Her hands trailed low, dipping into the pink groves of his scars and sliding between his legs. He shuddered and closed his eyes, rocking backwards, as he groaned, she hoped with pleasure. A family, her family...Adley Scott was hers. She wrapped her palm around him, feeling his life pulse in her hand.
He felt so good, his length grew, the skin there stretched so tight, turning hot as she stroked his length again and again, needing to learn what he felt like. “Eve,” he whispered. “Stop, or I'm going to....”
She slowed her hand, but didn't stop. She didn't think she could. Just the feel of him against her sent her into overdrive. He stroked her thighs, gently slipping his hands between them, encouraging her to spread them with a twist of his hand and an eager look she couldn’t deny. Her body burned under his touch as he guided his hand to places she never touched. His fingers dipped inside her, in slow languid thrusts until she shuddered, her body jerking with a mind of its own. She had wanted this for so long and her body was so sensitive. The undercurrent inside her sparked and burned. He lay at her back and gently coaxed her onto her side.
“I think it's best.” His voice became a growl. “For the baby.”
Adley cradled her against his body and slid his hand along her thigh. He lifted, placing her leg on top of his. He broke the kiss to whisper against her mouth. “You can stop anytime you want, okay?”
Eve licked her lips and nodded. She could feel him against her. His length probed at her opening, stroking her buttocks. She craned her head back and twisted, arching her body so she could kiss him. His kiss was desperate, his tongue searching her mouth, his length pushing against her opening.
She vaguely remembered nodding, but she was sure it was more of an urging and felt him push inside her. The gentle rocking of his hips lulled her into a delirium, one that she felt sure would push her into oblivion. The feel of him both overwhelmed her and crazed her and she ground her body harder against him, meeting his rise with a mind-shattering stop. She wanted more and each time he rose she pushed against him, their bodies thumping together in a delicious sweet sound. She felt his hand on her hips and slid down the front of her. His fingers delved between her thighs, picking up speed to match his hard thrusts. She bit her lip as a cry escaped. The energy under his fingers was shorting out, sending sparks as he rubbed harder, faster. Lightning ripped through her body and she reached for him, grasping hold of anything she could to stop from coming apart.
“I… love you.” The admission seemed torn from him.
Adley cried out, holding onto her to stop her from falling. He bucked, lifting his body and hers from the bed as she felt him spill deep inside her. Her heart raced, her breath flew from her lungs and she felt… wonderful. He held her tight against him, the part of his body still inside her growing soft and she smiled. It was one of those big, teeth showing smiles, those ones where you couldn’t have hid it even if you tried…
“I love you,” Eve murmured.
“Say it again.”
“Adley Scott. I love you.”
Chapter 31
Rashda
THE MASTER AND the Mistress were at war—with each other. Their anger with one another had been steadily increasing since the Family saved the messenger on the plane. Cruel words and torment built into a deafening crescendo until it peaked. They reached through the veil, calling to her with ferocious claws and hungry eyes. Rashda could not help them. Their battle, as always, was their own.
Rashda gripped the mountain wall, hovering, one foot in this world and the other in theirs. She felt every lash of pain. At first she tried to shield herself, but her strength was no match for their power. She did the only thing she could do. She opened herself up to the pain, the hurt, and the anger.
Her soul was ripped and torn. Her only solace was the cold stone surrounding her. In this moment, the Balance was precarious, hinging on a word, a look, a lie, while on Earth, vampires moved one step closer to reigning. The birth of the prophecy was upon them all. No one could feel this impending moment more than she.
Rashda knew what was coming. She had seen the future in the eyes of the murderous half-breed vampire, Edric Hasting. The desire, the greed, filled him and she knew without a doubt, he was not working alone. Whoever controlled him was powerful. They would stop at nothing until they had the newborn angel in chains. Once he held the babe captive, they would bend him until he broke, and this world would become a haven for the undead.
