Ruined By Power (Empire of Angels Book 2)

by Zoey Ellis

  That night, in Cam’s quarters, he sat up in bed watching her stare out of the window, a thoughtful look on her face. “Thea.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Come to bed.”

  She didn’t respond for a long moment, her eyes trained on something outside the window. “How do you contact your Power friends?”

  “I have no Power friends. They are doing me a favor because I told them to.”

  “How do you contact them?”

  Cam didn’t answer. He would not engage with this unhealthy focus on the assignment.

  She turned to him awaiting an answer, her deep blue eyes stirring something within him.

  “Come to bed,” he ordered. “Now.”

  She paced across the room to the other side and then back. “I just want to make sure no new information has surfaced before we go to bed.”

  “Come here, Thea.”

  Thea sighed and made her way to him, crawling from the end of the bed into his arms. He lay them down, tucking her under the covers and against his body. She snuggled into his chest and exhaled again, though this time much more relaxed, as he began to run his fingers through her hair.

  The smell of her, the feel of her, caused his cock to harden and his arousal to build, as usual, but he continued to stroke her hair. Soon she was soft and humming with contentment as he stroked the crown of her head and down her back.

  Her fingers curled on his chest and she began to run her hands down to his hips. He caught her hand and brought it back up. “No sex tonight, Thea. Let’s just lie here.”

  She slipped a leg between his and pressed her groin up against him. “No sex?” The mischievous gleam in her eyes made him harder. “Are you sure? That’s not what your cock wants.”

  “My cock can wait,” he said, his voice husky. “This is what you need right now. You are distressed. Go to sleep.”

  “How do you know what I need?” Thea grumbled, before yawning.

  “You’re my mate.”

  She hummed again for a short while as he brushed his thumb along her shoulder blade, before asking sleepily, “Can you feel what I feel?”

  “Sometimes I get flashes of your emotions,” he said, softly, “if you’re feeling them intensely.”

  Her eyes opened to look at him. “Really?”

  “Really.” He could stare into her eyes forever.

  She frowned. “I don’t feel your emotions, though.”

  He scowled, an annoyance shooting through him. “Because you’re not in tune with me yet. When you trust me, you will.”

  “Oh.” She lowered her eyes for a long moment before looking back up at him. “I’m sorry, Cam.” An adorable innocence permeated her voice and expression.

  His annoyance softened immediately. He kissed her, slow and deep. “It’s not your fault, Elithea. Go to sleep.”

  He held her tighter and listened to her breathing deepen as she fell asleep.

  During the night, Cam stayed awake so he could keep her close to him, so she could stay warm and snug in a deep sleep. Usually, she twisted and turned, ending up with her arms and legs flung over him, as if pinning him down. The idea that she was possessive of him in her sleep always turned him on so much that he usually coaxed her awake in the morning by bringing her to orgasm in his mouth. However as morning approached, he slid away from her and got dressed. He needed to do something about her anxiety.

  “Cam?” Zak sighed as he opened his door. He beckoned him in. “These early morning visits usually mean you’re worried about something.”

  “Apologies, Zakiel,” Cam muttered as he entered Zak’s quarters. “I have serious concerns about Thea.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “She is severely distressed about her mother. I don’t know how much longer she will be able to keep going on this assignment.”

  Zak nodded. “I’m surprised she has stuck with it for so long. How many have you seen?”

  “About fifty.”

  “What is her behavior?”

  “Worried, angry, frustrated, sometimes hopeless. She sleeps less, she has lost some of her appetite.” Cam shook his head. “I will not let her carry on like this.”

  Zak nodded in agreement. “She is stressed. She will eventually burn out if she continues.”

  Cam paused, thinking. “Do the Dominion League normally send relatives on pursuit assignments?”

  Zak lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know. Nephilim usually only take hunting assignments, but it makes sense for Thea to be the one to search for her mother.”

