Rogue Fae

by C. N. Crawford

  Of course the Horseman of Death did not sit by fireplaces with hot soup.

  I hadn’t convinced him of anything, but it seemed like maybe he’d lost the will to argue with me. I didn’t want to argue with him anymore, either. Right now, I felt sick of talking, sick of words. I just wanted the peacefulness of an empty mind.

  He leaned back, his stormy gaze boring into me. “Tell me more about this naked fantasy you have of me.”

  At those words, all I knew was that I really wanted was to feel his body beneath mine.

  “It’s more about the soup, honestly,” I lied. “Minestrone.” I licked my lips.

  “I don’t even know what that is. Do we have to focus on the soup aspects of this fantasy?”

  Slowly, I tugged up the hem of my dress, showing off my thighs. “But it has parmesan and pancetta.”

  “I don’t care about the pancetta. Keep pulling up your dress.”

  I lifted it another inch. “And zucchini. Diced.”

  He gripped the edge of the tub. “Dress. Off.”

  “Some recipes call for butter.” I pulled off my dress entirely, and the cool air whispered over my skin.

  Adonis’s body seemed to stiffen, his gray eyes brightening. “That’s more like it.”

  “Your bath looks nice.” The feel of his eyes on my body was electrifying.

  I unhooked my bra, letting it fall to the floor. My body warmed, and I felt as if my breasts were swelling under his gaze.

  Adonis’s jaw dropped open, and he drank me in. My thighs clenched with anticipation. Then, I slid off my panties.

  I stepped into the bath, the water scalding my porcelain skin until it turned pink. My legs slid against his as I lowered myself into the tub.

  I nestled in across from him. His magic thrummed hot over my skin, and despite the warmth around me, goosebumps rose on my skin. “I said we can create Paradise, right? I’ll show you.”

  I summoned glamour, transforming the air around us to create an illusion of blood red flowers—the same ones that lined the riverbed in Afeka. Then, I flicked my fingers, and the sparkling river appeared, curving out of the cavern of the afterworld. Adonis’s home—and the home of the Old Gods. With a twitch of my fingers, myrtle tees sprang up around the river’s edge.

  For just a moment, I thought I glimpsed drops of blood on their leaves, but I blinked, shoving the image out of my mind. Something dark nagged at the recesses of my mind, but I ignored it, letting my leg slide against Adonis’s.

  A little more life glinted in his eyes now—a little hunger—and his mouth twitched in a dangerous smile. Sensuous magic pulsed off him, swirling around my body along with the steam. Deep within the eyes of an immortal being like him, you could find a union of opposites: hot and cold, dark and light, the beginning and the end.

  My core throbbed at the sight of him. I’d never wanted someone so badly in my life.

  “What other sort of paradise can you create for me?” His voice had become husky. His heavy-lidded eyes promised sex and danger all at once.

  I flicked my wrist, and the vision of the garden disappeared, replaced by a steaming bowl of soup.

  A short growl. “Not food.”

  The soup’s surface glimmered red, and I frowned. I snapped my fingers, and the disturbingly crimson soup disappeared.

  Adonis gripped the soap in his hands and leaned forward. With a gentle touch, he started soaping my skin, sliding his hands up my calves.

  His fingertips lightly stroked my legs as he washed me, and I felt my knees falling open, inviting him in.

  My breath came in short, sharp bursts, and I couldn’t really focus on the illusions anymore. Not with the hungry look he was giving me. My body began to tremble with anticipation, legs opening wider. His hands moved farther up my thighs. I ached for him to keep going.

  I wanted more contact with him, wanted to feel him inside me. But he was holding back. His powerful body skimmed against mine, his touch light. Already, I was arching into him, aching for more. His soapy thumbs brushed over my hardened nipples, a light touch that made my back curve into him. More, more, more…. I moaned lightly.

  Painfully slowly, he lowered his mouth to my throat, his lips hot against my skin. He was tasting me, exploring.

