by Maya Nicole
“Val.”
He sighed and looked up, his eyes bloodshot and his face drawn in a deep frown. He looked like shit.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out. His eyes went to the hand on my sword. “I didn’t know you were back. My father sent me in his place because I thought he wanted to give me more responsibility and take care of some things back here. It was all so he could build an army without my knowledge.”
I gulped down the lump that had formed in my throat. “Did you know the other council members were going to arrest me and probably kill me?”
His eyes widened and met mine. “I didn’t. Samara, you have to know that I’d never let them hurt you.” He stood and tried to take my hands, but I backed up a step. He hung his head. “What can I do to earn your trust again?”
“I don’t know, Val. I honestly don't know.”
.
Chapter 16
We sat around Val’s dining room table, the unease palpable. No one trusted Val or each other, yet there we were, eating dinner around the large table.
Val’s house was the safest place at the moment. He had his guards patrolling and a few flying shifters scouting the forest and roads for suspicious activity. Tony and Miles had been sent for. Taking care of the army of vacants was a priority.
“How was he controlling them?” Raphael was picking at his food like he didn’t trust where it came from. He finally put down his fork. “Why is this happening now?”
I drank a sip of wine. I really needed to drink down an entire carafe of it after the last few days we had. I looked up to find Nico watching me. He hadn’t said much since we reunited.
Val took a few moments before answering the angel. “Just like when we give another demon our blood." He hadn't touched his plate or his glass of blood the entire time we had been sitting at the table. "As for why now, there is no one on the throne. My father wanted it. He always had. I don't know why Reve thought it was a good idea to renounce it like he did."
"Sometimes love makes you do crazy things." Raphael shrugged. "Why doesn't Samara just take the throne?"
The room was silent, and I ran my finger along the edge of my wine glass before taking another drink. "I'm a woman."
Raphael snorted. "There have been plenty of female queens on Earth. Wasn't Lilith on the throne for centuries?"
"She had capabilities that exceeded those of anyone." Val finally picked up his glass of blood and drank half of it in one gulp.
I shifted in my seat at the memory of him drinking my blood. I might have also shifted because although I didn't know how to use it yet, I was pretty sure that whatever the lightning had done to me was powerful.
I just didn't know in what way.
"How did Lucifer get Lilith pregnant?" Nico asked out of nowhere. "That's who the girl is, right? The one Reve left for?"
"Well, there's this thing called a penis, and the man sticks it in the woman's vagina," Raphael explained.
Kage snorted from where he was seated in the corner. He had pulled a chair away from the table before we sat down to eat and had been sitting quietly. When several sets of eyes landed on him he shrank back in the chair and his face turned red.
"You know what I mean. From what I understand, Lucifer stayed in his little corner of Inferna and Lilith stayed away from him." Nico narrowed his eyes at Raphael. It didn't seem he was going to get along with any of them besides Kage, but even that was questionable.
Raphael's brows furrowed. "She went to Earth and went by the name of Lily. I'm not sure how she managed to get him to fall in love with her or get through to Earth." Something crossed his eyes. It was brief, but it was almost like a flash of worry.
Val stood abruptly and stabbed his fingers through his hair, causing it to stick up like he was a mad man. He looked like someone had just killed his horse. He started pacing. "My father. He has blood."
"What?" I was confused.
"A long time ago, my great grandfather was one of Lucifer's contacts. He managed to obtain some of Lucifer's blood. It only takes a drop in the system to go back and forth to Earth. With magic added to it, it lasts a long time."
Raphael paled. "I didn't know about the magic. We knew about the pen incident in the 1700s. That was your grandfather?"
Val nodded.
Raphael narrowed his eyes. "Maybe it's not safe for me to be here."
I opened my mouth to protest and then stopped myself. Nico's eyes were locked on me and he tilted his head slightly before a smirk crossed his face.
"Why would it not be safe for you to be here?" Amari raised his eyebrows.
I knew why. He was an archangel, and if dried blood on archangel feathers could get a small group back and forth to Earth, what would a glass full do?
Raphael sighed and didn't speak. He glanced at me and gave me a slight shake of his head as if to tell me not to say anything.
"There's something else." Val looked sad. "Taylor is alive."
I gripped the edge of the table, my knuckles turning white. My ears started to ring, and it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.
Kage cleared his throat. "He was helping V-Val's f-father make v-v-vacants."
The room spun as all eyes landed on me. I was going to be sick.
"I'm exhausted and need a shower." I stood and put my napkin on my plate. I didn't want them staring at me any longer.
I was just putting the final touches on a soap carving for Raphael when the door opened and Nico slipped in. He had rinsed the blood off his face, but still looked like he had rolled around on the forest floor for hours.
“Hey.” I felt him standing behind me and tensed slightly at his proximity. I didn’t say anything back, but didn’t need to. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head. How could I be okay with my brother being alive and helping to make those monsters?
Nico and I hadn’t talked or been alone since he had gotten angry at me. I didn’t like it.
He had spent most of the evening stealing glances at me. Every time I caught him looking at me, my breath caught in my throat.
