by Cynthia Eden
He lifted her onto the bed and spread her out on the mattress. Her legs shifted a bit, exposing more of her sex, and he felt like he’d just taken a punch to the gut.
Control.
He would have it, for her.
His mouth pressed against hers. The lightest of kisses, then . . . deeper because he had to taste more. His hands cupped her breasts and his thumbs feathered over her nipples. She’d see this time, he wasn’t like the others she’d known.
This time, it would all be for her.
He settled his hips between her legs and began to kiss a path down her neck. With every press of his mouth, with every lick of his tongue against her skin, he wanted more.
But he wouldn’t take.
The only sound was her breathing, his, coming too fast. He felt the thunder of her heartbeat beneath his hands.
When Sam took her breast into his mouth, she moaned and her hands tunneled into his hair. She pulled him closer. He let her feel the light score of his teeth on her flesh.
He sucked. He licked. He wanted.
He didn’t take.
Sam kissed his way down her stomach. She was shaking now. Whispering his name. Her power crackled in the air and brushed right over his skin.
Seline might not realize it, but she was giving, too. Giving all that powerful energy right back to him.
He spread her legs wider and stroked her sex. He slid a finger into her, stretching her lightly. Then another finger. He pushed them inside her, knuckles deep, and her hips arched off the bed.
“Sam!” Not need. Demand.
His thumb pushed against her clit, and he thrust his fingers fully inside her. Again. Again. Her hips rose up, trying to make him move faster. Harder.
“Come . . . inside . . .” she whispered, and her voice was pure temptation. “I want you.”
He wanted her. His whole body shuddered.
Sam withdrew his fingers but only so he could lock his hands around her hips and hold her exactly where he wanted her.
He tilted her hips up and put his mouth on her.
Seline’s taste . . . hot and sweet . . . more, need more . . .
She came almost instantly. A hard explosion that had her gasping and arching beneath him.
He didn’t let her pull back. He kept licking her, kissing her, and he thrust his tongue inside her body because he wanted more of that sweet taste.
Seline climaxed a second time. Energy hit him, a hard burst of euphoria that he knew came from her.
But he didn’t stop. He loved her taste too much. Loved the feel of her pleasure.
Her fingers were in his hair again. Her legs trembled around him.
His cock pushed hard against the front of his jeans. He could feel the zipper shoving against his flesh.
But he wasn’t stopping. Not yet. Not until he’d given her all the pleasure that she could handle. This time . . . for her.
Her flesh was wet and hot. His fingers slid easily into her even as he bent to press his mouth against her clit. Her body began to tense again. He knew she was close to finding her release once more.
“No!” Seline’s choked cry.
He froze, then, slowly, Sam pulled back and glanced up at her.
“With you this time.” She swiped her tongue over her lips. “With . . . you.”
He’d wanted only her pleasure.
Sam slid his hand right over the tight center of her need, and Seline came. This time, she yelled his name.
Her body was limp and so sated Seline really didn’t want to move for at least a week.
Her heartbeat slowly stopped its frantic racing. The bed squeaked as Sam pulled her close. Sam.
She turned and stared at him. The faintest rays of light were starting to spill through the blinds, but most of the room was still cloaked in darkness “You didn’t . . .”
“You’re not an addiction.” There was no mistaking the rasp of lust in his voice. “You’re . . . mine.”
She didn’t know what to say.
Then she’d realized what he’d done. Sex with a succubus. But no pleasure for him. Only her.
She blinked quickly, afraid she’d do something weak and human like cry. “Sam, I want you.”
She felt the weight of his stare. “You’re not an abomination,” he told her, and she heard the echoes of anger in his words.
Good thing it was dark. She wasn’t sure she wanted him to see her now.
“I don’t care who your parents were—or what they were,” Sam said.
She cared. “My father took too much from my mother. He drained her.” Killed her.
“Then Rogziel killed him?”
“Punishment,” she whispered, and her hand pressed over Sam’s heart.
