Night Hawk Trilogy (Night Hawk Series)

by J. E. Taylor

  Her mouth tasted like caramel and she wrapped her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss. Her tongue danced slowly with mine, turning off logical thought, the animal in me reared up, carnal and wanting and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer.

  A distant buzz cut through my lust and I pulled away from her sweet lips, meeting her gaze before transitioning my attention to the phone on the table. It could be Ted and I sighed, pushing her aside and picked up the phone.

  Any heat she’d created turned to an icy fury at the caller ID and every muscle tensed into hard knots. I inhaled, closing my eyes before bringing the phone to my ear.

  His malignant chuckle drifted over the line.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I growled into the phone through clenched teeth. I opened my eyes meeting Naomi’s gaze.

  “I want your wife and your unborn child.”

  “Not on your life.”

  “My plans have changed a bit since you seemed to have already created the first pure trinity. I’ll gladly trade your daughter’s soul for your wife’s. I can’t think of anything more perfect than deflowering a virgin trinity. If you deliver Naomi to me, I’ll let you live to watch your daughter grow and become my concubine,” he purred, pushing dangerous buttons.

  “You must be pretty bad off to think I’d entertain the idea of a negotiation. Why don’t we make a deal, you leave us the fuck alone and I won’t kill you,” I said and Naomi shivered in my arms. Before he could interject some more horrifying images, I continued, “Did you know when an angel dies, they get locked in heaven? I wonder what happens when the devil dies?”

  Naomi’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

  In the back of my mind, I wondered why the hell I was poking a sleeping dragon, but for the first time, I seemed to be in control of the conversation and it gave me the audacity to taunt him.

  “I am going to enjoy watching you die,” Lucifer growled, pulling a smile from within my anger.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. At least three times, but it doesn’t seem to stick, now does it?” I asked and winked at Naomi, enjoying this more than I should.

  A roar came over the line. “I’ll kill you both, you little shit!”

  “You will never get the chance.”

  “I will hunt you down and rip your heart out,” he growled.

  “You’re such a sadistic bastard, you know that?” I laughed realizing somewhere along the way the tides had turned in my favor.

  “You think you can hide in Greece?” he asked, his voice barely steady.

  “It’s a big world, my friend, and who knows, maybe I’ll organize me a demonic hunting party. I really like killing those bastards and I’m sure sooner or later the path of dead assholes will lead me to you.”

  “Damian,” Naomi whispered and I met her panicked gaze. I smiled and palmed her cheek.

  “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to make love to my wife,” I said and cut the call, tossing the phone onto the table.

  “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  I raised my eyebrow at her outburst. “What?”

  “Do you really think pissing off Lucifer is a smart idea?”

  “You know what? I’ve been walking on eggshells for twenty-five hundred years trying not to piss off the legion of angels, and what has it gotten me? I’m done. I’m not taking shit from any of them ever again.” I stood, pulling her to her feet and shutting off her argument with my lips.

  Fired up was an understatement, and I focused all the built up frustration on her. I swept her up into my arms and turned off the lights, carrying her to our bedroom.

  Chapter Six - Naomi

  The icy fire in his eyes along with the determined set of his jaw jumpstarted my heart, spreading a flush over my skin and I shivered with anticipation. Even with the shitty day we’ve had and the insane call from Lucifer, one hungry gaze from Damian still sent me into the land of lust.

  When he laid me out on the bed, I stared at him, taking in his hard form from head to toe as he stripped. Without clothing, the man screamed perfection and I caught the twinkle in his eyes as he crawled toward me.

  Damian licked his lips and pushed my shirt up, finding my skin with his hot tongue. The magic in his fingertips sent me into orbit and he started unbuttoning my pants and then stripped away every stitch of fabric. A side of him I had never seen came out tonight.

  Rough, demanding, in control and hotter than hell.

  The things he did to me were far from the gentle, thoughtful lover I spent the last five years with. I think he even growled at one point, nipping and stroking with such abandon that I got lost between the pleasure and pain.

  He claimed my body and soul with a vengeance that left me breathless, filling me with a need so palatable that our room filled with steam.

  I don’t know how long we went at it, but when it was over, we lay side by side staring at the ceiling, both of us panting for breath. I turned my head and met his satiated gaze. He gave me that one dimple smile that warmed my form and I sent one back, still unable to speak.

  My body felt supple and exhausted, exhilarated and thrilled all at the same time. My muscles trembled from exertion and I closed my eyes.

  “Damn, boy,” I finally said on a breathless sigh.

  He chuckled and rolled on his side, pulling me into him.

  “I love you, Naomi,” he whispered in my ear with a voice as ragged as my own.

  “I love you, too,” I said and turned so I could accept a kiss. As tired as I was, I couldn’t fall asleep, even when his breathing slowed into that soft cadence of sleep.

  Being human had changed Damian in more ways than I think he knew. He still had a kind heart, but he now had command over his emotions, they no longer broadcast in his every expression. Most notably, the haunted look that had been in his eyes since I first met him was no longer there.

