being close to you, you know, with the feeding and everything. I shouldn’t have done that. I mean, boundaries, right?” she blurted. “I’m still, you know, working all that stuff out.”

  Her face was hot as hell, and the urge to hide was near overwhelming.

  The breath he released was shaky. “You don’t need to be sorry, love. And I have no boundaries where you’re concerned. None.”

  None? So what? She could literally say or…do anything to him and he’d let her? The sound grew louder. “What’s that sound, Gunner, and why are your eyes like that?”

  “My eyes are like this because my demon likes you. That sound is him purring.”

  “You speak about that part of yourself as if he’s a separate being.” Knights were half angel, half demon, she’d learned this from Azel, but the way he spoke about it was confusing.

  “We are, kind of. As you can imagine, those two sides of myself go together about as well as oil and water. We fight sometimes, and times, like now, we are in complete agreement.” His hand went to his chest. “That’s why I have the brand. It was given to me by angels. All knights have them. It stops us from entering Hell, so our demon half can’t corrupt us.”

  “I never realized.” She stared into those black eyes and bit her lip, not sure how she felt about it.

  “My demon isn’t like the ones you’re used to. He…we, would never hurt you. I promise you that.”

  Luna stared deeper into his eyes, and Gunner let her, remaining still while she studied him. And though his eyes were almost all black, they were still soft, there was still warmth. No, she had nothing to fear from Gunner’s inner demon. The sound grew louder. “Why is it…why are you purring?”

  “Because we both like you. And we both really liked what you just did.”

  There went the belly flutters again. “When I sucked your fingers?”

  His cheeks grew even darker. “Yes.”

  “Why?” she whispered.

  “Just like you, I like the feel of…certain things.”

  “And that felt nice? Like my sweater?” She felt like a damned naive idiot. But touch and the emotions and feelings that came with them were still a mystery she was unraveling, and sometimes she had to ask for help.

  He shook his head. “Better than your sweater.”

  Better than her sweater? Now she wanted to know what it felt like. And hey, he did say he had no boundaries where she was concerned. Swiping her finger through the cream of another dessert, she held it out. “Show me.”

  More shifting in his seat and his jaw tightened. “You want me to—”

  “Suck my finger,” she said, lifting the digit to his lips, desperate to know if he was right.

  He remained still for several moments, then wrapped his hand around hers and brought her cream-covered finger to his parted lips. He sucked it deep, and Luna knew her eyes were wide, but she couldn’t help it. The flutters in her belly reached new heights, and when he swirled his tongue around her finger and sucked more firmly, something tugged even lower.

  Heat washed over her skin, and she suddenly had the urge to squeeze her thighs together. So she did. She also made a whimpering sound, a desperate, greedy sound she’d never made before in her life.

  Gunner released her hand, and she pulled her finger free, blinking up at him, not sure exactly what she was feeling.

  “Well?” he asked, his voice deeper and grittier than she’d ever heard it. “Better than your sweater?”

  “Y-yes,” she said, her voice husky. “Better than my sweater.”

  Luna lay beside Gunner in her bed.

  After feeding her sweets, they’d come back to her room and he’d offered her his vein the way he did every night. She’d accepted, of course. She couldn’t stop herself. She was drinking from his throat tonight, her favorite spot to drink from for several reasons. She could press the entire front of her body to his, and also, the way he cupped the back of her head, sometimes pressing his mouth to her hair, sometimes breathing in her scent was kind of wonderful.

  She enjoyed the hell out of all of it.

  “Don’t stop until you’ve had enough,” he said against her ear, his heavy, tattooed arm wrapped around her, taking his payment. It hadn’t taken her long to realize he’d only suggested holding her to make her feel better, to appease her guilt. There was no payment. The male gave and gave and demanded nothing in return. And every sweet thing he did cracked her protective shields a little more each time.

  She drew deep from his vein and her belly squirmed, the heat there swirling before dipping lower, the same way it had when he’d sucked her finger, hitting her between the thighs.

  She gasped against Gunner’s throat and squeezed her legs tighter together.

  That helped. It felt good, actually. So good.

  She wanted more of the feeling. But there was no way she could ask Gunner, he’d already given her so much. It didn’t matter that he said he had no boundaries.

  Asking him for more would be taking advantage. He’d already told her he didn’t want to have sex with her, and she was pretty sure what she was feeling had something to do with that.

  The urge to rub up against him grew.

  Control yourself.

  Pulling away, she licked the puncture marks she’d made in his skin. She wanted to keep feeding, but right then she didn’t trust herself and worried she’d end up doing something that would embarrass them both and make this sweet, kind male uncomfortable.

  When he rolled her to her back on the bed and kissed her forehead a little while later, then stood and headed for the door, she had to bite her lips together.

  Somehow, she stopped herself from asking him to stay.

