Unwrap Me (Storm Lords Book 4)

by Nina Croft

  He came up on his elbows and stared down at her. Holding her gaze, he slowly pulled out of her, and she wrapped her legs around him, dragging him back. The sensation was an exquisite combination of pain and pleasure. He was so big, he filled her, stretched her. Made her feel as though her skin would burst from the sensations running through her.

  He was moving so slowly. She’d forgotten how it was between them, or maybe she’d been trying not to think about it because it was so good, and anything this good would cloud her judgment. Likely, she would do anything to experience this again.

  She put the thoughts from her mind, closing her eyes, concentrating on the pleasure coalescing in her sex, in her breasts and belly. She could feel him everywhere, as though he was taking her over, remaking her, combining them until they were one and she would never be free of him.

  She arched her back, trying to get closer, and now, with every stroke, he ground his hips against her most sensitive spot. Inside her everything was tightening, building, expanding, then he filled her deeply, rolled his hips, and she came in an explosion of pleasure that went on and on.

  She sensed him spill inside her, and finally, he collapsed onto her then rolled so she lay on her side facing him, her body replete.

  Words of love welled up in her mind, but she swallowed them down before they could be spoken. She wasn’t ready yet. Not ready to forgive him. To trust him. Love had never been an issue.

  But her breath held as she waited for him to say the words. Always, after they’d made love, he’d told her how he felt—over and over. I love you, Zaria. As though he’d known that she needed the reassurance. She had never been totally sure of him. How could an angel love a sinner like her?

  Instead he watched her, almost expectantly, as though waiting for her to speak. To break the silence, and part of her wanted to, but another part of her wanted him to suffer just a little bit more for what he had done to her. Maybe she wanted him to ask for forgiveness.

  Finally, he spoke. “You’re mine. You’ll always be mine.”

  Not the words she needed, and something broke inside her. Maybe he didn’t love her anymore. Maybe time had cured him, and this was just...

  But the expression in his eyes spoke of a love deeper than she remembered.

  Why couldn’t he say the words?

  She knew in that moment she would forgive him anything if he would just tell her he loved her.

  CHAPTER 15

  It was like flying but without leaving the ground.

  She was going to get a Harley; her parishioners would just have to get used to it.

  Though it did make her very conscious of the ache between her thighs. Reminding her of the fact that they had made love over and over through the long night.

  And it was cold. At seven in the morning, it was still dark and the air frigid.

  But she’d never been on a Harley, and she hadn’t been able to resist.

  Devlin was driving slowly as the roads were icy; even so, a freezing wind seemed to tear through her. She was wearing a leather jacket he had loaned her, and her arms were wrapped tight around him, so at least the front of her was warm. The rest... Brrr.

  She spent the journey going over in her mind what she was going to ask him. She needed answers. And she wanted them now.

  They finally pulled up outside the vicarage. She sat still, not even sure she could get off.

  Devlin managed to swing his leg over without shifting her. He turned to face her, tugged off her helmet.

  “Christ, we should have brought the truck. I’m sorry. I don’t notice the cold.”

  She shivered. “No. It was an experience. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

  He snorted, then rubbed her shoulders. And her circulation slowly returned. Finally, without any warning, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the drive to the front door. “Key?”

  “Under the plant pot.” She nodded to a dead-looking geranium by the door.

  Without letting her go, he crouched down, retrieved the key, and opened the front door.

  Once inside, he put her to the floor and then kissed her. For a moment, she melted—some much-needed heat flowing through her system.

  Then she stiffened her shoulders and pulled away. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  He glanced away, looking immediately shifty. “With what?”

  “How about we start with what were those things last night, and why did they want to kill me?”

  He smiled, and she immediately felt herself tensing, gearing up for a fight. “How about we talk about this later?” he said. “You’ve got a service, and I’ve got a meeting.”

  “A meeting with whom?”

  He shrugged. “No one you know and nothing important.”

  And why did she get the idea there was a whole lot of stuff he wasn’t telling her. “Humor me.”

  For a moment, she thought he wasn’t going to answer. Then he shrugged. “Gabriel.”

  The name meant nothing. Then shock hit her hard. “As in the Archangel...”

  “Yeah, that one. He’s an asshole.”

  The Archangel Gabriel was an asshole. Who would have thought it? “So why are you meeting with him?”

  He glanced away again. Looked like she wasn’t going to get an answer. He was hiding things from her. Important things. But right now, she had a service to perform. And she had a feeling extracting answers from him was going to be a slow process. He had secrets he didn’t want to share. Stuff that he obviously believed she wasn’t going to like. And no way was that happening this time. She wanted full disclosure.

  “You’ll come back after your meeting with... Gabriel?” She found it hard to even say the name. How would her congregation feel if she told them her “husband” had a meeting with the Archangel Gabriel this morning? They’d probably have her locked up. Surreal.

  “I will.”

  “And we’ll talk?” She suspected talking wasn’t going to be one of his priorities.

  “Soon,” he said. “There are reasons. Good reasons why I can’t tell you everything now. But soon. I promise.”

