Ablaze

by Dahlia Rose

  “How did you know?” she asked quietly.

  He knelt by the bed, gripped her hand, and kissed it hard. “You’re in my blood.”

  “Did you get everything we need?” she asked. When he looked at her the way he did now, she found that thinking was quite difficult.

  “Yes, and we have a flight for tomorrow night,” Penn replied and his gaze searched her face before he asked an amazing question. “What do you see when you look at me?”

  “Why do you ask that, Penn?”

  “The first time was out of necessity to save the boy, I mean Sam,” he said. “Now when you look at me, you have affection in your eyes, a smile on your face, and I don’t know, but I think… Love. Why do you see in me what no one else has in over a thousand years?”

  Hailey cupped his cheek. “It is love that I have for you, Penn, nothing but. You see yourself as a demon, something human warped by hell for all those years. But I’ve seen honor in you and love when you touch me or kiss me.”

  “I do…” She watched him try to grasp the words.

  “Is it so hard for you to say you love me?” Hailey questioned.

  “It’s new to me, Hailey, all of this, feeling, needing you like I do,” Penn admitted. “I was born so long ago, and my father taught me to love money, gold. I used greed to hurt the innocent and to get more, always more. I thought I loved a woman once, but I only coveted her. I killed her entire family just because she asked it of me. We struck a bargain with the dark lord and lived like gods until they came for us. We died by the sword and went to hell as we deserved. But I was no longer useful, and she became the lover to Silas, the second hand to the dark lord.” Penn shrugged. “I became this, the dealmaker, able to bring men all they desire for a small piece of their soul. Any love I know was warped. Nothing like what I feel for you, or what I see when you look at me. I don’t know how to figure it out.”

  She rubbed her fingers across his lips. “You start by saying the words; you don’t have to say them until you’re ready. Just know I love you, and I won’t ever leave you standing alone.”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close. On his knees he searched her eyes before he took her lips in a kiss that seared her senses. Hailey was left breathless as she was pressed against his muscled body. She could feel every contour of him through his shirt. Penn had the hard, sculpted body of a warrior. She opened her mouth willingly to accept his tongue and his taste. His hands roamed against her back before moving to cup her breasts. She made a little sound of pleasure in her throat as he massaged the firm, round globes. Her nipples hardened against his palms, and Penn groaned into her mouth. Their tongues mated as the desire was stoked into a searing flame. Hailey tried to press her body more intimately against him to feel more of him. She had this need to be closer to his body and feel his skin against her own.

  “Penn, you make me ache between my legs,” she whispered against his mouth.

  He gave a short bark of laughter. “The things you say, Hailey, you don’t how they affect me; such an innocent yet you undo me at every turn.”

  She smiled. “Make love to me, Penn; let’s remake each other.”

  It could be nothing else but Penn for her as she took his hand and pulled him to the bed. He covered her body with his own, and this time his kiss was gentle as if he was savoring her taste.

  He lifted his head and met her gaze. “I love you.”

  He said words that were foreign to him, yet she could feel the impact of them in her heart. She watched him silently as he undressed her then himself. They met skin to skin in the middle of his wide bed, and she gasped when she felt his erection settle between her legs.

  “I want you; my God, I want you, Hailey,” Penn whispered.

  “You have an eternity of me,” she responded, and she lifted her lips up to his for him to claim his kiss.

  He did that and more as his mouth roamed from her lips to her neck to feast at her breasts and kiss the soft, flat expanse of her stomach. Hailey tensed as he pushed her legs apart, and she felt his mouth on her sensitive flesh.

  “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

  “I want to taste your essence on my tongue,” he replied. “Don’t worry; it will only bring you pleasure. I won’t hurt you; sshh, close your eyes.”

