Redeemed In Shadows

by Tigris Eden

  “Bitch, don’t fucking die on me again.” He said seriously and then hugged her again before setting her down.

  “Roger that, no dying next time.” She smirked at him and then looked to Jes and Belinda. “Maybe we shouldn’t tell him just yet that I’m fully human and eventually I’ll die.” She whispered in a sarcastic tone.

  “It’s not funny.” Dietrich said and stepped out of the way to allow Belinda and Jes a turn.

  Jes approached her, squeezing her around the waist. She pulled back so she could look at the other woman from head to toe.

  “Don’t get any ideas about dying again you hear me,” Jes pulled her back into another hug before Belinda took over and hugged her tightly as well.

  Draven stepped forward and squeezed her on the shoulder.

  “Glad to have you back, Xee.”

  Xee blushed and smiled.

  “I don’t go by Xee anymore, its Hale, or Kapua. Take your pick.”

  “Damn good to have you back, and glad that pink shit is out of your hair,” Royce laughed pulling her into a one-arm hug.

  The woman that stood before them was happy and vibrant. It almost made things complete. She was dressed in jeans and a band t-shirt. Her hair a silky brown with blonde highlights made her hazel eyes stand out. It was long and almost to her waist, the sides no longer shaved. A pair of dark shades was atop her head holding her hair back from her face.

  “Yeah, well the hair is temporary. As soon as I can, I’m going back to pink.”

  She looked back at Michael and smiled. He nodded and quickly disappeared.

  “So our interpreter huh?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got tons of knowledge to share.” Her smile faded, but quickly returned. She covered it with a cough.

  “I want to apologize for my part in the fuckup.”

  Dietrich silenced her with a shake of his head.

  “Wasn’t your fault baby girl. Relax, we all know what happened. Rest easy.”

  Kapua nodded and clapped her hands.

  “Alright, let’s look at this piece of the puzzle.”

  They walked over to the table where Adam, Hawke, Sam, and Ronin all greeted her with head nods. She grabbed the piece of vellum and read aloud.

  “Retrieve the Cup of Life and fill it with the blood of The Source.”

  Again, it made no sense to anyone. What cup and who was the source.

  “This is referring to the Cup of Life, and I don’t know what blood. Therein lies the catch.” She said rubbing her forehead.

  “Ain’t that some shit! We get you back only so you can tell us about a cup and some blood.” Royce tapped his head in a joking gesture. “You’re smart girl. Please tell us you’re manning the computers too.”

  She nodded and there was an audible sigh from all. Faith chose that moment to come strolling in and headed straight for Kapua, wrapping her arms around her legs. Their recently returned to life friend, knelt so she was eye level with her.

  “Hey there beautiful princess.”

  “Caleb said you’d be back.”

  “Caleb?” Kapua asked. Jes took that moment to fill her in on Faith’s imaginary friend. Because of this imaginary friend, her daughter would act out as only a baby would. Constantly crying over any and every little thing. Wanting to be held all the time and only by Jes and Draven. The other woman only nodded and winked at Faith.

  “Well gorgeous you tell Caleb, he’s one smart cookie.”

  Nodding Faith smiled and bounded through the door out into the hall.

  “You’re probably tired, why don’t I show you to your room. We can all talk later, and you can tell us everything.”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Chapter 27

  Time passed differently in the Black Veil. How much time Gabe could not say. What he did know that with each passing moment he only missed her more. Ached to hold and smell her. Tropical blossoms fragrant with coconuts and warm sun. He pulled in a deep breath and was rewarded with her scent. A figment of his mind surely, until he felt the presence of his brother. He spun around only to find her not there, but her scent lingered where his brother now stood.

  “You were with her.”

  It wasn’t a question but a statement, and Michael didn’t deny it. It told him she was in one the three realms, all of them good. He didn’t want to know which realm, because then he would be tempted to go.

  “Just tell me she’s happy.”

  Michael stepped forward and took a knee.

  “It pains me to see you in such a state brother.”

