by Zoey Ellis
Eventually, he managed to vanquish all of the Furies involved in the operation. He could have killed them but it would have taken too much time and precision, and he worried that Legion would move forward before he found them all. Suspiciously, they all seemed to be located in and around Thea’s old neighborhood, which set him on edge. It’s like they were sending him a threat about Thea.
Then, as he was about to put the last Fury out of his misery, he mentioned something about Thea being tied up and tortured with her legs in the air and her pretty blue eyes on spikes. The rage slipped over Cam before he knew it. By the time he could even see clearly again, he had sliced the Fury to shreds. He immediately headed to the Angel Realm, his rage roiling in him, eager to see Thea. Furies were usually too scared to make such comments and something about the way he had said it put Cam on edge. Even though it was only Wednesday and he knew she was safely in the Angel Realm, he needed to see her.
When he arrived at his quarters, she wasn’t there. He stood in the center of the social room, lost for a moment, trying to remember what she had said she was doing with her days. She had finished her training with Zak and wasn’t training with Asteroth any more. He launched back into the air, headed to her old training center. Dani still lived there and it made sense she might have gone to see her. The only thing was, he didn’t know where exactly Dani’s quarters were.
He flew up the flightway and headed to the common room.
Inside, there were a small number of angels lounged, some meditated quietly, others chatted in low voices. He stalked in and glanced down into the cubby-lounges between the bookshelves, and there she was, talking animatedly with Dani and… another angel. Fucking Elyon.
Hot rage writhed within him as he watched the other Power talking to the girls. His auburn hair hung past his ears and he wore no robe, only a shirt that clung to him, showing his muscles. Although he had good skills as a Power angel, Elyon had a misplaced arrogance that grated on Cam’s nerves. Zak was also Elyon’s commander, and at one point, Elyon started to ensure his meetings with Zak were just before Cam’s, and then made sure they ran over. Zak put a stop to it quickly enough, but it riled Cam that he would so casually waste his time. Additionally, Cam knew all about the different angel and human women Elyon loved to have panting all over him. Kara had been one of them at one point.
Elyon dropped down into the armchair in the cubby-lounge that Thea was standing right next to, facing away talking to Dani. He eyed her legs, lifting his gaze to her ass. He reached for her and pulled her back onto his lap, but Cam had already started heading over there, his rage rising into a frenzy.
He roared as he entered the small area, pulling Thea off of Elyon and punching him square in the face. Cam hit him again, then again, until Elyon blocked him and landed a punch in Cam’s stomach. Cam absorbed the punch, the wind knocked out of him, giving Elyon a chance to shoot up out of the armchair and hurled himself at Cam. He managed to get in a few punches before Cam grabbed and twisted Elyon’s arm and landed a solid thump in his face. He kicked Elyon’s knee out and launched at him, attacking him in any way he could. He elbowed and kicked and punched the angel in a blurry hazy of fury, until someone grabbed him from behind. A number of angels held him, dragging him away from Elyon, who lay on the ground, his nose bleeding and broken, his eye cut, glaring up at Cam, pure hatred on his face.
“You had your fun with Kara and you crushed her,” Cam growled out.
Elyon had the decency to at least lower his eyes.
“Stay the fuck away from Thea. She’s mine! If I see you near her again, I will kill you.” His voice thundered as he was dragged away. “Do you hear me? I’ll rip out your fucking throat!”
Thea stood by the entrance to the cubby-lounge, next to a fallen bookshelf, her brow knit. Dani stood next to her, her hands covering her mouth.
Cam kept his eyes on Thea as he was pulled away.
She stared back at him, but there was something in her eyes he didn’t like. Like she wasn’t sure if it was him. “Cam?”
“Elithea.”
She looked relieved, but that annoyed him for some reason. “Why did you let him touch you?”
The angels pulled him from the common room before she could reply. They escorted him to his Commander’s office, which was the protocol for any Power violence in the Realm.
Zak dismissed the angel he was in the middle of meeting with and ushered Cam into his office, thanking and then dismissing the angels that escorted him after they explained what happened.
Cam battled with his rage as Zak shook his head and sighed.
“Don’t say anything, Zak,” Cam hollered, annoyed already by Zak’s fucking self-righteous sigh. “You don’t understand.”
Zak’s eyes flashed. “You know, normally you would be confined to quarters for violence with another angel.”
Cam laughed, though there was no humor in it. “I’m not a baby angel, Zak.”
“Well, you’re fucking acting like it,” Zak almost shouted, his tone fierce.
Cam quieted. Zak had never raised his voice before in all the time he could remember.
“You have not reported to me during the entire length of this assignment, Cam,” Zak fumed. “I’ve had to get updates from Thea to know that you’re okay. And I’ve allowed it because she needs someone to talk to and make sense of your behavior.”
So he’d been comforting her, had he? Cam held in the retort on his tongue, his rage bubbling inside him.
“Since you are on a live assignment that is of the utmost importance, I will not confine you to quarters,” Zak said. “But you are to leave the Angel Realm immediately.”
Cam nodded but he wasn’t. He was seeing Thea.
“You’re close to finishing, right?”
