by Devlin Chase
“Now, that’s interesting,” he murmured as he stood again. “I never would have pegged your brother as a cat lover.”
Then he’d smiled and headed for the door. “I’ll be in the study if you need me. I’ve hacked into the back end of the diocese database and I think I might be onto something. But I’ll let you know.”
They watched as Riley left then Darien led her to the stairs and the underground rooms.
***
Angelo was sprawled face down on the bed, his back exposed and his lower body covered with a rumpled black satin sheet.
Despite herself Catherine had to admit that the scene was as sensual as hell and, if it weren’t for the gouges across his shoulders, he might have been posing for one of his romance covers.
The dark tribal tattoos covering his shoulders and upper arms stood out in stark relief and she saw another, this one a serpentine s-curved design, inlayed with lettering that she couldn’t see clearly from where she stood. But she didn’t need to; it was the same design that Darien had on his shoulder, although this was far larger and, as she approached, Cat could see that one full inner curve was made up of Old English lettering, the words naming the Saligia nearly running into each other.
Angelo was stirring, his eyes opening. He saw Cat and tried to move, to turn over or at least sit up, but a grimace crossed his face and a growl rumbled from behind his clenched teeth. His blond hair fell around his shoulder, matted with blood.
Cat moved to the bed, helping him get more comfortable against the pillows.
“I’m sorry,” she sighed as he leaned back, startled when he turned his dark eyes to hers, his jaw dropping in surprise.
‘Why are you sorry?”
“Well, you’re hurt because you were watching over Frankie…”
She never got to finish her words as Angelo grabbed her hand, his palms hot and his fingers holding hers with a desperation that matched the look he was giving her now.
“Catherine, I’m hurt because I didn’t do enough to keep him safe.” His eyes dropped to the covers and he looked so miserable that she wanted to reach out and comfort him. “I’m the one who’s sorry. So very sorry.”
Darien stepped closer to the bed and it was clear that he needed some questions answered although his voice, when he spoke, was not unkind.
“I need to know what happened.”
Cat and Darien sat on the edge of the bed as Angelo recounted the events of the past evening; of how he’d been watching the apartment from the balcony of an apartment across the street.
He’d become aware that there was a problem when he saw Frankie dart across the only window that had its curtains wide open. Then he’d seen Jacen striding across the same space, just seconds behind.
As soon as he’d reached the open door of the apartment he’d gone inside, seeing Frankie pressed face first into the wall, held in place by one of Jacen’s hands as the much larger man faced the door, expecting Angelo’s arrival.
“Well, well Ange. You took your time getting here,” Jacen smirked as Frankie thrashed uselessly beneath his hand.
A rustling had come from the kitchen and Angelo had taken a step back as a dark form skulked around the corner. The rottweiler came to a stop a few metres from Angelo, turning its head to bare its teeth at Frankie on a malevolent growl. Then it turned back to Angelo, lethal energy emanating from its powerful body as Jacen laughed.
“Sorry. I brought a friend.”
Angelo had stared at Jacen, his hand curled into fists as he kept an eye on the dog from the periphery of his vision. Frankie’s head was turned and he was staring at both Angelo and the dog in abject terror.
“What the fuck do you want?” He managed to squeak out, the hand around the back of his neck pressing him harder against the wall.
Jacen leaned closer, never taking his eyes off Angelo, who had dropped down into a crouch and was staring at them over the dog, which had lowered its head too.
“Well, I don’t actually want you; at least not yet.” His tone was conversational and Frankie’s eyes bulged in surprise as he struggled.
“But I do want your darling older sister, Catherine.”
Frankie’s eyes flipped sideways, trying to see Jacen’s face.
“She’s my younger sister, asshole.”
Even pressed against the wall Frankie’s voice was filled with rage and it made Angelo smile to himself, even as he kept his gaze trained on Jacen, who gave a mock shiver at the human’s words.
“Wrong answer, Frankie, my dearest. She’s actually the oldest of all of you, by weeks if memory serves.”
Frankie struggled harder against the vice-like grip of the vampire’s hand. For his part, Jacen looked bored, the effort of holding Frankie against the wall clearly nothing at all.
“This has been fun; it really has.” Jacen pulled Frankie to him, keeping his hand wrapped around the man’s throat, his feet nearly lifting from the floor as he marched him toward the door. He kept his eyes on Angelo as he passed.
He paused, hearing the growl coming from Angelo as he grinned over his shoulder.
“Tell Darien that I’m willing to trade, the girl for Frankie here.”
He reached into the folds of his leather coat and pulled out a cell phone, which he tossed onto the floor between Angelo and the Rottweiler. “I’ll call with the details.”
Then he frog-marched Frankie out of the apartment, leaving Angelo to face the dog, which once Jacen had left, seemed to waken from the spell it had been under. Teeth were bared, pale in the dark face, as the dog took a step closer, strength coiled in its powerful legs and torso.
The fight that ensued had only lasted minutes but it had been enough to trash the apartment and, as Angelo had limped from the building before curious neighbors could see him, he’d taken cover in some nearby bushes, the cell phone gripped in one bloody hand.
