Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark)

by Gena Showalter

  A rustle sounded behind him.

  He summoned his sword of fire as he turned—but there was no one there. The sun was in the process of setting, casting rays of pink and purple, the sky a darkening blue. The clouds were thick and white, the stars just becoming visible. He hovered in the sky, wings lifting and falling slowly, gracefully, his gaze tracking the surrounding area. But...again, he found no one.

  “Come out, coward,” he commanded. “Fight me.”

  Silence.

  Irritated, he darted higher at top speed. Then, he leveled out and searched the clouds for any sign of movement. To his right he heard a whoosh.... He frowned. What was that? Whatever it was, the sound of laughter quickly followed. He changed course, only to find four winged warriors playing ball in the clouds. One threw the ball, while another tried to stop him. One caught the ball, while another tried to stop him.

  Football. In the skies. Who would ever have thought? But...how happy they appeared. How content.

  They weren’t part of Zacharel’s army, but Lysander’s. Thane recognized one of the males. Brendon was his name, and he had frequented Thane’s club on many occasions.

  Thane stopped, hovering in the air some yards away. Perhaps they had heard something about the highly ranked demon that he had not. He called out a greeting.

  The game paused, and all four looked over at him. At first, they smiled. But those smiles quickly faded as his identity was discerned.

  “You’re part of the Army of Disgrace,” one said.

  Thane was beginning to despise that name. “I am.”

  “What are you doing here?” another snapped. “This is our territory.”

  “Your kind isn’t wanted,” Brendon said, peering down at his feet.

  The fourth remained silent, but his glare spoke volumes.

  Judgment and disdain, from his own kind, when they had no idea what had shaped him into the man he was. They had no idea what he’d had to do to survive. They had no idea the pain and guilt and shame that constantly stalked his every step—even though he told himself he enjoyed his life, that he liked what he was. And he did.

  He did. Because he had to.

  The four closed in around him, forming a circle, blocking him in. He could have mentioned Brendon’s own proclivities and called him a hypocrite, and the others would have believed him. Like all Sent Ones, his voice possessed the ring of truth. But he remained silent. He had many, many faults, but he would never ruin another man’s standing with his friends.

  He knew how important those friends could be.

  “You don’t want to fight me,” he stated calmly.

  “Oh, yeah?” The leader raised his chin, all aggression and assurance of success. “And why’s that?”

  “I have no honor, and you won’t like what I do to you.” To prove it, he kicked out his leg, nailing the leader in the stomach and making him hunch over for breath. At the same time, he twisted his upper body and, grabbing a sword from the air pocket at his right, swung out. He clipped the bottom of one of Brendon’s wings.

  The warrior dropped from the sky, forcing the others to dart after him to prevent him from ultimately going splat. Thane wanted to laugh, but couldn’t force a rise of amusement. He hated that he only received respect inside his club. He hated that everyone outside it mocked him, and drove him to such violent behavior.

  As if he needed to be driven.

  They’re better than you. They can do whatever they want. He couldn’t even remember what it was like to be untainted by the evils of life.

  Whatever. He sped back into motion.

  Any luck? he projected into Bjorn’s head. They were bonded so surely, so solidly, distance never mattered.

  None. You?

  None.

  Any luck? he projected into Xerxes’ head.

  Yes. Bad. You?

  The same.

  He had to find and stop Strife before any other human lives were ruined. Unlike some of his brethren, he understood the humans. He sympathized with their weaknesses. He wanted to protect them from the very pain he had endured.

  Thane increased his speed. He needed to figure out his next plan of action. To clear his head. To think. Sex was his usual method, but he was used to finding his women in the club. They knew a little about him, what he expected, and he knew they were already on the road to ruination. He didn’t have to worry about destroying their innocence.

  But he didn’t have time to fly to the club and fly back here. He would have to risk going to a human club, then. Yes, he decided. He would go to a human club. He would find a woman, the wildest one, have her and figure this out. Surely.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “—CAN’T FLASH,” Nicola heard Koldo say, his voice dripping with all kinds of rage. “You have to continue the hunt on your own.”

