Angel

by Plum Pascal

  I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been this excited to be with a woman. I then wonder if I’ve ever been this excited…

  Her eyes widen as she looks at my wings. “You’re beautiful,” she whispers.

  “Nothing compared to you,” I answer, then doubt myself again. I don’t understand how a creature as pure and innocent as her could have any interest in me. But, somehow, she does.

  “I have to taste you,” I grunt.

  “Your clothes,” she points out with a flirtatious smile.

  I nod as my wings sink back into my flesh. I remove my cloak and unbutton my pants, yanking them down as quickly as I can. I’m not the type to bother with underclothing so as soon as I pull my pants off, I’m naked.

  “You’re… huge,” Eilish says as her gaze settles on my cock. She appears slightly nervous, and something about her hesitancy makes me even more excited. I cover the space between us and lift her into my arms, depositing her on the bed. Momentarily, I pause above her, staring down into her beautiful blue eyes. “I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw you.”

  She smiles. “I’ve wanted it, too.”

  My lips are on hers and then my tongue is in her mouth. She eagerly laps at it as I spread my hands across her breasts, plying her flesh. I tease her nipples by rolling them between my fingers. When she moans, it’s all I can do to keep myself from spreading her wide and shoving my cock into her.

  I curse myself because I know I should be moving slowly but I’m beyond eager. I can’t stop thinking about pushing into her slick and tight wetness, but I also don’t want to disappoint her.

  She moans beneath me and arches her back, thrusting her breasts against my chest. Then, she reaches down and wraps her fingers around my cock. I push against her hand, loving the feel of her touch.

  “I want you inside me,” she whispers.

  “Not yet,” I respond, even as I fight myself. I want to be enveloped in her but, at the same time, I don’t want to hurry. I want this moment to last as long as possible.

  I work my way down her body and settle between her legs, pushing them apart. Then, I glance up at her. She looks at me, her expression suggesting she doesn’t know what I’m about to do. I chuckle before I focus on her pink folds. With enthusiasm, I shove my face into her and start sucking and licking her clit as she moans and squirms beneath me, gripping my head and holding it in place.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Eilish

  Grimreap

  Shadow Realm

  The feel of Dragan’s tongue inside me is pure heaven. I’ve wanted him for so long and now that the moment’s arrived, I’m beyond eager. Seeing him naked just feeds this insatiable hunger. He’s even broader and more muscular than I imagined, and his penis… is huge. To the point that I’m a little worried whether I’ll be able to take all of him.

  I don’t know if I’ve ever had a man before because that part of my memory is missing. In some ways, I’m glad it is—even if I’ve already had sex, it still feels like Dragan is my first. And for some reason, I like that thought.

  “I want you, Dragan, please,” I beg as he continues to lick me, teasing me with his tongue. I love it but, at the same time, it’s torture.

  He pulls up from between my legs and smiles, and I take a deep breath, wondering what he’ll do next. He stands and I sit up, wanting to get another look at him. He’s perfection—every inch of his body, from his massive shoulders to the rippling muscles of his abdomen. And I can’t stop staring at his erection.

  “Can I taste you?” I ask him in a soft, nervous voice, and immediately feel stupid for asking. All of this is new to me, though, and I’m not sure how best to proceed.

  He chuckles and nods, walking over to me. Then, I kneel down in front of him and open my mouth. He guides himself in and I start sucking on him, loving the way he drops his head back and closes his eyes. He moves back and forth inside my mouth, mimicking what he’d be doing if he were between my legs, and I feel myself flush with excitement.

  He hits the back of my throat and I gag, pulling away. He smiles at me and I take a deep breath. “You’re really… big,” I say as an apology.

  “You feel amazing,” he responds. “But I need to feel you from the inside.”

  I flush as he pulls me up and then lifts me, carrying me back to the bed. He spreads my legs and settles himself on top of me. As he stares down at me, he coaxes his erection to my swollen opening and I spread my legs even further apart.

  As he pushes into me, only slightly, I gasp. The feeling is intense and pure. I can’t remember feeling pleasure like this before.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asks.

  “No.” I shake my head and can barely get the word out. “I need you in me… all the way.”

  He smiles again and thrusts into me fully. I throw my head back and buck underneath him, clenching my eyes shut. Then, he begins to rock back and forth, pulling out and thrusting in again. There’s no pain, so I figure I must have done this before.

  “Look at me,” he whispers.

  I open my eyes and find him studying me intently. I wrap my arms around his back and my legs around his waist, wanting him even deeper.

  “Do you like it?” he asks.

  “Yes,” I can barely manage. “I need… more.”

  I can’t explain it, but it feels like our bonding is doing something to me. I feel… exhilarated, in a way that surprises me. It almost feels as if my energy is increasing, that I’m being filled with vitality that was previously missing.

  Dragan continues to thrust into me and I feel my muscles starting to clench around him as an orgasm seizes me. Throwing my head back, I open my mouth at the same time as Dragan clamps his hand down around my mouth. I open my eyes to find him smiling.

  “Don’t want the others getting jealous,” he explains.

