Echoes and Embers

by Cyndi Friberg

  “Fill you?” he challenged.

  “Aye!”

  He pushed two fingers into her and Alyssa went wild. Arching and bucking, she imagined him there, pretended the sweet penetration of his fingers was something far more substantial.

  She flew toward orgasm. Her back bowed and a soft keening sound escaped her throat. He withdrew his fingers and the pleasure receded, leaving her weak and shaken.

  “Taste you?”

  “Nay. Fill me. Fill me now!” She had waited too long; she needed him too desperately to withstand these teasing games. “Please, Sariel, I ache, I burn. I need you deep inside me.”

  He moved over her. She parted her legs, making room for his big body. Tenderness and passion combined in his bright gaze. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t hurt me. I’m stronger than you know.”

  Kneeling between her thighs, he slipped his hands beneath her bottom and raised her hips. Anticipation twisted through her, compounding the tension already threatening to snap her in two. He pushed into her with slow, steady pressure. Alyssa whimpered.

  He immediately stilled. “Am I hurting you?”

  “Nay,” she assured him. “I’ve never felt more complete.”

  A violent tremor passed through him. He arched over her, thrusting deep as he claimed her mouth. She could hardly breathe, but it didn’t matter. It felt wonderful. She needed him there, in her body, in her mouth, in her heart. She raised her legs high against his sides and returned his kiss with abandon.

  Each deep, forceful thrust drove her higher. She opened her mind, revealing the depths of her feelings, the strength of her love. He gasped. Heat inundated her senses and Alyssa understood. These were his feelings, his desire for her. He was stimulating her with his passion, binding them together with mutual need.

  They melded.

  They bonded.

  They joined.

  Harder and faster, they surrendered to each other. Alyssa arched. Sariel thrust deep, clasping her to him as they shook with the force of their simultaneous release.

  * * * * *

  For the next three days Alyssa spent her nights in Sariel’s arms and her days attempting to answer Rosalind’s myriad questions.

  “I don’t know.” This was the sixth time Alyssa had repeated the answer.

  “How can you not know?” Rosalind’s dark eyebrows drew together in a frown. “If Sariel is as powerful as Ray says, he must know if I’m immortal.”

  “I’m not avoiding your questions. According to what the Grigori believed, you should not exist.” That quieted her for a blissful moment.

  “Ray is immortal. How can he and I have any kind of a life together if I grow old while he remains unchanged?”

  Alyssa didn’t miss the sudden wistfulness in Rosalind’s tone. “Is that what you want, to build a life with Gadrayel?”

  “Gadrayel.” Rosalind pushed her plate aside. They sat in the great hall breaking their fast when the girl’s questions erupted. “It’s such a silly name. He will always be Ray to me.”

  Alyssa was about to rephrase her question when the doors at the far end of the hall burst open. Sariel stormed in. Gadrayel and three other males followed in his wake. None were currently revealing their wings or wielding flaming swords, but all five were angels. Alyssa had no doubt.

  “What’s this about?” Rosalind whispered, moving closer to Alyssa.

  “I believe we’re about to find out.” Alyssa scooted back the bench and stood.

  “They have Lailah,” Sariel informed them without preamble.

  “What?” Icy fingers of dread stroked down her spine. “How do you know?”

  He held out a scrap of parchment. Alyssa recognized the symbols as angelic script, but she couldn’t decipher them. Her heart pounded within her breast and her hand shook so badly the symbols blurred before her eyes.

  “They are asking for an exchange.” His gaze darted toward Rosalind.

  “Nay!” Alyssa stepped in front of her ward. “How do we even know they truly have Lailah?”

  Sariel turned the parchment over. The backside was smeared with blood. Alyssa touched the brownish stain and Lailah’s terrified image sprang to life within her mind.

  She shoved the parchment back into his hands and wrapped her arm around Rosalind’s shoulders. “How is the exchange supposed to be conducted? Does the message reveal where they are?”

  Rosalind gasped, twisting away from Alyssa. “Lailah’s life is more valuable than mine?”

  “She didn’t say that,” Sariel defended.