  He couldn’t flash? She’d just turned the corner into the kitchen, where the men were located, but hearing him say that, she froze in the doorway.

  “I don’t mind doing that,” Axel replied. “But I gotta tell you. I’m getting nowhere. Your father leaves zero tracks.”

  “He’s been planning this a long time. Before approaching us, he would have come up with a way to avoid detection.”

  Neither man noticed her. They sat at the table. And how odd they looked. Two primal warriors, seated so domestically at a hand-carved table, white-and-black-checkered curtains covering the bay window behind them.

  “But he’s not smarter than me,” Axel said. “Or is it ‘than I’? I always forget. Anyway. I’ll find a way to draw him out.”

  “Hungry?” she asked, finally earning their notice.

  Axel squared his shoulders, at attention. Koldo raked a hand over his scalp, as if he were embarrassed. How adorable.

  They were wearing identical white tops and pants, the material loose, and they both looked adorable. Like best friends who had made a pact to always do everything together—even dress.

  Say that aloud. I dare you. “Well?” she prompted.

  “We can feed ourselves,” Koldo said at the same time Axel said, “I’m ravenous.”

  “Well, my answer matches Axel’s,” she said. “Therefore, I’ll make something.” These past few days she’d spent a lot of time puttering around in the kitchen, trying new recipes brought to her by Koldo’s friends, and it had been wonderful. She’d discovered a blooming talent she hadn’t expected. Lack of time and money had never allowed her the luxury of even trying.

  Axel smirked. Koldo scowled. She gathered dishes and cutlery and the appropriate ingredients for an avocado-and-strawberry salad, and all the while she could feel Koldo’s gaze on her, two white-hot pings drilling into her back.

  Was he thinking about last night?

  She was. With every glance, every touch, she’d felt the depths of their connection. Something deep, inexorable.

  “I’d like to hire you at my place, Miz Nicola,” Axel said. “I have a benefits package I know you’ll love.”

  A shuffle of clothing, the squeak of a chair. The pound of bone against bone.

  Nicola turned and watched as the two men slammed together and propelled to the ground.

  A growl from Koldo. “She’s mine!”

  A laugh from Axel. “And I can’t tease you about her?”

  “No.”

  “Children! Enough,” Nicola said, clapping to claim their attention.

  They broke apart, Koldo huffing and puffing, Axel grinning.

  “Your jealousy is so cute,” Axel said.

  “Just try to leave me,” Koldo threw at Nicola.

  I won’t roll my eyes. “Sit.”

  Instantly the men obeyed, reclaiming their chairs at the table.

  She tossed all of the ingredients in a large bowl, then set smaller bowls in front of the guys. When she attempted to ease into the seat between them, Koldo took her by the arm and tugged her onto his lap. The warmth of his body and the sunshine scent of his skin instantly enveloped her, holding her captive.

  He glared a
t Axel.

  Axel grinned.

  “So...you can’t flash,” she said to Koldo.

  He stiffened. “No. I tried again this morning. I failed.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Something was done to me during that last fight.” Koldo finished his meal in a hurry, stood, moved aside and urged her back into the chair. “Stay here. Eat.” He gave her a swift, hard kiss and tugged Axel from the room.

  “But I’m not done with my food,” she heard the black-haired warrior whine.

  “You are now.”

  The back door slammed behind them, cutting off any reply.

  What am I going to do with that man?

  She padded to the window and watched as he led Axel inside the small building they’d erected last week. Was Koldo’s dirty little secret in there? If so...what could it be? Another woman?

  No, he wasn’t the type to cheat. He had far too much honor.

  Refusing to dwell, she fixed Laila a bowl, rinsed the rest of the dishes and placed them in the washer, then strode to her sister’s bedroom. Her twin was pacing in front of the bed, her hands wringing together.

