by Azure Boone
The phone rang somewhere else in the house, and Troy's voice rumbled, then his footsteps sounded down the hall.
He tapped at the doorframe and stuck his head in. "Um, do you know anyone called Devyn?" He winked. "There's some guy, Jake, on the phone for them."
Devyn's heart jumped into her throat. Her immediate instinct screamed NO! but her gaze landed on the empty bed. Karly. Her heart plummeted to her feet. She reached for the phone.
"Jake."
"Hey there, chica." Jake's voice, roughened by years of smoking anything and everything, did nothing to disguise his deep southern accent. The combination with gangster slang gave a chilling result. "We got'sa talk, you an' me. Your girl, Karly, she say hey."
Devyn's blood froze in her veins, and she shivered involuntarily. "What do you want, Jake?"
"Aaw, Baby Girl, I wants you." He laughed, dry sticks rubbing together. "Gots me a homeboy wanting him a taste of that sweet thang." Dropped consonants and endings gave the words an almost musical lilt. Scuffling noises sounded in the background, then a muffled scream. "Dammit, Zip, I said hold her." A loud curse in a different voice, followed by the solid thhnnk of a fist hitting flesh. "Hear dat, Baby Girl? You gots twenty-four hours. Then I give poor li'l old Karly to my boys for a send-off par-tay, and I come and takes you away from that fuckin' preacher." The line went dead.
Devyn met Troy's gaze just before her knees started to buckle. Some warning must have showed on her face, because he lunged and caught her before she could hit the floor.
****
"Oh God." Troy caught Devyn before she hit the floor and eased her limp body down and grabbed the phone. "Hello? Hello? Who is this?"
"They have Karly." The deep voice rumbled behind him.
Troy spun with a startled yell then collapsed in relief. Kassern, leaned against a wall a few feet away, appearing utterly bored, thumbs hooked in his red jeans, coat opened with the creepy cross glowing on his torso.
Troy tore his eyes from the impossible sight. "What do you mean? Who?"
"Her ex-boyfriend."
"Oh shit," Troy whispered, then looked at him. "What does he want?"
Kassern angled his hard gaze at Troy. "He wants Devyn, or Karly will suffer."
"Devyn? Why?"
Kassern pushed off the wall and dropped on his haunches next to Troy and took Devyn's hand.
Devyn came to with a "No, no, no," moan.
Troy helped sit her up, looking at Kassern. "What does he want her for?" Fear and anger deepened his voice.
"To sell her to a wicked man involved in international human trafficking."
Devyn stifled a cry with a hand over her mouth.
Troy looked from her to Kassern. "What will you do?"
Kassern remained crouched and met Troy's gaze. At such close range, Troy could make out the pupils of the angel's eyes, and distinguish tiny flecks of various shades of red, from almost pink, to fire engine, to burgundy, in his irises. "In this body, I'm limited. We'll need to step up this battle plan, I'm afraid."
Why did it sound like he was about to hear the rest of a very bad story? "How does this have anything to do with your mission?"
"Karly's kidnapping might not have anything to do with it, but my guess is, they’re using Karly to get to Devyn in more ways than one, so it’s in my mission's best interest to get Karly back, hopefully safely." Kassern stood. "And when I said I needed to use your home, I’d meant your spiritual home."
"My…my what? You mean my body?" Hard to keep the screech out of his voice.
"Not exactly." Kassern's tone hinted at impatience as he walked across the bedroom to the window and stared at the blinds. Or stared through them.
Troy helped Devyn stand. "You okay?"
She nodded, but she clearly wasn't. There was no masking the terror in her eyes. For herself and Karly no doubt.
Troy jumped when Kassern was suddenly next to him again. "Well what do you need, exactly?" Had he just popped across the room?
Kassern leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms, not meeting Troy's questioning stare. "I need your consummation, to be exact."
"Consummation? Of what?" Had the man lost his mind?
He tilted his head in Troy's direction but still didn't meet his incredulous stare. "Of your union. With Devyn."
