Hope in Love

by J. Hali Steele

He still needed to deal with the meshing that had grown even stronger. At the restaurant, he failed to keep Yael out of his mind—she’d been there and felt Raph’s presence through him. He hadn’t mentioned it to her because he wanted to draw as little attention to the matter as possible. He’d seen the look of embarrassment on her face at doing something she did not want done to herself.

  But now Ram hurried home to put another kind of flush on her face. He appeared quietly in the bedroom.

  Partially uncovered, her mouth slightly open, she looked vulnerable, and so damn tempting curled on her side in the middle of the bed. The swell of her hips beneath her thin cotton nightgown called to him. He sat the food down and quickly forgot about it. Tonight, Yael would be his again—that was all the food his soul needed.

  Candles flared to life around the room and their sultry aroma permeated the space. His clothes instantly gone, he climbed into bed and stretched out beside her. He rested his hand on her hip and just watched her sleep for a moment. She stole his breath away.

  Her eyes opened and she smiled at him. Lord, the room lit up even brighter. What was happening to him?

  “Are you hungry? I brought something to eat.”

  She rolled to her back and stretched. “Mmm, no, I’m fine.”

  Her full lips begged to be kissed and he didn’t want to disappoint them. He leaned over and captured their softness beneath his. The kiss was both gentle and demanding. He pushed for entrance into her mouth and she opened for him. Savoring her taste, he delved deeper and swept his tongue through her deliciousness.

  He rolled onto her and continued to assault her mouth. Her arms came around his neck and held him tight. Her body arched into his. One hand was buried in her thick, ginger hair, the other reached to ease her gown out of the way.

  “Ram?” She pulled away from him.

  “Shh.” For the first time ever, Ram didn’t want anything for himself, he only wanted to give her pleasure. “I want to taste you.” Untangling the covers from between them, he slowly slid down her body. Not even her swollen nipples could stop him tonight. It was her sweet pussy that pulled him down and down.

  Her heat and exotic aroma took control of him. He lifted her legs and spread them wide open. Ram ignored her groan and moved his head to where he wanted to be. He flicked his tongue through her already moist cunt. He covered her nether lips with long, slow strokes until she whimpered.

  Raising his head, he blew warm air across her heated core and told her, “This is all mine.” His mouth latched onto her clit hard. He sucked and nibbled, making her cry out.

  “More, harder.” She dug her nails into his scalp and spurred him on.

  He licked and stroked every crease with his tongue. He jammed it back and forth in her canal and loved the taste of her. She pressed her hips tight against his lips, and trembled with passion. The thought of entering her mind came and went.

  Ram wanted her to come, he wanted to feel it fresh and new, not take the ride with her. Her convulsions tightened the opening to her channel and tugged gently at his lapping tongue.

  “Come for me, baby,” he moaned against her pussy before he stormed it again. Thrusting in and out, he took her.

  “Oooh, yes,” she murmured as she let go. Her orgasm slipped into his mouth, flooded his senses with her musky taste. He continued to take her, his tongue furious in its attack. He ministered to her until her body went slack.

  He moved up to lie beside her. Pulling the covers over both of them, he brought her back against him and let his full cock rest between them.

  “Ram, don’t you need…?”

  “All I need is for you to sleep in my arms tonight.”

  And damn if he didn’t mean it.

  * * * * *

  He stood at the window and watched as she strolled through the grounds with Peter’s exulted. And without remorse, he snatched every single thought and word Patricia had. He hadn’t promised to stay out of her mind. Reading her would be a way he could know what Yael thought without breaking his promise.

  The two women were so different. Patricia was a woman of the world, particularly in her time. She’d associated with a crowd of mobsters and ruffians, which was what attracted that damn ghoulish Peter. She had been closely acquainted with some of the more important mob figures of the time, and the only reason he’d been allowed to elevate her was because she’d saved the goon who built the city in the desert—Las Vegas.

