The question cemented her resolve. “More than anything,” she said, and closed the distance between them.
Kissing him was everything right in the world. She gave in to the sensations flooding her, allowed her hand to roam his back and feel the muscles tense and shift at her touch. His tongue caressed hers, and she opened further, wanting every inch of him.
Jaeryth groaned softly and pulled back without breaking contact. “I’ve waited so long for you,” he murmured against her lips.
“So long?” she said. “It’s been like three days.”
“Feels like an eternity.” He smiled and traced her cheek with a finger. “Even now, I fear I’m still dreaming.”
“Oh, this is definitely happening.”
“Yes.” He kissed her again, and started to unbutton her shirt with aching slowness. She wore nothing beneath—she’d taken her bra off to sleep. “I need you, Logan. All of you.”
She wanted to respond, but then his mouth was at her breast, and her tongue suddenly forgot how to form words. She could only make breathless sounds as he suckled her, lavishing attention on first one nipple, then the other.
He drew back for just an instant to peel off his shirt, and she reached for the button of his jeans. “Hurry,” she rasped. “I want you so much.”
“Easy, now,” he whispered, moving her hands gently away. “Let me worship you.”
She moaned and shivered all over. Crowd worship might’ve scared the hell out of her—but a devoted following of only Jaeryth drove her straight to the edge of ecstasy.
He tugged her pants down softly, trailing kisses along her stomach the whole time. When he pressed a kiss to her sensitive juncture, she gasped as silky pleasure detonated in her core and filled her entire body.
He teased and stroked everywhere, his hands and mouth leaving fiery trails along her skin. She touched him back, delighting in the smooth hardness that defined every plane of him, stealing a kiss at every opportunity. Clothes were discarded along the way—and she was shocked to feel no shame at being naked and vulnerable with him, all her scars exposed. After all, his were on display too.
“Logan.” He eased himself between her legs. The hot length of him against her flesh ignited her blood to unbearable levels. “I can wait no longer.”
“Please…”
He needed no further encouragement.
Jaeryth entered her slowly, as though savoring every tiny motion. His long, low moan was the sweetest music she’d ever heard, and she answered in kind. At first he kept a languid pace, his brilliant green eyes never leaving hers. And just when she was convinced she’d explode with the delicious tension, he growled and moved faster.
Her breath came in ragged pants, and she nearly lost herself in a spiraling swirl of pleasure. At the height of it, Jaeryth cried out her name—and she broke into sweet release as he buried himself deep within her, and then collapsed with a gasp.
For long moments, neither of them could speak. Finally Jaeryth shifted to one side, but his arm remained across her waist. His tender smile warmed her all over again. “You are incredible,” he whispered. “And I am incredibly fortunate.”
She smiled back. “Why’s that?”
“Because you wanted me.”
“Want,” she said. “Present tense. I still want you.”
“Do you?” He cast a crooked smile and propped up on an elbow. “Because I can certainly arrange that.”
She shuddered in amazement and glanced down. “Already?”
“I will always be ready for you.”
Nothing had ever sounded sexier to her. But just when she’d decided to go for it, her phone went off. Of course.
She groaned and debated not answering—but it could be Miss Turner. Her caseworker would not be happy if she didn’t pick up. “I have to get that,” she said.
“Do you?”
The disappointment in his voice almost changed her mind. But she couldn’t risk pissing off the one person who could keep her from performing. “Unfortunately,” she said, and twisted away before she could give in to temptation.
She padded over to the dresser and grabbed the phone. It was Tex. After last night, she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to him just yet—but he had mentioned band business or something. Reluctantly, she hit the answer button. “Hello?”
“Hey, Frost. You ready?”
She frowned. “For what?”
“We’re getting together, remember?”
“Yeah. Tonight, isn’t it?”
There was a pause. “It’s six o’clock.”
