Salvation in Darkness (Misplaced Halos Book 2)

by Nicole Edwards

  “Be still,” he said once more as he dragged the sharp tips across her flesh.

  Orianna’s hands clutched his back, her thighs tight to his hips.

  He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then pierced her flesh. The soft growl that escaped was in response to her hiss of pain. He hated the idea of hurting her, but he knew it would dissolve quickly. By the time she was moaning softly, her blood had filled his mouth.

  It only took a few seconds before she came, her sex fluttering around his. He sealed his mouth to her flesh as he took long, deep pulls from her vein. At the same time, he continued to slide in and out of her body, her slick heat and her thick, sweet blood drawing his orgasm closer and closer.

  While he took from her, he gave as much as he could in return. Eclipse punched his hips forward, driving deep, careful not to tear her flesh with his fangs in the process. Long minutes passed but he was keeping track. There was only so much of her blood she could part with. As it was, she would require a much longer recovery than he would have if he hadn’t fed.

  When her fingers slid down his back, Eclipse sealed the wounds on her neck, licked his lips, and lifted his head. He met her glassy gaze, realizing he’d taken more than he should have.

  “Hold on to me, sezari.”

  Her smile was so fucking sweet as her arms wreathed his neck.

  Eclipse shifted his hand around her thigh, changing the angle as he thrust inside her again and again. He let her body consume him, giving her all that he was as he breathed her in. He was surrounded by her in every way. He could hear the rapid thump of her heart, smell her sweet scent, still taste her blood on his tongue, feel her smooth, warm flesh against his own. If his eyes had been open, he would’ve seen her beautiful face as he pulled another orgasm from her supple body.

  “Come for me again, sezari.”

  Orianna whimpered, her body clutching him both inside and out. He growled, let the pleasure-pain overwhelm him. The need to come was intense, but he held back for as long as he could, wanting to give rather than take.

  And when the sensations bore down with an intensity he’d come to expect, Eclipse plunged into her again and again, squeezing her thigh and pressing his face into her neck as he claimed her as his. His hips jerked, his cock pulsed as he filled her.

  Mine.

  The instant the word came to mind, he projected it into Orianna’s brain, ensuring she understood this street ran both ways.

  Orianna cried out once more, her muscles locking down on him, another orgasm driving up through his shaft, surprising him with the power behind it.

  When his body stilled, Eclipse didn’t pull out of her. He was still hard, still aching. Instead, he rolled, taking her with him. When she was draped over him, Eclipse palmed her perfect little ass as he pumped his hips, her silky sheath reigniting the heat in his veins. They remained like that for long minutes, her body limp even as she moaned and begged him to make her come, all while her blood mixed with his, refueling his cells, giving him strength unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Not even the Fae could provide this sort of overwhelming power.

  “Kiss me, sezari,” he whispered.

  Orianna turned her head, her mouth meeting his. Eclipse held her firmly, one hand on her ass, the other on her head as he took them higher and higher. He didn’t let up until she shattered around him. Only then did he let himself go once more, driving as deep as he could, filling her with his seed. In that moment, he had his first thought of his female carrying his child.

  He would later realize that was the first of many. Despite his many fears, Eclipse knew their destiny was sealed, their lives mapped out. And while he wanted nothing more than to spend an eternity with her, he couldn’t help but wonder whether he would ever be strong enough to do what had to be done. He wasn’t sure he had the ability to bring her harm in anyway.

  Not even the thought of tying her to him for eternity was enough to calm that fear.

  For fuck’s sake!

  These angels and this goddamn motherfucking mating heat…

  Kaj wasn’t sure how the hell they survived in this place. Didn’t matter that he had no desire to get himself off, his cock had a mind of its own. Damn thing was throbbing and the urge to come hovered within reach without so much as a breath in the damn thing’s direction.

  Of course, he knew that ignoring it wouldn’t work. Nor would a hand job. The latter would curb the pain, but not quell it completely.

