Death Angel (Death Angel Series Book 1)

by Raquel Dove

  “Of course I knew,” Sebastian said, his voice calm and even. “I’ve known since the very first day. My sister doesn’t hide things very well.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Aracella asked, completely shocked that her brother had not been fooled. She knew she really shouldn’t be surprised. He always knew everything. And he was absolutely right. She had never been able to hide anything from him.

  “I was waiting for you to tell me,” Sebastian said. And as he spoke, Aracella could finally hear a hint of emotion in his voice. It wasn’t anger. It was so much worse. It was disappointment.

  “I’m sorry,” Aracella said, unable to look at him anymore. She hated to disappoint her brother. He was the only person she looked to for approval, and knowing that she had somehow let him down really hurt her. It was the worst punishment that she could have gotten. She still didn’t know if he would approve of their relationship. Just because he hadn’t said anything didn’t mean that he would support it.

  “I suppose you would like me to speak with the Head General after the Death Festival,” he said, his eyes focused on Eliot. Aracella looked up at her brother, trying in vain to read his emotions.

  “I would appreciate it,” Eliot said, looking at Sebastian with a small nod.

  “I’m sure there will be repercussions for breaking the rules, but perhaps we can mitigate those,” Sebastian said. He looked over at Aracella and was silent for just a moment before he spoke to her, his voice lower and softer. “I just want you to be happy, Ara. Now go, enjoy yourselves. Once the holiday is over we’ll have to face the reality of what you two have done.”

  Aracella couldn’t hide the smile from her face. He had made her so happy, and finally she saw another emotion behind her brother’s mask of indifference. For just a moment, he showed her how he really felt at that moment. He showed her that he was happy.

  ###

  Gabrielle had watched the scene playing out before her, not entirely sure what was going on. She was close enough to hear the conversation and pick up a little of what was going on. Aracella had never mentioned anything about dating someone, but she was glad that it seemed to work out for her. Seeing the scene play out made her think about Matthew. She missed him and wondered why he hadn’t been able to answer any of her messages. She assumed that it likely had something to do with the holiday, but it still worried her.

  As the evening went on, the guests around her became drunker and drunker. Gabrielle had made a little game of watching them, counting the number of drinks they were consuming and guessing which one would be calling for a fresh drink first. It was all she could do to entertain herself. No one was speaking to her and she was not at all comfortable enough to approach any of them.

  When she felt like she just couldn’t tolerate the crowd anymore, she slipped back out into the garden. It was so beautiful out here, with the lights softly twinkling around her, the scents of the flowers drifting around her. She decided she would stay here for just a little while longer and then she would slip out, go home, and get some much needed sleep. She would try to contact Matthew in the morning. She walked along one of the little paths that had been groomed into the artificially replanted grass, enjoying the randomly placed sculptures and fixtures that dotted the expansive garden. It was quiet out here, and she liked it. She sipped on the drink that was in her hand. It was her third of the night and she was trying to take it slowly. It was just so delicious that she couldn’t stop herself from drinking it. At first she hadn’t even thought there was any alcohol in it. But as the night went on, and she continued to empty the drinks she was given, her head became lighter and her coordination began to disappear. Much to her pleasure, she found that her inhibitions were also disappearing. She didn’t care so much about her mistakes of wardrobe and gift. She was sure she wouldn’t feel the same in the morning, but at least right now she felt like she could enjoy her alone time in the garden.

  As she turned down one bend in the path, she heard something rustling in the bushes just ahead of her. She was immediately curious. She hadn’t seen an animal of any kind since she had been here and she wondered if they existed. As she moved closer, the rustling stopped. She lowered her face almost into the bushes, straining her eyes to see through the clusters of leaves. There was something there. She could see it moving beneath the bush. Just as the dark, shadowy body registered in her mind, and she knew what it was, the tiny little Darkling leapt out of the bush at her, it’s tiny but razor sharp teeth barred and aiming straight for her face. She yelped and jumped away, but her back ran into something very hard that hadn’t been there a moment before. By the time she realized what had happened, Mr. Black was standing behind her, his hand wrapped tightly around the throat of the small, cat sized Darkling that was just inches away from her face.

