Ardeur (Abbey of Angels)

by Danielle Gavan

  I hadn't thought that Brody could speak in his current form but he did. Even if the words were somewhat distorted, his intent was clear.

  “You put silver on a woman pregnant with werewolf babies?” A wet crunch and a high-pitched scream made the three of us flinch. “You nearly killed my children. Mine.” The next crunch was followed by the sound of something large hitting and sliding down the wall.

  Brody stepped back, his massive shoulders and chest heaving, the golden glow of his eyes like a beacon calling to me. He turned to look away from me and I realized he was trying to pull in enough air to calm down and revert to his human form.

  The fur was the first to go as his body realigned itself and settled back into the roguishly handsome man I'd pledged to be with forever. I knew his skin would be sensitive and the most delicate of touches would be uncomfortable for him but I couldn't resist running into his arms once he was back to normal.

  “Thank the gods you're okay, baby.” Brody leaned back and I gave him the brightest smile I could muster. “The twins are okay too?”

  I took one of his big hands and placed it on the rounded evidence of our children. “They're perfect and healthy.”

  He smiled and dropped to his knees to press his face against my belly. “Thank God you're all okay and I swear to any god that will listen - you are never leaving my goddamn side again.”

  “I know. I have no plans to go anywhere without you ever.” My fingers brushed through the short brown strands of his hair. I met Tate's eyes and smiled. “Think you could do a clean up job on this mess? I've been in the same clothes since he took me and, as you can see, they've seen better days.”

  Tate laughed and stepped forward, careful to avoid the werewolf at my feet lest he trip over Brody's size fourteen boots. “I'll do you one better.” He waved his hand over me and instantly had not only changed my clothes, but cleaned all the dried blood and dirt from my skin. “Shiny new you. How about some shiny new powers too? I believe you chose Anger and Wrath?”

  My gaze slid over to the broken and bloodied man in the corner. Rae sat slumped against the wall, one leg twisted at an unnatural angle and the opposite shoulder dislocated so that his body made a crazy zigzag form. There was no pity in me for him after all the things he'd done to make me suffer. “I absolutely did. Bring on the new toys.”

  Zacharael stepped forward and touched Brody on the shoulder. “I hate to break up your reunion my friend, but this requires a bit of space between the two of you.”

  “Back off, Zach.” Brody stood and tilted my face up to meet his lips. The kiss he gave me was soft and lingered long enough with just the right amount of heat to make the others squirm and cough. “I love you. Now,” he stepped back and winked at me, “go get your new toys so we can get out of here.” His fingers brushed over my cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “We've got a month of being apart to make up for and I don't want to waste another single minute.”

  “Love you too.” I pulled him down for another quick kiss and then turned to Tate. “Whenever you're ready.”

  He waited until Brody had stepped back far enough before approaching where I stood. I'd forgotten how breathtaking Tate was when he let his power flow over him. The emerald green light that shone from beneath his skin was stunning and I found it hard to focus on much else as his hands raised and settled on my shoulders.

  “Relax. It's going to hurt enough if you're relaxed. Being tense will make it ten times worse.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to will my nervous system to quiet, but it was useless. The first wave of power blasted through my body and I threw my head back with a scream as I felt myself lifted from the floor. Wave after wave of pain broke over me; finally, I blacked out and surrendered myself to the changes taking place inside of me when the agony became too much to bear and retain my sanity.

  Twenty Eight

  The darkness surrounding me brought back feelings of panic and I fought against the choking fear that welled up inside. I had been rescued from Rae's demented idea of bliss. I was safe and back in Brody's apartment, but where was he?

  Just as quickly as the panic had come, it was banished by the warm, woodsy scent of my mate. His big hand enveloped mine with the scalding heat that was as much a part of him as the dimples in his cheeks and the devastating charmer's grin I loved so much. The very same grin met my eyes when my lashes fluttered open and my eyes focused on the best thing ever - his face.

  “It's about time you wake up, Goldie.” He kissed my knuckles and looked at me, concern plain in his eyes. “How do you feel?”

