The silence in the truck was thick as they headed down the street. Finally, Celeste laughed. “We don’t seem to be able to talk to each other unless we’re arguing or fucking, huh?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure we could if we tried. We’ve just never had the chance, I guess.”
“Did you ever finish high school?” Celeste asked, turning in her seat to look at him.
He shook his head. “You’re looking at a self-made man. Of course, in a street gang, you really don’t need a degree to get where you want to go.”
“But you do need to be intelligent and cunning,” Celeste stated.
“Just like any animal living in the jungle.”
“I give you credit. You didn’t start out with much, but somehow you managed to gain a lot.”
“By stealing, cheating and lying. Yeah, that makes me a model citizen. Isn’t that against your angelic code?”
Celeste gave him a slight smile. “Maybe if I was still an angel I’d have a problem with it. But I’ve lived in the world for a long time. The survival instinct is strong in you. You do whatever you have to do to make it day by day.”
“Don’t throw stones in a glass house.”
“I’m not going to judge you, that’s for sure. Considering what I’m being punished for, your crimes are pretty petty.”
Adam laughed. “I don’t think the police would agree with you.”
“True. Some of them have no room to criticize you either. The only one you will ever have to answer to in the end is Him.”
“Why don’t you call Him God?”
“Getting tossed from Heaven puts a damper on things. Since I can no longer stand in His presence, I can’t even say His name. It hurts my head and my heart.”
“I wouldn’t know what it’s like to be banished like that. I mean I’m sure it’s like being banished from a parent’s presence. But since neither of my parents cared for me, I’ve always known that feeling.” Adam shrugged. He pulled into the parking garage.
Celeste looked around. “The zoo? You’re taking me to the zoo. I’ve never been here before.”
“You’ve been in Detroit for ten years and have never been to the zoo. Amazing.” Adam took her hand and dragged her to the entrance.
“I donated money for the new polar bear exhibit, doesn’t that count for something?” She laughed.
“No, you have to actually see the bears. It’s a great exhibit, but first we have to go and see the penguins.”
“Why?”
“Whenever I come here, I stop by the penguin house first. I love penguins.”
Celeste blinked, trying to reconcile the image of the tough gang boss with the image of a boyish-looking man who loved penguins. Shaking her head, she laughed. It didn’t matter. Just enjoy the day, she told herself as they walked towards the exhibits.
* * * *
Celeste dropped on her couch. She was exhausted. Adam had run her all over the zoo, checking out all the animals. They had laughed, kissed and played all afternoon. It was late when they got back to her apartment. Adam was in the kitchen putting the take-out Chinese they got on plates. It was just the kind of afternoon she needed to restore her energy. Now was the time to build her power.
Adam put the plate on the coffee table in front of her. He smiled at the contented look on her face. He knew what the night would bring. He just hoped he had enough energy to last long enough for her.
The food was forgotten as Celeste led Adam into her bedroom. She smiled up at him. Somehow, they had managed to keep their hands off of each other at the zoo. But it was time to make some magic.
He pushed her onto the bed, pressing his body tightly against hers. She moaned. What she wouldn’t give to have his body next to hers all the time. With a thought, she stripped their clothes away.
He laughed hoarsely. “I could get used to that.”
She smirked. Arching her neck, she bared her throat. He slowly started nibbling down it. Her hands wandered over his body. He gasped as she lightly caressed his balls.
Her breath caught when his hot mouth closed around one of her nipples. Fisting her hands in his hair, she offered her breast for him to feast on. Soon, she was grinding her hips into his. He moved to the other breast. She slid one of her hands down to his cock and stroked. He groaned.
Pushing away from her, he flipped her over. He pulled her to her hands and knees. He licked her from the back of her neck to the crack in her ass. One quick swipe and then several slow ones like he was savoring an ice cream cone.
She almost cried out when his rough fingers found her clit. They rubbed. They stroked. They twisted and tugged. Each move was designed to build the fire higher. She begged him to take her. Adam laughed.
“Soon enough. Be patient, love.”
He thrust two fingers deep inside her. She screamed as he scraped the hot spot guaranteed to make her come. He began working her hard, reaming her cunt with two, then three fingers. Just before she came, he pulled his fingers out and slammed his cock into her. Shafting her fiercely, he bit the tender spot where her shoulder and neck connected. His hands reached around and grasped her breasts roughly.
“Come for me, angel.” His voice released the fire burning in her. She incinerated, bursting into flames as her body exploded around his cock. Two deep strokes and he joined her in the big bang. It felt like the force of their climax was creating the universe again. Even in the midst of her orgasm, Celeste remembered to gather the power to her, storing it away for future use.
When the last spurt of his cum had been milked from his cock, he rolled off her. Turning to her side, she grinned at him. “You certainly have a great recipe for relaxing, Montgomery.”
Laughing, he tried to catch his breath. “I have a few other ideas we can try once my heartbeat returns to normal.”
CHAPTER TEN
Celeste and Adam stood staring down at the dead girl. She felt the frustration building in Adam. Through centuries of hunting, she had learned the value of patience. It hurt to watch innocent mortals die, but she knew there had been no way to save this one.
