Angel's Ink

by Jocelynn Drake

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, peering deep into her wide green eyes.

  “But if the warlocks come for you because of me . . .”

  “They won’t,” I countered firmly as her voice drifted off. “If they haven’t come by now, they aren’t going to come. If the guardians are going to strike, they’ll strike the second they sense anything going on that shouldn’t be. I can tell you for a fact that they keep me under tight surveillance. Trust me, they know what I’ve been up to tonight.”

  “What if they’re waiting for you to be alone?” Bronx said, drawing my attention back to his pool of calm. Despite the touchy topic we had been discussing for the past several minutes, his expression had never changed. Though I could now see some concern in his eyes that he hadn’t been allowing to surface before.

  “As much as I respect your strength, it’s not enough to stop a guardian if they feel the need to strike,” I said with a half smile. “They don’t care if I’m alone or not. Hell, they prefer an audience. It helps to keep the rabble in line.”

  “Then why have we been left alone?” he asked.

  “Someone is holding them back,” I replied, letting my eyes fall shut. I slumped back opposite Trixie, against the counter that ran the length of the wall. I had little doubt that Simon was holding back the horde of guardians currently itching to take my head off. The struggle between Simon and me was personal, and he wanted to take care of it himself if he was going to regain any face among his peers. He needed to be the one to eliminate me or someone was going to take the opportunity to eliminate him in the name of pruning the weak growth.

  “Do you know who?” Bronx asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “Yes, he’s hoping to kill me personally.”

  Trixie gasped, covering her mouth with both hands to stop whatever words had been about to rush forth.

  “And I don’t regret anything I’ve done tonight,” I added, trying to alleviate any guilt she might be feeling. My problems with the warlocks had nothing to do with the elf, and in truth, I had a feeling that my ability to stay quiet and hidden wasn’t going to last my entire life. I had used magic before I was collected by the warlocks and I knew that I would keep using magic until they finally killed me. It was too much a part of who I was, running in my veins with my blood.

  “What’s the next step, boss?” Bronx asked, bringing a smile to my lips. Only a true friend would continue to stand next to me when I was talking about facing down the Ivory Towers. They ruled this world and crushed anyone who dared to speak out against them. Only a friend or a madman would continue to associate with me.

  “Sleep.” My eyes fell shut for a second as I sighed. “It’s been a long day.”

  “Want me to close up?” Bronx offered.

  “No, keep your normal hours. I don’t expect you to have any trouble.” I turned my attention to Trixie, who was watching me with fear filling her wonderful eyes. “Are you ready to call it a night? I have to set the protective spells for the upstairs apartment before I leave for my own apartment.”

  Trixie nodded once before walking to the back room and the door that led to the back stairs. As I walked past Bronx, I clapped the troll on the shoulder once and smiled. I couldn’t have been luckier in the friends I had surrounding me. I just wondered whether they would remain so close if they found out what kind of mess I’d made for Tera. If I couldn’t find a way to forgive myself, how could they?

  Chapter 18

  Trixie was kind enough to wait until I shut the apartment door behind us before she let loose with her real thoughts on the situation. Bronx didn’t need to know that I was getting myself entangled in more than I already had on my plate.

  “Are you fucking insane?” she shouted as I checked the one window in the living room.

  I continued to move through the apartment, making sure that all the windows were still locked, as well as checking that no spells had been cast about the apartment that weren’t my own. If the elves were smart enough to figure out where Trixie worked, then there was a good chance they also suspected where she might be hiding after she escaped from her own apartment.

  “I’ve begun to wonder that myself,” I said lightly as I moved into the bedroom. Sanity was beginning to appear highly overrated. I was managing quite well without it.

  Trixie followed close on my heels, her footsteps heavy in her frustration. “This isn’t a joke, Gage. You can’t cast any of the protective spells you were planning. You’re just throwing more fuel on the fire.”

  I couldn’t stop the snort that escaped me. “It’s a little too late to stop now. Simon is going to come after me sooner or later, regardless of whether I set these spells. I would like to get some sleep tonight rather than spend it staring at the ceiling and wondering if you’ve been found by those damn elves.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Trixie said, blocking my exit from the bedroom by standing in the doorway, her hands braced against either side of the doorjamb.

  “No offense, Trix, but so far your way of taking care of yourself is to run every time they get too close. And I’m not ready to let you run out of my life. I don’t think Bronx is either.”

  “I’ve stood and fought them!” she cried, hitting my shoulder with the heel of her right hand.

  “And then what?”

  She fell silent, her eyes drifting away from my face to stare down at my chest as her initial bravado deflated before my eyes.

  “You ran,” I filled in when she refused to speak.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “I do. There are too many of them and they’re too strong for just one person to fight. You did the smart thing. You ran, staying alive and free. If I’d been you, I would have done the same thing.”

  Trixie shook her head, refusing to look up at me. “No, you wouldn’t have. You would have stood your ground and fought. Gage, you would have died fighting rather than spend a very long lifetime running and hiding.”

