Asa

by Alisa Woods

  Although she had to give him credit for what he had done. The food, the toiletries, the fresh water to clean up. She had no idea how all the magic worked, but it made the confinement slightly more human. And she could tell by the harried look on his face, and his eager scans of hers—he was trying to care for her.

  But she couldn’t stay in this box forever.

  Just as she vowed to press him about that next time he showed, the door shushed open, and Asa bustled through with another tray. This one had a chocolate croissant and orange juice, and the insta-watering of her mouth almost completely derailed her.

  “I consulted with the light forces,” he said hastily as if there were a timer on how long he could speak, and he needed to rush it all out, “and they said this would be pleasing.” He looked to her, hope in his eyes.

  “I’m already drooling.” She had to force herself to wrench her gaze from the treat.

  He frowned. “Is that…”

  “Yes, that’s good.” She smiled, and so did he, and dang it—he was pretty damn cute with that Oh hell, did I get this right? concern etching his face. Like it was important to him. She hadn’t had someone take care of her that way in a long time—not since her parents were snatched out of her life by Lady Bad Luck.

  “Good,” he breathed. “All right, then—”

  Oh crap, he was about to bolt again. “Asa!” she blurted out.

  He jolted, and concern jumped back on his face. “Is there something wrong?”

  “I just…” Suddenly, the complaints were tangling in her throat, with that sweet look of concern on his face. “I just… need some new clothes, okay?” She’d been literally living in these ones forever. Back at Elyon’s nursery, they resupplied them with new ones once a week, but she’d been on the run and eating pizza and hadn’t even managed to change while she was in her apartment. Now she was cooped up here…

  His eyes were wide like new clothes were somehow dangerous. “What kind of clothes do you wish for?” His gaze traveled her body then jumped back to her face like he was afraid to be caught looking.

  Not that she was anything to look at in these shapeless gray pants and shirt. Suddenly the prospect of something sleek and sexy made flutters jump in her stomach. Not just wearing them but having Asa see them. Oh fuck… that was bad news. And yet she couldn’t quite stop herself from saying, “Something nice. Black maybe. And a little more fitted. And just with a little fashion, maybe?”

  He looked like she was asking him to build the pyramids.

  Her shoulders slumped. “Or just the same thing only fresher. That’ll do.”

  He frowned. “No. That won’t do.”

  She opened her mouth to reassure him, but he’d already turned his back on her and was halfway out the door. By the time she recovered from the shock, he was gone, door closed… and she was alone with the croissant.

  Dammit! She was supposed to grill him on where all this was headed, demand to see Ren and Eden, anything but fucking ask for new clothes and send him off in a tizzy.

  She let out a heavy sigh and brought the tray over to the bed to eat.

  Strategy. She needed to sharpen up and have a plan. The surge of sugar from the juice helped clear her head. Either Asa would let her go, or he would build her an ever-more-gilded cage to stay trapped in forever. She understood he wanted to protect her from crazy-angel Elyon, and there was the severe complication that she was pregnant, but she’d been on her own for half her life—she could figure out a way to make all that work. She could leave Seattle. Disappear into the woodwork. Going back to her apartment was stupid—Asa found her there in less than a day. But if he could have magically tracked her, then he would have found her sooner. So she just had to melt into the human framework and start over somewhere new. Her and her angeling baby—she would figure that part out, too. So the only question was—would Asa let her go? Or would she have to escape again on her own?

  There were Eden and Ren to worry about, but she hadn’t even seen them since she got here—so that was Top Priority. She’d ask for that first. Then press him, see if there was any possibility, any hope that he might let her go sometime in the future. Then she’d work on moving that time closer to right fucking now… because this place was making her crazy. And if he was stubborn—and really, if that concern of his was only to keep her alive, not sane—then she would get to work on Plan B. Find another way out.

  Just as she was cleaning up the last of the crumbs, Asa made an appearance again, holding a bag. He hurried inside, the door sliding closed behind him.

