“Your parents are really worried about you. Why don’t you contact them to let them know you’re fine and where you are? I’ll start helping the woman. She’s going to require more than one healing session, and her time is running short.”
Once more she focused on the minute thread of life cowering deep inside the broken woman. It had faded until it was no more than the faintest wisp of light flickering in the shadows shrouding her heart. Diane wanted to weep over the agony the woman must have endured.
Deep within herself she released a single tendril of blue light. It slowly made its way into the woman’s broken body and made contact with her fading life force. It twined around the weakened wisp of light and separated it from the dark tide of shadows pulling at its edges. She eased the bundle out of the darkness and closer to consciousness.
Carefully increasing the strength and deepening the color of her light, she bathed the woman in it from head to toe. The progress was minimal, but it was all she could do for now. This was going to take a great deal of time.
She left the woman in a deep, healing sleep, allowing her body more time to heal. She and Alia would bathe her and tend to her external wounds. She would have to stay in one of the guest rooms and rest. Time and the woman herself would have to do the rest.
Chapter 16
She should probably examine the relief she felt when she found him in her room, but she was so tired. A tall sentinel, he stood at the window, watching over the rain-drenched streets.
While she and Alia cleaned up the battered woman, Diane’s mind had frequently strayed, thinking of him. It had taken the two of them hours to get her bathed, stitched up, and settled in one of her guestrooms.
More than once she’d wondered if Azrael had returned to his own obligations while she had been occupied with hers. Now he stood with his back to her, his muscular legs braced apart as if guarding the window from attack. His beautiful hair shone even in the pale light of early evening. She wondered how a male with such a soft heart had become a Soul Runner. She imagined he was one who understood the heavy weight of responsibility all too well.
What must it be like to always walk in the dark shadows without relief? Day after day for untold millennia he’d walked paths so dark they defied imagination. And he did it all alone and without complaint. It was a wonder that he was still sane after spending nearly every waking moment escorting the brokenhearted souls to their final resting place.
And to look at his friends and know the date and method of their deaths? To be the one who carried their souls to the ever-afters, knowing they were gone forever once you let them go?
She couldn’t imagine the heartache it would bring.
Yet he shouldered the burden without complaint. His hidden strength and nobility astounded her.
He turned to face her and without thought she stepped into his arms and wrapped her own around his muscled waist. She laid her head against the warmth of his chest and allowed the steady thump of his heart to soothe the last of her frazzled nerves. It had been one hell of a long day, and she suspected that they weren’t quite finished yet.
Her newly restored powers were a subtle throb that beat deep within her heart, and even after so long without them, she welcomed the comfort they brought. The familiar pulse warned her there was more trouble to come. It didn’t take rocket science to tell her that Belial would be back.
She regretted drawing Azrael any deeper into the mess that was her family. She may have had no choice in the matter, but he did.
Should she try to send him away? It would be the best for him if she did. He had enough of his own troubles to contend with. Somewhere along the way she must have become a selfish creature because she just couldn’t bring herself to get rid of him.
“You’re brooding. What are you thinking? Will you head back to your vacation now that we’ve found Alia?” Truly her niece had found them.
What dark thoughts troubled him as he stood straight, with his arms crossed over his chest? A dark scowl marred the face she’d grown to care for. Was he that anxious to leave?
“No, I’m not, and nice try, but you’re out of practice shielding your thoughts. You’ll have to work on that. Your magic makes you a strong broadcaster. I heard every thought that’s crossed your mind since you’ve stepped through the door. I appreciate your motives, but you’re not getting rid of me that easily. I’ll be here until this is finished.”
“You don’t think it’s over either?” She didn’t bother to hide her doubt.
“No, I admit I’m impressed with Alia’s strength, but we won’t be rid of Belial that easily. I figure he’s licking his wounds and plotting his next move at this very moment. It’s only a matter of time until he strikes again. Until then, you’re stuck with me.” His warm fingers cupped her jaw and tilted her head so she looked up into his burgundy eyes. She waited breathlessly as he leaned in to place the softest of kisses on her lips.
