It was hopeless. Cassie sniffed and rubbed her damp cheek against his shirt.
Jared leaned back to look her in the eye. “I promise you, I will not throw my life away carelessly. But I vow, I willdo whatever I must to protect you.” His words rang in her mind as well as her ears, as the power of his declaration rippled through her. She had no doubt Jared’s determination would be implacable.
Jared shifted his embrace to stroke her back. It was meant to soothe, but Cassie’s blood stirred. Her anger and fear jumped the tracks to fuel a different need.
He’s going to get himself killed, and I’ll never see him again. I’ll never see him again even if he doesn’t get himself killed. He’ll go back to the Celestial Realm.
Jared’s grip tightened, and she sensed his anguish. *I don’t want to hurt you. I never wanted that.*
*I know.* She’d only known him a few days. How could she want him to stay with her so much?
Cassie pulled out of his arms to shield her thoughts from him. It doesn’t matter what I want. Jared needs to go home. And she wanted him to be happy.
Jared needed that sense of belonging he’d missed for so long. He hungered for it, deep inside where he tried not to look. She’d experienced his loss and loneliness as if it were her own. Jared may have left the Celestial Realm voluntarily, to serve here on earth, but now he wanted to go home. She had to help him return. At least doing that would have the side benefit of keeping her alive for her supposed destiny. And when he was gone she would still have the life she’d made for herself.
While he was here, she would savor every moment.
Cassie pulled her sweatshirt over her head, baring her breasts to the cool air. Her nipples tightened. Her skin yearned for his touch. “Make love to me, please.”
The heat in his groin was instantaneous. Jared reached for her, running his fingers down her arms to her waist, and up again, rubbing his thumbs over the tips of her breasts. He drank in Cassie’s desire for him and his own answered, flooding his senses. Her hands found their way under his shirt, stroking his sides and chest. His skin tingled everywhere she touched.
The clock chiming made him hesitate. Time. Aelziroth was coming.
Cassie pressed her hand against the front of his jeans, where his cock strained behind his zipper. “We have hours before nightfall, before Aelziroth attacks. If this short time is all we’ll ever have, I don’t want to waste a moment.” Her voice was soft and persuasive.
Jared’s heart twisted. Time was always short for mortals. He swept Cassie up into his arms and buried his face in her sweet smelling hair. A distant part of him ranted that he was letting emotion override his reason. This would not help him protect his charge. It wouldn’t get him back into Michael’s good graces. But the voice was tinny and far away, and he didn’t want to listen to it anyway. He wanted to hold onto this lovely, loving woman for as long as he could.
As she heard his thoughts, Cassie’s pleasure reflected back to him, increasing his own. *Don’t worry. You don’t have to choose. We get you home.*
Her generous thought touched him. But for some reason it didn’t give him much joy.
Cassie shucked her jeans as soon as he lay her down on the bed. Jared stopped her from taking off her lacy panties, stroking her instead through the silky fabric. Cassie shut her eyes and tilted her hips, pressing against his hand. He bent over her and drew one nipple into his mouth. He loved the taste of her, the feel of her taut flesh against his tongue. Cassie moaned and arched her back as he suckled her, and the zing of her pleasure shot to his groin.
“More,” she gasped, raising her arms to beckon him closer.
He wanted to take his time, savor every last moment, but the need in her mind and body undid him. With speed beyond a mortal’s, he pulled off her panties and removed his clothing, then settled between her legs. They came together, heat to heat, but he couldn’t tell where he left off and she began. The scent of her arousal intoxicated him, and he drew in a deep breath, filling himself with her essence. His hunger rose side by side with hers, swirling through his senses and rippling through his flesh. She opened to him, and he plunged into her.
The universe contracted.
There was no reason in this place, only sensation. Desire rode him as he thrust into her. Cassie gasped, and he savored her deep satisfaction as he filled her, sharing the bliss of diving into her heat. He kissed her neck, trailing his lips down her shoulder to her breast. Tugging on her nipple, he enjoyed the answering pull of her need just as she did. The Celestial Music filled him, as if all good things must come together in this one act of joining.