  We’ve always had an active sex life, sometimes it got wild, and when we were both vampires, it included sinking our teeth in each other’s throat at the moment of orgasm. But even those wild nights paled in comparison to this.

  Not once in our courtship had he ravaged me like he did tonight.

  I shifted in his arms and his breathing hitched and then smoothed out. Gently, I moved his hand and rolled out of bed as a different need struck. I made my way into the bathroom, did my business and stopped at the sink. My hair looked like a birds nest and I took time to brush it before heading back to bed.

  On my way through the bedroom, something in the dark caught my attention and I crossed to the window, squinting into the darkness. A small spark erupted at the closest point of the fence and I gasped at the face illuminated by a lighter. My arms crossed over my bare breasts and Lucifer took a long drag and blew a stream of smoke into the air, sending the most disturbing smile my way before the flame extinguished, leaving only the glow of the cigarette in the darkness.

  I stepped farther into the shadows and swallowed the vile taste of fear.

  Damian sat up in bed, staring at me, and our eyes locked. The smile on his face froze my heart in place. It was the same one Lucifer wore just before the lighter went out.

  “What’s wrong, baby, you don’t like dancing with the devil?” he asked in a way that left me frigid. It was Damian’s voice, but it was not my husband.

  * * * *

  A scream peeled from my throat, burning it raw with the force and the nightstand light switched on.

  “Naomi?” his hand caressed my arm and I cranked my head in his direction.

  I sat stalk straight in the bed, the covers knotted around me and his sleepy, worried gaze met mine. It took a full minute to get my breathing under control and I blinked in confusion at the nightmare. The bed trembled with the shakes racking my form and Damian wrapped his arms around me, kissing my temple.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked and I couldn’t help the hysterical laugh that came bubbling up.

  Complete confusion overwhelmed me and I wondered if I
had dreamt the entire night; but the ache in my hips and the pressure in my bladder told me otherwise. Still, I had to ask.

  “Was... did...” I couldn’t articulate and I met Damian’s gaze. “Did we...”

  He grinned and the blush heightened in his cheeks and then his smile faded, worry replacing it. “You thought that was part of your nightmare?”

  My mouth opened to speak and then I closed it, wondering exactly what I was going to say.

  “I... I’m sorry,” he whispered, coming to the wrong conclusion.

  “Don’t apologize, you were...beyond fantastic, it’s just, you’ve never been like that before,” I started and saw the flare of hurt pass over his face. He shifted the covers and dropped his gaze.

  “I dreamt Lucifer had somehow possessed you,” I said and his eyes snapped to mine. I offered a shrug in my defense. “And you were so... so different than you usually are that I thought...”

  “Jesus,” he muttered and ran his hands through his hair, the horror of it all reflecting in his face.

  “Yeah, it was bizarre,” I said and slipped out of bed, heading for the bathroom to relieve myself. I grabbed a nightgown on my way by the dresser to dilute the discomfort of being exposed. When I came back out, Damian had straightened the covers and sat with his arms crossed and that brooding expression that I immediately recognized.

  He was getting more irritated by the second and he met my gaze when I slipped into the bed.

  “How can you even think that?” he snapped, taking me by surprised.

  “Look, in the dream I saw something out the window that caught my attention. It was Lucifer and he was outside the fence smoking a cigarette like they do in the old movies, you know, after fucking around. And you, you sat up with that same shit-eating grin and asked me how I liked dancing with the devil.”

  Damian blinked and his eyebrows rose.

  “Then I woke up screaming.”

  Damian’s gaze moved past me to the window and back and the tightness in his jaw softened. “I can assure you, that was all me.” He blushed.

  “But Lucifer was the one who brought out the beast in you,” I said.

  His gaze dropped to his hands and he took a deep breath as he analyzed my comment and his head started shaking back and forth. “No. Lucifer had nothing to do with my behavior tonight.” He turned his glance toward me. “You had everything to do with it. I’ll concede that my anger may have made me a bit more callous than usual, or a bit less inhibited, but you’re the one who drives me insane.” A dimple appeared. “In the best way possible,” he added.

  Chapter Seven - Naomi

  The morning sun drenched the bedroom and I blinked, rolling away from the open curtains. Damian’s side of the bed was empty and I pushed myself up into a sitting position. My stomach decided that wasn’t the brightest thing to do and I clamped my hand over my mouth, running to the bathroom as the bile crawled up my throat.

  I did not like this side effect of pregnancy. Dealing with an unsettled stomach close to twenty-four hours a day sucked. Exhaustion I could deal with, but this, this was a royal pain. I spit in the toilet and climbed to my feet, flushing before washing the nasty taste from my mouth. I wrapped a warm bathrobe around my body and headed into the living room.

  Damian looked up from his position on the couch, his computer propped on his lap and a pencil sticking out of both sides of his mouth. Papers and a yellow pad lay across the couch and I smiled. He pulled the pencil from between his teeth.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?”

  “Eh. What are you doing?” I waved toward the mess.

  “I figured I’d try to get most of the time I promised to Kevin.” He glanced at his watch and stretched.

  “How long have you been at it?”