The sun was beginning to tinge the darkness and he’d only just managed to get home in time; his car racing just ahead of the dawning light.
He fell silent as he reached the end of his account, his face turned away from Catherine, his skin burning with shame.
Sensing his unease she reached out to lay a hand on his forearm. “You tried your best,” she murmured, “but it wasn’t a fair fight, bringing a dog to attack you.”
Angelo chuckled, the sound so low she almost missed it. But she didn’t miss the look that passed between the two men and she looked up to find Darien staring down with a small smile on his own face.
Obviously she was missing something here and she’d have to get the truth out of Darien later. But for now they had to find Frankie and she was surprised that neither of them seemed to be in too much of a hurry to get out there and find her brother.
“It’s daytime, love. We’ll be heading out as soon as the sun goes down and I’m sure Jacen will have been in touch by then.” He lifted one hand, revealing the cell phone Jacen had left with Angelo.
After getting Angelo to lean forward so he could check the wounds, which were already knitting closed, Darien drew Cat from the room and back down the passage to his own bedroom.
“We need to talk,” he mumbled around a grin as he saw her arch one brow. “Seriously.”
But as soon as the bedroom door closed behind them he had her in his arms, his mouth hard and insistent as he opened her to his tongue.
Cat melted against him, her arms gripping fistfuls of his shirt as her lips parted with a desperation of her own. When they finally broke apart Darien breathed against her mouth, his hand wrapped in her hair, tugging fistfuls with gentle hands.
“Don’t ever walk out on me like that again.”
Cat’s temper flared briefly but, as the scent of cinnamon grew thick between them, she realized that Darien had been as broken by her leaving as she had. The knowledge brought a buzz of electricity, which hummed through her body as Darien gazed down, his lips parted in awe as she felt the corona of light flare from her skin.
She could feel its heat, a warm g
low that engulfed both of them and made Darien tremble under her hands as she pushed aside the buttoned opening of his shirt to run her hand over his hard pecs.
“What do you say we try this again?” She asked breathlessly as she ran her tongue along his skin until she reached his small hard nipple. She nipped gently, hearing him groan. Then her feet were off the floor as he lifted her, moving to the bed in a blur of speed before he dropped her roughly on top of the black duvet.
The growl in his throat was like a dangerous purr as he pulled off the spike heels she was wearing, his hands quickly undoing the button at her waist before peeling the skinny stretch denims down her legs where they joined the shoes in a heap on the carpet.
Then his hands were grabbing her hips, pulling her hard along the bed, her legs widening automatically as he lowered his head to breath in her scent. Her panties went the way of her jeans with a soft tearing as he ripped them with his fangs, moaning as she arched into him.
He pounced on her with all the ferocity of his pent up emotions, forcing her thighs wider as his mouth found her core, his tongue working its way to her swollen nub, his lips latching onto her and sucking hard until she cried out.
He knelt between her legs as he undid the button of his jeans, his massive erection bursting forth as he pushed the denim down his thighs. Cat’s hands tore at his shirt, her eyes fevered as she stared at his chest when he’d finally managed to shrug out of the fabric.
But, when her hands reached down for his shaft, he grabbed her wrists and pinned then hard at either side of her head, making her immobile. Then he settled between her thighs, nestling the throbbing head of his cock into her slick wetness as, with one hard thrust, he filled her to the hilt.
As Catherine bucked and cried out beneath him Darien thought he would explode. His climax was building fast but he couldn’t release her hands, forcing himself in and out of her satiny tightness with an urgency that stunned him.
Burying his head against her neck he finally released her wrists, feeling her nails scrape down his back as she wrapped her legs around his thighs and forced him even deeper inside her.
Her nails dug deep, arching his spine as she unwrapped one leg from around him, using the other to begin rolling him. Darien took the hint; pulling Cat against his chest as he rolled onto his back, still embedded deep within her.
She straddled his hips, her skin glowing faintly as he reached up to place his hands over her breasts, his thumbs grazing over her taut nipples.
She moaned, grinding against him and taking his shaft ever deeper until she was impaled on his length. As she rocked back and forth she could feel Darien tensing beneath her, his hips rising and falling as she rode him until they were both nearing the edge of climax.
The energy she’d felt building from the moment he’d pulled her into his arms finally unfurled itself, spreading through her limbs until she felt as if she were on fire. Through half closed lids she could see the glow of her skin intensify as heat rolled off her in waves and, as the energy at her core finally released itself in a glorious spasm, she could hear Darien calling out her name on a hoarse cry as he came.
Cat collapsed on his chest, feeling her orgasm rip through her; wave upon wave of pleasure that left her panting against his neck as Darien tensed again and again, filling her with his semen.
She felt heat still tingling on her skin when Darien rolled her again, bringing them face to face without withdrawing from her body. Her flushed face was against his shoulder and the scent that was so uniquely him filled her senses, bringing a calm she’d never felt before.
Darien’s breathing was beginning to slow as he gazed down at Cat, seeing the delicate flush that was extending over her neck and cheeks as he brushed his lips across her forehead. Her skin still burned and his brow furrowed as he lifted her chin, seeing the drugged look to her eyes as panic set in.
