“I want you to take me,” Gabriel said, looking up at Michael.
Michael canted his head to the side. “Are you certain?”
“Aye.” Gabriel brushed the fingers of his left hand over Michael’s cheek. “Very certain.”
Michael smiled. “Then I would be honored.”
Gabriel smiled back and moved his hands down to Michael’s groin, his right hand going to Michael’s cock and his left going to Michael’s balls. As he stroked and rubbed, fondled and teased, Michael moaned, rocking into Gabriel’s hands, his cock quickly becoming blood-dark and the head growing slick with precum. Gabriel licked his lips, unable to tear his gaze away from Michael’s hardness and impatient to feel Michael inside him, fucking him, making him scream in pleasure.
“Spread your legs,” Michael ordered in a voice rough with desire.
Gabriel whimpered, turned on even more by the order and Michael’s tone of voice. He complied instantly, bending his knees and using his power to grab a pillow and shove it beneath his hips and lower back. As Michael made an approving noise, Gabriel groaned again when Michael’s hands went to his cock and began to caress him.
“It occurs to me,” Michael began, “that I have not paid proper attention to this part of your anatomy. I wish to do so now.”
Gabriel bit his lip. His cock twitched as he shifted, so turned on that he couldn’t make a coherent sound if his life depended on it. Michael ran his index finger up the underside of Gabriel’s cock, tracing the line of the vein there and then around the crown and up to the slit, smearing precum in its wake. Then he ran the palm of his hand down the length of Gabriel’s cock and down, over his balls, cupping them one at a time and then rolling them gently, fondling them. He rubbed the heated skin beneath Gabriel’s balls, and Gabriel whined, arching into the touches as Michael moved down his body and pressed a soft kiss to Gabriel’s pelvic bone.
“M-Michael,” Gabriel panted.
“Yes, da bao?” Michael asked, looking up at him.
“I’m not sure I can keep from coming,” Gabriel said.
“Try,” Michael said. Then he returned his attention to Gabriel’s cock. He pressed a soft, chaste kiss to the head, then teased the slit with the tip of his tongue, making Gabriel cry out and arch again. “I see you are very aroused,” Michael said. “I long to taste you, Gabriel.”
“Uh,” Gabriel said intelligently. He nodded so hard that he felt as if his teeth rattled. Michael gave him a shy smile and then lowered his head once more and took Gabriel’s cock into his mouth.
“Do not orgasm,” Michael thought to Gabriel as he licked and sucked, his head bobbing. His hands continued to caress Gabriel’s balls and his inner thighs and Gabriel moaned, half in frustration and half in pleasure, his hands clenching in the sheets. He threw his head back on the pillow, his eyes falling closed as Michael continued to suck him, touch him, and the groan turned into a low cry as he felt one of Michael’s fingers circling his hole.
A moment later, he heard the soft whisper of power, and then he felt penetration as Michael pressed the finger into him. Slowly, Michael finger-fucked him as he sucked Gabriel’s cock and Gabriel writhed and arched into it, forcing himself not to come, when he wanted to so badly.
“Please, Michael, please,” Gabriel begged, as the pleasure grew and grew. “Please! I need—want—need to come. Please!”
Michael hummed, and the vibrations of that sound on already oversensitive flesh made Gabriel shake. “You may come,” Michael said, and his mental voice was husky. “I have said that I wish to taste you.”
That was all it took. Gabriel arched almost off the bed and came with a loud yell, a wordless sound full of release and lust. He was panting as he came down from his orgasm, gazing at Michael with wide eyes.
Michael swallowed him down, then pulled back and licked his cock clean. He carefully removed his fingers from Gabriel’s body and used his power to slick his own cock and clean the lube from his fingers. He settled between Gabriel’s thighs and looked at him, his expression intent.
“Was that good?” Michael asked.
“So, so good,” Gabriel said.
“And will you come a second time?”
“Most probably, aye,” Gabriel said. “You really turn me on, Mishka.”
Michael blushed, but he said nothing. He moved instead, and Gabriel felt the head of Michael’s cock nudging at the skin beneath his balls. As he watched, Michael moved one of his hands down and took himself in hand. He positioned his cock at Gabriel’s entrance and then slowly thrust in.