  A louder moan this time. He lifted his face for a moment, gazing at me from under his dark lashes, a smile curling his lips. He was enjoying teasing me.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his. He growled softly, skimming his hands farther up my body to cup my breasts. Liquid heat pulsed in my core, and I pulled him in closer to me. I rocked against him, feeling the hardness of his body.

  His powerful back tensed, and then he whispered in my ear, “Not so fast. I’m going to take my time with you.”

  I didn’t want him to take his time. I wanted him now, hard and fast. I stroked my hands down his back, feeling his body go rigid under my fingers. Then, I found his mouth with mine, pulling him in for a deep kiss. My tongue brushed against his, my hips moving against him, more urgently.

  I smelled the scent of an exotic garden curling around me. Paradise is here.

  My kiss deepened, desperate now. I needed him. “Adonis,” I whispered.

  I raked my fingernails down his back, then gripped his ass. I pulled him closer, guiding him into me. When he’d buried himself inside me, filling me completely, I moaned loudly, spurred on by pure need. My body tightened around him.

  He stroked slowly between my legs, and I had the vague sense that I was moaning his name over and over. As ecstasy claimed my body, I could no longer quite remember how language worked.

  As I shuddered against him, only one word rang in my mind. Paradise.

  Chapter 15

  We sat at the round dining table in the Celestial Room, with moonlight washing over us. There were four of us, joined together to discuss our plan of attack: Kratos, Yasmin, Adonis, and I.

  I swirled the wine in my glass, thinking about the terrifying chaos Metatron could create using only his words. Now that we knew Metatron could create immortal angels, we had to come up with something. Fast.

  Kratos glowed with golden light, gripping his wineglass so tightly it looked like it might break. “I am Conquest. I was born to lead an army. I can command legions of soldiers to victory at my behest and force my enemies into submission. I can orchestrate a large-scale attack using my mind, and subjugate our enemies. Only problem is that I’m several legions short of an army.” He met my gaze. “What about your powers? Those gemstones? You managed to get the Heavenly Host off the earth once. Why can’t you do it again?”

  Because I’d die.

  I shook my head. “I don’t have control over that magic yet. It’s too powerful for me. I’m working on it, but I need more time. If we can just do something to buy us time, then I’ll be able to fight them.” I paused, tapping my fingertips on the table. “This situation is admittedly not awesome. And neither of you happen to know any Angelic spells that could combat Metatron’s magic? Can you make his army mortal, at least? Then Adonis could kill them.”

  “No,” said Adonis. “Metatron is the voice of the gods. His Angelic is pure and perfect, and our magic won’t combat him. Only you could do that, I think, with your light magic.”

  “The magic I can’t control whatsoever?” I frowned. “Okay. How about we create an army? What about all the humans just barely clinging onto life in the rookeries and hovels around the country? They’ll fight to survive.” Granted, they might not want to follow the angel who’d been hunting them, but maybe we could persuade them somehow.

  Yasmin shook her head. “Humans won’t save us. We break a little too easily. We need to make our army out of demons.”

  “We don’t exactly have a great relationship with the demon world,” said Adonis. “And moreover, we can’t kill the Heavenly Host anyway. They’re immortal, remember?”

  My throat tightened. “No, but we could buy ourselves some time. We can slam them all with Devil’s Bane arrows and
bullets and knock them out for weeks. Maybe during that time, I can learn to control my powers better.”

  “Frankly, that’s the best we can hope for right now.” Yasmin leaned on the table. “And what if I told you we could make our human allies a little more durable? That we could find someone to transform them into demons and fae?”

  I cocked my head. “How is that possible?”

  Yasmin paced over the flagstones, her brow furrowed. After Metatron’s attack on the Tower, she seemed more determined than ever to help put an end to the Great Nightmare. “Azazeyl’s power can do it.”

  I’d seen the statue of Azazeyl at Adonis’s castle—the beautiful, pensive man with a snake coiled around his thigh. Maybe I’d seen him once or twice in my fantasies, too. He’d been the one to tempt Eve in the Garden of Eden. He was the one who brought the Angelic language to earth in the first place.

  And yet … had she lost her mind? He didn’t exist anymore. “He fractured into seven gods when he fell to earth. There is no Azazeyl.”