  “These are troublesome little things,” he said, his voice so calm and casual, as if he exterminated these things on a daily basis, which he obviously did. “But if you let them get too close, they can do a lot of harm.”

  Gabrielle’s heart was racing. Mr. Black snapped his wrist quickly and the little Darkling in his hand went still with a loud cracking sound. The body disintegrated into dust. Gabrielle whirled around, her head spinning as she tried to register what had just happened. It was the second time he had saved her life. Suddenly she felt her head get really light, and her knees get really weak. Everything was spinning. She tried to breath but she just couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. She felt her body falling and she prepared to hit the ground, but she didn’t. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and held her up next to a firm chest.

  “Gabrielle,” he said her name with such concern as his other hand wrapped around her back and held her up. “Are you alright?”

  “I…uh…” everything was still spinning. Mr. Black was so close. She could feel the rigid muscles of his torso pressed against her. She could smell his masculine, heady scent. His grip tightened around her. His voice dipped even lower.

  “I’ve got you,” he said softly. His hand came around to brush an errant lock of hair out of her face.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, shaking her head and finally regaining her composure. She strengthened her knees and was able to finally stand on her own. She thought he would release his grip on her but he didn’t. His hands lingered on her body.

  “I guess I just had more to drink than I thought,” she said, shaking her head and wiping at her forehead. She looked up at Mr. Black. He had that look in his eyes again. That look that she just couldn’t place. His eyes turned onto her lips as she bit at the bottom one. She thought she felt his hands pull her a little closer, but she couldn’t be sure. With all the alcohol flowing through her system, she couldn’t trust anything she felt. She swallowed heavily as his face was suddenly so much closer to hers. His hand caressed her cheek and this time Gabrielle was certain that he was pulling her tighter to him. Was he about to kiss her?

  As soon as the thought went through her mind, he pulled away. His hands unwrapped themselves from around her body, but he held her at her elbows, ensuring that she was steady on her feet before he let her go.

  “I’ll walk you home,” he said, stepping back from her. His voice had turned a bit harder, though it wasn’t unkind. It simply left no room for her to argue. Her mind was still fuzzy and frankly, not having to walk home alone sounded pretty good. He turned slowly, his eyes reluctant to leave her. He began to walk through the garden, towards the front door of his home, not looking back to see if Gabrielle was following. She was. Her mind wasn’t clear enough to think on its own, so following him seemed like the best thing to do. They walked most of the way in silence, until finally, Gabrielle couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Is that…” her words cut off when he looked over at her. She shook off the nerves that he perpetually arose in her. “Does that happen often?”

  “Darklings you mean?” he asked. Gabrielle nodded. “Small ones like that can be found all over the Death Angel Society. The larger ones
are typically only found in the mortal world, though they all dwell in the fabric between the two worlds. It’s not often that the large ones come to our world.”

  Gabrielle mostly knew all this already, but she wanted to fill the silence, and she felt an odd pleasure at hearing Mr. Black talk. He seemed to not do it very often and when he spoke about Darklings he spoke with such authority that Gabrielle couldn’t help but be captivated by it.

  “How do they get here? How do they get to the mortal world?” Gabrielle asked.

  “We aren’t entirely sure,” Mr. Black said. “They weren’t always able to cross into our world. Or at least we had never found them here until several centuries ago. It was before I had even attended the academy, so I can’t say what may have happened. Though they have been entering the mortal world for as long as we can remember.”

  “That’s so odd,” Gabrielle said, looking up at him. Mr. Black looked over at her as if it was the first time he had heard someone say that. He didn’t say anything else though and they continued to walk in silence.