  Patricia’s dress was sophisticated yet exotic. A style he wouldn’t like to see Yael succumb to. He feared he was too late. That is exactly what the two women were discussing. They planned a shopping trip to Miami.

  Yael came from a much simpler time—no frivolities had existed back then. The Israelites had been hounded by everyone. Her family had thrived with others who held their beliefs by keeping to themselves. They’d lived deep in the desert and embraced peace. She wouldn’t understand the ruthlessness that possessed most people today.

  Ram could feel Patricia’s genuine like and concern for Yael. Thank goodness, because he didn’t want to send her away. But if he felt even the slightest threat to Yael, she would be gone in an instant.

  He heard the women laugh together and his heart lurched in his chest. He wanted that same relationship with Yael. He’d do anything to see her smile and laugh as she was now. With him, she always appeared reserved. Unless he was bedding her.

  A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he thought of last night. Was it his imagination or did she seem more amenable to his company? At least she appeared not to be afraid of him anymore.

  Yael surprised him with her abandon during their lovemaking. He wanted to see her blossom more under him. Ram’s cock sprang to life as he watched her and thought about how sweet she was, how soft and…

  Shit, that reminded him he needed to see Michael. He’d have a hard time now getting him to lift the spell, what with Peter’s exulted under his roof, but he was going to ask. He had to make him understand how unsightly it was to be around Yael in that condition. He hoped also that Michael and the Fates would agree that she’d be more relaxed and more likely to conceive if her friend could stay with her.

  Ram thought to tell Yael that he must leave, but she was occupied and he didn’t think he’d be long.

  He vanished.

  * * * * *

  Yael enjoyed the company of another exulted and a woman.

  “But you were lovely last night,” Patricia said. “I can’t believe you ripped the hem off.” She laughed.

  “Well you should have seen the hussy in red. There was no way I could let Ram continue to look…look at them all. Oh Patricia, there were so many and the scant clothing embarrassed me.”

  “You’ll get used to it. Ram does have excellent taste. Why, I remember…” Patricia stopped and looked at Yael. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t speak of that time.”

  “Yes you should. I believed you, Patricia, and even more so now. It will help you to talk about it. You know whatever you say to me will be held in confidence.”

  “I’m glad, because no one else believed me. Just you and Deborah. If it hadn’t been for Ram…well, Peter is a beast. I won’t go back this time, Yael, I will not.”

  “You’re welcome to stay with me for as long as I’m here, you know that. After the babe is born, we’ll think of something.” She looked from beneath her long lashes at Patricia and asked her a question she’d been dying to ask. “Do his eyes not bother you?”

  “I lived during a time of much death and unrest. People died every day and many right in front of me. I’m not surprised by the death in his eyes.”

  “I see. They are better now, don’t you think?” She was thinking of what he’d done to her last night, how much she enjoyed it. Yael wanted much more of Ram. A telltale warmth crept up her face.

  “Oh Yael, don’t fall in love with him. He’ll break your heart. He can’t help what he is. And Michael would never let him be with an exulted. Never.”

  They continued to walk arou
nd the grounds and enjoy the silent camaraderie.

  “He gave me the power of dematerialization, so we can go shopping. I can’t wait to see the pretty things you spoke of.” Yael’s voice brimmed with excitement, she felt happy.

  “But we have no money.”

  “Oh, you’re right.” Yael would ask Ram for money tonight.

  “I could…use my enthrallment. Then we can pay them later.”

  “So it really wouldn’t be cheating or lying.”

  “Not if we pay them back,” Patricia said.

  “I’ve not vanished yet so I’m not sure where we might end up.”

  “If I let you read my mind, I can show you a place.”

  “Let’s go then. Take my hand.”

  Yael vowed to herself they would return tomorrow and make restitution everywhere they stopped today.

  * * * * *

  Michael was livid.

  “You cannot do this. Do you understand? I don’t know what is going on with you, Ramiel.”

  “Well, the way I see it is if you and the Fates want her to conceive she needs to be relaxed. Patricia is good company for her.” Ram decided to add, “You know what Peter does to her?”

