Envy's Kindness (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2)

by R. A. Pollard

  “That was not on you. Don’t you dare say otherwise.” The stern reprimand in his voice brought her eyes to his. “Raphael took the life of that child. If not for you grabbing that blade, they might have had a second weapon to fight us with. As it stands right now, they have none. Your demon has proven, unequivocally, that once you have been run through by an angelic blade and survived, you’re impervious to any future attacks. Michael was so shocked, he left the sword sticking in Ze when he ran away from the fight.” Ze had been run through? God, how much more had she missed?

  “What about the boys? Ben took them from the house. Are they okay?”

  “Yes. It took some delicate memory manipulation, but as far as they and the town are concerned, the boys vanished on a camping trip without their mothers’ permission and caused the whole problem. As for Marie…” The old god paused and rubbed his hand over his bearded face. His pain at the loss was apparent. “We made the town believe there had been an accident and that she passed away. Horrible to hide the truth, but it was better for her mother and for everyone else that they believe that story.”

  Sera wiped her eyes as Ze reached the top of the stairs, a sandwich and a can of soda in hand. He slid down beside her, placing the food on the table. She turned into his arms and just lay there for a second, needing his strength.

  “Hey, where is my bourbon, boy?”

  “You’re not having any. Persephone threatened me with full kitchen duty. You take that risk if you want, old man. I’m not.” The old god snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Sera found herself enjoying the camaraderie between the Sin of Envy and the All-Father. She turned her head so she could see the god, and reached for his hand.

  “I’m sorry about Freya.”

  “She’ll be missed. For all her prickly ways, I got used to the company. We gave her a funeral in town. People think she passed away in the night. It’s for the best. Old battle ax is probably cursing me from Valhalla now for not throwing a banquet in her honor or something. She came through in the end. It was thanks to her that we found you as quickly as we did.” He patted Sera’s hand.

  “And Gabriel—that angel has got some balls on him. He was our distraction, and I have no doubt he is paying for it in pain now. Thanks to him, we prevented three more deaths.” Ze’s voice rumbled through his chest. Sera made a mental note to thank the man if she ever saw him again.

  Sitting up suddenly, she stared at her demon and then pinched his side. “Why didn’t you tell me how badly you were hurt?”

  “Hey! Abuse! I got stabbed you know.” That earned him a womanly growl. Sera made a move to get off the foolish dimwit. His strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him, laughing as she struggled like a hellcat.

  A memory surged back into her brain in that second of the sparkling green blade she’d held in her hands. She pinned the demon with a glare.

  “Where’s the sword?”

  “We have it. It won’t let anyone else touch it, but we have it. It was rather fun to watch it shock the hell out of Lucifer on the way here. Apparently, the spirit within doesn’t like him much.”

  Sera let out a breath and lay back, using Ze as her cushion. They had won the fight, at least for now. Michael had said he would be back, and she had no doubt he meant it. At least for the time being, it looked like they had the upper hand.

  The huddle of Sins watched her as she reached for the angrily sparking holy blade sitting in the middle of the table in Hades’ study. Lucifer was running scared of the thing. He kept saying it was stalking him, that he could hear the laughter of a little girl everywhere. He was sure it was the blade playing around, so he refused to even be in the same room with it.

  The closer Sera got to the arcing energy source, the stronger the energy emanating from it got. To her it felt like the heat of the sun getting hotter and hotter, licking over her skin. One ray of eerie green light lashed out, and she felt it hit her body. Someone was calling her name, but the ringing in her ears prevented her from being certain.

  Sera found herself standing in the same room, but everything was tinted green. The actions of the world had stopped in that second. Everything was frozen except her and the small glowing outline of a little girl before her.

  “Marie…” Her voice was lost in the blade’s angry reply. Sparks of energy licked up her arms, but the spirit didn’t harm her. “I promised you we would avenge you. I haven’t forgotten. I swear it, we will stop Michael. Will you help me?”

  The arcing energy from the sword began to subside within the outline of the child. Sera felt more than heard the words from the spirit. She would fight with the Sins, but only if Sera bore her. Sera was not entirely sure how she felt about learning to wield an angelic weapon, but she couldn’t fail this child again.

  “Yes, together.”

  She reached out and ran her hand over the warm hilt, the green energy sinking into her skin. Sera got the distinct feeling that the poor spirit inside the sword considered her a place of home and safety. If she could be that for the child, then so be it.

  The room burst back into life around her, and the men blinked and looked around, only just realizing that they had been held at bay by the spirit of a five-year-old. Ze pushed past his brothers and wrapped his arms around Sera, muttering he would soon go gray from all the danger she’d encountered. Sera grinned, holding back the urge to tell him he already had silver hair, so it didn’t count.

  Sera placed the blade on the table, where the green glow happily sank into the shimmering metal, seeming to send the blade into slumber. She noticed Lucifer frowning at the blade. She had to laugh. “I’m sure she will stop haunting you now, Lucifer.” He didn’t look like he believed her.