She sighed into him and welcomed him with her own hunger. She softly nipped his bottom lip and savored the heady flavor singing through her senses. More potent than the finest whiskey in her bar, his lips intoxicated her with just the right amount of honey and spice. His tongue, hot and moist, swept into her mouth and seduced hers, awakening her senses and amplifying her desire for everything he offered.
Her hands threaded through his hair and held on tight. Sweeping down her sides, he grasped the hem of her top and deftly removed it. Her breathing quickened as he blazed a trail of kisses under her jaw and along the slope of her shoulder. Unfastening her bra and murmuring his appreciation in a language lost long ago, he drew the straps down her arms with the barest touch of his fingertips. The cool air met her quickly warming flesh as he spanned his hands beneath her breasts, supporting their aching weight. His thumbs stroked fiery circles around the beaded points of her nipples. With each breath she took, their weight seemed to grow.
She watched his hungry eyes darken with arousal as they surveyed her from head to toe, hinting at wicked intentions. There was no mistaking the determination marking his strong features as his hands and lips began their own worship. Her body’s need for him grew with an all-consuming desperation. Her desire for his touch, his taste, and his possession made her tremble.
When Azrael took her breast into his mouth, a delicious ache throbbed deep within her pussy. Tonguing and tugging at the tips with single-minded focus, he set fire to long-dormant feelings of need. Echoes of sweet torment grew as a flash fire spread to her womb. She tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him from her breast with a sucking gasp. She needed his taste on her tongue, and in her blood. Now. She captured his mouth and relished the moist heat of his breath mixing with hers. Lips merged and tongues dueled as they battled to remove each other’s clothing.
* * * *
Had anyone in his entire life shown that much awareness of what his life entailed? Her concern over his loneliness and worry about the darkness surrounding his life humbled him. Now that he’d found someone who understood his lonely way of life, how could he ever let her go? He wasn’t sure he could.
He needed her bare and in bed now. He wouldn’t survive the night without quenching the need threatening to consume his every cell. He reached down to grip the back of her smooth thighs and lifted her against him. Everywhere their skin touched both soothed and inflamed him further. He cursed the brief moment it took to place her on the waiting bed.
“Gods, you’re beautiful, Diane.” He looked down at the vision she made in the fading purple light. The pale vapors worshipped her every curve and hollow, only enhancing her natural beauty. The look of pleasure on her upturned face, the rise and fall of her delicious breasts, and her kiss-ripened mouth branded him on the deepest level of his soul. The vision was a gift beyond measure and one he would treasure always.
She murmured her approval as he rejoined her. Sweet yet bold, her hands moved to undo his pants and find his straining length. Her soft touch nearly crippled him with its delicate torture. He couldn’t h
elp but rock his hips into her silken grip as one hand reached down to cup his taut sac. If his cock had its way, it would have her finish him off now, and it sure as hell wouldn’t take much effort on her part. One soft, searing touch had proven that his desire now belonged to her alone. And he had so much more he wanted to do with her before he was finished.
As much as it pained him to do so, he removed her hands from his cock and attempted to catch his breath. Now with her spread out beneath him, he could enjoy her to the fullest.
Stirring feelings so alien to his previously hollowed existence, her every whisper, every sigh called him home. This was where he was meant to be, in her arms. As he loved her with his hands and his mouth, he wondered if in time she could ever come to love him.
He pushed the lingering questions aside and concentrated on the beauty that lay beneath him. Before he went back to the real world, he’d enjoy himself and maybe take a few lovely memories with him.
He bent his head to taste a begging nipple. The velvety texture was like heated ambrosia melting on his tongue. The flavor went to his head quicker than the richest demon wine. His already impatient cock grew even heavier with arousal. Patience had never been so hard. With both hands and his mouth, he fed on her rich flavors.
