Oriel

by Alisa Woods

  “Shhh…” His hand automatically wiped away her tear. “If there were any way to stay, I would. You have to understand, Elyon will hunt me. Even if Razael would take me into his Regiment—which would be hard to manage, given I bear Elyon’s mark—I couldn’t come back to the lab. I can’t stay anywhere near you, my love. I can’t endanger you like that.”

  “I don’t care.” The tears were threatening again.

  “You have to care.” His smile felt like it was tearing holes in him. “Everything depends on you.”

  “It’s not fair,” she whispered. “I just got you back. “ Then she sobbed, and it about ripped him in two.

  He wanted to kiss her, comfort her, ease this heartache from both of them—a banging at the door almost stopped his heart. Lizza jumped, too.

  “Oriel!” It was Asa’s voice.

  He held her closer in his arms. “It’s okay. Stay here.” Then he released her and strode to the door. He wasn’t bringing down the wards for anyone… not yet. But he could open the door and see what had transpired.

  Asa was covered in blood—it couldn’t all be his own, or the angeling would be dead. But there were visible slashes all over his armor and one in particular across his brow that contributed heavily to the drenching in red.

  “It’s done,” Asa said roughly, wheezing slightly.

  “How many?” Oriel asked. He should have known the shadow forces were doomed once a dark angel was involved. Unlike an angel of light, the dark angels were already Fallen. They were as unrestrained as Warrior Angels. Razael’s destruction of so many of Elyon’s angelings marked him a target, but then, the two were already mortal enemies. It was surely Oriel with the most urgent target on his back now.

  “A hundred down, by my count,” Asa said, wiping the blood from his face. “A few escaped.”

  Oriel could see some of the slain at the end of the hallway. He wouldn’t know Elyon’s forces from Razael’s—both were in shadow. Either way, the toll made him cringe. He had no love for Elyon, and many who served him were just as horrible, but then there were those like Terah. And Razael’s angelings were in shadow but still served noble causes. Ending the war would be the only true victory. He prayed this would be enough to dissuade the other dark angels from sending their angelings to help Elyon in his insane ambitions.

  An angeling of the light appeared next to one of the bodies, knelt to place a hand on it, then disappeared. They were cleaning up.

  Tajael turned the corner. “Elyon expected less resistance.” His expression was grim. “Otherwise, he would have sent even more.” To Oriel, he said, “Tell me your charge is unharmed.”

  His charge. Lizza was nothing of the sort anymore, appearances notwithstanding. “She is.” Oriel glanced back.

  Lizza could hear everything they were saying, but his extended wings blocked her view of the hall. Which was entirely his intention. She was scowling at the floor.

  When Oriel turned back, Asa was already marching out to the living room.

  Tajael looked him over. “You’ve recovered from my blade.”

  Oriel huffed a soft laugh. “Not easily.” He sobered. “What are the casualties?”

  “On our side? Not bad. Just a few, actually. Razael took them, mostly.”

  That was a relief. “A hundred angelings is nowhere near Elyon’s total numbers. He has a thousand or more. And his son, Micah—”

  “Yes, we have a plan for him.”

  “He’s gathering additional forces for his father.”

  Tajael nodded gravely. “This war isn’t even close to won. We need you still, Oriel. Razael says there’s a place for you if you want it.”

  Oriel drew in a deep breath. “Tell him I shall consider it.” He lifted his chin toward another angeling at the end of the hall, removing bodies. “Tell me when you’re done. Give us a little time here.” He didn’t want to parade Lizza past the bloodbath in her living room.

  “Understood.” Then Tajael gave him a long look. “Take your time.”

  Oriel’s mouth dropped open. Was he implying—

  Tajael smirked and turned away.

  Oriel slowly stepped back and closed the door. He furled his wings and stowed them again, now that the danger was past and the view blocked. When he turned to face Lizza, she was still staring at the floor. She didn’t look up until he approached. “You should do it.”