  “I didn’t even think of accepting the exchange.” Alyssa shook her head. Would Rosalind always think the worst of her?

  “It says another message will arrive before nightfall and we should be prepared to travel when the message appears.”

  “Appears? There was no messenger?” Rosalind asked.

  “No visible messenger,” Gadrayel stated. His gaze moved from Alyssa to Rosalind and back again. “We don’t have a lot of time to construct a strategy. What should we do?”

  “Learn all we can about Paimon.” Sariel unfastened his mantle and tossed it over the back of a nearby chair.

  Alyssa shuddered. He meant another memory regression and she was still reeling from the first encounter. “Why was Rosalind able to sleep while you searched her memories, but I relived mine?”

  “The process is different. Rosalind’s memories are intact. I simply sifted through information stored within her mind. Your memories must be triggered, uncovered.”

  Dreading another waking nightmare, Alyssa braced herself for the emotional turmoil. The lives of two of the people she loved most were at stake. She would do what must be done, but she didn’t have to like it.

  Sariel took her hand and led her to the counting room. The three angels Alyssa didn’t recognize stayed by the main entrance. Rosalind and Gadrayel stopped just outside the counting room door, offering Alyssa privacy for the unpleasant task.

  Leaning against the sturdy wooden table, Sariel pulled Alyssa into his arms. “Try to relax. Let me guide you.”

  She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest. “The memories will be older than the hillside scene. I knew Paimon before she Fell.”

  “Are you certain she Fell before Michael dispersed the Rebel Angels?”

  “I’m not sure of anything.” She sounded as weary as she felt.

  “Was she part of the Great Rebellion?”

  She glanced up at him, wanting only to have this finished, so they could devise a plan. Every passing moment increased the danger to her sister. The demons must keep her alive if they truly intended to exchange her for Rosalind, but that wouldn’t keep them from tormenting Lailah.

  “I don’t know.”

  He caressed her cheek with his fingers then pulled her snug against his chest. Alyssa pressed her body against his, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Closing her eyes, she felt Sariel gently insinuate himself into her mind.

  Mist swirled around them. She clung to him, physically and mentally. He sent a wave of tingling warmth through her body, relaxing her, soothing her.

  Laughter erupted in the mist, distant, muffled. The gurgle of water tumbling over a rocky riverbed guided them through the mist. Light emerged, a golden sliver infiltrating the endless gray.

  They stepped out into a sunlit meadow, dotted with wildflowers. A crystal blue brook dissected the clearing and two females sat on the grassy bank, dangling their feet in the water. Their silvery hair flowed in waves to the grass on which they sat. Alyssa thought she was viewing Lailah and Paimon, until one figure turned and she saw her own features and bright blue eyes.

  “I can change my appearance,” Alyssa whispered.

  Sariel chuckled. “They can’t hear you, love. They are memories.”

  “Gadrayel asked me if I did it intentionally. I wasn’t sure what he meant.”

  “When reality adjusts to compensate for your lies, apparently your appearance is part o
f what changes.”

  That made sense. As much as any of this made sense.

  Another peal of laughter drew Alyssa’s attention to the brook. A figure emerged from the trees on the other side of the water. Paimon strolled toward them, her fingertips skimming each flower she passed. A warm breeze fanned out her hair and her dark eyes gleamed in the midday sun.

  “Where have you been?” Lailah asked rather sharply. “You missed morning lessons—again.”

  Paimon shrugged, her mouth curving into a secretive smile. “I’ve found someone far more interesting than our instructor.”

  “You’ve been with that cherub again.” Alyssa recognized her own voice, though her image faced Paimon.

  “Ambrose is no mere cherub. He is prince of the Order of Cherubim.”

  The image spun on ahead, the conversation accelerated to a rate that should have been indiscernible. Still Alyssa understood every word. Other scenes, other images swirled together as the mist rolled away.

  She felt Sariel release his hold on her mind. It took her a moment longer to separate herself from the barrage of information. Her mind struggled to order all the new memories. “She wasn’t there on the hillside that day, but she had become a disciple of Ambrose.”

  “Go on.”

