Into The Divine

by Danielle James

  He has been banished, Angel told her. I will tell you everything when you arrive back home.

  I can’t wait, she said. I miss you so much and I was so worried. Is everyone ok?

  We are fine. Azerial is back and she helped us. I am so very tired, he explained. It has been a very long day.

  I wish I was there with you, she said.

  I wish you were here as well, My Love. Sleep well tonight. Angel closed off the connection between them. Brea could only imagine how hard the day had been for him and her family members. She wanted to call just to hear everyone’s voice, but if Angel told her everything was good, then she believed him. She couldn’t wait to tell everyone the news!

  Her excitement finally bubbled over and she opened her mouth and screamed out her happiness. Jessica rushed into the kitchen with a huge grin on her face and Brea knew that she had heard from Sebastian as well. “Did you hear?” she grinned.

  Brea nodded enthusiastically. Keelie bounded through the door in her wolf form along with Victor and Ricco. She had kept her form for her enhanced abilities when she was the wolf. She was on duty listening and smelling for anything that didn’t seem right. She loped over to Brea and barked one sharp yip. “It’s over,” Brea told her with a huge smile. “Everyone is ok and it’s finally over!” Keelie yipped again and jumped up on Brea. She hugged her wolf friend close and the pair began dancing in a circle.

  “The kids!” Jessica yelled and they all high-tailed it through the house. Macy was smiling as she held Toni. When the excitement burst through the nursery, Toni shifted into her dragon and took flight in her room. She circled near the ceiling, making cooing and happy noises. She didn’t even set anything on fire.

  Jade had been playing Kelly’s guitar, but when she heard the excitement, she carelessly tossed the guitar on the bed and ran to the nursery where all the excitement was going on. She didn’t wait for anyone to tell her what was happening, but slipped right into her mother’s mind and heard her father’s words for herself. She had been so upset and worried that drowning herself in music was the only way she could think about something else. She felt the worry and the fear fade away and suddenly the whole world felt a hundred pounds lighter. Happiness bubbled right up from her belly and out of her mouth. She laughed out loud, and it was so powerful, that even the windows chimed along with her.

  Samuel curled himself around Azerial’s body on his bed. His goddess had given him so much. She gave him his family back. She gave him his heart. As she slept in his arms, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would cost her. He didn’t want her to give up her grace for him, but he couldn’t imagine his life without her either. He would find some way to make it work. He needed her and he had to trust her when she said she knew what was best.

  Samuel had never imagined during his human life that he could experience a love so pure and so right. Azerial had taken him into the divine and back again. She was a Goddess in so many ways that even if she were a human woman, she was too perfect for likes of him. But she wanted him anyway. Samuel didn’t know what he did to gain her love and trust, but he knew he would spend the rest of eternity making sure she never regretted her decision to be with him.

  “She is something to behold, isn’t she?” a man’s voice said.

  Samuel leapt out of his bed and crouched over Azerial’s body. He snarled at the man who spoke. He was tall, with blonde hair that just barely brushed the back of his neck, and blue eyes that were bluer than the sea. He was lithe and athletic looking, but not muscular. His face was almost too beautiful to look at. “Relax Vampire, I mean her no harm,” he said. For some reason, Samuel believed the man who just appeared in his bedroom. There was no malice in the smooth skin of his face.

  “How did you get in here? And who are you?” Samuel demanded in a growl.

  The man chuckled softly. “This is why I chose you,” he said. “You are pure of heart and love fiercely. You are loyal and kind, but also will protect her with your dying breath.”

  “Um, sure, but you still didn’t answer my question.” Samuel stood, but kept his body between the mystery man and his woman. “Who are you?”

  “Father?” Azerial said from behind him.

  “Yes child, I am here,” he said softly. His face softened more and Samuel could see love and pride radiating from him.

  “Father?” he said, a little gobsmacked. “As in…”

  “Yes,” the man said.

