by Jess Buffett
“I think so. You need to get your shield up and get him out of here before they see him,” Hunter murmured, trying not to draw attention to them as the emergency crews exited their vehicles.
The angel did as Hunter suggested, hiding Landon and himself from sight.
Gabriella blinked when they abruptly disappeared. “That is so weird.”
“Dammit,” Hunter muttered.
Gabriella focused on him, realizing what he meant when she peered down at Rebecca. “Is she…”
“Yeah.” He sighed, dampness hinting at the edges of his sapphire eyes. “The moment Landon let go.”
“Oh God,” she whispered softly, tears of her own forming.
Hunter bundled her up in his arms as he moved them out of the paramedic’s way. “There was nothing we could do. Landon helped her hold on for a little longer, but I’m not even sure if Sebastian could have done much.”
Hours must have passed as she, Hunter, Brock, and Sebastian were questioned by the police. Julian and Elijah had left with Dominic to take Landon to the tower where he would be safe as his transition started.
Everything that could have gone wrong, had seemed to.
By the time they were walking into the lift at the tower, she was exhausted. And yet her body burned at the same time. While everything had been happening she had been able to ignore the heat that had been running through her, the need that had coursed through her veins. But now she barely managed to keep herself from attacking Hunter in the lift. Gabriella trembled with need while at the very same time felt overwhelmed with guilt that she could want Hunter so bad when so much tragedy was around her.
As if sensing her inner turmoil, Hunter gathered her close and whispered in her ear. “It’s okay. What you’re feeling is normal, I feel it too. What’s happened is horrible, but we can’t help the timing. We will help Landon mourn, but right now I need you.”
She moaned as he pressed himself against her, thankful they were the only ones in the lift. “Yes.”
The doors opened, and in a flash Hunter had her leaning against her main door. When her door opened without any assistance she assumed he had used one of his many talents.
Nifty.
He pinned her against the closest wall, trailing his lips down her neck. He nipped and nibbled, eliciting whimpers and mewls from her. The noises were so foreign it took her a moment to realize that they came from her.
She turned her head, and his hot mouth claimed hers in a hungry and demanding kiss. He groaned deep and long as she sucked his plundering tongue into her mouth. Gabriella heard the clinking of his belt and the lowering of a zipper. His hand slipped between her legs and nudged her panties to the side. Even as the heat flared between her legs, he was lifting her to stand on tiptoes, and she sank down onto his cock until the tip touched her very soul.
“So tight, but so ready for me,” he rasped, licking a hot path across her nape.
“Now, Hunter. Now.” She braced her hands on his shoulders as he held her hips, thrusting in. The slow, yet sure, drag of his cock pushing in and out had her coming faster than her racing heart could beat. The tremors still shaking through her, he began to speed up.
“Do you know how much I love you?” she whispered in his ear.
“Almost as much as I love you,” he murmured as he took her mouth again.
It was so corny, but she loved it. Loved him.
“Take me,” she demanded. “Prove I’m yours.”
Her words spurred him on, making him pump his rigid cock harder and faster. She arched her back, trying to accept more of him into her wet heat as she felt herself rising to another peak. It amazed her, the heights he was capable of driving her to.
Gabriella squealed when he abruptly lifted her off the wall, cupping her arse cheeks as he carried her into the bedroom. She moaned at the loss of him when he dropped her on the mattress, another startled sound escaping her when he flipped her over onto her knees.
Without any warning, Hunter covered her from behind and thrust his cock back into her willing body. Her walls spasmed around his hardened length and her shoulders dropped to the bed. He felt so delicious inside of her.
His hands came around to cup her mounds, squeezing them tight before plucking at her nipples. She squirmed beneath him, his administrations making her soar higher, almost as if she was the one with wings.
Shivering when he slipped his hand between her legs, Gabriella hummed in pleasure as he strummed her clit. She tightened around his cock as she came again, crying out. “Hunter!”
Hunter wasn’t far behind her. He emitted a low, feral groan, losing his rhythm as he emptied himself deep inside her.
She barely had a chance to catch her breath as he spun her back around, lowering his mouth to her bud.
Oh God. He couldn’t really want her to come again, could he?
Apparently he did.
The act was so erotic, like she was his favorite flavor of ice cream and he wanted to make sure he didn’t miss one drop. His tongue moved up and down her slit, teasing her clit on the upstroke, and pressing in just slightly to her hole on the downstroke. Unbelievably, it wasn’t long before her legs shook with the need to come yet again. She was close. Hunter was torturously slow, bringing her so close to the edge, but making sure not to put enough pressure to actually bring her over it.
“Please, Hunter. Oh God, please.”
He chuckled. “Do you want to come, Gabby?”
She stared at him, wondering if he had lost his mind. He had to know she was perilously close. The dark look in his eyes suggested that he did indeed know, but something feral, almost primal, inside of him wanted her to beg. Lucky for him, at this point she would have done anything to feel that crest of pleasure wash over her.
“Please. Please let me come.” The words left her on a whoosh of air.
