by A. J. Norris
He spotted a door at the end of a short passageway. An orange lever with words spanned the white panel. He shot his hand out and pushed the bar, jarring his shoulder. A grating buzzing erupted yet the door swung wide. Someone shouted behind him as he stumbled over the threshold. The voice abruptly stopped when he slammed the door shut.
Berus was back in another alley. He glanced left and right, deciding to head north. Interconnecting lanes created a labyrinth. What he needed was a damn map, not that he could read it. The throbbing in his shoulder made it difficult to concentrate. If he kept running, he might pass out. He slowed to a walk, breathing heavily.
He leaned against a building. No sooner than telling himself to think, it dawned on Berus that the serum he fed to Lilyana acted as a tracer.
Keeping to the alleyways as much as possible, he located Lilyana’s apartment and knocked on the door. Her roommate answered, looking as disheveled as he felt.
“She’s in her bedroom,” the human female told him, walking away. She sat down on the couch and stared at a slim box with moving pictures. While Berus ambled down the hallway, a man’s voice spoke, “Police investigators have finally identified the bodies found in the alley behind the dance club Eternity as Lilyana Combs and Bill White.”
Berus barged into the Lilyana’s room. His guide was asleep in bed, facing away from the doorway. He plopped down on the mattress.
“Berus?” she questioned, rolling over.
The door flung open. “Lily!” her roommate yelled. “Cops think you’re dead! Are you dead?”
Yes.
“Do I look dead?”
“God, the police totally misidentified this poor girl’s body. You clearly aren’t dead.”
“What are you talking about?” Lilyana asked her roommate.
“A couple was killed in the alley next to Eternity. It’s weird though, the guy reminds me of that married man you hooked up with…what was his name…?”
“I’m sure it wasn’t. Can you leave us alone?”
Berus sighed, even though he had spared this human’s life before, he now had no choice. She had to die. However, with the state his body was in, he’d have to wait. Lilyana switched on the bedside lamp. He ran a finger across his throat when the other woman wasn’t looking.
“Can I do it?” Lilyana asked.
Berus snorted. Why not? She was already going to Netherworld anyway. “Later.” He kicked off his boots and lay back on the bed, groaning.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“S-shoulder.”
“I’m a nurse if you want me to look at it,” the roommate offered. With a growl, Berus sat up again and shucked the jacket. The tip of his shoulder was too pointy. She inspected the injury. “Looks like an anterior dislocated shoulder.”
“Can you fix?” he asked. Evidentially, pain acted as a stutter suppressant.
“You should go to the hospital for that.”
“No,” he and Lilyana said together. Berus didn’t know what a hospital was, but he knew he didn’t want to go there.
“Can you fix it?” Lilyana asked.
“Yes, but—”
“Just fix it, don’t be such a wimp. Come on.”
“All right, but if I make it worse, don’t blame me.”
“How are you going to make it worse?”
The roommate told him to lie on the floor and asked Lilyana to hold him from the other side while she pulled on his arm. After a few minutes, Berus’s shoulder popped into place and the pain subsided. “It’s in,” he told her.
“Wow. That worked?” Roommate nurse smiled. Her expression turned from proud to shock when he stood and took his pants off. “Ohmygod, let me get out of here first.” She hurried out the door, closing it with a bang.
Berus shook his head. Nudity offended most humans for some reason. He couldn’t wait to get home.
“So how did you dislocate your shoulder?” Lilyana asked. “Wait,” she held up a hand, “it was that bitch Dahlia wasn’t it?”
“Uh huh,” he grunted.
“I had a friend once that dislocated their shoulder. That’s going to be so black and blue tomorrow. You should probably be wearing a sling or something.” Berus put his finger up to his lips. “Are you shushing me? I’m just say—”
He lunged at her and pinned her to the bed, cupping his hand over her mouth. Lilyana’s eyes widened. She whimpered. Her pheromones fired, blaring across his senses. She wanted his sex for reasons unknown to him. An image of Jeremiah danced inside his head. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about him? With a roar, he tore at her shirt and underpants.
Lilyana gasped when he ground into her. She was a terrible replacement for what he wanted and could never have. Angels and demons, although not expressly forbidden by the Empress of Netherworld, didn’t wind up together. And how would that work anyway? Where would they live? Earth? Netherworld? Arcadia? He couldn’t fly and Jeremiah had fled from his home realm. The angel would never return. Berus was certain of this. Damn. Why was he giving this that much thought?
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
Amalya
Elliott suggested they stay at Eternity until things settled down. With Amalya so close to giving birth and Dahlia, a demon, and an ES threatening the safety of her unborn, she agreed. Off the lobby, a private section with a hidden doorway consisted of several semi-private rooms for sleeping. The bedrooms each had a bathroom.
Amalya sat at the head of a bed, leaning on some pillows while Elliott used the bathroom. The amount of noise he made in there annoyed her. Water came on, the toilet flushed, something glass crashed on the floor.
She winced. “What are doing in there?”