Cam nodded again.
“Good. If you are in another altercation with Elyon, or any other angel, I will report you, Cam.”
Cam shot a look at him, but based on the tension in his body and his firm expression, Zak was deadly serious.
Cam rose. “Thank you, Commander,” he said stiffly, before exiting the room.
Cam flew straight to his quarters, knowing Thea would be there. She had better be there.
The moment he landed on the balcony, she emerged from the living area, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Thea,” he growled, moving toward her. “Why did you let that fuck touch you?”
“Did it look like I was letting him touch me?” she shot back in a flash of anger. “He pulled me onto him before I even knew what was happening.”
“You seemed very familiar with him,” Cam said hotly, crowding her and forcing her to step back into the living area. “You’re not to spend any more time with him.”
“I don’t give a shit about him,” she spat. “I only met him a couple of days ago. He’s one of the angels Dani’s into.” She placed her hands on Cam’s chest, and his anger softened a touch. “Cam. You came into the training center and attacked someone. You’re in that rage, aren’t you? I can see it in your face—your eyes.”
Cam laughed, though it sounded bitter in his own ears. “You think I wouldn’t have attacked Elyon regardless? I told you already that no one should touch you. And he does not get to touch my mate.”
“Which one, Cam?”
Cam’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you mean me or Kara?” Her face was twisted. “I heard what you said. You’re just jealous of him because of whatever happened before. You’re letting that anger control you and you’re—.”
Cam’s growl vibrated out of him with such force, Thea moved her hands from his chest, as if it was too much. He gripped her top by the collar and yanked her to him. “I only have one mate. I’ve always only had one mate and it’s you.” Her eyes were wide and her breath panted out on his face. His cock stiffened. “I was looking after Kara by arranging to mate her because that asshole Elyon made her feel worthless and she wasn’t. I will not tolerate him touching yo
u, looking at you, breathing any air you breathe.” He kissed her hard and pulled her into his body as his desire burned. “You’re mine.” He tore open her top and kissed her neck, sucking and biting her skin, breathing her in. He reached to unclasp her bra, only to realize that she wasn’t responding. She wasn’t kissing him back, her arms weren’t around him; she wasn’t leaning into him.
He pulled away to look at her, growling with dissatisfaction.
Her eyes were bright, but her voice was quiet. “Connect with the Stream, Cam.”
“Or what? Do you intend to withhold yourself from me until I do?” Cam asked. “Is that your plan here?” He grabbed her, dragged her to the bedroom and threw her onto the bed. He continued to rip open her top and pull off her trousers, while she lay there, watching him with those eyes he couldn’t understand. He leaned over her, curling his fingers against the front of her panties. She still didn’t respond and it infuriated him. “Do you expect me to take what’s mine? Is that what you want me to do? Is that the next enticing game you want to play?” He slipped his fingers into her panties and stroked her wetness, lowering to capture a nipple in his mouth.
She moaned softly and became wetter, but she still didn’t respond the way she usually did. Her hands weren’t in his hair, her legs weren’t opening, she wasn’t touching him at all. He pulled away again, annoyed. What the fuck was wrong with her?
She looked up at him, a breath unsteady, a glint of something in her eyes. “When was the last time you felt any emotions from me, Cam?”
“What?” What was she talking about?
“When was the last time you felt my emotions?” she pressed. “You used to be able to feel me, right? When I was distressed about my mother you knew, you could feel it. So when was the last time you felt anything?”
Cam raked his memory trying to pinpoint a time he felt her but his anger clouded his mind. He huffed. “What does it matter?”
She kept her strange gaze on him. “If I was afraid of you right now, would you know?”
A searing horror pierced through him and he stilled, breathing hard. Scared of him? Why the fuck would she be scared? He straightened up, pulling his hand out of her panties, watching her closely, trying to figure out where that notion had come from. Nothing she was saying was making any sense.
“I feel you,” she said quietly, sitting up. “I feel your anger and distress. I felt it from the first night you came back from the assignment. It’s disturbing, Cam. And it’s gotten worse.” She chewed her lip. “Please. You need to connect to the Stream.”
“This assignment will be over soon, Thea. And then—”
“Everything won’t be all right,” she snapped, “so don’t say that. If you don’t connect to the Stream, eventually you will become something I can’t recognize. You’re becoming that now.
Her words hit him like a thousand demon blades at once.
“You told me I could trust you,” she continued, “and I do when you’re sane. But how can I continue to if—”
“Don’t play that card with me, Thea!” Cam boomed. “If you can’t trust me, that’s on you. It has nothing to do with how I do my job. I have never given you any reason not to trust me since we’ve been here.” He stalked to the balcony. “I’m going to finish this assignment, and then you will see there’s nothing to worry about.” He shot her a look of warning. “Do not speak to Elyon again.”