Gabriel reached out, gripping Michael’s biceps hard as Michael began to fuck him. He moved slowly and carefully, but Gabriel did not want slow or careful. He wanted hard, fast, rough. He growled and panted out, “Harder, Mishka. Rougher. Fuck me hard and fast.”
Michael shot him a quick look. “Are you certain?”
“Oh fuck yes,” Gabriel said. “I want to feel you when I walk.”
Michael blushed again. “Gabriel,” he began, but Gabriel cut him off by clenching his muscles around Michael’s cock. Michael gasped, and then he gripped Gabriel’s hip with one hand and began to move. Gabriel raised his legs, resting his calves on Michael’s shoulders as Michael began to fuck him—truly fuck him, hard and fast, almost brutal in his roughness. Gabriel loved every moment of it. He threw back his head and made a sound that was almost a keen as he tightened his hold on Michael’s arms.
Panting now, Michael took Gabriel’s cock in his free hand and unfurled his wings, using them for balance as he stroked Gabriel roughly in time with his thrusts. Gabriel moaned each time he felt Michael balls-deep within him, a groan that ended on a gasp, and he felt again the rapidly rising pleasure, the curl of it within his belly as his orgasm neared.
Michael was sweating, his skin covered in a light sheen, and it made him seem even more perfect to Gabriel’s eyes. His lover was made of golden light and energy, olive skin shimmering with power and good health, russet-brown feathers looking healthy and strong. Michael’s black hair was damp, his eyes were hazy with lust, and his soft, pink lips were kiss-swollen. As Gabriel watched, rocking into each stroke on his cock and each hard thrust within him, he saw that Michael was starting to tremble and felt through their bond that his lover was right on the edge of orgasm.
“Come with me,” Gabriel growled, sliding one hand up to touch Michael’s neck. “Let’s come together.”
Michael didn’t reply, but he groaned and moved even harder and faster. Gabriel gave a low cry of his beloved’s name as his orgasm suddenly crashed over him, and a moment later, he felt Michael’s own orgasm filling him.
They were frozen for a moment, tense and still as their releases of pleasure washed through them with the force of a tidal wave, and then Michael, panting harshly now, all but collapsed on top of Gabriel’s body.
Weakly, Gabriel began to laugh. He wrapped his arms around Michael and kissed his cheek. “That was fucking incredible fucking,” he said.
“Language, Gabriel,” Michael said. “But I agree,” he added after a moment.
Gabriel kissed him again. “Best way to unwind before battle there is,” he said.
Michael raised his head, quirking an eyebrow. “Bad language is?”
Gabriel burst out laughing again. “No. Awesome sex is.”
“Ah.” Michael blushed. “As you say.”
“FUCKING FUCK!” Uriel was furious and Raziel looked up from his book as his lover stormed into their Queensland home.
“What happened?” Raziel asked, setting the book aside.
“He gave me the slip!” Uriel threw himself into a chair. “How the fuck could he do that? He’s not an Archangel, he’s just a fucking red shirt!”
Raziel frowned. “Camael?”
“Yes, Camael, who do you fucking think?” Uriel waved both of his arms. “We were in Jordan. I have no idea what the fuck he was going to do there, because he vanished right in front of me. I tried to follow him, locking onto his Grace, the aura of his po
wer, but it wasn’t fucking there! Either one of them! He just fucking disappeared!”
Raziel’s frown deepened. “That is disturbing.”
“That’s fucking disgusting is what that is,” Uriel declared. “How can he hide from an Archangel, for fuck’s sake?”
“I don’t know.” Raziel chewed his lower lip. “I don’t like this,” he said. “The more I think about it, the more I feel that something is very wrong with him.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like it either. Give me some sugar, baby.”
“Pardon?” Raziel blinked, blindsided by Uriel’s words.
“Kiss. I want sex. I’m cranky and here you are, looking all gorgeous, and I want to fuck,” Uriel said.
Raziel rolled his eyes. “And they say romance is dead. They clearly have not met you, Uriel, the last of the great romantics.”
“You know it. Now give me some sugar.”