He parted her legs wide with his larger ones and with one hand teased the opening of her pussy with the head of his cock, rubbing circles and taunting her slick flesh. Her hips writhed, enticing him to do his worst. He didn’t bother to contain his growl of satisfaction as she grabbed his hips and pulled him to her. With a delicious friction, he filled her until he could go no farther. He was home.
Touching his forehead briefly against hers, he placed a tender kiss on her lips and began to rock his hips in an easy rhythm. She arched to meet his thrusts and grasped his lower lip between her teeth. Her legs wrapped around his waist until her heels pressed into the small of his back. His pace quickened as they met each other breath for breath and thrust for thrust. His arms curled beneath her shoulders, and his hands held her in place. She belonged to him and was going nowhere.
Her hands grasped his shoulders and held tight as he bracketed her with his forearms. Skin to skin, movement to movement, his pace increased with each stroke. Tidal waves of pleasure crested with each motion. Overcome with sensation, they swallowed each other’s cries as they came together in the weak evening light.
Chapter 17
Diane stretched and found herself wrapped in the warmth of Azrael’s larger, harder body. She lingered and snuggled closer to the mountain of muscle. She hadn’t felt this cherished and protected since…well…forever. And Azrael’s touch went two steps further and made her feel petite and gloriously feminine. Her head fit just so in the notch where his shoulder met his chest, and at that perfect moment, there couldn’t be a more comfortable spot in the world.
Until an alien presence stirred at the edges of awareness, sending chill bumps racing though her flesh. Malice lurked, poked a fingernail into their world, and shattered their long-overdue slumber. She tried to shake the dreadful feeling by telling herself Alia walked through the apartment or the mortal woman shifted in her bed in the other room. It didn’t work. Something was wrong.
Azrael lay silent and still as if asleep, but his muscles had tightened. The heart beating beneath her ear increased its tempo. Without warning, with his eyes still closed, he grasped her tighter into his large arms, nearly squeezing the air from her lungs. Enormous black wings exploded from his back and cocooned her as he rolled them away from the window and to the floor on the far side of the bed. Constructed of the softest leather-like membrane, they sheltered her from head to toe. Flat, cold eyes opened, met hers, and with a soft touch, he pressed a fingertip to her lips.
He tucked his head over hers and held her so tightly she struggled to inhale.
A deafening explosion ripped the world apart. The floor trembled, and her ears rang with the shockwave. The room filled with stifling smoke and burning embers.
She conjured clothing for them just before he stood to face the coming danger. He forced her behind him as he spread his wings wide. Long ago she’d heard his wings were magnificent, but believed the tales to be exaggerated. In reality, the stories hadn’t done their fierce beauty justice. Their width nearly spanned her entire room. The broad bony arms that formed their frame arched high like an angel’s and swept out wide. Instead of feathers his wings were webbed with a dark membrane that looked so thin it was almost transparent, yet myth said they were near impervious to injury.
Shielding her with his wings, he did his best wall impersonation, but she was in no mood to stand in his shadow while he faced the threat alone. Though his protective testosterone flattered her, she had powers of her own. She would not cower like a damsel in distress while danger threatened those under her care. She reached deep within herself for skills she’d lost long ago and dematerialized from behind Azrael only to reappear directly at his side, just in front of his wings.
They would do this together or not at all.
“Get back.”
“No. Thank you, but I won’t hide from this.” She met Azrael’s dark glare with one of her own. She would not be a pushover, even for him.
They turned their heads to look at what used to be a wall in her once-lovely bedroom. She couldn’t say she was surprised. Belial had always favored dramatic gestures. There would be no subtle shadow entry like his guards’ earlier attempt. He reveled in attention.
The entire city-facing wall had vanished. As the smoke began to clear she could see the huge opening rimmed with flickering flames. Sparks of lit ash resembled little demonic sprites flitting through the night air. She wove a silent but effective spell insuring any mortals within visual distance would sleep deeply until she released them. The last thing they needed was for the human authorities to get in the way, or worse, hurt.
