by JP Epperson
A deafening crash boomed through the room, shaking the walls and with it my chains. I screeched and screamed as I tried to see what had happened. I could see nothing. I knew there was nothing more than a melted face in the spot where my eyes were just moments before. I could not stop the screams from climbing out of my throat. I shrieked and continued to try to scream even when sound of my screeches no longer could be heard. I screamed until my voice was gone. It was then that I heard him.
“Get the hell away from her Jack.”
It was Colton.
Chapter Eight
There was so much commotion. The sounds of fighting echoed throughout the room. I could not see, but someone was touching me. I tried to scream but no sound came out. Nothing could describe the feeling of terror I felt at that moment as I hung by chains, poisoned, tortured, covered in my own blood, blind, and unable to scream. I was petrified and helpless as I had never been before.
“Dear God, stay with me, Beauty. I’m here now.” I heard a familiar voice and it felt like I should really recognize the hands releasing me from the chains that held me captive, but something in the back of my head was telling me that it couldn’t be.
Something was very wrong. I could not put any full thoughts together. My memory was beginning to fail. I could no longer remember where I was or what was happening, and all I could think of was how I would just like to go to sleep, but just before I was about to let go, a voice pulled me back.
“I’m here, my Beauty, I’m here. Don’t leave me, Belleeza, please don’t leave me. Don’t you dare leave me.” I felt my arms go limp as my rescuer liberated my wrists from their restraints. He touched me so tenderly and spoke so affectionately that despite the fact that death was calling, my heart filled with love for the one that had come to my rescue.
“Unbind her ankles, Liam. Carefully now, do not touch her backside whatsoever.”
“Yes, Colton,” a younger male voice said. “Oh my God! Colton, I don’t think I can do it without harming her more. Her back, it’s, it’s . . . I can see her spine.”
“You can do it, Liam. She’s counting on you. Just remove the shackles and I’ll take care of the rest.” Colton carefully held me against his chest with his arms stretched out beneath my underarms so as not to touch the open wounds on my back. With a start, I gasped as one ankle was freed, followed by the other. My body jerked involuntarily as I cried out. I felt a hand caress the back of my head as a soothing voice whispered words of comfort.
I recognized the gentle voice that calmed me and I knew the strength and protection of the arms that held me. Darkness was closing in on me once more as I reached my hand toward the face of my rescuer and whispered with a hoarse voice, “Colton.”
“She still looks on the verge of death, Colton. Are you sure you received your powers back at full strength?” The voice was worrisome and sounded like it came from a young man.
“Calm down, Liam. You need to practice controlling your panic. You’re a warrior. You will constantly be put into extreme situations. It’s essential that you learn to keep your head about you.”
Even though my thoughts swum, I clung to his voice. Could it really be him? Or was this death?
“Trust me, you cannot believe the amount of terror I felt finding Belleeza that way, but panicking only would have prolonged her pain. Now I’m healing her, but she’s been through a tremendous ordeal. Thank God her heart is pumping now.”
“That’s good, right?” The anxious voice spoke again.
“That’s good. Now I have to heal her blood.” There was a pause and then a sigh. “A demon relic must have caused some of her wounds and the toxins poisoned her bloodstream almost completely. I have to get the poison out quickly, but since its spread so far I can’t do it too fast or it will put her body into shock.”
“What about her back? And her . . . her eyes . . .” the anxious voice whispered.
“We’ll take care of her back and eyes after I’ve removed the poison.”
I was gradually waking up and my memory was slowly beginning to piece itself together. I was lying on a sofa on my belly with my face pointed toward the cushions. I could not even summon the energy to speak. I felt a magnitude of pain and agony, yet I could tell that someone was siphoning the foreign toxins from my blood. At that thought, my body froze with fear. Still blind, I realized that I never saw the faces of my rescuers. My memory could not have come back completely after all. I’d thought Colton had rescued me and held me in his arms—but I’d watched him die.
Panic took over and I struggled to get away. I tried to demand answers to questions I was unable to ask, but I only got as far as “Who . . .” My voice was unrecognizable. It was so rough from all the screaming I’d done while I was tortured, that it sounded more animal-like than angelic.
As I flailed around trying to get away, I heard a voice yell, “Liam, grab her ankles before she hurts herself. Quickly now!”
“Silence!” I heard the commanding voice of a woman hush the voices of the men now holding me down. “She is blind, in pain, and has no idea what has happened the past few days. Evangelina, come quickly. Belleeza needs you.”
Suddenly a delicate hand touched my check affectionately, and I immediately stopped thrashing because I recognized that touch. I tried to say her name but Evangelina soothed my attempts as she squeezed my hand firmly but gently.
“Belleeza, I’m here and so are a few others. We have much to discuss, but first things first—you need to try to stop fighting us so we can get you healed. Can you do that for me, Belleeza?” She squeezed my palm once more and I nodded my head, but I could not let go of the question burning in the back of my throat.
“Colt . . .” I tried to force his name from my throat. “Col . . . Colt . . . Colton.” I finally was able to hear his name leave my lips. I heard some quick harsh whispering before I felt the sofa cushions shift as someone leaned against them.
