by Amanda Jones
“Feed,” he whispered in her ear.
Turning her head into his neck, she licked along his jugular. B shuddered, tiny electric shocks of pleasure exploded, setting off aftershocks that spread throughout his body like mini orgasms. Every touch felt like a bolt of lightning striking him in the heart, breaking it open for her. He felt her fangs slide into his skin, and the tiny pop of the vein being punctured. He was falling into an abyss of pure pleasure. His skin was sensitized beyond anything he could ever have imagined as they moved together, his pelvis brushing against her tight bud with every powerful thrust. After centuries of exile he’d found his way back to heaven through this woman. He wanted to stay in this bed with her for the rest of time. He felt Mara’s fingers scrape against his scalp as she held his head still with one hand, taking in his lifeblood as he gave her pleasure. B felt her free hand travel down his chest, past his angelic sigil, down his abs and belly to touch herself as he slid in and out of her. B felt himself getting closer; he heard Mara’s tiny noises of pleasure as she swallowed him down.
Her fangs slid out of his neck and her tongue swiped sensuously over the puncture as her channel began to ripple. She stifled a cry next to his ear. B felt electric tingles shoot out from the base of his spine as he came. The aftershocks just kept on going until B felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest.
As the erotic storm subsided, B rolled over to Mara’s side so he wouldn’t crush her with his weight. He turned his head on the pillow, facing his woman, and revelling in her expression of bliss. Mara reached over and ran her fingers through the hair at his temple lovingly. Her irises were swimming crimson, gold, and emerald green. She gave him a small, peaceful smile, and edged over to lay her head down on his chest over his sigil, her arm snaked around his chest, holding him close. No words were necessary; they were both in absolutely the same place, but B needed to say it for the first time since his fall from heaven.
He kissed the fiery mass of curls on the top of her head. “I love you,” he whispered.
The greatest sense of peace he’d ever felt washed over him as he closed his eyes.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Sergei
Sergei stood alone in the darkness of the balcony gazing out at the pinpricks of light in the windows of the adjacent apartment buildings. How the hell was he going to explain this one without giving away his dark accomplice? He’d left the living room with no hope in sight, and now he was returning with a sparkling vial containing a heavenly cure…from a balcony…where he was alone. Was there really any explanation that Sam and the guys would buy? He looked down at the tiny glass container in his palm. It was hard to believe that such a tiny thing could contain something as powerful as the essence of heaven.
Sergei took a deep breath and turned to open the glass slider. He drew back the curtain just enough to step back in and slid the door closed behind himself. The tiny vial felt like it was burning a hole in his palm. Everyone was right where he’d left them, noses buried in books, Yetarel muttering to himself on the couch, and the bedroom door closed with Mara and B behind it. Sam glanced up at him as the slider clicked shut. He popped up from the armchair he’d been reading in and made his way over to Sergei.
“Any bright new ideas to try out?” Sam asked, unable to hide the tinge of hope in his voice.
Sergei cleared his throat, not sure what to say, there was no story he could weave that would make any sense without revealing the mysterious dark angel that had visited him. He simply opened his palm, showing the glittering vial to Sam — who stared down at it, his eyes as wide as saucers.
“Is that what I think it is?” Sam asked, his voice full of awe.
“Well, if you think it’s a vial of heavenly essence, then yes.” Sergei replied, praying that the next questions weren’t going to be about where he got it.
Sam’s gloved hand stretched forward towards the vial before being drawn back suddenly. “I can’t believe it?” He shook his head. “It’s been centuries since I’ve seen a piece of heaven…not since before my fall.”
“It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it?” Sergei gave Sam a small smile. “It must have been amazing in the heavens.”
Sam shook his head sadly. “You have no idea. But where did you…?”
Before he had a chance to answer, the sparkling vial drew the attention of the other fallen in the room. Al and Bill jumped up from their seats and raced over, desperate to get close to a tiny piece of their former home. It was as though they were drawn to the vial’s contents by a force beyond their control.
“Yo, Amir. Come over here and take a look at this shit. Bet you’ve never seen anything like it.” Bill shouted over to the Jinn.
Amir glanced over and visibly shuddered. “Sorry, boys. I think I’ll keep my demon ass safe over here—that shit could kill me.”
“Dude, you are fucking brilliant!” Al exclaimed, clapping Sergei on the back. “When in Sheol did you summon the angels? And how the fuck did you get them to land on your narrow-ass balcony?” He shook his head and waved it off. “Never mind, I don’t give a shit…just brilliant!”
“No kidding!” Bill exclaimed. “Fucking awesome! How long will it take to cure Yetarel?”
The how’s and why’s now forgotten, Sergei took to answering the second half of the questioning.
“It’s not going to cure him, guys. It’s only enough to slow the infection down.” Sergei passed his eyes around the room, connecting with each of the fallen. “But it will give us time to really find a cure.”
The guys nodded, understanding that this was, without a doubt, their best option to keep Yetarel alive. They started chatting amongst themselves about where they might be able to get more heavenly essence. It was unlikely that there would be much of the essence left on earth, but some had been hidden millennia ago by warrior angels, to be used to combat powerful demons should an apocalypse ever be triggered.
