Into The Divine

by Danielle James

  When Samuel looked at her quizzically, she continued, “Each vampire’s mating mark is unique to them. But we do not choose it, nature choses for us. You have chosen your own.”

  Gage pulled his shirt aside to show his mark. It was worked into a tattoo, but it was there. The mark almost shimmered like the fey magic he was mated to. Angel’s was bold and demanding, while Rebel’s looked like the flames of a campfire. Phoenix spoke up about his. “Kelly had marked herself before she even met me,” he said. “She was barely more than a teenager when we met, but upon meeting my wonderful self,” he grinned, “She began ripping her clothes off immediately.” He paused as if he were listening to something no one else could hear. “Ah, she says I better make that clear. She took off her shirt to show me the tattoo she got on her shoulders. It was a very accurate depiction of me when I fly.”

  “You can talk to her this far away?” Gage asked.

  “Yep. We share a very strong link. Maybe it’s because I am what I am, who knows. But yeah, that woman is always in my head,” he said with a sarcastic grin.

  “I know I will never be able to fully mate with Azerial,” Samuel said, “Hell, I don’t know if she will even talk to me again. All I know is that she is the only one for me. Always.”

  The others nodded their heads in agreement. “You can never know that Sam,” Macy said, placing her hand on his arm. “Let her be the one to decide. I think she might be more forgiving than you think.”

  “Providing we can find her,” Samuel added. Where oh where, was she? And what the fuck did Abaddon want with her?

  “Which brings me to the next thing on our agenda,” Angel said. “Let’s all take a seat. I have things we need to discuss.”

  Samuel watched as his family obeyed Angel without a word. There were so many of them right now that the furniture was seated very quickly. He resigned himself to a spot on the floor by the chair and sat down Indian style. He hoped Angel had good news. They could all really use some right now.

  When everyone was ready, Angel drew in a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “I have spent most of the day on the phone. I have contacted a few government employees that are either clan members or are sympathetic to vampires and our laws. I have never really minded being a politician and for once it has paid off.”

  He waited for dramatic effect, Samuel guessed. Either that, or he was trying to get his thoughts together. Probably the latter, Sam decided. Angel was not one for dramatics.

  “To make a long story short, we have been granted a warrant for all files concerning RedFire Pharmaceuticals. Gage, you have permission to hack your heart out. Get invisible, get in, and get the information we need. The United States Government is none too happy to hear that a demon is pushing drugs on their streets. Also, they do not have the knowledge or the resources to combat a threat like that. Therefore, we have been issued a temporary status among the Marine Corps. Special Operations Unit, is what the Secretary of Defense called it. Basically, we have permission to go in and deal with it, and pretend nothing is happening. They maintain that this is to be kept Top Secret. Only we, the secretary, and the President will have knowledge or access to the files. Of course, they expect us to write up a report so they can doctor it to fit their needs. The point is, we have the resources we need.”

  “So I can just go ahead and hack their databases,” Gage said with a grin, “and do it legally?”

  “Yes Sir,” Angel said. “I was told, and I quote, ‘Find evidence, then destroy the entire operation.’ That’s all the permission we need.”

  “By destroy the operation, does that mean I get to make something go boom?” Antonio asked with a toothy grin.

  Angel nodded. “Woohoo!” Antonio punched his fist into the air. “I haven’t made a great explosion in far too long,” he erupted. “I’m going to get started right now!”

  “I want the women out of here,” Sebastian blurted out. Jessica began shaking her head at him, unwilling to leave his side, but he shook his head, telling her silently that he wasn’t going to have it.

  “I agree,” Samuel said. “They need to be on their way to Boston, and the sooner the better.” The last thing they needed was to just give Abaddon more weaknesses. He knew his brothers would not be able to concentrate if there was a possibility that their mates were in danger. That was an opening they just didn’t need to give him.

