by Misty Evans
I’d do or say almost anything to have his tongue back where it had been. “Whatever you say.”
He sucked a nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue back and forth over it. I moaned and he released it. “Say it, Kali. Say, ‘I agree, Rad.’”
Damn. “I agree.”
The grin returned. He dipped his head between my legs once more, and the contact of his hot tongue nearly brought me to the edge right there. Then il pistolino pulled up.
So close. “Don’t stop,” I begged. “Please.”
Hands on my hips, he slid me forward, forcing my knees further apart. Anchoring his hands under my ass cheeks, he held his mouth just over my slick wetness. “Promise me.”
Gah. Growling in the back of my throat, I surged my hips. “You are so going to pay for this, Chaos demon.”
His laugh was low and sexy. His tongue entered me with deliberate strokes, bringing me to the brink once more before he straightened and arched a brow.
Fine. I was too desperate to be held accountable for my actions at this point. “I promise. I promise.”
Rad stood and undressed, leaving me in full lust mode. Watching him undress only intensified the ache between my legs. His gold eyes watched me watching him. First the sweater came off revealing hard abs and a thin trail of dark hair disappearing under his waistband. The boots and jeans went next, revealing his penchant for going commando.
When he was done, he lifted me from the chair and turned us around so he sat and I straddled him. I found his mouth, giving him a frantic kiss as I arranged my pelvis over his hard length. His hand stopped me, fingers slipping into my soft wetness. “I missed this.”
“I was gone a whole twenty-four hours.”
A finger slipped inside. “Too long.”
Too long? I was about to explode and he was talking about too long? “I need you. Now.”
“You were a very bad girl to leave me,” he whispered against my skin, another finger slipping inside and finding the spot that throbbed for him. “You probably should be punished.”
I moved against his fingers, building a rhythm. But the damn male grabbed me by the waist and held me still. A victim under his onslaught. “God, yes. Punish me. But do it quick or I’m going to kill you.”
He laughed and kissed me at the same time, removing his fingers and letting me come down hard and fast on his shaft. The impact made both of us gasp.
I rode him just as hard and fast until the combination sent us into a mutual orgasm that literally shook the walls of the castle.
“Holy hell,” he whispered, breathing as heavy as I was in the aftermath. “I keep thinking it can’t get any better and then you go and blow my mind all over again.”
I blew his mind? I was lying on his chest, limbs weak as a newborn kitten’s and every cell in my body humming with joy. I wasn’t sure I could even form words but some popped out. “Ti voglio bene.”
He stiffened, and I thought oh, shit. What did I just do?
“Did I hear that right?”
In Italian, I love you sounded even more serious than in English.
Too late to take it back.
I didn’t want to take it back. I didn’t know how to respond, however, so I sat up and started to scoot off his lap, avoiding his eyes.
He stopped me. “First you say you’re sorry. Now you tell me you love me. This is quite a night for me.”
The cockiness in his tone lifted my head. His aura was filled with passion, love, respect. He wasn’t mocking me. He was truly amazed.
In that moment, I fell for him a little harder. I had to save the world, if only for the two of us. Selfish? You bet your damn ass. “For me too.”
Kissing me tenderly, he ran his tongue around the inside of my lips and stroked my back with his hands. Coming up for air, he locked his gold eyes on mine. “I love you, Kali. I’ve always loved you.”
For the first time in days, I felt happy. Hopeful. Whatever was coming, I was going to fight it tooth and nail. Rad didn’t want to lose me again, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to lose him.
Chapter Thirty-five
A little while later, Rad went to work in the kitchen, banging pots and pans and whistling as he cooked a meal. The homey scent of spaghetti sauce with basil and oregano filtered into the living room where I slept on the couch, waking at the banging around. I was starving.
The castle’s security alarm went off, but it was only Maddy and Arman. Wrapped in a blanket from the couch, I let them in. Maddy threw her arms around me, shrugged off her coat and headed for the kitchen.
Arman gave me a nod, averted his eyes, and trailed after her.
I went upstairs to shower and dress, finding Di and Neve setting the small table in my kitchen for a late night dinner when I returned. We all hugged—initiated by me, in fact—and Di opened a bottle of wine. Neve had brought cookies and cannolis and I snuck a cannoli while she slapped my hands away.
The spaghetti was simple but delicious. The best meal I’d had in forever.
“So what’s the latest on Ranulf?” I asked Maddy and Arman. I wasn’t ready to dive back into Armageddon talk.
“Nothing,” Maddy answered around a mouthful of pasta. “You said to wait until you got back and we’d hunt him together.”
“You actually listened for once?”
Arman snorted. “I wouldn’t let her go after him.”
I tipped my wine glass at him. “Good call. Whatever’s up with the pack leader can’t be good.”
Neve asked a few questions about Ranulf and I filled her in with what I knew, but that was small potatoes compared to what Arman knew. The kid may have been a cat shifter, but he idolized the alpha wolf. “There has to be something wrong with him. He would never throw away all the work he’s done to socialize shifters into modern America. Never.”
I wanted to agree, but his recent actions said otherwise. Actions always meant more to me than words.
