by Trina M. Lee
“Just get out while you can, Spike. Leave this one to the angels. You can’t face Wren. You’d be a fool to try.” Before I could grill him further, the dawn forced Koda from his physical form.
I stood staring at an empty hallway until I closed and relocked the door.
A renewed sense of dread filled me. I had no reason to believe a word Koda said, but I also knew that Wren had not yet finished the business he’d started with Cinder. We’d missed our opportunity to lure the demon out, and I wondered if the following night would be too late to try again.
The urgency in Koda’s plea had shaken me. I knew better than to trust him, but I also knew he had a weakness when it came to me. He could be vicious and vindictive, but he’d never genuinely tried to harm me. Showing up at my door to warn me might have being a manipulative ploy on his part. Or it might have been authentic concern.
Again I checked on Arrow before retreating to the couch where I stared at the television but saw nothing. The dawn had chased away the night, and still I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Wren’s smirking face and the worry in Koda’s eyes.
When an hour later I again looked in on Arrow, he cracked open an eye. “Why don’t you just stay with me? Then you won’t have to keep coming to check on me.”
Oops. Busted. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” I backed away from the door.
He stopped me by rolling over and propping himself on an elbow. “You didn’t. I’m kind of in and out of sleep anyway.” He patted the bed and graced me with a lazy grin. “I promise to stay on my own side.”
Sitting in the living room alone stressing myself bald wasn’t the most appealing alternative to Arrow’s proposal. However, getting into bed with him came with its own set of risks. I stood there awkwardly in the doorway, wrestling with myself. The sensation of his lips on mine blazed in my memory. On the flip side was Koda’s warning and the sinking gut feeling that grew with each passing moment that Cinder was MIA. The longer Arrow stared at me expectantly, the more sure I was that I didn’t want to sit on the couch worrying myself sick.
Taking tentative steps, I approached the bed. “Alright, but you need to sleep.” I kept my t-shirt and PJ pants on.
Arrow had stripped down to his boxers. It was impossible not to let my gaze linger on his hard body. Tattooed and firm, it begged for my touch. Averting my gaze, I stayed well on my side, coming nowhere near the center line.
“And you don’t?” he countered. “I have the coke to keep me going. I don’t know how you do it.”
“I don’t know either.”
Having him there made it easier to relax than I’d anticipated. Once he drifted off I found slumber tugging at my eyelids. Just needed to grab a little sleep and then make another attempt to find Wren before he found me.
…Or something like that.
Somehow I managed to nod off. A deep dreamless sleep pulled me under. Several hours later I surfaced with a sudden awareness that I hadn’t checked on Arrow in a while. Blinking several times through bleary eyes, I reached out blindly to feel the rise and fall of his breath.
“I’m still alive, angel girl.” Voice thick with sleep, Arrow grabbed my hand before I could pull it away. He held it pressed to his side where I could feel the steady beat of his heart. “Thanks for giving a damn. You’re probably the only person who does.”
“That’s not true.” When he didn’t argue or agree, I asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Great. Nothing like… six hours of sleep to refresh and recharge. I think I slept better with you here.” He turned to face me in the small trickle of light that leaked in through the blinds.
His words warmed me. I kept waiting to feel nervous or awkward. It never happened. Looking back, I tried to pinpoint the moment things changed with Arrow. What exactly had brought us to this place of laid-back comfort and relaxation? Maybe it didn’t matter.
“Me too.” Beneath my hand his heart picked up speed. Just enough to notice.
Looking at Arrow lying in my bed really brought home the fact that Rowen and I were over. A pang of regret and sorrow echoed deep down in a place where those horrible feelings belonged. Then it passed. Because it had to. I couldn’t dwell in that place nor did I want to.
He reached to brush a disheveled tendril of hair off my face. His hand lingered, tracing the curve of my cheek. “Goddamn, you’re beautiful, Spike.”
The way Arrow looked at me made me believe he meant it. Messy hair, no makeup, both physical and mental flaws on display for him to see, he seemed oblivious to those things. He saw something else instead.