  Chapter 16

  “We need to do something now. The longer this fucker is out there, the more damage he can do,” Chaos said. His gaze slid to Silas. “Is there any way you can get a line on Azel? Do you guys have some kind of angel radar or some shit you can use to track him?”

  Silas’s jaw clenched, frustration written all over his face. “I’ve tried. I’m not strong enough, not anymore.”

  Gunner crossed his arms in an effort not to fucking punch s
omething. Azel had been thrown out of Heaven as well, some of his powers stripped like Silas. But instead of lying low, the power-hungry angel had found a way to get them back, through Luna and her brother, and maybe others as well. “He’s aligned himself with Diemos. Luna isn’t safe until we find him and put him down.”

  “Yeah, they’re definitely BFFs,” Kryos said. “There’s no doubt with all the shit he’s pulled.”

  “Either that or he’s got plans to take over himself. Position himself as Diemos’s main man and control the demons already here.”

  Gunner growled. “Right now, we’re all just pulling theories out of our asses. I want him found, and I want him dead.” He glanced at Silas. “Will the angels help? One of their own has gone rogue.”

  Silas shook his head. “I doubt it. And there’s no chance they’d give me an audience to even ask.”

  “What the fuck did you do?” Lazarus asked. “Why are they so pissed at you? It has to be more than you just helping us out from time to time?”

  Silas crossed his arms. “I made a deal with the fates a long time ago. The angels found out.”

  Everyone stilled.

  Chaos frowned. “You fucked with fate?”

  Silas shifted in his big boots.

  “What kind of deal?” Chaos asked.

  Silas shrugged. “Everyone has two paths. I just made sure Zenon stayed on the right one.”

  Zenon went statue.

  In the past, Silas stayed tight-lipped about…fuck, everything. But he wasn’t restricted by the Heavens like he’d once been anymore.

  “The path that led me to Mia, that kept me here?” Zenon asked.

  “It’s fine. Not a big deal.”

  Zenon’s entire body shook. “Not a big deal?”

  Silas shoved his hands in his pockets and changed the subject. “So…what about Lucifer? Maybe he could help find Azel?”

  Zenon’s yellow gaze stayed locked on the angel, silently telling him this wasn’t over. They all owed Silas more than they ever knew, for what he’d done, what he’d given up for their brother.

  Lazarus cleared his throat. “If anyone can help, surely it’s Lucifer.”

  Zenon’s jaw tightened. “I’ll ask.” The male would do anything for his brothers, but Lucifer was not someone Zen wanted to encourage. The former king of Hell was also the king of TMI and loved sharing with his new grandson. Mia found his pictures and texts hilarious, Zenon not so much.

  He pulled his phone from his pocket, hit the number for Lucifer, and put it on speaker.

  The phone rang once. “Yo! Z-man! Holy shit, you called, you actually called. Was it the cat memes that wore you down or the sex stories? It was my sexploits, right?”

  Zenon rubbed a temple with one hand and shook his head. “Nope, definitely not that.”

  “Mia likes me. You need to listen to your mate, she has good taste. And I know it’s her picking my outfits when I send pics, and don’t try to tell me it isn’t, ’cause I know it is. By the way, she’s a fucking genius. I’ve gotten lucky every time I wear what she chooses.”

  She did choose. Gunner had seen Mia take Zenon’s phone from him and, giggling, send a reply.

  “Don’t want to talk about my mate with you, Lucifer…”

  “So this isn’t family business?”

  “No.”

  “Ha! You just admitted we’re family.”

  Zenon muttered a curse.

  “Adam, come back to bed,” a female voice echoed down the phone.

  “Be there in a minute, Bunny!” Lucifer chuckled. “Man, I love human women. They don’t try to kill you in your sleep.”

  “Adam?” Silas asked, saying what they were all thinking.

  “Don’t be an old woman, Si, we all gotta bust a nut from time to time. Even you, right? I’ve heard all about you and—”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Silas bit out.

  They all turned to Silas, who avoided the questions in their eyes.

  Lucifer laughed, dark and rough. “Zipping my lips as we speak. And yes, Adam. You think a woman wants to come home with a dude called Lucifer? Humans have been force-fed bullshit about me since forever. Adam was a fucking Goody Two-shoes. Chicks love that shit.”

  “Okay, we’re getting off track here,” Chaos said. “We need to find a fallen angel. Can you help?”

  “Who?”

  “Azel.”

  Silence. “Azel?” His voice was like ice. “You sure?”

  “Yes,” Zenon said. “He’s working with Diemos.”

  Lucifer exploded into a string of curse words. “That motherfucker is supposed to be dead.”

  “He’s not,” Silas said. “And he’s found someone who can hide him.”

  “You can’t feel him at all?” Gunner asked.

  “Adam, hurry up!” the female voice called again.