  “I made brunch,” Nicola told her.

  “I’m not hungry.” Laila’s skin was pale, her motions stiff.

  “Well, you need to eat.”

  There was a tinge of desperation to her sister’s tone as she said, “We were almost killed, Co Co.”

  “But we weren’t. We survived.”

  “What if we’re attacked again?”

  “What if we’re not? You shouldn’t worry about what’s going to happen, La La, but you should expect to be protected when something does.” So far, her sister had wanted nothing to do with Koldo, the tattoos or anything he’d said—despite knowing he was right!

  “You really believe that?”

  “I do.”

  “And I want to be like you. I do. I just... I have trouble trusting it all. I mean, staring at a bunch of number tattoos is going to help me? Please!”

  “Trust is a decision, not a feeling.” Just like forgiveness. “Give it a shot.”

  “I just... I’m sorry. No. I can’t.”

  Nicola could have curled into a ball and cried. But instead, she rallied, determined. “You’ll continue to worry and that worry will kill you. Is that what you want?”

  “No.” Her sister’s shoulders drooped.

  Nicola reached out, squeezed her hand. “Let’s do something to distract you.” Something to improve her frame of mind. Books wouldn’t cut it, and TV might exacerbate the problem. All that left was... Ugh. Something that sounded like torture. “We can, I don’t know, work out or something. Get our bodies in shape.”

  “I don’t know. I—”

  “Please. For me.”

  Laila massaged the back of her neck. “I’m not in the mood.”

  “Neither am I, but we could both use the exercise.” Before her sister could issue another refusal, she added, “I’ll be in the workout room. Join me, okay?”

  A pause, a sigh, then, “Okay. Maybe.”

  “Definitely.” Nicola clomped into her bedroom and changed into a sports bra, tiny skintight shorts and running shoes. Her first pair. Well, the first pair she would actually put to use.

  She entered the workout room and looked around. Machine after machine greeted her. All large. All intimidating. The only piece of equipment she recognized was the treadmill.

  That would have to do.

  Nicola set a slow pace—at first. But the sweat began to roll, and her heart began to pound, her muscles to burn, and she liked it, so she raised the incline and kicked up the speed. Soon she was jogging. And jogging and jogging! Shock filled her, but the exercise felt so good, too good to stop, invigorating her, and she thought she could go on forever, and that if she were outside, she could run across the entire world. There was so much oxygen in her brain, her thoughts were actually fizzing, her blood popping and crackling and her ponytail swinging back and forth, slapping her in the face, and oh, even that felt good, because she was free and she was healthy and nothing could stop her, and—

  “I’m pleased.”

  Her attention jerked to the left. Koldo stood in the doorway, his expression satisfied, his hands fisted on his hips. The action jolted her, and she missed her next step. The treadmill was unforgiving, and she stumbled, flying backward and slamming—

  Into Koldo.

  His body was big and hard, and she lost her breath—breath that had already gone thin and raspy. Suddenly light-headed, she hunched over. Or would have. Koldo’s arms banded around her, holding her upright.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she wheezed. And okay, wow, the workout had affected her more than she’d realized. “You should probably let me go. I’m sweaty.”

  His pupils expanded, gobbling up the golden color of his irises. “I like you that way.”

  The huskiness of his tone... “Are you flirting with me?”

  He blinked with surprise. “I think that I am.”

  The world spun—but not because she was feeling faint. Koldo had taken her by the waist and maneuvered her around to face him. She teetered forward, and had to balance her palms on his chest. His heart beat as hard and fast as hers.

  “Is it working?”

  “It is.”

  “Prove it.”

  He hoisted her up. Her legs wrapped around him as he lowered his head. Their mouths met in an explosive kiss that offered no preliminary exploration, only passion.

  Just like that, she was a study of movement, her hands on his face, no, on his neck, no, kneading his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. It was such a beautiful moment, so charged, two pieces of a puzzle being fit together.