  “The Fates are dealing with that. But you cannot intervene.”

  “It’s too late. Michael, I will put my foot down on this one. I want Yael to be happy, and Peter’s exulted makes her happy.”

  “How does she feel about your past with the woman?”

  “Dammit, I’ve told you there is no past. If there were, do you think I would let her within ten feet of Yael? You must lift this curse from me. It is unseemly for me to parade in front of a lady with a constant hard-on.”

  “It’s never seemed to bother you before.”

  “Well…they weren’t ladies, or at least they weren’t ladies I gave a damn about. Yael is gentle and kind. She deserves so much better than the lot we and the Fates have cast on her.”

  Michael watched Ram closely. The only archangel who could hide things from him was Ramiel. He was still unsure about this. Decima had been right though. This was a good match for Ram. His eyes were not so dark with death and hopelessness. He had handled his duties the last few days with the utmost care.

  What would they all do when it came time for him to leave her and the babe?

  He had not seen or heard so much hope in his friend’s voice in decades. But there was no way he would allow the meshing of an exulted with an archangel. The past had proved that to be very unhealthy for everyone involved. The Father had even stepped in on that one.

  “Ram, something happened with you and Peter’s exulted. I know that. What, I cannot be sure of. I do wonder often why you left her in the company of the strongest vampyre alive.” Michael turned and stared out the window. “We both know the affliction I cursed you with was not about sex. That was only to cause you as much embarrassment as possible. Little did I know you’d enjoy it so much.” He spun around and glared at Ram. “I’m aware of your reputation. I will lift the spell. If I have even the slightest inkling anything is not as it should be, you will pay dearly. Do you understand?”

  “Understood— Holy shit!” Ram jumped from the chair.

  “What?”

  “Uhh, nothing. I have to go.”

  “Ramiel?”

  “Trust me, Michael, everything is fine.”

  Decima appeared to Michael before Ram’s blinding flash of light dissipated.

  “He is much happier, Michael. We were correct.”

  “I fear there is more to this than meets the eye,” Michael said. “I have an inkling Yael and Patricia are up to something.”

  Decima’s laughter rang through his study. “They are shopping.”

  “What? But how?”

  “It seems Deborah’s exulted now has the power to dematerialize.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, and with Patricia’s powers of enthrallment, they will take quite a beautiful bounty to Ramiel’s home.” Decima’s laughter echoed around the room long after she was gone.

  Muttering and flinging papers about his study, Michael was beside himself.

  “He will have much more than a perpetual hard-on this time.”

  * * * * *

  Invisible, Ram stood with his fists clenched at his side. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  Yael paraded up and down in front of a mirror in the dressing room of a Victoria’s Secret. His cock nudged painfully at his zipper. What the hell am I going to do now? How could he put an end to this? Patricia held the patrons in her enthrallment and they were both selecting the skimpiest underwear in the establishment.

  There were bags piled upon bags from the most sought after stores in the whole of Miami. Ram was afraid to see what each bag held. There was Gucci, Vera Wang, JLO shoes. Christ, they’d bought half the city. Rather, stole half the city.

  “Women and shopping. It’s quite a sight to see, isn’t it?”

  Ram spun around at the sound of that silky voice, ready to commit murder.

  “This is your goddamned fault. What did you think you were doing and why did you bring Patricia here?”

  He watched the smile stretch wider across Raph’s face and he wanted to smack it away.

  “Oh come now, it’s not as bad as all that.”

  “Raphael, you bastard. And turn your fucking head. Do not look at Yael.”

  “My, my, we’ve become rather possessive of an exulted haven’t we?”

  “We are going to kick your ass. Get out now before I tear you limb from limb.”

  “For goodness sake, calm down, Ram. You’ll have a damned aneurysm. They’re enjoying themselves. While you were hobnobbing with Michael, I found the women in a bar. A nice one, but a bar nonetheless. I suggest that if you’re going to give out these powers, you should make sure the recipient knows how to use them.”