  “I think we should extend that to all the humans here,” Keelie said. “I am a wolf and I am strong, I can help. But I won’t have Ricco in danger.”

  “I am already dead, Love,” he said. Keelie shook her head. “You can help protect the rest of us. And the children.”

  “I’m not going,” Frankie said. “You need me.”

  “And you need me,” Leigh pointed out. “I am a strong fighter.”

  Angel looked at Gage. Without a spoken word, the two discussed their options. Angel looked at Gage knowingly. Gage nodded. “We do need Frankie and we do need Leigh. We need Serena and her magic. Macy, Keelie, Ricco, Brea, and Jessica will all go to Boston.” When they would have argued, he put his hand up in a stop motion. “We will not be able to fight if our mates are in danger. We need to know that our mates and the children are protected. That is why Keelie will go to Boston. She is a powerful wolf and with the others in Boston will provide protection. Macy is a necromancer, and Lord help us, I hope we do not need her power, but just in case, I’d like for her to still be around. The rest of you are human and therefore I will not hear any arguments. I wish we didn’t need the ladies that we do. If we were able, you would all be as far away from here as possible. As your king, this is my declaration and so it shall be done.”

  Brea stared at him with her eyes narrowed. Of course he used the king card. No one would argue with him because of his lineage. She turned to glare at her husband. Angel knew this and that’s why he had Gage say it. Of course, the men were all too happy about it. She didn’t like the thought of leaving her man. But she also, on some level, understood. Jade needed her. That didn’t make the underhandedness of it all less irritating.

  Keelie, having been given a purpose, spoke up first. “When and how are we all getting to Boston?” she asked.

  Gage smiled. “You’re gonna fly.”

  “I already put in the call for Michael to come back,” Phoenix said. “He can carry one and I can carry two.”

  Leigh stepped up. “I can carry two as well,” she said. “Who wants to ride on the dragon?”

  Brea couldn’t help it, she smiled. “I will,” she said.

  “Me too,” Macy piped in. “I have always wanted to take a flight with you.”

  “Michael will be here just before dawn,” Phoenix told them.

  “Then you will leave at dawn,” Gage said. He looked at each of his family members. He engrained every detail of their faces into his mind before putting his head down and leaving the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Samuel closed himself in his bedroom and sat down hard on the edge of his bed. His head was pounding like it had when he was human and was sick. He called himself all kinds of fucked up, but there was nothing he could do to change what had happened. His brothers had tried to tell them that they all had made less than smart decisions when it came to claiming their mates, but Samuel couldn’t take any comfort in it. All he could do now was work on fixing the mess they were in. In his mind, he attempted to call to Azerial again, this time doing it the way Gage had taught him. It was slow going, but what else did he have to do? He knew he wasn’t going to be sleeping, so instead, he trained his mind on Azerial and sending her all the love he felt in his heart.

  Rebel gently guided his wife down onto the soft comforter on their bed. Her long black hair spread out over the white duvet and Rebel ran his fingers through it. In his mind, he remembered when they had only just met and she was brushing it out. She had been so rough with it that he had insisted on taking the brush from her. He replayed the memory in his mind as he stroked her soft hair. Their mating had been
rough on both of them, but in the end turned out to be the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to them.

  “I’m glad you did it,” Leigh said.

  “Rebel moved his head back and looked her in the eyes. Those wonderful yellow eyes. “Did what?” he asked.

  “Stalked me,” she said. “I don’t think I ever told you. I wouldn’t admit it back then, even to myself, but I loved knowing you were there. I didn’t know who you were, but I think I took some measure of comfort knowing you were there.”

  Rebel chuckled. “Then why did you have Sam tell me to back off?”

  She gave him her best “Seriously?” look. He laughed. “Oh right, stalking is illegal.” And then he added, “I’m glad I did it too. It was so worth it.”

