I crouched down in front of her and she looked up at me with pain contorting her beautiful face. “He said the baby was an abomination because we weren’t anai so it wouldn’t have the ability to shift time. He said he was doing me a favor by getting rid of it.”
Her breath rushed out with a sob and I reached out to pull her into my arms, holding her close while she cried and our hair tangled together in the wind. Smoothing my hand up and down her back I told her, “Our child was not an abomination and whether it had the ability to shift time or not, I would have loved it because it was ours.”
“It was a boy. Claire said it was a boy. Adan took our son from us Rook,” Angela sobbed and I felt tears falling from my own eyes.
Pulling back I held her head between my hands and met her blue eyes with mine. “I swear to you, Adan will pay for what he has done to you and our son will be avenged.”
“I believe you Rook,” she said, then she grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled my lips down to hers.
I tried to be gentle but her tongue shot into my mouth and her fingers tightened their hold on my hair and something in me snapped. All the fear I’d felt when I didn’t know where she was and when I wasn’t sure if she would live after we found her came rushing over me like a tidal wave. I needed to feel her warm flesh pressed against mine, to bury myself inside her and feel her life connected to mine in the most primal way.
Surging to my feet I took her with me as I stood then turned and put her back against the wall. Grinding myself between her legs I continued devouring her with my mouth until suddenly I realized she was no longer with me - not emotionally or mentally anyway. Her mouth was still keeping up with mine but her body was stiff and her hands were clenched. She was trying to hide her reaction from me but it was obvious she wasn’t enjoying herself. In fact, she seemed to be cringing away from me.
Setting her down on her feet I stepped back and took a deep breath.
“You can’t stop Rook,” she insisted, coming towards me.
I put my hands up and she stopped. “You’re not ready for this, why are you trying to push yourself?”
“Claire told me you knew how to save Rachel, but you would need my help to make it happen.”
Me and the psychic were going to have a talk first chance I got.
“Even if that was true, it could wait until you’re ready.”
She shook her head and stepped towards me again. “The longer we wait, the farther back you’ll have to go and the harder it will be. If we wait too long, we might miss our only chance to save her.”
“Do you think I don’t know what you left out of your story?” She looked away from me and I reached out to grip her arms. I wanted her to look at me but she recoiled from my touch. “Look at you; you can barely stand to have me touch you. Do you think I don’t know what he did to you? What any time demon without human morals would do if he got a hold of a conduit? I will not do what Adan did to you, not even for Rachel’s sake.”
She shook her head and started to argue but I shouted, “I will not rape you Angela. Not even if you say that’s what you want. We will wait until you are ready to accept me into your body or until I can draw enough power from the River through you without having to have intercourse.”
“What if that’s too late to save her Rook?” she yelled back at me.
“Then so be it. I’m sorry Angela, but this is one thing I cannot do for you.”
There was so much pain in her eyes that for a moment I almost gave her what she was asking for. Instead, I let go of her arms and stalked past her through the living room and out the front door before she could say another word. I wanted to help Rachel but I knew without a doubt that our relationship would be over if I allowed Angela to have her way in this. She thought she could force herself to suffer through intercourse but I knew better. If we did this, it would always come back to this. Any intimacy we shared in the future would always be overshadowed by the ugly truth of what she was asking me to do.
Somehow, we would find another way to help Rachel.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I learned a long time ago that if a psychic wants to avoid you, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. After leaving my apartment I checked a few places where Claire could usually be found then decided to try a different tactic. While I waited for nine o’clock to roll around I asked Lucien to notify me immediately if Angela set one foot outside my apartment then I went to my office and tried to get some work done.
Sitting in my chair behind my desk I wondered how I could help Rachel without causing irreparable harm to Angela or our relationship. I hadn’t wanted to leave her alone, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold out long in the face of her determination. If there was anything I knew about Angela, it was that she would do just about anything for her daughter, and she was stubborn as hell.
With a sigh I shook my head because I knew she wasn’t going to let this go until Rachel was either cured or dead - never mind the consequences to herself or anyone around her.
Shortly before nine I entered Lilith’s Lounge and scanned the room looking for Claire. Through the crowd of resort guests and staff members dressed as vampires I spotted her sitting alone at a table in the back corner. Cutting a path through the packed nightclub I made my way to Claire’s table and took a seat across from her.
“There’s no need to scowl at me, I only gave her a push in the right direction,” Claire said.
Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When I opened my eyes again I asked, “How can what amounts to rape be the right direction Claire?”
“We both know you would never let it go that far. Trust me Rook things have a way of working themselves out for the best.”
“Or they have a way of working out how you want them to,” I snapped, then gritting my teeth I told her, “The outcome of the prophecy is still unclear to me, but I think I have a good idea what it will take to get there. I will not let you manipulate Angela into making that decision. She will make that choice freely or it will not happen - the prophecy be damned.”
She sat back and considered me for a moment then inclined her head. “I give you my word; I will not influence her decision in this matter one way or the other. Your Goddess however, will not be so easily deterred. If you will not bend to her will, then she may try another approach.”
