by Missy Jane
Two large hands appeared on the table on either side of her, and his heat warmed her back as Cam’s voice whispered in her ear, “Hey, whatcha doing?”
Her breath caught, and she choked on her words as she snatched her hands back from the open page. He moved his head to look over her shoulder, rubbing his cheek against hers.
“Ah, Josephina. She was a lovely and voluptuous woman, but nothing and no one ever really satisfied her. The time I spent with her was mercifully short.”
A pang of jealousy hit her, and she rubbed her chest as she tried to catch her breath. “Oh. She’s…beautiful.”
“Hmm.” He nuzzled her neck. “Not nearly as beautiful as you are, my sweet Eleanor.”
“C-Cam?”
“Hmm?”
“What are you doing?”
He grinned as his gaze roamed over her from head to toe. “The assembly just ended. I thought I’d come find you so we can talk some more.”
Her blood ran cold. “I still don’t want to discuss it.”
“We really must, sweetheart. My brothers need to know what’s going on, too, but you and I can have the conversation alone, and then I’ll tell them.”
Anger pushed away her fear. “Why? It’s no one’s business but my own.” Closing down her thoughts, she tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge.
Instead, he rested his hands on her hips. “Elle, calm down.”
“Elle?”
His handsome grin nearly melted her on the spot. “Yeah. I like it. It’s short and sweet. Like you.”
She pushed at him again. “I’m not that short.”
His grin widened, momentarily dropping her IQ.
“Nah, not too short. You’re pretty perfect.”
“Yeah, right.”
With a stiffening of his shoulders, his amusement faded, and he cupped one side of her face. “Hey, don’t be down on yourself. I’m being honest.”
“You barely notice me on a good day. If I’m so pretty and perfect and wonderful, why haven’t you mentioned it in the past four years?”
He closed his eyes and sighed, then rested his forehead against hers. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it took me so long to even realize what was happening.” He straightened. “But now that I know, it shouldn’t happen again. Especially now that my feelings for you have changed, grown into something…more.” He looked her over again, and the heat in his eyes couldn’t be mistaken. “I really see you now, Elle. I see, and I want to touch.”
Moving painfully slow, he cupped her face in both hands and brushed his lips against hers once, twice. Then he licked the seam of her lips, and a sigh slipped from her mouth, granting him entrance as her eyes closed and her heart raced. They kissed.
It was no simple meeting of the mouths. It was ecstasy and every fantasy she’d ever had since meeting Cam. He sucked on her lips and slid his tongue into her mouth as she moaned into his. Strong hands squeezed her waist before moving up, beneath her shirt and onto bare skin. A shiver ran down her spine, and he pulled her against him. Hard chest to soft breasts made her shiver again.
“Cam…oh God, Cam.”
“Yes, Elle. I’ve got you.”
He ran his lips down her jaw to her neck then suckled, and her nipples peaked in expectation.
“Damn, you taste good,” he whispered.
The only response possible was a soul-deep sigh as he nibbled on her neck, moving from one side to the other in a lightly stinging caress. Trying to ground herself in the storm, she clutched his shoulders for dear life. The warmth beneath her palms had her moving them over his broad shoulders, down his strong arms, and over his back. His muscles clenched beneath her touch, empowering her and giving her the courage to continue touching him in a way she’d often dreamed. He cupped her breasts in both hands, and she gasped.
“So beautiful. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to notice.”
Grasping her hips, he set her on the table then whipped her shirt over her head before she realized his intention. The urge to cover herself nearly won, but the desire etched on his face killed that urge. Slowly, he raised his hands, rested them on her breasts, then gently squeezed them as if testing them against others. Jealousy hit her again, and she glanced over at the open book.
“No,” he said before slamming the book closed and pushing it across the large table. “You’re better than her in every way, and there’s no comparison.” He gripped her chin with two fingers until she faced him. “Don’t let my past, and the times between us before this moment, ruin what’s about to happen.”
The soft press of his lips transported her into a sensual world of fantasy where she could forget there had ever been anyone before her. He leaned against her until she rested her back against the table. Then he kissed a path down one shoulder to her bra strap. He slipped both of them off and alternately sucked on the tops of her breasts until she writhed beneath him.
“C-Cam…oh.”
“Mmmm. Beautiful…beautiful…beautiful.” He punctuated each word with a kiss.
Blood thrummed in her veins, boiling with each sweep of his mouth over her skin. She gripped the edge of the table to keep from grabbing him and possibly knocking him out of whatever delirium had gripped him. Surely he was crazed or something to finally want her.
Cool air hit her when he straightened, and she almost cried out at the loss, but all he did was unclip the front clasp of her bra. Her breath hitched as he peeled the cups back and groaned.
“Damn. Absolute perfection.”
Then he dove in for another taste, this time sucking a globe into his mouth. After tasting each one he ran the tip of his tongue around her peaked nipples. She shivered and moaned as moisture coated the inside of her panties.
