by J. E. Taylor
My god, it was amazing, he was amazing.
I dropped my head back to his chest, listening to the dull drum of his heart. Resting on his chest felt natural, like we were an extension of each other. His arms wrapped around me and his lips pressed to the top of my head.
“I still have to study,” he whispered.
Lifting my head, I stared at him, dumbfounded. “Really?’
He grinned. “Yeah,” he said and pushed my hair away from my face. He planted a kiss and sat up, keeping his arms wrapped around me. “If I don’t, I won’t have time for anything else tomorrow and I think my boss will go ballistic if I don’t check in.”
“Your boss?” The notion of Damian holding down a job made me laugh.
“Yes. I freelance. Computer programming, website design, stuff like that.”
The more I found out about this man, the more I was intrigued.
“How do you think I maintain my properties?” he asked and pulled me off his lap. The sudden disengagement of our bodies made me whine and I saw the same wince from him. Our detachment left me empty in more than one respect.
Damian stood, helping me to my feet while he surveyed the clothing carnage scattered across the room. He gestured toward my shredded bra. “It looks like we’ll have to make another trip to Victoria’s Secret tonight.”
My mind was still stuck on the fact he had a job and I stared at him for a moment before glancing around the room. “Looks that way,” I muttered and began picking up my clothing, assessing the damage. Nothing was salvageable and I turned toward him, holding the pile out to him. “You destroyed everything.”
He shrugged, pulling his shorts on and leveled a shy smile in my direction. “Sorry,” he said and he smirked, turning and disappearing into the office.
I turned and headed back to the bedroom, dropping the ripped clothing in the chair by the door before getting dressed. A quick glance at the clock told me we didn’t have much longer cooped up in this underground establishment, and instead of donning jeans and a t-shirt, I opted for a sexier look.
When I walked in the office, Damian’s quick glance froze and his eyes widened in appreciation. I saw the spark ignite and he leaned back in the chair as I crossed and took the seat on the opposite side of the desk.
“You really know how to distract a man.” His appraisal of me continued and I shifted under his blatant study.
“I want to see if Mark sent another email,” I said, changing the subject.
He nodded and I stood, walking around to his side of the desk. Instead of relinquishing the chair to me, Damian pulled me onto his lap and then closed the course menu he had up, leaving the browser open for me.
He pushed my hair to the side and ran his tongue from my exposed shoulder to the curve of my neck. I tried to shrug him off, but I couldn’t ignore the heat. My fingers slipped on the keyboard, and it took me three tries to type in the correct URL and he chuckled in my ear.
“It looks like my homework will have to wait,” he whispered.
I stared at the latest note from Mark, my blood running cold despite Damian’s attempts at seduction. His hands stopped on my waist and the low growl that formed in his throat told me he was reading the same thing I was.
The words sank in and I tried to stand but Damian clamped down on my waist.
“It’s a bluff,” he growled at the screen.
My heart had already started that panicked pulse and my mouth ran dry. “He’s got my grandfather, Damian.” I turned, meeting his gaze.
Damian’s jaw tightened and his glance flicked back to the screen. “What’s your grandfather’s name and phone number?” he asked, reaching for the phone.
“Nathan Hawk,” I said and rattled off the number.
He pressed a few numbers and then dialed my grandfather’s line and put his finger on my lip, his eyes carrying the warning to be quiet.
“Hello, is Nathan Hawk available?” he asked. “Oh, okay, can you tell me when he will be home?” He paused and listened. “This is Connecticut Light and Power calling regarding his electric bill.” Another pause. “I’ll try back then, thank you.” He disconnected the call and put the phone on the desk before meeting my gaze.
“My grandfather lives alone,” I said and my skin flushed against the chill settling into my bones.
“It’s an ambush, Naomi. A set up to draw you out.”
“I can’t let them torture my grandfather,” I pointed at the screen and the promise of the things that would happen to my grandfather if I ignored the email.
“Would your grandfather want you to sacrifice yourself for him?”
The sharp tone in Damian’s question along with his stern piercing stare clamped my lips closed. I glanced at the screen and shook my head, although it didn’t settle well in my stomach. “I can’t let him die in my place,” I finally said.
He shook his head. “I’m not letting you go there.”
“You don’t have a say,” I snapped.
“The hell I don’t,” he growled, his grip on me tightened. “It is a set up.”
“I’m well aware it’s a set up, but I can’t let him take the fall.” I struggled out of his grip and spun toward him. “I told you, you don’t own me.”
He shot to his feet, his eyes blazing and his fists clenched. The muscles in his arms twitched and he just glared at me. His chest rose and fell with aggravation. “If I have to lock you up for the next two weeks, I will.”
“Bullshit!” I stepped toe-to-toe with him, my fists clenching hard enough for my nails to dig into my palms.
He closed his eyes and hung his head. “I can’t.” His hands unclenched and he stepped around me, heading out of the office, leaving me with my building fury.
“What do you mean you can’t?” I stormed after him.
“I can’t walk you into an ambush,” he spun and glared at me. “Not in this lifetime.”