I grimaced knowing she was right. Both times the bonding ritual was triggered the voice in my head had a familiar warmth to it that deep down I knew could only belong to the Goddess.
“What possible reason could she have for rushing us into something that I know with every fiber of my being will one day happen all on its own?” I asked running my hands through my hair in frustration.
“I’m sure her reasons will eventually be revealed,” Claire said then looked over my shoulder and smiled. “Liliana, I’m so happy you were able to make it on such short notice.”
From behind me an accented female voice replied, “It’s not every day that a world renowned psychic invites me to meet her for drinks. You piqued my curiosity.”
I stood and turned to greet Claire’s guest but Lucien was coming up behind her fast and the look on his face had me asking, “What’s happened?”
The woman spun around and Lucien’s eyes flicked in her direction. What happened next would have been comical if I hadn’t been so concerned over his previous expression. Lucien stopped dead in his tracks then his gaze slid over the ample curves Liliana had barely concealed under a designer dress. His spine straightened and his shoulders squared as a confident grin curved his lips and, despite his tech geek appearance, he was suddenly channeling what Angela dubbed his Superman persona.
Claire came up beside me and said, “Liliana, I’d like you to meet Lucien. He’s one of the division heads here at the resort.”
Liliana raised an eyebrow as she took in Lucien’s T-shirt, faded jeans and Converse shoes.
Undaunted by her reaction Lucien’s grin transformed into a full-blown sm
ile and he offered her his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you Liliana.”
Hesitantly she reached out to shake his hand. The instant their palms met I understood why Claire invited Liliana to meet her at this specific time and place. Lucien’s body jerked like he’d been struck by lightning and Liliana’s breath hitched as her eyes widened to the size of tea saucers.
“Lucien.”
Nothing.
I tried again, “Lucien, why are you here?”
Slowly his eyes turned away from his newly discovered mate. After a moment he released her hand and took a step back. Liliana seemed to shake herself as Lucien said, “It’s Angela, she left your apartment and you’re not going to believe where she went.”
My heart sped with a sudden rush of adrenaline. “Where?”
“Mystique,” he answered then stepped between me and Liliana when I turned on Claire with a growl.
“You knew what she was going to do,” I accused.
“Perhaps,” she agreed with an unrepentant grin and a shrug of her slender shoulder.
Without another word I stalked out of Lilith’s Lounge praying that I wouldn’t be too late. I hurried through the casino taking the shortest route to Mystique then took the stairs two at a time to the upper level. Peering down through the misty darkness and colored spotlights into the writhing mass of bodies below I searched one lust filled face after the next for Angela. Finally I found her near the center of the crowd and my heart stopped beating for a second.
She was wearing the dress. It was the green dress I’d seen in the window of the gift shop several months ago. Something about the dress drew my eye and every time I thought about it I imagined what it would look like on Angela.
How many times had my fantasies with Camila starred Angela wearing that dress?
Goddess she was beautiful. The pale green dress hugged her curves as she danced with her hands in the air letting her body move to the sensual rhythm of the music. Her head fell back and she bit her lip, but not the way she usually did, more like she was holding back a cry of pleasure.
The two men surrounding her had been keeping their distance but as I watched one of them slid an arm around her waist and his other hand moved to cup her breast.
Not in this fucking lifetime.
Vaulting over the railing I landed on the outskirts of the dance floor. The humans were so consumed by the sex demon pheromones they didn’t even notice me, but a few supernaturals raised an eyebrow before going back to groping their dance partners.
Wading through the sex crazed mob I came up beside Angela and glowered at the human males she was dancing with. Even through the haze of lust they recognized the threat I posed and scurried off like dogs with their tails tucked between their legs.
Angela turned to face me with her hands landing on my chest and said, “Dance with me Rook.”
Her pale blue eyes were glazed with lust as her hands traveled from my chest to my biceps, all the while her body undulated to the music thumping and vibrating around us.
There were no less than twenty sex demons dancing on stages and pedestals surrounding the dance floor; each one of them working overtime to incite lust and encourage sexual promiscuity in those of us gathered below. I was far from immune to the pheromones in the air and the scent of sex filled my senses but I still wasn’t convinced this was a good idea.
“Angela, if I let go in here neither of us will be worried about anything but the pleasure. We won’t think about privacy, or birth control. Are you prepared to be pregnant again so soon after what you just went through? I know Claire’s blood healed your body completely, but are you emotionally prepared for what could happen if we do this?”
She met my eyes and I was sure there was at least a tiny bit of awareness in hers. “Claire left me a diaphragm. Hopefully that will keep me from getting pregnant tonight, but if it doesn’t, then I am willing to deal with the consequences.”
She moved closer to me so that her lower abdomen pressed against my throbbing erection with every twist of her hips.
Gripping her upper arms I told her, “I’m not even sure if I can save Rachel. All I have is a hunch based on something Dragon said and the prophecy Claire saw the other night. It might not work out no matter how much power we draw from the River.”