“I can smell your arousal, Elle. It makes my mouth water as much as it hardens me. Are you going to be a good girl and let me taste you…everywhere?”
Another shiver snaked up her spine at his deep rumble, and all she could do was nod.
He grinned. “Good.”
Threads nearly ripped in his haste to yank off his shirt, and her breath again caught at the sight. A light dusting of brown hair spattered across his pecs and formed an enticing trail south. She reached both hands up hungrily, but he caught her wrists and held them a breath away from his skin.
“Not yet. I get to go first.”
Her sound of distress seemed to amuse him. Grinning wide, he pinned her hands over her head and planted a deep kiss on her mouth.
“Soon,” he said then kissed a path back down to her breasts. He released her wrists, but she kept her arms in place. Now that both his hands and mouth were busy, she couldn’t concentrate enough to reciprocate. Shock waves of pleasure tore through her as he ran his soft lips over her heated skin. He nuzzled her breasts then moved on to her belly. Small stinging bites ratcheted up her arousal before he kissed them away and stopped at the top of her jeans.
“Damn. There are so many things I want to do to you.”
The image of everything she wanted to do to him made her mouth water, but as she reached for him, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the house.
“What the hell?” he asked as he stood.
Another crunch of glass sounded, and Eleanor sat up while putting her clothes back on.
Cam helped her off the table. “Stay here, where there aren’t any windows.”
“Wait. What? No, Cam, I’m coming with—”
What felt like a shock wave rocked the house, and she screamed as she stumbled into him. He pushed her beneath the large table and mumbled what sounded like Latin under his breath. “Don’t move from this spot, Elle. You’ll stay safe under my protections.”
Then he ran out of the room.
She looked around frantically at the piles of books on the floor. No more sounds came from inside the house, but the sound of hail or something striking the roof started up in a steady rhythm. She covered her ears and moved to the center of the floor beneath the large table. “God, why is this
happening?”
A low, deep voice laughed inside her head, chilling her to the bone. Only once before had she heard something like that, and she had long ago convinced herself it was no more than a nightmare. The laughter continued as her heartbeat sped up and nausea roiled in her gut.
“No, no, no.” She fought the urge to cry. “Go away. Whatever the hell you are, go away and leave me alone.” The evil laughter continued, so she did the only other thing she could think of and started to pray.
Years had passed since Eleanor had considered saying a prayer for any reason, but the words tripped off her tongue seamlessly. She said every one she could think of from her youth. Endless minutes passed as she huddled beneath the table, eyes shut tight, and mumbled one prayer after another. Strong fingers gripping her forearms finally brought her out of her trance, and she gasped.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I got you.”
She looked up into Cam’s worried gaze and fell into his embrace.
Her trembling only seemed to increase against his strong chest, but he held her until it stopped. Finally, she pulled back enough to talk. “What happened?”
“A small attack on the most vulnerable part of the house. I’m afraid every window has been shattered.”
The horror she felt must have shown on her face because he pulled her back against his chest. “It’s all right, Elle. My brothers are here now. You’re safe.”
“I think that’s a relative term.”
His smile seemed forced. “Maybe. But I swear I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips and drew her toward the door.
“Cam.”
“What?”
“You said your brothers are here.”
“Yeah. So?”
“So…” She tried to pull away from him. “We should stop this.”
“I’m just holding you. They won’t care.”
“Are you sure? I mean…I’m human.”
He brushed another kiss across her lips and released her long enough to pull on his shirt, but then he took one of her hands in his and led her from the room. “We date humans.”
“Oh.”
“Two of my brothers are married, remember? Their wives know about us, and no, those two are no longer angels. They both chose to fall, allowing their wives to take the place of us—my brothers and myself. It’s something angels rarely choose to do, but it’s allowed.”
Annoyance filled her. “Are you reading my mind right now?”
“No. We only do that under the direst of circumstances.”
“So, you’ve never done that with me before?”
“I’ve certainly been tempted.” He grinned and kissed her nose. “But no. I haven’t.”
They walked into his large living room. Uri and Sel were there, and their presence alone kept her from questioning Cam further. Each one nodded at her before turning their attention to Cam.
“Mike is on his way,” Sel said. “We’ve strengthened the wards on your house, but the fact remains that they shouldn’t have even known where to find you.”
“Who?” Eleanor asked.
The men looked at her, then at Cam. He blew out a breath and motioned toward the sofa. “Have a seat.”
Annoyance filled her, and she crossed her arms over her chest, stubbornly staying in place. “No. Just give it to me straight. What the hell is going on?”
Sel chuckled and Uri smirked, but Cam looked anything but amused. “We’re not 100 percent certain, okay? Something attacked the house, and I don’t know why, but chances are good it was to get to you.”
All the blood in her body drained to her feet, and she swayed.
“Shit.” Cam grabbed her arms. “Don’t faint on me again.”
That strengthened her backbone in a heartbeat, and she shoved him away. “I’m not going to faint. I don’t think.” She looked at his brothers. “Are you two staying here?”
They nodded.