  “I need to get more information from the Dominion League,” Cam said, watching Zak carefully. “I plan to see them after I leave here. I’d like you to come with me, however, I am willing to see them without you.”

  Zak observed him. “I see.” He stood. “They have a meeting this morning. Let me get dressed and we shall see if we can gatecrash it.”

  Cam nodded, relief thudding through him. He would have forced his way in to seeing the Dominion League if he had to, but it was smarter to use Zak’s influence.

  ***

  “This had better be fucking urgent.” Barakiel’s expression was thunder.

  Cam and Zak stood before the entire League after harassing the angel that served as their assistant, who was based in the reception area. They had caused a scene, forcing the League to see them. Cam had been somewhat dumbstruck when they first entered. He had never been in front of the entire League before, and the energy they let off was extremely powerful. They all stared at Zak and Cam, clearly annoyed. He pulled himself together as Zak spoke, forcing himself to remember why he was there.

  “It is,” Zak said. “It is about Thea and her assignment.”

  A couple of the members nodded, their demeanor softening, but Barakiel’s expression did not change. “Speak,” he ordered.

  “I need more information about Thea’s mother,” Cam said.

  A female angel with plumes of cherry-red hair framing her face said, “You have been given all the information we have.”

  “About her mother’s charges, yes,” Cam said. “But I’d like to know more about the condition of her mother’s existence—the type of angel she was. I think it may help Thea put things into context.”

  Barakiel rose from his seat. “This request could have been directed through your commander and addressed at a more appropriate time,” he said. “You have barged into our gathering for this?”

  Anger surged in Cam but he bit his tongue to avoid roaring at the elderly angel in response.

  “Thea is struggling with the emotional strain of finding her mother, Barakiel,” Zakiel barked. “As her commander, I have to take her emotional state into consideration. She will not last another two weeks, or however long you would choose to make us wait this time, without emotional damage.”

  Cam glanced at Zak, appreciating his cutting tone.

  Barakiel seemed shocked.

  “Of course, we can give you more information,” Asteroth said, calmly. He shot Barakiel a pointed look and the angel lowered back into his seat, seemingly unsure what to do with himself. “However, if we do so, it may not alleviate Thea’s anxiety. It may, in fact, worry her more. Are you sure you want to know?”

  Zak glanced at Cam, who nodded back at him. Angels did not have it in them to truly terrible beings. Thea didn’t understand that yet—she still looked at angels as though they were like humans. Whatever her mother had been like, Thea would likely find some kind of understanding in her choices, even if she didn’t agree with them.

  “Please tell us,” Zak said.

  “Laylah?” Asteroth called, glancing at another angel on the opposite side of the table from him.

  Laylah cleared her throat. “Elithea’s mother was an Archangel,” she said. “But she Fell.”

  Cam’s heart seemed to stop. Thea’s mother is a fallen angel?

  “She became pregnant with Thea around the time she Fell.” The angel paused, looking between him and Zak. “We need to find her to ques
tion her about a number of concerns, but also so that we can find out exactly when she conceived.”

  Cam struggled to understand the significance of Thea’s conception. Most of the Dominions looked at him and Zak with grave faces, suggesting it was serious.

  “What does that mean?” he asked.

  “Thea is very powerful. She has abilities most Nephilim don’t have,” Laylah said. “We need to be absolutely certain what she is.”

  “What else would she be?” Zak asked.

  “Fallen angels are infertile. If Elithea’s mother somehow managed to conceive after she had Fallen, the girl might not be a Nephilim at all,” Laylah said. “She could be something… else. Potentially, something much darker that we have never encountered before.”

  No. That wasn’t possible. Cam shook his head. Thea wasn’t some dark being, she had a good heart. He had seen it, had experienced it. Yes, she had a fiery side, but she was also sweet and kind and clearly protective of her family. There was no way his Nephilim was some dark soul. She was his mate, he would be able to tell. “She is much more powerful than most Nephilim because her mother was an angel.”