Sergei made a silent “thank you” to whatever power was making these fallen angels forget the bigger question of how he’d managed to get his hands on the vial. He’d have to find a way to contact the mysterious woman that was helping them, though he had no idea how he’d pull it off. He didn’t have a name, and all he knew was that she was some kind of winged creature…presumably, a dark angel. He would need to have something of hers, a lock of hair, or some blood in order to perform the magic necessary to find her through magic. Maybe someone at The Advocate would know who she was if he described her; he’d have to look into that once this was all over.
“Come on. Let’s get this into him before the infection spreads any further.” Sergei motioned for everyone to join him over by the couch. “Do you guys mind holding him down? I’m not sure how he’ll react.”
Yetarel was still mumbling to himself about demons and evil, his head tossing and turning on the couch pillow. Al held onto his shoulders as Bill moved around to grab onto his ankles. Sam pulled out a pocketknife and made a small incision in the middle of his forearm, directly in the center of one of his black, sludgy veins. The stench of death and evil seeped out of the open wound. Sergei gagged as the smell reached him. Breathing through his mouth, he popped open the vial and dropped the shimmering liquid into Yetarel’s open vein. As the liquid hit the black ooze, Yetarel’s body jacked up off the couch. He started flopping up and down like a fish out of water, seizing, his head snapping back on the cushion with a force strong enough to break a mortal man’s neck. His teeth snapped together, his back arched so hard Sergei heard the bones in his spine snap and pop from the pressure.
“Shit!” Sam yelled as the fallen all scrambled for a better grip on their friend’s body.
As quickly as the spasms started, they ceased. Yetarel’s body crashed back down on the sofa to lie still as the dead. His breathing evened out and his face fell into a state of complete relaxation for the first time in hours. The fallen released their hold on their friend and stepped back, staring down at him as he lay there, deep in sleep.
�
�Damn.” Sam whispered. “That was intense.”
They all backed away slowly, dropping onto various couches and chairs one by one as the exhaustion of the past few days finally kicked in.
“I think you guys are all due for a bit of rest.” Amir said, walking to an empty space in the room. “I’ll check in on you all later. Gonna head out to my place for a change of clothes and a nap.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Thanks for your help, man.” Sam gave him a tired wave and dropped his head onto the back of the armchair he’d flopped down in. “Something tells me there won’t be much rest for the wicked.”
Chapter Twenty Nine
Mara
Mara smiled as she lay nestled beside B, her head on his shoulder. She ran her index finger lightly over the angelic sigil that rested over his heart. The intricate design was unique to every angel, an outward symbol of their connection to the Deity. While he’d slept it had begun to glow with a soft gold light that was only growing brighter. B twitched beside her and suddenly burst out laughing, grabbing her hand gently and rolling them both to pin her under his body.
“Hey!” She cried out.
B smiled down at her, still chuckling. “That tickles.”
“Oh, is my angel ticklish?” she said with a naughty wink. “That’s definitely something for me to keep in mind for the future.”
He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“What? Being tickled as torture?” she asked.
“No,” he smiled down at her. “I like the sound of a future, even if it’s a future where you’ll tickle torture me.”
Mara gazed up at him and saw the love in his eyes. “Me too,” she said softly. Reaching up, she snaked her hand around the back of his neck and drew his head down to whisper in his ear. “FYI, you snore.”
B moved to look down at her with feigned horror. “What? Me, snore? Never!”
They both burst out laughing.
“You’re going to get tickled a lot if you keep glowing like that. Your sigil is so beautiful; it’ll be hard to keep my hands off.” Mara reached back out to touch it gently.
“What?” B glanced down at his chest in confusion. “What the hell?”
He sat up to straddle her legs, reaching down with a shaking hand to touch the shimmering outline of his angelic marking.
“It hasn’t looked like this since I fell.” B’s face was full of wonder.
Mara sat up. “What does it mean?” she asked softly.
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He looked into her eyes and smiled. “But for once I don’t think it could possibly be anything bad.”
Mara leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest. “I agree.”
* * * *
Bataryal
B rested comfortably in her arms for a moment, revelling in the calm purity of the moment. His inner bad boy couldn’t resist having her in his arms.
He bent his head down to whisper in his ear. “So, do you want to have another go with your golden boy?”
Mara’s chiming laughter was music to his ears as she drew back to swat him playfully on the shoulder.
“I’d love to, but I have a funny feeling the boys in the other room are going to bust in here soon to make sure we’re still alive.” She wiggled out from under him and hopped off the side of the bed to stand naked before him. “Personally, I’d like to run home and have a quick shower and change my clothes before we head off on the next part of our adventure.”
B took one long look at her standing there in front of him — her pert breasts, narrow waist, and flaring hips — and he groaned, falling back on the bed like she’d shot him with an arrow.
“Woman, you’re killing me!” He twisted his head to look at her again. “As soon as we find a cure for Yetarel, we’re going to find a nice quiet place where we can stay in bed for a week.”
Mara laughed out loud as she hunted on the floor for her jeans and shirt. “I’m on board with that plan.” She eyed his naked body. “You’ll have a hard time keeping me off you.”