The door snapped open. He smiled sheepishly. “Breaking things, why?”
“On purpose?”
“No, there’s all those bottles on the counter.”
“I know. What are they?”
He shrugged and joined her on the bed. She rubbed her rounded belly. “Everything all right?” he asked.
“Yes. Will you quit asking me that?” Amalya said testily. “I’ll tell you when it’s not.”
“Fair enough.” He fiddled with some of her feathers closest to his hand. He leaned his head back against the wall.
“Elliott? I have something to confess.”
He smiled crookedly. “Uh oh.”
“I overheard you and Joelle talking outside our bedroom.”
He inhaled sharply. “How much did you—”
“Were you ever going to tell me about it?”
“I didn’t tell you because you would never agree to it.”
“Are you kidding me? I would do anything for our baby, no matter what the cost to me.”
“I know, I’m stupid,” Elliott said. “I didn’t think it was a fair trade for you,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Joelle made a deal with Deus…”
“What kind of deal?”
“You can’t see Hazel anymore.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She shouldn’t be surprised. Sooner or later, the contact between them had to be severed. Amalya stared at her stomach. “I love him. I love Ian.” She sniffled and after another minute of reflecting she asked, “Will I be able to say goodbye to her?”
“Of course, and her mind should be wiped as well.”
She shuffled closer to Elliott. He wrapped his arms around her and she sobbed on his chest. “It feels like I’m losing my family all over again. The first time was my choice, so it was different, but this is…this is far worse.”
Elliott breathed deeply. “I know, but our baby needs you. Killian needs you.”
Amalya’s chin quivered even though she smiled. “Our baby? I love you so much.”
“Yes. That’s what I said. I love you too.” He kissed the top of her head.
Wiping her eyes, Amalya gathered herself and sat up. “I have to pee again,” she said and scooted off the bed. She stood up and stretched her back. “Oh, that feels good.” She waddled toward the bathroom then st
opped.
There was an internal pop and warm liquid ran down the inside of her legs. She looked at her feet. Her water had broken.
“It’s time.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Evita
Home.
Earlier when they transported Uriel to Arcadia, Evita hadn’t had the time to appreciate its splendor. She breathed deeply, filling her lungs with clean air. Although their realm had infinite beauty, she admired Virgil instead. His gossamer wings stood out in contrast to his muscled body. Going up to him, she flattened her palm on his sculpted abs. He quivered under her touch. The lines of his chest tattoo brightened to a golden yellow. Her heart beat faster and she swallowed hard. Part of her wished for her memories to return for his sake, yet found this newness between them exciting.
He regarded her with a smile.
“Did we live in the Redeemer or Warrior towers?”
“Warrior, although I have a place with the Redeemers. Wherever you prefer is where we’ll rest.”
“Let’s go to mine.” She stepped into him, putting her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
He blushed.
See? New is better, she thought.
Arcadia, as it turned out, wasn’t much different than before she fell. Angels had no need to change things. Everything they ever wanted or needed was provided. Money and self-worth based on the accumulation of wealth were human inventions. Technology also had no place in Heaven. There simply was no need. However, their realm wasn’t perfect.
Evita took to the air with Virgil close behind. They arrived at her apartment. Evita’s wariness subsided the second they passed into the dimension. The water in the pool beckoned her. A healing soak sounded so good. Virgil’s wings brushed across the white sandstone floor. She expected him to warm her backside with his body heat as he neared her, however, he’d moved toward the bed, shucking his jeans on the way. He laid on his back, hands behind his head.
She slinked over and found his eyes closed. “Are you tired?”
He smiled. “Do I look tired?”
“Yeah,” then she glanced below his waist, “I take that back, you look excited.”
Virgil chuckled. “A bit.” He held out his hand, his eyes still shut. “If you’re not ready, we can—”
“I do like you, you know.” She sat next to him.
“But?” His eyes opened.
“No, it’s not that, I…” Her entire body flushed. Even though they had been fairly intimate, the idea of making love completely made her pulse race. Would it hurt like everyone’s first time?
“You control the pace here.”
“I know, you said that before. I’m…I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be. Just lie with me.” Evita maneuvered her wings then stretched out next him on her side. She elbowed him in the chest. He grunted. A knee dug into his wing. “Ow.”
“Oops. Sorry,” she winced. How uncoordinated could she get?
“It’s all right, you just pulled on some of my feathers.” She scooched back. “Where are you going? You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m hurting you.”
“I don’t mind.”
She giggled. Virgil drew her in close with his arm so she was partially lying on him. He stroked her feathers and she purred. “Mmm, that feels nice.” Her heart calmed. His hand caressed her cheek, his thumb brushing across her lips. “I’m going to kiss you now,” she said.
With half-mast eyes, he pulled her on top of him. She felt every hard edge of his body. He jacked her up by her bottom, splitting her legs. A wave of ecstasy rolled through her core as his manhood rubbed against her sex. They both gasped.