  Azerial got up off the bed and stood by Samuel. He tried to push her behind him, but she wouldn’t allow it. She pushed in front of Samuel as if to protect him.

  “You have done well my child,” the man said. “I am proud.”

  “Thank you, Father,” Azerial said, lowering her head in a respectful bow.

  “I feared that you would seek retribution for my actions. Time manipulation is not allowed except under extreme circumstances. I did it to save the family. I did it because I love them and because Sam loves them. I couldn’t handle the grief. I am prepared to accept the consequences of my selfish actions.” Azerial kept her head bowed as she spoke to him.

  Samuel was blubbering all kinds of nonsense in his own head. If Azerial was calling this man Father, and she was a goddess, then he must be…. No. No freaking way. Couldn’t be. Sam shook his head as if to clear the nonsense. That sort of thing just didn’t happen. Right? He couldn’t be….

  “I do not seek to punish you,” the man replied. “I could not stand the thought of so many good souls being taken at the same time either. I am proud of you for keeping the balance between good and evil level. Your actions were justified. I have come to grant you a reward.”

  “I would ask that you allow me one day,” Azerial suggested to the man quickly. “I wish to be with Samuel.”

  “You love him.” Not a question, but a statement of fact from the man.

  “Yes,” Azerial answered immediately. “More than I can express.”

  The man smiled. “You have been one of my best creations yet,” the man said. Samuel couldn’t bring himself to think his name for fear that it might upset some grand design or some shit. “You have given so much but taken so little for yourself. Would you have this vampire as your mate?”

  “Oh yes,” Azerial said quickly. “I would like nothing more.”

  The man smiled at her. “Then vampire, would you have her as your mate? Love her with your whole soul and never let her go?”

  Samuel croaked. He opened his mouth to answer and all that came out was frog noises. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Yes, yes of course. I already do.”

  The man smiled. “Then it shall be done,” he said, inclining his head once. “I bless you both with an eternity together in happiness.”

  “Wait, what about her grace? Will she lose it? I won’t have that. I can’t take that from her,” Samuel interrupted.

  The man chuckled again. “That is why you are the perfect one for her. You put her above your own wants and desires. I will not take her grace, but she will have less responsibility among her kind. She needs to be a mate first now. She will always be my child and I do not take back a gift I have given.”

  “Thank you, Father,” Azerial said with a huge, beaming smile.

  “Yeah, um, thank you,” Samuel agreed.

  “Be well my children,” the man said and then he disappeared.

  Samuel stood there in his room, staring at the spot where the man had just stood. “Was that?”

  “Yes,” Azerial told him.

  “And why do I get the feeling that we just got married in the most permanent way possible?”

  “Because we did,” she answered with a smile.

  “Damn,” Samuel breathed.

  “Yes,” Azerial agreed.

  “So we can…” Sam kept going.

  “Yes we can,” Azerial laughed. And then, right on cue, Samuel’s dick woke up.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Azerial heard what started as a faint growling noise that became louder and louder. S
he realized it was coming from Samuel. His whole demeanor had changed in the blink of an eye. Instead of the protective, somewhat tentative attitude he had only moments earlier, he was now in full predator mode. And she was his prey. Excitement zinged down her spine and flashes of the dream she now knew that she shared with him flew through her mind. Her body heated and she resisted the urge to push her thighs together to quell the ache that came on all at once.

  She backed away two steps from him, only to have him take two steps forward. “Are you really gonna run?” he asked her in a deep, hungry voice. His eyes had gone dark and his teeth were slightly over his bottom lip. Azerial knew he wanted to mark her. And she was going to let him. But instead of answering his question, she raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a playful smile, just before she jumped over the bed and tried to run.