He swore. “How long has Rogziel been playing God?”
She blinked. “Wh-what?”
He caught her hands. More light spilled through the blinds. Dawn. “You don’t know much about your demon side, do you?”
No. Not her demon side or her angel blood.
“A succubus and an incubus can only have a child with a true mate. If they could have kids with just anyone, don’t you think the world would be exploding with little incubi and succubi by now?”
Yes. It would be, but there weren’t many of her kind. “You’re saying we . . . mate?” Like wolf shifters? Like . . . forever?
“I’m saying you can only have kids with the person you choose as a life-mate. That’s forever. That’s bonding.” He exhaled. “And a mate wouldn’t take enough power to kill. Sure, an incubus could drain others, but it’s real unlikely—next to fucking impossible—that he’d drain the one woman he loved.”
Her head started to throb. An engine growled outside. “What are you telling me?”
“I’m saying that I think Rogziel fed you a load of bull. Your father didn’t kill your mother.”
She rose from the bed and dressed with hands that were too steady. They should be shaking. She should be shaking. “Then who did?” All her life, she’d thought her father had destroyed her mother.
“When we get Rogziel, we’ll find out.”
No, no, this isn’t possible. “You’re wrong. My father killed her. He lost control, and he drained—”
“Mates share power. They don’t take.”
Seline blinked. She’d shared power with Sam. Fear tightened her belly. Did that mean he was hers?
Footsteps pounded below. Sam was on his feet now and in front of her. He stared into her eyes. “Whatever happens, remember . . . I don’t care what shit Rogziel told you, you aren’t an abomination. You aren’t evil.” His gaze narrowed. “But, sweetheart, you are damn well mine.”
She was very much afraid that he might be hers.
When did this happen? When did I start to fall so hard for him? Had she been trying to bind them from the beginning?
There was so much she didn’t know. No, much she hadn’t been told because of Rogziel.
“Sam . . .”
But he stiffened and his head jerked toward the door. She saw the slight flare of his nostrils. “That’s not Keenan and his vampire.” Anger roughed his voice.
“Sam?”
He lunged forward. Seline rushed right behind him.
And from the top of the stairs, Seline saw who waited for them just inside the inn’s doorway. Waited with a grim smile curving his lips.
Az.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Hello, brother,” Az called, raising his brows. “Figured
I’d find you here.”
Sam shoved back the rage and slowly climbed down the stairs. He was too aware of Seline behind him.
“My memory grows stronger every day,” Az said, and Sam saw the hardness in his stare. “I remembered how much you liked to hide here. Hide, and hunt.”
Sam reached the foot of the stairs. Attack. His control was razor thin. “Enjoying your new life? I certainly hope you have been . . . because it will be over soon.”
Seline didn’t speak, but Sam heard the soft whi
sper of her steps as she crept down the staircase.
Az’s gaze drifted to her. “I came for you.”
The guy wanted to die. Slowly. Painfully.
Then Az lifted his hand and said to Seline, “I can offer you safety.”
Sam attacked. In an instant, he was across the room. His fist plowed into Az’s perfect face. “And I can offer you an ass-kicking.”
Az stumbled back, but he didn’t fall. His chin lifted. “You can’t kill me. I remember that part. The touch doesn’t work on angels, even Fallen.”
“That’s right . . .” Sam growled, fists ready to attack. “That’s why you had to work so hard to try and kill me a few months back.”
Az’s brows lowered.
“Oh, what? Don’t remember that part?” Another drive of his fist. Damn but it felt good when Az backed up. Weakness. “You teamed up with a coyote shifter so that he could kill me and Keenan. Guess being Fallen was too much of a sin for us.”
Az shook his head. Blood dripped from his lip. “Rogziel . . . he said . . . Fallen should burn.”
Of course. Fucking Rogziel. “And you were ready and willing to serve your own brother up to him?”