He spoke before running his hand along the side of my face, as if waiting for me to pull away. Instead, I tried to reach for him. Despite everything he had done, despite the way he hurt me or the fact that he fell from grace, I could not imagine a world without him. None of that seemed to matter right now. He bent over me and whispered in my ear.
“Don’t move too much, Beauty. I’m here, my love, I’m here.”
At the sound of his voice and the realization that he truly was by my side, I began to sob uncontrollably.
Colton continued to hold me, vowing his love with tender kisses against my cheek and hands. When he felt me relax into him, he laid a kiss against my lips. “I will never leave you again, but you need to rest and let me heal you. I know you have many questions, and we will answer each of them, but first I must get the last of the poison out before it starts multiplying again. Do you understand, Belleeza?”
I squeezed his palm against my cheek to answer. I felt the cushions shift again and when Evangelina spoke, I knew she must be kneeling against the couch. The back of her hand touched my forehead as she said, “Sleep, Belleeza. Sleep and wake healed.”
I felt the power behind those words and passed out before she even finished the last word.
I awoke with a gasp and realized that I could see again. I was lying on my back in my bedroom. My hands instantly grabbed at my eyes. I couldn’t believe he’d been able to heal them completely. Of every wound I had ever had, having my eyes burned by sunlight was the worst and most painful thing I had ever experienced. Up until that moment, I had believed I would never see again. My sides, on the other hand, were not as lucky as my eyes. I could add those stab wounds to my long list of scars, but that’s not a complaint. Scars are something to be respected, not repulsed. Both my enemies and my fellow warriors view them as a symbol of strength. Surprisingly, there were not nearly as many on my sides as there should have been. Colton always had been a talented healer.
“Belleeza, you’re healed, but you and Colton are covered in the poison. You must shower right away before your skin starts t
o absorb it. He’s been healing you for hours.” Evangelina’s voice was urgent.
I sat up, slightly dazed and confused. Evangelina was standing above me with a hand on my forehead, while Colton stood next to her. He bent toward me, pulling my left arm around his shoulders and sliding his right arm behind my back. My clothes must have been shredded—either by the beating or by Colton for the healing. Someone wrapped a sheet around me in hopes of preserving my modesty.
“Come, Belleeza. We just have to scrub this filth off and you can get back to resting,” Colton said, standing me up.
“I’ll take my bathroom and you can take the guest bathroom,” I said. He looked at me, surprise on his face, as if he hadn’t expected me to be so . . . petty. And I knew it was petty after what we had just gone through . . . after I thought I’d lost him . . . but now I was feeling myself again and all the old doubts and memories had come flooding back. He might have saved my life, and I thanked God he was alive, but he had still betrayed me.
“Both Olivia and Liam are covered in the toxins as well,” Evangelina said. “They are scrubbing in the guest bathroom. You and Colton will have to use the master bathroom.”
Before I could object, Evangelina hushed me, raising her hand. “There is no time to argue, Belleeza. It took much longer to heal you than expected. If Colton and the others didn’t get to you when they did, the poison would have consumed you completely and killed you within the hour. Time is running out and you will both start absorbing the poison soon. Colton needs rest before he can heal anything more than a superficial wound.”
I looked down at my body, and though I couldn’t see the demon poison, I could feel it. I felt like I was covered in a suffocating sap. It was then that I realized how stiff Colton’s movements were. He had stayed by my side clearing my blood of the toxins and risking his own.
We reached the bathroom. And I didn’t fight it. Evangelina turned on the shower and set out clean towels. She risked a quick glance at me then turned away quickly without a word. She and Colton seemed to be walking on eggshells, as if they feared they would scare me off and I’d start putting up a fight against a shared shower. None of us said anything or made eye contact with one another.
She left quietly, closing the bathroom door behind her. Colton turned his back to me and took off his shirt, revealing an impressive tanned back. I turned away quickly so as not to watch him undress completely. There is something so intimate and intrusive about watching someone undress. I heard his jeans hit the floor and the opening and closing of the glass shower doors. I let out a breath of air I hadn’t realized I was holding. I knew I was stalling the inevitable . . . so I let the sheet fall down my body.
I lifted my chin and climbed into the shower. Colton respectfully kept his back to me, never turning to even sneak a peek. Thankfully I had several showerheads, and we were able to shower without touching or looking at one another.
I scrubbed and scrubbed. It was liberating to feel the poison loosen its attachment to my skin. After I finished scrubbing, I started washing my hair. What I feared would be an awkward shower was somehow strangely peaceful and comfortable.
Colton’s movements were strained, and I knew he was trying his best not to look at me. I appreciated his consideration for my feelings. I was not as strong. I turned toward him. There he stood in nude perfection, his muscled tan back giving way to a firm tight behind. I studied him, studied every muscular line, every tiny freckle, every perfect scar. I watched him try to scrub his mid-back but miss a wide area.
