Ardeur

by Gavan, Danielle

  Smart mouthed, as always, Valencia suggested a group hug. The suggestion was greeted with a round of disgusted groans, sarcastic snorts and hell no's.

  I could sense Nevan's doubt that Metatron would consent to touching her but she stepped forward, arms open and offered him the hug nonetheless. “Resolution reached?”

  “Sure, an accord.” He nodded at Nevan, crossing his arms around his chest - too much water under the bridge and he was unwilling to let her touch him. He looked at me, and Eleuaphon, who blinked back at him vicariously through me. “Brother...Blessings.”

  Eleuaphon gave one farewell nod to everyone and left quietly. I took a deep, steadying breath and my blue eyes were back to normal. I clapped my hands and stood in my hurry to dispel some of the tension in the room. “Well, that was fun.”

  The room cleared quickly as efforts to clean up and return the room to its original configuration began in earnest.

  Nevan accosted me in the hallway and laid her warm hand on my shoulder. “Thank you, Ardeur. It wasn’t the resolution I wanted, but it’s a start.”

  “You’re welcome.” I gave her a tired smile. “Was there something else you wanted? I’m exhausted and could really, really use a nap.”

  “No.” She released my shoulder and blushed becomingly. “I’ll let you go. I have a few hours of packing ahead of me.”

  I blinked at her. “You’re leaving?”

  “Yes. I had hoped things between Tate and I could be smoothed over but it doesn’t appear that can be done. My reason for being here isn’t valid anymore so I’ve decided to move on. I planned to go soon anyway. Tate has moved on and clearly, I’m not included in his plans for the future.”

  “Safe travels then. I’m sorry I couldn’t have helped more.”

  She smiled ruefully. “It’s okay. You did what you could. I can’t ask for more than that.”

  I returned to my tiny apartment, Shade's chatter non-stop in my head with every step along the way. My body was beyond the point of total exhaustion thanks to Eleuaphon's possession and the only thing on my agenda was several hours of sleep followed by a bubble bath.

  I'd question Remiele about the Nephilim and what that had to do with me later.

  Brody sat behind the steering wheel of his car, the same Shelby Mustang he'd driven when he was seventeen, and stared out the windshield at the blacktop as it rolled by beneath the tires. He hadn't seen the car since enlisting shortly after his eighteenth birthday. It had been shipped back to his family and stored until he'd picked it up the day before.

  The phone call had come as he was leaving Dr. Martals office where she'd told him about Ardeur's demon, her power over the dead and the life on the run that she had been living. His head had already been reeling from the shock of everything he'd just heard and seeing the familiar phone number on his Caller ID had been the last thing needed at that time.

  As much as he hadn't wanted to answer the call, Brody had flipped open the phone and listened to the voice of his younger sister, Isobeal, as it came through the receiver. “You have to come home, Brody. I'm graduating from high school and I want you there when I accept my diploma.”

  He'd argued with her, of course. There was no way he could be at her commencement ceremony if their brother in law was there. Two Alpha wolves who hated each other in the same room was a bad idea in general and sheer idiocy for everyone involved.

  “I can't, Belle and you know why.” He felt like a complete shit for disappointing his baby sister but Brody refused to ruin her graduation ceremony with fighting and bloodshed.

  The sweet laugh that came through the telephone startled him and he nearly dropped the phone at the unexpectedness of it. “That's the best part, Bro. He won't be there. Actually, none of the family but Gran is going to be at the ceremony.”

  “What? Why?” Isobeal's revelation stopped him in his tracks and he had to step out of the way to avoid a collision with another pedestrian who had been walking along behind him. “Where are the rest of them going to be? What the hell is more important than you graduating?”

  “Siobhan just had twins a couple of days ago so she's at home resting and Cal won't leave her side so they're out. Maeve is on her honeymoon in Ireland and Moira is ready to pop any day with her own baby.” The line was silent for a moment, nothing but the sound of their breath and the wind to fill the void. “I want you here, Brody. Please say you'll come?”