Cassie pulled her legs up, and he deepened the angle. He felt his weight pressing on her as if it were his own body, his rhythm rocking her into the pillows at the head of the bed, her pleasure surging with his every stroke. Her nails raked his back and her muscles tightened, urgent and demanding. Her sharp cries spurred him on, taking them both higher.
Pressure built until he thought he would explode with it.
*Now. Now!* Jared didn’t know if it was her thought or his that echoed in his mind.
A guttural cry tore its way out of his throat as Cassie screamed and contracted around him. The music spilled over into her and he plunged deep, thrusting, sharing, needing to be one with her, pushing his seed and the music deep. Cassie writhed beneath him, holding him tight, meeting his every pulse. All barriers dropped and he fell open to her, and she to him. He was awash in emotion as ecstasy overwhelmed their senses. His rational mind was paralyzed. There was no resisting the power of their joining. They were one.
Time stopped. There was no future, no past, only the present blissful moment where he floated with Cassie in his arms, their bodies one, his mind caressing hers.
Slowly the world resumed its normal pace. Jared blinked the room back into focus. Cassie lay half atop him, her legs entwined with his. He stroked her side, reveling in the feel of her curves. He used to hate how the sensual nature of his human body overrode his reason. No longer. This was a joy beyond all others. Joining with Cassie was a heady thing. If being with the other Celestials was like floating in a warm lake, loving Cassie was body surfing the ocean.
“Wow,” she said softly. “That was even better than the first time. You’re going to spoil me for anyone else.”
Anyone else? The thought struck like a jarring discordance. Cassie was his. He didn’t want another man touching her. Reflexively Jared shielded his mind as he grasped for reason. Of course there will be another. It shouldn’t upset him. His plan was to go home, after all.
Cassie lifted her head, frowning. He heard her wonder, *Why did you shut me out?*
“Sorry. Habit.” He dropped his barriers again, though not all the way, keeping a space for private thought. Jared urged her back down with a hand on her hair and Cassie nestled her head on his shoulder. It fit perfectly there.
He floated through her emotions. Her post-coital contentment was fading, supplanted by anxiety for him. For his safety. His loneliness. His exile. He tasted the shadow of grief in her, repressed by a steely resolve to send him home.
Aelziroth is trying to kill her, and she’s concerned for me? “I can take care of myself.”
“But—”
“Don’t. It’s a waste of your energy. What will happen, will happen. Your worry won’t change that.”
“So rational.” Her tone was almost bitter. I know he’s not that controlled. How does he expect me to be?
Jared heard her thought and levered up on his elbow. “I don’t. I’m not. It’s just—” He tried to sort out the tangle his thoughts and emotions had become.
He hated this confusion, this muddle of emotion and sensuality. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Just moments ago I was rejoicing in it.
Jared stared into Cassie’s eyes, as green and full of promise as spring. Her time on the Terrestrial Plane was fleeting, and so precious. Her soul would live forever, but that didn’t make her physical life less meaningful. Suddenly he wished he
could share it with her. To wring every drop of joy from it with her.
Cassie’s eyes widened.
Jared winced. He started to shutter his mind, then stopped. *It doesn’t matter what I want. You have a destiny.* She had a purpose more important than his impulsive fantasy. Important enough to merit a demon disrupting it. To merit Celestial intervention to preserve it.
Cassie smiled up at him as she twined her arms around his neck. “The only destiny I want right now is to make love with you.”
“Again?” Jared grinned. His body was instantly ready.
Cassie nodded.
This was one destiny he could fulfill. As the music rose within them, Jared slid into her warmth, sharing the sensation of completion with her, of filling and being filled.
CHAPTER 14
CASSIE WAITED IN the dark, sitting in the bathtub with Edgar and a short-stock, double-barreled shotgun.
