“Oh. You heard me.” Heat streaked across her face. Then she tugged him to her as he continued his slow torment with his tongue. Her hands gripped his hair, keeping him in place. ‘So now, mate of mine, what are you going to do about it?’
“This.” He set her aside, moved to his knees, then unzipped her boots. “You’re going to wear these for me again. The entire get-up.” He pulled them off and tossed her footwear aside.
“I’ll think about it.”
Aethan rose and carried her to the shower, but his gleaming gaze told her she would be wearing them again. Soon.
After their shower, Aethan carried her to bed and laid her down. As he rubbed the towel over her limp body, she gazed at the bank of windows. Darkness still shrouded the castle despite it being early morning. Her thoughts drifted to earlier that night—
“Kira!” She jerked up, her chest seizing in fear. “Aethan, I left her behind at that club.”
“No.” He smoothed a reassuring hand over her damp hair. “She’s here in the castle. I asked one of the others to bring her. I wouldn’t leave someone you care about, unprotected, in that hellhole.”
“Thank you.” She sagged back against the pillows, relief filling her. “Though, I can’t imagine, Kira going anywhere quietly.”
“She’s safe, that’s what matters,” he said, sitting on the bed.
Her eyes tracked the droplets of water on his skin. They gleamed in the glow of the flickering fire. She picked up the discarded towel from the bed, the one he’d used on her, crawled behind him, and rubbed him dry.
“There. Now you won’t catch a cold,” she said, running her hand over his smooth, warm skin. Tossing the towel aside, she kissed his shoulder. “Let’s go get some food. I’m hungry.”
He glanced back at her. Amusement flickered in his eyes. “All right. And just so you know, we don’t—”
“Get sick, pick up any diseases. I know. Hedori told me.” She moved to slide off the bed, so she could get dressed and go with him to the kitchen. Thoughts of roast-beef sandwiches, dripping with mayo, made her stomach grumble.
“No.” He stopped her. “Stay there. I’ll go get us food.”
She fell against the pillows and waited as Aethan disappeared into the dressing room. He came out a moment later, wearing jeans, his feet bare, and the top button of his jeans left undone. God, the man was built for sex. Her mouth watered. She found herself getting damp again just gazing at that hard body with its miles of rippling, golden skin.
Her gaze sipped back to his face and met his intense one for a long second. Then, uttering a soft growl, he stalked out of the room.
***
Aethan headed downstairs, inhaling roughly. Finally, she belonged to him. And still he couldn’t get enough of her.
Muted splashes of color brightened the foyer as pale light reflected through the stained-glass windows, announcing the arrival of dawn. He heard voices as he neared the kitchen. The others must have come in from patrol.
Aethan pushed open the kitchen door and conversation died, as if a blast of wind had blown in and swept it away. He rubbed a hand on his bare chest. Okay, forgot the shirt. So he’d be that wind, the one which snatched their vocal cords.
Assholes.
Ignoring them, he headed for the fridge and gathered up the makings for sandwiches.
“Er, sire. I have a tray prepared.”
Thank the gods for Hedori. Somehow the butler always seemed to know just what he needed, even before he did. Now he could get out of here and back to his room. He set aside his haul, but the flat-out stares coming from the dining area demanded attention.
“What?” he bit out, turning to them.
“Nope. Claiming his mate hasn’t changed him at all. Still the same old grouch,” Týr said. Pushing aside his empty plate, he picked up his can of Red Bull.
Hell. Aethan couldn’t ignore them, any more than he could stop his smile.
“Now, that shit’s just plain creepy,” Týr drawled, kicking back his chair to balance on two legs. Then he said, “I’m glad it worked out for you two.”
Blaéz raised his squat, whiskey glass in salute.
“Yeah, well...” Aethan raked a hand through his unbound hair. Words failed him. These males had stood by him when things with Echo fell apart.
“My lord? Shall I take the tray upstairs for my lady?”