Sam didn’t see the blow coming, not until it was too late. And Az didn’t pull his punch. Sam tasted blood in his mouth, and he was pretty sure that his brother had broken his nose.
Good thing he was a fast healer.
“You’ve killed!” Az yelled, his face darkening with fury. Ah, yes, fury. Now that he’d fallen, Az would be feeling. If he wasn’t careful, those feelings could break him apart.
Sam would make sure his brother wasn’t careful. Break.
“You had your orders . . . you were only supposed to take the souls slated for Death.” Once again, Az’s gaze darted to Seline. “Do you even know how many he slaughtered?” The question was fired at her.
Sam didn’t look at Seline. “They deserved to die.”
“Who were you to judge? It was war, they were fighting. We don’t get the luxury of picking sides. We follow—”
He grabbed Az and lifted him high into the air. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see them raping the women and killing the children. You didn’t see them just wipe the blood away, as if that took the stain off their hands. Over and fucking over again . . . I had to watch.”
Az didn’t fight. “You think you’re the only one who ever saw innocents suffer? We do not punish—”
“No, twisted pricks like Rogziel are supposed to do that, right?” Screw that. “Those men deserved to die.”
“You didn’t make the deaths easy.” More censure. What else was new?
“Why should I? They made their victims suffer, so I made them suffer.” Fair enough.
Seline’s footsteps tapped across the floor.
“And after you fell, you didn’t learn to control yourself, did you?” Az was pushing, obviously determined that Seline would learn all of Sam’s sins.
His brother didn’t understand. There were too many sins for her to ever learn them all. “No, I didn’t stop. I hunted those who needed punishment, and I made sure they got it.”
Not always with death. Sometimes he’d let his prey live, but with the scars to remember him by.
“You see . . .” Az shoved against him and landed agilely on his feet. “He’s really no different from Rogziel. Power mad. Determined to deliver his brand of justice.” His gaze raked Seline. She stood just a foot away now, her body tense. “He’s using you. He saw what you can do with the hound, and he wants to—”
The building trembled around them. “Az . . .” He couldn’t use his magic to kill his brother. The powers-that-be had been real specific about the rules of engagement between angels. The death touch wouldn’t work—that only worked on humans and most Other. And no mortal weapon could kill an angel. Those weapons just weren’t strong enough.
He could kick Az’s ass easily, but Az would heal from just about anything.
Just about.
“He can’t kill me,” Az said, and Sam saw the shadow of his brother’s lost wings shift behind him. “He can’t kill Rogziel. But you . . .” He smiled at her, and the sight enraged Sam. “You can kill any angel or Fallen you want. All you have to do is summon your hound.”
The puzzle pieces clicked into place for Sam. “You knew her mother, didn’t you?” Sonofabitch. “You made the connection in New Orleans.” That was why Az had been desperate to get Seline. He’d found a weapon to use.
“She looks a lot like Erina,” Az said, cocking his head to study her. “Same cheekbones, same nose . . . same eyes.”
To hell with his brother. Sam wrapped his fingers around Az’s throat. “You’re not using her.”
“But you are?” Az asked, voice snapping. “Stop lying to her, brother. You wouldn’t have brought her along if you didn’t think you could use her. What? Did you think she’d knock out both me and Rogziel for you? Your perfect weapon—and what a nice bonus for someone who likes to sin as much as you do . . . she’s a succubus.”
Sam tossed his brother through the nearest window. Glass shattered and Az hit the ground outside with a groan. Sam’s gaze flew around the room, to her.
“Sam . . .” Seline’s quiet voice. “He’s lying, isn’t he?”
“Angels are good at twisting the truth.” He forced his stare away from her and, once again, his gaze swept the area. There was a reason he’d chosen this safe house. Pedro had a rather interesting collection of artifacts lining the walls. Weapons. Ancient, new, deadly. Because, sometimes, those seeking a safe haven needed a way to protect themselves.
Sam grabbed the spear that rested over the mantel. A wooden spear, simple in construction, one that had journeyed all the way from Africa.