  In a flash, Samuel was in front of her, blocking the door. “Not this way,” he growled at her. She stepped backward again and he prowled forward. He kept his head down and his shoulders tight. He was predator and she was his prey. She backed up until she had nowhere else to go; her back was against the wall. As he closed the distance between them, he began yanking his shirt over his head. Azerial saw the way his muscles played under his skin and she found that she loved the new artwork that was on his arms. She recognized her own eyes and her heart stuttered. She licked her lips in anticipation as he finally came up in front of her. He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head, caging her with his body.

  Samuel breathed in her scent and knew she was ready. But he wanted to savor every second with her. That dream they had was going to look like nothing when he was finished with her. If he did it right, she wasn’t going to leave their room for several days. He pushed his body into hers and loved the feel of her soft body against his. She gasped when he rolled his hips and she felt his cock pushing against her belly. “You are mine,” he growled just before taking her lips.

  Samuel kissed her like a man starved and she was an oasis. She tasted like honey and berries. She was the sweetest wine and he was an alcoholic. He just couldn’t get enough of her. She sucked his tongue further into her mouth and Samuel nearly lost it. “Oh, God,” he moaned.

  “I think you mean Goddess,” she said smartly.

  Samuel grinned. “Yes ma’am, Goddess,” he corrected himself as he picked her up into his arms and sat her on the bed. He pulled her clothes off of her body with an agonizingly slow tempo. He kissed her lips, her neck, and then finally her breasts.

  “Oh yes, finally,” she sighed when he took one hard nipple into his mouth. She could feel the movement in his chest and knew that he was laughing silently. She didn’t care. He was alternating between licking her and sucking at her breast. Her body was heating up fast and quickly approaching supernova status. “More,” she demanded.

  Samuel was only too happy to oblige. He moved and took her other nipple into his mouth while rolling the first one between his first finger and thumb. Her hips were moving underneath him and he shifted his weight so that he rested between her thighs. Her hands had gone to his head and she was holding him tightly to her as she gasped for air. Sam was loving it. He felt her fingernails bite into his scalp and that made him suck harder.

  He felt her body shaking under his and Samuel knew what she needed. He let go of her nipple with a popping noise and pushed up her body. He wedged one hand between them and cupped her sex. He dropped his head to take her mouth in a kiss. She was very much in desperate need and he knew he could help. She bit at his lip and he moaned. She pushed his head back with her hand and latched on to his neck, sucking hard. “Oh fuck yes,” he growled. “Bite me, Baby, do it.”

  Azerial set her teeth to the cord in his neck and applied pressure. His answering growl made her do it harder. She loved the sounds he made and she found herself even more turned on by them. She was rocking her pelvis against his hand and he applied more pressure. Yes, that was what she needed. He came down on her and kissed at her neck. She was surrounded by sensation. Every lick and every touch set her on fire and she felt a pressure building in her sex. She remembered the feeling from her dream. Oh yes, she wanted that.

  Samuel felt her heat as she literally came in his hand. He had wanted so badly to be in control and make the first time last. Really he did. But after watching her succumb to the pleasure he was giving her, Samuel couldn’t hold off any longer. “I have to be inside you,” he groaned. “Now.”

  Azerial was too blissed out to say anything, but she nodded her head. He yanked his pants off and was back on top of her in a second. “I will try not to hurt you,” he promised her. And then, he pushed inside her. Slowly. Inch by inch.

  Azerial felt him filling her and she loved the feeling. She relaxed as more of him pushed inside of her. When they both felt resistance, Samuel stopped. “Are you sure about this?” he asked her. “Once it’s done I can’t take it back. And it will probably hurt a little.”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Make me yours,” she commanded, and he was lost. Samuel forced his cock past her barriers and kept going. Azerial gasped and gripped his shoulders tight.

  When he was as far inside her as he could go, he looked at her face. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He watched as her expression slowly went from very uncomfortable to happy again. “I need to move as soon as you’re ready,” he said.

  Azerial smiled and pushed her hips up into his. That was all the encouragement he needed. He began to move inside her just like he had in their dream, only the sensations were far stronger in real life, she noticed. Her body soon forgot about the pain and was moving with him. Faster and harder, both of them hurdling toward the same goal.

