“She was.” Patrick’s gaze dropped to the floor. His clasped hands dangled between his knees. He looked more human than Rion could remember him ever appearing. “You understand, Kokabiel, that I’d already been sent away when you Fell. Otherwise I’d have intervened.”
“Would you have?” Rion asked. “You’ve always followed orders, Azrael. We’re told the high angel Michael is corrupt, but he tells you what to do and you obey. Isn’t that the truth?”
There was a very long pause.
“Yes.” Patrick looked from Rion to Rex. “But not so much anymore.” He set the glass of water on a table and stood, walking to the window and looking outside. “I recently encountered Anahita.” He turned to face them. “Your Noemi. Long ago, I was instructed to kill her, but I’ve never been able to carry out my duty.”
“When did you see her?” Rion stood, facing the other man. “Is she all right?”
“She’s fine. She told me to come here for answers. You’ve given me those answers already.”
Rex leaned forward, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why couldn’t you do it, Patrick? You didn’t kill Rion, and now you’ve spared Anahita as well. What is changing for you?”
Patrick looked steadily at the Sidhe. “I’ll tell you, Reux. Michael ordered me to kill the Fallen known as Anahita. And to use her words, what sort of man would tell me to kill my own sister? And what sort of man would kill his own sister?” He blinked rapidly. “Am I so monstrous?”
Rion’s breath stilled in his chest. Patrick’s words resonated in his memory. There were things he almost remembered, but couldn’t quite grasp. “Your sister. Anahita is your sister. Where is she, Azrael? Please tell me you haven’t hurt her.”
“She’s safe.” He reached out and picked up the newspaper from a table. “But judging from the date, she’s out of step with time. I came from her only an hour ago, but it seems nearly a month has passed.”
Rex went white under his brown skin. “She’s in the Other Place.”
“I don’t know where it was or how I got there. She told me a nymph named Carly was responsible for sending me to the cave, but I don’t know her. I have no memory of Carly.”
“Rex, I can’t see Carly doing anything so hateful. From what Cynthia told us, she has feelings for…” Rion nodded in Patrick’s direction. “I can’t believe she’d trick Patrick into killing his own sister.”
“She would to protect our people.” Rex stood then, moving to Patrick’s side. “Azrael, you must take us to her now. If she’s in the Other Place without the knowledge of the Guardian, she could be in grave danger.”
He shook his head. His black curls were ebony dark in the sunlight. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I don’t think I can fix this.” He looked from one to the other. His face was pale, his eyes bright with emotion. “My poor Anahita… I’ve failed her so many times. I’m sorry, Rion. But I will try. I will try…” His breath caught and he sounded like he was in pain. “I cannot stay here any longer.”
Without another word, he vanished from sight.
“Patrick!” Rion lunged for where he’d been standing. “Damn it!” Rex grasped his arm, and he pulled away. “Patrick!” He shouted as loud as his damaged vocal cords would allow, nearly striking out in frustration.
“Rion.”
He looked over at Rex. The Sidhe’s form wavered in front of his eyes. Tears. How many more betrayals could he endure? How much more fear? For the briefest moment, Rion wasn’t certain he could go on.
But he must. What choice did he have?
As he watched, Rex released the charms that kept his true form hidden. Rion looked around the room, suddenly aware that it was dusk. It was the dusk of the gibbous moon.
Rex stood before him, slender and beautiful. His dark curls tumbled around his head and his hazel eyes glowed green in the dimming room. His wings waved gently, the vivid colors and patterns decorating them were hypnotic.
Rion sighed and held out his arms. Rex walked into the embrace and held him tightly.
* * * *
“Three days, Orion. We’ll book a flight to Edinburgh. We can use the portal there. Perhaps Brita can help us.” Rex looked into Rion’s tortured eyes and inside, he grieved. It was bad enough to live with Noemi’s absence, but Rion’s pain made it so much worse. His memories might not be complete, but inside his heart, Anahita was his wife—his first love.
“There are other portals, Rex. Others that are closer.”