  “Lailah is my sister as Enos was your brother. Paimon was created not long after us and she envied our connection, the bond we shared.”

  “Angels are frequently created in pairs. Did Paimon not have a sister?”

  “Not that I remember. Lailah and I tried to include her in our activities, but that wasn’t what Paimon wanted. She wanted Lailah to abandon me.”

  “Did she introduce you to Ambrose, the leader of the Rebel Angels?”

  “I’m not sure any of us considered Ambrose our leader, but aye, Paimon introduced us to him.”

  So many of the images were still fragmented. She sighed in frustration. Never before had her inability been more of a hindrance.

  “Your memories have been twisting around each other for several centuries. They are not going to unravel overnight. Don’t let this frustrate you.”

  Fortifying herself with a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and stepped out of Sariel’s arms. “I don’t think Paimon was after Rosalind at all. I think she was after me.”

  “Or she could have intended to use Rosalind to draw you out. You clearly surprised her yesterday. You surprised us all.”

  Alyssa smiled, warmed by the approval in his expression. She had shocked herself when her wings unfurled. Instinct had taken over and her nature did the rest. For one glorious moment, she’d been an angel again.

  Her eyes narrowed and she raked her fingers through her hair. Exchanging Rosalind for Lailah was not an option. She would never sacrifice one friend for another. Besides, she was more convinced than ever that Paimon’s true target was her.

  “If my appearance alters to accommodate my lies, perhaps we can use this to our advantage.”

  “What are you thinking?” Sariel sounded dubious, his features tense and wary. “If you speak a lie, your mind will adjust reality—”

  “I understand that.” She was playing with fire, but what choice did they have? She couldn’t leave Lailah at the mercy of Paimon. “If I’m careful I can control it.” A shiver shook her as she heard her own words. She had been controlled by the mist for so long. What made her think she could control it now? She had to try! “If this doesn’t work, you’ll have to retrieve me from the mist as soon as Lailah is safe.”

  “What are you talking about?” He rested his hands on her shoulders, his gaze boring into hers. “What are you thinking? You cannot speak a lie. Please, don’t do this. You’ve come too far!”

  “I am Alyssa of the Angelic Order of Dominions, but I look and sound exactly like Lady Rosalind Monthamn.”

  Sariel trembled as the lie passed Alyssa’s lips. Energy burst from her body, driving him back a step, stinging his hands. His heartbeat thundered in his ears and he stared at the woman before him. She looked exactly like Rosalind.

  What had Alyssa done?

  “Who are you?” he asked carefully, terrified of what she would say.

  “Fear not,” Alyssa said in Rosalind’s voice. “It worked beautifully. At least I think it did. Do I look like Rosalind?”

  He exhaled a shaky breath. “You could fool Gadrayel.”

  Alyssa smiled. “Good. Gadrayel must take Rosalind somewhere safe. I want her beyond the reach of any demon.”

  Sariel nodded averting his gaze. “I’ll see to it.” She expected Gadrayel to take Rosalind to Heaven. Sariel knew that was impossible. Alyssa had yet to accept it, but Rosalind’s grandfather was Fallen.

  * * * * *

  “What are you hoping to accomplish by this?” Lailah glared at Paimon.

  Enos sat back and silently watched the scene. The similarity in their appearance was striking, at first glance. Lailah’s silver-blonde hair circled her head in a braided coronet while Paimon’s flowed to her hips in rippling waves. Their bodies were lithe and graceful. Both possessed night-black eyes.

  “Alyssa has held you back your entire life. You have existed in her shadow, followed silently in her wake, always ready to rescue her from herself. I intend to free you from your burden.”

  Lailah didn’t dignify the nonsense with a response. She turned her face away and clenched her hands into fists. Her wrists were secured to the stone wall behind her by demonic chains. Enos imagined all the things he would do to her while she writhed helplessly, bound by those chains.

  “Shouldn’t they be here by now?” Paimon grumbled. “I’m tired of waiting. I want to watch Alyssa’s face as you defile Lailah.”

  “And I’m anxious to play.”