  Highly unlikely. None of his brothers stopped by to see him. Not that he expected them to, and if he ever saw the youngest of his siblings, he was going to kill him. Repeatedly. It seemed that Michael only stopped by to gloat, at least that’s what it felt like. Why else would he be here? But the scent of her did more than tempt him. It tortured him.

  “I asked if she was alright.”

  Michael looked up at him with sad eyes.

  “She is well and adjusting. I’ve come to offer you a deal.”

  A deal?

  “What kind of deal? It didn’t matter, any deal he was offered would never be good enough.

  “I want no part of any deal. I want to be left alone to collect and escort the dead. It’s what I do.”

  His brother stood gripping Gabe’s arm tightly.

  “I offer you a chance to be with her again. To hold her again. Make her yours forever.”

  His heart skipped a beat before it beat wildly in his chest. There was no way that was possible.

  “Fall.”

  “Fall! So I can be hunted down like a demon and sentenced to a true death.” He laughed.

  “No, I’ve looked into this, it is possible. I’ve talked to the Warriors, there are stipulations. There are conditions.”

  Gabe grabbed his oldest brother by the throat, hell bent on choking the life out of him for trying to offer him a taste of freedom. It was impossible. Impossible! He knew it, his brother knew it and still he came to his place of rest to tell him lies.

  “It’s possible. And it’s been sanctioned.”

  “How?”

  Slowly he released his brother. If he didn’t like what Michael had to say he was going to beat him into the next century.

  “You will be on a sort of probation. Your powers will be stripped down to what they were before. You will no longer be an Angel of Death, but one of the Fallen though without their limitations. You won’t have any of their weakness as long as you don’t take another’s life, and you check in with Grey once a month so that he can see for himself that you’ve not soiled your hands.”

  “That’s it? What about Xee?”

  “She goes by Kapua now, and as long as you are alive, and she agrees to tie herself to you, your lifeline will be hers. You die and so does she. You kill, and she will be hunted just like you until you both meet your deaths.”

  “And all I have to do is fall?”

  “Fall.”

  

  Six Months later.

  Kapua wiped her eyes for the hundredth time. She was tired of looking at the computer screen. The words were starting to run together. They’d been searching endlessly for the Cup of Life, and there were hundreds of references to where it may or may not be hiding.

  “Dinner is going to be served on the fourth floor.”

  The cafeteria was still open but the team had taken to eating on the family floor now that Bells was in the last stages of her pregnancy with the twins. Everyone so lovingly refer to them as Thing 1 and Thing 2. The fathers were forever doting on their woman and giving her anything she wanted.

  “You coming or what?” Jes asked. It was hard for the other woman seeing her best friend growing with children. You could see it in her eyes.

  “Yes beautiful, I’m coming.’

  Jes smiled blushing at her words. Funny thing about not having Micah, she found women beautiful, alluri
ng even, but since Gabe she couldn’t entertain the idea of being with another woman or man for that matter. A large part of her suspected Micah was the reason she was with women, and an even larger part thought that even if Micah hadn’t persuaded her she still would have gone that route. But now she entertained neither. She worked long hours and exhausted herself so that when sleep finally claimed her she blacked out.

  The computers all had to be moved upstairs to the first floor, because she could no longer enter the H.I.V.E. She was human now and the gate wouldn’t allow entrance to a human unless they were dead. So now, she had her own office next to her sleeping quarters, which were also on the first floor. Some of the Lycans and other immortals that were housed at the Unit’s headquarters weren’t comfortable with her being around, and she was okay with that. Dietrich told her they’d warm up to her soon, just as they had with Ann. But most of them saw her as a traitor. She thought maybe if she’d dyed her hair back, they’d accept her, but she knew that wasn’t it. She hadn’t colored her hair, and didn’t think she would. She had pierced her nose and ears again. She’d left the lip ring out but had gone back to getting her tats. Not as many as she had before, but if she kept going out with Ann to her artist, she may have even more than she did before.