  “I read your letter,” he said as they approached her door. Gabrielle had sobered up quite a bit now and the realization of what she had said in that letter stung.

  “Mr. Black, I just…I didn’t know I was just supposed to give you a candle, and I…I just—“

  “Thank you for it,” he said. His voice was sincere and it made Gabrielle feel a little less embarrassed. “It is the most thoughtful gift I have ever received.”

  Gabrielle didn’t know what to say. The letter wasn’t anything special really. It was simply her thoughts on what he had done for her and how much she had appreciated it. It was sincere and she had thanked him for giving her a job, a very good one, saved her life, and been kind to her. She told him that he had made her transition here a little bit better, even though she was still having a tough time with it all. She had meant every word of it, and she supposed her sincerity had come through in it.

  “I just, I really wanted to thank you. Because you have helped me so much,” she said, her voice small. She couldn’t look him in the eyes. They had come to her door and they were standing there. Though she wasn’t looking up at him, she could feel him looking down at her. She nibbled on her lower lip as she chanced a look up at him from under her lashes. He took a step closer and her heart thumped a bit faster. She wanted to step back, the intensity of him being so close was too much for her to handle. She felt her knees going weak again.

  He seemed to be fighting with himself about something. His eyes glazed over with a strange emotion and his jaw tensed as he just stared down at her. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind and his shoulders relaxed. She hadn’t even realized he was tense until he did.

  “Goodnight, Gabrielle,” he said. “You should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be an eventful day for you.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, hoping he would explain. The strange look had disappeared from his eyes and his face was unreadable.

  “You will enjoy yourself, I’m sure,” he said cryptically. The words came out almost as if he regretted saying them. “Goodnight.”

  He turned to walk away, and Gabrielle realized that he wasn’t at all pleased to say those words. But somehow she knew that it wasn’t a malicious thing. The words came out almost jealous.

  “Goodnight, Mr. Black,” Gabrielle said, restraining her urge to reach out for him. “Thank you again. I mean for saving my life…again.”

  He stopped only a couple steps away from her. Before Gabrielle had time to know what was going on, he had grabbed her, his hands on either side of her face. His lips came crashing down on hers, hungry and forceful. Heat ran through her body as he had his way with her lips. One of his hands ran down her body and pulled her hips into his with a rough jerk. She could feel something very hard pressing against her. She registered what it was and it made her body temperature rise further. Every nerve in her tingled as Mr. Black continued to kiss her, his tongue forcing it’s way past her lips and exploring the inside of her mouth. His other hand dug into her hair, pulling her face even closer to his. It was the most intense kiss, the most intense thing she had ever felt. If he hadn’t been holding her so closely to him, her knees would have buckled and she would have fallen to the ground as a heated puddle of tingling mush. Finally he broke off the kiss and pulled his lips away from hers. His breathing was a little heavy and hers was hard won. Every part of her body was electrified. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t think. All she could do was look back at Mr. Black with mild shock on her face. He was looking back at her like a man that had broken down and done something he promised himself he would never do. He stepped away from her.

  “Mr. Black…” Gabrielle only managed to squeak out his name as a question, seeking understanding for why he had just kissed her. She knew why, but her mind still couldn’t comprehend it.

  “I apologize,” he said, recomposing himself. “That will not happen again.”

  Gabrielle felt a sting of disappointment at the words. But before she could say anything else, or even think anything else, Mr. Black was gone. In the blink of an eye he was gone, nowhere to be seen. Gabrielle didn’t know whether it was her imagination that he was even there at all, or if he had somehow moved so quickly that she hadn’t seen him move at all. She decided it had to be the former, as there was no way he could evacuate the hallway fast enough for her to not see. And that kiss had to be all in her head. Why would Mr. Black ever want to kiss her? No, it had to all be her imagination. Her imagination and the alcohol. She went inside her home and climbed into bed. Hopefully tomorrow would be a less confusing day.

