by Riley London
“No.” Charlie shook his head. “I don’t remember anything when they’re the ones driving the car.”
My chest tightened as I watched the confusion and pain drift over Charlie’s face.
He paused before he continued to speak. “Fuck. I killed Benjie’s dad?”
“Yes,” I answered. “I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you.”
“Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure if he’ll ever forgive me, honestly.”
“What would he have to be upset about when it comes to you?” Charlie asked.
“The last time we spoke, he told me that everything was my fault, that he should’ve just left me where he found me,” I replied. “It was like he regretted ever bringing me to the academy at all.”
“I’m sorry.” Charlie sighed. “I’m sure he didn’t mean any of that. He was probably just reeling from his dad’s death.”
“That’s the same thing that Zachary said too.”
“And when was the last time you saw him?”
“When the Council was going to kill me. When they had me tied up to a stake, Zach told me that he loved me, but he couldn’t watch me die. And that was our last conversation.”
“Wait. He left you there? By yourself?” Charlie raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like something that Zach would do.”
“I don’t think he would’ve left me there, if the circumstances were different. But I can’t blame him for not wanting to watch me die,” I replied.
“I think it would’ve weighed on him, in a way that probably would’ve changed him forever. And I’d rather have Zach still be Zach, than the shell of who he used to be.”
“I guess I understand. I just hate it.” Charlie blew out a heavy breath. “I wish I could’ve been there for you, Celeste. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that alone.”
“What can I say? It’s been a crazy year.” I shrugged. “At least we survived.”
“I mean, kinda.” Charlie chuckled. “I’m no longer in control of my own body, and you’re not even an angel anymore, are you?”
“I’ll always be an angel, because it’s in my blood,” I explained. “But no. I’m no longer the kind of angel that I thought I was. It just didn’t work out how I planned.”
“Yeah, my plan didn’t work out either,” Charlie said with a heavy air.
“What was your plan, anyway?” I asked. “You did make it sound like after Mammon basically kidnapped you and all that, you had some sort of trick up your sleeve.”
“My trick was to be a spy.” Charlie chuckled again. “But that’s obviously not how things panned out for me. I really had no way of getting information back to you, especially when I was always glued to Ashmedai’s side. I think he only lets me wander off down here, because he knows there’s nowhere for me to go. As long as I’m in Hell, he’ll always be able to find me.”
“Lucky him.” I smiled. “I had to look for you everywhere.”
“Did you really miss me that much?” Charlie whispered as his fingers crept up my thigh. “Because you have no idea how fucking bad it’s been without you, Celeste.”
“Yes,” I replied. “I missed you so fucking bad, Charlie Collins. So bad.”
I parted my legs, just enough to give Charlie access to the skin in-between. His palm was soon cradling my clit, softly rubbing it against his skin, and I quietly moaned in response.
“Why aren’t you wearing any underwear?” Charlie asked, keeping the same motion going between my thighs.
“I was wearing a pair earlier…” I felt my cheeks turn red as I told him the truth. “But then I saw you and…uh…during dinner…”
“Celeste, are you trying to tell me that sitting across from me at the dinner table made you so wet that you decided to just take off your panties altogether?” Charlie grinned. “Because that’s fucking hot as hell.”
“I plead the fifth.”
“You plead the wet.”
“That’s not even a thing!” I playfully hit Charlie on the shoulder before another moan escaped my throat. Charlie pressed a few fingers inside of me, but there was an amused expression on his face as he did.
“What? What’s so funny?” I asked.
“There is literally no point in trying to get you ready.” Charlie laughed. “You’re so wet. It’s ridiculous.”
Charlie reached his hands down towards his jeans, before he hastily pulled them away from his frame. I spotted his cock hard through his boxers and I felt myself get even wetter at the sight.
“Turn over on your side,” Charlie instructed, and I immediately did as I was told.
A few seconds later, I felt Charlie pushing his cock inside of me from behind and I had to bury my moan into a nearby pillow. His strokes were steady, and as he continued to move inside of me, I remembered why I’d fallen so hard for this man in the first place.
Charlie had always felt like my constant, a consistent source of, well, Charlie in my life. Without him, everything seemed to unravel in record time and it didn’t seem like such a coincidence that once I lost him, things had gotten so awful for the rest of the year.
I wanted to tell him that Zachary and Benjamin had missed him too, that it wasn’t just me that pined for his company. But I was way too preoccupied with how perfect Charlie felt inside of me, the way his hips bucked against my own. Eventually, his steady strokes started to hit right against my G-spot, making me feel like I needed to scream his name.
But I managed to suppress the desire as I struggled to keep from yelling out for him, my face pressed even further into the pillow at hand. A scream nearly escaped my mouth though, when Charlie brought his hand down towards my chest, gently rolling one of my nipples between his fingers as he continued to hit that sensitive spot inside of me.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I ended up coming on his cock, no longer caring about my moans or screams. Release had felt so fucking good and I knew that Charlie had found his own release too, by the way his frame slightly shuddered behind my own.
When all was said and done, I realized that Charlie’s cock was still hard, and that a familiar tingle still buzzed throughout my body too. It reminded me of when Ashmedai had forced me to lust after Charlie, when I knew that just one orgasm was never going to be enough, when I knew that I needed to come for Charlie again or else I was going to explode.
“What…?” I wasn’t quite sure how to phrase my question.
Charlie still seemed to understand where I was going. “We’re in Hell. Closer to darker energy. Closer to sin too. And I’m not going to lie, you make me feel lustful as fuck.”
Charlie chuckled before he continued. “There’s nothing inherently wrong with it either. What’s so bad about embracing what makes us human every now and again? I want you, Celeste. Why can’t I have you, again and again and again?”