Troy choked on a shocked laugh and raked a hand through his hair, more than a wee bit confused. One look at Devyn said she was just as thrown. Please don't let him mean… "Soooo you're saying you need us to…"
"Make love. I need you two to make love." Kassern finally looked at him. "I was trying to let nature take its course but if you want me to do anything about Karly's situation, I need you to open the second portal so that I can make the transformation."
Troy blinked rapidly. "Trans-wait, portal? What?"
"Your first kiss opened the first portal and allowed me to be visible on this realm. The consummation is the portal that will allow me to retain physical form here, and affect the physical world. It's the first step in my transformation into the being that we need." Kassern paused and raised his brows. "To fight? The demonic army I mentioned earlier that is planning to destroy the world within a year?" He twirled a finger in the air, as if to stir memories.
Troy fought to use the logical functions of his brain. "So…you need us to…make love. So you can transform." Okay, logic was not the tool for this. It sounded even more insane filtered through sanity. In fact, it sounded like a crock of shit. He finally dared a glance at Devyn, expecting horror. But at the most, she seemed embarrassed. Was he the only one that saw this for the absurdity it was? Troy sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Can you give us a moment?"
Kassern pushed off the wall. "Take as long as you like. Just not too long." The door shut softly behind him.
****
Troy watched Devyn walk to the bed and sit. "Okay, wow." The words were frail and stunned.
"Do you believe him?" Troy fought to keep the panic out of his voice.
Devyn's wide gaze jerked to his. "As much as I'd like to say I don't, I can't. The man's words just…" her shoulders scrunched with incredulity, "feel too damn true, like my mind won't let me not believe them, like he's telling me hot is hot or-or cold is cold." She put her hands over her face.
"So…you wish…it weren't true?" Troy couldn't help it, but suddenly all he cared about was how she felt about him in that respect. He surely knew how he felt about her, foreign as the concept was, he couldn't deny it. Neither could the arousal straining the zipper of his jeans. From the first mention of making love to her, his body began reliving that dream in vivid detail. But this was a whole lot more than just a damn dream, this was real.
Confusion marred her forehead before understanding smoothed it away. She lowered her head. "Oh…um…I didn't mean it like that." She picked at the shredded tear on the front of her jeans.
Troy swallowed, needing a clearer answer but almost afraid to have it. "Do you…mind…if it is? True, I mean?"
Devyn's gaze got as far as the carpet at Troy's feet. Her answer seemed stuck by the way her mouth opened without words.
"It's okay if you don't. I completely understand. You hardly know me." He felt awful for even asking and hurried to tidy the room, just to have something to do while he fought the disappointment in his gut. Disappointment! Why should he be disappointed? She was being smart! How wicked of him to think that way. Of course she shouldn’t want that with him so quickly. “I’m relieved that you’re not sure,” he folded the blanket. “I mean that’s how it should be, you need time, you deserve stability, and-and romance.” He stuffed the blanket in the closet. “You deserve a man who is willing to sacrifice everything for you, willing to put your needs and desires first, willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe and…” He sighed and turned, startled to find her right behind him.
She grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her lips and gave him the sweetest kiss, shattering his gallant thoughts. “Are you this man, Troy?” She held his
face and gave him several tender pecks.
“Yes,” he blurted, before he could stop himself. But he was. Amazingly enough, he was that man. Ready, so very ready to be those things for her.
She stroked his cheek. “Nobody has ever thought things like that about me, much less confessed them out loud.” The tip of her thumb stroked over his lower lip. "I trust you." She gave him another soft peck. “I need you.” She licked his lower lip, shooting heat through his body. “I want you.”
Her words train wrecked in his mind. First with she trusted, followed by she needed, and last, she wanted.
"I mean…" she drew back, not meeting the stare he fixed on her. "If you want, of course. I'd surely understand if you di—"
"I want to." The words gushed. "I mean, if you want to," he mumbled, removing the I'm a virgin that screamed in his first response.