  Still, Kaj remained where he was on the leather sofa in the underground bar, the lights off. He was alone. The angels had scattered as soon as that damn energy had flooded the mansion. Not him. Nope, his date was a bottle of JD. Every so often, he would French-kiss the damn thing, not bothering with a glass.

  The night had gone to shit after that fucking shadow beast escaped, leaving Kaj chasing the darkness. That itch for a real fight hadn’t eased up one bit. In fact, it had been spurred on with the thoughts of traitors in his midst. The idea of vampires turning on their own … it made him feral.

  “Kaj?”

  The softly spoken word had his eyes darting upward, locking on the sinfully beautiful Fae taking the final steps into the room.

  “Acadia?” His throat went dry as he stared at her. Tonight she wore an exquisite purple gown that hugged her every curve. The triangle opening at her chest gave him the slightest glimpse of her ivory skin, the delicate swell of her breasts.

  She’d come to him, he realized. Though he’d thought about summoning her, knowing she would ease him because she felt it her duty, Kaj had refrained. He’d told her he would wait for her and he’d meant it. Even if he suffered nightly in his quest to show her he was the male for her.

  “I need you,” she whispered.

  He sensed the heat in her veins, saw the glitter in her amethyst eyes.

  “I’m here, balisra. Whatever you need.”

  Even from across the room, Kaj could smell her arousal, see the hunger in her eyes, but her hesitation was the most telling.

  “What do you want, Acadia?”

  The long, smooth column of her neck flexed as she swallowed.

  “Tell me.” Kaj leaned over the arm of the couch, set the half-empty bottle of whiskey on the floor.

  “You,” Acadia said, the word so low he wasn’t even sure she’d spoken it aloud.

  “Come to me, balisra.”

  She stumbled once on her way over, but Acadia finally came to him. She even held out her hand when he reached for her.

  His heart ached for her, and though these were the only moments he had with her, when the mating heat was unbearable for all within the walls of the mansion, Kaj considered it a blessing to some degree. Despite the fact she was holding herself back from him, he would never refuse her. For as long as she would have him, he would be there.

  “You are weak,” she said.

  Some males might’ve taken that as an insult, but he knew she was referring to his strength. He hadn’t fed in some time and it was beginning to weigh him down. However, now that he was residing in the same house as she, he refused to feed from any female who was not Acadia. Unfortunately, his pride kept him from seeking her out.

  A softness overcame her face, as though she worried for him. He knew deep down she did, but it would take time before she trusted him the way she had before.

  “How do you want me?” he offered, leaving the next move to her.

  That seemed to trip her up, because her eyes fluttered, disappointment replacing her concern. It pained him to put that expression on her face, but again, pride was a powerful emotion and Kaj refused to grovel.

  “Tell me,” he insisted, his voice deeper than before, his need building to astronomical proportions. The mating heat wasn’t the only thing fueling him, though. There was a desperate hunger he harbored only for her, and it had been growing stronger with every passing second since the last time he’d had her.

  “I want you to take me,” she said on a soft moan.

  “Gladly, balisra.”

/>   Without another second of hesitation, Kaj drew her to him, meeting her halfway as he got to his feet. He crushed his mouth to hers even as he began tugging at that beautiful dress that covered her even more beautiful body. It occurred to him that they weren’t in a private space, but he didn’t care. His need for her overwhelmed his common sense.

  The dance ensued as clothes began falling to the floor. Her dress, his shirt. It helped that she wore nothing beneath that glittery fabric, and the instant she was naked, he could no longer hold back. With his arm curled around her back, he eased her onto the leather sofa, his knee settling between her thighs.

  He ripped at his leather pants, shoving them down his hips even as he feasted on her mouth, inhaling her soft moans as her fingers ran over his flesh. She was coming apart beneath him and he hadn’t even penetrated her yet.

  “I need you,” he warned. “More than is safe right now.”