“We all are for the moment,” Sel said and motioned to the sofa. “So you may as well get comfortable.”
The fight drained out of her, especially since she had no real reason to argue against these men. They were the good guys, her protectors. She just wished she knew from what and why it was necessary.
All of them found spots to sit. The living room had one window, and the glass appeared to have already been cleared away. She couldn’t imagine the state of the rest of the house, but the brothers didn’t seem too concerned about it.
“You heard the assembly,” Sel said.
“Yes. Mike really thinks he can make a difference talking to any of them individually?” Cam asked.
His brothers shrugged.
“It’s worth a try,” Uri said. “We need all the help we can get, even if it’s only with them reporting what they see.”
“Are there angels who will simply watch evil happen and do nothing?” Eleanor blurted out.
All three men looked at her, and fear skittered down her spine. Cam said it was okay that she knew, didn’t he?
He opened his mouth but hesitated, while Uri sat back.
Sel seemed embarrassed but finally replied. “Yup. That about sums up what a Watcher is, Eleanor. Strictly speaking, that’s all they were created to do. Watch the humans and do no harm to them. Other than those two directives, they were given no other real rules or regulations.”
She breathed more easily and blinked a couple of times as she tried to wrap her brain around that one. “Wow. But doing nothing in the face of evil seems so wrong. It almost seems like giving permission.”
Uri chuckled humorlessly. “And therein lays the great debate among angels. Do something, or do nothing? It’s the one thing we can’t seem to agree on.”
“And what does God say?”
They all looked uncomfortable with that question and shared a long glance before Cam faced her again. “We haven’t heard from the Source of All Creation in a very long time. So I guess the answer would be…nothing.”
“Hmm.” What a disturbing thought. Unfortunately, her mind was already crowded with too many other bothersome events to give much credence to that one for the moment.
“There are a couple of other things we really need to talk about.”
Dread snaked down her spine, but she brushed away the chill. Whatever he had to say, she didn’t want any of them to think she couldn’t handle the truth or needed to be constantly protected. The earthquakes hadn’t been explained, and she really wanted to know more about the guy who had attacked her and then found his way to her house. Now that this house had been attacked, the danger to her seemed more real. Still, surely they had more important things to worry about that an insignificant human like her.
…
Elle straightened her spine and lifted her chin. Cam wanted to kiss her again but refrained when his brothers sent him amused looks. They had obviously caught his thought.
He was slipping. Normally he wouldn’t care too much, but the timing couldn’t be worse. She seemed to be in very real danger from some kind of demon, and he needed to keep his wits about him.
“So,” she said, “what do we need to talk about?”
He ran a hand through his hair and thought over exactly what he wanted to say, but when his gaze met hers he noticed the fear and uncertainty. An ache formed in his chest because he couldn’t save her from the ugly truth he was about to reveal.
“There’s a scent outside each of the windows that we refer to as ‘demon taint.’ The man who attacked you this morning wasn’t human. He’s what we call a mid-level demon. That makes him more dangerous than a mindless minion that would just cause chaos, which is what I suspect just broke all my windows. Fortunately, not a high-level demon. That would try to take over the world as you know it.”
Fear wafted from her like a dark perfume. Her brow wrinkled in a slight frown, and he had to clench a fist to keep from reaching out to smooth her soft skin. The uncertainty in her expression was so foreign. His perfect little secretary never got
shaken up about anything.
“O-okay,” she said. She hesitated and clenched her fists in her lap. “But why in the hell would he attack me? I’m nobody.”
Instant denial rose up, but he squelched it to stay on topic. “Apparently, you’re somebody important to a demon. Unfortunately, we still don’t know which demon or why.”
A hard shiver wracked her small frame, but when he tensed to move toward her she stiffened and crossed her arms. “How can we find out?”
The determined tone eased him. “We need to know more about you, sweetheart. I really need you to explain what you told me earlier. There’s no way you’re a cold-blooded murderer.”
Everyone seemed to hold their collective breath, and she looked tense enough to shatter at the slightest touch. There was no possible way for him to keep himself from touching her. He took her hands between his and realized they were trembling.
“Just tell me what happened, Elle. No one in this room would ever judge you without all of the facts. Please. I have to know the truth.”
Nearly panting with her speeding pulse, she yanked her hands from his grip and stood. Thinking she was about to leave, he prepared to follow, but all she did was pace around the room.
“I don’t remember most of what happened clearly.” She waved her hands around as she spoke in agitation. “Just disjointed images and emotions. I was very little. But my mom died because of me. I know I killed her.”
The others looked at him with raised brows. All three of them heard her lie clear as day.
He cleared his throat and chose his words carefully. “If you can’t remember, any one of us can read your thoughts and look back to your earliest memories. We can find the truth. It’s in there somewhere.”
The blood drained from her face, and she shook her head vigorously. “No. I don’t want anyone messing with my head. No way.”
He stood and held his hands up. “Okay, Elle. We won’t do that. You have nothing to fear from us. I swear.”