  “What?” But he knew what she meant.

  “Join Razael’s Regiment. They can protect you. They can keep Elyon—”

  He lifted his fingers to her lips. “Perhaps. I didn’t consider the possibility of Razael entering the war. But now that he’s in, then maybe there’s a place for a shadow angeling who wants nothing more than to defeat the forces of darkness.” He tried a small smile.

  But that only lit up her eyes. “Then I can see you—”

  “No.”

  “But Asa came to the office. He transported me home—”

  “Did he, now?” The pang of Envy was strong and real, but he managed it.

  “If he can do it, you can, too.”

  His smile was more of a grimace now. “Asa didn’t personally betray Elyon and a hundred of his angelings. He’ll be looking for every chance to slay me. Every one of his angelings, too.” Although he wondered how much loyalty his angelings truly had to one another. His guess: not much. It was entirely their allegiance to Elyon which held them together. Allegiance, or possibly simple fear. Perhaps that was valuable information. The more he thought on it, the more he figured he could help in the fight. That was worth living for.

  Lizza frowned and pressed her lips together.

  He hated seeing that written on her face. “None of this is your worry.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Some things just aren’t meant to be. But we can’t leave the room, not just yet, and if I have a small bit of time with you, I don’t want to spend it arguing.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Then kiss me,” she whispered.

  So he did. Only for this one, he took his time. A soft brush of his lips on hers, the proper introduction they never had. Then his fingers grazing her cheeks and his lips dropping feather-light kisses in their wake. And when she trembled, it nearly broke him. His heart raced like it was outrunning demons. The soft soap-scrubbed scent of her skin. The blazing purity of her soul. The cascade of red curls across the back of his hand as he drew a line across her shoulder and nibbled down her jawline. Sweet magic, she was intoxicating.

  He scarce could breathe, and every breath was full of her.

  “Oriel.” Her voice was breathy, her chest shuddering under her t-shirt.

  The flush of Lust wasn’t wild, but it simmered hotter than anything he’d ever felt. It lit him from within as if a small sun had been ignited. “If I had fifty years instead of five minutes…” He spoke along the tender skin of her neck, nuzzling his way to her ear. “I’d spend all of it doing this with you.”

  She gasped in the most satisfying way.

  His hands tilted her head, and his lips finally found hers. Slow and deep and blazing hot, like no kiss he’d ever had. His longing for her was incomparable to anything. Not Lust. Not a hungry need or a desperate urge. It was pure and righteous, like a hundred life kisses distilled into a single, driving desire to simply be with her. It didn’t matter how short or long—only that he could have one blazing divine moment when they were one.

  He pulled back, breathless.

  Her eyes were dilated. Her cheeks flushed. She was glorious.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered.

  “I am.” He held her gaze for a long moment, that connection searing deep inside his soul. Then he kissed her again and nibbled on her bottom lip. “I want to taste every part of you,” he breathed. His hands found the back of her neck and the small of her back, drawing her against him and kissing deeply.

  Her body melded to his—he felt her shudders straight through his armor. That must go, and soon, but he was determined to take this slow. His one and only time to l
ove Lizza would not be rushed. Not to mention that she was new to all of it.

  Just as he had been until very recently.

  But his time with Terah was nothing like this. There, it had been all body, all pleasure, and in Truth, the kind of Lust that Sin was made of. Here, his heart was bared, his soul on fire, and his touch electric in the way only Love could ignite. With Terah, he was just another body.

  With Lizza, he was making love with his entire soul.

  He released her from the kiss and considered how best to remove her clothes.

  She clutched at him as if he might fly away. And her eyes were more concerned than he wanted to see. “I don’t know what to do,” she said. He could feel the tremble in her, and in Truth, it excited him even more.

  “Let me show you.” His voice was growing hoarse with need. He tugged her away from the nightstand they’d backed into.