  She did as he asked and felt the long, slow lick of his tongue over the slit of her sex. She lifted her hips, seeking more, and he delved between the aroused lips of her pussy and sucked at her vulva. Hailey grabbed his head and cried out. The groan that he emitted rolled through her, and he wrapped his hands around her legs and pulled her closer to his seeking mouth. She felt him lick and suck at her core. He penetrated her with his tongue and used it to bring her to the pinnacle of an orgasm unlike any she’d had before. She was left gasping on the bed as he moved over her body again. She could taste her essence on his mouth when he kissed her thoroughly.

  “I want to do the same to you,” Hailey gasped out. “Let me take you into my mouth.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Penn said thickly.

  She wrapped her fingers around the thick length of his cock and stroked him until he moaned her name. “I want to; this is another of my choices.”

  Without waiting for his reply, she pushed him on his back and kissed her way down his torso like he’d done to her. She felt the tense muscles of his body beneath her lips and tongue. When she came to his cock, she licked the tip, and he called her name in almost a plea. She took his length into her mouth inch by slow inch, and Penn buried his hands in her hair. Going on her newly found instinct, she pleasured him with her mouth, and with every movement she took his cock deeper between his lips. With every sound that Penn made in pure, unadulterated pleasure, it fueled Hailey’s own need.

  Penn gave a harsh cry, and she tasted some of his essence on her tongue. He pulled away before she could savor more and kissed her senseless. He hungrily pressed her body back into the bed and covered her with his own. He licked his way down to her breasts, and he took the hard nipple in his mouth, sucking on it hungrily before moving on to the other. She cried out as ecstasy shot to her core, and Hailey lifted her hips against him, wanting to feel him inside her, but Penn moved to one side. She felt his touch graze across her stomach to the apex of her thighs. When she felt his fingers slip between the moist folds of flesh and rub the secret bud that hid there, Hailey cried out and tried to move his hand away.

  “I feel too much; I don’t think I can stand it!” she panted.

  “Yes, you can, feel it all, take it all.” Penn’s voice was a low growl. “I want to hear you come for me. Scream my name when it takes you away.”

  Hailey closed her eyes as his fingers slipped inside her and let herself be taken away on the waves of sensation. He used his thumb against her bud, rubbing gently. He slipped two fingers inside her and started slow until she was whimpering. Then when he increased the pressure and intensity of his penetration she called his name as her orgasm took her over. She felt her own body’s juice escape and flow over his fingers as she came. Penn didn’t let her catch her breath before she was filled with his thick cock.

  “Penn,” she said on a breathless whisper.

  She wished she could explain to him how good it felt to have him buried inside of her. How it made her feel complete as if a part of her that was missing was finally there. Need and want was etched into his face. Desire made him even more devastatingly handsome than he was. She watched as his eyes went to a dark blue with desire as he moved inside her. He lifted her legs around his waist, and she locked them at the ankles across his broad back. He slid his hands beneath her ass to lift her hips higher so he could thrust deeper. Penn’s breath was harsh against her ear. She heard him call her name and voice his pleasure in her ear, and it heightened her own passion.

  “Oh, yes, I’m going to come… Please don’t stop,” she pleaded.

  “I couldn’t even if the world was coming down around our ears,” he moaned. “You’re like liquid
heat in my hands and wrapped around my cock.”

  “Let go with me,” Hailey gasped.

  He grabbed her hair and said harshly, “Look at me when you fall, and take me with you.”

  She opened her eyes just as her orgasm took her over the edge. The blue of his gaze held hers, and she felt him tense above her. His own release ripped through him and a look of pure, primal pleasure made him call her name between gritted teeth as he pumped his hips and sent his hot seed deep within her. The desire they both created consumed them in a firestorm of unadulterated passion and left them weak in the bed, tangled in each other’s arms.

  “I love you, Hailey.” Penn said the words almost reverently as he pulled her close. “I’ll spend eternity with you if you let me.”

  “I’ll be with you, Penn; there was never any doubt,” Hailey replied. “It’s not just about Sam anymore but all of us. I love you too.”