  I tried to sit up but the full body ache I was rocking laid me out flat. A short, painful roll to the side was all I could manage and brought my face against Brody's shoulder. “Damn it, that hurts. Where did Tate and Zach disappear to?”

  Brody brushed the hair from my face and kissed my cheek. “They decided to give us a few minutes of privacy. I have some news from back home that I thought you might like to hear.”

  “Really? Help me sit up and then you can tell me.” I tugged on his hand for leverage to lift myself and instead found my body shifted into his arms as he stood and settled back down on the bed with me seated firmly in his lap while he reclined against the headboard.

  His big, warm hands settled on the swell of my stomach and began a slow, gentle rub. “You remember when I told you about my Gran O'Hare back in Ireland?” He waited for me to nod that yes, I did remember and then continued. “Isobeal called a last week and told me that Gran passed away.”

  My hands covered his to still the rub down he was giving me. “I'm sorry, baby. I know how much you loved your Gran.” I tilted my head to look up at him. “When's the funeral?”

  “It's already happened. Belle flew over a few days ago and took care of things for us.” He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled despite the sadness in his eyes. “She's getting the house ready for us.”

  “House? What house?” Ignoring the ache in my back and the thundering headache threatening to split my skull, I pulled away and turned to face him. “What are you talking about? You don't have a house in Ireland. Not any that you told me about.”

  Brody shook his head and pulled me back against his chest. “Relax, Goldie. I was getting to that.” He resumed his rubbing of my belly and sighed, his contentment with the situation obvious. “Gran left the farm and everything she had to us on the condition we get married in the house before the twins are born.”

  He let me sit for a moment and digest the information. Ireland was a huge jump from anywhere I'd ever imagined our life together might lead us. Our discussions prior to my abduction about what the future held had always been that we would move closer to where his friend, Alby, lived with his wife and children.

  I had no family to keep us on this side of the ocean and what relatives Brody had, only wanted the best for him. If that meant moving to Ireland and raising our family there, they would be behind that decision and respect it.

  “Ireland. Okay, when do we leave?”

  “Really?” The surprised happiness in his voice was wonderful to hear after so long without any brightness in my days.

  “Yes, really.” I laughed and covered his hands with mine again. “Where we live isn't important to me, baby. As long as you're with me, we could live in a cardboard box and I'd be the happiest woman ever.”

  There was a soft knock on the door seconds before Metatron popped his head into the room and then stepped fully inside when he saw us sitting up. “How's the newest Angel of Anger and Wrath doing? Ready to test your wings?”

  Wings? I blinked at Tate and then realized that was why my back hurt. I had wings back there now. “Hell, yeah. Let's bust those suckers out and see what we've got.”

  My feet swung down over the side of the bed and touched the floor. Before I knew what was happening, I was back on the bed and both men were hovering over me with concerned faces.

  “Take it easy, Ardy.” Tate's glowing hands touched down on my forehead and
chest. The aches and pains eased after a moment and I nodded when I felt better. “Transfiguration is a bitch at the best of times. You've just been through a month of beatings, you're pregnant and you just took on one hell of a lot of power. Slow and steady is the key here.” He helped Brody sit me up and swing my legs back down again. “No need to rush it and make things any more difficult than they need to be.”

  I gripped Brody's hand tight in my own and stood with his assistance until the stars in my vision cleared. “I think it's okay now.” He didn't let go and I smiled up at him. “Puppy, let go. I need to do this for myself.”

  Brody stepped back with a growl. “If you feel dizzy again, you need to let me know.” He touched my face and gave me a small smile. “It's not just you anymore.”

  Tate moved closer and returned the bright smile that I gave him. “It's going to hurt like a bitch the first time.” I cocked an eyebrow at him but he shrugged and continued. “The pockets that contain your wings are sealed until you deploy them the first time. Afterwards they'll have an opening and it won't hurt anymore.”

  “Right. Is there anything about this process that doesn't hurt?” I shook my head and dismissed the comment. “How do I get them out?”