  He held the bag out at arm’s length. “A friend of mine with more knowledge of, uh, human female attire, conjured these for you.”

  She took the department-store-sized bag and fought through the lump in her throat. He was trying so hard. “Thanks.” She peered inside. Puddles of rich green and blue and white fabric filled it. Color. It was like she was starving for it.

  He gestured vaguely at her body. “I had to… describe your, um… state.” His expression was pained. “I do not know if they will fit,” he rushed out.

  “Oh! I’ll try them on.” She pointed a finger at him. “Stay right there.” Then she shuffled past him in the cramped cell quarters to step into the miniature bathroom he had conjured for her.

  His eyes were wide again as she slid the door shut.

  This is good, she told herself. He’d have to stick around long enough to see the clothes, then she could press him about returning to the world of humans. And what better way to show she didn’t belong here than to put on some human-world clothes for once? It was cramped in the bathroom, but it was easy to shuck off her formless gray sweats and shirt. Her keepers before had never given her underwear, so she was used to going au natural with her baby bump under everything. When she dug into the bag, she was immediately mesmerized by the yards and yards of green fabric that pooled like silk and ran everywhere. Green had always been her best color, but she rarely wore it—she needed just the right shade not to clash with her fire-red hair. But this endless silky thing, whatever it was, seemed the perfect deep emerald color, so she spooled it out of the bag, tried to figure it out, then slipped it over her head.

  It was a dress. A dream dress that floated over her skin like it was made of air and green mist. She could feel the heat rise in her face. It dipped low, showing off her chest, and then parted completely to bare her baby bump. The sleeves were long and a magnificent cape pooled behind her. A short skirt barely covered her privates—and she was completely sans underwear, so that was super risky—but the whole thing felt like a gorgeous, sexy whisper against her skin.

  She didn’t want to take it off. More than that, she wanted to show it to Asa. Which seemed crazy—was she trying to seduce him?—but the flutters in her stomach were chanting, Do it! Do it! Do it!

  Her brain struggled to put a reason to the urge, and she decided that maybe she was trying to seduce him. If that was how to get him to take her back to the human world…

  She slid open the bathroom door and stepped out.

  Asa’s mouth dropped open in a very satisfying way.

  Her stomach flutters were cheering. Not that she was angeling-level beautiful or anything, but this dress had a magic of its own.

  “Are you…” Asa blinked and then visibly swallowed. “Is this what you wanted?” His voice was hiked up, and that ran a flush all over her body. Which made her cringe a little inside because she knew what her body did when she was embarrassed. Or excited. It pinked up all over like she was having a heat rash attack.

  She suddenly felt a little too naked. She gathered some folds of the cape and drew them over her legs. “Well, it is a little bare.” Her movement drew his eyes down to where her hands were bunched by her skirt.

  He seemed fixated there, and she was afraid the heat coursing all over her body was suddenly pooling between her legs and somehow showing… Oh, God…

  “I should…” She stumbled back into the bathroom. “I’ll try the other ones.” She sh
ut the door, but not before she glimpsed his brown eyes blazing at her.

  She’d seen that look on a man’s face before. Lust. Serious lust. That dress had made Asa hot for her, and while she clawed her way out of it, she couldn’t help but feel the residual effects of that look like a hand sweeping all over her body, igniting it everywhere.

  God, she was throbbing with need.

  How long had it been? Obviously, that wild night when she was with the other angeling—that had been fueling her fantasies ever since, but in a weird way, since the whole thing had left her pregnant and trapped in Hell. And there wasn’t exactly much privacy in the nursery to take care of such things. Mostly, she’d hastily gotten relief in the shower. But that look from Asa had freaking turned her on… and now she couldn’t turn off her body’s reaction.

  She ran cold water in the sink—as ice cold as she could get it—and splashed her face. That wasn’t nearly enough, so splashed it everywhere… including between her legs. That helped a little. And now she was just cold. She used a towel to vigorously dry off.