“I’ve half a mind to dump the contents of a bag of sugar on your head, you know,” Raziel said as he got to his feet and moved to sit on Uriel’s lap.
“But you won’t, because you want to fuck too,” Uriel said.
“This time. Next time, I might think burying you in sugar is a better idea,” Raziel teased.
“Fuck that.” Uriel tugged Raziel down for a hard and hungry kiss. A moment later, Raziel felt the touch of power and knew they were both naked.
“My, my, you are horny,” he thought to his beloved.
“Yes, I fucking am.” Uriel tangled one hand in Raziel’s shoulder-length dark brown hair. “Fuck me, Razzy.”
“How could I resist such a beautiful request? Truly, I am overwhelmed,” Raziel drawled in Uriel’s mind. But he moved them to the nearest available flat surface, which happened to be the Indian rug on the floor of the living room, and pressed Uriel back. He slicked his cock with a thought and knelt between Uriel’s thighs as Uriel wrapped his legs around Raziel’s hips.
One last kiss, and Raziel ended it. He stroked himself once, twice, and then positioned himself at Uriel’s entrance. As Uriel groaned happily, Raziel thrust into tight heat, seeing sparks behind his eyelids as muscles gripped him and flexed around him.
“I won’t fucking last if you keep doing that,” Raziel said, leaning down to kiss Uriel again.
“A quickie is a goodie,” Uriel said.
“True enough.” Raziel kissed him again.
True to Raziel’s prediction, it didn’t take long. Uriel came, screaming Raziel’s name, and that sound, coupled with the sensation of Uriel’s orgasm, was all that Raziel needed to orgasm as well. He was panting when he slowly pulled out of Uriel’s body and flopped onto the rug beside him.
“Better now?” Raziel asked.
Uriel rolled onto his side and faced Raziel. He was grinning broadly. “Fuck yeah.”
“I’m so glad.” Raziel frowned. “I’m still concerned about Camael.”
“No. No, no, no. We are not talking about that fucker when we’re supposed to be enjoying the fucking afterglow,” Uriel said. “I fucking forbid it.”
Raziel laughed. “Okay. We’ll talk about him later, then.”
“Fine.”
LIAM WATCHED as everyone prepared for the attack on Purgatory. He himself had stripped down for action—jeans, boots, long-sleeve T-shirt, and a shoulder holster containing his two automatic pistols and a thigh holster holding a third. He had a pair of daggers sheathed at his belt, both of them blessed by shamen on Puerto Rico to protect against evil. He wore a sleeveless bulletproof vest and had removed his wristwatch.
Around him, the Venatores were getting into their wolf shapes. Declan was sharpening a dagger on a whetstone and the sound set Liam’s teeth on edge. He sighed and looked away.
Lyudmila had joined the Venatores with Piotr and four of the Russian and Armenian shifters that Liam didn’t know. In their shifter forms, there was now one black wolf, an eagle, a pair of owls, and two foxes.
“You ready for this?” It was Baxter.
Liam gave him a sad smile. “Yeah. As ready as I’ll ever be, anyway.”
“It has to be done, Trigger,” Baxter said gently.
“I know. I just don’t like hurting folks.”
“They’re not human, if that means anything to you?” Baxter suggested.
“No. Life is life. It doesn’t matter if it’s human, shifter, monster, or whatever.” Liam looked toward the small group of predators seated by Declan’s feet. “I know what we’re doing is necessary and for the right reasons, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Baxter slipped an arm around Liam’s shoulders. “This is why I love you,” he said. “You care so much. For everyone, not just the people you love.”
“I guess,” Liam said and leaned into Baxter’s body. “So, are you changing into your wolf self?”
“Yeah, in a minute. I just wanted to be sure you were okay.”
“I’m good.” Liam gently nudged Baxter. “Go shift, babe.”
“Okay. Oh, you know what would be good?”
“What’s that?”
“When this is finished, you and me, we should go away for a bit. Take a vacation, go camp by the beach or something. I can teach you to surf, and you can teach me to not be a dick.”
Liam laughed. “You’re not a dick, and I have to warn you, surfing and me don’t exactly mix. But other than that, it sounds like a great idea.”