Rex looked up at him and smiled slightly. “True, but in Scotland, we’re taking it back to my—our territory. You were right. It’s time to go home.” He let his hands roam Rion’s steely body. The love he felt for the angel mingled with the raw lust of his rapidly ascending heat. In an hour he’d be in distress, and by tomorrow he’d be in torment he Rion couldn’t possibly comprehend. With Anahita’s help he’d never needed to let Rion know how deeply he suffered during that time. The torment of the heat affected his mind as fully as it affected his body. He reached up and pulled the angel’s lips down to his for a lingering kiss.
“Show me your true self, Rion. Let me see your full splendor.”
Rion’s wings slowly appeared, and his very essence intensified. He didn’t so much change as he became more. His fair skin became so white it glowed, and the cerulean blue of his eyes transcended the most precious gem the Earth could produce. His hair spilled to his hips in a wash of red.
“You are so beautiful. So absolutely beautiful.”
He wanted to take the angel, plunge into his body and fuck until they were both senseless. But Rex kept his touch delicate. This time, while he still had the ability, he’d be submissive. His lover needed some measure of control over his life even if it was just for this hour. There’d been too many revelations this day. Too much sadness and loss. Memory was flirting with his angel and they might not like what Orion’s past held. Rion dropped his hand to Rex’s ass and pulled their hips tightly together.
“Make love to me, Orion,” he whispered against the angel’s beautiful mouth. When Rion forced him backward to the couch, Rex became malleable in his hands, bending, submissive to his touch. Rion ground their hips together and Rex moaned as their cocks grew hard and erect. Rion started at the base, forcing their balls close, and rolled upward, easing only when the pressure became too much to bear.
“Yess…” Rex hissed, letting his head fall back. All of Rion’s pain and emotion spilled over him in a series of sharp, painful kisses, bites to the tender skin of his neck and hard thrusts into his pelvis. Rex submitted, encouraging the rough display. Rion turned him to face the wall. He pulled the shirt from Rex’s back and stripped the jeans from his hips. Rex heard the rustle of clothing behind him as the angel undressed.
He rested his face against the cool plaster, letting his eyes drop closed as Orion ran strong hands down Rex’s back and waist, kneading the firm muscles of his ass. He knelt on the floor behind Rex, nipping and licking at the tender skin of his thighs, his knees and calves. In torment, Rex reached down and clasped his shaft, pumping as the angel continued his erotic tour.
“Both hands on the wall, Reux.”
Rion’s voice was harsh with arousal, yet barely rose above a whisper. His teeth bore down on the firm flesh at the base of Rex’s tail, drawing a tortured cry from his throat. When Rion’s warm mouth closed over the tip of his tail, his legs shook and trembled.
Rion’s chuckle was harsh and low. “I forgot how horny this makes you.”
Rex’s answering laugh was slightly hysterical. He widened his stance when Rion began playing the lightly tufted tip up between his legs, tickling his sac with the soft, felt-like down. Unable to bear any more, Rex pulled his tail free and wrapped it down the length of Rion’s leg, pulling him closer. Rion stood, pressing his erection against Rex’s ass.
For a moment Rion moved away, and Rex’s body sagged in disappointment, but he didn’t disobey orders. He stayed with his face against the wall, his arms over his head. Only his tail moved, swaying gently
, searching for his lover’s body. When the fragrance of lavender wafted into the air he grew even harder, and a tiny bead of fluid trickled from the slit in his cockhead.
Rion dribbled oil over his shoulders. From there, it trailed down his back and belly. Rion rubbed it into his skin, finally reaching the crack of his buttocks. When a warm, slick finger circled his anus, Rex nearly lost control.
“Don’t come, Rex. Not yet.” Rion’s voice was a growl in his ear.
The finger pressed past the powerful ring of muscle there. Rex exhaled, rolling his forehead against the wall. Rion’s finger pumped slowly, deeply. When the angel found his gland, Rex whimpered in pained bliss. Everything about it hurt—the penetration, the rough skin of Rion’s hands and the tart sting of lavender. It was bliss. Rex’s entire body shuddered.
