Wrath's Patience (Seven Deadly Sins Book 3)

by R. A. Pollard

  “Annabelle, when two people like one another, sometimes they like to…” Layla started to explain, badly, but she was trying at least. The small child just beamed at her as if she already knew what was happening. Was that even possible? Tan wondered just how old the soul within this child was.

  “I know Mommy. Grammy said that you two would be… kiss… ing. She said that’s what adults who like each other do. So, if you like Mommy, Wolfie, and Mommy likes you, then that means you are going to stay, right?” He swallowed hard, rubbing the back of his neck. It was impossible to look into those blue eyes and not feel your soul laid bared to the world.

  Tan knelt before the child. She held a power he had never experienced before; such pure innocence shone from her eyes that he found he could not lie to her. Reaching out, he tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

  “If your mother will have me.” His eyes moved to the woman that had become his savior and his focus, his love. He loved the blush that colored her cheeks, knowing that just those few words had put it there. She dropped her gaze quickly. Then she looked up, her eyes resolute.

  “Yes, I like him, Belle, is that okay?” Trigger little girl flying through the air and throwing herself at her mother.

  “Yes! I like him, too!” She turned her eyes to the demon. He felt something warm blooming in his chest. The little human liked him. He felt a surge of protective instinct settle around his heart. He knew he would not only claim the mother, he would claim that child as his own, and god help anyone that laid a hand on her. Even the beast inside his soul rumbled in agreement. They would protect what was theirs, and that was this, his family.

  All three of them waited outside the stables as the pegasus flicked out his wings, beating them against the cold air and sending wisps of snow whirling through the sky. Annabelle had staunchly refused to leave the arms of the demon who held her little body on his hip. She had attached herself to his side after all the spluttering and embarrassment had passed from being caught in a make-out session with the child’s mother.

  Layla stepped forward and held out her hand for the animal. The magnificent beast lowered his soft nose down to nibble at her fingertips.

  I thank you, Seer of Nature, for your care of me. If not for you and the Seer of Healing, I might not have been able to recover. You have given me the time I needed to gather my strength so that I might return to my herd.

  Layla gave his nose a soft rub, stroking down between his eyes. She felt him place a little more weight against her body before pulling back. Taking a step back, she gave him a small bow of respect before backing away. The silver eyes of the mystical beast turned to the demon holding the child.

  Dimoni, take care of them. I believe you have the strength to fight against your cursed bond. Small one, remember everything I have taught you.

  Layla frowned, wondering what the pegasus was talking about? Just what had this beast been teaching her daughter when she had not been around? She glanced at her daughter; she would have to ask her about it later.

  Tan nodded to him. Little Annabelle sniffed softly in his arms. It was clear she was going to miss the animal. He tightened his grip around her and she laid her head on his shoulder, watching as the pegasus opened his magnificent white wings and beat them against the air again.

  Layla watched in awe as he beat his wings. He lifted silently into the sky, his legs tucked a little under him with barely a breath of wind. As if propelled by magic, his form vanished from the sky in an explosion of silver energy, leaving silence in his wake. She felt privileged that she had spent time with an animal that held such ageless knowledge and beauty.

  “Bye, bye, Stanley.” Her daughter’s soft tear-filled voice reached her. Layla turned and headed over to where the demon held her daughter close, as if he had always been in her life.

  The sight made her heart contract. But until they knew more about his past how could she promise her daughter a future with this magnificent man? He held her daughter so carefully. Right then, she could not see anyone in his place—not even Richard, who had once meant the world to her.

  She approached the pair and stroked gently over her daughter’s hair. Her little eyes were glistening with silent tears as she continued to watch the sky where Stanley had passed back into his own world. Layla met the demon’s eyes over her head and she felt the heat rush over her cheeks. If it did turn out that he had another woman out there, or a family waiting for him, Layla didn’t honestly know if she would ever be able to let him go.