“You’re carving the angel a bar?” He put his hands on my shoulders and started kneading them. I let out a sigh. “He likes you.”
I snorted. I shouldn’t have been carving him anything, but he had helped a lot. Plus, his wings inspired me.
“I’m scared I’m going to lose you, Peanut.”
I finished the last element on the wings I had carved and set the bar and knife down on the desk. “You aren’t going to lose me.”
I stood and brushed the soap shavings off my shirt and pants. Kage would probably clean up the mess later. I’d feel guilty, but that’s how he got his power.
“Then why do I feel you already have one foot out the door.” His voice trembled slightly. “I can’t lose you too, Sammy.”
I turned to face him and a tear slid down his cheek. “Nico… I’m here. Right here.” I put my hand on his biceps and gave it a squeeze. “I’ve always been right here.”
He took a few shaky breaths and then met my gaze. “You have Val and Amari… the angel is probably next. Kage has a thing for you, which is why he bound himself to me.”
“And? You’re wondering where you fit into it all?” I wanted to hug him but his shirt was filthy.
I honestly didn’t know why so many men suddenly had an interest in me. It wasn’t just lust either, like it usually was with men. They all looked at me like I was theirs to protect. I wasn't opposed to the idea of multiple men.
Unless they all kept fighting and grumbling at each other, then they could go fuck themselves.
“I wonder if there’s any space left for me and if I could even…” My breath caught in my throat. There would always be space for him. Always. “If I could even share you in that way.”
He ran a hand over his hair and pulled out the tie. He shook his head as if what he had just said had no significance.
“I love you. I would choose you in a heartbeat. All you have to do is tell me to choos
e.” My voice was shaking. I was unsure if I was comprehending his words correctly. I was mentally and physically exhausted.
He brought both hands to my cheeks. “I can’t make you choose. You’re still in love with Val. You might not like him right now, but I see it in your eyes. Amari and him are a package deal.”
“Tell me to choose.” A sob was stuck in my throat. This wasn’t supposed to be this hard.
He dropped his hands and the sob left me. Did he not care that he was breaking my heart?
“I need to take a shower. You should get some rest.” He avoided my eyes and then walked out the door with a pile of clothes.
“Give him t-t-time.” I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Kage’s voice. How long had he been watching us? He seemed to sense my question. “I’m always watching.”
“That’s incredibly creepy, Kage.” I brushed at my cheeks with the backs of my hands and couldn't help the small laugh that escaped.
His lips quirked at the corners like he was about to smile. “It’s our w-way.” He side-eyed the mess on the floor and then moved to clean it up.
I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him as he worked. He straightened everything on the desk and examined the bar of soap. He looked so peaceful as he cleaned, like he had forgotten that I was sitting on the bed watching him.
“There is a s-story my people like to tell. Well, used to like to tell.” He moved on to the intricately carved armoire and began wiping every little curve. “About a baby born during one of the biggest storms Inferna has ever seen.”
I gripped the edge of the bed and didn’t take my eyes off the back of his head. His stuttering was gone, and I was no idiot. He was talking about me.
“Her mother had been visiting her horse in the stables, feeling bad about not being able to ride her so late in the pregnancy. She thought she could make it from the stables back to the castle because the storm was still far enough away.”
I hadn’t heard this version of the story. I’d heard that my mother had been found passed out just inside the back entrance of the castle. She had told them she hadn’t eaten and had swooned. She then went into labor and gave birth to me.
He stopped cleaning and folded his rag carefully into a square before tucking it into his back pocket. He looked at me and I could see the sparkle of energy in them.
“What happened?” I whispered, not taking my eyes off his.
“The storm caught her.” He sat on the bed next to me. “My great grandfather saw it from right inside where he was cleaning a window. It struck her over and over again.”
I was shaking. She had never once mentioned being hit by lightning.
“It took her light?” I looked over at him. I was surprised to find he was looking right back at me.
“It gave you light.” He cleared his throat. “Your mother always tried to keep you indoors as much as possible, didn’t she?” I nodded. “She knew you were different.”
“But… how?” I cleared my throat. “How am I different?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I j-just know that I am drawn to you. I feel calm around you even though I b-barely know you.”
He leaned forward and kissed me. I was so shocked that all I could do was sit there for a moment as his lips moved against mine. His lips were soft and moved in soft sweeps that made me shut my eyes and sigh.
Nico had been right about him, he definitely had a thing for me or at least for my light. It wasn’t unheard of for demons that had a lot of light in them to be hunted and drained by magic users. Almost an entire species of monkey were decimated of their light because they held it inside of them in vast quantities.
If word got out about how much light was inside of me, I didn't even want to think about it. I knew it was a lot. I could feel it.
I pulled away and he blushed. He looked down at his hands in his lap. “Your stutter is better.”
He twisted his hands in his lap. “Only around you.”
I put my hand over his hands in his lap. He tensed a bit but then relaxed. “Thank you for telling me that story.”
He gave me a sad smile. “You shouldn’t tell anyone about the story. It’s too dangerous.”