Failure weighed heavily on her soul. She had tried her best to reach out to the detective… her best had not been good enough. They were still alive, but for how much longer she didn't know. She was afraid for them, for the visions of what lay ahead spread like a disease—a sickness of the heart.
Prayer was all she could give them now. While the Master and the Mistress waged a war no one would win, she whispered to the walls. Her words of old were given to the mountain. Protection, guidance, and incantations flew from her mouth in one breath, while the fate of the killer was spat with poison in the next. When her prayers were done and there was no more she could do, Rashda gripped the rock and climbed to her feet.
Step after step she took, slowly at first, until anger forced her on. Rashda had not been given the blessing to know birth, to hold her own in her own hands. She had been born empty and confined. But even though her body failed, her sprit was born a protector. In human terms, she had been given a key but no car to drive. The key was powerful, the key was deadly, but without the body and the motor she had nowhere to go. Damn you! Damn you all to hell…. She moved like the current in this vicious ocean, tearing at the walls and screaming her agony.
If I could only make them see! If not the humans, then she would implore the Master and the Mistress—she had to do something! She closed her eyes and left her body, making her way to higher ground. Unlike before, this time the veil parted easily, allowing her to slip by. Rashda was greeted by a blood-red sky. The moon bled, the sun appeared gouged and ravaged. She had never seen such destruction of pure beauty in all her existence. They had hurt each other, one no more damaged than the other. She was suddenly saddened by the sight.
“My Master. My Mistress.”
“Rise seer, make your offering,” the Mistress snarled.
With trembling voice she spoke. She made an offering that felt weak and worthless, given the bloody view before her. They waited for her to finish. Their response—“And in return?”—felt heavy upon her soul… or the weight she felt in her breast could have been her remorse.
“This has to end. There has to be something we can do?” The words tumbled from her lips. But when they spoke, they didn’t favor her, they spoke only to each other.
“What is done, is done. And what will be done is out of our control, as it is yours. Vampires have planned this from the birth of their existence. They can no more change their ways than you or I,” the Master spat, throwing his hands in the air.
There was something about the display, something that didn’t sit right with her. The Master snarled and lashed at the moon with the energy of the sun. His actions felt too… forced. Backwards and forwards, they argued and with each word they hurled, their anger grew. Their callous words were not befitting their positions. Her Master and her Mistress waged a war neither would win and one no mortal could survive. “Please.” Her plea fell upon deaf ears. While they argued, her spirit shook. She clenched her fists and her tone crackled like lightening across the sky. “We have nothing left! We have been fighting a war we never started... fighting your war. We cannot keep doing this. Please, I beg of you, stop!”
If her soul could have cried in Heaven, it would have. Her pain was no less real here than it was inside the confines of her body. She was so tired of being here. So lost, torn away from everything which kept her whole—for this?
“Why would we stop?” demanded the Master, turning toward her.
The heat of his direct gaze burned, but she held herself steady. “We cannot fight a war that is already won, Master.”
“B
ut your fight has only just started has it not?” he bellowed, and when he turned in her direction, Rashda’s soul felt scorched.
“Their numbers grow every day within the human world. We cannot hope to fight every single vampire on this planet. We are weak and exhausted. Let us go and find some peace before the end, please I beg of you!”
“And let vampires inherit the Earth?” He raged, and then stopped cold, his voice reduced to a whisper. “No….”
“Master?” The Mistress of Shadows moved towards him. Her voice wavered. “What is it? What is wrong?”
“I... I....” He stuttered. His panicked gaze swept towards her and his screams filled the Heavens. “The prophecy… he’s here. They have to find him. They… must… stop….”
Rashda froze, was unable to move, until she felt the Heavens shudder around her, and then she was moving, racing towards him.
“Get back!” He screamed, and dropped to his knees. “Get back, both of you.”