  I just laugh, but the laugh dies as he begins to thrust into me even harder. And then all I can think about is his cum and how badly I want it, need it inside me. I don’t know why, but the feeling’s there all the same.

  “I want your seed inside of me,” I whisper to him.

  He narrows his eyes as he shoves himself into me as far as he can. I feel his erection pulsing.

  “Yes!” I say into his ear as I hold him close to me. He thrusts a few more times before collapsing against me, his lips just beside one of my breasts. I run my hands through his hair and hold him close.

  “I feel… exhausted,” he says.

  “I don’t,” I respond. “It’s weird, but I feel like I have a hundred times the energy that I had before.”

  He looks at me and smiles. “At least one of us does.”

  Then, he kisses my nipple and rests his head back on my chest.

  ###

  Cambion

  Baron and I retire into one of the available rooms. I notice with interest that Dragan remains behind with the girl. I’m surprised. I’ve not seen this tender side of him before, and while I find it laughable, it’s also concerning. If the girl has been able to win over the deadliest of barbarians, it means she’s powerful. And, yes, she’s proven herself to be an angel in as much as she admitted it when I forced her to. But whether or not she possesses her wings is still an unanswered question.

  “Why is Dragan in there with her?” Baron asks casually, but I can tell he’s thoroughly interested in my response.

  I shrug. “My hope is he’s after what’s between her legs.”

  “Has he had her before?”

  “No,” I answer, then eye him narrowly. “Why? Are you about to call second dibs?”

  Baron glares at me. “No.”

  “Then?”

  “I’m merely curious.”

  I shrug again. “I guess you could say Dragan has taken it upon himself to be her protector, of sorts. And she doesn’t seem to have a problem with that.”

  “Then neither of you know her well?”

  “No, we don’t.” I pause a moment or two. “And it should go without saying that I�
�m not sure whether I buy her story, or whether I trust her.”

  “She has magic.”

  “She’s an angel.”

  Baron shakes his head. “It’s more than that. She’s powerful.”

  There’s a fireplace with two chairs in front of it. We sit and stare quietly into the fire for a moment. The heat revives me somewhat and the tired ache in my bones lessens.

  “It appears our angel isn’t the only one with an ill-functioning memory,” I say to Baron, my voice tinged with the edge of a joke.

  Baron nods. In the otherwise dark room, the flames are the only source of light and they cast dramatic shadows across his face. His sharp features emphasize the shadows.

  “You know what pisses me off more than anything?” he asks me.

  “What?”

  “I hate that fucker, Variant, more than anyone in the three realms. I’ve been obsessed with him, with hating him. And I never knew why. Yet all my motives were driven by a desire to see him fall. And now I learn that he’s the reason I’m like this.” He glances down at himself and shakes his head. When he looks back at the fire, he almost appears to be elsewhere. I imagine he is.

  “This ‘life’ I live, in all of its unnatural vileness—he’s the reason for all of it,” he continues, his voice soft, haunted. “All this time I’ve been preparing for a fight only to learn I’ve already lost.”

  “Lost?” I balk. “The real fight is yet to come. This is no coincidence. The three of us reunited, here, now. The angel. The timing is too perfect.”

  “But what use are we?” he asks, frustration transforming his voice into a near growl. “Me, an undead with no memory of my former life, and her… she…” he trails off.

  I start to laugh because I know that expression, and I recognize the frustration in his voice. He’s been bitten by her as surely as we all have. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” I ask, almost before I can help myself.

  “I can’t say the pleasures of the flesh affect me like I’m sure they once did. I don’t hunger or thirst or need to rest—”

  “Oh, please. You would fuck her all night long if you could,” I rib.

  “It does slightly complicate things that the key to overthrowing Variant happens to be the most sexually alluring creature I’ve ever encountered,” he admits.

  I laugh at that. “I think Dragan has plans of his own for her; poor guy hasn’t gotten any tail in that dungeon of his for a long, long time.”

  “Dungeon?” he asks, and I explain to him how Variant banished Dragan to the Gorge and me to my own prison.

  “Why was Dragan’s punishment so much worse than yours?” he asks with a shrug. “You were allowed women, at least.”

  “Variant and Dragan were always at each other’s throats. Variant grew to hate all three of us, but I believe he hated Dragan the most.”

  “And you?” he asks as his smile broadens. “You crave the angel, as well? Even though you’ve had women all this time?”

  I exhale slowly. “My version of exile included a few more recreational opportunities than our gargoyle friend, but still, I won’t deny that I crave her.” I’m quiet for a moment as I consider my feelings toward her. When I face him again, he seems to understand my frustration. “Crave isn’t even the word for it.”

  “You feel as if you need her?”

  “Need to be inside of her, maybe,” I answer. “I’ve craved women, of course. But this… this is something I’ve never experienced before.”

  “I understand,” Baron agrees. “And I can’t quite put my finger on it but there’s something about her…”

  My mind flashes to the vision of her beneath me. The feeling of power I held while inside her. My stomach churns pleasantly at the memory. I wonder how quickly the vision will come true. Hopefully sooner, rather than later. I can’t imagine such could be the case, though, because Dragan is with her nonstop. And if Dragan is anything, it’s possessive.