  “See you up there, don’t work too late. Shut it down in five.” Jes scolded.

  “Yes ma’am.” Kapua saluted.

  Ten minutes later, she was on the fourth floor where the others were all sitting at the table and passing plates of food around. Adam and Hawke were laughing at something Sam said. Reese and Faith were playing paper-rock-scissors, and the twins both had a hand resting on Bells swollen belly. Draven had Jes in his lap nibbling on the side her neck and Dietrich was shoveling mashed potatoes on his plate while Ann asked Adam to pass the salt. This was her family. The only people missing at their dinner table were Gabriel and Dravaggio. She sat next to Faith and her friend. She and Jes’ little girl had been spending a lot time together over the past six months. Caleb was wily and headstrong and Faith didn’t know how to control him, so Kapua set about teaching the little girl how to handle her brother. Grey had even stopped by a few times to help with Caleb, but he was so stubborn, just like his mother and father.

  Her heart heavy now that she was thinking about Gabriel, she ate in silence. Only responding when someone asked her a question. After dinner, she helped Jes and Belinda with dinner and made her way into the gym for her nightly swim.

  The water was warm as she swam. Lap after lap pushing her body until she was exhausted.

  One more lap and then you can fall asleep. Over the last six month, she found on the nights she worked herself into exhaustion she slept peacefully. On the nights she didn’t, she relived horrible and beautiful moments from her past and every one of them gutted her to the core. She’d opened herself only to be taken from him. But it wasn’t anyone’s fault. During her time in the Hall of Records with Michael, he’d explain the fates, and the threads and how everyone mortal and immortal had a purpose in life. Her purpose was to endure all that she had so that she could be the person she was meant to be in the now. Some days to her, it seemed she was a glorified tech head slash librarian. But when she looked closely, she was helping to save the world. Really, it was an honor to be a part of something more, but a smaller part of her wished she could have had a normal life. Normal without knowing about immortals, normal in the sense that she found love and received love in return. Because at the end of the day that was all anyone wanted. Acceptance. Comfort. Understanding. Security. She would have had those things if Gabe had stayed.

  Gabe couldn’t stay, and she wasn’t able to go with him. The Fates were such bitches!

  Falling into her bed after a hot shower, her bones were liquid, her body relaxed. Kapua grabbed the nearest pillow and closed her eyes.

  “Blossom.”

  There were nights when she swore she could hear his voice. Guess it’s going to be one of those nights. Sometimes in the faint light of morning, she swore she’d see him outside her window. His voice soft and lulling as he whispered to her.

  “Blossom, I’m here, this is real.”

  Right. She was going crazy now. The covers were pulled down her body and the bed dipped as phantom hands caressed her shoulders sliding down her arms to rest on her hips. Warm lips dipped in honey claimed hers in the sweetest kiss that quickly turned urgent. She opened her eyes and came face to face with Gabriel. It couldn’t be him. She was dreaming again, she was sure of it.

  “How are you even here?” she whispered against his lips.

  “Explanations later. I have to touch you. I need to make you mine forever. Do you accept what I’m offering?” His voice was a soft rumble, but serious all the same. He claimed her lips again in a harsh kiss that was almost painful. Wrapping her hands around his shoulder, she pulled him closer not wanting the dream to end. Because that was what this was, a dream.

  His hands were rough as he tore at her tank top and ripped her panties. Spanning her stomach with his large hand, he kissed a path from her mouth to her chest giving special attention to each breast. He suckled and nibbled her sensitive skin. Kapua cried out as her body heated and her heart raced. They needed to slow down or she’d combust. He was moving too quickly as he kissed her, his mouth hot, devouring every inch of her skin.