The Master shook, at first he trembled and then fell to his knees. The air around her hummed like a live wire, sparking flashes of lightening ripped through the air. Rashda’s spirit froze, unable to physically do anything. She wanted to help him, but her spirit was grounded, stuck in this in-between world and there was nothing she could do to help him. A sound escaped her, a cry which drew his gaze. His blazing eyes had burned only a heartbeat ago, but now were bloody, blackened, and raw. His skin cracked and blistered, blood ran in rivulets like veins on his skin. And from his shuddering, yielding form he reached out—needing her. A blast of energy flayed from him like a whip and Rashda was knocked back. She screamed as she fell. The pain was savage, tearing through her spirit like a rabid dog. Still she held on to the celestial world around her.
“Rashda!” He screamed while a flare ripped through the Heaven towards her. “He… he has come!”
Stars exploded behind him. The bright flashes of light lit up the sky like fireworks, leaving her dazed. And for the first time Rashda could see the Heavens burn like an infernal rain from Hell. Clouds caught alight and burned red like brushfires, and then they too burned out and emptied the sky.
The Master of Light screamed. The sonic blast was deafening.
Then he turned as black as a moonless night.
Chapter 32
Adley
ADLEY WATCHED EVE as she wandered around the house, peering into cupboards and rooms that didn’t belong to them, but which they’d made theirs all the same. Her oversized shirt blew around her, lifting to expose more of her thigh each time she reached to open a cupboard, searching the house. She was devastatingly beautiful and she was more than he deserved. He still couldn’t believe they’d made love only minutes before. Eve seemed like a dream, a beautiful, perfect dream.
Behind her swollen stomach, she was slim and perfect, but she was strong, stronger than he gave her credit for. He smiled to himself. She was someone he could love for the rest of his days. Her beautiful brown eyes darted here and there, shy and inquisitive at the same time. His heart raced, just from looking at her.
His body still buzzed after their lovemaking. In a way, he was as inexperienced with love as her. Sex was one thing, hot and meaningless. Like a wildfire, one minute you were insatiable, then on fire, and in the next minute you burned out. But this… what he felt now, well this was something altogether different. She is so young, so pure and I’m hardened, beaten….He pushed the doubts aside. But they clung, determined to ruin his happiness.
This moment was all he asked for. For the horror of their world was far too close, waiting just around the corner, ready to take it all away in a second’s notice. He turned his focus back to Eve. “Well, I guess I’d better get you some breakfast.”
She peeked at him over her shoulder, giving him one of those shy smiles that made him feel alive. God, she’s breathtaking. He wanted to move, he knew he needed to move, but he was captivated. He wanted to remember her like this. This perfect image, with her covered in his clothes. This was the image he would carry with him when he died protecting her.
A lump formed at the back of his throat. He came back to the moment with her staring at him, frowning. “Are you okay?”
He nodded, moving to her side. He touched her, moving from her stomach to cup her breast. “I’m more than okay.”
“Well you better hurry with that breakfast. I'm eating for two you know, and your son eats a lot.”
He smiled. My son. He’d never imagined he’d ever hear those words. He’d never imagined he’d find someone like her.
“Well, I’m really hungry, so I’ll have two hash browns and can you get me—”
She stopped speaking and froze. The color drained from her face as she stared toward the front of the house. He was moving before he thought about moving. Reaching for his gun on the bedside table, he threw himself toward the doorway in front of her. He quickly searched the house, moving from one window to the next, before he turned back. Only her eyes moved, they were wide, filled with fear and her gaze held onto his. “Eve, what is it?”
Her breaths were shallow and in a fragile voice she whispered. “I... think my waters just broke....”
He looked down to the trickle of bloody liquid snaking its way down her leg to splatter around her feet. A sound rumbled from her throat, deep, painful. Adley ran for her and pulled her into his arms. Her thin body tensed, her muscles quaked, and under his hand he felt her bear down.
“We need to get you to a hospital.”
“No!” she cried. “No hospital. He’ll find us, he’ll be waiting….”