  “Take me, Kaj.”

  God, she didn’t realize what she was offering, but damn it if he wasn’t going to take everything she was willing to give.

  Confined by the leather on his thighs, Kaj positioned himself over her, relied on her to guide him home. He inhaled sharply, pulling his head back as his cock slid into the tight sheath of her body. A deep growl barreled through his chest, her sex milking him as her hands drew him closer. She was all he could see, all he could feel. Everything about this female overloaded his circuits, sharpened his hunger.

  Kaj met her eyes as his fangs shot down from his jaw. “I fear I’ll hurt you.”

  “You won’t.”

  Acadia was stronger than she looked, he knew. She proved it by pulling his head down to her neck. He fought her only for a moment before giving in. Without preamble, he bit her, tearing through her flesh as he sought the ambrosia that fueled him. Her sharp inhale told him he’d been too rough, but it didn’t slow him. He couldn’t hold back as he drew her blood into him at the same time he pushed himself deep inside her.

  Time stood still as their bodies remained locked, his cock tunneling in her warmth, her blood sliding down his throat. Within minutes he was reenergized, the power from her blood making him feel invincible, as though he could conquer the world as long as she was at his side.

  Problem was, she wasn’t at his side. Acadia wasn’t his to have. Not yet, perhaps not ever. That pain was what had him disconnecting emotionally, pushing back from the brink as he focused on her.

  From beneath him, Acadia remained silent, the complete opposite of their times together back before he’d walked away. He wanted that female under him, the one who cried out his name with so much passion, just the sound could make his cock explode.

  Didn’t mean she wasn’t taking what she needed. Though she remained silent, save for her soft moans, Acadia’s body rocked against his, her knees locking onto his hips as he flexed and shifted, impaling her as they both chased that elusive climax.

  It took effort, but he managed to release her flesh from his mouth, his fangs retracting as he licked her smooth skin, healing the wounds on her lovely skin. Only then did he launch an all-out assault with his body, driving them both to the precipice. He held them suspended in the ether for long seconds, groaning as his body fought to unleash his seed, the need to mark her overwhelming.

  “Kaj!”

  It was his name on her lips that shot him over the edge. He pinned her to the leather cushion with his full strength as he pumped himself deep within her. She cried out once more, her body shuddering around him as she came.

  Rather than curl up beside her, which was the only thing he wanted to do, he took his cues from her. The moment her hands fell from his shoulders, her body went lax beneath him. She was disconnecting, not only physically but emotionally. Pushing him away.

  Because she’d come to him, Kaj gave her the space she sought. He got to his feet, adjusted his pants, tucking his still-hard cock away and pretending it didn’t matter that she had used him. As much as he wanted to believe he could wait an eternity for her to forgive him, he knew that wasn’t the case.

  As he trudged up the stairs, his destination the cold, lonely bed he slept in every night, Kaj figured there was one positive thing in all this: at least she’d come to him rather than go to another male in the house.

  For now, it was something.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  After having spent a total of three weeks at the mansion, Orianna was used to using the shutters’ nightly ascent as an alarm clock. However, she’d been awake this time, staring up at the darkened ceiling as Eclipse slept soundly beside her. Her brain wouldn’t slow down, making it impossible to sleep. Today she was meeting with Barin, her guardian angel.

  The thought made her smile.

  Guardian angel.

  She’d always thought that was something made up by people who needed someone to give credit to for their good fortune. According to Eclipse, and backed up by Penelope, guardian angels were real. Every human had one, though apparently those particular angels were a bit overworked, overseeing roughly fifty souls. Lucky for her, she and Amber shared the same one, and the angel had agreed to meet with her at Eclipse’s request.

  Not that she knew what she was supposed to ask him. From what she gathered, he was the one who had determined Amber was in fact deceased because he’d lost his connection with her, something that only occurred when a human died.