  Deus walked around the house that Lucifer had, by some miracle and a hell of a lot of money, managed to buy within one morning. With the keys in his hand he walked through the large living room, running his fingers over the rich black leather couch before a large fireplace. It was clear whoever owned this property before had looked after it. No doubt Luci had offered five times the price to get the house. Deus was surprised to admit that he liked it—the open spaces, the huge kitchen, not that he could eat food when he was in his incorporeal form. But still, it was perfect.

  Opening the large French doors to the wooden deck that ran around the house, he stopped and looked over the view from the side of the mountain. White peaks and snow-numbed silence filled the air. Snow scattered in small drifts around the balcony. The air was cold as he breathed it in. Holding that cold deep in his lungs he locked each second of the experience in his memory. He took in every sight and sound, just in case he could not experience this again. Opening his currently brown eyes he took in the huge pine trees that towered around the building, protecting it from sight. The realtor told him that his nearest neighbors were miles away, which was perfect. It would no doubt piss off his brother, but he might just keep the house once he was done here.

  His mind instantly turned to that woman’s picture. Lexi. Those eyes held so much pain, like a raging, rolling storm warred within her. He wanted to see that fire face-to-face, meet the woman that had caused him to need his brother to buy a house in the middle of nowhere. It was probably nothing, but she was important to the young girl. He hated using his power to manipulate anyone, but he had to remember he had another job to do while he was here. If this Lexi was indeed the woman from the video, that would mean she knew the child. It surprised him that the Seer they were looking for was a child, but nowhere had it been written that the Seers were all adults.

  Okay, so where should he try first? The town was filled with enough news vans and damned reporters to call a convention. Deus pushed away from the railing, the cool wind rushing around him and chilling his skin. He loved every second of the cold air. He would need to find another Blighted person soon or he would lose this form—then he would be in trouble.

  His phone began to ring. Deus jogged across the room, leaving the doors wide open to the winter air. He looked at the caller ID and rolled his eyes. If Lucifer was going to keep calling him about keeping the house clean Deus was going to block his calls. He answered the phone without letting Lucifer speak.

  “I swear to Hades, if you keep calling I am going to ignore you.”

  “Shut up, Deus. We need you to keep an eye out. Michael may be on the move soon.” Lucifer’s voice was deadly and Deus knew that meant trouble.

  “Okay, where is this information coming from?”

  “Gabriel. He is… damn it, he showed up here covered in blood and holding a woman, a Seer—coincidently, his daughter. This mess just gets more and more convoluted. Find the girl—ascertain if she is indeed a Seer. If she is, then we will have to deal with it. Be on your guard, Asmodeus, I can’t lose another brother.”

  “Seriously? Gabriel had sex? I didn’t think he knew what his dick was for.” That got him a low growl from the other end of the phone.

  “Enough. We owe him for helping with Sera. I have called Apollo; he is far more skilled in healing than I am. I have her stabilized, for now. As a result of this, do not get comfortable there. I will need you home as soon as you find the girl. Keep me updated.” With that, the line went dead.


  Deus looked at the screen of his phone and curled his lip at the clear command from his brother. He turned his eyes back to the home and sighed. Shame, he would have liked to have remained here for a while.

  “Lucifer, where is my daughter?” The groggy weak voice of the Malakhim came from the bed.

  Lucifer turned his gaze to the angel. He could not believe he had agreed to this. But what could he do? Turn the angel away and keep his daughter? If he were honest with himself, that is what he would have liked to have done; it would have been much simpler.

  “She is resting next door. I have done all I can. Apollo should be on his way. There is too much damage for me to make much of a difference.” He moved to stand at the end of the bed and peered down at the pathetic looking angel.

  “What happened, Gabriel?” He crossed his arms and waited as the angel moved to sit up.

  “Lucifer! Don’t you make him sit up, you grouch. He needs rest and food. Out! Out!” The sharp scolding voice of Isabelle, the Seer of Empathy, filled the room and he visibly winced.