Di swirled the wine in her glass. “Like what? What could be wrong with him?”
None of us had an answer. Rad pushed his plate back. “Possession?”
“Like as in demon?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Just a thought. Demons can possess shifters since shifters are human as well as supernatural.”
I hadn’t thought of that. Demons generally took the easy road. If they wanted to possess something, humans were the simplest vessel. A shifter’s internal struggle with their supernatural side made them less appetizing. “For what reason?”
Another shrug. “To throw you off the track of the actual demon?”
Maria. Hmm. Not a bad theory. I’d never faced that scenario before but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen. “But why? Ranulf’s kill mimicked Lamir’s. What kind of demon would mimic another demon and use a shifter to throw me off track?”
“Someone who doesn’t want to get caught,” Di said.
Maria, I thought again.
At least she was otherwise occupied at the moment.
My phone rang. Caller ID announced Dru. “Master Vamp, what can I do for you?”
Rad’s eyes narrowed. Not a fan.
“I heard there’s a party at your place. I’m hurt. You didn’t invite me.”
Vampires and politics. I covered the phone and glared at Maddy. “Did you text Dru?” I whispered.
She gave an indignant scoff. “No.”
How did he know we were all there then? Did he have someone watching my place? “Is Brianna outside?”
“I felt it important to guard my queen in light of recent events.”
“Without my knowledge?”
“Stake me for being concerned about your wellbeing.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Are you going to invite me over or what? Last supper and all that.”
“What?”
He chuckled. “The Last Supper. As in Jesus and his apostles sharing a meal before the big crucifixion scene. Surely you’re familiar with it?”
“Of course I’m familiar wi
th it. What I don’t understand is the context. What does that have to do with a spaghetti dinner at my place?”
A tsking sound came through the phone. “I thought perhaps you were gathering those closest to you for a final meal before taking on the Horsemen.”
Ah. “It’s just dinner, Dru. Would you like to come over?”
Rad came out of his chair, anger radiating off him in waves. I lifted a hand. Down boy.
With irritated reluctance and a tight jaw, he resumed his seat. Dru’s voice was chipper as he responded. “I would like that very much.”
Poor vamp. For all his wild parties and political maneuvering so that every supe in Chicago owed him a favor, he was much like me. True friends were numbered on one hand.
We said our goodbyes and I faced the music…namely my insanely jealous boyfriend. “He’s lonely,” I told Rad. “And worried.”
Rad shook his head, downed the last of his wine. “He wants to get laid.”
That too. I looked at Maddy. “Is Cole still seeing Brianna?”
“Dude, he’s totally in love with her.”
Di winked at me. “Invite him over.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Maddy said. “The skank’s not good enough for him.”
Dru’s last supper comments rang in my head. I texted Cole, inviting him over. What if this was the last time all of these people in my life were gathered in one spot? What if this was the last time we enjoyed ourselves?”
“Cole’s never been particularly choosey,” Rad added, refilling all of our glasses.
Maddy heaved a dramatic sigh. “You don’t get it. Bri’s in love with Dru. She’s just toying with Cole.”
Rad took his seat, eyed the dark liquid in his glass. “And who is Dru in love with?”
Everyone fell silent, gazes landing on me. Rad’s gaze did as well. My cheeks heated.
Maddy sat back in her chair and rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Dru’s always been in love with himself.”
Neve and Di chuckled nervously. I picked up my plate and took it to the sink. I didn’t want to spoil the mood, but Rad had already done that for me. “Cole in love with a vampire. Wow. Hell froze over and no one told me.”
A few more chuckles. I switched the subject again, getting really good at this skill. “Do you have any leads on where Ranulf might have gone, Arman?”
I had more on my mind than the local pack leader going psycho on us, but it was nice to think about something, well, normal, rather than the end of the world.
Arman transferred his weight to one side in order to dig a piece of paper from his jeans pocket. “Underground tunnels in uptown. A friend of mine says a new werewolf with powerful magic is running with the rogue shifters not far from here, but he stays under a bar called The Green Mill.”
He handed me the paper with the Mill’s address on it. The notorious Mill, once a Capone hangout, had tunnels under it leading to other buildings.
If I never went in an underground tunnel again, it would be too soon.
“Why is he running with rogue shifters on the South Side? Why didn’t he leave town if he knew we were after him?”
No answers from my young companions. “That cop’s been hanging around,” Maddy announced.
“Moreno?”
She nodded. “Everywhere we go, he’s there. He’s stalking us or something.”
Would it break privilege to tell them he worked for Damon? “Ignore him.”
I turned the conversation back to Ranulf and we discussed him until Dru arrived, bringing Brianna with him. Cole followed shortly after, but as I suspected, he grabbed a bottle of wine and some glasses and hustled Bri away from the crowd. Rad stuck close to me once Dru arrived, but was civil for a jealous Chaos demon. Hell truly had frozen over.
The other vitiums arrived and I once again had a packed house. As big as the church was, it felt small with all those bigger-than-life entities inside it.