I bit my lip. “It still comes for me… it draws me to it.” His eyes widened. “Nico and Amari know.”
“And Val?” I shook my head. At least I didn’t think he knew. “The angel?”
“He can sense the light, but I didn’t tell him it was from the lightning. Maybe he might know something though.”
“Don’t tell them. Although I saw with my very own eyes how shocked Val was with his father’s revelations, he did arrive at the c-castle without the best intentions. But then you w-were there.”
I mulled over his words and decided he was definitely right that I should keep my little lightning and light problem from the vampire. There was always the possibility that Amari would tell him, but he hadn’t yet. Not even with Val being pissed at us for keeping secrets.
“I need to go clean up downstairs. I haven’t cleaned enough and feel w-w-weak.” I nodded, and he kissed my cheek before leaving the room.
My mind was still reeling after Kage left. I needed a hot bath and a glass of wine. I didn’t want to risk seeing Val or Amari downstairs though, so I opted for just a bath.
I walked across the hall to the bathroom. Nico hadn’t come back from his shower yet, and since I didn’t hear the shower, I assumed he had gone back downstairs to drink.
I pushed the bathroom door open and found him sitting on the floor against the cabinets with his head in his hands. Naked.
“Nico?” I shut the door behind me and flipped the lock. I wanted to blurt out everything Kage had just shared but stopped myself. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head but didn’t look up at me. I sank to the floor next to him and pulled on his arms. He was crying.
“Why did it have to be her?” I didn’t need to ask who her was. I pulled him to my chest and smoothed his hair.
“I don’t know, hun.” He wrapped one of his arms around my leg and sank further against me. “What I do know is that she wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
He made a noise that was part laugh, part cry. “She would have kicked my ass.” He hiccupped.
“Then told you to get your head out of your ass.” I sighed and left my hand on the side of his head. “She wouldn’t want you to one day wake up and realize your entire life passed you by while it was stuck up there.”
He chuckled. “I know she wouldn’t. It’s so fucking hard though, Peanut.”
“Look at me.” He pulled away from where his head was buried in my chest and looked me in the eyes. “You will always fit in my life no matter what. Even if you never pull your head out of your ass.”
He put his head on my shoulder and we sat on the hard floor of the bathroom in companionable silence. As much as I wanted him to just touch me and kiss me, I wouldn't trade moments where we just enjoyed each other’s presence.
That was a hard thing to find with another person.
“I’ve pulled it out.” He whispered.
“What?” Confusion washed over me.
“My head. I pulled it out of my ass.” He turned towards me and cupped my cheek, searching my eyes.
“This isn’t a ga-” He didn’t let me finish as his lips met mine in a hungry kiss.
Oh, fuck. Was it actually happening? Was he finally letting himself live again? I pushed at his chest and broke the kiss.
“I don’t want you to do this just because you feel you have to.” I ran my thumb over his bottom lip. “I want you to be sure. There’s no going back from this Nicolas.”
“I want to.” He put his hand over mine. “No going back, Samara.”
I took one more second to look at him and then I grabbed a handful of his hair and brought our lips back together.
It was everything I had ever imagined, kissing him. There was a hunger in both of us and we melted into each other as if we had been kissing for years.
He ran his fingers through my hair and then tilted my head, deepening the kiss. His tongue broke through my lips and swirled around mine before I sucked on it. He moaned into my mouth and pulled me onto him.
His lips slid along my neck to the spot under my ear. I moved against his erection as he grabbed onto my ass and squeezed. “Fuck, I’ve wanted this for so long. Why didn’t you tell me to get my head out of my ass sooner?”
“You weren’t ready to hear it.”
Our lips met again and then I pulled away, standing and holding out my hand. “I want to run my tongue and lips over every inch of your body, but you kind of ripped out a lot of throats today.”
“Are you disgusted?” He didn’t take my hand as he looked up at me.
I shrugged and pulled my shirt over my head. His eyes heated, and he watched me undress the rest of the way. His hand went to his dick, and he began stroking himself in long, firm pulls. I bit my lip as his thumb flicked at the piercing at the head.
“Do I look disgusted with you?” I slid off my panties and threw them at his head. He caught them and brought them to his face, inhaling.
“Fuck, Peanut. Come here.” When I didn’t move, he let out a growl. “I don’t need a shower to eat your pussy.”
I backed up towards the shower, a smile playing at the corner of my lips. He moved to his knees and crawled toward me, grabbing me around the back of my thighs and bringing me to him.
He buried his face between my legs, his beard scratching at my sensitive skin as he closed his mouth over my clit. He sucked it hard and then swirled his tongue around it before lifting one of my legs over his shoulder.
I leaned against the glass door of the shower and grabbed onto his hair, letting him do what I had only fantasized about.
One of his fingers ran along my slit and I groaned. “Fuck, Nico. Don’t tease.” I gasped as he pushed two fingers in. “Sweet hell serpents.”
There was something so much better about having someone you loved and had wanted for so long buried between your legs. I moved my hips, and he made growling noises against my clit as he worked his fingers in and out of me.