“Please, Rion, just fuck me.”
In answer, the angel bit his neck—hard—and he pulled his hand away. Rex’s cock jerked, and, at the same time, the blunt head of the angel’s rigid shaft was there, pressing, thick and ominous. For a second, Rex couldn’t breathe. They took turns topping and Rex was no virgin, but as always, it felt like the first time. Rion’s cock was thick and long and painfully hard in his ass. He retreated in a smooth movement and returned with a burn.
Rex moaned, leaned forward a bit more and angled his tail to the side. His flesh parted for Rion until finally the angel was balls deep. His ass was so full that Rex felt as though they were tied together. Rion gripped his hips, his fingers sinking painfully into tender skin. Rex forgot about pain as they began a steady, shallow tempo.
Rion leaned into his back, holding Rex close to his body. They came to a stop, frozen in the moment.
“I love you,” he said breathlessly.
Rex swallowed hard. “I know you do, Rion.” He turned his head slightly, letting the angel catch his lips in a hard, passionate kiss. The tiny part of him that feared Orion’s obsession with Anahita began to let go, and Rex eased into the pure intimacy of the moment. Rion began to move again, his strokes growing stronger, deeper, until their flesh slapped and their skin grew slick with sweat. Rex kept his hands braced on the wall above his head, unable to touch, to embrace. He curled his fingers into fists and his arousal grew. He was close… So close…
When Rion’s fingers wrapped around his cock, he gave a shout.
“Not yet—please…”
Somehow he held back, panting and moaning, thrusting his ass back onto Rion’s cock. “Harder, Ri—”
The angel held him in place as he thrust ever deeper and faster. He groaned harshly. “Almost… Ohhh… Together… Together…”
Rex felt the sudden blooming of sweat on Rion’s skin and the way his strokes became ragged and quick.
“Now?”
“Yeahh…” Rion’s hand slipped up his cock, cupping the glans so with every thrust Rex’s cockhead glided over the calloused skin of his palm.
That did it.
Rex cursed through gritted teeth, his orgasm tightening every muscle in his body. He peaked, held and shuddered as his semen spilled in a torrent into Rion’s palm. As his balls drew up and contracted into another spasm, Rion’s climax came with a noisy sigh. Rex felt warm seed pulsing deep within his body. Rion strained against him, his body flexed and taut. When he finished, he wrapped powerful arms around Rex’s body, and his great, white wings drifted forward to wrap them both in a quiet, peaceful embrace.
Rex dropped his trembling arms from the wall and turned, pulling the angel close.
“I love you, Rion. Always. Always.”
Outside, the sun dipped out of sight and the moon crested the horizon.
Chapter Four
Patrick hadn’t returned for her.
Noemi gave a wry laugh in the darkness. She had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been minutes or days, perhaps even years. There was no telling how much time slipped away when the Sidhe started meddling with lives.
She sighed and focused on the few things she had control of. Her wings. After what seemed to have been hours of practice, she could manifest them at will. She knew Orion used his own magic as well as Rex’s charms to help keep his wings hidden, so she must have similar abilities. Hiding them was far more of a challenge than letting them free.
Then there was that celestial glow. His was white and golden, hers had a red gleam, but it was light—enough light to keep her from losing her mind in the tiny prison.
She’d napped, hoping Anahita would be able to go in search of Rex and Rion, but her demonic self was equally trapped in this cage. This led to another problem—hunger.
Not the empty belly sort of hunger, but starvation for the essence a man gave off during sex. She’d grown so used to a steady diet of Rex’s monthly heat that she was suddenly feeling weak and drained.
“Carly, if ever I see you again, you are toast.”
Her voice echoed through the empty little cavern. Anahita anxiously reminded Noemi that when she’d…they’d been taken from San Francisco. It had been the first day of Rex’s heat. She should have fed from him for three days. Granted, having solid, in person, real sex with the Sidhe had been a stunning experience. Factor in Rion—her Kokabiel… Why was she so starved after such a feast?
