by Missy Jane
Zerach looked down into Dora’s trusting gaze and knew he couldn’t leave her for at least a few more hours. What good was playing hooky from work if he made himself do a different type of job instead? No. He would wait until later this evening to deal with Jake and the demons. For now, he would see how many different ways he could make Dora come with her clothes still on.
“Tell me, baby, are you willing to take your panties off if I promise not to peek?”
The scent of renewed arousal filled his lungs.
She smiled. “I’m sure I can be talked into it…after you let me watch you shower.”
His erection sprang back to life so fast it hurt. Her eyes widened as she felt the hardness against her. He just grinned and kissed her again. “You’ve got a deal.”
The rest of the daylight hours were spent in sensual exploration. He learned her limits and began to suspect she had physical scars she couldn’t trust him with yet. The urge to confess who he really was nearly overwhelmed him. One of his powers included healing, and he knew he could take away whatever ailed her. Unfortunately, he didn’t think either of them were ready for that conversation yet. He was still trying to come to terms with what falling would mean for him, while she was still learning to fully trust him. It should be soon, but not quite yet.
After a dinner of delivered pizza he knew it was time to go. Dora seemed to sense it too. She grew quiet as they ate, and by the time they were done she wouldn’t even look at him. He finished his food and rose from the kitchen table. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt all day but had pulled his slacks on after their last romp in her bed. She had showered and now wore a simple sundress that reached her ankles. Leaving her wouldn’t be easy.
As he set his plate in the sink she also left the table. He turned to find her storing the leftovers in the refrigerator.
“I wish I could stay the night again,” he said.
She finally faced him and smiled. “I wouldn’t mind. Though you might want to go home for a change of clothes.”
He gave a weak smile even as he shook his head. “I wish I could, but I can’t. I promised my brother I would meet him tonight.”
“Oh.” Any hint of amusement she had immediately vanished. “So the two of you are going out?”
He closed the distance and pulled her into his arms. Relief filled him when she allowed it. “Not in the way you think. We are going to a bar, but it’s because he’s investigating the female bartender there. She may be in trouble or causing trouble. He’s trying to determine which.”
It was the best he could do without telling her the whole truth. Now that he had decided she would be his, he didn’t want a single lie between them. The omission of his and his brothers’ true nature was more than enough.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I understand.”
He tilted her chin up with one finger to gaze into her eyes. “Do you? Can you trust me?”
“Yes.” No hesitation.
Elation filled him as he realized she really was learning to trust and believe in him. It wouldn’t be much longer before he could be completely honest with her…about everything.
After a few more hungry kisses he finally pulled away. He dressed quickly to avoid the temptation that was his Isadora. She watched him and his hunger grew. He wouldn’t be able to stay away from her for long.
“I’ll see you at the office in the morning?” he asked.
A slight smile of surprise lit her face. “Of course. Unless I’ve been fired and you forgot to tell me.”
He chuckled and pulled her into his arms for one last kiss. “Absolutely not, beautiful. How could I possibly keep going into that dreary office without you to brighten it?”
She laughed, and he kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“All right.”
“Lock the door after I leave and do not let Jake back into this apartment,” he added.
She frowned. He hated having to remind her of that possible danger.
“I won’t. I promise,” she said.
He nodded and strode out the door. He didn’t walk away until he heard the deadbolt turn. Then he made his way to his truck and hoped he could finish this night quickly. The new day would bring Dora back into his arms. He could hardly wait.
After a shower and shave at home, he dressed and jumped back into his truck. A phone call earlier in the day from Rafe set up a meeting at the bar where Astaroth worked. Asta refused to meet him anywhere else. He’d tried to follow her home but had lost her after only a few minutes. She obviously had some power to be able to lose an archangel on her tail.
Zerach left his truck with the valet and entered the bar. He looked around for Rafe even though he hadn’t felt his presence upon entering. Asta was also obviously absent. A sense of foreboding filled him. He sent out a mental call to Rafe and ordered a beer while he waited. After five minutes of nothing he pulled out his cell phone.
Rafe answered the call on the first ring. “I meant to call you.”
“Yeah? Well you didn’t,” Zerach said.
Rafe chuckled at the sarcasm in his voice. “I’m at my house. Asta is here and we’re going over some things. Can you come here?”
Instant alarm filled him. Changing plans at the last minute was completely out of character for Rafe. And he had stressed that Asta would only meet at the bar.
“I’ll be there soon.”
Rafe said nothing else before disconnecting the call.
Zerach dialed Mike even as he walked away from the bar. By the time the valet pulled his truck to the curb Mike, Cam, Uri, and Sel had all been alerted. None of them had spoken to Rafe all day or could provide an explanation for his odd behavior. Mike and Sel would meet Zerach at Rafe’s house, Cam agreed to keep an eye on Dora, and Uri went to find Jake. Zerach had a feeling the endgame was set and he wanted to know where all the players were tonight.
He reached Rafe’s house just as Mike and Sel arrived on their motorcycles. There were no overtures of evil or obvious demonic bindings. The small two-bedroom house sat quietly in its suburban neighborhood looking calm and peaceful, just as it always did.