She met his gaze and he was suddenly back in the kitchen for their first kiss, staring into bright gray eyes full of Cinderella hopes and dreams.
The Prince Charming buried inside him strengthened his trembling legs. He slowly closed the gap between them only to realize he didn't have a clue what to do. All thanks to that experience he didn't have.
Chapter Twelve
Devyn stood frozen – terrified, embarrassed, and thrilled all at once. Troy actually wanted to make love to her. Doubt assailed her. She was a whore, ruined, unclean. A man like him was far too good for a woman like her. The filth that clung to her would rub off, tarnish his goodness.
Troy stood still. She reminded herself he'd never done anything like this before. Had he ever even kissed a woman before her? His skill at kissing seemed to suggest he had, but his behavior said no. Maybe he was naturally talented? Because his kisses soothed her soul. What would actually making love with him be like?
She would never find out just standing there and it looked like Troy wasn’t going to make the first move.
Staring into his eyes, her heart pounding erratically, she moved to stand just inches in front of him. His irises had changed from their usual mild hazel to intense forest green with gold flecks. Amazing.
When they'd kissed before, it had been spontaneous and explosive. This… wasn't. It was the knowing that did it, made it all more difficult. For the first time in her adult life, Devyn hesitated in a sexual situation, making her feel ridiculous.
Devyn laid a trembling hand along Troy's jaw, enjoying the rasp of his stubble against her fingers. Eager, he turned into her hand, sliding his magical lips across her palm. Her nipples sat up and paid attention, anticipating his mouth. She'd never wanted that before, even during relationships, because her nipples were painfully sensitive. But Troy's touch and kiss would never bring pain. How the hell did she know that?
Troy scraped his teeth across the heel of her hand, bringing her completely into the moment – no more memories or comparisons. The world narrowed to just the two of them, everything else falling into insignificance.
Devyn sucked in a deep breath, and let her other hand rise to trace the lines of his strong neck, from jawline to collarbone. Had any man ever been so perfect?
His pulse leapt to her touch, frantic, and he moaned, deep in his throat, when she followed her hand with her lips. God, his skin tasted as good as he smelled! Clean and slightly citrusy with a hint of salt. Damn, she could kiss him all day. She slid her tongue along the ridge of his collarbone, ready to devour him.
Troy shivered, but leaned into her mouth rather than pulling away. He slipped one hand upward along her arm and shoulder to cup it around her neck. The sensation of his calloused hand against her delicate skin sent little sparks skittering along her nerve endings. The strong fingers around her neck could inflict serious damage. That Troy kept that power and strength under control, just for her, constricted her heart in awe.
She stepped in closer, bringing her chest in contact with his, absorbing the heat that radiated from him. While she kissed up the column of his neck, she paused to pay closer attention to pulse points, swirling her tongue or scraping her teeth over them.
Troy brought his other hand up to tilt Devyn's head and bring her mouth within reach of his. With a low growl of possession, he slanted his mouth over hers, teasing her lips apart with his. His tongue swept across the inside of her lower lip, sending delicious little shockwaves through her body.
Devyn moaned, her bones turning to mush. Troy slid his hands around the back of her shoulders and down, trailing fire along her spine, then on to cup her ass and pull her tight against his hips. His hard-on throbbed against her belly, lighting fire in her blood.
"Glad to see you've made the right decision."
Devyn and Troy leapt apart like teenagers caught making out. Kassern leaned against the door frame. He'd shed his coat, and wore just the red jeans. Devyn decided he looked like some freaky houseguest that wouldn't leave. "I'll just occupy myself for a couple hours. Hope you got good TV." He sauntered away, muttering about popcorn and soda.
"You know, there's this new invention – they call it privacy!" Troy called after him.
"You want privacy, shut the damn door." Kassern's voice echoed within the room, even while they heard him opening and closing cabinets in the kitchen. The room's door swung closed on its own.
Devyn was torn between laughing nervously and yelling fuck you! She turned back to Troy, hesitant.