“What?” The alarm clock was facing the wall. She must’ve bumped it when she was putting stuff on the dresser. She turned it around and saw five fifty-eight. Shit, how could she have lost track of time that completely? “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” she said, hoping she sounded casual. “So you’ll pick me up at seven, right?”
“Actually, I was going to head over now,” Tex said in measured tones. “I have an appointment tonight, so we have to make it quick, but I’ve got some stuff you guys need to hear.” He paused again. “Frost, are you all right?”
“Sure. I’m fine.” She still wanted to have a talk with him about the way he’d acted with Jaeryth—and after the show—but that could wait. It was a half-hour drive to Blue’s place, so that was plenty of time to give him a piece of her mind. “When will you be here?”
“About twenty minutes.”
“See you then.”
They hung up, and she tossed the phone back on the dresser. Damn it. She couldn’t insist that Jaeryth come along, especially if she was going to ream Tex out about him. But the idea of leaving him alone worried her. Not that she thought he’d do anything wrong, but those black-eyed freaks obviously knew how to find him. She turned to break the bad news—only to find him standing right behind her. “Jesus!” she gasped as her heart lurched in her chest.
He smirked. “No. I am Jaeryth.”
“Ha ha. Warn me next time you’re going to sneak up on me.”
“Then I would not be sneaking.”
She let out a real laugh. “I guess you have a point. Look…um, I have to go out for awhile. For the band thing. Tex is going to be here in twenty minutes.”
“Tex.” He practically spat the name. “As I recall, he was quite firm about excluding me from this. I assume I’ll be staying here.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”
“Will you?”
Smiling, she stepped closer and put an arm around his waist. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach him. “Yes,” she said, and kissed him.
When she drew back, he shuddered and caught her hand. “Must you leave?” he said in ragged tones.
“If there was any way I could get out of this, I would.” Right now, she wanted nothing more than to grab Jaeryth, bring him back to bed and do a lot more than kiss him. “But I won’t be gone long. Promise.”
“All right.” He smiled. “You are worth waiting for.”
It took a lot of willpower to make herself move. But if she wasn’t ready when Tex got here, he might want to come in—and then he’d find out that her “neighbor” was staying in her house while she went out. That would cause a lot of problems she didn’t want to deal with right now.
She grabbed clean clothes from the dresser and took the fastest shower of her life. By the time she finished dressing, saying a reluctant goodbye to Jaeryth and grabbing a quick snack, twenty minutes had passed. She stepped out the front door just as Tex pulled into the driveway.
He didn’t say anything when she climbed in, and not a word as he navigated the residential streets. Finally, when he neared the highway onramp, he said, “So I guess you’re still mad at me.”
“What gave it away?”
“Well, the death stare was kind of a tip-off.”
She let out a sigh. It was hard to stay mad at Tex, even when she wanted to strangle him. But she couldn’t let this one go. “You were trying to talk me into drinking,” she said. “You k
now I can’t do that. You shouldn’t have even asked.”
“You’re right.” His expression was utterly miserable. “I’m sorry, Logan. I was a world-class asshole. And I have no idea what I was thinking.”
“Probably that you wanted to celebrate.” She managed a slight smile. “I’ll forgive you this time, counselor. Just don’t let it happen again.”
He drew an invisible X on his chest. “Cross my heart.”
“Good.” She actually believed the drinking thing had been a mistake, a heat-of-the-moment reaction. Tex wouldn’t deliberately try to sabotage her recovery efforts. But now she had to bring up Jaeryth, which was a tougher subject. Especially since she was more or less lying about her relationship with him. Still, Tex’s animosity toward him had to stop, because Jaeryth wasn’t going anywhere.
She cleared her throat. “While I’m yelling at you, there’s one more thing.”
“Oh, great.” Tex let out a good-natured groan. “What did I do now?”
“It’s about Jaeryth.”
Every trace of humor left him instantly. “Oh, right. Your neighbor.”
She could hear the air-quotes around the word neighbor. “Yes, him,” she said. “What’s your problem there? It’s obvious you don’t like him.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“You don’t even know him!”