  Lailah’s dark gaze darted to him, the smell of her fear intoxicating. He hadn’t defiled an angel in decades. Only the Grigori appealed to him. The other orders were nearly childlike in their purity and he had no taste for children. But there was no sensation sweeter than feeling a conflicted spirit slip into corruption.

  He stood and crossed the cold, dank cavern to where Lailah was chained. “Do you know who I am?”

  “I know what you are.”

  “Well, obviously I am Fallen. I meant—”

  “You were once Grigori. I understood the question.” Her voice was calm, her features held in an expressionless mask, but he could still smell her fear.

  Paimon laughed. “Do you see why I want her so badly? Think of the fun we shall have once she Falls.”

  “Nothing he can do to me will make me Fall.”

  Paimon shot her a challenging smirk and sauntered back to her side. “Don’t be too sure of that. You’ve never been taken by a Grigori. Enos can make me beg for it. You’ll be no challenge at all.”

  Enos looked into Lailah’s defiant gaze and knew Paimon was deluded. Defiling this one would take time and patience. Luckily for Paimon, he had plenty of both. “I existed for ages among the Grigori, an outcast among the angelic orders.”

  Lailah looked at him, uncertainty sparked within her dark eyes.

  “You know how that feels.” He used his most compelling voice, insinuating himself into her mind. “You know the agony of being trapped in the shadows. You’re shunned by the light, yet afraid of the darkness.” He felt her dark nature stir and pushed deeper, intensified the compulsion. “I’ve been there, Lailah. I understand your isolation, but you’re not alone. Let me comfort you. Let me teach you. Let me—”

  “I want nothing from you. I will not Fall!” She shook her head and strained against the chains.

  Enos spun from her, his face raised to sniff the air. Paimon’s fortress was so foul he nearly missed his brother’s scent. “They’re here.”

  “Finally!”

  Golden light illuminated the stairwell as two figures emerged from the gloom. Sariel stepped into the chamber, his wings spread wide, shielding the female behind him. The light came not from a torch but from Sariel’s flaming sword.

  “We’ve com
e for Lailah,” Sariel stated.

  “We offered an exchange,” Paimon sneered. “Where is the girl?”

  They both knew Alyssa would fight to the death to protect her ward. Their proposed exchange had been a simple ruse.

  Sariel folded his wings and Rosalind stepped into view.

  Paimon gasped.

  Enos stared. What was the meaning of this?

  “I am here,” Rosalind said softly, her voice tight with resignation.

  “Where is Alyssa?” Paimon charged forward, but Sariel blocked her advance with his sword.

  “You offered an exchange and we are here to accept.” Rosalind motioned toward the wall. “Release Lailah.”

  Paimon turned on Enos, her dark eyes glowing. “Why is that creature here? I want Alyssa!”

  He moved past the indignant demon and stared at Rosalind. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Enos, Lord Diadem is what you called yourself at court, but you are not…” She licked her lips, her eyes wide and luminous, so like Catherine’s. “What do you want with me? Why have you been pursuing me?”

  “Sariel, get her out of here! What were you thinking? They cannot force me to Fall.” Lailah jerked against the chains, twisting wildly, her face flushed with anger and fear.

  Ignoring Lailah’s outburst, Enos went on. “We were searching for Alyssa at court. Imagine my surprise when I found you.” He paused, his gaze intent on Rosalind’s innocent face. “Paimon, release Lailah. I’ve changed my mind. I will accept the exchange.”

  “Nay!” Paimon screeched, flying at him with her claws bared.

  He flung her away with the wave of his hand. She collided with the stone wall not far from Lailah. “Never touch me unless I give you leave!”

  “This was not our arrangement. You promised to seduce Lailah. You promised—”

  Focusing his gaze on her throat, Enos cut off her protests midstream. “I promise a lot of things.”

  Trembling, Paimon struggled to her feet and faced Lailah. “Life has lost its splendor because you wallow in mediocrity.”

  Paimon’s pleading tone disgusted Enos. He had lost interest in her long ago. Their separate motivations carried them in the same direction, so he had indulged her for a time. His gaze narrowed as her whining continued. Why had he put up with her for so long?