“Yes, thank—No!” he snapped, startling Hedori. Shit, so not the way to start mated life by throwing his butler out of the house because the male would walk into the bedroom where his naked mate waited. “Er–that’s okay. Hedori, I’ll do that.”
Laughter reached his ears. He’d forgotten Týr and Blaéz, who watched him with eyes like freakin’ hawks.
“Bastards.” But the word held no bite. He picked up the silver tray and headed back to his room.
***
At the sound of a knock on the bedroom door, Echo stirred awake. She opened her eyes to stare into smiling gray ones. “What time is it?”
Aethan leaned in to kiss her. “A little after seven.”
“Hmm—there’s someone at the door.”
His busy fingers trailed an erotic path down her belly. “Ignore them, maybe they’ll go away.”
The knock came again.
She grabbed his hand. “Aethan.”
Growling, he rolled off the bed and headed for the door. Echo found the tee she wore earlier, tangled in the bed covers, and pulled it on.
Aethan returned moments later and grabbed his jeans off the floor. “Good, you’re dressed. Michael wants to talk to you,” he said, tugging on his jeans.
“About what?” She got off the bed and smoothed her hand over the T-shirt.
“He didn’t say.” Aethan went back and opened the bedroom door.
The Archangel strode inside, dressed in leathers and a black T-shirt. If she’d thought Aethan was intimidating and radiated menace when she first saw him, Michael appeared ten times worse. But what did he want?
Oh no. She was supposed to leave with him today.
“Eshana. Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” Aethan’s eyes narrowed. He pushed Echo behind him. Arms crossed against his bare chest, he stared at Michael, waiting for an answer.
Echo swallowed. If Michael said something before she could explain, Aethan would go Terminator on the Archangel. She moved to stand beside her mate. “Michael? Can I have a word with Aethan, alone, please?”
Those fractured blue irises skimmed over her face, then he nodded and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Her stomach churning, she turned to face Aethan.
“I’m waiting, Echo. What did Michael mean?”
Oh hell. “You can’t get angry—”
“You start off like that and it’s a sure way for me to do so.”
Inhaling a deep breath, she said, “I met Michael out in the gardens yesterday morning. He told me about the Celestial Realm and that I’d be safe there.”
Instantly, his gaze hardened. “So what? You asked Michael to take you there, away from me?”
“Aethan, please understand. I was out of options. I thought our relationship was over. Not being with you was tearing me apart. And as the Healer, I didn’t have much choice. I couldn’t live here unmated and unprotected—yes, Michael pointed out the dangers and gave me a choice to go back to you. Well, I couldn’t live like that again.” Her eyes pleaded with him, but not a muscle moved on his impassive face. “I made the only decision I could.”
“What else? There must have been an incentive for you to agree. What was it?”
“Aethan, let it go. It’s over now. Michael will understand that I changed my mind.”
He simply stared at her with cold gray eyes. She sighed. “He told me that if I ascended to the Celestial Realm, all my mortal memories would be gone.”
“I see.”
She winced at his flat tone. “Aethan—”
“Why did Michael not tell me any of this?”
“Because I asked him not to.” She bit her lip when he walked away. He stopped by the windows and stared out into the night.
Oh God, please let him understand. She’d only wanted to spare them both pain.
***
Gods-dammit! This was what Blaéz meant when he said to ask Echo about “tomorrow night.” She’d planned to leave him. Forever. And he wouldn’t have known.
He clenched down on his teeth, unable to even to think about that. It was his own damn fault. He put her through this, forced her to make a choice, one she could live with. And with those demoniis after her, chances were one of them would have gotten to her, had she chosen to stay here.
Even he understood that it would be impossible for Echo to stay within the castle walls for the rest of her natural life. He hadn’t left her with much of an option.
“Aethan, I’m sor—”
“No, don’t.” He turned to her, shaking his head. “The fault’s mine. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. Just the thought that you wanted to forget me—”
“I didn’t want to forget you.” Her eyes misted. “But remembering what we had and having to live without you was destroying me. It was either forget, and live to fulfill my destiny in the Celestial Realm, or die.”