  She cocked her head. “Before he fell to earth, he visited the Garden of Eden, and he fathered a child with a human. His descendant lives, and she has the power to transform humans into demons.”

  “Who is this person?” Kratos asked.

  “Our sources tell us that her name is Rosalind, and she lives in the Vampire Kingdom of Lilinor with a demigod named Caine. Grandson of Nyxobas. At least, they used to be vampires.”

  “Caine,” said Adonis. “He’s awful.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “I’ve heard of him. My boyfriend, Marcus, was once a soldier in Caine’s army. Caine is apparently mind-blowingly hot, and—” I stopped short, reading Adonis’s irritated expression. “That’s not important. He’s a general and whatnot.”

  Adonis glared at me. “He’s the demon who seduced Muriel five centuries ago. He intended to ruin her. He hates angels. And of course he does, because he’s an incubus.”

  Yasmin let out a long sigh. “Well, his wife has the power of seven gods. So whoever Caine shagged four centuries ago will just have to deal with it.”

  Kratos rubbed his forehead. “Will the humans even agree to this? To become demons? And would the humans even agree to work with us after….”

  He let the words die on his tongue—the likely words being something like I hunted them like rats through the streets.

  Adonis looked at me. “You spent time in the rookeries. You know humans just like Yasmin does. What do you think?”

  I drummed my fingertips on the table. “Kratos has a bit of a problematic reputation among the human populations, since his dogs had a habit of eating them.”

  Kratos’s features darkened. “I hope they appreciate the sacrifice I’ve been making. My hounds have been starving on a diet of pigs.”

  I nodded. “I’m sure the humans will be very impressed.”

  “So you don’t think it will work?” asked Adonis. “Our transformed army?”

  I bit my lip. “I think they’ll come around, eventually. We’ll need to keep Kratos out of it until the humans are already committed. But when it comes down to it, I think they’ll fight for their own survival.”

  “I think you’re right,” said Yasmin. “The will to live is a powerful thing.”

  “So where is this vampire kingdom?” asked Adonis.

  Yasmin leaned on the table. “It can only be accessed through a portal. It’s one of the magical realms, completely sealed off from this world ever since they battled the magic-hunters years ago. Someone will need to find a way in.”

  “I’ll do that,” said Kratos. “It will give you all some time to convince the humans to let me lead them while I’m not here, terrifying them with my presence. But are you sure Rosalind has this ability?”

  Yasmin nodded. “One of our informants was a member of Caine’s army when Rosalind transformed them all. He was once a vampire. Now, he’s a hellhound.” She chewed on her thumbnail. “Now, I just need to meet with some of the human leaders and convince them we’re on their side.” She shot me a piercing look. “I looked for your old friends, just like you asked, to see if we could better make inroads into the resistance. Your friend Alex ranks highly among them. He returned from his safe haven outside of London. Do you think he trusts you?”

  I loosed a relieved breath. He’s safe. “I’m not sure.” Guilt pierced my chest. “He did at one point. We were close, even. But I disappeared when I started working for the Order. He had no idea what I was doing. The last time I saw him, I was on a parapet with Johnny, aiming an arrow at him. Adonis helped to spare his life, so maybe he’d be willing to talk to us.”

  “We’ll explain to him that you were working for us.” She tapped her fingertip against her lip. “I’ll try to arrange a meeting with the resistance leaders and Alex. You go on your own. No horsemen. It will be easier to persuade them without any apocalyptic agents milling around. And without me, for that matter.”

  Chapter 16

  High above the streets, I clutched tightly to Adonis’s neck. Under a starlit sky, we soared over London’s perimeter, over the crumbling, shattered buildings, the abandoned streets. Empty cars littered the roads, gleaming in the moonlight. At night, I didn’t even need to glamour us. Adonis’s magic had us blending into the night sky like dark smoke.

  Already, we were soaring over London’s western edge. As we flew above an enormous Victorian cemetery, my pulse raced. Even from here I could see many of the graves had been disturbed, and piles of dirt lay next to dark holes.