Cat was floating, lost in the afterglow of their lovemaking, and Darien’s voice barely registered as she drifted. Then he was pulling out of her and she frowned, feeling the loss like a physical pain she could no more articulate than she could look at him now.
The fever took hold, leeching the heat from her body, leaving her frozen inside while her skin still burned. Her teeth started to chatter and she wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her legs up underneath her into a ball.
Darien was kneeling on the bed and she heard him bellowing at her from a distance. She reached out a hand to him, wanting to tell him not to shout, but her arms were no longer heeding her mind’s commands and she felt him lift her half way off the bed and into the hard embrace of his arms as his cry filled the room.
Then, as a crash indicated the door had been thrown open, and shapes crowded around her, she slipped into oblivion, Darien’s arms and voice the only thing connecting her to the here and now; until they dwindled against the onrushing darkness and she was swept away.
Chapter 7
Cat had been moved to a spare guest room and Darien was wearing a new pattern into the carpet as he paced from one end of the room to the other, his eyes never leaving her form, huddled under the silky comforter.
Galena had just finished a cursory examination, stating that there was no need to pile heaps of bedding on her to break her fever.
“It’s not that type of fever,” she’d announced quietly after Darien had laid his lover gently on the cool sheets.
Mindless of the fact that he was still naked, Darien had stood next to the bed until Riley tossed a bathrobe in his direction and he’d pulled the thing on roughly, vaguely aware that the others were talking to him. He ignored them all until they left and only he and Galena remained in the room.
He stopped pacing only long enough to turn his attention to the older woman, pinning her with eyes that glowed dimly with agitation.
“Is it happening?” His voice was harsh and he was chewing nervously on a nail that had been perfectly manicured just moments before and probably would be again within hours.
Galena nodded. “I think this is the beginning of Catherine’s Ascension, yes.” Her words were hushed as she smoothed damp tendrils of Cat’s hair from her fevered brow.
“Do you think it’s because we…” Darien’s voice trailed off, suddenly unsure.
Knowing where his thoughts were going, Galena smiled wryly. “I’m sure it might have something to do with it but I don’t think it’s what triggered this final stage.” She stood and walked over to where he’d begun pacing again, her hand on his arm halting his stride.
“I think it’s more her concern over her brother’s abduction that’s led to this. Added to everything that’s happened, I think it’s been a rough week for her.”
Darien stilled, Galena’s words worming their way into his consciousness like an insidious serpent. He wanted to yell and slam himself into the wall; cause himself some bodily harm that he couldn’t automatically heal from within hours.
He’d caused all of this, he realized with dread. If he hadn’t been so concerned about his own needs this could have been averted; if he’d spent more time focused on making sure that Catherine was okay with everything going on in her life right now then she might not be lying in that bed, soaking the sheets in perspiration as her Ascension took control of her body and broke down the last barriers to her metamorphosis into Ligata.
It was, he realized with dawning horror, the evidence that proved he was indeed a sin. He was greed; consumed by his own desires and mindful of nothing but his own satisfaction. The knowledge filled him with self-loathing as he looked over toward the bed, tears he’d never shed before suddenly filling his eyes. He rubbed at them with fingers that shook.
Galena was pulling him toward the door although he resisted, breaking out of his reverie as she shook his arm.
“If you think you’re going to wallow in self pity simply because you’ve fallen in love with someone, then you’d better snap out of it fast, sunshine.”
He gaped at her, his head turned downward as he stared, seeing the flash
of defiance in her tiny frame. Considering their size difference it surprised him that she would speak so abruptly until he realized that she always had; a voice of reason over the centuries that had always guided him far better than the remote affections of his parents.
He grabbed at her blindly, as he’d done countless times as a child and she patted his back in a comforting gesture while he wept silently on her shoulder.
Then she took him by the arms, straining her head up to look him squarely in the eyes.
“The others need you to take charge now. You need to be the one to get Cat’s brother back if she’s to get through her Ascension in one piece.”
Darien nodded, taking a deep breath as he swiped at the tears that had already dried on his cheeks. Icy resolve returned, taming the ugly beast that was eating him up inside.
***
Jacen closed his cell phone and popped the battery from the back. Now they couldn’t track his whereabouts from the call and he’d have the next few hours to prepare for the exchange.
He glanced over at Frankie, noticing that the gag he’d used on the man was too tight and causing a thin trickle of blood to ooze down to his jawline. He considered licking it off but, if what he believed the Ligata possessed did indeed prevail in their blood then he just might lose himself in Frankie; and despite the number of men he’d had over the years, he really didn’t swing that way.
No, he wanted Catherine. As the first of the Ligata to reach Ascension she would be the luscious innocent who could bring him the peace he craved, her blood fulfilling his destiny.
No longer would he need to hover in the shadows, idly contemplating his eternally damned existence. He would be free to indulge, to live the life he’d been born into instead of being driven to despise his basest urges.
Charity would consume his needs, tempering the worst of him with her soothing grace and allowing the beast within him to emerge, spreading its wings in the light as his evil frailty was worn away and a new beginning arose.
Frankie, as delicious as his energy was, would be no comparison to Catherine; at least not until his own Ascension began.