  He could not believe it. He was a leader of the Seven Deadly Sins, and here he was being scolded like a school boy. Hell, if he didn’t feel like one right then. He turned to Isabelle. She just stared right back at him, her violet eyes sparking in annoyance.

  “Isabelle, I need information. We can’t keep you or her safe if I don’t know what’s happening.” Did it sound like he was whining? No, he didn’t think so. He was a leader, leaders didn’t whine. Of course the bright smile she gave him made him doubt he had sounded as stern as he’d wanted to.

  “Aria, her name is Aria.” The angel looked between the two.

  “Aria, that is a beautiful name.” The voice of the Seer washed over the angel’s form, and Lucifer could have sworn he saw the pain leave Gabriel’s face.

  “Look, Gabriel, we will keep her shielded as long as we are able. But I need answers, and soon.” The glare Isabelle shot him could have frozen him in place. She was a highly protective female of those she loved. He was proud to count himself among that number. If someone needed help she was there, and he owed her for saving his brother, Mammon, from madness.

  “Yes, I’m going, I’m going.” He turned back to Gabriel once more. The angel’s eyes were downcast. Lucifer couldn’t believe this was the infamous fighter that had once graced the skies. Right now, he looked like a broken man. His eyes kept trailing to the wall that separated him from his daughter.

  Lucifer hated to admit it, but seeing Gabriel in this state made him respect the Malakhim more. Coming here to the demons meant he had signed his own death warrant, and that of his daughter. Now it was up to the demons to keep the pair safe from the very beings Gabriel had once fought beside. Love did strange things to people. A father’s love, or that of a spouse. It didn’t matter, love made everyone act out of turn. Good thing he had no intention of falling in love—one of them had to remain sane.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Layla covered her daughter with a blanket and tucked her into bed. Her face was still red and puffy from the endless hours of crying. She had not stopped since the pegasus had left earlier in the day, and no amount of soothing had helped quell the onslaught. The two bobcats had made an appearance and now curled up, purring deeply beside the little girl. Layla wanted to lay beside her daughter, comfort her some more, but Buttcheek raised his large head and locked his golden eyes on her. She felt like she was being weighed by some old man. His sparkling eyes might have been wild and feral but he held knowledge only a beast of the wild could hold.

  Go to your mate, female. We shall protect the kitten. His voice rumbled through her mind as he turned his head back to the sleeping child and stretched himself along her body. When he lay down like this he was almost as long as Annabelle.

  Mate? Layla frowned at the bobcat’s words, shaking her head. How did he even know? He was a wild animal. She scoffed at herself. Of course he knew, damned creature. No doubt he could smell it or something.

  Sighing, Layla left the bedroom, leaving the door open a crack. She walked out into the hallway and found the demon waiting for her. His intense blue eyes locked on her form, the shimmering flames sending a fire of her own racing over her skin. He seemed to be holding himself back to keep his distance from her, and the strain was evident on his face.

  “Layla—” He began to speak, but she held up her hand, bringing silence to his lips.

  “Listen Tan, I don’t know what this is between us, this burning need I have to touch you, kiss you. It terrifies me. But I have learned one thing from my life. I am not going to turn my back on something that is directing me, drawing me. I don’t know why we have this link; I don’t even know if I trust it. But Satanus, I trust you.”

  The demon pushed off the wall and walked toward her. Each step he took with purpose, his eyes locked to hers. He stopped before her and looked down into her sea blue gaze, cupping her cheeks with his hands. The heat coming off him drove away the chill in the air, and Layla was lost in those flickering depths. She felt her heart race, her mouth going dry at his proximity. His thumbs stroked over her cheeks, making heat curl in her womb. She opened her mouth to continue and he covered her lips with his finger.

  “Not Satanus. To you, I am Tan, your Tan.” Layla almost let out a sob, but his kiss muffled the sound and swallowed it.

  Layla wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed the heartache from her. Despite how tightly he held her, she knew he would never lift a hand in anger. She knew she could trust him with more than just her heart—she knew she could trust him with her daughter as well.