  A few hours later, he was on his way back to the city and the family he'd never thought he would see again.

  Isobeal and his Gran had met him at the airport and tried to convince him to stay at the house, but Brody refused. He'd be staying in a hotel to avoid any possible confrontations and was unwilling to bend on the issue.

  The sight of his Mustang parked in the lot had brought an instant smile to his face and Brody had held his hand out to the pretty brunette his sister had grown up to be. “Gimme the keys, Belle.” She'd laughed and tossed them to him without batting an eyelash.

  Brody had tossed his duffel bag in the trunk and slid in behind the wheel with a happy grin on his face after helping his Gran into the passenger seat. His hands had brushed over the smooth, black leather of the seats and the gleaming surface of the dash. “You kept her in good shape, Belle. Thanks.”

  “Like there was ever any choice?” Isobeal snorted from the backseat and scooted forward to lay her elbows on the back of the front seat. “You'd have had my hide if I didn't.”

  He'd laughed and they pulled out of the lot, the rumble of the engine and the smell of his family around him a soothing balm to his wolf. It had been too long since he'd been surrounded by members of his pack and the wolf in him recognized that he'd needed this trip home before going to Ardeur even though the man refused to see it.

  It's too bad things ended the way they did, he thought as the miles flew by under the tires of the Shelby.

  Despite Isobeal and his Gran's assurances that the other members of the family would not be attending, the one person none of them had wanted to see in the crowd had shown his face and made sure that Brody got a clear look at him. It had taken every ounce of will power he had for Brody to stay in his seat and smile proudly as his sister walked on-stage to accept her diploma.

  When the ceremony had been over, he'd smiled and acted happy for his sister all the while seething inside that Calvin had dared to show his face.

  Tracking the bastard down hadn't been much of a challenge when Isobeal went inside with her girlfriends to change out of the crimson graduation gowns all of the kids had been wearing. It hadn't been hard to find Calvin behind the portable classrooms. All Brody had needed was to follow the stink of coward and it led him right to his brother-in-law.

  Brody put all of his military training to use to stalk his prey and pin him against the golden bricks of the school gymnasium. “I've been waiting years to be big enough, strong enough to take you but I won't for my sister's sake. Showing up here was really stupid, Cal, and you can count your lucky stars that I'm in my dress uniform or I'd gut your scrawny ass right here.” The wolf in him was howling with anger at not being able to rip the smaller man to shreds. Calvin might have been Alpha enough thirteen years ago when he'd taken on Patrick Callaghan and killed him, but he was no match for Brody who was both bigger and more of an Alpha wolf than his father had ever been.

  Ten minutes later, Brody had rounded the corner of the school while straightening his tie and nearly ran straight into his sister and Gran. “I have to go. Congrats, Belle. Real proud of you.”

  Isobeal had reached out to his arm and recoiled at the buzz of energy that he knew had run up her arm when it touched his jacket. Her eyes flashed amber and met the gold of Brody's gaze through his sunglasses. The wolf was barely contained under the surface and Brody snarled at her. “Oh shit, Brody. Did you leave him in one piece?”

  “He's alive. For now.” Brody turned away and that had been the last he'd seen of his family. He had hoped that there might be some way to see them without the
old hurt and anger surfacing, but now he knew - the family he had loved more than anything was off-limits to him and would be until his brother in law was out of the picture. Permanently.

  Four hours later, he looked up at the sign declaring the border for the state of Mississippi was five miles ahead. There was one more stop, however, he needed to make before he went back to Oregon. One that would take him to Arizona to ask a favor of an old friend. To ask him to help do something they'd both been trained to do very, very well.

  Alby would know the perfect way to fix his problem without implicating him. He'd also be thrilled to hear that Brody had finally found Ardeur.

  You should be with her instead of worrying about that shithead Calvin. Brody sighed and told his wolf to shut up; he knew what he was doing. Boy, you don't have a clue. You need to get your ass to that girl. ASAP.