  For the first time in her existence she understood choices and why man had been given such an amazing gift. To choose love and goodness was a sacrifice few were willing to make. By making the choice she knew that Penn would be given a gift if he chose to accept it.

  * * * *

  From Connecticut to New Mexico was about four hours of flying time. They sat in the middle rows. That way all three seats were together. Penn watched in amusement as Hailey looked around excitedly. When the plane took off, she gave a little squeak of surprise, and from there she ordered chocolate from the online menu. He didn’t even tell her that ordering from those things cost an arm and a leg. He just pulled the credit card from his pocket and paid the flight attendant.

  The identification they had got them through security. He wanted to break the arm of the TSA agent who fell all over Hailey. But he kept his cool knowing that New Mexico was more important. He kept the man’s face in his memory because the jealously inside him would have it no other way. Their flight left at nine in the evening, and by midnight they were walking out of the Santa Fe airport to the rental lot where he had a Range Rover waiting. He wanted to get some distance between them and the city, and by two in the morning with Sam sleeping in the back seat he stopped at a dingy little motel next to the barren roadside for the night. He got them a room and grabbed a few maps. He wanted to be back on the road by the time the sun rose. Sam fell across the bed tiredly and was out like a light while he looked at the maps with Hailey peeking over his shoulder.

  Penn pointed to a spot on the map. “There are the caverns; I want to be going into the entrance by at least noon and look for that tree.”

  Hailey nodded. “From there I should be able to sense an ageless one and find him.”

  Penn looked back at Sam sleeping on the bed. “He will go through pain to be safe.”

  “We all will,” Hailey murmured. Penn wondered what her comment meant, but she caressed the back of his neck, and the thought was lost in her touch. “Come rest beside me; we have long hours ahead of us.”

  He took her hand and followed her to the bed. They lay on top of the blankets, and he held her in his arms. He didn’t sleep, but he let his mind roam and drift away while she drew lazy circles on his chest. Too soon morning came, and while Sam chewed on cereal bars in the back and Hailey ate chocolate next to him, he drove. Hours passed, and he drove through one little dusty town after another until they blurred. It seemed as if they traveled across every barren piece of land before they finally got to the caverns they sought. It was well into the late afternoon when Penn stopped the Range Rover. He parked close to an outcropping of rocks that rose into the sky and cast long shadows across the dry cracked ground.

  “This place is barren; how the heck can anything be green out here unless it’s a cactus? Even they look like they need a good downpour,” Sam griped.

  “You don’t question the unknown in this world.” Penn gave him a little shove forward toward the entrance. “Did you ever think that you would be traveling with an angel and a demon who were trying to protect you?”

  “You’re right I guess,” Sam admitted.

  “Come on let’s find the tree and the ageless one; night will fall soon, and you know they already know where we are,” Hailey said and began to pick her way downward into the canyon.

  The slope was rocky, and areas of the ground loose. Rocks slid free and rolled down as they moved. Penn would have loved to dematerialize to where they needed to be, but they didn’t know exactly where in the huge canyon the tree was located. Plus he could feel the mysticism of the area; it was old magic, and it always required a sacrifice. He would prefer that to be walking instead of anything else.

  “Why aren’t they attacking us if they know where we are?” Sam demanded to know.

  “Because both sides need permission,” Hailey murmured. “I hope a yes is not given in this matter.”

  “There is no question that yes will come from below. I don’t think they know about this place. The information had a very high price,” Penn replied grimly. “We could be in the clear, but I would prefer to haul ass before they try to attack us.”

  “The magic here is peaceful; I’m sure that it would intervene if we’re put in danger,” Hailey pointed out.

  “You can’t be to sure about anything. You never expected your kind to attack us to try to kill Sam either.”

  She gave him a look at his words before she nodded. “You’re right of course.”

  He instantly felt bad and grabbed her hand. “I didn’t say it to hurt you.”

  “The truth hurts nonetheless,” she said softly.

  Penn had no clue how she felt because in the years that went by in hell there was nothing but betrayal and lies. Where treachery was like breathing, there was no one to count on but yourself.