Chapter Twenty
THEA
Thea sat on the bed for a long while after Cam left. She was losing him. Losing the Cam that smiled for her, the Cam that looked after her, the Cam that understood what she needed. She had never seen this side of him before, and although she could never be afraid of him, a worry had risen that he wasn’t the same person she knew. He had always been possessive and jealous; that didn’t bother her, hell, she got off on it most of the time. And the violence towards Elyon had been unnerving, but she would have expected nothing less after Cam saw what that idiot had done. However, she had never expected Cam to be unreasonable, unwilling to listen, or to handle her roughly like he had. She had never seen him look at her as though he couldn’t understand her, as though everything she said, every look she gave him was a mystery to him.
In truth, she had wanted to kiss him back, to press up against him, to touch him, but she needed to withdraw and see how far he would go, see if he could tell she was unhappy. She had been giving in to her desire for him since the first time he came home from the assignment, even indulged his desperation to have sex with her, and now she was uncomfortable thinking about it. Would he stop if she asked him? He had then, but what about when he was fully in his rage?
It wasn’t that she hadn’t dealt with men trying to force themselves on her before. Growing up in her neighborhood, and not being protected by any gang, meant that she and Amber were always targeted. They managed to negotiate, befriend and avoid most of the men that had that inclination, but there were times she was caught unaware. Those were the times her shimmer became essential. But she couldn’t use that on Cam, and she didn’t want to. Not her Cam, the one that loved her and looked after her. He would be horrified to know she was even thinking along those lines but if she was honest, it was a concern.
She stayed on the bed thinking, until the clouds morphed into burnt orange puffs. There was no way to force him to connect to the Stream as far as she knew. He had to do it of his own accord. That incident with Elyon would most certainly be reported to the Dominion League and then what would happen?
Thea got up, used the pressure vape and changed into fresh clothes. Something had to be done; she couldn’t lose him. She needed to be there for him, like he had been for her—she just needed to figure out what to do.
She flew to Zak’s quarters. As soon as he opened the door, his expression tensed.
“Will the Dominion League find out?” she asked, not bothering with pleasantries.
“I’m trying to find a way to keep it from them,” he said, his voice low. “Elyon looks up to Cam like a big brother, so I don’t think he would want it reported.”
Thea frowned. “He does?”
Zak nodded. “Cam sees him as annoying and arrogant, but he’s only trying to emulate Cam.”
“Oh.” That made sense. Annoying and arrogant was how she found Cam at first.
“Come in,” Zak said, opening his door wider.
“No,” Thea said, holding up a palm. “I’ve just come to ask you something quickly.”
“Even so, it’s better if we discuss these things inside.” Zak ushered her in and they stood behind the closed door. Zak looked at her, almost sadly. “Don’t leave him, Thea. He’ll be more reasonable after the assignment.”
Thea stared at him. “Is this what you have been putting up with for the past two millenniums?”
Zak thought for a moment. “No. His rage has always been steady. Now, for some reason, it’s…”
“Volatile,” Thea finished. She took a breath. “Is it because of me?”
Zak had the decency to hold her eye. “Most likely. But it could also be the assignment. He hasn’t dealt with a task force like this one since the one he destroyed when this rage developed. It could be a combination.”
Thea nodded. “Listen, I don’t want to leave him, Zak, but he’s changing. He’s doing and saying things that make me worry.” She took a breath. “I want to know what would happen if we mated. Could that help him?”
“It might. But it would be a risk to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“It wouldn’t be advisable for any angel to mate if they hadn’t connected to the Stream in a while.” Zak paused, struggling for the words. “Mating is a sacred thing because it connects the mind and soul of the couple. Your energy would probably calm Cam, but you would be susceptible to his rage.”
Thea dipped her head in understanding. Right now, that didn’t matter. “Okay, that’s fine.”
Zak threw her a disapproving look. “You haven’t been approved by the Thrones, Thea.�
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“Do you think I care about that right now?”
“You should,” Zak said, gravely. “Most fallen angels do not make the choice to become one, like your mother. Their energy is ripped from them and they are sent to the human world. Mating without their approval can result in this punishment. Is that what you want? Is that what you want for Cam?”
Thea didn’t answer that. “Could I force him to mate with me?”
“You wouldn’t need to. Cam would mate with you any moment you wanted to.”
Thea fidgeted. “But if I wanted to surprise him.”
Zak was clearly bewildered. “Why would you want or need to surprise him?”
Thea exhaled in frustration. “Just tell me if it’s possible.”
Zak was silent for a moment, grinding his teeth as he thought about giving her an answer. “Yes,” he said, finally. “When angels mate they exchange halo energy, are you aware of that?”
“Cam mentioned it.”
“Right,” Zak said. “Well it’s possible for one angel to project their halo energy into another, but the mating only goes one way.”
“One way,” Thea murmured, remembering something. “That’s how angels mate with humans.”
“Yes,” Zak said. “But between angels, it isn’t a complete connection. It’s a fractured mating, one that will remain fractured for the angels’ existence. The energy needs to cross at the same time for the mating to be pure.”
“But if I force the mating and do it one way, Cam will be influenced by my energy.”
Zak clenched his jaw. “Are you truly considering it?”
Thea exhaled and averted her gaze, unsure how to answer. A tense silence fell between them.
“I cannot let you do that to him unless there is no other option,” Zak said, tersely. “You may find him to be different, but I have been dealing with him under my command for four millenniums. He is not beyond help.”