  “I honestly don’t know if that’s true. But if it is, then I’m glad you’re smarter than me.” I reached out and ran the fingertips of my right hand along her cheek, getting her to raise her teary eyes to my face. “Running brought you to Asylum and into my life. You’ve made both Bronx and me extremely happy over the past couple of years and I’m not ready for that to end. If it means that you need to make a stand with me at your side using magic to protect you, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “And what if I’d rather protect you both by disappearing again?”

  “I’d have to say that it’s not an option. You’re stuck here.”

  Trixie’s left hand slid down from where she was holding the side of the doorjamb. She raised one hand and placed it on my chest, over my racing heart. “This warlock is hunting for your head because of me.”

  “Nah. Simon has had it out for me since I left his tutelage. We nearly killed each other when we parted ways, and he’s looking for a chance to finish what was started.”

  “It’s more than that. You’ve caught the attention of the Summer Court. While you’re attempting to dodge and defeat this Simon, the Summer Court is going to be hunting for you as well because you’re blocking their attempts to apprehend me. I couldn’t live if you were killed.”

  Slipping my hand behind her head, I pulled her against my chest while I wrapped my other arm around her waist. Trixie wrapped her arms around my neck, laying her head on my shoulder. “I’m not going to be killed by Simon or the guards from the Summer Court. Trust me, right now I’ve got bigger problems than either of those two represent.”

  Trixie jerked backward so that she could look me in the face. “What are you talking about? Is there something going on with Tera’s tattoo that you haven’t told us about?”

  “Yes, but I don’t want you to worry about it. It will all be cleared up soon and then we can concentrate on getting the Summer Court permanently off your back.”

  “Gage . . .” she softly
murmured as a tear slipped from her eye.

  I leaned in and kissed her, silencing any more of her protests. I had heard enough and I wasn’t going to change my mind. It had been an extremely long day and my defenses were crumbling. Logic said to release her, but I didn’t give a fuck about what logic was demanding. Trixie and I might have no future together, but she didn’t have a future with the king of the Summer Court either. I would content myself with stolen kisses and long looks from across the tattoo parlor. I just needed to touch her now, reassure myself that she was safely hidden while in my arms.

  Tightening my hand on the back of her head as my fingers threaded through her soft hair, I deepened the kiss until I thought I could drown in the taste of her. A soft moan whispered from her throat as she pressed closer to me, putting her firm body against my entire length. Her legs straddled one of mine, tightening her grip while she moaned again, grinding her body against mine. I swept my tongue through her mouth as I wrapped my arms around her more firmly. One hand slid down and cupped her rear end, hitching her up slightly higher so that I could feel her pressed against my erection. Fire burned through my veins, turning all thought to ash. I wanted her, wanted her more than my next breath. Her breasts were smashed against my chest. I leaned back just enough to get one hand between us so that I could fill my hand with that soft mound. She squirmed against me, rubbing along my leg. Her tongue thrust into my mouth and I could taste a new urgency in her. Her taste, touch, and smell had become my whole world. She was everywhere, flooding my senses.

  “The bed,” she said against my mouth as she briefly broke off the kiss. “Move to the bed.”

  I had been trying to forget about the bed, just a few feet away, right behind me, so her mention of it only made me harder. My hands reflexively tightened their grip on her as I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. I tried to clear my thoughts against the kisses she was trailing down my exposed neck. I had to think clearly. I had to loosen my fingers from where they were digging into her flesh, but I couldn’t move my hands. I had to think, to remember where I was and why I had come up to the apartment in the first place. I was there to protect her, not complicate her life and mine.

  “We can’t.” Ripping those two words from me was like cutting off a limb. I’d rather remove my own right hand than release her, but I had to. Taking Trixie to bed wouldn’t be some simple matter for me. It was more than just being attracted to her. Beautiful women had come and gone in my life, but Trixie was a hundred times more. I craved her laughter and her sweet voice. I needed her gentleness and her compassion and her fierce loyalty. I didn’t know if this was just sex for her, but it never would be for me. Once we crossed this line, there was no going back and I didn’t want to think about watching her walk away.

  “Yes, we can.”

  “You’ve been through so much today. I won’t take advantage of you.”

  I opened my eyes and looked down at her when her lips finally left my body. She was staring at me, her focus clear. “I’m a big girl, Gage. I know what I’m doing.”

  My eyes fell shut again because I had conned myself into believing that I could think clearly if I wasn’t looking at her. It didn’t work. Dragging in a deep breath only pulled her scent deeper into my lungs. When I opened my eyes, she had removed the glamour spell that constantly cloaked her so that I was looking into her wide green eyes, her face framed by her soft blond hair.

  Trixie smiled at me. “Did you honestly think this wasn’t going to happen eventually? We’ve been flirting with each other for nearly two years.”

  “I’m your boss.”

  Rubbing her hands up my back, Trixie leaned close, grazing her lips across my neck as she spoke. “I’ll try not to hold it against you. Now move.”

  Laying both of my hands flat against her back, I held her tight for a second, not moving, savoring the feel of her. “Trixie . . . I can’t do this if it’s just . . . I need more than . . .” My rough voice drifted off as I struggled to find the right words. I knew the timing was bad. Her life was a mess and mine was a national disaster, but I couldn’t stop myself from grasping this one perfect moment even if I was forcing her to slip through my fingers.