Jared had insisted the old cast-iron tub was the safest place for her. He’d lined it with a pillow and a blanket to keep the chill off, turned off the light, and shut the door on her. But not before giving her a quick, intense, kiss.
It was amazing how much a simple kiss could convey.
And how little.
He’d closed himself off from her again, but she didn’t mind. Much. She knew he was pulling back so he could be cool and focused. Their lives depended on it. His feelings for her were still the same. There had been nothing cool about the look in his eyes.
The TV set played in the living room, but Cassie could barely hear it. They wanted the cabin to appear as if they weren’t expecting anything.
She and Jared had gone shopping earlier to buy supplies and extra ammunition. They’d stapled wire mesh hardware cloth on the inside of every window to keep Aelziroth from throwing in the flash grenade, and Jared had drawn a symbol of Power on the floor beneath the large braided rug. A flowing script that she didn’t recognize filled the perimeter of the double ringed symbol. It had been hard to look at it directly. From the corner of her eye, the lines had seemed to crawl over the wood.
“This covers the most direct path through the room,” Jared said. “When he comes for you, he’ll be stuck. Then I’ll cast him out.”
“How can he enter it once it’s closed?”
“This isn’t the same as a pentagram. It’s not so much a prison as a trap.”
“Sort of like a roach motel,” Cassie said, startling a laugh out of Jared.
When all was as secure as they could make it, Jared had taken her to the shooting range and taught her how to handle the shotgun. She shouldn’t need it, but if somehow Aelziroth made it to her hiding place, Jared wanted her armed. The beast had quite a kick, but at least with buckshot she wouldn’t have to worry as much about adrenaline spoiling her aim.
Jared knew a lot about guns. It seemed strange an angel would have his own arsenal. But then, he’s not an angel. Not the white robes and harps kind, that’s for sure. Cassie smiled. She’d never heard of angels making love like he did, either. The Celestial Realm sure wasn’t like what they’d taught in Sunday school.
Now they sat waiting for Aelziroth to attack. The kitchen door was locked and booby-trapped with a trip-wire, but not blocked—just in case she had to make a quick escape. Jared had taken a position outside with a rifle, while she stayed under cover in the bathroom with the short-stock shotgun.
“Aren’t these illegal?” she’d asked, teasing him. “Would Michael approve?”
Jared had just raised a brow and said, “No, actually they’re not. And with any luck, you won’t need to use it.”
Luck. They could use some. During practice, she’d followed his instructions, hitting the target every time. But that was different from shooting a man.
Jared had locked his eyes on hers. “He’s not a man. Remember that. He may have Dave’s body, but Dave is as good as dead, thanks to Aelziroth’s possession. As far as that goes, killing Dave would be a mercy. Defending your life isn’t murder. If he gets past me, into the bathroom, you can’t hesitate.”
Cassie shifted the gun lying across her lap. Jared is right. She couldn’t hesitate, not when Jared was risking his life to protect her. She wished she were outside with him, waiting to ambush the demon, but she needed to be inside to draw Aelziroth to the cabin.
Cassie leaned back, trying to get comfortable. Edgar walked up her body on little pointy feet, rubbed against the stock of the gun, then settled on her tummy, purring. She took one hand off the shotgun and stroked his thick fur.
There was nothing to do while she waited except think.
A demon wants me dead. The thought was surreal. But no more so than the fact that angels walk among us mortals. And make love to us.
Jared would do everything in his power to protect her, but he wasn’t omnipotent. He might fail. She could die tonight.
She was only twenty-eight. She’d thought she’d have more time. She couldn’t help wondering if this was the end of the road for her, if some of the choices she’d made should have been different.
Maybe she should have tried harder to connect with her mother. But Patricia Lewis hadn’t shared her mother’s or her daughter’s psychic gifts and had denied their existence. Nana had tried to help Cassie understand, but it had been hard since she lived halfway across the country. The old feeling of resentment made Cassie’s chest feel tight. She’d tried to please her mom by ignoring her abilities, but what she’d really wanted was for her mom to accept her as she was. Maybe her mother would have accepted her psychic skills if Cassie hadn’t made it so easy for her to pretend they didn’t exist. Or maybe using them openly would have strained our relationship even more.
