Splendor and Darkness (Rebel Angels)

by Cyndi Friberg

  “How do you know so much about demons?” Judith challenged him.

  “I’ve battled them far longer than you’ve been alive.” Daniel softened the comment with a lazy smile and turned to Gadrayel. “There has been an interesting development. Lailah is able to see Lady Judith’s daughter. Have you assessed the child?”

  “Aye. I sensed nothing unusual in Anna.” He glanced at Judith’s hostile face. “Or nothing unusual for a Monthamn.”

  Judith shot to her feet, dark eyes flashing, hands balled into fists. “What do you mean you assessed my Anna?” Her expression promised mayhem.

  Confusing emotions stirred within Daniel. She faced an Angel of God with unflinching ferocity. It had been centuries since Daniel had found any human worthy of admiration.

  “I used my angelic sensitivity to scan her being,” Gadrayel told her. “The process is harmless. I conducted the assessment while the child slept. She was not even aware of me.”

  Judith exchanged an odd look with Nate and took her seat.

  “Gadrayel, with all due respect, have you been the only one to assess your progeny?” Lailah spoke for the first time in a long while.

  Gadrayel nodded, his expression troubled, distracted. “I understand your concern. When generation after generation failed to produce the Empowered One, even I began to doubt my abilities. But Sariel himself has scanned some of my offspring, and his assessment is the same.”

  “Did Sariel assess the current generation?”

  Lailah waited for Gadrayel’s answer, her thoughts spinning on ahead. If no one else had scanned the Monthamn descendants, perhaps his biological connection to them was somehow hampering the accuracy of his assessments. He was the only person in the room she could no longer hear. Was he still seated next to Daniel?

  “I alone assessed the current generation,” he admitted.

  “Nate not only has prophetic visions, he can see me in my angelic form. Do you still sense nothing unusual from him?”

  For a long moment he didn’t speak. His breath hissed out, a subtle, frustrated sound, and then he admitted, “What I sense is like an echo of every Monthamn descendant I’ve ever scanned.”

  “Could…” Fear, revulsion and fury erupted within her at the thought of Enos. Their paths continued to cross because of the demon’s fascination with the Monthamn people. She squared her shoulders and focused her thoughts. She would not be tormented by memories. “Enos was prince of your order before he Fell, correct?”

  “Aye.”

  “He has a vested interest in the Monthamn family, as do you. Is it possible he is masking their abilities, concealing their true potential?”

  “Who is Enos?” Nate asked.

  Silence descended. Lailah used her other senses to compensate for her lack of sight. When people refused to speak, it compounded the darkness. “Enos is the Fallen angel who seduced your ancestor.” Nate would likely have questions for her later, but hers remained unanswered. She turned her head toward Gadrayel. “Is Enos capable of creating a counterfeit result when you assess the Monthamn descendants?”

  “I would not have thought so, but I must confer with Sariel. He knows more about Enos than anyone.”

  From the soft gasp of the humans, Lailah deduced Gadrayel had blinked out of sight.

  “His entrance was much more interesting.”

  One of Judith’s comments finally made Lailah smile. Perhaps the woman wouldn’t abrade so once they knew each other better. Wood scraped against wood as someone pushed back their chair. “I was informed Tess has fallen ill. I’ll be in the solar with my children should anyone need me.”

  “Wait.” Lailah stood so quickly her chair toppled backward. “When may I see Anna? I promise not to upset her, but it’s vital we figure out why I’m able to see her.”

  Judith stood silent for a long moment. “You may speak to her this evening, in my presence.” She emphasized the last phrase, illustrating her reluctance, then left the room.

  “If Gadrayel appeared to us, perhaps I can get the captain of the angelic guard to appear as well,” Daniel said. “I’d like to know the specifics of their strategy. I’ll speak with you later.” He squeezed her hand and departed.

  “We’ve been deserted.”