  “I’m never leaving you again, and you’re never leaving me.” He rushed to say, against her stomach. Her hands in his hair, she tried to pull him to her mouth again, but he refused as he descended to the apex of her thighs. He kissed her hip, then back down to her pelvic bone, but kept avoiding the place she wanted him to explore the most. “I’m going to taste you everywhere Blossom. I want the taste of you on my tongue.” A finger dipped inside her heat and they both groaned. This was the best. Dream. Ever. He used his thumbs to open her wide as he swiped his tongue through her slit. She squirmed beneath him as he continued to taste her with his mouth, making her thighs shake with each pass of his tongue. Gabe hummed as he latched on to her clit, pulling the bundle of nerves into the heat of his mouth making loud sucking noises.

  “Gabriel,” she gasped sucking in as much air as she could. His hands moved beneath her ass, hoisting her up so that he could continue to feast on her as he used the flat of his tongue to stroke her from clit to opening repeatedly until she was screaming his name. Her back arched up off the bed and her legs clamped around his head as her thighs shook from her orgasm. She lost control of her body’s movement when he added a finger and began to fuck her with his tongue and his hand. Their eyes clashed when he looked up at her briefly and in their depths she saw that he meant to claim, meant to keep her, and she was totally on board with that. He didn’t wait for her orgasm to reach her, but she knew he felt it coming because he rose up on his knees, grabbed the length of his cock, and thrust deep.

  It was perfect.

  Sublime.

  “Yesss.” His hiss of pleasure only served to ramp her up more as her body adjusted to him. Endlessly, like a machine he drove his steel hard cock into her until sweat glistened on their bodies and she could no longer hold her legs open. Her muscles cramped in exhaustion and when she would have lowered them he shook his head and dipped low so that his shoulders would support her legs, which only opened her wider for his commanding thrusts.

  “Look at me, see me.” Gabe whispered against her lips. She saw him in the darkness his champagne eyes a glow with desire she was sure her own eyes reflected. She reached for his chest to pull herself closer to him, her hands clasping her ankles, stretching her legs further.

  “Grip my cock, baby. Squeeze me with your beautiful pussy.”

  She did as he asked and flexed her muscles repeatedly, triggering another orgasm that vibrated the muscles between her legs. She clamped down as hard as she could on his length and enjoyed hearing him cry out in pleasure.

  “Fuck, do that again and this will be over,” he groaned against her lips. Gabe pulled out, while taking one of
her legs in his hand to roll her to her stomach. Kapua giggled, she felt like a rag doll being moved this way and that as he arranged her on all fours before entering her from behind.

  She could barely hold herself up as he slammed into her once, twice, three times. On his fourth downward stroke, his hands gripped her waist and his mouth latched onto her neck and shoulder where he sank his teeth in.

  Son of a bitch! She convulsed falling forward taking Gabe’s weight as he fell on top of her still moving inside as he released his seed into her. His growl muffled as he still had her neck in his mouth, her blood running in warm rivulets down her back and front.

  “Now we can talk.” Gabe said against her neck, his voice warm on her skin.

  “No, sleep first. I’m fully human Gabe and make sure I don’t bleed out from your love bite.”

  He pulled her into his arms where she was half on half off his body. He licked her wound then pulled her tighter.

  “Sleep little one, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  

  Gabe watched Kapua sleep. She held tight to him as if he wasn’t real. He listened to her breathe, watched her chest rise and fall and with each compression he knew this was going to last. It had taken him months to reach her. Now that he was Fallen, there was a completely new set of rules that applied to him. He couldn’t kill out of malice or revenge or it would stain his soul. Self-defense was his only option and it was suggested he not put himself in any predicament where he would need to defend himself. His wings were blacker than midnight and once a month he had to check in with the brothers Grimm or he’d earn a ticket straight to Hell. All were acceptable terms as long as he could be with Kapua Hale.

  Did this mean when they mated she would take his last name? He didn’t have a last name; he was Gabriel, Harbinger of Death. But he was no longer the Harbinger, just Gabriel. Maybe Black or Death would be a suitable last name. Kapua Black. Kapua Death. Kapua Hale-Black. Kapua Hale-Death. Hell, none of those worked. Gabriel Hale? He wasn’t going to stress about last names now. Later, after they had a chance to talk.