  “Just tell me one thing. Those…demons from last night—are they gone?”

  “They’re gone. We have people watching the place, and Torr has set up wards around the town. Nothing bad will get in.”

  And she supposed she’d have to make do with that.

  For now.

  CHAPTER 16

  Since Torr had called him early that morning, Devlin had felt as though he was on borrowed time. Torr had finally gotten hold of Gabriel, told him of the army Lilith was amassing, and Gabriel had agreed to meet with them.

  Devlin needed to know what his options were. Actually, he needed to know if he had any options. He thought it unlikely. But he had to make sure.

  While the Archangel had offered Finn a deal, the difference was Finn had had something to bargain with. An army of werewolves. And still, in the end, the price Gabriel had asked was too high to pay, and Finn had walked away. Or rather, he’d told Rachel, and she had refused the offer.

  Devlin had nothing but himself.

  The meeting was to take place in a bar close to Stormlord Security’s office. Torr was coming with him, probably because he didn’t trust Devlin to keep his cool. He hated Gabriel. Yes, they’d done wrong all those years ago. They’d broken the laws of Heaven by stealing the Elixir. They’d deserved to be punished. But it was Gabriel who’d decided the punishment. Had their wings torn from their backs and had them cast into the Abyss. Devlin was betting he’d soon come to regret that decision.

  It had never occurred to Gabriel that Lilith would offer them sanctuary and more. That allied with Lilith, their powers would grow beyond anything Gabriel could have imagined.

  He was already seated in a booth at the back of the bar when they arrived. The place wasn’t open for business at this hour, so they had the room to themselves. Gabriel glanced up as they stopped by the table, gave a small nod.

  D
evlin slid into the seat, and Torr sat down beside him. He’d agreed to let Torr do the talking.

  “Is there any way you can save her if the terms of the Covenant are not met?” Torr asked.

  “There’s nothing I can do.” Gabriel gave a small shrug. “I’m sorry.”

  Beneath the table, Devlin’s hands fisted at his sides. “Or is it that you don’t want to do anything? Don’t tell me you couldn’t save her if you wanted to.”

  “Maybe. But the price would be too high. Lilith won’t bargain with us. She’s too powerful. We can’t offer her anything now; it would tip the scales in her favor.”

  Devlin had always known it was a long shot. All the same, the bands of fear tightened around his heart. He had a flashback to her expression that morning as he’d left her. She wanted answers. And he couldn’t give them. Not yet. She already distrusted him, and now she suspected he was hiding something from her. No way was she going to say I love you until she found out what.

  He couldn’t lose her. Not again. More than that, he couldn’t allow her to die because of him. Not a second time.

  “She was innocent,” he said.

  “She drank the Elixir.”

  “But she believed it was freely given. She didn’t know that we stole it. She thought it was a gift from God.”

  Gabriel snorted. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “She thought God loved her. That he cared, and that he wanted his people to be happy. She still believes that. She does God’s work.”

  Gabriel glanced away for a moment. “There’s nothing I can do. Lilith won’t release you from the Covenant, and she won’t bargain with us. She wants you back. Even if you’re no longer of use to her. I presume you are no longer of use. You won’t do her bidding?”

  “We never did her bidding,” Devlin growled. “Just for a short while her desires were in line with ours. And whose fault was that? If you’d handled things differently... They didn’t deserve to die. They threw her from a goddamn tower. You were responsible for that at least as much as us. And for what came after.”

  Gabriel stared him in the face and for the first time, Devlin saw some expression in his eyes. Regret, maybe. “You think I don’t know that?”

  And in some ways that made it worse, and he knew it was over. There was really no way the Archangel could help them.

  “What if Lilith was dead?” he asked.

  Gabriel’s nostrils flared. “If Lilith was dead, then the Covenant would be dissolved. But there’s no way you could kill her. She would have to die in the Abyss, and she’s too powerful. Only an archangel’s sword would kill her. And you’re not an archangel.” No, but Torr had been. “It would be suicide to even attempt it.”

  With that Gabriel got up. For a moment, he hesitated. “Whatever you believe, I’m sorry. I would help if I could. But my hands are tied.” And he walked away.

  Suicide. Damned by God. But what would that matter if he failed? He would only have a limited time left anyway. If Imogen died, then he would belong to Lilith once the years of the Covenant were over, and while he wouldn’t do her bidding, he wouldn’t be free to do his own, either. He would be a slave. He’d already decided that if it came to that, he would ask Torr to end his life. They were almost impossible to kill. But Torr’s sword would do the job.

  “It’s not over yet,” Torr said from beside him. “You have two more days. There’s still time. Go to her. She loves you.”

  He knew that. And he was pretty certain Imogen knew it as well. That didn’t mean she would say the words.

  But what choice did he have?

  He’d go to her. Try and show her how he felt, show her what he wasn’t allowed to put into words.

  And maybe he’d pray.

  CHAPTER 17

  She was on autopilot through the service. Usually, going through the familiar actions and words soothed her, but today she couldn’t stop the nagging doubts.