  “They were where?” Ram’s face was apoplectic. The veins in his neck protruded, his eyes swirled with blue fire.

  “I’ve kept an eye on them so you don’t have to worry.”

  He could no longer maintain his invisibility. Ram’s body shimmered back and forth. His fists clenched and unclenched. He wanted to rip Raphael’s head from his torso. He’d watched Yael try on clothes across the whole fucking city. He couldn’t even shield his thoughts. Raphael’s raucous laughter only enflamed him more.

  “Raph—”

  Ram saw Yael’s head tilt slightly as though she listened to something. Shit! She either heard or felt his presence. The meshing. He turned back to Raphael to see the light in his eyes and, too late, he realized he knew what had happened between him and Yael.

  “My, my. The great whore is meshing with an exulted…”

  A blue light surrounded Ram and his eyes were filled with the death of a hundred years. He snatched Raph by the front of his shirt and they both slammed into the heat of the atmosphere. Wings unfurled from their bodies, their spans dimmed the midday sun. Thunder crashed through the air and lightning glanced across the otherwise brightly lit summer sky.

  He dragged Raph down under the cover of the tall Spanish moss that surrounded his domain. Here they would be unheard because of his protective shields.

  “I will kill you,” Ram growled.

  “We both know you can’t do that. Shit, my wings are still shorter from the last time. I’ll tell you one thing though. You are going to stop brutalizing me. I’ve had enough of your bullshit. So what exactly are your intentions?” Raph waited. “Then get your hands off me.”

  “Stay away from Yael. I will not say this again.”

  “What are you going to do? Michael will find out and you know that. Look, I’m not your enemy here, Ram.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I want out of this ragtag assignment of following Luke’s ass around, chasing his stinking demons. You can make Michael change that.”

  “No one makes Michael do anything.”

  “Well, you might suggest it.”

  “And if I don’t?” />
  “You will, I have faith in you. Now, I suggest you get back to Yael before she steals the city blind.” Raph disappeared and left a cloud of sulfuric stench.

  Ram stood in the shadows of the tall trees where shafts of light ricocheted across his outstretched wings.

  He raised his head and released a cry to the heavens that shook his domain to the core.

  Chapter Nine

  “Patricia, thank you, I like to shop,” Yael said. “I’ve enjoyed this very much, but the expenses must be taken care of tomorrow. I won’t feel right until then.” She’d feel much better once their purchases were paid for. What they’d done wasn’t right.

  “No problem. As soon as you get money from Ram, we’ll return and pay for everything.”

  “I’d like to go now.” Intuition told Yael she should go home. She wasn’t sure, but there was the feeling she’d been watched this afternoon. The hair on the back of her neck had stood up when she tried on the beautiful, red silk camisole in the lingerie shop. Someone was there. Ram couldn’t have known where she was. He’d promised to stay out of her mind and she hadn’t tried to contact him.

  So why did she have the sinking sensation that something was wrong. It was guilt at how they got the items. Patricia’s ability to enthrall the employees worked great. They were very attentive and even helped them pick things out.

  Maybe she had spent too much. Her meager familiarity with purchases came from conversations with other exulted above. Patricia imparted a lot of information about styles and prices and she seemed to know all the best designers. She also assured Yael that Ram could afford it, but she still felt uncomfortable as her eyes darted around the store.

  She had never seen so many beautiful colors as she had today. The underwear was her favorite. Each piece she tried on, she tried to imagine how Ram would see it on her. She blushed even now as she remembered how good the silky things felt against her skin, how seductive she felt.

  Until Deborah took her above, she made her own clothes. They were simple, comfortable things that were durable, not sexy like the ones she procured today.

  Yael refused to have her hair cut but she did let the stylist give her a new look. Her hair was thick and frizzy. Untamable in the humid Florida climate. So she was given a mild relaxer. Mr. Max said it would take away the puffiness. It was softer and easier to manage. Parted on one side, it appeared longer and flowed around her shoulders with soft waves.