"I think it was closed," he argued. "Why don't we go to my room?" Troy mouthed, attempting to keep the angel from hearing. Devyn nodded and they both crept down the hall. Entering another bedroom, he closed the door firmly behind them. Plain muslin panels filtered the daylight coming through the window, but not so much that she couldn't see the carefully neutral color scheme and compulsive neatness.
Stopping not far from the double bed with its neat plaid coverlet, Troy drew her into his arms. Impatient, Devyn slid her hands up to the back of his head and pressed his mouth down to hers. He smiled against her mouth, and gave her a series of shallow, teasing kisses, backing away every time she parted her lips beneath his.
Playing along, Devyn growled and nipped at his lip, using the leverage to draw his lower lip into her mouth so she could tease her tongue along the sensitive inner skin. When he complied with her wishes, and took over, Devyn couldn't contain her satisfied moan. She'd never known how pleasurable kissing could be. A little voice at the back of her mind warned that it couldn't possibly be so nice with anyone but Troy.
The silky glide of his tongue over hers threatened to send Devyn into orbit. Her pulse sped and her breath caught in her throat in a reaction that might have felt like fear if parts of her body hadn't filled with moist, tropical heat. Instinct insisted she needed to be closer, to touch more of him. Her hands trailed down his back, pausing occasionally to explore until she reached the tail of his work-shirt.
The worn cotton slid up easily to allow her fingers to brush along the heated skin at the back of his waist. She let her hands explore upward, raising gooseflesh in the wake of her light touch. His smooth skin lay close over well-developed muscles – no extra fat – that flexed and contracted in response to her touch. Her hands crept upward, mapping his lean waist, tapered torso, and broad shoulders.
Continuing his assault on her senses with his kisses, Troy brought his hands into action as well. Fingertips soothed and explored the back of her neck, before burrowing into her hair to play along her scalp.
Every touch, every kiss, only served to heighten Devyn's need to be closer. She withdrew her hands from the back of his shirt and crowded them into the narrow space between their bodies to fumble with his buttons. Her first success drew a smile to her lips as he teased at them.
When another button opened, Troy's breathing changed, grew more labored, his kiss more desperate. The rest of the buttons gave way with a rush, and Devyn pushed his shirt over his shoulders and off. Unimpeded, she skimmed her hands over his chest, noting the angles and bulges of muscle and bone. Silky hair tickled her fingers in the little hollow between his pecs.
> Her fingertips swept across his nipples, and Troy sucked in a deep breath and his hips rocked involuntarily, pressing his hard-on against her belly. With a little growl, he caught the hem of her T-shirt and drew it up, breaking their kiss just long enough to allow it to pass over her head.
Hopefully he wouldn't notice her bra. It had been cheap to start with, though expensive to her, and she'd repaired it so much that little of the original garment remained. Just one more raggedy aspect of her miserable little life. Troy had seen the rest, why shouldn't he see her faded and worn bra?
She needn't have worried. Oblivious to her underwear, Troy drew her against him once more, gasping at the first contact of her skin against his chest. Devyn lost herself to the sensations his hands created as they stroked and explored, leaving fire trailing in their wake.
He moved, guiding her, until the bed bumped the backs of her thighs. He sat, tugging gently until she sat beside him. Pausing, he drew back for a moment, studying her face, the fingers of one hand lightly resting on her cheek.
Was he having doubts? Probably thinking the angel could have at least chosen him a clean partner. "Um, listen." She bit her lip, not wanting to say it. "You don't have to do this. Not with me. It's you he needs."
Troy’s gaze narrowed and he shook his head. "He needs both of us. Because I don't want anyone else. Just you." His arms went around her, but he still didn't pull her close, just kept looking at her. "You are so beautiful, so perfect."
Her turn to shake her head. "You know what I am, what I've done." She had to pause and swallow back tears before they could escape. "God wouldn't pick someone like me to be part of some battle against the devil. More likely the other way around. In fact, that's probably what this is." It made sense even though it felt wrong. "Who ever heard of an angel wearing red and telling preachers to have sex with strippers?"