He hauled her to him. “Don’t talk about dying. Gods don’t.” His arms tightened around her.
‘Aethan, I need her answer.’
At Michael’s telepathic message, Aethan swallowed a curse. ‘You can come in.’
A knock sounded on the door and Michael entered. His gaze skated over them to settle on Echo. “I guess that means you changed your mind?”
She didn’t leave the shelter of Aethan’s arms, just turned her head toward Michael. “I’m sorry for inconveniencing you.”
“Do not be,” the Archangel said. “It worked out and that is what’s important. But, Eshana, you still need to be vigilant. This demonii won’t give up.”
CHAPTER 31
With Aethan closed in a meeting of the warriors, Echo headed for the kitchen and found Kira hovering around Hedori in the prep area. The aroma of something baking permeated the air. She sniffed appreciatively, but she needed coffee.
“Echo!” Kira dashed around the island counter, still wearing her sparkly, dark blue corset top and black leather pants. Her hazel eyes were troubled as she hugged Echo.
“I’m sorry about leaving you last night,” Echo said, drawing back. She stared at Kira’s hair, which was no longer brown but a brilliant shade of red.
“Don’t be. You’ve been so unhappy the past few days. When Jon said your boyfriend showed up, I was hoping that meant you’d worked things out. You and Aethan are okay now?”
Happiness filled her when she thought about him. “Yeah, we’re more than fine.”
“Good.” Kira pulled out a chair, sat down, and patted the seat next to her. “Now, I want all the deets.”
Echo laughed and shook her head. Like she would sit there and talk about her sex life. “Let me get coffee, but I’m not telling you about that.”
“Come on, I tell you everything,” Kira protested, curving her body around the chair to watch Echo.
“Much to my dismay.” Echo snorted and headed for the coffee pot. She poured a mugful of the hot, fragrant brew then took a sip.
“So, is it true? That thing about the size of a man’s feet and his you know what?” Kira grinned wickedly, her dimples flashing.
Echo spurted out the coffee she just drank. She set her mug down, grabbed a napkin off the table, and wiped her mouth and dripping hand. “You’re evil! I’m still not talking.”
Kira tugged her to the chair next to her.
Echo noticed then that Hedori had left the kitchen. But he’d set out a platter of vol-au-vents and a triple layer carrot cake. Picking up a pastry, she bit into the flaky crust and tasted the chicken filling. The thing melted in her mouth.
“Argh. I knew you wouldn’t spill. You never do.”
“What happened to the brown hair?” Echo asked, changing the topic.
“I got bored. I had fun with Hedori, though. He showed me some really cool recipes.”
Echo swallowed her groan and prayed Hedori didn’t let Kira cook anything. She’d hate to see immortal men cry when sampling her friend’s offerings, though maybe not for long with Kira dressed in her Dominatrix style outfit.
“Who brought you to the castle?” Echo asked, finishing the rest of her pastry.
Kira looked up from eyeing the carrot cake. “That stunning man with the short, dark hair. He picked me up at Anarchy and drove me here. I think he said his name’s Blaéz. But that’s about all I could get out of him. Man’s a tomb—crap Echo, when he looks at you with those pale-pale eyes, you feel the need to hide. It’s like he can see into your soul or something.”
Echo circled the rim of her mug with a finger. She didn’t want to keep her friend in the dark any longer. “Ki, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“Sure. Shoot,” she said, her gaze back on the carrot cake. With a shrug she caved and cut a slice.
“It’s about Aethan and me...” By the time Echo finished telling Kira about everything that had happened over the last few weeks, her coffee had gone cold. Kira just stared at her wide-eyed, her cake forgotten.
Echo had left out the prophecy bit for now. Shocking her best friend into speechlessness wasn’t her intention when she revealed the truth that Aethan was immortal and she was his destined-mate. Yeah, probably a good decision to leave the shockers of her ancestry for another time.