“Neither do you, Frost.”
He didn’t shout—and he didn’t have to. She heard the message loud and clear.
“Have you been to his place?” Tex said without looking at her. “Because he couldn’t tell me which one was his.”
“Couldn’t, or wouldn’t?”
“It doesn’t matter. He was obviously lying.” His fingers drummed the steering wheel, sharp and impatient. “Have you met any of his friends? Do you know where he works, or even what his last name is? He didn’t tell you that, either—right?”
She didn’t have an answer for any of that. And it worried her all over again.
“Something isn’t right about this guy. People don’t come out of nowhere.” Tex let out a breath and glanced over. “I’m worried about you. I’m your friend. That’s my job.” He patted her leg. “I just want you to be careful, okay?”
She nodded. “I can do that.”
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart.”
An uneasy feeling settled into her and stayed for the rest of the ride. Tex was right. The only thing she really knew about Jaeryth was that he could see the black-eyed freaks. At least one of which knew him—the one that had been in her house. For all she knew, he could be on their side. And she’d just jumped into bed with him.
She definitely had feelings for him. But until she got some answers about who he was and what he was doing, she couldn’t act on them anymore. The risk was too big.
So much for being spontaneous.
* * * * *
Jaeryth remained quietly in the bedroom until he heard the car drive away. Much as he loathed the angel, he would respect Logan’s wish that Tex not know he was here.
In centuries of existence, he’d never felt anything close to the ecstasy he’d experienced with Logan. He could still feel her sweet skin beneath him, and the incredible pleasure of joining with her that had nearly been his undoing. He still tasted her on his lips. How difficult it had been to let her go. But she would return soon—and he hoped to pick up where they left off.
For the moment he chose to believe that this could last, that he and Logan could be together.
With time to kill, he used the bathroom and showered until the water was no longer hot. He dressed in the same clothing and lay down, thinking he would sleep until she came back, but sleep would not come. Eventually he realized he was hungry.
The kitchen was unfamiliar territory. He knew there were things in it that could be eaten, but he wasn’t sure how to make them edible. Cupboards held cans and boxes that required preparation. He tried to read some of the directions and soon decided he didn’t understand them enough to attempt them.
In the refrigerator, he discovered more promising selections. Apples did not require cooking. He took two from the bag and sat at the kitchen table to eat them. Perhaps he could ask Logan to show him how to cook a few things.
Just as he finished the second apple and headed for the living room, he caught a familiar and unwelcome scent in the air. Brimstone.
He hung back, preparing to focus his vision in order to see the presence that had invaded—whether it was a Tempter or Samael himself. But near the front door, he noticed a gathering cloud of smoke, and realized whoever it was wanted to be seen. That couldn’t be good news.
As he watched, Ronwe stepped from the thick haze, brushing at the impeccable dark jacket he wore as though the smoke had rumpled it. The head demon glanced around the room with apparent distaste, and when his gaze lit on Jaeryth, he laughed.
“So this is what you’ve become, quartermaster.” Ronwe moved toward him at a languid pace. “Samael mentioned that you’d changed, but he didn’t elaborate. My, but you’ve fallen far in the name of your obsession.”
Jaeryth’s jaw clenched. “What do you want?”
“To gloat, mostly.” He stopped and offered a cold smile. “Oh, and to send your little Prophet to Hell. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to be here at the moment. Where is she, Jaeryth?”
His stomach wrenched violently. “Go back to your office and your petty tyranny,” he said. “I’m handling this.”
“Are you? Well, then I suppose my work here is done. Thank you, Jaeryth. I’ll just run along home and pointlessly torment a few Tempters.” Ronwe vanished—only to reappear almost instantly in front of him, pinning him with a blood-red glare. “Or maybe I’ll take Samael’s word over yours, and carry out this simple task that you’re obviously incapable of completing. Where is she?”