She should be confused and distraught about the complex turn her love life had taken. Her human mind couldn’t fathom the need she had for both men. She could no sooner decide between them than she could walk away from the succubus who’d quietly lived the other half of her life for so many years. The merging of the two personalities should have taken place slowly over time. What Carly had done to her had been hideously dangerous and cruel. It was a miracle her mind hadn’t shattered. Yet Noemi was strong, and Anahita was as well. She would survive this situation, as she had survived so many times before.
Noemi stood, stretched and paced the cave. On her third lap of the dark space, she realized she was no longer alone. A stunningly beautiful young woman sat on a rock, observing her keenly.
“Hello.” Her voice was melodious and enchanting. Her blonde hair was braided simply. Her gown reminded Noemi of something from medieval times. After all, Anahita had first-hand memory of that period of history.
Noemi came to a halt, her wings pulled tightly against her body in a defensive posture. She blinked as the woman’s image shifted and blurred. In her place sat a wizened, elderly woman.
“Ah, now I can place you. You’re Anahita, from all those years ago. You’re the Fallen my brother Dyffyd botched up so badly.”
Another blur, and a regal-looking woman took her place. Noemi captured a vague, foggy memory of the woman.
“Brita?”
“Aye, child.” She rose and approached. Power emanated from her like a wave.
“I don’t recall the other two.”
“No, you never saw them before, though they’re always part of me.”
“I also don’t recall all that power.”
Brita laughed, the sound echoed off the stone walls of the cavern. “I was young then. I’ve matured a great deal.” She reached out, taking Noemi’s hand in hers. “Your presence here breaks my heart, little Anahita. You should not be locked away in a dark place like this. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Carly happened.” She nearly spat the words in her fury. Brita jerked backward as though stunned.
She quickly gave Brita a rundown of her history and the role Carly had played in her current situation. She didn’t mention Azrael’s role in the whole drama. She didn’t trust this powerful Sidhe just yet, not with her brother’s life. He’d already had authority figures screwing with his loyalties.
“But why would Carly do this?” Brita looked around the cavern. “More importantly, how did Carly manage to put you in here? She has power over the portals, several of us do. But there are very few among us with the ability to shift dimension.”
Noemi gulped. “I’m in another dimension?”
Brita nodded. “Another dimension and out of the flow of time as well. When
Carly put you here, I’m afraid she meant for you never to return to Earth. That isn’t the behavior of the woman I know. Carly is kind.”
“If Carly didn’t bring him here, how did Patrick—” She broke off guiltily. “Oh hell. I don’t see anyone else here I can trust.” She shot the Sidhe a smile. “Do you know who Azrael is?”
Brita’s face went still. “We sometimes know him as Patrick. He’s an angel, but not one of the Fallen. He’s dangerous to those like you. Did he come here? And he let you live?”
Noemi sighed. She’d like to think he’d changed his mind about her, but Azrael had been programmed to follow orders for centuries. Once away from her, he just might harden his resolve.
“He’s God’s Sword. The Angel of Justice and Death.”
Brita paled a bit.
“He’s also my brother. And somehow, your Carly has fallen in love with the big idiot. He doesn’t remember her at all.”
Brita blinked in surprise. “And he’s been here without one of us bringing him? In the Other Place? How did Carly meet him?”
Noemi shrugged, finding a smooth rock to sit on. She was growing drained and weary. “Some of the dark angels can cross dimension. That’s how he was sent to Earth in the first place, but he can’t cross to a location he’s ignorant of. When he arrived in the cave here, it was with sword drawn and ready. He was going to kill me.”
“Your own brother?”
“He had his orders. And, Brita, Carly was the only person who knew my location. She sent the man she loves to kill his own sister.”
Brita slid to the floor of the cavern. Her face blurred, becoming very young and tear-stained. The Maid, the Mother and the Crone. She was grieving over Carly’s betrayal with the tears of youth. The storm passed quickly and the woman’s image blurred again. Instinctively, Noemi knew Brita’s three facets were struggling with how to deal with the situation. Finally, she settled on the Crone.
Heaven Page 4