  Picking each footstep carefully they made it down to the cavern floor. They took a small dirt track that headed east, and no one spoke. A large boulder seemed to block their path, but when Penn navigated a way around it, they found the tree. It was lush, with leaves that were wide and green, and there was no water or even a thin trickling stream that passed close by. Penn watched Hailey reach up to caress the leaves before turning with a huge smile on her face.

  “This is the place,” she said and laughed a little.

  “You should call the ageless one. I don’t think he would answer a demon,” Penn said to Hailey.

  “Boy, you would be surprised who I answer.” The humorous voice came from behind them, and they are turned in surprise.

  “I’m certainly not a boy,” Penn said tightly.

  The old man laughed. “Fifteen hundred years is a drop in the bucket, boy.”

  He said the word again deliberately, and Sam laughed. “You don’t like when people do it to you, Penn.”

  “Shut up,” Penn growled.

  He studied the old, weathered face of the man who stood in front of them. His face carried the features of an American Indian and Caucasian heritage. His skin looked worn and browned by the sun like old leather. Still his dark eyes sparked with humor, and his movements were not as stiff as one would expect from someone that old. His clothes were more modern, a plaid shirt and faded jeans along with a multicolored blanket poncho over his shoulders. His hair was long and so white it captured the sunlight, and he wore it pulled into a ponytail at his nape.

  “You’re the son of Gabriel.” The old man nodded.

  “What should we call you, ageless one?” Hailey asked softly.

  “Well you’re a sight, angel; you chose the love of a boy over eternity in heaven. There is more honor in your choice than you will ever know. You can call me Ray.” He cast a glance in Penn’s direction. “It seems you love this one as well.”

  “She cannot be held responsible for anything; I take all the blame,” Penn said automatically and grabbed her hand. He didn’t know why he said it. All of a sudden the urge to defend her and take all the blame filled him.

  “How would I punish her? You don’t have to defend here, Pennemuel,” Ray replied. “I’m a neutral, the same thing you could be if
you wanted.”

  “Is that your real name?” Sam questioned.

  Ray smiled at Sam. “I’ve had many names over the years, but this is my favorite.”

  “What do you mean I can become a neutral?” Penn interrupted briskly. One couldn’t let information like that slip away without asking. His future was at stake.

  Ray shook his head and waved them forward. “Not here. You are welcome in my home. There I will tell you all things you need to know, and if Sam so chooses mark him from sight.”

  “Oh, I chose already,” Sam muttered.

  “Don’t be hasty; there is always a price for such things.” Ray threw the comment over his shoulder as they walked.

  Another cryptic sentence, Penn thought irritably. He took Hailey’s hand while they walked with the old man, and the feeling of her soft skin against his gave him comfort. Ray’s home turned out to be a cave in the canyon wall. When they stepped inside there was a stone hearth carved out of the rock with a fire and a large pot hanging over it. His bedding was in one corner on a ledge that jutted out of the rock wall, and the simple furnishing of a small table and chair stood off in a corner. In the center of the rock floor was another hollowed pit with the remnants of charred wood inside it. Ray moved past them and picked up wood from a neat stack and dropped it into the hole. With just a pass of his hands over the pile, the wood caught fire. Sam gasped, and Hailey smiled. Penn reserved his judgment as Ray sat Indian style across from the fire and urged them to sit as well. Anyone could make fire with a wave of the hand, Penn thought.

  “What price does Sam have to pay to be marked from sight?” Hailey asked. She put her hand over her heart. “I can bear it for him.”

  “Your soul is pure regardless of what those angels said when they attacked.” Ray nodded and pulled a pipe from his pocket. After packing it, he struck a match over the tobacco and took a deep pull from the pipe. “One of my few vices, but after so many years I can afford a few. The angels that came after you are not sanctioned.”

  “I thought Gabriel sent them because of the nephilim boy,” Hailey murmured.