  If she let him in again, then she would open herself up to the pain of loving and losing.

  Because if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Devlin was hiding something from her, probably more than one thing. Just as he had all those years ago. It was all very well for him to say he would tell her everything soon.

  What was wrong with telling her everything now?

  Unless he knew what ever he had to tell her, she wouldn’t like.

  And she was aware of John in the congregation. He never came to the weekday sermons. Not many people did, though this morning the church was packed. Because it was close to Christmas, or because they’d had a brush with evil last night and now thought a bit of praying might hold them in good stead? Or perhaps just curiosity. Maybe all those things.

  John had tried to talk to her before the service, but she’d managed to avoid him. She wasn’t sure how long that would last.

  She stood in the doorway after the service, saying a few words to each person as they left, even if it was only Merry Christmas. And she was aware of John hanging back. She considered making a run for it. But John was a friend. She’d even thought that he might be more. If she could get over her hang-ups.

  Looked like that wasn’t going to happen now. Her hang-ups were here to stay. At least she understood where they came from. She wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse.

  Anyway, she at least owed it to him to face up to him.

  She plastered a smile on her face. “Merry Christmas, John.”

  “You didn’t go home last night.”

  Okay, she owed him, but not that much. “How do you know that?”

  “I came to check up on you. After what happened outside the church, I needed to make sure you were safe.” She was considering what to say, but she clearly took too long. “Is that really who you want? Some tattooed biker in leather? I thought we had something.”

  She could hear the suppressed anger in his voice. “You’re my friend, John. That hasn’t changed.”

  “You couldn’t have told me you were married?”

  What was she supposed to say...that she had forgotten? Maybe that she wasn’t even sure she was married now. Did it count when it happened in a previous incarnation? She could feel hysterical laughter building up inside her. She was pretty sure that wouldn’t go down well. “I married him a long time ago. I haven’t seen him for years.”

  “And yet you spent last night with him?”

  “That’s really none of your business.”

  “And you don’t think it’s a coincidence that your ‘husband’ turns up on your doorstep and then those...things appear soon afterward?”

  Nope. She didn’t believe it was a coincidence at all. But she had no clue why they had come after her. Because Devlin wouldn’t tell her. Not that she was about to share that with John.

  “What the hell is going on, Imogen? What were those things?”

  Lesser demons, Devlin had called them. But that was something else she didn’t want to share—the fact that Devlin knew that there were actually different categories of demons. “Do you believe in God, John?”

  A frown flashed across his face. “Of course I believe in God.”

  “Then if God exists, so does the opposite. I’m not sure what they were exactly, or why they came here, but—”

  “Your husband. That’s why they came here. Are you sure he isn’t one of those things? Disguised?”

  “Devlin is not a demon.” Well, he hadn’t been two thousand years ago. “He and his friends got rid of them. We should be thanking them.” Things would have gone a lot differently if Devlin and the others hadn’t been around. But then again, maybe the demons would never have come if Devlin hadn’t shown up here.

  Grr. She needed to know what was happening.

  “Look, I have to go,” she said.

  He nodded. “I need to go in to my office. But call me if you need anything. Don’t let this…man come between us.”

  John had offices in the city, actually not far from the Stormlord building. Where she was heading a
ny moment now, in search of answers. Maybe she should ask for a lift. But she couldn’t face any more questions that she didn’t know the answers to. And besides, if nothing else, this thing with Devlin had shown her that she would never have that sort of relationship with John. They could never be more than friends, and she didn’t want to encourage him.

  Two hours later, she stood at the reception desk in the Stormlords building. The first time she’d been here, she hadn’t noticed her surroundings. Just Devlin. The second time, last night, they had entered via the roof because they’d arrived by helicopter. A shudder ran through her at the memory.

  Now, she looked around. The place appeared prosperous, lots of marble and huge plants. A twenty-foot-high Christmas tree stood across the way, beautifully decorated. There was nothing out of the ordinary, though, nothing to say the place was full of angels. “Could I see Devlin Royce?” she said to the receptionist, a stunning blonde wearing a Christmas hat.

  “Do you have an appointment?” Then she did a double take. No doubt spotting Imogen’s dog collar. “Are you the Reverend Lockley?”

  Imogen nodded.

  “I have instruction to let Devlin know if you turn up. But I’m afraid he really isn’t here right now. I’ll try and get hold of him, but...it’s not always possible.”

  Imogen chewed on her lower lip for a moment. Maybe this was better. What had Torr’s wife said her name was? “I don’t suppose Bella is around?”

  The blonde smiled. “She is. I’ll give her a call and let her know you’re here.” She spoke quietly on the phone. “She’ll be right down.

  Five minutes later, the elevator door opened, and Bella stepped out. She wasn’t alone. Two women were with her. Imogen recognized them. Eleni and Damaris. Or at least that’s what she’d known them as. They’d never been close. She’d always held herself away from the others, believing they looked down on her because of her past. But they seemed pleased to see her now. Pleased and... worried.