Grinning, I walked to him slowly without saying a word. I don’t know what made me do it, but with his muscled back to me, I grabbed the bath sponge from his hand. His body stiffened. He was so still I could no longer see him breathing, but I could feel it. I lathered his back in soapy water from the sponge. I started at his neck, gently massaging, working my way toward his shoulders. I took my time, silently ensuring that every part of his upper back was cleaned. I made my way toward his mid-back, softly caressing every inch of him. I reached his firm ass and didn’t stop. I lathered him and, with a nudge of the sponge, he spread his legs just a touch wider. I cleaned every part of his chiseled body, stroking him with the sponge. I held him in my hands as I took my time thoroughly washing his most intimate parts, and he allowed me to do so without a word. He accepted my touch without the need to ruin the moment with words or expectations of more. I washed him tenderly, listening as his breathing got heavier and he leaned his head back with a sigh. I slowly pulled my hands back and wrapped my arms around his neck so as to scrub his chest. His breathing deepened even more at the feel of my breasts against his back.
Part of me was screaming pull back, but I’d thought I would never see him again. I needed to make sure this was real. That he was real. I needed to feel him against my hands; to touch every part of him.
Colton turned toward me at last. We shared a brief moment of eye contact before he took the soapy sponge and wordlessly began to massage my chest and neck with it. He washed my upper body, being careful to stay above my naval. When the front of me was cleaned to his satisfaction, he lifted my right hand with his and twirled me. I was left facing the wall and Colton continued to wash my back—much the same way I did his.
He placed the sponge on my neck just below my hair. With tantalizing movements, he used the sponge in his right hand to scrub and used his left hand to massage. It was my turn to lean my head back with a sigh. He made his way to my shoulder blades, making delicate movements as if he was trying not to harm my wings. He gently scrubbed my sides, using the perfect amount of pressure so it didn’t tickle. The sponge made its way to my lower back, gently tracing my upper cheeks but going no further. My breathing was heavy and my heart was racing. My body was begging for him to keep going, but my mind was screaming this is a bad idea.
I turned and lifted his chin, pressing my lips to his. A barrier came down, and we were suddenly kissing in a carnal frenzy, forcefully and passionately. He lifted me up and my legs instantly wrapped around him as he shoved me against the stone shower wall. I cried out, consumed by pleasure. We were hungry for each other; hungry for the intimacy we had been denying each other. His tongue worked feverishly against mine while he clutched my ass like it was the last thing in the world. My hands clawed their way across his back and through his hair. My thighs pulsed with electric heat, my body hummed with anticipation. Colton’s mouth worked its way down my chest and to my breasts. He ran his lips across them softly, slowly. Then suddenly he pulled my nipple into his mouth as his greedy fingers glided up my inner thighs. I threw my head back and cried out. He pulled me to him quickly and silenced my screams with his mouth yet still he didn’t enter me.
My body begged him to take that last step but somewhere in the back of my mind I kept hearing that little voice that said I should slow things down. Colton must have somehow understood the fight I was having with myself because he made the choice for me. Despite the desire I could feel emanating from him, he pulled his hands back slowly, lovingly. He knew me so very well. Facing each other, we stood with our eyes locked and filled with unspoken words. I grabbed his hands and pulled him back to me. I hugged him; I held him fiercely and he wrapped strong arms around me. He let me hold him until I was ready to release him. I played with the perfect curls at the ends of his hair. His fingers traced my scars as he loved to do.
Unsure of what to say, I finally turned away toward the shower door. Colton suddenly grabbed me and turned me to face him once more. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but at the last moment, he settled for silence once more. He caressed my face and kissed me tenderly on my neck just below my ear. He had kissed me there more than a thousand times, and I felt the love in those lips still.
“Don’t scare me like that again,” he said softly, breaking the silence.
“You either,” I answered.
“You’re still the only one I’ve ever known intimately,” he said.
My heart lifted. I’d be lying if I didn�
�t admit that I’d had some jealous thoughts when it had occurred to me that for all I knew, he had been having his way with numerous demon women or even humans. It was good to know I had been wrong.
“You’re the only one I want. The only one I’ve ever wanted,” he added. “I’m only telling you this because I want you to know that I understand you cannot allow yourself to trust me. I don’t deserve your trust, but I will wait for you no matter how long it takes. If it takes you a thousand years to see that my words are true, then I will wait for a thousand years.” He paused. “That’s all I wanted to say.”
“I don’t know if I can ever forgive you.”
“I love you, Belleeza.”
I touched his cheek tenderly and kissed him gently, and then left him standing alone in the shower and headed back to my bed.
I love you too . . .
Start Here
Colton lay asleep in a chair in the corner of the bedroom. He was so beautiful it made my breath catch. We shared the most intimate moment in the shower just a few hours ago. In my entire existence, I could not think of another encounter that could compete with our silent and sensual shower. After everything that had happened, my thoughts and feelings where he was concerned were all jumbled together in a messy ball of confusion. He broke my heart into a thousand pieces, but watching him nearly bleed to death made me realize how much I still truly loved him. Nevertheless, I didn’t think we could ever go back to the way we were. I might have made it clear that I still loved him, but that didn’t mean I could trust him. Not to mention he was not an angel, and it was possible he never again would be. I don’t know how he had his healing abilities back, but I could sense that he still wasn’t an angel.