Talk turned to the Horsemen and Armageddon. Once again, I found myself explaining what had happened in Rome. Shocked stares from Neve and Di. Twenty questions from the others. Sal said little, his aura suggesting he still felt guilty for getting caught and allowing Maria to get her hands on my father’s writings.
“Didn’t you say there were three books? The one that’s in the bible, the one Maria burned and another?” Maddy asked. “Why didn’t you go back for the other one?”
“No chance. Once I broke Sal and I out of the torture room, we had to leave asap.”
Seraphina sat on the breakfast bar, playing with one of her short, slender knives. “A shame, really. You were right there. You should have found a way to get back into the Pope’s quarters and retrieve it. We need that intel.”
My hackles rose. Rad slipped his fingers under my hair and rubbed the back of my neck. I took a deep breath and calmed the stinging pride inside. “You don’t understand, Sera. There was no way we could do that. Our rescue team was waiting.”
Akimo turned to Shayne. “So that’s where you went.”
“And a bloody good time it was, mate.” He leaned against the sink, grinning from ear to ear. “Lucifer is one badass motherfucker.”
A chorus of voices rang out. Even Bronwen woke up from his usual stupor. “Lucifer?”
Suddenly wishing I had a trap door to escape through like Capone, I nodded at the dozen pairs of eyes on me. “Yes, Lucifer. He was…instrumental…in getting us out.”
Alexandru sat opposite of me, his Master vamp energy calling to mine. “Like every other male that comes into contact with her, he seems quite taken with our vengeance demon, here.”
Yeah, right. Lucifer has hated me since the day I walked into his girlfriend’s ice cream shop.
Rad’s hand tightened on the back of my neck. The glasses on the table wobbled on their bases. His voice was low and controlled. “He’s a snake in the grass. I’m surprised Damon would call on him. Doing business with such a snake will only bite us in the ass down the road.”
I couldn’t have agreed more, but I had the feeling Rad wasn’t talking about Lucifer.
Dru gave him a challenging grin, understanding Rad’s dig. “Snake or not, a deal with the devil is still a deal. Breaking it would be…futile…as well as dangerous.”
Okay. Time to wrap this up. “Dru, do you have any leads on Ranulf?”
“Why would I?”
“Because you know everything that happens in this city.”
He took that as a compliment. “He’s gone rogue as I suggested to you the other day. Back to his beastly nature.”
“Arman says he’s staying in the tunnels under The Green Mill. Can you put some scouts out and confirm that?”
He gave me a graceful bow of his head. “Your wish, my queen, is my command.”
Silverware clanged against the dirty plates. Rad’s warm ocean scent went chilly. I rubbed his hand under the table, soothing. “Thank you.”
“Forget Ranulf,” Maddy said, picking up her knife and slashing at the air. “What do we do about the bitch that won’t die?”
“Maria?” I sighed. What was I going to do about her? “There’s nothing to be done except everyone watch their backside. She may try to get to me through you guys again and I can’t guard all of you.”
“We’ll be careful,” Neve said, but the inflection in her voice told me she remembered all too well her last encounter with Maria.
Sal stared at the floor, pensive. I’d been meaning to ask him about Parker’s dagger. “Hey, Sal? What you said about Michael’s sword…will it kill Maria if he’s the one who brought her back?”
He glanced up, looking nervous at being put on the spot. “About that. I sort of…lied.”
“Lied about what exactly?”
“None of the biblical canon or your father’s writings said anything about Michael’s sword being the weapon that could kill the beast. I said that because I wanted to see Maria’s face.”
His eyes dropped to the floor again as if embarrassed.
“
I like you more every day,” I told the demon priest.
His gaze returned to mine, relief evident. “You’re not mad?”
“That you lied? Hell, no. The look on her face was priceless. But now I’m wondering what else you lied about.”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I speak the truth to you. Always.”
I believed him. He was one of the few who did tell me truth whether I wanted to hear it or not. “The sword is quite powerful, though, yes?”
“Yes, but…”
“Powerful enough to kill her?”
He thought for a moment. “Those who stand behind Michael receive his and the sword of heaven’s protection. Those who get in his way are cut down by it.”
“Why would he resurrect Maria?” Dru asked.
Why, indeed. “If he resurrected her, he has a plan,” Sal said. “And the Pope is in on it.”
There was that triangle of power again. A triangle of heaven, hell and humanity. “Michael raised her and it must have to do with starting Armageddon.”
The priest looked as troubled as I felt. “After the apocalypse, paradise will return to earth, according to the Bible.”
Heaven on earth. “But what’s in it for Michael? Surely he’s already living the good life in heaven, isn’t he? Why care about returning earth to paradise?”
Sal had a theory, but he held back and shrugged. “The angels, like God Himself, are a mystery.”
Tell me about it.
“But this sword,” Maddy said. “If it’s forged in angel fire, won’t it kill anything, human or supernatural, regardless of who’s wielding it?”
Sal nodded.
She gave me a sly grin. “Then where do we find that puppy?”
Good question. Outside of Lucifer, if there was any source that might know, it was in my office at Sweet Investigations. “Let’s go see what Sophie can tell us.”
Chapter Thirty-six
Sophie was the best thing since God created mankind. Only JR had created Sophie.