  He leaned down and took her mouth. Her hands immediately went to his back as he lowered his weight onto her. As he sucked on her bottom lip, her nails dug into his shoulders. He kissed his way down her neck and then bit gently at her collar bone. She gasped and that fueled his passion even higher. He wedged his thigh between hers and began rocking his hips against her.

  “Is that how it’s gonna be, Cowboy?” Leigh gasped as his cock made contact with her core.

  “Yep” he grinned at her. “Tonight, you are all mine.”

  “Always,” she breathed as he began to use his body to show her exactly what he meant.

  Azerial had been dreaming about a field of flowers. There was a boulder in the center of the field that was covered in moss. The sky was the bluest blue she could imagine. It was peaceful and the most beautiful place. She had dreamed about it several times. A part of her just knew that this place belonged to her. She looked at the huge rock formation. It was flat at the top and it seemed too empty; as if someone should be sitting there on top of it. An image flashed in her mind of a dark haired woman, but it was gone before Azerial could see the details clearly.

  Perhaps it had been a place of worship for her when Azerial had been a goddess. Now, it was just a pretty rock. Azerial shook her head. She started walking forward, allowing her hands to drift over the wild flowers all around her as she moved toward the rock.

  “Azerial,” a man’s voice said to her. She spun around to see who it was, but no one was there. She knew that voice. She didn’t have a name for the man it belonged to, but she knew in her heart that she knew it. Just the sound of it broke her heart, it was so heavy with pain and regret.

  “Who’s there?” she asked into the empty air. “Show yourself.”

  “Azerial,” he said again.

  “This is not amusing,” she declared. “Who are you?”

  An image of a man began to form in front of her. At first all she could make out was the impression of broad shoulders and lightly tanned skin. She looked harder and the image became clearer. The man stepped forward and he became clear to her, as if he stepped out from behind a lense. He had a bald head and dark eyes. Those eyes were sorrowful, and at the same time, were filled with love. He had tattoos down both of his arms. His midsection was trim and fit, the muscles rippling with every step he took. Azerial let her eyes travel down his naked body, deliberately skipping his genitals. She took in his long, muscular legs and even looked at his feet, even though the flowers obscured most of them from her sight. Then her eyes traveled back up. She saw his cock without meaning to, and it was standing at full attention.

  Azerial took a step back.

  “Wait,” he said, putting up his hand as if to stop her from running. “Don’t look at that. That damned thing has a mind of its own. I won’t hurt you, I swear it.”

  Azerial didn’t know how she knew, but she knew that he was telling the truth. “Who are you?” she asked again.

  The man shook his head. “I wish you could remember me,” he said. “I am yours.”

  Azerial nodded her head. She believed him. This man was hers. When he smiled, she corrected herself. This vampire belonged to her. But what about John? Wasn’t she married to him? “I am married,” she blurted out.

  The vampire growled deep in his chest. “Over my dead body,” he grunted out. “He is lying to you. You don’t belong to him and I think you know it. He is telling you whatever it takes to keep you away from me.”

  “Why would he do that?” she asked.

  “Because I did something stupid,” the vampire told her. “I sent you away because I thought it was for the best. Now I know that I was wrong. But that man, that demon, he wants you for himself. I don’t know how he made you forget me, but you are mine.”

  Azerial detected no hint of a lie from this man. Unlike her husband, his words rang true. Everything else she had been told since she woke up with no memory had felt like a lie. Her entire life felt like a lie. “What am I to do?” she asked.

  “Next time we call you, stay with us.”

  “I don’t know how,” she admitted.

  “Yes you do,” he told her. “It’s there. You have the power, you just have to find a way to use it. He can’t take it from you, only make you forget how to use it.”

  “I am afraid,” she resigned.

  He closed the distance between them and took her into his arms. Azerial stepped into his embrace without hesitation. His strong arms encircled her body and she breathed in his woodsy scent. He smelled like a man. He didn’t wear cologne or a special soap, but the scent was strong and it was all his. He kissed the top of her head and said, “I know, so am I, but I will protect you. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

  Azerial looked up into his eyes and she believed him. She allowed herself to relax in his strong arms. He brushed her hair down her back with his hand over and over again. A name flittered through her mind. Sam. Somehow, she knew that was his name. “Don’t leave me again,” she whispered.