  “The sooner you can get her out of your mind, the better,” Baron announces, giving me an expression that suggests he knows exactly what I was just thinking about.

  “Why is that?”

  He shrugs. “Women have a way of interfering with what’s best for a man. And what’s best for any of us is seeing Variant put to death. Nothing else should get in the way of that. Nothing else should matter.”

  I laugh at him. “You’re telling me that if she were to open her legs to you, you’d deny her?”

  “It would never come to that because I would never allow it to.”

  “Really?”

  “I have no interest in women. Only revenge.”

  “I wish I had a drink; I’d cheers to that,” I say with a smile. I wonder if being dead did something to his libido. I hope never to find out.

  “How do we restore her memory?” he asks, clearly changing the subject.

  I shake my head. I’d hoped that once the Atacomite left her system, she’d have something more to give us. “First, we need to get out of here,” I answer. “This realm isn’t doing the angel or me any good.”

  Baron nods. “You overstayed your welcome the moment you walked through those front gates,” he points out.

  “Yes,” I agree but my mind is elsewhere. “She’s hiding something from us, that much I know.”

  “Hiding something?” Baron asks, eyeing me.

  I nod. “I believe she’s lost her memory, but Eilish knows more than she’s letting on. She’s shown me things, things that don’t exist outside my head.” I stand up and start pacing the room. The subject of this woman perturbs me. I’m angry I don’t have answers yet. “She may be our key, but I’m hesitant to trust her. We need to know her past.”

  “Whoever gave her those markings is on your side,” Baron says.

  “That is, if she truly possesses her wings,” I remind him. “We still don’t know the answer to that very important question.”

  “That’s a large gamble to take.”

  “It is, and if it turns out she’s not intact, I don’t know what will happen.” I’m quiet for a moment. “The sprite swears he’s seen them. And I can’t think of a reason for him to lie. Yes, he hated Anona, but for him to make the trek to the Gorge to find Dragan required balls I’m, quite frankly, surprised he has.”

  “Let’s assume she does have wings. What then?”

  I shrug. “We need answers to the questions of where she came from, why she’s missing her memories, why she was marked falsely, and who marked her.”

  Baron nods. “Whoever marked her holds at least some of those answers.”

  “I would agree. And once we have those answers, we can devise a plan to defeat Variant once and for all.”

  “It all sounds so simple.” His voice trails off and it appears his mind is elsewhere again. He’s staring back into the fire, lost in thought. When he looks up, he asks me, “You’re an elf. A magical being. Can’t you detect whatever it is you feel she’s hiding?”

  “I’ve already tried. Dragan and I also attempted to force her to reveal her wings, but our magic failed.”

  “Then you have only the word of the sprite?”

  “We have only the word of that fucking annoying sprite,” I confirm.

  “He could be in cahoots with her.”

  I nod. “I’ve considered that.” Then, I take a deep breath. “If we had a Transmutation Stone, maybe I could draw something out of her. There’s a chance it could remove the walls placed on her memory, as well.”

  “And where can we get a Transmutation Stone?”

  “I have one, back in Geldingstock, but going there now would be a death sentence.”

  “Because?”

  “Variant has already been to Geldingstock by now, and most probably has lookouts stationed there. It would be too obvious.”

  “Hmm,” he says, nodding as though I’ve made a good point.

  “I could make one,” I tell him, “if I had the right tools.”

  “Are those tools difficult to come by?”

  I s
hake my head. “Not difficult, but perhaps time-consuming. And it seems time is an extravagance we can’t afford.”

  He’s quiet for a few moments, then faces me with hope in his eyes. “Do you believe the stone would allow me to regain my lost memories?”

  I take a deep breath. He was dead. I don’t know the rules that govern him now. “I don’t know.”

  He nods. “It’s worth a try. For the angel and for me.”

  I nod, too, and let out a deep sigh. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking for everything I need.”

  Baron perks at my words. “I happen to be an expert at finding things that don’t want to be found.” He smiles and, despite my exhaustion and general hopelessness, I find myself returning the expression.

  In truth, I don’t have complete confidence the stone will work on either one of them. Even if it does, crafting one takes hours and requires metal, wool, and wood from trees only found in the Fae Realm. Transmutation Stones are powerful objects, capable of protecting against all manner of enchantments. But, while their magic can be stronger than that of their maker, I wonder if it will be strong enough to undo whatever is exercising its hold on the angel’s memory. And Baron? I have no idea if the stone will help him.

  Baron’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “News of Ferchad’s death will soon find its way through the city. He has more than one friend here, and all the manticores in all the realms won’t be able to protect you from them.”

  I nod and stand up, ready to start our journey yet again. I notice Baron doesn’t make any move to follow me, and I wonder if perhaps he wants some time to himself. I decide to oblige him and open the door, stepping into the hallway.

  Confronted with darkness, I inch my way along the corridor, using the last of my strength to inspire my eyes to see. The darkness around me lessens, allowing me to locate the first door. I knock gently before entering.

  Thoradin’s huge, slumbering form lies beneath a blanket on a bed in the middle of the fire-lit room.