“Evie,” he breathed and snaked a hand up the back of her neck. He pressed feverish lips to hers. Slowly kissing her, nibbling and sucking on her lower lip, dipping his tongue. Teasing her. Distracting her from the last two hundred traumatic years. The things she had seen could never be unseen. As a Warrior, she had fought thousands of battles yet nothing could have prepared her for Netherworld. The constant anxiety she denied feeling because she believed she was a demon. And the nightmares continued, not that she mentioned the dreams to Virgil. The only comfort was knowing he was there. He would protect her. Always.
Evita pushed herself into a sitting position, straddling his hips, her hands on his shoulders. “May I make love to you?” she asked.
“Of course, my love.”
“You’ll have to help me, I think.”
“Lift up for me,” he said. When she was high enough on her knees, he stood himself up. “Just relax, you’re ready. See.” He ran the head of his erection along her sex. The tip was wet. “Oh Deus, I want you so much.”
She took him inside her body before she could get scared and talk herself out of this. “Oh! Oh.” Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea; the sheer fullness worried her a bit. Yet, the pain she knew virgins experienced their first time wasn’t there. “Oh, this is—I…” Tears formed. Was this supposed to feel so overwhelming? Her heart pounded. She knew she was supposed to rock her hips, and wanted to, yet she froze. Her eyes stayed focused on the feather tattoo on his chest.
“Look at me.” He smoothed her hair off her forehead. “Breathe. We don’t—”
“Please don’t say we don’t have to do this. I can’t handle that right now.”
“Okay. I won’t.” He stroked her thighs. They stared at each other for a full minute. “Um, as much as I like being inside you, eventually something needs to happen.” Virgil grinned.
She snort-giggled. “I’m thinking that.”
“Would you rather I be on top?”
“No.”
“All right, then lean down on me and rock back and forth. I’ll help you with the rest.”
Virgil cupped her butt, jacking her forward and he moved his hips with her. She eased back and again they were in sync. He moaned. Evita couldn’t believe this was happening. After a couple more times, she got the hang of it. They swayed in a steady rhythm. His breaths roared in her ear. The faster they both panted, the harder and more intense their movements became. She gripped the end of the mattress, pushing and pulling herself backward and forward.
“Evie…Evie…Ohhh…”
Soft moans escaped her lips. He gathered her in his arms and flipped them so she was on her back, careful not to hurt her wings in the process. He put one of her legs on his shoulder.
“Oh Deus!” She thought she might split in two while he penetrated her deeper, over and over. His handsome face was flushed and his blue freckled eyes shone down on her like shiny jewels.
“Evita!” he roared. He grew thicker, hotter, making her wetter.
Warmth spread throughout her body. Ripples of pleasure centered in between her hips, the ecstasy taking her higher until she knew nothing but the rapture. She screamed. “Oh, yes!” How could it be possible she had forgotten doing this with Virgil? However, she still didn’t remember their life together, except now, who cared?
Virgil kissed her, then swung his hips, driving her into the bed. “Evie, I’m almost there, just hold on…Ohhhh…yes, oh yessss…” His hands squeezed her thighs. He surged inside her. When he was finished, he relaxed his entire body.
They switched positions and she laid on his chest with a smile on her face. “Okay, now I definitely like you.”
“I knew you would.”
Evita tapped his shoulder in mock abhorrence. “Oh, you incorrigible male.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I know you may not be ready for this, but I love you.”
She breathed deeply, her heart squeezing. Evita could have cried. The sound of his voice was tender yet confident. He truly didn’t care she may not be in the same place as him emotionally, although she did enjoy his company, his body. Letting him fully into her world would take more time.
“Virgil…I…”
“Shhh, it doesn’t matter.”
She lifted her head and looked at him. “It does to y
ou.”
“The only thing that matters to me is you giving us a chance.”
Evita stayed quiet for a minute. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything?”
Her eyes darted to the left. “Well, how long after I fell did you wait to have sex with another female?”
“Okay, not anything. Am I sensing a little jealousy?”
“Nope,” she blushed. “I’m an angel.”
Virgil laughed. “Right you are.”
“Thank you, by the way. Did I mention that? I wish I could repay you for getting me out of that hell and everything since.”
“What made you change your mind about leaving Netherworld?”
“Berus, actually. When he stuck his hand in the molten rock and was unharmed, I knew I didn’t belong there and if I was honest with myself, I already knew I didn’t.”
“Are you certain Abaddon didn’t poison you?”
She giggled. “You’re still worried about that? No, I was a part of his harem for a short while, but he never touched me.”
“Hmm. Must’ve been your mating ward. Isn’t that curious?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Except, I’m not actually sure it does. What type of angel was he, do you know?”
“I don’t.”
“Who would?”
“Well obviously, Deus. Possibly Elliott, because he was made at the same time. I was made a day later.”
“Me too.”
“I know, my love.”
“Oh Deus, he was the reason Warriors were created. Why else would we be needed if not to defeat demons?”
