Deadly Desires

by Jennifer Salaiz

  Things couldn’t have turned out any better between them. As Marcella’s breathing slowed, he knew he’d worn her out. A smile came to his face and he wrapped his arms around her and turned her body to lie along his. He closed his eyes, ready to have the best damn sleep of his life.

  Chapter 5

  Marcella got out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. For the first time in a long time, she felt herself radiating with goodness. Her monthly had come, just as she knew it would. Being with Samael had set certain actions into motion, and there was no waiting over ten years for her collector body to become fertile. From the beginning of this new life, her instincts had told her what needed to be done. And damn if she didn’t want this more than anything.

  Instead of materializing clothes around her Marcella had brought in an outfit that she planned on actually putting on herself. She needed to learn to stop counting on her skills for everything. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things, and it was better if she got into the groove now. She needed to start making herself eat, and it needed to be healthy.

  The gold color of her eyes was especially light today. She dismissed it and slid the loose sundress over her body. Usually she would have worn one of her medieval style dresses, but something was different. She couldn’t understand it. Shrugging it off, she opened the door and headed to the balcony to get some sun. The men were already outside waiting for her. Well, all of them but Samael. He’d spent the last two days buried in his room for reasons she wasn’t sure of.

  “Wow, look at you,” Jason said picking up her arm and letting her spin around in a complete circle. “You look like the Marcy I used to know.”

  She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “I thought I could use some sun. I think my skin is going to become translucent if I keep hiding inside.”

  “Really?” Donavon asked, curious.

  “No, dumbass,” Dominic spit out. “She’s playing.”

  “How was I supposed to know? Geez, Dom. What in the hell has gotten into you lately? You’re being mean.”

  Marcella looked over at him. “You have been pretty different the last few days. Do you want to talk?”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m good. Just stressed. I can’t shake off that dream I had the other day. It was bad.”

  “It sounded like it.” Marcella recalled his dream and knew exactly what he’d seen. Hell, she remembered going through those actual events, herself. Dying at the hand of the Devil, while she carried Jason’s child, wasn’t something she liked remembering.

  The sun beat into her skin and Marcella could feel herself already starting to sweat. She’d forgotten how brutal the Texas sun was. She groaned. “How in the world do you all sit out here all day? I’m baking and I haven’t even been standing here for more than five minutes.”

  Dominic laughed. “Feels like home to me.”

  They all looked toward him and Jason died laughing. “I figured it’d be a lot hotter than this.”

  “Not at all. Quite normal, actually. I mean, yeah, it’s full of pain at every step, but not the kind you think. It’s all emotional. Sadness, anger, sorrow, it’s like a perfume in the air. Everyone has their own internal battles going on. But then you have the really bad people. Now they have to relive what they inflicted here on Earth. Torture times ten. Over and Over. I’d hate to be them.”

  Donavon shuddered. “Me, too. That sounds horrible.”

  “It is,” Dominic said lowly.

  Marcella looked toward Samael’s door. “Have any of you talked with him today?” Her men shook their heads. She was half tempted to go knock on the door, but stopped herself.

  “He’s meeting with the masters.” Dominic continued to stare out into the distance. “It’s that time again. Although”—his eyes narrowed and he looked at her—”I really thought he’d be here by now. He usually gets in at dawn. Maybe he’s sleeping.”

  Just knowing he’d been with the council had her heading toward his room. She gripped the knob and opened the door. His room was back to normal. No dark walls or black silk sheets. She looked at the empty bed and made the ring appear on her finger just so she could see it again. An aching raced through her heart. She almost didn’t want to take it off, but the fact of the matter was they weren’t married anymore.

  “It becomes you.”

  Marcella jumped at Samael’s voice. She hadn’t seen him appear before her. The dark suit he wore fit to his large body perfectly, and she had to stop herself from trying to get closer to him. The ring disappeared at her thought, and she tried not to let the memories of them being together overpower her. The truth was, all she had to do was picture it and she could still feel him filling her completely. The experience was burned into her brain permanently.

  “How did the meeting go?” The last thing she wanted to do was bring up why she’d had the ring on her finger when there was no reason for it to be.

  “Same ol’ bullshit. Nothing we need to worry about.” His eyes raked down her body, and he took a deep breath. “Your scent is stronger today. It happened, didn’t it?”

  Marcella couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “Yes. It came this morning.”

  He nodded, and she watched as he turned his back and walked over to the bar at the far end of the room. She couldn’t help feeling like something was off with him.

  “Are you upset?” Two steps were as far as she got before he turned to her.

  “Upset…no.” Scotch filled his glass, and Samael took a long drink. He turned to her and advanced so fast Marcella felt her eyes go big. The power of his arms locked around her, and he crushed his mouth down to hers. The liquor washed over her tongue and she moaned at their connection. He pulled back and looked into her face. “I’m sorry. I…” He took steps backward with an alarming look on his face.

  “What is it, Samael? Talk to me.”

  “You don’t understand. Now that you’re”—he paused—”fertile, my cravings for you are intensified far worse than I could have ever imagined. You’ll have to be careful. Jason and Dom are compatible with your collector. Give it a few hours and they’ll be pining over you a hundredfold. The moment the bleeding stops, there will be a two day window for them. It’s not like most humans where ovulation comes usually around two weeks. Yours will be immediate.”