I was faced with a choice. One I didn’t have to make. Not now. Not if I wasn’t ready. But gazing into those hazel eyes, seeing how he expected nothing from me, I knew what I wanted.
Slowly I sat up. I shimmied out of my pants and let them fall to the floor. Facing Arrow, I got up on my knees and peeled my shirt off.
With obvious intrigue, he devoured the sight. Voice husky, he murmured, “You sure you know what you’re doing, angel girl?”
“Yeah.” With my heart hammering in my chest, I climbed on top of him. “I’m moving on.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Arrow nodded, having no further questions. Hands on my hips, he drank in the sight of my mostly naked body. Clad in only black panties, I ran both hands over his chest. His skin warmed beneath my fingers. As I dragged them lower, he sucked in a sharp breath. He was hard beneath me. Feeling him against me got my blood pumping harder.
“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about this since we first met.” Arrow took his time dragging his hands up my body, over my ribs. Like he needed to savor every inch.
“I recall you being a total dick about it too.” I laughed. It had been months since the night he’d come by our jam space to warn me to stay away from Rowen. It baffled me that so much had changed since then.
A sheepish grin crossed his face. “Yeah, well, what can I say? I am a dick. But if I could go back and be a bit less of a dick, I would.”
I outlined each of his abs in turn, marveling at the definition of each one. “Gotta call bullshit on that one.”
With a bent finger he beckoned me closer. I leaned down to close the distance between us, letting him capture my lips in a kiss. Neither of us were in any rush to take this right to the end. We’d get there in good time.
Tangling a hand in my hair, Arrow kissed me like his very life depended on it. In that moment I didn’t care about what it meant or what it might mean later, when it was over. I just knew that the pent up sexual tension between us had to be released before it drove us both crazy.
I kissed my way down the black rose tattoo on the side of his neck to his chest. Breathing in his faint, masculine cologne, my desire surged. Making my way down his stomach, I paused to lightly bite at his abs. The sexy groan it elicited gave my ego a nice little high five.
Arrow tensed when I slipped a finger in the waist of his boxers to tug them down. He caught my wrist, forcing me to glance up at him. “If you even look at my cock right now, I’m gonna lose it.” With a chuckle, he pulled me back up and rolled us over. “But don’t think I don’t love your enthusiasm.”
Before I could reply Arrow pressed his face to my breasts. He coaxed a small laugh from me by flicking his tongue over my nipple in a way that both pleased and tickled.
Even as a total mess his hair was stupidly soft. I tangled my hands in it, holding tight as he worked his way lower. I wasn’t expecting it when he slid an arm under my thigh and propped my leg on his shoulder. Arrow didn’t mess around with taking my underwear off. Yet. He slid them aside and slowly licked me.
My breath hitched and a gasp escaped me. Though the blinds were closed, enough shards of light made their way through the slats to illuminate him between my legs. For a moment it all seemed so surreal that I was sure I hadn’t woken up yet and this was all a dream.
But no. The touch of his tongue, the smooth silver barbell through it, was incredibly
real. And though Arrow was a known womanizer, he certainly was not all take and no give. The man knew what the hell he was doing and did it like it was going out of style.
There was no biting back the sounds I couldn’t help but make. In no time he had me seeing stars. Literally. My vision blurred and I had to blink several times to refocus.
With a cocky grin firmly in place, Arrow raised himself up over me. “Spike?”
Left speechless and gasping for breath, I pointed to the drawer in my bedside table. I took the opportunity to shove his boxers down and wrap a hand around him. He swore softly. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Arrow naked. Although the circumstances were vastly different the one time I had. Back then I’d never have guessed we’d be here now.
Arrow tugged my panties off in one smooth motion and hooked one of my legs over his forearm. Our eyes locked. I bit my lip.
He was surprisingly gentle as he entered me. But that was where the gentleness ended. This wasn’t some sweet love session. It was two people who needed to screw the other one out of their system. In the most effective way possible.