  “Just think-” His words were cut off by the wet ripping sound of skin tearing apart. “Get your shirt off before they tear it to shreds.”

  I shook my head and screamed. “Can't. Fuuuuuuck.” The shirt on my back was the last thing on my mind as the pressure behind each shoulder blade grew and then exploded outward with the sound of canvas sails unfolding in the wind. “Oh, God.” The pain dissipated and I bent over to throw up in the wastebasket someone had thought to place at my feet.

  Brody stood in awe at the vision of beauty that was his mate. Ardeur's wings arced behind her to brush the floor with their tips. He turned to look at Tate who stood next to him in slack-jawed amazement.

  “I thought Angels had white wings?”

  Metatron blinked and swallowed. “We do for the most part. Mine and Rae's are black.” He took a step forward and reached out to touch the unique feathers that covered his friend's wings. “I've never seen anything like these before. Then again, there's never been an Angel of Anger and Wrath before. It's usually one, or the other.”

  The feathers ranged in color from brightest white where they jutted from her back to the dark gray of a storm cloud's underbelly toward the ends. The silver tips looked as if someone had taken the time to individually dip every single feather and put it back with care.

  Ardeur shrugged as her back got used to the extra weight on her shoulders and her wings beat a gust of air that forced both men to brace themselves to remain standing or be blown over.

  “That's damn impressive, baby.” Brody smiled and stepped forward to slick his hand over her feathers. “You've always been beautiful to me but this - this is amazing.”

  “Let's go outside.” Ardeur grinned at them like a five year who'd just gotten a new bike for Christmas. “I wanna test these babies out.”

  Tate laughed at her exuberance and shook his head. “We can't. This place is way too public and you'd be spotted the minute those wings caught sunlight.” He closed his eyes for a brief moment and shook his head again. “It's not safe yet. They haven't locked Rae in his cell and, until he's bound, we can't take the chance he'll escape and come after you again.”

  A familiar jingle I recognized as the ringtone on Brody's cellphone saved any further argument. He flipped the small black device open and pressed it to his ear with a smile.

  “Hey, Belle.” Brody wrapped his arm around my shoulders, careful of the wings now taking up most of the real estate his arms previously occupied when we hugged. “She’s perfectly fine. Twins too.”

  I snuggled against his side and relaxed as his hands stroked over my feathers while he talked to his sister and made plans. The gentle touch was soothing and I soon found my eyelids drooping.

  A soft chuckle caught my attention and I looked up to see Tate grinning at me. “Feels good, doesn't it?”

  “Very. I don't think I've ever felt this relaxed in my life.” I stifled a yawn against Brody's chest and smiled at Tate. “Will it hurt when I pull them back in?”

  He shook his head. “No but it may take some concentration to get them to retract the first time. After that, it'll be easy peasy as you like to say.” His chin tilted toward my back. “Give it a try. Just think about your back being its normal, smooth surface and they'll pull in on their own.”

  Brody released me to step away so I could concentrate. His being close was a constant distraction and as cool as I thought my new toys were, it was time to put them away if I couldn't take them out for a test flight.

  It took what felt like forever spent visualizing my normal back to get my wings to retract, but finally, with a sudden shudder they collapsed and folded back inside.

  “That wasn't too bad.” I rolled my shoulders to relieve the small bit of pressure left behind and smiled at both men.

  Tate nodded his approval. “Not bad at all for a first timer.” He stepped forward and hugged me just as Brody was ending his phone call. “You have some training thanks to what we did at the Abbey, but there's still a lot you need to know. I'll have an Angel of Wrath and an Angel of Anger come down to teach you what they can before the babies come.” His hand rested briefly on my belly. “There won't be much physical training since you'll be too big for it soon.”

  Strong arms that smelled of autumn and home wrapped around me from behind. “They can wait until after the wedding. I want some time with my mate before the insanity starts.” I flinched and he cursed as he realized his poor choice of words. “Sorry, baby. I just want us to have some quiet, normal time together. I've missed out on the first part of you being pregnant and I want to make it up to you.”