  “You said ‘with them.’” Marcella came close to him. “It’s different with you though. When is your window?”

  He threw back the rest of the scotch, and the way his eyes burned into her made her stomach tighten. “It’s the same. But are you sure you think it should be me? Jason is your other half. Dominic is your mate. Don’t you think that would be best?”

  Marcella narrowed her eyes. “Don’t start pushing me away, Samael.”

  “I’m not,” he rushed in. “I just don’t want you to do something you’re going to regret.”

  “Regret?” Marcella shook her head, confused. “Samael, I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you. I was made for you. I want it to be you.”

  The door opened and she watched Jason peek his head in. “Lover’s quarrel?”

  “No.” Marcella looked back at Samael. “It will be you, or it won’t be anyone at all.” She pushed around Jason and nearly ran the length of the balcony. She couldn’t believe this. Something was going on with her dark angel. She could feel his withdraw. He may not have wanted to, but a part of him was pulling away.

  “Hey!” Dominic jumped up and rushed into her room after her. Ambrose and Donavon were right behind him. “What happened? You’re upset.”

  “It’s nothing. I’m just…” She paused and let reality hit her. She was hormonal. Impatient. Crampy. Jumping to conclusions…She smiled. “I’m great.” And she was. She hadn’t felt more human than at that moment. Damn, she’d missed it.

  “Wait…” Dominic shook his head, confused. “There’s something off.”

  “It’s her scent,” Ambrose piped in. “She’s on
her monthly.”

  The men’s eyes widened as they looked at her. “I thought that didn’t happen until after ten years or so. What changed?”

  “I did.” Samael walked in with Jason. “I think you all know Marcella and I were together. Since she was created for me, she’s meant to go through this change the moment we’re intimate. The reason it takes so long if we’re not is because her body has to force the change on itself. But now…”

  “We’re going to have to be careful,” Dom whispered. “I thought we’d have more time. This definitely changes things.”

  Marcella pushed away the nervousness and knew she had to be straight with them. “Do you remember when I first changed into a collector? Samael said that in my past I believed me and Jason’s child was meant to save us all. Well, I think he heard me wrong. A child is meant to save us.” She looked at Samael. “But it has to be the one I was created for. Samael’s child.” She pressed her lips together. “His father won’t kill it. He might kill me, but never the child. It’s what he wants more than anything. It goes hand in hand with why I was created.”

  Samael shook his head. “How do you know this?”

  “I just do. When he created me, he told me things. I saw his desires. He wants an heir that’s more powerful than anything alive. Yeah, he had me. But I wasn’t blood, and he couldn’t control me like he wanted. I held too much good. But someone related, he could corrupt.” Marcella swallowed hard. “This is just the way it has to be.”

  “No.” Samael came forward. “If that’s what he wants, then the last thing you need to do is get pregnant. He’ll filet you alive to get the baby. I can’t live through that again. I won’t.”

  Dominic grabbed her hand. “He won’t be able to get to her if we all change into collectors. We won’t let him.” He turned to Samael. “You can defeat him with the change. I know you can.”

  Samael laughed. “Are you kidding me? You can’t kill the Devil, Dom! Maybe lock him up and throw away the key, but he’s the Devil. It won’t work. Plus, I don’t want the job of running hell. I’m over it. Our best bet is to distance ourselves as much as possible, and try to keep away from him for as long as we can.”

  Clarification dawned. Marcella felt her eyes grow big. “Samael.” She heard his name drag out as images filtered through her mind. Her blurry hand reached for his chest, and she pressed her palm against his heart. The truth sunk into her soul and she staggered back, feeling drained. “I need to see Nemmy.”

  “What.” The word exploded out of Dom, Samael, and Jason’s mouths at the same time. She knew they couldn’t stand the angel who was on the verge of falling, but they didn’t have a choice. Nemmy had come to her with one purpose, and she was about to make his wildest dreams come true. But not yet. First, she needed them to go through the change, and she needed more souls.

  “Not yet,” she whispered. “But soon. First, we do the change.” She took in the five men before her. “Tonight.”

  * * * *

  The adrenaline pumping through Dominic had his demon roaring through his body like a monster. He felt positively giddy at the up-and-coming change, and he couldn’t control his excitement. Nothing felt more right than what he was about to go through. He couldn’t get over the feeling that this was supposed to happen.

  “You’re first, Dom.” Marcella stood in a pair of lace panties, surrounded by a ring of candles. Her breasts rose and fell as she whispered words into the darkness around them. The gold lettering inside of her skin seemed to know what was about to happen. It rippled throughout her body as if it were breathing. He watched, fascinated as he made his way to the center of the circle. The other four men stood just outside the barrier, spread out.

  Marcella pointed to the ground and he took his place lying across the center. The cold, cement floor of their new room felt like ice against his naked skin. Lavender began to fill the air, so thick it made breathing almost impossible. Dominic looked up into her glowing eyes. Words flowed from her mouth that sounded altogether like another language. An old one.