  “That’s what we’d like to confirm,” Gzrel said.

  “No, I’m telling you,” Cam insisted. “She is a Nephilim, nothing more.”

  “You do not have enough experience with Nephilim to make that judgment,” Barakiel said. “In any case, just because she may not be showing any signs of darkness now doesn’t mean it will not manifest.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me or Zakiel this when you assigned me to her in the beginning?” Cam asked, a harshness in his tone. Zak shot him a look but Cam didn’t care. The fact that they had kept this from him and Thea was unbelievable, especially since they had her going through training and had told her that she’d go on special assignments for the League. Maybe they had never intended any other assignment for her but this one, to find her mother, to find out that she was some dark being who was never meant to exist.

  “We did not know she was so powerful when we assigned her to you,” Gzrel said.

  “And if she isn’t a Nephilim,” Cam asked, his whole body tense, “then what?”

  Asteroth rose as Barakiel began to answer and spoke over him. “We do not need to discuss that right now, Camael. Just know we will not hurt her or otherwise condemn her without considering options.”

  Cam was not satisfied with that response but Zak spoke before he could reply. “Is there any way we can use this information to find her mother?”

  The female angel with the red hair let out a sharp laugh. “You are the ones that wanted to put things into context for Elithea. You need to figure out how it will help your assignment. We chose to keep the information from her because it’s more harmful than helpful, and the main concern is her mother.”

  “You lied by telling her you knew her mother was alive,” Cam blurted out. “Fallen angels do not enter Heaven when they die, so how do you know she’s alive? Your conduct is more harmful than telling her the truth.”

  A cutting silence dropped over the room as many of the League’s expressions cooled, some narrowing their eyes at Cam. His tone was disrespectful, he was aware, but they had actually manipulated Thea to get her to do what they wanted. They deserved no respect, as far as he was concerned.

  “There are things about the human psyche that you will never understand as a Power,” a male angel boomed from the other end of the table. “We told Thea what she needed to know to get the assignment done. She is here in the Angel Realm with nothing, and no one, familiar to her. She cannot even connect to the Stream to soothe any anxiety she may experience. She had to be told her mother was alive. We had to make decisions about how that might affect her—we did not want to break her.”

  “She is not that weak,” Cam shot back.

  “And yet she seemed it when she left here,” mused another angel with long silvery hair.

  “Can you tell for certain her mother is alive?” Zak cut in, as Cam growled at the remark.

  “Yes,” Asteroth said. “Although fallen angels do not enter Heaven, the Seraphim still feel when their energy extinguishes into oblivion. Thea’s mother’s energy has never been felt.”

  Another short silence settled over the room.

  “Thank you for your time. We appreciate you allowing us to interrupt your meeting.” Zak turned and walked away swiftly.

  Cam dipped his head and followed him.

  ***

  “So I could be some kind of… dark being?” The look of shock on Thea’s face almost broke Cam. She had still been sleeping when they arrived at his quarters, and he’d had to wake her to get dressed. She was clearly exhausted, and it pained him to disturb her sleep, but it pained him more that they were telling her she might not even be a Nephilim. He stood by her as she sat on the couch, his fists clenching.

  Zak leaned towards her from the couch opposite. “It is unlikely Thea.”

  “How do you know? What are these beings like?”

  “Nothing like you,” he replied. “You haven’t shown any signs of the kind of beings we know about.”

  “And what about the ones you don’t know about?”

  “Thea,” Cam said, irritation burning him. “You are a Nephilim.”

  She looked up at him, her beautiful eyes spoiled by the shadow of unease. “How do you know? You’re being influenced by your feelings for me.”

  Cam knelt on the ground beside her and ran his hand along her smooth cheek. “I’m not. It’s not like we began our relationship the moment we saw each other. I got to know you. I know who you are. I’ve seen you with your family. I’ve watched you for a long time. You are not a changeling, or a ghoul, or a hellhound or any of the other dark things that exist in the human world. I’m telling you. You’re not.”