  ###

  Pulling his lips off of Gabrielle’s was one of the hardest thing he had ever done. Not continuing to ravage her was definitely the hardest thing he had ever done. His body had ached to hold her since the moment he had seen her. And that one moment of weakness was likely to cause him a world of trouble. He thought that he could control himself around her. He was Sebastian Black after all, the epitome of cool and collected and totally in control. Perhaps it was the liquor he had ingested earlier in the evening. Perhaps he just couldn’t hold back anymore. When he had seen her walk into his home, with her hair pulled away from her face, and the clothes clinging so perfectly to her perfect body, his breath was nearly taken away. Then when she handed him that letter, it took every ounce of self-control he had to not run into his room and tear it open and devour every word on the page. But when he had finally read her letter, and seen the sweet sincerity behind her words, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep himself away from her.

  He could still taste her, still feel the softness of her flesh pressed against him. He was still hard from kissing her. He had speed stepped away from her. If he had to look down into her beautiful, dark honey eyes, glancing so innocently back up at him, questioning him, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his hands away from her. He wanted nothing more than to take her into her quarters and tear her to pieces in a night of lustful abandon.

  To make matters so much worse, he knew that General Kasen was becoming much more involved with her. Though he wanted her for himself, he just couldn’t bring that sort of conflict into his working life. As it was, the Generals fought too much amongst themselves. He and Kasen were among the few that got along, especially across Rank lines. He just couldn’t risk that. His honor just wouldn’t allow it. If he thought for one second that Kasen wouldn’t take good care of her, he would feel very differently. But he knew that she would be happy with him. And even though that would come at the expense of his own happiness, he was fine with that.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kasen was in the vault that was housed in the back of his home. It held all the most valuable and precious assets that belonged to his family. He didn’t really see the need for such a thing. No one had every tried to break into any of the noble houses, or any other house for that matter. At least not in the Death Angel Society proper. That sort of thing only happened in the quarters of the undesirabl
e. He could hear Wilfred enter the room just behind him as he found what he had been looking for.

  “What are you doing with that, sir?” he asked, his voice harsh. Kasen didn’t have the patience for him today. He had woken up excited, but he could feel the congestion building in his chest. He knew the Sickness would once again flare up soon and all he wanted to do today was spend time with Gabrielle.

  He had checked his messages from the night before and saw that Gabrielle had been almost frantically messaging him. He felt bad that he hadn’t been able to get back to her but he was just too busy with the Death Festival. And today was their day together. Today, he had something very special planned for her.

  “I’m giving it to Gabrielle,” Kasen said, not caring one bit how Wilfred was going to take the news.

  “Sir, I beg you—“

  “That will be enough, Wilfred,” Kasen cut him off before he could begin to protest. “I have made my decision and I don’t want to hear what you think about it.”

  Wilfred shuffled off, mumbling under his breath about how ungrateful Kasen was, but he didn’t care. He was going to do everything he could to make Gabrielle happy today. He hoped to finally tell her what he hadn’t been able to tell her before now. If things went as he planned then he would finally be able to set straight the lie that had been weighing so heavily on his conscience.

  Kasen hurried to finish getting ready, trying to ignore the congestion that had built in his chest. He told Wilfred to summon the family doctor before he headed out to Gabrielle’s. He hadn’t sent her a message. He wanted to surprise her.

  It was customary for the second day of the Death Festival to be spent with a lover. There would be a lot of couples out on dates today and through the evening, so he decided to forego the usual type of date. He wanted to be alone with her. He wanted to take her somewhere that was very special. Somewhere that few people in the Death Angel Society had access to. Somewhere that she had mentioned missing since she had first come here. For most, it would be an impossible feat, but Kasen was a General, and that meant he had access to things that most people didn’t have access to. For once, he planned to use that to his advantage and show Gabrielle a day that she wouldn’t forget. Then, when the time was just right, he would tell her who he really was. He would tell her his real name, and his position in the Society.