  Slowly, she lowered and crouched down beside him. The length of her hands looked tiny hovering above his chest. This change was so different than Jason’s. At first they’d both thought that she was changing him into a vampire, so she proceeded to bite his human form and feed him her blood. It hadn’t turned out that way at all. Jason had been tortured inside himself for hours while his collector took over. There were no chants involved with him at all. But now…this was the most hard-core ritual he’d seen her do yet. Usually when she took souls she used the candle and lavender, but never circles. It was a bit scary, if he wanted to be truthful with himself.

  Words projected outwardly into the darkness and as Marcella began to read them, he felt the air around them pick up and begin to swirl. Her hair blew out wildly around her body, and the candles flickered, leaving her glowing eyes the source of most of the light.

  “I denounce your evil. From hence forth you will become mine.” Her hands reached for the ceiling, and an illumination began to surface far above them. Dominic felt his eyes widen. “From dark to light to in between, I am your creator. Take my blood and become one with me. Feel my love. My pain.” Words continued to pour from her mouth, but Dominic became so fixated on the spinning glow above him that everything else faded.

  Pain raced down his chest. Dominic looked down to see Marcella’s tongue slide against the cut. The diamonds from her dagger sparkled in the candlelight, and he watched as she sliced open her forearm. “Do you accept the proposal to become my collector forever, until I’m no longer living?”

  “Yes.” The word poured from his mouth with all the commitment he felt.

  “Good. Now, drink.” Marcella pushed her wound against his mouth, and he sucked her into his body like there was no tomorrow. Fire engulfed his insides, and it was pure power. The voice to pull back screamed into his mind, but Dominic wouldn’t. He couldn’t. He was trapped with greed to take in more of her strength.

  Like fingers, pressure crawled its way throughout his chest and stomach. Dominic’s body thrashed, and flashes of Jason’s human form going through the same thing came to him. Marcella jumped to her feet and began screaming the foreign language into the air. The light brightened until it felt like it engulfed him completely. It was so beautiful. It reminded him of what heaven had to have looked like.

  Pain exploded all over him. The light was ripped away as blindness took over. Marcella’s voice still penetrated his sense of hearing. It was the only thing that was keeping him somewhat calm. As twisting erupted in his heart, everything changed. Dominic gasped against the agony. He was dying for real. He had to be.

  * * * *

  Samael stared at the scene in utter shock. He’d never seen anything like it before. Rituals were the old way, but even as far as he could remember, he’d never actually seen anyone perform one. He stared up nervously at the light. Most ceremonies were usually acted out of darkness. Evil. Not this one. Marcella had just bypassed bringing in Nemmy. What she was doing was stripping Dominic of almost all of his darkness, repenting for him, and going straight to the source of all good. Did she know what she was messing with? If God wasn’t aware of her presence before, he sure as hell was now. He had to be.

  The jerking of the demon began to increase. The light disappeared from above, and Marcella lowered herself to sit next to Dom’s side. “My knight. Let go. I’ll be there for you on the other side.” She stroked back his blond curls and he gasped for breath. The life inside of him was dying. Samael yearned to join her side to help this man go through the change, but he wasn’t stupid enough to break the circle. Marcella had already warned them against it.

  Jason reached over and joined hands with Donavon and Ambrose. The men’s fear was quickly overpowering the scent of lavender. They all had grown so close. The bond between the four was unbreakable. Samael knew he wasn’t one of them. Not really, but as the master vampire reached out for him and the shifter held out his hand, he knew they wanted hi
m to be. It was the most acceptance Samael had ever felt from her men. He looked toward where the light had been. A big change was going to happen here tonight, and he wasn’t just talking about their paranormal abilities. Someone from above wanted them all. Samael grabbed their hands and looked at Marcella. Maybe it was exactly what they needed.

  As she rested her head against Dominic’s chest, Samael knew the moment the demon’s life source disappeared. Slowly, she sat up. The way her shoulders sagged and she kept her head down told him that she was having a hard time accepting what was happening. She quickly wiped a tear from her eye and leaned over him. “My gift to you, my love.” She locked her lips to Dominic’s, and he watched as she was jerked forward and light exploded from every inch of her body. It looked just like it did whenever she took a soul, yet this time she had given one.

  Dominic’s body twitched at the connection and he gasped for air. The hands Samael held within his own broke, and the men began clapping and laughing. Samael couldn’t believe that it had worked. Holy shit. What did this mean for the world? Not only for his father but the people above? He looked at Marcella and watched as Dominic sat up. He knew one thing. If God had been against it, he would have struck them all down on the spot.

  Golden eyes stared up at him, and he couldn’t believe they were coming from Dominic. The blue was gone completely. The man he observed no longer was under his control. The tie that linked the demon and Samael, as his master, together, was severed. And as they stared at each other, they both knew it.

  Dark ink began to race across his arms, drawing Dom’s attention. The thick lines swirled around and edged off at odd angles, making symbols in the tanned area of his skin. Just like Jason, a large design covered his chest. His eyes shot up to Samael. As he stood, an unknown fear began to form in the pit of Samael’s stomach. If their new plan hadn’t seemed real before, it sure as hell did now.