“We knew there was a hockey game last night. Why didn’t we keep watch for him?” Adam growled.
“We were doing other things. Also, there was no way we would have been able to watch all the exits and places he could grab her; plus Tomas has never killed this close together.” Celeste turned away from the empty eyes of the girl.
“Why is he escalating now?” Adam followed her.
“I’m getting closer to him. Before, I had no real way of finding him. I knew he was in Detroit, but I couldn’t connect with him. So far, I’ve been in contact twice and he’s getting nervous.”
“Nervous? Why would he be nervous about you?”
Celeste knew it wasn’t an insult to her. Adam truly didn’t know why Tomas would be afraid of her.
“Celeste is the most powerful of the Enforcers.” William appeared beside them.
Adam jumped. Celeste frowned. “You can’t just appear, William. This place is crawling with policemen.”
William waved his hand. “They all think I arrived with you. Their minds are easily manipulated.”
“You can’t do that.” Celeste’s voice was harsh. “You’re an Enforcer, William. You aren’t supposed to take advantage.”
William was unconcerned. “Oh, is that one of the unspoken but deeply understood rules of the Enforcer Creed, Celeste? No one explained them to me. We have powers they have never heard of, so why can’t we use them?” William shrugged. “Anyway, it’s quicker to do this than follow you around on foot all day. You know how lazy I am, darling.”
Celeste shook her head at him. She closed her eyes and shut out all the noise. She linked with William. Touching Adam, she found the lust simmering underneath. She grabbed that and began to search outward across the city to find Tomas.
Ah, my dear. You found my latest offering. Tomas’ touch felt oily to Celeste’s mind.
Another so soon, Tomas? Are you getting worried about
us finding you?
I have no doubt you will find me in the end, Celeste. The question you must ask yourself is how many will die before you do?
If you know I’ll find you, why kill them?
I told you before, my dear. I kill because I can. These mortals are nothing to us. They are weak creatures, prone to overwhelming emotions. They will never reach our level of perfection. Why do you care for them so much? You didn’t when we followed Lucifer down. Did you lose your nerve? He taunted her.
It takes more nerve to admit to being wrong. He cares for them. There must be a reason for it.
You have once again fallen under their spell, Celeste. What do these mortal men have that makes you pant after them like a bitch in heat?
Celeste knew Tomas would never understand why she enjoyed spending time with mortals. There were times when she didn’t understand either.
Time’s up, love. Tomas’ touch disappeared.
“Damn!” Celeste muttered.
“Lose him?” William had felt the drain on his power when Celeste connected with him.
She nodded. “I’m a little closer to finding him, but he shut me out before I could lock onto him.”
“Did he tell you why he’s killing these women?” Adam asked.
William raised his eyebrows at him. “The kind of business you’re in and you have to ask why Tomas kills.”
“Everyone has their own reasons for ending someone’s life.”
“The only reason Tomas has is because he can. He kills them, so he can feel powerful. These women are nothing to him. Just animals he can slaughter for his own enjoyment.” Celeste walked over to one of the police officers. She told them to start searching the southern part of the city.
“I have to head to my office for a while, Celeste. I’ve been spending too much time on this case. Jakar is getting anxious about some other business,” Adam said as she joined them again.
“Ok, I have to go to mine as well. Have to do some work on paying cases. There are people who depend on their paychecks.” She drew Adam to her.
They wrapped their arms around each other. Feasting on each other’s lips and tongues, they didn’t pay attention to William’s knowing grin. They were both breathing hard when they pulled themselves apart. Adam said good-bye to William and left.
“Did you leave his tonsils, Celeste?” William teased.
Punching him in the arm, Celeste headed for her car.
* * * *
Adam growled. How had things gotten out of hand so quickly? Jakar was right. He needed to take a firmer hand on the gang. He walked down the sidewalk. It wasn’t the best part of Detroit, but Adam wasn’t worried about getting accosted. No one, not even the druggies, were stupid enough to try anything with him.
He had dealt with the idiot trying to hone in on some of his business deals in the east end. The man had really believed the Russians would deal with him instead of Adam. The Russians knew who would get them the best deal and they weren’t going to turn their backs on him. Especially since Adam saved the boss’ stupid son from a bunch of gang-bangers earlier that year. He was lost in thought when he heard a whisper from the alley next to him.
“Hey, man. You’re Montgomery, right?” A harsh voice came from the dark shadows in the alley between the buildings.
“Yes,” Adam said slowly.
The tall, painfully thin man stepping away from the wall didn’t seem much of a threat. He had the nervous twitch of a strung-out junkie. “I might have some news about the killer everyone’s looking for.” The man was unwashed with long matted hair and dirt crusted clothes. His hands shook, but it was his eyes that caught Adam’s attention.
A bright gleaming gray, they stared hard at Adam. They were clear of the haze frequent drug users had. Adam had a feeling he had met this man before.
“Why come to me? Go to the cops and tell them.” Adam started to turn away.