I raised my eyebrows. “It isn’t your choice.”
“God damn it, Naomi, I’ve dealt with these assholes before, you haven’t.”
“Can you guarantee they won’t hurt my grandfather?”
Damian clenched his teeth, his gaze dropping to the floor. “He’s already dead,” he said, his voice barely a whisper and when his glance met mine, I saw the truth in his eyes.
I stumbled back, my legs losing all control to hold me upright and Damian reached out, grasping me around the waist. The shock of his words bled through the numbness and pain hit like a razor to my skin. I shook my head to wipe away the black rim closing down my vision and met his gaze.
“How do you know?” I managed to ask.
“Because they were there,” he said.
Rage burned from the base of my spine to the nape of my neck and a growl formed in my throat. It started low and Damian pulled me close, trying to hold me together, but it was too big, too dark and I wanted blood. I spun, flipping him over my hip and onto the floor and I shot to the door, my focus only on tearing Lucifer’s throat out with my bare hands.
Damian caught me on the stairs, tackling me to the risers.
“No,” he growled in my ear in the voice of his shadow form. “You are not ready to go charging after Lucifer yet.”
“Damian, let me go,” I screamed and a crash in the house above froze us both in place.
I turned my head and his shadow glare met mine, sending a shiver up my spine.
“What…”
“Shut up,” he muttered and his hand slid over my mouth, his gaze transitioning to the door and the sounds of shuffling above.
“Open it!” a male voice snarled and Damian picked me up, carrying me back into the house. He closed the door at the bottom of the stairs and set me down. Taking my hand, he stalked through the office to a panel on the wall, punching in the familiar numbers, a door popped open. He led me down another set of concrete stairs into an underground maze.
I lost track of how many turns he took and the complete blackness surrounding us didn’t give me any hint of what direct
ion we were going. All I knew was he was practically dragging me. When he stopped, he turned toward me, slamming me against the wall.
Without warning, his body pressed against mine and he kissed me.
I pushed him away. “What the fuck, Damian,”
His husky laugh filled the dark. “Before we go barreling out of here, I need you to know…”
“Don’t give me this sentimental bullshit. Just tell me what you need me to do,” I snapped, cutting him off and blinking at his dark shape.
“I need you to run,” he whispered.
“Right,” I said with all the sarcasm I could muster. “You said the house is demon and angel proof, so that means those are human thugs.”
Silence met my comment.
“Who do they have up there?”
“The family’s daughter,” he whispered.
“How old is she?”
“I think she’s eighteen,” he said.
“What’s her name?”
“Valerie, why?”
“Because I have an idea and I’m dressed for it. Can you get me to the front door?”
His hesitation annoyed me.
“Damian, you know damn well I can hold my own and even if the idiots upstairs are working for Lucifer, I’ll make sure they send back a hell of a message.”
“You can’t let Lucifer know you’re alive.”
“Isn’t it a little late for that?”
“No. He doesn’t know you are alive.”
Damian shifted and reached beyond me, pushing a stone. The back wall slid revealing another stairwell. He took the lead and when we reached the top, he pushed up on the floor. Ambient light filtered in and he scanned the length of the opening before lifting the floorboard up enough for me to slip through.
I slid out of the cavern, crawling under the chassis of a truck. Damian caught my foot before I rolled out into the open garage. I glanced back and he shook his head, putting a finger to his lips and crawled next to me, closing the hatchway with his foot.
The gentle click echoed and we both stiffened.
When no one came running, he shimmied out from under the truck and offered his hand. I hesitated and took it. Damian helped me to my feet and wiped the dust off the front of the dress. “They don’t know what we are,” he whispered.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to go all fangs and rip their throats out in front of Valerie.” I glanced around the garage and my gaze landed on a small motorcycle. “Can you get that down the road for me without clueing them in?”
Damian raised an eyebrow.
“Trust me,” I whispered and gave him a peck on the lips.
“Okay,” he said, but I could tell there wasn’t a comfortable bone in his body. We rolled the motorcycle out the side door at the farthest point from the house and with a quick glance; he transitioned and wrapped one talon around the bike and the other around my waist. I started to argue, but he lifted off, flying low enough to keep the garage as a buffer to the view. When we reached the woods, he set me on the ground and snapped back into human form.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re up to…”
“Damian, I’ll get Valerie out of danger without her knowing what we are, I promise. Okay,” I said and his jaw tightened. “I need you to cool your jets.”
His lips pressed together.
“Give me ten minutes, that’s all I’m asking for, okay?”
He sighed and nodded.
“Where’s the road?”
“A few yards that way.” He pointed over my shoulder and I pushed the bike onto the tar, straddling it and kicking the starter on.
The engine purred beneath my legs and I sent a smile in his direction. As soon as I was within distance of the driveway, I whooped and hollered, pulling right up the walkway to the front door and turned the beast of a motorcycle off.
I vaulted up the stairs and pounded on the door. “Val?” I yelled, continuing to pound on the door. “Val, it’s freezing, let me in!” I pressed the doorbell, shifting my weight and rubbing my arms.
When the girl opened the door with wide scared eyes, I winked at her.