  “Oh, Baby,” he sighed, “Never again. Once you are back home safe, I am never letting you go.” She titled her face up to him and he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. Samuel didn’t think; he just kissed her. He tasted her lips gently, savoring her flavor. He breathed in her breath as he ran his tongue softly over her lips and then darted inside for a better taste. He groaned from the pure deliciousness she was. Everything about her felt right to him and she was where she belonged.

  Azerial couldn’t get enough of his kiss. It was familiar and yet strange at the same time. The instant his lips had touched hers, her body came alive with electricity. Everywhere his hands touched, her skin burned for him. She knew this was her home. This is where she was supposed to be. She wanted more of him. Her hands started out on his chest, but they soon began to move hungrily over every inch of skin she could reach. She wanted all of him and she couldn’t get close enough to him. If she could have crawled under his skin and made herself a part of him, she would have.

  He broke away from her mouth, but his lips remained on her skin. He kissed down her jaw and onto her neck. He was growling softly the entire time, making his chest vibrate softly. “I know it’s wrong,” he said against the skin of her neck, “but I need you. I have to have you.”

  “I am yours,” Azerial told him breathlessly. “Take all of me.”

  “What about your grace?”

  “I have no grace now. I am yours for the taking,” she said.

  Samuel lost a little bit of his control then. Had Abaddon touched her? He shook with fury but kept it under lock and key for Azerial’s sake. He pushed her back at arm’s length so that he could look at her. “Has he touched you?” he demanded.

  Azerial shook her head. “I do not believe so,” she said. “But I don’t remember many things.”

  Samuel’s eyes went dark with hatred. “I will kill him. I am going to destroy him.”

  Azerial shushed him with a kiss. “Kill later. Right now, be with me.”

  Samuel put his anger on the back burner. He was overcome by his instincts to mark his mate. He barely remembered to be gentle with her as he laid her on the soft grass. He pushed her white dress aside and bared her lovely breasts to his eyes. Everything was moving with the s
peed of dreams, and somewhere in Samuel’s mind, he knew that was what he was in. A dream. He didn’t care. If this was the only way he could have her, then so be it. He palmed one of her breasts in his hand and she let out a soft moan. That fueled his passion and his cock jumped for her. He settled his weight between her thighs and dropped his head to take one peak into his mouth. He sucked gently at first and then harder.

  Azerial had never felt anything so wonderful before. Sam was suckling at her breast and it was sending delightful zings of energy throughout her body. Each pull of his mouth had her core itching for attention. She raised her hips in an attempt to quell that itch and he moaned. It felt so good that she did it again. Sam raised himself off her body long enough to rip her dress over her head.

  Samuel sat in awe at the beauty in front of him. Azerial was perfect in every manner of speaking. He decided that she must have been the design God had used to create all women from. From her gorgeous eyes to her petite feet, there was nothing that didn’t scream sensuality and beauty. He chuckled to himself when he thought too bad the mold broke. How cliché was that?

  “What is it?” she asked him.

  “Nothing,” he said. “I am just admiring how lovely you are.”

  “I need you,” she said, “Come back to me.”

  And he did. Azerial expected him to come back and kiss her mouth again, but he didn’t. He pushed her thighs open wide and maneuvered his shoulders between them. He deliberately breathed in the scent of her before dropping a kiss to her pelvic bone. Azerial had seen this type of kissing done before with the humans she watched over. But nothing prepared her for the feeling of his tongue sliding through her. He gave her a long lick from her opening to the top of her cleft, and Azerial jerked all over. He grinned up at her and pinned her hips down by laying his arm over her hips. “No you don’t,” he said, “This is mine.”