  That familiar nagging brushed her mind. What if he was married? Had kids? But as quickly as those ideas came he pushed them back, his tongue sweeping deeply into her mouth. She felt him lifting her into the air, her legs automatically moving to wrap around him. She sank her fingers into his black hair and kissed him back with desperation. The burning need to have him, touch him, was like a craving with her body. The sound of her bedroom door being opened was lost in the rushing of the blood in her ears. The darkness of the room enveloped them as he closed the door behind them and turned, pressing her back against it.

  Layla could feel the hard length of him pressing against her. The friction sent a surge of heat curling through her body that enticed her more. She wanted to feel again, wanted to remember how it felt to be so wrapped up in someone that she didn’t know where he finished and she began. Parts of her heart she long thought dead and incapable of feeling again were coming back to life in his arms.

  It wasn’t just the fact he was pure sin, a true demon here to tempt her and seduce her to be his willing slave. It was him—his voice, his scent, the way he was with Annabelle. The burning she felt when his flickering gaze locked on her and followed her around the room like he was a starving beast and she would be his salvation. He kissed her like he needed to taste her more than breathe. To be needed in such a way was thrilling—having someone crave her to the point she felt like she might die without his hands on her body.

  Gasping suddenly, Layla sucked in a breath, letting it out in a long moan. She pressed her head back against the door as his lips trailed along her jawline to her throat, leaving a path of burning skin in his wake. He knew exactly where to touch her, how hard to nip her throat, and just where he needed to lick to make her gasp and writhe in his arms.

  His hands moved to the edge of her shirt and he held her back to the door with his hips alone. In a long sweep of his hands, he had her top off and let it fall to the floor beside them. Then he went back to his task of licking and nipping over the newly exposed flesh along her collarbone, down toward the edge of her bra. The cool of the room made goose bumps rush over her skin and that brought the demon up short. He pulled back and looked her over, his eyes roaming her body, taking her in almost as if he were considering his options. His slow perusal of her body sent a flush of red over her skin; the bastard smirked, his eyes lifting to meet hers.

  “I will not take you like so
me beast against a door.” His voice rumbled low, the words spoken between gritted teeth. He was holding his control. She could see it in the strain of his arms. She opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t care where he took her. His immense strength made short work of keeping her up as he turned from the door and walked backward toward the bed. He went down with her, his body heat burning her front, but the coolness of the duvet against her back made her gasp in surprise.

  “Damn! That’s cold.” A small laugh left her in a gasp, bringing a smile to her lips. The poor demon was looking at her in abject horror, as if he had committed some great evil by laying her back on the cold sheets. She couldn’t help it—the look in his eyes made her burst into laughter.

  “What’s funny? This is hardly working out like I planned, you know.” He sounded so despondent. The big bad demon looked like he was about to pout.

  Layla wriggled under him and gave him a soft push. He reluctantly moved and rolled to his back, watching every move she made like some hungry beast. She moved to the side and got off the bed, grabbing the covers and tugging until the dimwitted man finally caught on to what she was doing and removed his weight from the bed. She turned down the duvet, and then moved to stand before him. With a smile that was all seduction, she proceeded to slowly slide one strap of her bra down, and then the other. Her eyes were locked on his as she unhooked her bra and removed the scrap of lace, dropping it on the floor beside her.

  She had never felt so brazen in her life, standing there with her breasts bared to his gaze. Layla was sure teasing a demon was probably a bad idea, but hell if it didn’t hike her arousal a few hundred degrees. Her nipples pebbled under her fingertips as she slowly circled the dusky flesh and swallowed hard against her dry throat. His heated gaze followed the path of her fingers as she trailed them down her stomach to the button of her jeans. Pausing, she watched him. His chest was heaving hard, his body shaking. The tense line of his jaw made the muscles in his neck stand out while his hands opened and closed in fists at his side.