  Though the idea of Amber being gone from this world forever still caused an unbearable ache in her chest, Orianna needed to know for sure. And the only way that would happen would be if she saw Amber’s remains for herself. Until that time, this was merely a rumor, and she refused to pass along information to her mother based on secondhand knowledge.

  Plus, if Amber was gone, her sister needed a proper burial, an eternal resting place. How she would afford that, Orianna wasn’t sure, but like everything else, she would figure it out. Perhaps this guardian angel could point her in the right direction.

  Eclipse grumbled beside her, his arm shifting over her as he pulled her close. She smiled as she settled into his warmth. This was what he did nearly every evening. Rather than hop out of bed, eager to get the night underway, he would cuddle up with her beneath the thick blankets. Her gaze swung to the fireplace as she waited for him to become alert enough to reignite the flames with his mind. Orianna knew that had to take place before he would even consider getting vertical.

  Right before her eyes, the flames roared to life once more in the fireplace, crackling as the warmth began trickling through the enormous room. Despite the fact the heater worked, Eclipse preferred to use natural warmth. He also claimed body heat was the most efficient way to keep warm, hence the reason they slept naked. As for whether she believed him or not, it didn’t really matter. It didn’t take much for him to talk her out of her clothes.

  “How long have you been awake?” he mumbled against her neck.

  “A few minutes.”

  “You do that every night and you might give a male a complex.”

  She chuckled. “Why’s that?”

  “If I recall correctly, I wore us both out early this morning.”

  That he had. For the past couple of weeks, he had once again treated her with kid gloves. Ever since he’d fed from her the day he was injured, Eclipse had been catering to her every whim despite the fact she’d been fine after the incident. And every single time since. A little weak, maybe, but a full meal always solved the problem. And yes, in a matter of thirteen days, Orianna was pretty sure she’d gained at least five pounds. If she kept this up, she wasn’t going to be able to borrow any clothes much longer.

  Speaking of clothes…

  “I was thinking maybe I should go back to my apartment.”

  Eclipse grumbled the same as he did whenever she brought that up. She’d been at the mansion for three weeks, alternating between wearing the outfit she’d come here in, Eclipse’s too-large T-shirts and his sweatpants, and a couple of outfits Asmia had offered her. It wasn’t that she owned a lot to
begin with, but Orianna would’ve felt better if she had a few of her things.

  “I was thinking maybe we should bring your apartment here,” Eclipse whispered, his lips sliding over the curve of her shoulder.

  A sweet shiver danced down her spine. “Here? As in … you want me to move in with you?”

  Evidently, he’d heard the confusion in her voice, because Eclipse propped himself up on an elbow and nudged her onto her back.

  “Is that a problem for you?”

  “Maybe.” She honestly wasn’t sure what to think. “Why would you want me here?”

  “Because this is where you belong,” he said simply, his silver stare sliding over her face. “With me.”

  Her first instinct was to argue. Only the words didn’t come out. The old Orianna would’ve told him it was time for her to go, that she belonged in her shitty little apartment, all alone, continuing her search for her sister. But she couldn’t form the words. The need to argue was impulsive, but her desire to stay here with him outweighed it.

  Of course, that made her feel like a pussy. Orianna had never relied on anyone to take care of her. Not since … well, not since before her mother’s attack. It wasn’t like she’d ever had family to rely on. Her father’s only concern was himself, and then her mother hadn’t been able to take care of herself, much less anyone else. Boarding school had been the same. She’d been forced to grow up then, and over time, Orianna had come to learn the only person she could depend on was herself.

  Two weeks ago, she probably would’ve been able to make a convincing argument. But these past few days had been enlightening. Not only had she realized there were people willing to care for her, but Orianna had come to learn she could care for them as well. She’d developed friendships with Penelope, Acadia, even Miklós. And she harbored a deep fondness for Phillip and Jeffrey though she knew they were merely doing their jobs. The thought of leaving any of them indefinitely didn’t sit well.