“You can,” I softly replied to Charlie, pushing against his body again, needing to feel his cock moving inside of me too. “Please. Have me again.”
“With pleasure.” Charlie kissed me on the shoulder, before he started up his movements for a second time, pushing into me just as steady and sure as the first time around.
“Charlie…Charlie…” I sat in Charlie’s lap, riding his cock first thing in the morning.
Actually, I wasn’t sure what time it was. All I knew was that Charlie and I had been making love for hours on end, and my body now had the same feeling it’d get when I pulled an all-nighter or two. I had to have been up at least twenty-four straight hours, and yet, I still wanted Charlie inside of me, still wanted to come for him over and over again.
Shit.
This was bad. If Charlie and I ended up stuck in this loop of unbridled lust, then we’d eventually die of starvation or dehydration. I didn’t know how to break us out of the loop either, and the longer things continued like this between us, the more I never wanted them to change.
I heard a loud knocking at the bedroom door, just loud enough to
break whatever haze I’d been stuck in with Charlie all night.
“Celeste?” Trinity asked through the closed door. “Can you stop having sex with your boyfriend for one minute? I need your help with something.”
“Oh, thank God. Fuck.” Charlie sighed, moving me away from his lap. “Shit. I thought we were going to die like that.”
“Me too,” I replied, before looking around the room for my clothes. “I mean, fuck, Charlie. If that’s what the sins can do when they’re at their full capacity, the surface is going to be a fucking mess.”
“I know.” Charlie nodded. “And imagine the other ones, too. Like wrath. If people are allowed to access the worst parts of themselves…I just feel bad for everyone who’s going to have to go through that.”
As Charlie spoke and as I thought about all the innocent people who were going to suffer at the hands of rampant sin on the surface, something electric buzzed through my fingertips. I looked down to see specks of gold decorating my skin. It wasn’t as bright as it used to be, when my palm would glow with gold, but it was still there.
It was still there.
I was still an angel after all, still imbued with God’s gift flowing through my veins.
Which meant that it was going to be my responsibility to protect the people on the surface even though the angels had tried to kill me, even if Benjamin hated me, even if I never saw Zachary’s face ever again.
Maybe that was my sacrifice.
Maybe that was supposed to be a test of some sort, to see if I was worthy to wield Michael’s sword, to see if I was still going to choose to do the right thing, even when doing the wrong thing felt so fucking good.
Even when doing the wrong thing meant that I could stay with my family, my real family, and never have to worry about being hurt by the angels ever again.
“I’ll be right there, Trinity,” I answered her through the door, pulling my blouse back onto my chest.
“Why do you come to me and speak of war?” Abaddon looked between Trinity and I with a bored expression on his face. “Your problems with the surface are not transferable to me or to my throne.”
“The angels attacked a blood heir to the throne,” Trinity scoffed. “Do you not realize how that is a threat to you? They did not know or care who she was and yet, they were going to kill her during one of their insipid trials.”
“Her death would’ve been of no consequence to me.”
“Ouch,” I murmured to myself.
“Abaddon, if the angels do not respect our royalty, our hierarchy, what do you think it’ll mean for our future?” Trinity explained. “And if they have committed an act of war and will face no consequence, how does that make us look?”
“Weak.” Abaddon hummed. “You may have a point after all, Trinity. If the angels are comfortable enough with putting one of our royals to death, who knows what else they may intend to do?”
“Exactly.” Trinity nodded in agreement. “And I have it on good authority that they’ve been quiet for months now, almost like we’ve got them on the run, and we haven’t even done anything yet. They’re scared, Abaddon, scared of our power.”
“As they should be.” Abaddon smirked. “In a true test between Heaven and Hell, without their prayers on their side, they would be bested within minutes.”
“Seconds,” Trinity replied.
“So, what is it that you are proposing that we do? Go to war on Celeste’s behalf?” Abaddon responded. “While I understand not wanting us to look weaker than the angels, I struggle with the idea that I should risk my own men’s lives over a fallen princess.”
“I’m not a fallen princess,” I chimed into the conversation. “I was never a princess here to begin with.”
“And being a princess never mattered to her, anyway.” Trinity grabbed me by the hand, before she held out my palm for Abaddon to see. “But look. Here.”
Abaddon squinted, observing my skin, the specks of gold still evident between my fingertips above my wrist.
“Is that…can you…” Abaddon seemed to be answering his own questions, as his expression lit up with a warm smile. “My God. You are God’s gift to the surface, aren’t you?”
“That’s still up in the air,” I answered, my tone flat. I pulled my hand back towards my side, not liking being treated as some kind of sideshow attraction.
“God’s gift to the surface…” Abaddon’s expression only grew warmer. “You are just like Michael. Except that you are on our side this time.”
Abaddon stood up from his throne before he quickly inhaled, as if he was absolutely elated. “And with you, Celeste Venoix, we are going to finally win the war that your father started. We are going to win the war against Heaven, and take care of those pesky angels once and for all.”
“Once and for all.” Trinity seemed excited too, clapping her hands together, her smile so wide that it showed all of her teeth.
Shit.
I wasn’t ready for a war with Heaven. I wasn’t even ready to go back to the academy, afraid to know what Benjamin and Zachary might think of me now.
But it looked like I didn’t have much choice in the matter.
I was going to war against the same Heaven, the same angels I once protected, whether I liked it or not.
THE END
Thank you so much for reading! Get the final book in the Angel Academy series on Amazon in October, “Into the Light.” Big battles, huge revelations, and one unforgettable HEA for Celeste, Charlie, Zachary, and Benjamin.
Curious about what’s coming next after Angel Academy? Check out “Wicked Hot Magic: Salem Academy Book One” today!
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