On silent wings of their own, Belial and five of his personal Rimmon guard entered through the gaping hole, each wearing a smug expression. Despite the fresh burns on the left side of his face, Belial resembled a Greek god with his jaw-dropping beauty. Barefoot and dressed only in brown leather pants, his tall, muscled stature and chiseled good looks might make a cover model weep with envy, but his dark eyes glittered with malice. It was the kind of psychotic hate born from untold of years of bitter jealousy. With the power of ten Rimmon and the temperament of a spoiled teenager, he was a nightmare come to life.
Wings the color of freshly spilt blood contrasted with his blond Adonis appearance. She remembered from her days in Luc’s court that the rumors said Belial used a simple glamour spell to make his wings appear larger than they really were. She almost snickered out loud over his vanity because even with the enhancement, they paled in comparison to the dark beauty of Azrael’s.
His beastly faced, gray-skinned guards surrounded him with the tips of their curled horns lit with the anticipation.
“Let’s make this easy, shall we? Give me Alia, and we won’t destroy everything in sight. I’m tired of her petty games. I’ll teach her how a good mate is to behave, and all will be well.”
“Teach her like you taught the mortal women you nearly destroyed with your sick games? I don’t think so. She’s not going anywhere.” Her voice shook with anger and disgust. Demons like Belial were one of the many reasons she left her home all those years ago.
“Ah. Yesssss. The women.” Her stomach threatened to revolt at the sight of the sickening, lustful way he licked his lips. “I can still hear their screams echoing in my ears. It’s such a lovely memory. But there’s even more to tell. Since you’re sure to die tonight, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Each of those women will bear my spawn. I’ve assured that their offspring will become some of the most formidable warriors born in ages. When the time is right, I’ll come to claim them. With Alia chained at my feet, I’ll have the blood tie I need to take the crown. I’ll be invincible. It will be such great fun. I wish you could be there to see it all come together, but alas, no. You’
ll be dead. So sorry.”
For the first time since she’d met him, Azrael was speechless. He stared at Belial slack-jawed, as if not believing the demon could be so stupid. He gave his head a little shake.
“Man, seriously? When will you learn the Fates don’t appreciate when others step into their territory? If you’ve done something to ensure your victims will only have male children, it will likely backfire. The Fates are not kind to those who meddle in their affairs. You know this. And if you think Lucifer will just stand by idly while you take his daughter and crown, you must have lost your mind.”
“Screw the Fates. Azrael, you have been their errand boy for too long. They truly have you whipped like a puppy. They can do nothing to me. The Fates only have power over those who are stupid enough to allow it. As for the weakling, Lucifer, if I have his precious, spoiled brat under my thumb, he’ll do nothing but dance to any tune I choose.” Belial’s maniacal laughter sounded almost childlike in its absurdity.
A quiet voice sounded from the doorway behind them, striking terror deep in Diane’s heart. She should have known her niece wouldn’t hide from trouble. A soldier by blood, she would willingly embrace any challenge thrown her way. Her bravery made Diane both proud and heartsick.
“I’m here, but I’m not going anywhere, Scarface. If you think I’ll go so you can keep me hostage and take Dad’s throne, you need a straitjacket. You know, you are really going to regret all you’ve done. I can see it clearly.”
“You always were a brat. Everyone knows your parents spoiled you beyond repair, but you don’t have the gift of foresight. Not even your parents have the power of foresight. Quit spinning lies, and let’s go.” Belial’s words were full of confidence and bluster, but a look of doubt flashed through his expression before the madness returned.
“You’re wrong, Belial. I owe you no explanations for what I see, but Azrael had the right of it. The Fates are not pleased with your attempt at breeding abominations, especially at the expense of innocent babes.” Her violet eyes shone with of knowledge of dark magics that surpassed even Diane’s. Shadows danced at the edges of the lavender light in her eyes. The brilliant light of innocence had darkened.
Azrael's Light [Demon Runners of Unearth] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 11