  “It’s embarrassing.” She ducked her head. “I’ve never—”

  He tipped her head up with a single finger. “Don’t be embarrassed. There’s nothing wrong with being chaste.”

  “I know, I just…” She ducked her head again. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  Holy angels of light. “Lizza.” He waited for her to look up. “Making love to you is everything to me.”

  Her eyes widened slightly, then she grabbed hold of his armor again and pulled him into a fevered kiss. Oh, yes. His hands went to her hips, and he lifted her up. Then he knelt on the bed, laying her down on her back, his body hovering just above hers. In a wink, he magicked away his armor, leaving his skin bare against her jeans and t-shirt. She gasped in that way he was quickly becoming addicted to, and her hands were greedy for his back, his chest, the flexing muscles of his arms as he held his weight off her. He kissed her soundly and let some of his weight fall, just to feel the deliciousness of pressing her body into the bed. His cock was already rigid and tall, and the sensation of it trapped between them would drive him mad.

  Then she whimpered… and a literal dizziness of Lust swept over him.

  He was made of pulsing want—but her pleasure not only needed to come first, but he would also have to ease her into all of it. A small part of him feared hurting her. Her soft human body. Her delicate limbs and tender skin. Terah was an immortal like him and could take whatever pounding he wanted to dish out—and she had far more experience than he could imagine. Lizza was the opposite in every way. In a real sense, this was the first time for him as well— the first time with a very breakable human who owned his heart.

  He lifted away from Lizza’s body and settled on the bed next to her.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, breathless.

  He grinned. “Absolutely nowhere. Except maybe here.” His hand caressed her breast over her t-shirt. “Or possibly here.” He quickly slipped underneath her t-shirt and squeezed her breast through the satin cup of her bra. “And definitely here.” He pushed that aside and ran his thumb across her hardening nipple.

  “Oh, God.” She swallowed and arched ever so slightly into his hand.

  Oh, how his mouth watered.

  He lifted her t-shirt above her breasts, then teased them out of the harness which held them. The stiffness of both the bra and her nipples had them standing straight up in the air.

  “Perfect,” he breathed, bringing his tongue down to play against the nub.

  She whimpered again and clutched at his shoulders. His cock was fighting a heroic battle to not come just from the noise she was making. His hand was busy at her jeans, unbuttoning one notch at a time until all were free. She wore white silk panties underneath, but he didn’t bother removing any of it—he just slipped his hand down between her legs.

  “Oh! I… Oriel!” She gasped as he ran his fingers along her slick heat. She was already so wet, he hardly had to touch her, but now that he was, she was squirming against his hand.

  He edged closer, slipping his other hand into her hair to hold her head. He plundered her mouth with his tongue while probing between her legs with his fingers.

  Her moan was muffled by his kiss, but he felt it rumbling deep in her chest. When he slipped a finger inside her, she jolted.

  He broke the kiss. “Are you all right?” He could barely speak with how breathless he was.

  “Yes! Don’t… don’t stop.” The agony in her voice, the pleading look in her eyes just made him smile. He moved in the limited space he had—his finger slipping inside her as his hand worked the small space between her sweet flesh and her panties—and her moans and whimpers and small cries became more insistent. He probed deeper and rubbed the heel of his hand against her small nub of pleasure now inflamed.

  “Oh! Yes!” she cried out and dug her fingers into his shoulders.

  It took all his control not to spill his seed while playing this orchestra of pleasure on her body. He distracted himself by clamping down on the delicious nipple bobbing in front of his face.

  “Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!” She arched into him, her body suddenly going rigid, and he felt the small quiver in her sex before the full-blown clenching orgasm took hold. The feel of her body convulsing against him, the hot wetness grabbing at his finger, almost made him come.

  But he held off.

  And his reward was seeing the open-mouthed shock on Lizza’s face as she stared up at the ceiling, panting into the air above her bed.

  “Are you all right, my love?” he teased with a grin.