Scrambling towards her on the bed, B grabbed her around the waist, pulling her breasts flush against his chest. “Why don’t I come with you?” He gave her a devilish smile. “We can get your clothes and a shower together…”
Mara gave him a reluctant shove. “Naughty angel. You know as well as I do that if you come with me we’ll get distracted. I only live a couple of blocks away; I’ll be gone forty-five minutes tops.”
He gave her the most pathetic sad little boy face he could muster. “Fine, but hurry.”
Mara grabbed her torn panties off the floor and tossed them at his head. “I’ll be back before you know it. Just imagine me running around the neighborhood commando…that should keep you going for a while,” she said with a wink as she wriggled into her jeans.
B snatched the panties out of the air and sighed. “You’re just making it worse.”
A soft knock sounded at the door, and Mara gave B a self-satisfied smile. “I told you someone would be checking on us.”
He slid out of bed and grabbed his pants off the floor. “Yeah, yeah.” Looking up he gave her a quick wink.
Mara stuck out her tongue and turned to open the door a crack to see Sam standing there with the world’s most fake innocent expression.
“Is everything okay in here?” he asked.
Mara rolled her eyes and smiled. “I think he’s fully recovered.”
She felt B’s warmth at her back as he reached around her to pull the door fully open.
“Hey, man. How’s our buddy doing?” B asked.
Sam eyed B’s naked torso and Mara’s furtive clothing adjustments. “Better, but not as good as you, I’d guess.” He pointed at the glowing angelic sigil on B’s chest. “What’s going on there?”
B reached up to rub the spot over his heart. “Not sure, but it seems like a good thing.”
“It definitely was for Luc.” Sam smiled. “Sergei found a temporary fix for Yetarel, it’ll give us time to find a permanent solution. He’s finally asleep.”
“That’s fantastic!” Mara exclaimed. “Please tell me that everyone’s getting a bit of rest.”
Sam gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah. We’ve all been passed out on any flat surface we could find.”
Mara did a quick half turn towards B. “I’m going to run back to my place quickly, it will give you some time to spend with Yetarel.”
Without a second thought, B leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Be careful and come back soon,” he said with a smile.
* * * *
Mara
Mara laughed at the amazed look on Sam’s face as she gave a quick wave and walked through the apartment, glancing at the small gang of snoring angels, and shaking her head in amusement as she went. There was an extra bounce in her step as she made her way down the hallway to the elevators. She rode down to the ground floor in a haze of happiness. B was safe, they’d finally sorted out the issues that were keeping them apart, and it seemed that there was hope for Yetarel’s recovery. The world seemed like a much better place than it had been just a day ago.
Mara stepped out of the apartment building with a happy smile on her face. The cool morning breeze hit her face and ruffled her hair. Regular everyday people were waking up and heading out of their homes on their way to work and school. She passed coffee shops and news vendors opening their stores and booths for the day’s business. The bright morning sun shone off the windows of the tall city buildings and passing cars. Everything seemed so normal and hopeful. The sun was driving away the darkness of the night before, giving birth to a new day full of possibilities. As she walked, Mara felt like she really was a part of this world for the first time in a long time. This was going to be the world’s fastest shower and change of clothes. B was a sexy man who loved her. They’d talked about building a future together, and she finally felt like she’d found her destiny. That was definitely something to hurry
back to.
She bounded happily up to the front door of her building, pulling it open, and waiving gaily at the concierge. He tried calling out to her, but she was in too much of a hurry to chat about his cats and his button collection just now. He was a sweet man, but quite long-winded. She skipped the elevator and went straight into the staircase, zipping up to the fifteenth floor at vampire speed. Nobody in the building ever used the stairway, and there weren’t any security cameras to catch her. The air whipping by her face as she turned herself into a blur made her feel free. Stopping on a dime, she opened the door to her floor, slowing down to natural human pace; she made her way to her apartment. Mara was really going to miss this place when she had to move on, which would likely be sooner rather than later. A decade seemed to be the absolute maximum she could stay in one place without stretching the limits of credulity in her age.
Mara fit her key in the lock and gave it a flick, reaching down to grab the handle and push open her door. The smile she’d been sporting vanished as she saw the state of her home. Her apartment had been ransacked. She walked into her living room and turned slowly, taking in the destruction that had occurred in her absence — drawers were pulled out and tossed on the floor; papers were strewn everywhere; furniture was broken. Bending down, Mara picked up a broken picture frame. She didn’t get sentimental about decorating her homes, there was no point on the off chance she had to leave quickly, but this picture was important. Turning the frame over, she picked the shards of glass off the photo. Mara and Alex had had this photo taken back when cameras had come into vogue. She’d kept it around all these years as a symbol of their lasting friendship. The picture was faded, and she’d always easily explained it away to the odd visitor to her home as a photo of her great-grandmother, but it meant more to her than all the money in her bank account. Sighing, she stood up and placed the frame back on the table from which it had been thrown. She dropped her house keys down beside it and headed towards her bedroom. Upsetting as this was, the mess could be cleaned up later. The first order of business was a shower and fresh clothes.