“Come on, man. You know cops. They’ll drag me in and make me sit around while they check out the tip.” He held out a hand. “I don’t have that kind of time. Besides, you’re working with the Young woman.”
“How do you know her?”
The man shrugged. “The street folks know her. She’s looking in the wrong place. Tell her Mike said to check out the area around River Rouge. The folks are starting to avoid it.”
Adam handed Mike a hundred. “Maybe you should think about getting clean.”
Mike tucked the money in the pocket of his threadbare jeans. “There will always be people like me, Montgomery. They will always need a champion. Make sure you tell the Enforcer.”
Before Adam had assimilated what Mike said, the homeless man was gone.
* * * *
Adam strolled into Celeste’s office. She glanced up to see the frown gracing his face.
“What’s wrong?” Celeste set aside the paper she had been studying.
“Do you know a street person named Mike?”
She shrugged. “I know a lot of street people. Not all of them give me their names. What did he look like?”
Adam closed his eyes and brought up the image of Mike. “He was extremely tall and rather mangy looking. He had the most extraordinary eyes.”
“Eyes?” Celeste couldn’t hide her interest.
“Yeah, they were the most startling shade of gray.” He glared at her. “So do you know him?”
Celeste stood up and moved to the window. She stared out over Woodward Avenue. Finally she said, “I might know who he is. What did he tell you?”
“You’re looking in the wrong place. Things are going down in River Rouge. He said people are beginning to avoid it.” Adam moved up behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her tight against him. “Who was he, Celeste?”
She sighed. “An old friend.”
“How do you know him?”
“Those who live on the streets are closer to Heaven and Hell than you are. They know who I am from the moment we meet. Mike has been on the streets the longest. We’ve known each other for a long time. Don’t go looking for him, Adam. You’ll never find him.”
“I feel like I’ve met him before.”
“He’s that kind of person, I guess.” She turned and pressed her breasts against him. “Don’t worry about him. Do you have someone willing to do a little looking around down in River Rouge?”
“I’ll call Jakar and have him send someone. What about William?”
“While William says he’s here to help me, he works at his own pace. I can’t order him to go anywhere.”
“A lot of help he is,” Adam mumbled.
“When the time comes, he will be a great deal of help, Adam.” She kissed him on the chin. “I know something we could be doing that’s a lot more fun than wondering where William is.”
“Do you now? And what would that be?” Adam smiled down at her.
She pulled his head down and whispered in his ear. He laughed and pulled her out of the office.
* * * *
“Celeste,” Adam gasped as she looked up from where she had milked his cock dry.
Licking her lips, she smiled at him. “I think I’m getting addicted to your taste, Montgomery.” She lay down beside him, curling into his side.
“I know I’m addicted to you. I just can’t do anything about this craving right at the moment. You’ve worn me out.” Adam laughed.
“We really need to work on your stamina.” She sighed as Adam ran his fingers through her hair.
As the silence deepened, Celeste thought Adam must have fallen asleep. She moved closer to him, settling her head on his chest and an arm around his waist. His arms tightened around her. A soft kiss brushed her hair.
“I do love you, Celeste,” he whispered through the darkness.
She tensed.
“I know you don’t want to hear it. Or you think that it’s just the fact that you’re an angel and I would love you anyway.” He took a deep breath. “It’s not that. I don’t make friends easily. I certainly don’t fall in love.
But from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were going to make a difference in my life. Of course, I told myself we were just going to have great sex. I was right about that. No one would get out of bed if they had the kind of sex we have.” He wondered what Celeste was thinking. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything, but he couldn’t keep it inside anymore.
He could tell his admission startled and frightened her. For the first time in his life, Adam was thinking about someone else. He wanted to make her happy. He had a feeling his whole life was about to change and only she would be able to make the change for the better or the worse. She started to speak.
“Don’t talk. I guess I don’t want to hear what I’m pretty sure you’re going to tell me. Just let me bask in the glow of love for a while before you destroy all my dreams.”
She pushed herself up to lean over him. Touching her lips to his in a soft butterfly kiss, she smiled. “I won’t say what you seem to think I should. When the time is right, Adam, I will let you know exactly how I feel.”
He felt her hand slide down his body and cup his balls. So she hadn’t said that she loved him out loud, but he was willing to believe that her actions were telling him how she really felt.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
William stood in the middle of a rundown house in River Rouge. Murderers, druggies and gangs controlled this side of Detroit. He knew that even Adam’s Demons stayed out of the area if they could. He saw Celeste’s nose wrinkle against the smells pervading the room. The garbage piled in the corners couldn’t cover the stains marring the floor.
William knelt down by one, but didn’t touch it. There was a flash of anger across his face. He had never understood the senseless killing humans and other fallen seemed to enjoy. Maybe that’s why he chose to be an Enforcer. Of course, it could have been that it takes a lot of energy to be bad. William knew he was lazy and far more interested in his own comforts than those of the mortals around him, but seeing the blood staining the floor and being able to feel the pain and fear hanging in the room was filling him with rage.
Fallen: Celeste Page 7