But the tip of the spear, that sharp, deadly curve—far sharper than any knife could be—that wasn’t so simple. The curving tip was a finely honed dragon’s claw, a claw that had been taken from a dragon shifter right before the moment of his death.
No mortal weapon.
Seline grabbed his arm. “What are—”
“I don’t need you to kill my enemies,” he said, smiling grimly. The whole place was a perfect weapon room. Pedro had taken out more than a few “immortal” enemies over the years. “I can do the job myself.”
Then he flew through that broken window.
But Az wasn’t alone any longer. Keenan was there, facing off against his brother, as was Nicole, and despite the rising sun, she didn’t look particularly weak.
No, she looked fucking furious.
Payback will be a devil.
He lifted the spear, and they all closed in on Az.
Seline started after Sam, her heart racing. Az knew her mother. Oh, jeez, Az knew her mother.
This was Sam’ big moment. Vengeance. He’d been waiting to attack his brother, and that moment was finally at hand for him. But . . .
My mother. She couldn’t let Sam kill Az, not yet. There was too much Az could tell her.
“Sam, stop!” she screamed, and lunged forward.
She didn’t make it to the door. A man appeared before her. Tall, dark, with bright blue eyes and a face that could have been carved from stone.
She screamed and kicked out at him. But he just caught her arms and dodged her kicks.
And Sam didn’t hear her scream. He was too busy fighting Az.
“I’m sorry,” the man before her said. No, not a man. She could see the outline of his shadow wings. Fallen. No wonder he’d just appeared in front of her. Angels had that fast movement that she hated. “I don’t . . . my plan wasn’t to hurt you.”
She drove her knee into his groin. Didn’t dodge that! “Too bad because if you don’t let me go, you’ll be in a whole world of pain.”
His hold didn’t break.
Dammit! What kind of Fallen was she dealing with? Please, not an Angel of Death. She had too many of those to deal with already.
“The pain will only be for a moment.”
Forget that. She let her power
out. It swelled, wrapping around them. She’d make him beg, tremble—
He shook his head sadly. “That doesn’t work on me, succubus.”
And now she was scared. “Sam!”
He clamped his hand over her mouth. “You won’t die.” Sadness flickered in his eyes. “Though he will.”
Then he started to chant. Words in Latin that she’d heard before. “No!”
Smoke swirled around them.
When the world stopped spinning, Seline found herself on another deserted road. In the middle of freaking nowhere.
The get-the-fuck-away spell. “Sam!”
But he wasn’t there, and neither was the Fallen who’d just dumped her in the middle of Mexico.
Sam had the spear at his brother’s throat. “Any last words?”
Blood trickled down Az’s neck.
Sam could see the struggle in his brother’s eyes. Rage. Fear.
Regret?
“How does it feel?” Keenan pressed. He stood beside them. “Because you are feeling now, aren’t you, Az?”
Before Az could answer, Nicole stiffened. “Seline.” She glanced back. Stared at the quiet house. “I thought . . . she screamed.”
When Sam looked over his shoulder, Az broke free and leapt away.
No, Az wouldn’t escape this time. “Check the house,” he told Nicole, never taking his eyes off Az.
“No need.” The rumbling voice came from the left.
Tomas walked from the brush, his steps slow and his face grim. “Your Seline isn’t inside.”
Az wasn’t moving. Nicole and Keenan were eyeing Tomas with suspicion, and Sam—his guts were twisting. “How the fuck do you know that?”
“Because I’m the one who took her.” A shrug. “You shouldn’t have trusted Mateo, you know. Once he saw your death, he figured it was time to align with someone stronger.”
“You?” From the corner of his eye, Sam saw Nicole run into the house. Checking to see if Seline was still there. No need for that. Angels, even Fallen, couldn’t directly lie.
“No.” Tomas’s lips twisted. “I’m just the errand boy. Guess it was my turn to play messenger.”