  Twelve

  Rae wasn't sure what woke him up a few days after the incident in the library with Ardeur, but something in the air told him that he needed to get out of bed, and now. He'd had the same feeling over the last several days, but never as insistent as it was this time.

  The clock next to his bed read four in the morning and Rae sat up to swing his feet down to the floor. He turned his eyes toward the door, his attention caught by the light shining from beneath the crack along the floor. Someone was up, had just walked past his door and belched loudly as they did so.

  A drunken female giggle echoed from out in the hall and it was enough to draw Rae out of his room. He stood there, incredulously watching as the curvaceous figure that belonged to Ardeur weaved down the hall in what could only be described as stripper gear. His entire body stood at attention as her firm, leather clad bottom swayed with each step of her stiletto booted feet.

  “Like what you see, Angel Boy?” Ardeur swung around to face him. Her thick hair swung forward to curl around the underside of her lush breasts. Rae stepped back at the sight of her eyes, black and filled with menace.

  Rae backpedalled down the hall as Ardeur sauntered toward him. With the way she was dressed, he couldn't help but look at her and everything she had on display. The camisole she had on was the color of rich merlot and stretched so tightly over her full breasts that they threatened to spill out. The hard peaks of her nipples told him she wasn't wearing a bra and that, if he were to try it, her breasts would fill and possibly overflow even his large hands. His palms itched with the desire to give in to the temptation and find out if they would.

  The red leather shorts she had on left little to his imagination by barely covering the round curve of her tight ass or the mound of her sex between her thighs. One quick tug and she’d be bare to him. “Ardy? What are you doing up this late and dressed like a hooker?”

  A slow, malevolent grin spread over light pink lipstick-covered lips. “Right body, wrong occupant. The bitch is taking a nap.”

  That revelation drew Azrael up short and forced him to really look at the person in front of him. Any lustful thoughts that had been building in his head were wiped away in an instant. “What did you do to her? I don't believe she just sat back and let you take over.”

  “Oh, she didn't let me take over,” Shadekar cackled at Rae and danced around the hallway. “You people with all your poking at her shields, the constant fear of being found and that séance the other night have made Ardy weak and vulnerable. She can't fight me off like she used to and I'm loving every minute of it. Have been every night for the last week.”

  The smell of whisky, warm and spicy, washed over him as Rae watched the demon use the woman's body to gyrate around him. He winced at the overpowering alcohol stench and made himself a mental note to bring Ardeur some aspirin in the morning. She was going to have one hell of a hangover.

  “I think it's time you gave the girl a rest and went back to whatever hole you crawled out of.” He watched the demon gear up to spout off and held up a hand. “You forget, demon, that I can remove you from your cozy host anytime she asks. Now, run along and I'll put her to bed.”

  Azrael caught Ardeur's limp body in his arms as the demon released his grip on her. He caught a glimpse of the natural blue of her eyes before they rolled back and the lids came down to cover them. “Sleep, Love. I've got you now.”

  I woke up to the sound of birds chirping on my windowsill and moved to slide out of bed to shut the window. The sharp pain in my temple and the thick feeling of my tongue when I pried it from the roof of my mouth were the first indications that something had gone down while I was sleeping. You got out again, didn't you? How are you doing this?

  Shadekar's snide laugh slid like oil through my head and made me wince. “Nice jammies you've got there, Sister Mary Floozy Pants.”

  “Jammies? What?” My eyes turned to look downward, and I jumped at the sight of the yards and yards of pristine white cotton that covered me from the buttoned collar at my throat to the frilly trim that dangled over my toes. “How in the hell did I get into this? I know you sure as hell didn't put me in it.” I fisted my hands in the soft fabric and looked around for clues as I pulled the nightgown off and threw it in the garbage bin. “What the hell?”

  My bottom was covered in the most modest pair of underpants I had ever seen. They covered me from the top of my thighs to above the dip of my belly button with even more of the virginal white cotton. The crowning insult of the entire outfit was the matronly brassiere that had my chest in a strangle hold, the likes of which none of the bras I'd ever been forced to wear could compare with.