  Thea’s eyes lowered as she leaned into his hand. “Okay.” She didn’t sound convinced.

  “We need to get the evidence to prove it to the Dominion League,” Zak said, from behind him. “It is the only thing that will satisfy them.”

  “I don’t like the way they dealt with this, Zak,” Cam said rising and turning to face him.

  “I know,” Zak said, rising from the couch. “But I think I understand their reasoning. I’ll speak to Asteroth.” He turned to leave. “When you start your search again, come and let me know.”

  Chapter Twelve

  THEA

  A numbness spread over Thea as Zak and Cam talked. She already knew she was more powerful than most Nephilim, but a dark being? This just got worse and worse. A growing hatred for her mother coiled in her for what she did, for leaving her behind without explaining what she was or how she should navigate this world of angels and demons. She had only just adjusted to the fact that she was a Nephilim, and now she found herself filled with anxious uncertainty that she might be some kind of unholy creature. It burned within her, raking up old hurt and feelings of rejection.

  Cam sat next to her on the couch and pulled her onto him. She started, then realized Zak had left. She curled up against Cam, his presence both comforting her and arousing her all at once. The masculine scent of him, the feeling of his hard muscles beneath her, made her body tingle despite her mood. Thea squirmed against him, desperate to get closer. He wrapped one arm around her and gazed at her face, reading her every feature.

  “You’re worried,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Don’t be.”

  “What if I am dark?” she asked, her voice low. “What if I am no longer allowed to enter the Realm? What if I’m given to the demons? What if… what if the League ends up wanting me dead?”

  Cam tilted her face toward his, looking her in the eye. “None of that will happen. Nobody is going to hurt you,” he said firmly. “Not while I’m here. I promise you, Thea.”

  “You can’t make that promise, Cam.” He hadn’t even known the League’s plans for her.

  “I can and I am,” he almost snapped. “No one will hurt you, Thea. Not now, not ever.” That intensity
in his eyes burned with a wildness that proclaimed his intentions were true. And could she really doubt his intentions when he had been there for her the whole way through this assignment?

  “You’ll always be an angel to me,” he said softly, then brought her face to his for a kiss. “Always.”

  Thea kissed him back slowly, allowing herself to fall into the reassuring comfort of his touch. She pulled away chuckling. “I’ve never been an actual angel, Cam.”

  “Oh, but you are,” he whispered, slipping his warm hand down her top and brushing her nipple.

  A jolt ran over her as he fondled her breast.

  “Everything about you is angelic.” He nudged her head with his nose so he could kiss her neck, sending goosebumps along her skin. “Your soft skin. Your gorgeous voice.” He ran his hand further down her top, along her stomach. “Your beautiful eyes.” He licked her neck and she whimpered. “Your wonderful scent.” He ran his hand along her waist and up her back and he continued to whisper in her ear. “And I haven’t even gotten to your luscious little pussy yet.”

  Thea reveled in his words, loving the tenderness in his voice and touch. Her whole body was so sensitive him, every move he made, his every breath, every touch. When he kissed her, the sensations thudded through every pore, tingling over her arms, hardening her nipples, causing a swoop of arousal in her stomach.

  When he carried her to the bed, he pulled her clothes off slowly, continuing to talk in that deep husky voice she loved. Her anxiety melted away as he told her how sexy she was and how much he loved her sternness, her smile, even parts of her she hated—like the crinkly cellulite between her thighs and the ugly mole on the side of her torso. By the time they were both naked, she was slick between the legs, and her whole body trembled with a deep longing for him infused with a craving for the security he offered.

  He climbed onto the bed, sitting in the center and pulling her onto him so she straddled him, her breasts against his chest, his eyes looking down on her. His cock pressed between them, hard against her groin.