  “A little over three hours and I only have another forty-five minutes before the auto-transport company is due to arrive.”

  I glanced at the clock. “You got up at five?”

  “I couldn’t get back to sleep,” he said, folding the computer and putting it on the table. He started to arrange the paperwork into a neat pile and then set it on top of his computer before he finally met my stare.

  When he didn’t offer an explanation, I shrugged and asked, “Why not?”

  He stood and retreated to the kitchen and I followed. After he popped a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster, he turned, leaning on the counter behind him.

  “The more I thought about it, the angrier I got,” he said.

  My mouth went dry and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I asked anyway. “Thought about what?”

  “Everything.” He didn’t continue right away, instead he focused on buttering the toast and bringing it to the table, setting it in front of the chair I stood behind. “I’m pissed that we’re pawns in their fucking game,” he said and sat down.

  The toast smelled good and my mouth watered, so I took a bite. He yawned, covering it with his hand before continuing.

  “I’ve been running for centuries, surviving by hiding away; from the sun, from Lucifer even from Michael for a time. Every time I thought I found peace, the angels rained down on me, spoiling it in some manner. I’m not going to let that happen this time.”

  The intensity in his eyes made me swallow hard.

  “I’m done being afraid,” he added and crossed his arms. “Death is just an end to the running and if I don’t stop him this time, my child will never know peace.”

  A cold fear pierced my heart and spread through my body, almost doubling me over. I dropped the slice I held onto the plate. “I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself for us. I need you just as much as your child does.”

  He laughed in a way that sparked an irrational irritation.

  “I’m not suggesting that I become a martyr, honey, I’m talking about killing him. Ending his reign of terror and walking away from it.” He reached over and snatched one of the slices of toast. “You got me thinking. There has to be a way to kill an angel and with Lucifer, I’m not sure stealing his grace is achievable, but we both know he can be killed. You’re the one who’s gotten the closest to that goal, so I just need to figure out how to do it without the tiger.”

  “I almost beat him because he was in human form.”

  “We’re both painfully aware of the differences between human and angel forms,” he said with a sigh. “I think he’s stuck in human form until he mends completely, at least that’s what I’m hoping.”

  “He looked pretty whole after eating Michael’s heart,” I said and my appetite vanished. Damian nodded and he exhaled audibly through his nose.

  “I know. I guess I expected Michael to fight back in some way, even in his debilitated state.”

  “Yeah, I think I expected him to sprout wings and smite that bastard.”

  Damian let out a small laugh. “I should have taken advantage of the situation and attacked while he was still vulnerable.” He met my gaze and shrugged. “I think that’s the thing that pisses me off the most. That was probably the best chance I had of beating Lucifer and I ran away like a frightened little girl.”

  The venom in his voice gave me pause and I searched his face for a moment. “You were protecting me,” I said and he nodded.

  “You and the baby.”

  “And really, what could you have done with the cop there.”

  “I could have broken his neck, like I did to that demon,” he answered. “It would have at least slowed him down and maybe he wouldn’t have killed that cop.”

  I jerked with the shock of his statement. “He killed...” I started and trailed off.

  “It was on the news this morning along with my face. Plastered all over the fucking news. I’m apparently a person of interest,” he said using finger quotes around the words person of interest.

  I blinked at him and my eyebrows arched.

  “They didn’t have a clear picture of you,” he said and offered a smile. “But they have one of me, looking shocked as shit.”

  Muscles I didn’
t realize I had tensed relaxed a fraction. I don’t look any different from five years ago and I’m sure if this story went national, some of my friends in New York might have been able to provide an identity that would be traced back to a dead girl.

  “So what else did they show?”

  “Nothing. No footage of Lucifer, nothing, just my face, which looks like a still from a video feed and a couple of seconds of us running as the cop yelled freeze.”

  I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped, as if our lives weren’t complicated enough, now we had the police searching for us. My brain caught up and I gasped, my gaze shooting back to Damian’s. “They don’t have footage of Lucifer?”

  Damian slowly shook his head and I exhaled, slumping in the chair. We needed a break but it didn’t look like it was coming any time soon.

  “The bastard set us up.”

  I blinked, staring at him. “And he’s using the media to find us.”

  “Bingo. Are you sure you don’t want to go to Greece?” he asked, cocking his head. “Because right now, it looks like they’re building a case against us.”

  “With your picture plastered all over the airwaves, there’s no way we would get away with leaving the country,” I said and he bit his bottom lip with an expression that agreed with my statement.

  “The good news is not many people know my face and most of those people know me under an alias. There are only three people who know my name and address and one is sitting right here.”

  “And the other two are at Hartford Hospital.”

  “Yes. I also spoke with Ted this morning. It looks like Valerie is going to be okay. She made it through the night without incident and she even regained consciousness enough to relay her version of the attack.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Thankfully, that wasn’t picked up by any news stories because Lucifer would put it together and go after her. At this point he has no idea where she went.” Damian glanced at his watch and stood. “I have to go meet the auto-transport people.” He paused at the doorway to the living room. “Just hang here, okay?”