“Awesome.” Baxter gave Liam a gentle kiss. “And just think—no one else around, only you and me—we can have so much sex.”
Liam purred at that. “Babe, I love the way you think.” He lightly patted Baxter’s ass. “We’ll plan and go when this is done.”
“You can count on it.” Baxter stepped back and began to strip off his clothes, tossing them to one side. Then he concentrated, and the next minute, a great white Arctic wolf sat where the man had been.
“You’re a very pretty wolf, babe,” Liam said.
“Thanks. I have very pretty fangs, too. Want to see them?”
Liam bent down and ruffled Baxter’s fur then scratched behind his ears. In response, Baxter’s eyes fell closed and he wagged his tail. “I believe you. I’m imagining all the evil you’ll kill. Also, brush your teeth when you change back.”
“Right. Brush my teeth. Got it, boss.”
“I love you,” Liam whispered and gave Baxter’s ears one last scratch and stood up.
“Love you too, Trigger.”
Angelique, magnificent as a gray wolf, stepped forward, looked around and raised her head. She gave voice to a deep-toned howl, baying the call to the hunt, and the pack of wolves, foxes, owls and the lone eagle verbalized their response.
Liam looked over at Declan. Declan gave him a salute, and Liam nodded back. They were ready.
Chapter Fourteen
MICHAEL HAD put the call out for everyone who was going to Purgatory to join him and Gabriel in Gohar Tappeh a few hours after dawn. It was several hours earlier than had been stated at the official meeting, but the Archangels had been prepared for that. They had all agreed that changing the time of their attack would be the best course of action, just in case.
Gabriel had contacted Shateiel fifteen minutes before Michael had called for the assembly in Gohar Tappeh and instructed him to alert Agrat via their bond of their impending arrival. Shateiel had not asked questions, although Gabriel could tell that his lieutenant was full of them.
There were a lot of curious looks directed at Michael, Gabriel noted, as the Archangels, Archdemons, Venatores, and others gathered in the ruined city. Michael did not explain and Gabriel spent his time looking for Camael. He was more than a little surprised to see Camael standing between Asaf and Vel, looking just as curious as everyone else.
“Camael’s here,” Gabriel thought to his lover. “I’m surprised. I thought he was going to be our traitor.”
“I confess, I feel the same.” Michael’s mental voice was pensive. “I do not know if this bodes ill or not.”
“Me either.” Gabriel t
ook another look around the assembled. “Well, nothing to do but go, I guess.”
“As you say.” Michael stepped forward and began to issue orders.
The twenty elite Seraphim that had been selected by Shateiel took up positions flanking the Archangels, with the shifters—Venatores and not—in front. The Archdemons stood behind the Archangels and there were twenty warrior demons, likely selected from the legions belonging to Ondrass and Adramelek, standing behind them. Those demons shifted nervously, not used to being around so many angels, and the air crackled with suspicion. Gabriel knew that if they didn’t make a start and soon, a fight would break out.
“Raziel,” Michael said, “please open the gate to Purgatory for us.”
Raziel took a breath and walked down a path between several ruined buildings. He stopped at one that was larger than the rest and held up his hand. An orb of pale blue light shot forth and illuminated by its radiance a vast iron framework holding a thick gate that was rusted closed. It was invisible without the light that Raziel shone onto it, and Gabriel looked at it with interest.
It was old, older than old, ancient. There were runes and other carvings on the iron, rusted and worn, but still visible enough to make out. They were spells, sigils designed to prohibit the gate from being opened by accident or casual investigation, and they were interspersed with other markings, magics designed to hide the gate from the naked eye.
“Clever,” Uriel remarked.
“What’s that?” Remiel asked.
“Hiding the gate like that. It’s in plain sight—but with all those spells on it, you’d walk right past it and never know. I wonder who did that. Noah wasn’t too good with magic.”
“Perhaps it was Shem or his son, Elam, who built this place,” Samael suggested.
“Maybe. Elam knew the spells, and the wise men and women would certainly have known them. Still, it’s damn clever to hide it like that.” Uriel rested his hands on his hips. “Though it’s pretty rusty. I wonder if it’ll open.”
The Bone Cup Page 16