“Ready?” Mike asked.
All three approached the front door. It swung open before they could knock. Rafe stood with a grin on his face and no surprise in his gaze. “I didn’t mean to alert all of you. But since you’re here…” He waved them in with one arm and they entered silently.
Asta sat on Rafe’s sofa with a bottle of water in her hands. Tonight she wore a plain black t-shirt and well-worn jeans. Zerach couldn’t help but note she looked just as sexy in the drab outfit as she had in the corset. She watched the men file into the room with a hint of humor on her lips.
“Asta, these are my brothers,” Rafe said. He named each of them but no one moved to shake hands. The tension in the air was palpable.
“So, why didn’t you call to change our plans?” Zerach asked.
A hint of guilt shone on Rafe’s face as he shrugged. “I’m afraid I lost track of time.” He motioned to his large coffee table, covered in old tomes and even one nearly ancient scroll. “We were doing some research.”
Mike made himself comfortable and the others followed suit. Zerach sat with a frown. “What exactly are you researching?”
“My origins. Or more specifically my father,” Asta said.
She didn’t seem at all bothered by the scrutiny of the four angels.
Mike leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and faced her. “What do you know of your father?”
“Not much. I’ve known I was different my whole life. My mother had no clue just how different. I started looking for answers once I grew old enough to strike out on my own. Rafe here is the first person who seems to know what the hell he’s talking about.”
All eyes turned to Rafe. He shrugged with amusement still obvious in his expression.
“And just what has he been talking about?” Mike asked.
Asta laughed. “Not as much as you might think. But,
I’m a little psychic and so am able to discern quite a bit on my own. Mostly though, I’ve been bombarding him with questions he flat out refuses to answer.” She looked each of them in the eye before finally settling her gaze back on Rafe. “I know you’re not human.”
Complete silence followed that statement, and the brothers all eyed each other warily.
Mike said, “I guess we might as well tell her the truth. We can always bind and gag her afterward if needed.”
Asta didn’t look at all concerned by that statement. She actually rolled her eyes with a smirk. “Bring it on, big guy. I’m stronger than I look.”
“Oh, we’ve no doubt of that,” Sal said. “In fact, we can tell without a doubt you carry demon blood in your veins.”
Her smirk vanished, and her gaze jumped to Rafe. “What kind of bullshit is this?”
He shrugged and held his hands out helplessly. “I told you it was the truth whether you want to hear it or not.”
She hopped to her feet, and they all tensed. Zerach was closest to the doorway. He stood slowly and took a step back to block the entrance. She didn’t even seem to notice as she began pacing around the room. One end held a huge fireplace with framed photographs covering the mantle. They were pictures of the human families Rafe had helped in some way. Asta picked one up and stared at it quietly for a moment.
“They look so happy and normal,” she said. “I’ve always wanted a picture like this. Normal, beautiful mom. Normal, handsome dad. And then me. Just a kid with parents who love her.” She set the picture down and placed both hands on the mantle, keeping her back to them. “I first suspected I might be possessed by a demon when I was in high school. Jenny Sheb made fun of my shoes so I set hers on fire. No one else knew, of course. But I knew, and it scared the hell out of me. Then I started hearing voices in my head. I thought I was losing my fucking mind.”
Rafe rose and slowly walked over to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder until she finally tuned back to face them.
“What other things did you do after that?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing. I prayed and bought rosaries. Every rosary I bought melted until the beads all ran together like one long piece of plastic. I finally gave up but kept praying. I almost walked into a church once but my head started pounding as soon as I stepped onto the property.”
Zerach and Mike exchanged a glance. No demon could step on consecrated ground.
“That was the sum of my religious experiments. I stopped praying after my mom died. I figured there was no fucking point.”
Rafe had dropped his hand but hadn’t stepped away. He reached over and brushed a finger down her cheek. Zerach wanted to laugh at the possessive gesture but a glance proved his brothers weren’t as amused.
“You are only part demon,” Rafe said. “Possibly not even half. It’ll take more research to determine for sure.”
She nodded as if she had figured as much.
“And just what do you think we are?” Sel asked.
Asta shrugged and looked at Rafe again. “Not like me. I can feel peace and comfort rolling off of you. Whenever you come close I want to close my eyes and snuggle against you.” She frowned and faced Sel again. “That’s never happened before with anyone.”
“We’re not human and not demon,” Mike said. He stood and pulled off his shirt. No one moved as he walked a few feet away to a clearer spot in the room. His wings unfurled slowly until they reached the high ceiling. Zerach wasn’t surprised by the awe on Asta’s face.
She had paled and reached for Rafe. Then she abruptly pulled her hand back and stared at him wide-eyed. “Are you one too?”
He nodded. She took a few steps away so the full length of the fireplace separated them.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Asta,” Rafe said.
She nodded but didn’t look like she believed him. “So, now what?”