  “Mine,” Azerial claimed. And Samuel knew it. He paused only long enough to score the side of his neck for her. It was a small cut, but it bled and that was the point. He didn’t need to tell her what he wanted her to do. Azerial pulled him down and sealed her mouth over the wound he created. She sucked greedily and Sam thought he might have heard her growl. Or maybe it was him. He couldn’t decide and couldn’t concentrate anyway, because her body started to coil around him. He held her mouth to his neck as a major orgasm rocked her body. When she tried to let go, he held her to him. He angled his head so that he could have access to her neck as well.

  He struck hard and without warning. Azerial screamed out in pleasure as he sucked from her neck. Her blood was rich and delicious, unlike anything he had ever tasted before. He slammed his hips into her as he gave her everything he had to give.

  Samuel had never slept as well as he did in his post coital bliss with Azerial at his side. It was a strange noise that roused him from his orgasm induced slumber. It sounded like thunder. He shot straight up in bed and Azerial did the same. “What was that?” she gasped, pulling the covers up over her breasts. The sound came again, only louder. It was like a pissed off bull raging down the hallway.

  “Shit, I better check that out,” Sam said as he stood quickly and yanked his pants up. No sooner than he decided to take a step forward did he realize that he couldn’t and pitched forward, landing right on his face.

  “Oh my goodness, are you ok?” Azerial asked, forgetting all about the covers and jumping off the bed to help him.

  “What the hell?” Samuel said, rolling over and looking at his pants. Someone had been oh so nice as to sew the legs together! “Damn it,” he cursed and shucked them right back off. He tossed Azerial one of his shirts and as soon as she pulled it over her head, he yanked the bedroom door open. After he figured out why a bull was in the house, he was gonna kick the ass of whomever sewed his pants.

  Samuel raced down the stairs in only his boxers with Azerial hot on his heels. When he got downstairs, he was met with howling laughter. Antonio was lying on the floor, fetus style, holding his belly and laughing so hard that he was crying. Leigh and Frankie were giggling as well. Sam took another look and realized that all of his brothers were in their boxers. Except Gage. He was naked. And soaking wet. He was standing over Antonio
with his hands on his hips and breathing hard. Samuel was pretty sure Gage was contemplating the merits of killing him. Oh, and Gage was blue. From head to toe, the man was blue.

  “All… Hail… King… Smurf!” Antonio bellowed between hoots of laughter.

  “You are so funny,” Gage remarked with heavy sarcasm. “Too fucking funny.”

  “Wait,” Antonio barked out, “Go get your crown! Put that shit on top of your head and be King Smurf! You can smurf all the smurfs around here to do your smurfing!”

  “I think you might be going back to Heaven a little sooner than anticipated,” Gage said with a perfect calm, but the corner of his mouth was twitching as he fought a smile.

  Antonio slapped his knee and laughed louder.

  Serena grinned a huge, mischievous grin and started singing, “La la lala la la… la lala la la…”

  Gage turned and growled at her, which only made her burst into outright laughter.

  Samuel looked at Jacque and said, “Pants?”

  Jacque smiled and nodded. “Fell on my ass trying to get them on.”

  “Same here,” Sebastian added.

  “I didn’t fall,” Angel told them with a half grin, “But it was close.”

  Samuel couldn’t be mad about his pants any longer. Between the look of resignation on all his family’s faces, and the look on Gage’s blue face, it was all he could do not to howl right along with Antonio. When Azerial began laughing, his heart swelled and the smile he was wearing broke into rolling laughter. Soon, the whole room was laughing and no one thought about the things that happened only the night before. Demons and death became a distant memory as love and laughter healed their wounds.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “I can’t wait,” Rebel announced. “What is taking them so long?”

  “It is a long flight,” Frankie reminded him.