  He released me enough that I could turn in his arms and his lips met mine as my face turned up for a kiss. I sighed into the embrace as Brody's tongue swept inside of my mouth and made me forget that Tate was in the room with us.

  “I'm just going to… Yeah, I'll go.”

  I waved goodbye without breaking the kiss with Brody, and squeaked happily when he picked me up and took me back to bed.

  The material of my shirt was in tatters thanks to the explosive emergence of my wings, thus making it easy to shrug it from my shoulders and lift the collar over my head. Brody wasted no time. The second my skin was bared to him, he covered it with his hands and mouth while he acquainted himself with the new, rounded terrain of my body and the fuller voluptuousness of my breasts.

  “Goldie, that's-” He brushed aside the lace cup of my bra and freed my left breast. The hungry look in his eyes warmed me in all of the right places. I moaned when Brody nipped the underside and then licked his way up to suck the peak of the dusky nipple into his mouth.

  My hands skimmed over the cotton that covered his shoulders. Thick, heavy muscles bunched and flexed beneath my fingertips as he unsnapped the front clasp of my bra. The lacy, red material slid off and Brody covered my other breast with the heat of his palm. I dug my nails into the dense muscles as they bunched beneath my touch and willed his t-shirt gone. The material dematerialized and his bare skin met mine in a rush of heat. “Beautiful.”

  Being apart for a month had fudged my memory of just how big my wolf truly was and how much I loved having the heated length of his body above mine. The advancement of my pregnancy forced him to relearn my body and how to navigate around the obstacle it provided him.

  The loss of the warmth when his mouth and hands moved to skim over the contours of my abdomen left my breasts aching for more of the sweet torture his tongue and teeth had offered.

  “This,” his right hand slid over the small round of my belly with the barest of touches, “is so damn sexy, baby.” Brody slid down further on what was now our bed and knelt between my knees. He hooked a finger under the thin lace covering my hips and tugged my crimson panties down the length of my legs, baring me to him completely. �
��So beautiful.”

  I couldn't get enough of the bronzed and freckled man raining love on me with just one simple look. It still amazed me how this glorious man was mine and he'd chosen me to be with forever.

  Brody's hands slid down the slope of my thighs and spread them wider. His thumb found what it had been looking for and flicked over the sensitive nub of flesh at the apex of my sex. That one, simple touch had my back bowed off the bed and a handful of sheets clutched in each hand. “Brody - baby please.”

  “Not yet.” He chuckled, the sound mixed in with the rustling of sheets and my own soft mews as he continued to stoke the fire in my veins. “I want the taste of you on my tongue.” Warm breath brushed over my skin and hinted at what was to come. “I've missed your sweetness and the sounds you make when I- “ He didn't finish the sentence but chose to show me instead. His tongue swept over me and swirled over the place where his thumb had been a moment before.

  The mix of mews and soft moans that slipped from my lips turned to cries and pleas for more when Brody slipped a thick finger inside of me and curled it in a come-hither motion that rocked my hips off the bed. “Please, baby. More.” I gripped a handful of his thick hair and pulled at it, the need to have him inside of me frantic and all consuming.

  He gave me what I wanted and slipped another digit inside while he hummed his satisfaction at my reaction against my already sensitive flesh. “Yeah. That's it, baby.” My hips rocked against his mouth desperately, helpless to stop against the tide of pleasure that was rushing to break over me and pull me under.

  Brody held my hips, his mouth forming a vacuum of suction that pushed me over the edge, screaming into the wave of bliss that started with him and spread until it covered me like a warm blanket of ecstasy.

  My brain was so busy enjoying the sensations zinging through my veins that it took a moment to realize that Brody had rolled me to my side and slid in behind me. He'd draped my right leg over his thick thighs and was pushing inside of me when my brain and body caught up with each other. I cried out at the delicious fullness that always accompanied his penetration of my body and tilted my hips back for more.