When he filled me completely, I found myself without coherent thought. Because it felt so fucking perfect. Like he belonged there.
That couldn’t be right.
Arrow’s eyes widened slightly, almost like he felt it too. Then he thrust into me again, harder this time. And that was all we needed to disregard the moment of weirdness.
We got lost in each other. For a brief time I didn’t think about demons or loss. Heartbreak ceased to exist. Finding pleasure in Arrow swept it all away. I held tight to him, digging my fingers into his back. His teeth found my neck, my shoulder, even the swell of my breasts. Though not aggressive, our encounter was rough. Like we needed to purge ourselves of every last shred of desire, despite feeding it with every touch.
At some point Arrow flipped us so I was on top. We might have even ended up in a few other positions I wasn’t always up for indulging in. By the time we finished, we lay in a spoon position. With Arrow behind me and my leg propped on his, he pressed his mouth against my shoulder.
“You’re fucking incredible,” he whispered.
I flopped onto my back so I could meet his gaze. “We were fucking incredible.”
Arrow himself had been the one to boast of the wonders of nephilim sex. He’d blown a lot of minds in his time but never experienced it himself. Until now.
“Was it everything you thought it would be?” I teased. “Banging a nephilim.”
“No. It was better. So much better.” His breath was hot on my skin, as he buried his face in my neck. “Being inside you was a thousand times hotter than I imagined. And I’ve spent a lot of time imagining it.”
Arrow had taken me to heights I’d never known existed. Was it just a nephilim thing, or was it something else? Every time with Rowen had been fascinating, enchanting in a way that was pure and tender. With Arrow it had a different flavor. Darker and more intoxicating.
Because he was dark? Comparing the brothers felt wrong, and I shoved those thoughts aside.
“Think you’re up for more?” I pressed closer, entangling my legs with his. “I don’t want to leave this bed yet.”
Nope, because the real world was outside the door. Jett might have been right. Getting this out of my system already had my head feeling clearer. Almost ready to kick some ass. Almost.
Arrow’s teeth grazed my collarbone, followed by his tongue. “Then we don’t leave.”
* * * *
It was far too easy to let the day slip by. As evening approached it brought the responsibility of the many things I had to do. Which meant leaving the comfort of my bed and the pleasure of Arrow and his darkness.
When my body ached like I’d just run the best marathon ever, I risked shattering the still quiet we laid in. “We should probably get up now.”
Arrow’s arms tightened around me. “Should we?”
“Rowen said he’d be back around sunset.” It killed me to speak his name. “And we have to find Cinder.”
“Yeah, I guess we should do that.” There was such reluctance in Arrow. I kind of enjoyed knowing he hadn’t had his fill of me yet.
In the living room my phone rang, right where I’d left it. “Crap, that’s probably Jett.”
I started to sit up, sure I’d never make it to the phone before it went to voicemail. A male voice from the living room made me freeze.
“Hello? Yes, she’s here. Seems to be rather occupied at the moment. Can I tell her who’s calling?”
Arrow and I looked at one another in shock and horror. At once we both sprang into action, scrambling out of bed. Unwilling to burst into the living room nude, I grabbed the pink robe from the laundry pile and tied it as I rushed from the room. Having managed to find and put on his boxers, Arrow followed right behind me.
I jerked to a halt right outside the bedroom door so suddenly that Arrow stumbled into me.
Wren sat on my couch with my tortoise, Seth, on his lap. One hand on the little guy’s shell, he held my phone in the other. Extending it to me, he said with a grin, “It’s Jett. You might want to take this.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The first thing I did was glance about for the Midnight Star. It was right where I’d left it, propped by the kitchen table. I’d never get to it in time. No choice but to play Wren’s game.
With my heart pounding so loud it deafened me, I forced myself to walk toward him. Refusing to let my terror show on my face, I stuck my chin out in defiance and snatched the phone from his hand.
Wren didn’t grab me or get up. He simply sat there, stroking my tortoise’s shell, watching me with obvious delight.
“Jett.” My voice shook when I put the phone to my ear.