Given her mother’s attitude, it wasn’t surprising Cassie had hidden her gift from Andy, but doing so had been a horrible mistake. She should never have denied her talents, denied her self, to please him. That choice had just been another step in the road she’d started down long before, pretending to be like everyone else. In a way Andy had done her a favor. His betrayal had been a wake-up call. What happened had made her stronger. She liked who she’d become, so she couldn’t regret how she’d gotten here.
Though I’m not too thrilled with where “here” is, at the moment.
She’d rather not be hunkered down in a bathtub in a mountain cabin waiting for a supernatural murderer to try to kill her. I’d much rather be in bed in a mountain cabin—with my supernatural lover.
A wash of heat rippled over her as she remembered Jared’s touch. She’d never had sex like that before, sharing every sensation from both sides. What she was feeling was more than lust. They’d been open to each other, and beneath Jared’s desire—which was a compliment in itself—was incredible tenderness and caring. He cherished her in a way that touched her soul.
A little wave of unease rippled through her. He must have seen just as deeply into her. It was a bit unsettling to have no secrets even if he seemed to accept her unconditionally.
He must know she wanted him to stay, even though she also wanted to help him go home. The conflict gnawed at her, but it didn’t seem to bother Jared. I should be happy. At least we understand each other.
Not keeping secrets was an incredible relief. Freeing.
For as long as it lasts.
Tomorrow she’d either be dead or Aelziroth would be vanquished. And if Jared was successful, he would be gone from her life, welcomed back to the Celestial Realm. She tried to focus on feeling happy for him, to ignore the ache his leaving would cause. She’d only been half joking when she’d said he’d spoiled her for anyone else. Who else could know just how to touch
her? What ordinary man could share himself with her the way Jared had?
Perhaps in time the memory of Jared would fade. She would find someone who accepted her abilities. Someone who loved her not in spite of them, but because of them. It was possible.
Cassie swallowed against a tight throat. She didn’t want someone else. She wanted Jared. But she’d rather not keep him here, knowin
g she was a poor second for the intimacy he longed for. That he wanted to be somewhere else, with the other Celestials.
I need to think about something else.
The music that had been running through her head all afternoon resurfaced, lifting her heart. Sometimes Jared’s gift was just a simple tune, other times it soared like a full symphony. Something about the melody seemed terribly familiar. Like something she’d heard in a dream once but couldn’t quite remember. Now it ran through her mind as if she’d always known it. It pulled at something deep inside, making her want to sing, twirl in dance, and make love.
But she forced herself to sit still—and wait.
Jared waited in the cold, crisp night, the .30-06 semi-auto rifle propped on the broad stump of a Ponderosa Pine. He was just inside the tree line, and the nearly full moon gave him a clear view of the cabin’s front door thirty yards away and the kitchen door on the side of the house. Two extra magazines, with ten copper-jacketed rounds each, rested on the ground beside him, but he doubted Aelziroth would give him time to reload. When Jared took his first shot, Aelziroth would move fast, with supernatural speed. He wouldn’t give Jared a second chance to drop him.
Jared thought of Cassie sitting alone inside the cabin, and his stomach clenched. His motive for protecting her had changed. Michael wanted her saved for some Grand Destiny she had. That was fine. But she was more than her destiny, more than a piece to some Celestial puzzle Michael was working on. More than a means to an end. She was a whole, beautiful person who deserved to choose her own fate.
Jared shook his head. I’ve completely lost focus. He needed to get this right. Saving Cassie was the key to returning to the Celestial Realm. It was the one thing he’d wanted for over a hundred years. Now, in light of the threat to Cassie, it didn’t seem so important. He knew Michael would say he’d gotten too close. Especially after Judith.
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