  Asa had to wonder what was taking her so long.

  She dug through the bag again, and the rest were more sensible. A black dress that was snug but not revealing—well except that she was sans underwear, which was suddenly becoming a serious problem—and the other was a pair of jeans shorts and a blousy white top. She pulled that on, figuring the shorts were sturdier, in case she had another full-body lust flareup. Not that she could be blamed for that reaction—Asa was a perfect specimen of male beauty, and that look he gave her… Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

  Once she was dressed, she felt a little more in control.

  She stepped out of the bathroom again. “Much better,” she pronounced, then faltered.

  The intense look on Asa’s face hadn’t cooled at all. He dropped his gaze to her clothes—no, to her chest—and it stayed there long enough she reflexively looked down. Oh crap. Her nipples were super hard and pointy and totally showing through her white shirt.

  She crossed her arms over her chest, and his gaze rose to her eyes again. “They definitely seem to fit.” She could see him breathing hard.

  Well, she wanted to seduce him…

  Molly swallowed down the stomach flutters, which were having a manic pixie party, and uncrossed her arms and sauntered over to Asa. Saunter was probably overstating things. He was only a half dozen feet away.

  His eyes went wide, but he didn’t flee out the door.

  “I need… some other things, too.” She stood super close to him. It was setting her skin on fire, and his chest was rising and falling rapidly under his battle gear.

  “What do you need?” It was a whisper. His eyes were locked on hers. They seemed to peer into her soul, which she knew was a thing angelings could actually do, and it left her feeling even more naked than the green dress.

  “I need…” Her mouth was suddenly dry. What her body needed was to wrestle Asa into the bed and ride him until she came and came and came. That was not happening. Nor were any words to that effect coming out of her mouth. Instead, she forced out different ones—words that stuck to her plan. “I need to see Ren and Eden.”

  “That’s good,” he whispered. “Because I’m going to take you to them right now.” But he just reached for her cheek instead, his gaze sweeping her face and then dropping to her lips. The backs of his fingers brushed her jaw.

  He was going to kiss her.

  She’d never been so certain of something in her life, so when he didn’t—when he pulled back, dropped his hand, and sucked in a breath—it left an ache in her chest so sudden it hurt.

  What was she doing? Trying to seduce an angeling? With her flawed and human body? What a tremendously stupid idea. Embarrassment sliced through her so strong it felt like a knife.

  Asa stepped back, right up against the door, and cleared his throat. “We should go.”

  The pain of rejection was singing in her.

  He magicked open the door and backed away, right over the threshold, and waited for her outside the room.

  She stepped across. “Are we going to see Ren and Eden?”

  “Yes.” He took her elbow to guide her down the hallway as he started walking, then immediately released it.

  It embarrassed her how much she wanted that touch to linger. Get it fucking together, Molly Bitter! She couldn’t let raging hormones drive her right now. Stick to the plan.

  “You can’t keep us locked up forever.” She kept her voice cool. Calm. Reasonable. Definitely not aching to have him touch her again. “What about when the babies come? They need a home, not a cell. They can’t grow up in a cage.”

  He was briskly walking her down one turn then another. “I know.” But he didn’t elaborate.

  “So, how’s that going to work?” she pressed. She might get him to see the logical part of it. All of them—Eden, Ren, Ralphie, Eva, Molly, the new babies—they all needed to be back in the human world. Otherwise, they might as well have left the babies behind in Elyon’s Regiment. Surely, he could see that. And Asa had already done so many sweet things for her, even the clothes—

  They rounded one more corner. He drew her to a stop in front of a door with another light touch on her elbow that then disappeared. There was another angeling stationed there, standing guard. He and Asa exchanged short nods.

  To her, Asa said, “I’ve been working on a solution.” The heat was gone from his eyes now, replaced by that hopeful look he had when he brought the croissant.

  He used magic to swipe open the door.