  Trixie stopped kissing me to meet my gaze, tears glistening in her eyes, looking so much like ivy leaves after a summer rain. Taking my right hand, she placed it on her chest so that I could feel her frantically pounding heart under my fingertips. “I give you the beat of my heart, the breath in my lungs, and the joy in my soul. You are mine and I am yours.”

  Leaning back down, I kissed her gently, memorizing the feel of her mouth. As I slowly stepped backward, she slipped her soft hands under my T-shirt and pushed it up so that I was forced to release her and raise my arms over my head. She removed the shirt in one quick move and tossed it across the room before lowering her hands to my bare chest. Her fingers danced over the outline of muscles down to my ribs and across my stomach while I ravaged her mouth in another soul-searing kiss. It only lasted a couple of seconds before she broke it off and pushed me backward. I flopped onto the mattress and remained lying there as I watched her remove her shirt and lacy black bra. I stared at her exquisite pale skin and firm breasts with their perfect pink nipples, already starting to harden under my gaze.

  With a smile, she bent over and peeled off her skintight jeans and slipped out of her shoes. She started to crawl onto the bed, but as she hovered over me, I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her onto her back. I swallowed her giggle as I kissed her again, covering her mouth with mine. Leaning on my side, my right hand danced over her skin, cupping her full breast while gently pinching the nipple between two fingers. She moaned and squirmed beside me, her hands dancing down my chest to the waistband of my jeans where I left her to struggle with the button and zipper as I moved my mouth to her breast.

  “You have to stop, Gage,” she said in a soft, breathless voice.

  I chuckled as I lifted my head an inch from where I was lying against her chest. “I don’t think I’m ever going to stop doing this.” My hot breath skimmed across her wet skin.

  “I can’t get your pants off if you keep doing this,” she complained. Her body jerked as I ran my tongue over her nipple again while my hand slid down to her hip. I was shifting to her other breast when she shoved me onto my back and sat up in bed. She attacked my pants with both hands, earning another laugh from me.

  “All right, you win,” I said, batting her hands away. I easily kicked off my shoes, as my feet were still hanging over the edge of the bed, and then slid both my jeans and boxers off in a single move, carefully tucking my wand in with the pile of clothes. I started to lie back down but Trixie caught me.

  “Socks too!”

  I glanced questioningly over my shoulder as I reached down to strip off my socks.

  “I want you completely naked. I won’t have sex with a man who is still wearing his socks.”

  With my socks joining the rest of my clothes on the floor, I lay on the bed again. Trixie leaned over me, her golden hair flowing around her face like sunlight. Fear had left her beautiful green eyes and she looked down at me with laughter in them. Placing my left hand behind her head, I pulled her down, kissing her slowly. I savored the feel of her lips and the sweet taste of her mouth. I didn’t know what tomorrow was going to bring or if I would ever have another chance to kiss her, but I was going to enjoy every moment I could with her while I had her in my hands.

  Trixie broke off and started to trail kisses down my chest and across my stomach. My eyes drifted shut and my hand fell from the back of her head as I soaked in her gentle touch. She paused, her hot breath dancing across the head of my cock. I sucked in a deep breath at the feel and opened my eyes in time to see her run her tongue across it. Sensations tightened in my body and I released the breath I had been holding with a hiss through my clenched teeth. Her mouth was so warm and wet, scattering all my thoughts to the wind. My hips reflexively lifted, pushing myself farther into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the sensitive fle
sh, driving me insane.

  Reaching out, my hands briefly squeezed her breasts before moving down her body. As I reached the soft mound of golden curls, my finger slid between the two folds of flesh. She moaned deeply, her fingers curling so that her nails scratched red lines along my skin. As I slid one finger into her slick interior, she moved her mouth off me and pressed her forehead into my stomach.

  “Gage,” she whispered, moving her body so that she could take me deeper. I simply smiled, closing my eyes as I relished the feel of her warmth and tightness. She let me stroke her for a minute, wringing a long moan from her, before she suddenly moved out of my reach. I opened my eyes to find her straddling me. I stared at her beautiful body in awe, loving the sight of her above me, loving the feel of her hand wrapped around my cock.

  I don’t know whether it was lucky or not, but suddenly my brain started to work as she placed the head just inside her. I roughly grabbed her hips, stopping her sweet descent. My arms trembled and every muscle in my body was clenched to keep from releasing her.

  “Wait!” I cried sharply. “I don’t have any kind of protection.”

  Trixie smiled broadly at me, arching one eyebrow. “I’m assuming that you’re concerned about pregnancy.”

  “Yes,” I hissed, my body still straining for some little bit of self-control. I was dying to just release her and allow her to drop over me, but I was afraid that once we started there would be no more thoughts about the consequences. “Considering all our concerns at the moment, I don’t think we need to worry about a child too,” I continued in a strained voice.

  Her somewhat mocking smile softened and she leaned forward, pressing her lips sweetly against mine. “I promise to mix up something tomorrow morning that will protect me against tonight.”