  My lip curled with disgust. Humans sometimes resorted to cannibalism in times of desperation, but they couldn’t be surviving off old corpses. Right? I suppressed a shudder, burying the thought deep under the surface.

  Then, I hugged Adonis a little closer. “It’s nice of you to give me a ride, but I could have gone with Yasmin.”

  Adonis’s powerful arms tightened around me, and he lowered his face to mine. “I want to stay as close to you as possible.”

  “I do have the power of the Old Gods protecting me.”

  “It didn’t help you in Paris, did it?”

  An image flashed in my mind—Adonis, falling beneath Aereus’s sword, his body carved in two. “I was a little distracted. I saw the Horseman of War cut your head in half.”

  “Is that what threw you off? You were worried about me?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s absolutely ridiculous. I can’t die. Unless you kill me.”

  The very thought of it made my stomach flutter. “I know. But it looked like you died, and it was very visceral. It was an emotional reaction.”

  His midnight wings beat the air. “Has it occurred to you that we might be bad for each other?”

  Cold wind rippled over me. “What do you mean?”

  “You worry about me so much that you no longer can protect yourself, and I worry about you so much that I slaughter everyone around me. Not to mention the fact that you are the one living being who can kill me. We make each other vulnerable.”

  “That’s what love is, my friend.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, my cheeks heated.

  He pulled me in closer. “Is that right?” He honestly looked almost perplexed, as if this were some kind of foreign concept. “Yes, I think you’re right.”

  “You’re old as hell. You’ve never been in love before?”

  “I thought it was a human concept. I didn’t think it was something a horseman could feel.” Warmth radiated from his powerful body. “But now you feel like my home, and like you’ve always belonged to me.” His voice was a velvet caress that tingled over my skin.

  My lips curled in a smile. “So how do I rank against your garden?”

  “I’d say you have the advantage.”

  I nestled my head into his neck. I probably didn’t need him flying with me to London. I could disguise myself completely. But the truth was that I liked his protectiveness. I liked that he wanted to keep me safe—just like I wanted to keep him safe. It ha
d been a long time since anyone had tried to look after me.

  As if hearing my thoughts, Adonis said, “Use our bond to stay in touch with me. I’ll stay out of the way while you’re meeting with the humans, but I won’t go far.”

  “I will.”

  Westminster was our designated meeting point. While Metatron had taken over the Tower in the East, some of the humans had retreated to the old Anglo-Saxon part of the city. They’d taken over the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Cathedral, planning their resistance from there.

  And as soon as we touched down in Westminster, Adonis was supposed to take off. When trying to persuade humans that we were on their side, we didn’t need Death hanging around, glooming up the place.

  As we swooped lower over Westminster, I found the old medieval buildings almost untouched. The Great Nightmare had destroyed most of the city, but at least it had left this place intact.

  Under the darkness of night, Adonis soared down to the abandoned streets. An eerie silence had fallen over the city.

  Flying through the shadows, we touched down behind the abandoned Jewel Tower—across the street from the cathedral.

  Adonis lowered me to the ground, then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Don’t let me lose track of you again.”

  He traced his fingertips over my shoulder, right in the place where he’d marked me with the theta, and warmth spread through my body.

  I cupped his face in my hands. “They’re just human. It will be fine.”

  “I’ll come back for you when I hear your call.” Adonis turned, and the shadows around him seemed to absorb him as he walked away.

  An oppressive silence hung over the city, and a shiver danced up my neck. For a thousand years, these streets were teeming with life. Now, it felt like an empty carapace.

  I climbed up an old set of stairs until I reached the street. There, across from me, stood the ancient cathedral, where kings and queens had been crowned for a thousand years. Iridescent magic glimmered around it, sparkling like a canopy of stars. I felt reassured knowing that the humans here were smart enough to have protected the place—but concerned that they’d done it in such an ostentatious way. I doubted they understood what Metatron was capable of. Magic wouldn’t protect them from his power, and a grand display like this would only attract his attention. Given the showiness of the magic, Metatron already knew they were here. He probably just didn’t consider them much of a threat.