With a fierce glint in her eyes she said, “If there is even a slight chance we can save Rachel then I will do whatever is necessary to make that happen.”
I held her gaze for a moment measuring her resolve then gave in to the pheromones and the need for sexual pleasure.
Spinning Angela around, I pulled her in close to my body and cupped her breast with one hand as the other splayed across her lower abdomen. She ground her ass against the front of my pants as our bodies moved together, driving me mad with the need to free my aching cock and drive it into her wet depths until we were both mindless with pleasure.
Normally dancing was about the last thing I wanted to do, but here in Mystique no one could resist the pull of the pheromones for long. Like everyone else writhing around us, Angela and I were consumed by desire and need, our dance driven by primal instincts hardwired into every being capable of procreation.
Her arms came up and circled my neck as her head fell to the side. The tempting sight of her bared throat drew my lips and I trailed kisses over her sensitive flesh. Her hand gripped my hair and her hips never stopped moving, the relentless friction pushing me closer and closer to the edge of madness. I had to have her. I had to feel her wet heat squeezing my rock hard shaft, and I had to have it now.
Reaching down I opened the front of my pants then turned Angela quickly around, lifted her into my arms and impaled her with one hard thrust. Her eyes widened then closed with a groan as she began moving, her legs tight around my hips and her hands gripping my shoulders. I helped, lifting her with my arms and rocking my hips to match the rhythmic pace she set.
Like a domino effect the couples all around us came together seeking that ultimate moment of release just as we were.
After a few moments Angela’s eyes snapped open and locked with mine as she cried out and the essence of her orgasm poured out from between her legs. With a growl I propelled us off the dance floor where I braced her back against a wall and drove myself into her hard and fast.
Her head slammed back against the wall and she yelled, “God, yes, fuck me harder Rook.”
I gave her what she asked for and moments later fire raced up my spine as the orgasm shot out of me and I emptied myself into Angela’s warm, wet body. Still hard and ready to go I placed my hand over the nearest security panel and opened the door to a private party room. It was in use, just as they all were, but I didn’t care.
Inside, one man sat on the couch getting a blow-job from the female on her knees in front of him. He was watching another female dance naked on the stage in the corner while his buddy was going at it with another female who was bent over the back of the couch.
Striding inside with Angela wrapped around my waist kissing and nipping at my neck, I growled to the humans, “Get out, now.”
They all hesitated but when I growled again they grabbed their clothes and hurried from the room.
Once the door was shut I scooped up a cushion from the sofa and placed it on the stage in the corner. I sat Angela down on the cushion and pulled the green dress up over her head from where it was bunched around her waist. She came up on her knees and ripped my shirt off over my head then grabbed the back of my head and pulled my lips down to hers.
Our mouths came together in a furious dance of give and take that left me breathless and so hard I thought my cock might split wide open with the amount of blood pumping into it.
Breaking away with a snarl I met her eyes and knew she could take whatever I had to give. I didn’t need to worry any more about how fragile she might be, at least not here in Mystique, not for tonight.
Gripping her hips I flipped her over and put her on her hands and knees right on the edge of the stage. She was at the pe
rfect height for me to pound into her from behind. Plunging in hard and fast I fisted her long hair in my hand and yanked her head up to meet my eyes in the mirrors surrounding the stage. They were arranged to reflect every possible angle of whatever was in front of them, designed that way because of the stripper pole just a few feet away.
Her eyes when they met mine burned with desire and a hunger that wouldn’t be sated for hours yet to come. I knew because it was the same need that coursed through my veins with every frantic beat of my heart.
But before I gave in to that need completely, I had to try and help Rachel.
Watching Angela’s face in the mirror I rotated my hips as I thrust in and out of her wet center until I saw the look, that one that let me know I’d found the spot that would drive her absolutely out of her mind with pleasure. It didn’t take long before she was screaming my name and her inner muscles clamped down hard pushing me over the edge with her.
In the midst of our pleasure I reached out to the River and pulled the power into me. It came easily, rushing to me on command and I used it to do something I never would have thought possible. I took the Rachel from our current time and place, and traded her for the Rachel on her knees in front of Danarius in Solaria. I waited until the last possible second to make the trade, just before he pulled her to her feet and poured the Oblivion between her lips. That way he wouldn’t notice anything was amiss and the timeline would remain intact.
The humans still died and since I was there as more of a ghost, the me who belonged in that time still reacted with uncontrolled rage and frustration when Rachel was shoved off the dais into his arms. It was the first time I’d ever gone back without falling into my own body. I wasn’t sure how I did it, but I got the sense that I never left the ether between times, that I was never actually there for a second time like I normally would have been. As for Rachel, I simply traded one version of her for another without anyone noticing the difference.
Having completed my task I came back to the present where I was still sheathed to the hilt and greedy for more. I expected my powers to be depleted but instead I felt energized. The River was still flowing freely and I drank in its power as I began moving my hips yet again.
Destined for Time Page 26