  “I can’t believe you thought this was a Sin.” She continued to just blink at the ceiling.

  He frowned. “Well, Lust is a Sin—”

  Her body moved against him, and she rolled half up on her side to stare intently at him. “That was the most unbelievable orgasm I’ve ever had in my life. And I still have my clothes on! You cannot convince me there is anything wrong with that.”

  A bubble of laughter erupted out of him. “No, there isn’t. Not with you.”

  Her hand slid up to his cheek, and she peered deeply into his eyes. “Love is not a Sin, Oriel. What I want from you is nothing but holy.”

  And he had no words for that. Only all the love in his heart.

  “Now make love to me like you mean it.”

  Everything in him tightened. “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Oriel had her shirt and bra off before she could say another word.

  Then the jeans and panties went next. His eyes were hungry and raking over her, and she was completely bare, but she was still basking in the glow of the orgasm he just gave her, so nothing could make her feel naked. She expected him to climb on top of her again like he had in the beginning, but instead, he just hooked his hands behind her knees and dragged her to the edge of the bed.

  “Wha—”

  “Trust me,” Oriel said solemnly. “You’re going to like this.”

  She gasped as he dove face-first between her legs. Then his tongue touched her still-pulsing flesh, and she arched and fell back and forgot what her objection could possibly have been. He lifted her legs over his shoulders, and she was completely open to him now… and oh, did he know what to do with that. She bucked against his face until he held her down to the bed with an arm draped over her hips. But his tongue… holy Christmas, he was giving her gifts she didn’t know existed! Then he thrust a finger inside, and she nearly lurched off the bed, she bucked so hard. But he held her still and kept thrusting. Merciful gods… she was ramping up so hard and so fast, she barely noticed she’d bunched half the comforter up in her hands as they clawed at the bed. Then he added a second finger, and the stretch was so wonderfully delicious, she could hardly stand it.

  “Oriel!” she cried out, tripping perilously close to coming again, but not quite there.

  He didn’t answer her with words, but a strange, humming music came from him. It was beautiful and sweet, and that little extra buzz… holy crap. So close, she was so close… then he paused and slowly eased in three fingers. She lifted her head to give him an incredulous look, but his face wa
s already buried, his tongue already busy. This time she outright moaned as he worked her, hard and deep and so thick. His shoulders flexed with the effort, and her feet just dangled in the air. She was at his mercy, squirming and gasping, and when the orgasm finally swept over her, it started deep and radiated out.

  She just flailed with it, riding the wave of pleasure until it was through.

  Oriel extricated himself from her body, and it felt like she was coming apart into pieces. He eased up to face her, his deliciously masculine perfection sliding along her skin. “I promised you would like that,” he said with a grin.

  “I can’t feel my toes.” Her mouth felt like it barely worked.

  He frowned and peered down at her toes.

  “It’s a good thing,” she added. Holy crap, her head was buzzing.

  His hand skimmed the length of her body, cupping her breast when he reached it. He was hovering over her, but not putting his full weight on, just sliding seductively along her skin in a slow but ridiculously erotic way. His cock was slipping along her belly, and she could feel the length of it. So big. She’d caught a glimpse before, but now she realized why he was taking things slow. He was getting her ready. Because she was a virgin and a cock that big…

  She swallowed down the dryness in her mouth.

  She could do this. She could totally do this. And it would be amazing. But holy crap, she was going to finally lose her virginity… and it was to a man who couldn’t stay with her. An angeling she loved more than anything on earth. How would she bear it when he flew away?

  She suddenly had to blink back tears.

  Oriel stopped his seductive skimming of her body. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she lied. Oh, God, no… she would not ruin this now. This was their time. If this was all they’d have, she would own every moment.

  “My love.” Oriel sounded anguished. “Did I hurt you?”

  “What? No.”

  Relief sagged his shoulders.

  She cupped her hands to his face. “Unfurl your wings.”