  “Ooh, baby. Now that is some sexy shit there, Blondie.”

  Shade, shut up. This is your fault. Who the hell did this to me?

  A pair of dark blue eyes under a fringe of unruly black hair played behind my eyes and I groaned. Shade let me see Azrael carrying my sleeping form back to my room, wave his hand over me to change the outfit I'd had on to the one I'd woken up in before he put me in bed and left quietly.

  “Damn it.”

  It took me all of five minutes to get dressed, brush my teeth and run down the hall. I knew that Rae would be in his office by now. I threw the solid oak door open without knocking in my hurry to find out just what he'd seen while Shade had been in control. “Rae, what the hell hap…?”

  My sentence stopped abruptly as I skidded to a halt behind a tall man with cropped brown hair and the widest shoulders I'd ever seen. “Oh, sorry. You have company - I'll come back later.”

  Rae leaned over to peer around his guest and smiled when he saw me. “Afternoon Ardy, nice to see you're wearing more than what I last saw you in.” He waved at one of the chairs in front of his desk. “You might want to stick around. I think you know my guest - Brody?”

  The big guy turned and I looked up into a pair of eyes I'd thought never to see again. There they were, the eyes I'd seen in my dreams every night and the dimples - oh, God. He still had the dimples and the roguish smile that had charmed me even at the tender age of six.

  My right hand trembled and it rose to dart out and touch the solid chest that was level with my face. “Oh, shit. You're real.”

  Brody's laugh at my comment was rich, husky and warm like the whisky that I had the night before. His own hand, so much bigger and more tanned than my own pale one, came up and caught mine before I could snatch it back. “I'm real and damn happy to have finally found you, again.”

  “Again, what?” I looked up at him, confusion clouding the blue of my eyes. “You found me before?”

  Azrael rose from his chair and rounded the hand carved oak desk. “I'll leave you two to catch up. There are a few things I need to, um, yeah. I'm just going to go.”

  If either of us heard Rae leave, we showed no sign of it. We stared at each other, mesmerized by the fact that we were finally together again.

  “I brought your bag.” Brody held up the tattered and patched up satchel that had carried everything I owned for the last seven years.

  It took a moment of confused blinking before I realized what he was talking about and was able to for
m a coherent thought. “I, um. How did you get it?”

  He deposited the bag on the chair next to me and then reached to take my other hand inside of his large one. I couldn't help but look down at our hands and notice the differences between us, the obvious ones and the not so obvious, before I pulled my hands free and stepped back out of touching range. It wasn't because I didn't want him touching me; I just never allowed anyone to touch me, ever.

  Brody was dark where I was light, callused where I was soft, and relaxed when I was freaked out despite being thrilled to see him. I opened myself up a bit to taste his energy and what I found had me stumbling back to look up at him, eyes gone wide with wonder. Whatever he was hiding behind the broad shouldered all-American boy looks had eyes that glowed gold when it had looked back at me.

  “What are you?”

  His eyes flashed gold at my question and then I knew. I felt warm fur brush across my skin and the scents of the forest blew over my senses. “Werewolf?”

  “Yep. Just like the rest of my family.” He sat down in the empty chair and smiled up at me before reaching out to take my left hand in his. “Sit with me, please? I'll explain what I meant about finding you again.”

  My denim-covered ass parked itself in the chair my bag was in and I pulled my hand from his. I reached back to jockey the bag around so I'd have more room to keep my trembling hands out of Brody's. I took advantage of the distraction to settle my emotions and smooth my frayed nerves before turning around to face him once more. “Okay, explain.”

  He leaned forward, elbows on knees and let his hands hang loosely between us. I knew he was giving me the option to take them or not and he was going to be disappointed because I wouldn't, couldn't touch him back. I wanted to, so much, but the fear of rejection ran deep. Shade had been successful in that endeavor. I would never be comfortable with anyone touching me.