Gabriella watched in rapture as he held her flesh apart with his thumbs and ran his tongue up her center before blessedly returning to her cleft. When he reached her clit he took the tiny bud into his mouth and sucked hard. Rhythmic motions had her grinding herself against his mouth. He continued to suck on her clit, bringing the tiny bundle of nerves over his tongue. Ever so gently, he ran his teeth along the tiny bud, and Gabriella threw her head back as her whole body tensed. The orgasm that moved through her was intense and heady, just like him in that moment. When the tremors started to dissipate, she breathed out a content sigh.
Levering himself above her, he smiled down at her. “Love you, Gabby.”
Cupping his cheek with her left hand, she leant up to kiss him. As her head rested back against the pillow he held onto her wrist, kissing her mark that matched his. Such a soft, tender gesture from a man who moments ago had her begging for release made her heart flutter.
“I love you too, Hunter.”
Chapter 12
The soft whisper of Hunter’s wings over Gabriella’s skin stirred her where she lay in his arms. She loved the feeling of being wrapped up and surrounded by the silken, delicate feathers. After a long night of making love to her angel, she was in no mood to move, but nature called.
Slipping out from the warm embrace, she padded her way to the bathroom. When she returned she found Hunter stretched out of his back, taking up the entire bed. His wings were expanded, the tips hanging off the bed, gently brushing the floor. Gabriella again lost her breath at the magnificent sight he made. So peaceful and relaxed, he looked like the angel he was.
Trailing her gaze across his form, she sighed. His dark hair fell slightly over his eyelids that hid the most gorgeous set of sapphire gems that always sparkled with mischief. The strong cut of his jaw was softer in his sleep, and the smooth expanse of his chest made her want to reach out and touch. Hunter’s arms lay haphazardly beside him, cushioned by his wings, and she was a little disappointed to see that the sheet covered his bottom half.
Not that she couldn’t alter that inconvenience.
Her perusal apparently hadn’t gone unnoticed because when she l
ifted her eyes back up to his face, she was snared in his beautifully heated gaze. A small quirk of the lips played at the edges of his delectable mouth.
“Like what you see?” he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep and much, much more.
“Hmm, you know I do,” she said as she climbed onto the bed.
He moved his arm to make room for her, and she took advantage of it, snuggling up to his side. His thick, strong arm came around her, settling on her waist, drawing lazy circles on her hip. “This is nice. Just lying in bed with you, no hiding, no running or looking over my shoulder.” He sighed.
Gabriella levered herself up to see him better. She tried to convey everything she felt for him in that one look. “I’m glad you came back. Things might be new for us, and some things may have changed, but I’ve never stopped loving you. You’re home now, Hunter, and while we may not know what the future holds for us, I know we’ll be together through it.”
Hunter’s smile was brilliant. “I am home. Finally.”
She leant forward to kiss him, but he hissed, moving back and lifting the pendant that still hung from her neck.
“Damn, that’s cold.”
“It is beautiful though,” she said, once again inspecting the piece of jewelry with a frown. “Why a lily? Does it mean something?”
“Yeah, actually it does.” He smiled. “The lily is my father’s symbol. It’s a way of blessing our union and offering protection.”
She cocked her head to the side, considering that. “He told me that the stronger our love was, the more powerful it would become.”
Hunter nodded. “That’s true. Look at how well it worked when it took Ash down. He is a powerful Fallen who barely lost any of his strength when he fell, but the pendant laid him out.”
“Then I guess you don’t need any more proof that I love you,” she sniggered.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m feeling a little insecure at the moment.” He waggled his brows. “I might need you to prove it to me.”
Gabriella threw her head back and laughed. “Wow. And you almost said that with a straight face.”
She tackled him playfully, crying out when he began tickling her. They rolled across the bed, Gabriella struggling for breath as Hunter continued his onslaught. She swore he must have remembered every ticklish spot she had.
When they finally lay panting, Gabriella sprawled over his chest, she sighed. “As happy as all this makes me, I have to admit I’m worried, Hunter.”
“About what?”
“Everything.” She struggled to put what she felt into words. “There is a prophecy out there about you, but we don’t know anything about it. Ash knows where you all are, so how long will it be before this tower isn’t safe? And what about Landon? The poor thing is going through hell at the moment. He has lost so much—his mother, his childhood. What will this transition do to him? It’s so early, and he can’t even see his father after losing his mother because Raphael might make things worse.” Catching her breath, she continued. “And somehow we are supposed to help the others find each of their bonded. How?”
“Oh, Gabby. It’ll be okay. I know it’s hard to believe that now, but as you said, we may not know what the future holds, but we’ll face it together.” Hunter smirked. “Have a little faith, huh?”
Gabriella’s eyes bugged, and she slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent a laugh bubbling out. “Oh, wow. That saying suddenly has a whole new meaning now.”
“It really does,” he snickered.
The phone ringing beside the bed interrupted them, and Hunter reached over to pick it up, grunting something that sounded vaguely like ‘what’. There was silence for a few minutes while he listened to whoever was on the phone speak.
“Yeah, you’re right. It certainly beats sitting around worrying all the time. When?” He paused for a moment, then said, “Okay, I’ll see you then.” He hung up, flopping back down onto the bed. “Sebastian wants us to start doing patrols around the city and outer suburbs. He thinks we should keep an eye on things and see if we can catch Renatus out.”