They all looked to Mike. He pulled his wings back and put his shirt back on. Then he sat down and rubbed a hand over his chin. “I don’t think she’s a threat at this time. But we should probably keep an eye on her.”
“Not a problem,” Rafe said.
“Uh, I beg your fucking pardon,” Asta said with a growl. “She is right here and doesn’t like being talked about as if she isn’t in the room.”
“Does she always talk about herself in third person?” Sel asked.
Rafe snorted and Zerach fought a grin. Asta growled again, but Mike ignored all of them. “We’re having an issue with demons at the moment, Asta. It seems odd you would turn up at the same time.”
“I’ve only been in Houston a few weeks. I came from Dallas. I can’t stay in one place long before bad shit starts to happen, but I swear I’m not doing anything on purpose.”
That killed the amusement in the room.
“I believe you,” Mike said. The others seemed to relax, but Zerach remained skeptical.
“Your demon blood can cause all sorts of issues,” Rafe offered. “Humans will inherently distrust you and some may hate you on sight. The very weak or slightly psychic ones might even think you’ve wronged them in some way. They’ll be able to convince themselves there’s something wrong with you.”
Unexpected tears slipped down her pale cheeks and Zerach suddenly felt guilty for judging her so harshly. She was a very young demonling. Perhaps mid-twenties in human years. That was still a child compared to their existence.
“You’ve nothing to fear,” he found himself saying. “If you truly intend no ill will to anyone then we can help you.”
Her gaze filled with skepticism before she turned a hopeful look toward Rafe. “What do I have to do? I’m already having trouble at the bar and I don’t have much money.”
“You’ll stay here,” he said.
“Then it’s settled for now,” Mike said. He gestured toward the coffee table. “Now we need to get down to the business of who sired her.”
Rafe returned to his seat and after a few minutes of silence so did Asta. It took four hours of pouring over dusty texts before they realized she was indeed sired by one of their greatest enemies as they’d feared. Armaros.
One of the most ancient books in Rafe’s collection included a hierarchy of demons. Armaros was listed as one of the most active in attempting to enter the human realm. There were also certain traits he was known to pass down to every one of his children, whether half-human or not. The most easily detected stood out on Asta’s shoulder. She scratched at the red tattoo angrily.
“I’ve had this damn thing my whole life. I really thought it was just a tattoo, but my mom would never answer when I asked about it.”
She swiped at her angry tears and stormed out of the room with Rafe trailing after her.
Chapter Eight
The next day, Zerach stood on the roof of his building as Mike and Rafe took flight and disappeared into the lightening sky. Asta was ensconced in Rafe’s home with protective barriers that kept her in and all other creatures out. They still didn’t know if she needed protection or incarceration, so she was currently being provided both. Armaros was a son of the Nephilim and now a higher level demon of some renown. His presence, even in the blood of his offspring, was a very bad sign of things to come. Despite Asta’s reassurances they had to remain skeptical of her intentions.
His thoughts turned to Dora. He had known angels who fell, but it was eons ago. Nothing was heard of them again, but if they had become mortal then their lives were long past.
What would it be like to live one mortal lifetime? Each minute would be more precious. Each heartbeat would be more deliberate. Zerach looked around the empty rooftop and decided he had wasted enough time. Dora would already be in the office below getting ready to start the day. Did he have to pretend she was just his secretary until five o’clock?
That thought made him scowl, and he knew he couldn’t possibly do it. He decided there was something he needed to do before facing her again and headed for the elevator.
…
Isadora did everything in her power to pretend it was a normal work day. She arrived fifteen minutes early as usual and started the coffee. She checked her emails and replied as needed. Then she went over Zerach’s schedule for the day. All was well in hand when he walked in an hour after her arrival, as usual, until he set the crystal vase on her desk. She looked up to find a dozen long-stemmed roses artfully arranged in the elegant vase. Her breath caught.
“Oh, Zerach. They’re beautiful.” She jumped to her feet as he walked around the desk to get to her. They met halfway for a passionate kiss that left her breathless. ”Thank you.”
He grinned and kissed her again. “You’re welcome. It was torture sleeping without you last night.”
Heat filled her cheeks even though she knew there was nothing to be embarrassed about. They’d crossed a line and one boundary had dissolved between them. She was determined to remain professional in the office, but he’d completely caught her off guard.
“I know what you mean,” she said. “Stanley is a poor substitute for you.”
He chuckled and released her slowly. “I’ll bet.”
She wanted to sigh in disappointment as he walked toward his office, but this was how it had to be. The work day had started and now they needed to don their professional hats.
“You have a meeting at ten,” she said.
He stopped in his doorway and turned back to face her. “Do I have anything for lunch today?”
“No.”
“Good. I’m taking you to that new place on Montrose.”
“That’ll take too long.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry, beautiful. I’ve cleared it with your boss. If you’re running late you won’t get in trouble.” Then he winked before disappearing into his office. She couldn’t help but laugh.
His meeting ran until almost lunchtime. Just as the clock struck noon the door to the boardroom opened and ten men in business suits filed out. Zerach trailed them and stood at her desk as he said his goodbyes.