“Please tell me that’s not who I think it is. I’m coming. Right now.” Her voice hit this high note I rarely heard. Because Jett was rarely terrified.
“Don’t,” I said, afraid to say anything else.
I didn’t dare take my eyes off Wren. My palms burned with the instinctive desire to launch a fireball in his face. Common sense told me to wait. Burning the place down or setting the demon off prematurely wouldn’t achieve anything.
“Let her come,” Wren chided. His vicious red gaze strayed from me to Arrow. “Or is this something you’d prefer to keep secret? Can’t say I blame you. You two have broken the rules. I’m impressed.”
Beside me Arrow remained silent, having learned in his time that to speak to a demon on a power trip was merely to antagonize. There was no talking our way out of this one.
“Just try to stay calm, ok, Spike? He’s just playing with you. I’m on my way.” Jett hung up before I could tell her again to stay away.
I dropped the phone on the arm chair, struggling not to tear Seth away from Wren. The demon eyed us curiously. How long had he been here? How the hell had we not known?
“How did you get in here?” I demanded, voice stronger now. Sure I was scared, but if I was going down, he’d never get the satisfaction of seeing it.
“Relax, Spike.” Wren hit hard with the emphasis on my name. He’d called me Ember when we first met. “You’re far too tightly wound for someone who just fucked the day away.”
“How?” I repeated, sure I could feel my blood pressure rising.
Wren opened his hand, and a white feather appeared on his palm, its tip bloody. Cinder’s feather. “Wasn’t too hard to break the ward once I had this.”
An angel or demon feather in the possession of the wrong person could give one power over that angel or demon. Most of that power came from black magic. Demon shit. Angels didn’t work that way. Not usually.
“Where is he?” I clenched my hands tight in an effort to keep from scorching Wren’s stupid smug face.
“Just full of questions tonight, aren’t you?” To Arrow, he said, “And you, so silent, dark one. What’s that all about?”
Arms crossed, Arrow managed to look fierce despite standing there in only his boxers.
“Got nothing to say to you, asshole.”
Wren’s chuckle filled the apartment. “Lucky for you, I’m not the one you’ll be answering to when both sides find out about this little dalliance.” He wagged a finger at the two of us. “Although I gotta give credit where credit is due. Banging a white lighter is not an easy feat. That might win you some dark side points right there.”
“What are you doing here?” Knowing I risked an answer I didn’t want, I couldn’t stand there and listen to him praise Arrow for banging me. “You’ve obviously got an agenda, Wren, so get to the fucking point.”
His smile vanished. With his face stone cold, Wren stared at me, possibly willing my head to explode from his glower alone. “I suppose you may not have to face judgment for your nasty little sins here. You won’t live to see it. I came to tell you that Cinder very much wants to see you.” That was it. He planted seeds and offered nothing more.
Though I was scared, his taunting tone and blatant assholery pissed me off. “Yeah? So where is he? You can’t play games if the other players don’t know the rules. Spit it out.” My clenched fists burst into flames. I struggled to keep them from spreading further.
Wren stared at me so long I thought I might actually burn his face off. Never had I hated someone’s face quite so much. “Cinder is in the same place where he’d been holding me. And he’s not alone. Three people bearing his seal are with him. One of them, a child.” Wren paused and picked Seth up in both hands to peer into his tiny face. “And I’ll kill them all right in front of him. If you don’t get there by midnight.”
He’d just flung a child’s life into my hands. Not quite the game I’d anticipated. Much worse.
“And if I do get there by midnight?” It couldn’t be so simple. Not with a demon.
Wren held Seth close to his face, and for a split second I thought he would bite the little dude’s head right off. I braced myself for it, feeling sick as the fire spread up my arms.
“Then I let them go and kill you in front of Cinder instead.” Deadpan. No joke. Wren set Seth down on the floor and stood up. “I’m going to kill you either way. But this way you have a chance to save someone else. Someone Cinder loves. Better hurry.” In typical demon fashion, he disappeared after his moment of dramatizing his power.