  Lailah enjoyed the amusement in Nate’s tone while plotting Daniel’s comeuppance. After centuries together, Daniel knew better than to meddle in her life. Without utilizing her angelic sight, she would be hard-pressed to find her bedchamber in a structure this size.

  “Daniel thinks it’s amusing to leave me stranded here.”

  “Stranded here or stranded here with me?” Nate sounded amused, not annoyed.

  “You have an ally, whether you want one or not.”

  Nate circled the table and sat beside her. “Do I need his assistance?”

  She turned her face toward him, using years of practice to aim her gaze. “I’m not the one who left last night.”

  “I’m sorry if my leaving hurt you.” He sounded sincere, yet there was still hesitation in his voice.

  “What made you turn away?”

  He paused. Her hands rested on the tabletop. He covered them with one of his. “Returning home affected me more profoundly than I anticipated. I was faced with the reality of life without…the ones I lost.”

  “Catherine, Estel, William and Iona. They had names. You needn’t hesitate to use them.”

  “While I was at Kaleb’s house, nothing seemed quite real.” He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Many things seemed surreal. But returning home brought everything into unforgiving focus. Catherine and Estel are lost to me while you…”

  “Should have been a dream, yet I am real?”

  “Basically. I know fighting my feelings for you won’t bring my family back. Still, part of me feels as if I betray them every time I think of you.”

  Heat curled through her body, growing hotter and tighter as it descended. He thought about her. How could such a simple realization thrill her? “Would it help if you talked about them? I’ve told you so much about me, yet I know very little about you.”

  “All right, but not here. This room is dismal. I want to see the sunlight… I’m sorry.”

  “For what? I don’t begrudge you your sight. Finish the sentence.”

  “I want to see the sunlight in your hair.”

  “We shouldn’t venture beyond the curtain wall until we figure out what the demons are after.”

  “There’s a small garden outside the library. It’s well inside the castle walls.” He stood and reached for her hand.

  “It’s easier if I hold on to you.” He pulled back her chair. She rose and took his arm. “Tell me if there are stairs or obstacles. I can navigate most anything if I know what to expect.”

  Following her instructions, he led her through the castle. Dogs whined as they entered the great hall. He quieted them with a firm command. “How many dogs do you have?”

  “I have three, but young Will has two. For the most part they’re well-behaved.” His arm flexed beneath her fingers. “We’re approaching four stairs.” She found the first with the toe of her slipper then smoothly ascended at his side.

  “Were you taught these skills or have you learned through years of practice?”

  Most people ignored her blindness. It was refreshing to be with someone unafraid to ask her questions. “I was tutored by a dear friend. But the years of practice have made me more proficient.”

  They turned to the right and entered a newer part of the castle. The dank, musty air warmed and sunlight frequently touched her face, indicating larger windows.

  “Has anyone ever described your eyes to you? They are extraordinary.”

  His casual comment brought her up short. “I presumed their appearance had been restored. What do my eyes look like?”

  “They are colorless, yet they gleam like sun reflecting off water. I’ve never seen anything like them. They’re beautiful.” He kissed her brow then resumed their trek down the corridor. “You are beauti
ful.”

  She attempted to imagine what he’d described the rest of the way to the garden. Her skin was smooth and unscarred, but she’d never thought about her eyes. Before the injury, her eyes had been sky blue. Colorless? How could they be both colorless and reflective?

  He pulled open a door and the fresh scent of rain-washed earth greeted her. “The frost three nights past destroyed most of the blooms, but there are a few stubborn roses still struggling to open.”

  “Their scent is faint, but I can smell them.” Pausing on the gravel path, he guided her hands to one of the flowers. She leaned down and savored the scent. “Lovely.”

  He stood close behind her. She heard his boots shift in the gravel and felt his body heat, but still he didn’t touch her. His scent, a pleasant mixture of soap, leather and something uniquely Nate, drifted on the cool breeze. Sexual awareness sizzled between them. Had he lured her here under false pretenses?