“Really, Ronwe.” Somehow he managed to speak calmly, despite the desperate pounding of his heart. “I’m human now, and I know the rules. Threaten and intimidate me all you like. You can’t touch me.”
Ronwe sneered. “Perhaps I’ll choose to view the fact that you have no soul as a loophole. Tell me where she is, and I’ll refrain from tearing your flesh to ribbons. Human.”
“I don’t believe you’ll risk it.”
“Try me.”
“All right.” Jaeryth folded his arms. “Go ahead. Tear me to ribbons.”
For an instant Ronwe’s eyes glowed impossibly redder, twin flames burning with hatred. Then the demon backed down as quickly as he’d angered, and let out a chilling laugh that rivaled Samael’s. “Ah, Jaeryth. You were a smug demon. And you’ve somehow managed to become worse as a human. How ironic that your weakness has forced you into complete delusion.”
“And yet you haven’t torn my flesh.”
“You are no longer worth my time.” Ronwe stepped back, a small smile lingering on his lips. “Once I’ve taken care of this Logan Frost, I’ll be rid of you without having to lift a finger. I may even visit you in Tartarus, just to watch you suffer.”
Though he knew how futile it would be, Jaeryth had to physically restrain himself from attacking the head demon. “Get out, Ronwe,” he said through his teeth.
“And now you’re trying to give me orders. Unbelievable.” He shook his head in mock pity. “Look at the facts, Jaeryth. I am a full demon, with sixty other demons and three hundred Tempters at my disposal. You are a lone, pathetic excuse for a human. Do you really think you’re going to come out ahead? You may as well just tell me where she is, and consign yourself to your fate.”
Jaeryth managed a laugh. “If you’re so all-powerful, then find her yourself.”
“Oh, I will. And when I do…well, you know what will happen.” He drew a finger slowly across his throat. “I hope you enjoy Tartarus. Eternity is such a very long time.”
With that, Ronwe disappeared, leaving a few twisting tendrils of smoke in his place.
Jaeryth swallowed against rising dread. He knew it wouldn’t be easy
for Ronwe to locate Logan, despite the head demon’s boasting. With billions of humans occupying the planet, it was never a simple matter to pinpoint one, even knowing the area to search. Still, it would only be a matter of time before Ronwe succeeded.
And he could do nothing.
He had no car, no phone, and no idea how to use either one, even if he’d had access to them. He knew only that she’d gone with Tex, but he didn’t know where. If he were still a demon, he would have been able to go to her—he had always been able to sense her presence. Now, he could only rely on the damned angel to protect her.
With a heavy heart, he sank onto the couch for the agonizing wait ahead.
Chapter 19
As Tex had promised, the meeting was short. And mind-blowing. Apparently, the manager of the Eight Spot, where they’d been booked to play this Friday, had heard about the crowd at the Pelican Room. He decided to sell tickets ahead of time to avoid the mess at the door. They went on sale at ten a.m. that morning. And they’d sold out in a little over two hours.
So the manager went ahead and booked Festival Pier, an outdoor venue on the river with a total capacity of eight thousand. Including the original tickets, so far nearly three thousand of them had sold. They expected to fill all the seats by Thursday, maybe sooner.
Blue and Reid had been ecstatic. Logan had been too shocked to feel much of anything.
Though Blue had offered to drive her home so she could stay awhile, Logan went back with Tex, who was meeting with the venue management tonight. She couldn’t leave Jaeryth alone for longer than she had to—despite her renewed doubts, she still cared about him. Probably a lot more than she should.
The ride home was mostly silent. When they started into her neighborhood, Tex snuck a glance at her and said, “If you’re going to puke, open the window, okay? It’s easier to clean the outside of the car.”
She laughed, surprising herself. “Sorry I haven’t been the best company tonight. First I yell at you, then I ignore you. Some friend, huh?”
“Actually, you’re doing better than I thought.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m a rock of confidence.” She sighed and stared through the windshield. “Eight thousand people. Somehow, I don’t think the old imagine-them-naked trick is going to work.”
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