“Oh Lord!” Kira took the spoon from her coffee mug, scooped up a piece of cake from her plate, and ate it. “I can’t believe what you just told me. The stuff about immortals and mates.” She swallowed her cake and took another bite. Then pointing her spoon at Echo, she said, “See, you should’ve listened to me. Didn’t I tell you there was someone better out there for you than that loser, Philip?”
“Yes, you did,” Echo agreed.
Kira licked her spoon. “This is like having an orgasm—” She broke off as the kitchen door opened and Týr sauntered into the kitchen, raking a hand through his pale hair.
He winked at Echo with his usual flirty smile. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Meetings over?” Echo asked him.
“Yeah.” His grin faded when he glanced at Kira. “I thought Blaéz took you back to the oracle’s.”
“What?” she said in horror. “And cut short my holiday in a fab place like this with the gorgeous Blaéz.”
He narrowed his eyes. Hell, if Echo didn’t know Kira so well, she’d think her friend was serious. But Kira was leaving for Greenwich Village in a little while.
“You’re wasting your time with him. And what is that thing with your hair?”
“You got something against cornrows, now?” she asked him. “And I’ll waste my time exactly how I see fit.”
Kira’s belligerent attitude and feigned ignorance took Echo by surprise.
His jaw tight, Týr headed for the fridge. He grabbed a Red Bull and strode out of the kitchen.
Echo wheeled around to face Kira. “What did I miss? You know Týr?”
“I didn’t realize arrogance had a name.”
At Echo’s astonished look, Kira snorted. “Last night, he ordered me, on my birthday mind you, to get my butt moving if I didn’t want to get into trouble. Made me want to punch him. All because I asked him who the hell they were and what they’d done to you. Then that dark-haired one politely explained they were friends of Aethan’s and you’d left with him. I only left the club because, well, I was worried about you.”
“I’m sorry for ruining your birthday.
“Don’t be, I’ll have another one next year. So, are Blaéz and Arrogance like Aethan?”
Echo blinked. Arrogance?
Kira sighed then, seeming to forget her question. “Echo, can I borrow some clothes? I can’t stay like this. My boobs threaten to spill out with every breath I take.” She glanced down at her co
rset-like top. “A T-shirt would do because I can’t let Hedori take me home looking like a slut. Gran would freak out.”
“Come on. Clothes I can help you with.”
***
“Bastards can never give me a break,” Aethan snarled as his fist connected with the face of a demonii. The fucker had latched onto him like a blood-sucking leech.
He’d gotten the call when Blaéz had come across a horde of them, trawling the backstreets on the Lower East Side, and found a portal in the alley close to Club Anarchy.
Týr’s snort of laughter cut through the melee of the demoniis’ guttural roar. “You’re just pissed you had to leave your mate’s bed this soon.”
“’Cause, I can’t rely on you assholes to do a decent job—”
A fist landed in Aethan’s mid-riff and he cursed.
He’d had enough of this shit. He’d no plans on going back to his mate with injuries that rendered him useless. Not when he planned to spend the latter part of the night and the next morning in bed with her.
Caught in a strangle hold, Aethan elbowed the bastard in the sternum, breaking his grip. A roundhouse kick had the demonii stumbling back. Streams of red shimmered in the asshole’s hand.
“Fuck no, you don’t!” Aethan summoned his sword and swung it, decapitating the demonii before he could attack with his annoying dark-bolt.
“What the hell’s wrong with the Celt,” Týr growled from behind him.
Aethan turned and found the demoniis circling Blaéz like damn coyotes while two clung to him. And he just stood there, letting them get their punches in.
Týr drove into them like a bulldozer, slamming bodies out of the way. Dagan materialized in the melee, his sword swinging, as more of the fuckers spewed out of the portal.
Playtime was over. Aethan scanned the alley. Good thing the mortals had scurried out of the place. ‘Shield.’
The next moment a white light, contained to just the decrepit alley, rolled out of him like a wave, devouring demoniis and spewing out ash as it cleaned the area of evil filth.
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