“Hey Val, I know I said I was grounded, but Jake’s party sounds way too good to pass up,” I said and stepped in the entry. “I hope like hell we can use your car, because it’s way too cold to ride my brother’s motorcycle.”
I closed the door and glanced at her. “You’re not wearing that to the party, are you?” I met her shocked gaze and shivered, still running my hands over my arms as if I was cold.
She blinked and shook her head. “Um, I didn’t think you were going to make it so…” she trailed off, picking up on my little sham. Her eyes darted toward the back hallway, the one that led to the atrium and Damian’s hideaway below.
“Well, go change,” I pointed upstairs and she nodded, taking a step toward the stairs.
“And who do we have here?” a deep voice said from where her eyes had darted.
Valerie’s entire form stiffened and she reached for the banister.
“I’m Anna, who the hell are you?” I asked, bringing my hands to my hips as the stranger stepped into the hallway. When he pulled the gun out from behind him, my eyes widened and my hands dropped to my sides. “Whoa, I don’t want any trouble,” I said, putting my hands up in front of me and stepping back against the door.
“It’s a little too late for that,” he smiled and waved the gun, motioning me toward Valerie.”
My gaze jumped to Valerie. “Did he…” I let the question trail off and added just the right tremor into my voice to carry across to the man with the gun.
Valerie shook her head and I moved toward her on what appeared to be shaky legs. When I got to her, I threw my arms around her with a dramatic, “Oh god.”
The man chuckled.
“When I say run, you run and hide, understand?” I whispered in Valerie’s ear. She met my gaze and offered the slightest of nods. I pulled away, putting my hands on her cheeks. “He didn’t hurt you?”
Shifting, I put myself between her and the thug.
“No, neither of them hurt me,” she said and I got the message. “They want me to open my father’s safe and I don’t have the combination.”
I turned toward the approaching man with the gun. “You’re a fucking thief?”
He laughed and waved for us to step into full view.
I glanced at Valerie. “It’s time to run, Val,” I said and directed her upstairs with my eyes before turning back to the man. Valerie’s footfalls echoed as she scrambled upstairs.
“You bitch,” the man snarled and pointed the barrel at me.
The report of the gun filled the space and I spun. The heat from the bullet grazed my shoulder and before he could get off another shot, I had his wrist in my grip.
Raw power surged in my veins and I twisted, nearly tearing his wrist off in the process. The gun fell from his hand and I snatched it from the air before it hit the ground. I didn’t hesitate, when his accomplice appeared in the doorway, I pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit him between the eyes and he was dead on the ground before I turned the gun on the thug trying to crawl away. I crossed to him, slamming my stiletto into the small of his back. He cried out.
The hinges on the front door broke and Damian stumbled into the foyer, his eyes crazed and darting around the brightly lit hall until they landed on me. He skidded to a stop and the complete surprise in his features made me burst out laughing.
“I told you I could hold my own.”
The click behind me sent a skitter of shock through me and I aimed the gun at the man below my heel before sending a glance over my shoulder. “I’ll kill him,” I said, meeting the hard gaze of the third culprit and pressed my heel harder into the man’s back.
Another anguished cry filled the room.
He stepped into my field of view and my gaze landed on the gun. It wasn’t pointed at me; instead it was aimed toward the doorway. Toward Damian.
“A platinum bullet will kil
l him,” he said.
I pulled the trigger, killing the man underneath me and spinning so my gun was now aimed at the bastard threatening Damian. No one moved. The shock on his face was complete, like he never expected me to call his bluff and before he could recover, I squeezed the trigger again.
His shot went wild, but mine was true and he landed on his back, his dead surprised gaze locked on the ceiling. A harsh gasp caught my attention and I turned toward the door.
Damian clutched his shoulder and blood ran over his hand. I stepped toward him.
“Make sure there aren’t any more,” he said and I nodded spinning and moving like a professional from room to room. The house was clear and I came back to the foyer, picking up the guns as I went.
Damian was still conscious when I approached, but his complexion was ashen.
“What’s wrong?”
“The bullet is still in there,” he whispered, meeting my gaze.
I set the guns down and squatted next to him, ripping open the shirt and inspecting the wound. The smell of his blood sent a wave of hunger through me and I clamped my mouth closed, taking a deep breath.
“This is going to hurt,” I said and before he could react, I sank my teeth in his shoulder, tearing at the wound. I leaned back and reached into the gash, extracting the platinum-plated bullet.
He stared at me, his breath ragged as he glanced down at the bullet in my hand.
“You shouldn’t even be able to touch platinum,” he whispered and then his eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped. I ripped a strip of his shirt and wrapped his shoulder before I wiped my face.
Her eyes burned into my back and I pivoted, glancing at the top of the staircase at Valerie. Now that I wasn’t trying to save her life, I took a moment to study her and the light shining from her was almost blinding. I now understood why Damian protected this girl.
She was a child of light like I had been.
“It’s okay now.”
Valerie’s eyes jumped from the dead man by the stairwell to Damian and her eyes narrowed. “Are you here to hurt my family?”