  “For fuck’s sake, Bunny!” he yelled back. “I’ll be there in a minute. You and Fantasia start without me.”

  “Fucking hell,” Kryos muttered.

  “Jealous,” Lucifer said.

  “Can you feel him?” Zenon growled.

  “Can you feel him, Grandpa,” Lucifer said.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Zenon said.

  “Not even a little. And a promise that you’ll stop ignoring my texts.”

  Zenon ground his teeth, his eyes slicing to Gunner, then the rest of his brothers.

  “Say it,” Lucifer said.

  Zenon’s jaw worked. “I promise not to ignore your texts.”

  “Awesome. Now the other thing.”

  Their brother held the phone in a grip that made the thing groan. “Can you feel Azel…” he growled out again. “Grand…pa?”

  “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “Answer the fucking question.”

  “No,” Lucifer said. “I can’t.”

  “Son of a bitch.” Zenon’s chest expanded and he looked ready to commit murder. Zenon wasn’t the only one.

  “You were right, Silas, for once. Someone is hiding him. I’ve got nothing.”

  Gunner rubbed his hands over his cropped hair, close to losing his shit completely.

  “Can you keep trying?” Chaos asked.

  There was a beat of silence. “I’ll keep my feelers out for Azel. I’m fine if someone takes that piece of shit out, but there’s only so much I’m willing to do when it comes to this war. Look, I know Diemos is a fucking lunatic who wishes me dead, but he’s still my son. I love him and Zenon both. I can’t take sides in this. This whole thing has to play out without my interference.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Silas bit out.

  “As a heart attack, Si, but yeah, if I get a whiff of Azel, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you,” Chaos said.

  “All goods. Right, off to go fuck. Take care, boys. And don’t forget, Grandpa loves you, Z-man.” Then the phone went dead.

  “Helpful as always,” Lazarus snarled before his gaze slid to Gunner. “What about taking Luna into the city, like I did with Eve? Maybe he’ll sense her outside the compound wards and reveal himself.”

  “No fucking way.”

  The door to the control room opened and Luna walked in. A sweet-as-fuck smile curled her lips when she saw Gunner, her gorgeous eyes bright and lined with black liner, those pretty little fangs flashing. Jesus, he ached for her.

  “Okay, love?” he asked moving toward her. He’d planned on spending eternity moving toward her.

  “Yeah, I was just walking, wandering around really. Somehow, I ended up here.” Her gaze darted over his shoulder to the big males behind him.

  He knew why she ended up here. She’d spend eternity moving toward him as well, whether she understood it or not, whether she wanted to or not.

  “We were just talking about you, actually,” Chaos said.

  Luna did that wide-eyed slow blink she often did. “Oh?”

  Gunner spun to his brother. “It’s not happening.”

  Cool fingers curled ar
ound his forearm and squeezed lightly. Her skin was already dropping in temperature. She’d need to feed again soon. “What’s going on?”

  Gunner looked down at her. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

  She stepped to the side, so he wasn’t shielding her from Chaos anymore. “Why were you talking about me?”

  “Chaos, don’t,” he gritted out.

  She turned back to him then, her brow furrowed. “Please, I want to know.”

  What choice did he have? He hated lying to her. “We haven’t had any luck finding Azel…”

  She flinched.

  Fuck. He slid his hand around the back of her neck and held her firm, keeping his eyes locked on hers, keeping her right there with him. Letting her know he had her and he wasn’t fucking going anywhere.

  “Ronan’s power,” she said. “Whoever got it when Sir…killed my brother is protecting him.”

  “We thought that maybe if Gunner took you outside the compound, flew above the city, Azel might sense you, that maybe it would bring him out of hiding?”

  Gunner slid his thumb over the silky-smooth skin of her throat, getting her to look at him again. “You don’t need to do it, love. We’ll find him without your help.”

  “But it could take a lot longer. And Rocco’s female is still in Hell, and yes, time moves slower down there, but still that’s time we don’t have,” Chaos added.

  Alarm filled Luna’s gaze. “Rocco’s female’s in Hell?”

  “Yes, but you don’t need to…”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “Luna…”

  “I want to. The things I did for…Azel, were things that hurt you, all of you. I can’t take it back or make it up to you, but I’d like to help you now if I can.”

  Gunner’s chest felt too tight, he was breathing heavily, something close to panic taking hold. If he lost her again, he didn’t think he’d survive it this time. As if she sensed his fear, she moved forward, moved toward him.

  “It’s okay,” she said for his ears only and pressed into his side, her head going to his chest and breathing deep like she often did, taking in his scent. Comforting him and herself at the same time. Jesus, she broke him in two. But she didn’t stop there, her arms came around his waist and she squeezed tight. “It’s going to be okay, Gunner. You’ll keep me safe.”