  Desire burned through her, and need, so much need. Want, so much want. As if she hadn’t found satisfaction last night. The two drives were intertwined, indistinguishable, as tangible as Koldo’s body.

  “I have to have you,” he said. “All of you. If you’re well enough to run the treadmill, you’re well enough to be with me.”

  “Yes.”

  “Here. Now.”

  “Yessss.” This was happening. Finally. They would be together, and they would belong to each other, and they would stop worrying about what could go wrong—even though they weren’t supposed to be worrying about anything.

  “Uh, that’s going to be a bit of a problem,” another male said.

  Growling, Koldo swung his head toward the door. Nicola followed his lead. A grinning Axel stood next to another male of equal strength. This one had black hair and blazing green eyes that utterly contrasted with his lips, which were set in an ice-cold line.

  “Zacharel,” Koldo said, nodding his head in stiff deference. To Nicola, he added quietly, “He always looks that way. Fear not.”

  Nicola’s legs dropped to the floor. Her heart was hammering, but the beat was now steady, strong. Her clothes were in place, nothing disheveled, and yet she felt as though she were a teenager caught with her pants down.

  The new guy looked her over. “You’re thriving. That’s good.”

  “You know me?” she asked, surprised and confused. She’d never met this man. He wasn’t the type of guy a girl would ever forget. No, he was the type of guy a girl dreamed about for the rest of her life—either sighing dreamily or sobbing with fear.

  “I noticed a certain warrior’s interest in you, and made it my business to learn everything possible.” That glorious jade gaze slid to Koldo before she could comment. Not that she knew what to say. “Your presence has been requested in the heavens.”

  A tense pause slid into a long, uncomfortable silence before Koldo gave another nod.

  Axel and Zacharel walked away, leaving her alone with her warrior.

  “I must go,” he said.

  She reached up and cupped his cheeks, the soft hair on his jaw tickling her skin. “I understand. Just make sure you hurry home. I’ll still be here, an
d we can pick up where we left off.”

  He leaned down, placed a soft kiss against her lips. “You’ve just guaranteed I’ll return at the soonest possible moment. And don’t worry about evil invaders. Axel ensured other Sent Ones can come and go, but no one else can get through my cloud.”

  A second later, he vanished, startling Nicola. Then he reappeared, a look of wonder on his face.

  “I flashed,” he said.

  “I know. I just watched you.” He hadn’t lost the ability, after all.

  “But I did it twice. Not just now, but before, to catch you when you fell off the treadmill. I was too consumed with what we were doing to realize I had done it until I appeared in the heavens.”

  His lips lifted in a slow, sensual smile, revealing perfect white teeth, lighting his entire face. She could only stare in amazement, her head practically spinning, her limbs definitely shaking.

  “I can protect you,” he said.

  “I knew that, too.”

  “I’m not helpless.”

  Hoping to tease him, she said, “Are we playing the Obvious Game? If so, guess what. I can run on a treadmill. I can wear my hair in a ponytail. I’m a girl.”

  Laughing, he placed another kiss on her mouth. And then, for the second time that day, he flashed away. This time, she reeled. That laugh...it had been rusty, but hearty. Ragged, but gorgeous.

  Would she ever get used to his magnetism?

  Nicola snagged a glass of water before heading into her sister’s bedroom, where she found Laila pacing. Still.

  “You didn’t come to the workout room,” she said.

  “Sorry, sorry,” Laila replied. “I lost track of time.”

  Nicola opened her mouth to respond—but caught sight of two little monkey faces peeking over Laila’s shoulders. They spotted Nicola and grinned smugly.

  She strode forward, but they ducked down. Laila seemed to have no idea. Nicola walked a circle around her, searching, but there was no longer any sign of the creatures.

  A sense of urgency hit her. “Pick something to do, La La. Anything at all. I’ll do it with you. The constant anxiety has to end now.”

  “I just... I need to think.”