  Inside was a room bursting with color. Bright yellow walls, sparkling white cribs, and a rainbow carpet that stretched across the expansive room. It had rockers and sofas and small tables stacked with a kaleidoscope of colorful toys—blocks and dolls and trains. A parade brightly-colored cartoon animals marched across the walls

  Molly’s mouth was hanging open. He’d built a nursery for her. And not just for her—Eden was curled up in a chair, and Ren stood holding Ralphie over one crib. Molly was stunned and touched and… tears crowded her eyes. Not because it was lovey—it was. And not because it was thoughtful—it was that, too.

  Because he meant to keep her here.

  Forever.

  She stumbled into the room.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Asa made a mental note to introduce Tajael to the point of his blade.

  Fucking angeling of light knew exactly what he was doing when he conjured those clothes for Molly. The way she’d donned them for him and displayed her luscious form, so full of curves and womanly life… he’d nearly taken her right then.

  Just when he was gaining her trust.

  Just as he’d finally completed the nursery—the one he’d hoped would settle her heart and make the time she would be confined to the Regiment, time spent with him… tolerable. He could see how it ate at her, being locked away, and he could hardly blame her. The last thing he needed was to let his Lust run rampant all over that gorgeous body of hers and ruin any chance of her trusting a shadow angeling again. She didn’t need another reason to hate him.

  But he’d controlled himself. And he’d moved up the plan to bring her here.

  As she stepped inside, eyes full of wonder, his heart danced.

  Perhaps she would be happy now.

  “I believe it has everything necessary,” he said, trailing behind her as she slowly moved into the room. “Razael’s daughter, Erelah, is an angeling mated to one of the dragon princes, and she’s remained in the light while raising their son. She had many opinions about the things required to raise an angeling child in a human way.”

  “A human way…” Molly echoed him, but her expression was all wrong. Distraught. Tormented.

  “Have I…” Asa scoured the room to see what might be amiss. “Have I missed something important?”

  “Yes.” And the way she said it drew his attention sharply to her. Molly turned to face him. “This isn’t the human world, Asa.”

  “Yes, I know, but—
” His explanations died as she just shook her head and turned away. Asa had taken blades to the chest which hurt less.

  He stood by the door as Molly strode across the room to greet Ren. They hugged and whispered, and the gulf between himself and the women felt a thousand miles not a few tens of feet. Next, Molly bent down by Eden, whose gaze never focused on anything anymore. At least, not since he’d brought her to Razael’s Regiment. Asa knew she was broken—he could see the damage to her soul as plain as any in angelkind—but there was nothing to be done about it. A life kiss might heal her soul-wound, but any time he got close, she reacted violently, jerking away and flailing and screaming. It was not good for the baby. And bestowing the life kiss would not help if the mere act of it would break her further. Molly had better luck with her than anyone he’d seen—she could at least pat Eden’s hand without the panicked reaction—but he could see the hope drain from Molly’s face as Eden stayed mute, staring into a distance that didn’t exist.

  Eventually, Molly returned to him.

  Only she was livid. “Do you see what this is doing to her?” Molly hissed with a backward glance at Eden. Ren had her hands full tending to the babies, who were both awake now.

  Asa grimaced. “I know. She’s broken.”

  “Broken by one of your kind.” Her voice was tight and low.

  He couldn’t deny it—Elyon’s horrors were unique, but it wasn’t as if shadowkind was known for its Virtues. “If I could heal her, Molly, I would. I can’t even get close—”

  “That’s because she needs away from this place.” The anger in her eyes was morphing into a pleading look reaching straight into his soul.

  “I told you—it’s not safe. Especially for Eden.” How could he convince her? He pulled at the buckles holding his body armor strapped tight across his chest.

  “What are you…?” Her eyes were wide.

  “Do you see this mark?” He bared Zuriel’s magically-inscribed tattoo on his chest. “It’s not just a seal, a vow to the angel you serve. It’s also a magical beacon. Once you are marked in Elyon’s Regiment, he can find you anywhere in the mortal or immortal realms.”