She was right. Edric would be waiting, scanning the hospitals, the doctors. They had nowhere to go. Jesus… the baby…. Eve bent forward and groaned deep. He felt powerless. His feeble attempt to help was limited to carrying her to the bed.
Minutes passed like hours, and then hours felt like days, as Eve groaned and rocked. He felt so helpless while she groaned in one second and whimpered in another. But she fought. And when each wave of pain passed, another was quick to take its place.
He dragged a chair to the side of the bed, but he couldn’t sit or stand, he couldn’t do anything but stare at the woman he loved in her agony. He passed the time bent over her, dripping water into her mouth and smoothing back her sweaty hair while the shadows crawled across the wall. Eve fought through the contractions. She thrashed and kicked, bearing down with each peak as her contractions lengthened until there was only the beginning of one and no end. He grabbed what he could, stripping the bed of the blanket, knowing this was the moment the baby would be born, Adley prayed with all he had the child and Eve would be alright. He glanced at her, her eyes were wide. Her lower lip trembled. She looked so frightened.
“It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.”
His words were for her benefit, because he felt fucking helpless.
“Adley...” She sobbed and his panic spiked. He threw the sheets beside her and moved to the end of the bed. Her legs were splayed wide, the fabric of her panties wet and dark, sticking to her body. He had to get them off. He swallowed hard, pushed her shirt up over her belly and carefully pulled the ruined garment down her legs. Eve splayed her thighs wide, her cries turning guttural and focused. She pushed, straining with the force of the contraction.
He held her hand until she relaxed. “You gotta let me go baby, but I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
He’d watched the training videos of women giving birth, but until now, he’d never seen the real thing. Her legs were stretched wide and he could feel the blood drain from his face at the sight of the flesh bowing out, stretching and thinning in the most tender of places.
“You’re doing so good, Eve. Your baby’s almost here, a little longer and it’s all done.”
A dark patch of hair and the tiny mound of a head pushed through. The first sight of his child made Adley’s heart pound. He hadn’t conceived him with Eve. He knew by blood this child belonged to another man. But from h
is fist touch of the baby’s wet hair he was Adley’s child. Adley had bled for them. He’d fought for them. And if needed, he’d die for them. He glanced up at Eve. Her beautiful face contorted with pain and he knew he loved her with a blinding clarity that could only have been fate. He’d never find this again, not in this lifetime.
Eve's grunt quickly turned into a howl. She pushed. A tiny trickle of blood slipped through, sliding down the white flesh to soak into the white sheets. “Adley… I think I've wet myself.”
The trail of blood thickened, soaking through the bedding, spreading out towards him. She was losing at lot of blood. He didn’t think hemorrhaging was normal.
“It's okay Eve. I'll take care of you,” he whispered knowing his words were a lie. How in the world can I save her from this? He gathered the sheet and held it to her body, trying his best to stem the flow. He caught the baby's head as it slipped through, and held his son carefully while her blood trickled over his hands. Eve panted. He glanced up and his breath caught. Her skin was not as bright now. Dark circles surrounded her eyes and her bloodless lips were no more than an ashen line. Adley knew then he was going to lose her.
“The baby,” she whispered.
“You’re almost done Eve. One more push… one more push and it’s done.”
She bore down, grunting like an animal. Adley held his child carefully as the rest of his tiny body slipped free. Eve collapsed on the bed. He doubted she could speak and she could barely breathe. He stared at the tiny bundle he held in his hands. The baby made no sound, or he could’ve been screaming for all Adley knew. He couldn’t hear a thing.
She hadn’t even lifted her head to stare at the child she’d wanted for so long. “Eve?”
He moved around to the side of the bed and touched her arm that lay limply by her side. Her skin was cold and her hand was sticky with her own blood. A cold, hard hammer beat against his chest and words were mixed with denial. “No. No…No… Please God, no! Eve… Eve!”
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