  “I don’t want to talk about Catherine.” He rested his hands on her shoulders and she smiled. “I can’t stop thinking about you, remembering your voice in the darkness, your songs and the pleasure we shared. Is there a place for us in this madness? I want to spend time with you, to feel your hair slip though my fingers as I…”

  The raw need in his tone sent tingles skittering along her nerve endings. After his abrupt departure the night before, she hadn’t been sure what to think. She hadn’t stopped wanting him, but his willingness to walk away still stung. “If you have no intention of joining with me, I’d rather you didn’t tease.”

  He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her back snug against his body. The position left no doubt of his desire for her. “I’m an honorable man. Except for a few youthful indiscretions, Catherine was the only woman I knew intimately. The time I spent with you was rare and precious. I’m not sure how to proceed.”

  “If this garden is secluded, I’d be happy to show you.”

  His warm breath teased her neck as he chuckled. “Are you my mistress? My leman? My—”

  “I’m your sweet fancy.” She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “My powers are waning. I don’t know how my quest will end, but I’m happy when I’m with you. Take down my hair.”

  His lips covered hers as his fingers unfastened the end of her braid. She’d worn no headdress that morning so he soon had her hair free. He combed his fingers through the silken strands, moaning into her mouth. His lips slid against hers, fitting to hers, urging hers to part. Lailah greeted his tongue with a swirl of her own, ravenous for his taste.

  “There’s a bench that will accommodate us or we can go back inside.”

  “The bench.” She nibbled at his lips. “Are there men on the battlements?”

  “This section of the wall overlooks the river. There are no guard towers.” He grabbed her bottom with both hands and pulled her off her feet, balancing her against his body. She laughed, surprised by his sudden aggression. “Will the angels turn their backs when they realize what we’re doing?”

  He walked with her and she clung to him. “If Michael sent them, they’ll turn away. If they are Grigori, they may well watch.”

  After a long, intoxicating kiss, he asked, “Do you mind if they are watching?”

  Unwilling to speak the brazen words, she shook her head and deepened the kiss. Exploring every surface and texture, she inhaled his breath and savored his taste. He sat on the bench, arranging her across his lap, her legs straddling his hips.

  His fingers moved against her back, loosening the laces of her gown. Eager for the touch of his hands upon her bare skin, she lifted her arms from the long, flowing sleeves. The material bunched at her waist. Her chemise tied at the shoulders, the sleeves long and fitted.

  “We better wait to undress until tonight.” He whispered the words against the sensitive hollow behind her ear.

  “I can wait to have you naked,” his tongue flicked against her skin, and she shivered, “but I’ll not wait for the rest.” She received no argument from him.

  His hands pushed into her hair, holding her face still while he explored. Moving with slow deliberation, his lips migrated from her ear, along her jawline to her chin. There he nipped and she grinned, tilting her head back. Sunlight caressed her face while he tantalized her slender neck. Joy welled within her as it had done before. Only with Nate did she feel this contentment, this sweet accord.

  He tugged the ties at her shoulders until one gave with a rending sound. “Are you impatient, my love?”

  His breath hissed in at the word, but he didn’t question her. He slipped one hand inside her chemise and cupped her breast. “I want to devour you.”

  “Tonight.”

  “I want to stroke you and taste you and—”

  “Tonight.” She laughed. “Stay in the moment. Savor what we have now.”

  Lifting her bottom off his lap, she found the lacings at the front of his breeches. He nuzzled her neck and stroked her breast as she freed his straining cock. She closed her fingers around his shaft. Her thumb circled the sensitive tip. Hot and hard, his obvious arousal heightened her desire, accented her ache until she groaned.

  His other hand slipped beneath her skirts, skimming along her inner thigh. Tingles erupted in their wake, making her squirm. She worked his shaft from base to tip in smooth, firm movements. He eased his hand between her thighs, his fingers teasing her damp curls.

  “Oh fancy!” His tone was part groan, part growl. He cupped her mound, touching without really touching.