“What do you think?” Personally, as much as she disliked the idea of him going out where he could be in danger, it might be a good idea. The more they kept an eye on Ash and his men, the less likely it would be for them to surprise her angel.
“I agree. We need to stay on top of things. It’d just be nice if our fathers could give us some more answers, and none of that cryptic shit they’re so fond of,” he bit out in frustration.
She placed a soothing hand on his chest, and he immediately calmed. “Shhh. It’ll be okay.”
His eyes shifted to hers. “I know. I love you.”
“And I love you.” The love she felt for this angel practically consumed her. And she knew, no matter what, if they stood together then everything would be all right.
Chapter 13
Hunter looked out at the city lights from his perch on top of the tower they now called home. It felt strange to have a place he continuously came home to every night after doing the rounds of the city. Strange, but pretty awesome too.
The tower wasn’t what made it home though, it was Gabriella. Her warm smile, her comforting embracing, the way she would whisper words of unconditional love into his ear every night and each morning. With her, he felt whole.
He prayed his friends soon found what he had. They each had a bonded out there somewhere, just waiting to be found.
“They will find theirs.”
Hunter spun to face whoever had joined him, sighing when he realized it was his father. He hadn’t seen the angel since that first day, and couldn’t work out why he had turned up now. In fact…
“Isn’t you being here going to harm Landon? He has started his transition.”
Gabriel chuckled. “I wouldn’t be here if it was harmful for him. The wards we placed around the tower protect you from everything, including our power. As long as I stay on the outside and he stays on the inside, everything will be fine.”
“Then why haven’t you come before now? You turn up, introduce yourself, and then disappear. Oh, but not before putting my bonded directly in harm’s way. What the hell was the deal with that?” he demanded to know.
“I am sorry, but we were assisting Raphael in making Rebecca more…comfortable,” his father hesitantly replied.
Hunter frowned. “Is she okay?”
“Yes and no. She is finding it hard that it was her time to leave her son.” Gabriel let out a tired sigh. He seemed to do that a lot, Hunter noticed. “For some it is harder, and she holds a very special place in my brother’s heart.”
“What about Landon? Is he going to be okay? His transition is too soon.” Hunter was afraid of what that could mean.
“Landon will be fine. It will in no way be easy for him, but he will be fine,” the angel assured him. “As will the others. They will all find their bonded, and when they do, you will all become stronger.”
“How do you know?”
Gabriel smirked. “I just do.”
Hunter snorted at the response he got. His father seemed to have all the answers but was unwilling to share.
“What should we do now? Can you at least tell me that?” he asked. “We’ve been treading water since last week, no contact with any of you. Michael hasn’t even contacted Sebastian, which is unusual.”
“You’re on the right track, you must keep up with your patrols of the city. Ash and the rest of Renatus cannot be left unchecked. Your job is to keep people safe.”
“But they don’t target ordinary people. How many Nephilim could possibly live in the city?” he scoffed.
“There is more than you know, son.”
“Can we say understatement?” he muttered, growing aggravated.
“I meant more Nephilim, however, I know that you are also frustrated at your lack of knowledge in general. But your main concern right now is Isaac,” his father said, brushing Hunter’s remark aside.
“Ash’s second. Why? I know he can be worse
than Ash, but Ash keeps him in line. Doesn’t he?”
“Not as much as you may think,” Gabriel grimaced. “There are things even Ash does not know. Isaac’s absence from last week’s events concerns your uncles and I greatly. You must teach Landon, as the others taught you, and you must guard this city. Do you understand me, son?”
“Not usually,” he grumbled. “We’ll keep up patrols. Landon is in safe hands.”
His father smiled at him. “I never doubted.”
Hunter observed the strange look that came over his father’s face as he looked to the sky.
“Gotta go?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.
“Yes.”
Hunter heard the tinge of sadness in the other man’s voice.
“It won’t always be like this, Hunter. I promise. Give my love to Gabriella, I always knew she would be perfect for you.”
He would have responded, but in a blink of an eye his father was gone.
“So we keep patrolling?”
Hunter jumped. “Jesus, would people stop sneaking up on me?”
“I really shouldn’t be able to, but I guess you were a little distracted.” Dominic chuckled as he gazed out over the city. He sobered when he looked back at Hunter. “I know you think things are different for Sebastian and I. We were never hunted as Nephilim and we never had to keep our distance from our fathers. But you need to remember that our fathers are archangels too. The right hand of the creator, and the archangel of justice. At ninety-seven years old, I still barely know the man. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m here if you wanna talk.”
Hunter nodded, letting the other man’s words sink in. “Thanks, brother.”
He hadn’t given much thought to what growing up with an archangel for a father would be like. Hunter admitted he just assumed they were able to have the sort of childhood he hadn’t. It was foolish and selfish really. Exactly how many archangels would have time to go play sports with their son, or hang out and watch movies? The more he thought on it, the more ridiculous he felt.
“It’s all about a different perspective,” Dominic said, slapping him on the back. “Let’s head back in. The others should know what you found out.”