  “Please. I need your touch upon me. Nay, I need this inside me.” She squeezed firmly, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

  He traced her slit, once, twice then pushed two fingers deep into her core. “Here? Do you need me here?”

  Instead of continuing the frustrating conversation, she squeezed her inner muscles and arched her back. He withdrew his fingers and she immediately positioned him at her entrance.

  “Hot! You are so hot,” he whispered.

  She sank onto his erection, her body stretching as she took him deep. His hands grasped her hips, guiding without pushing. Her thighs trembled. She adjusted her position and more of him slipped inside.

  When her bottom pressed against his thighs, he paused, moving his hands to her breasts. He rolled and tugged her nipples, working them into tight, aching points. Darts of pleasure launched into her abdomen, making her passage ripple. Stretched tight by his incredible fullness, she tried to relax, adjusting to his penetration.

  He bent to her breasts, teasing the upper swell with licks and nips while his hands slipped back under her skirt. So many sensations. She struggled to absorb them all. One hand caressed her bottom while the other eased between their bodies and found her exquisitely sensitive bud. He rubbed it with his thumb and she gasped, tightening her inner muscles around his shaft.

  “Aye!” He circled the spot, his touch firm and sure. “Squeeze me again.”

  She squeezed, he circled, each action accelerating the other. Pleasure built, rushing through them with unexpected intensity. Ecstasy burst. She cried out, her back bowed as her core clutched him rhythmically.

  Clasping her hips, he braced his feet wide apart and thrust into her snug passage. Her pleasure went on and on, prolonged by his clever fingers. Each slide of his body triggered a new wave of release. She gasped, tossing her head, sending her hair flying all around them.

  He claimed her mouth as he moved deeper, harder, inside her. She grasped his shoulders and tightened her sheath, dizzy and breathless. After several frantic thrusts, he buried himself to the hilt and shuddered violently. His throaty groan and the heat of his seed pushed her over the final summit.

  She trembled, breathing harshly into his mouth. Her head cleared by degrees, sensations echoing through her body. Moving her legs to circle his hips, she settled against him. He helped her into the sleeves of her gown and tightened the laces. His chuckle made his shaft lurch inside her. “If someone glanced our way, they’d think you were just sitting on my la
p.”

  Grinning, she rested her hands on his shoulders. “I like sitting on your lap.”

  “I like having you on my lap.” He kissed her with leisurely tenderness. “But I’ll like having you in my bed even more.”

  Chapter Seven

  Daniel stood in the corner of the solar, unseen by the three humans. Young Will battled an imaginary enemy with a wooden sword. Anna sat on a low stool in front of Judith while her mother worked the tangles from Anna’s long auburn hair.

  “That hurts!” The girl squirmed and twisted her head to the side.

  “This is why I ask you to leave your hair braided.”

  Anna fell silent, her head slightly bowed. “Is he going to watch us all day?”

  “Is who going to watch us?” Judith glanced around the solar then returned her attention to her task.

  “The man in the corner.”

  “There’s nobody there, you dunderhead.” Will swung his sword in a skillful arch, followed by three quick jabs. Someone had obviously been tutoring the boy. “Why don’t you punish her for making up lies?”

  “Will, see if you can find Hamill, but do not leave the castle compound.”

  “If I tried to cross the river, wouldn’t one of Anna’s angels swoop down out of the sky and carry me back?”

  Anna launched herself at her brother. Judith caught her around the middle, ignoring her flailing limbs. “Go!” Will stuck out his tongue and fled, slamming the solar door on his way out.

  Daniel solidified and strode toward the struggling females. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to—”

  “Spy on us?” Judith spun to face him, her daughter still clutched in her arms.

  “Frighten the children.”

  She set Anna on her feet and the girl circled Daniel with obvious curiosity. “Does she seem frightened to you?” The little mite studied him from every angle, her thick-lashed green eyes filled with wonder.

  “Where are your wings?”

  His gaze flew toward Judith then returned to her daughter. “What makes you think I have wings?”