  With a snort, the ruby-eyed male turned and left his brothers behind. The rest of them, Ze included, were intrigued by the sword. Until now the Sins had never possessed a holy blade, and against all the odds, they now had two. The one created that fateful night and the one that Michael had left impaled in Ze. For now, at least, it looked like they might stand a chance.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  The Seer of Hindsight sat back under the awning of the huge rented RV watching the Sins and a few creatures she couldn’t identify rebuilding her house. Unfortunately, it was no longer located in Battle Creek, Iowa. Lucifer had announced that he had purchased some land, had it warded, and she would be living in a new home in Nebraska. Sera figured it was probably for the best. Given all that happened, she didn’t believe living in the same town as those poor tortured people was the best idea. So she let Lucifer take over the whole process and was pleased with the result. He was a stern taskmaster.

  The wooden frame to the new two-story home had been put up in less than two days, and already they were working on the second floor. It appeared when you knew supernatural beings, you could get anything done in almost no time at all.

  She sipped on her hot cider. The soft chill to the autumn air signified that winter was not far off, at least for Nebraska. Back in Alaska, there had been four feet of snow on the ground. But here, the promise of white winter magic was just that for now. With the work on the new house progressing as fast as it was, she would be all moved in within the next week or so. That is if the brothers of sin would stop getting on Belor’s back.

  The poor demon had missed out on all the fun, apparently so concerned about her lack of housing that he had spent the time trying to find supernaturals with some kind of power to rebuild her home with a click of their fingers. Or at least that’s what he told everyone. Lucifer hadn’t looked impressed at all, and neither had any of the others. He’d loudly insisted that if Belor was going to be out of contact for an extended period of time in the future, he was to tell someone, so they didn’t think the worst.

  Poor Belor. He’d looked so forlorn that Sera stepped in and put him in charge of getting snacks and keeping the workforce well-fed. He had seemed happy for the distraction, yet Sera could tell he was frayed around the edges as if he h
ad spread himself too thin.

  She would mention her concerns about Belor to Ze later. Right now she was enjoying the view of him with his shirt off, straining as he lifted a wooden beam and walked toward the house. Biting down on her bottom lip, she watched his muscles bunching as he lowered it, the sunlight making his skin shimmer in the light, catching in his silver hair. This was a sight that any female with a brain would be drooling over.

  His brothers may have been listed in the sexiest men in the universe category, but they didn't hold a candle to her demon. He shone as he moved about. The sweatpants he wore left nothing to the imagination. She could see each ripple of muscle under the flexible material, and she watched, rapt, as he lifted his head and turned toward her. The smile that graced his feature was a mix of sin and promise. With a word over his shoulders to his working brothers, he strode toward her, sweat glistening on his chest. His tattoo stood out starkly against his skin, and her hormones stood up and did a happy dance. He had been handling her with damned kid gloves since she woke up in Alaska, and frankly, she was sick of it. She wanted him to claim her with that same desperation he showed their first night together.

  He leaned down, one hand on each of the chair arms, caging her for his vicious, body-melting attack. Sera opened for him as his tongue delved deeply between her lips, and he went to his knees in front of her. The scent of him coiled around her, drugging her to anything but his mouth and sinful body. Coming up for air, she smiled like a silly school girl, happiness blooming in her heart. Okay, no more damn bubble wrap. She wanted her ravishing bad boy biker god back.

  “You know I was rather enjoying watching you. Now you have made me all hot and sweaty, and very, very wet.” Her low tone made his eyes flash. His slow smile was downright evil as he leaned his massive body in again.

  Then he paused and sucked in a deep breath. Gripping the chair, he shook his head. “Behave, Pixie. Trying to seduce me. You haven’t fully recovered—”

  “If you tell me one more time that I’m not fully recovered yet, I’m going to shoot you!” He opened his mouth to reply, and she tightened her legs around his waist her skirt riding up exposing her thighs. “I think out of the pair of us. I’m the one in the best position to assess my level of recovery. I’ve sat here watching five very intense, hot men with their shirts off. I can assure you…” The glower in his eyes made her pause, and she lifted her eyebrows. “Something wrong?”

  “You were watching them?” Oh, that did it. Poke the Sin of Envy, why don’t you? Now there’s an idea.

  “You can’t blame me. I mean look at them. Abbadon is seriously built, and the sun just rolls off his dark skin like liquid. I’m not blind. Even Lucif—” Her words were cut off by a hard, hot mouth covering hers. His tongue demanded entry. He nipped at her lips, her gasp all the invitation he needed. He claimed, pushing her back against the chair, a hand sinking into her hair, tilting her head back for his glorious assault. Her toes curled, and she scratched her nails along his lower back. Oh, sweet mother!

  He broke the kiss, leaving her breathless and desperate for him. “You were saying?” The rumble in his voice made wet need flood between her legs. Sera opened her lust-glazed eyes and licked her lips.

  “What? Nothing…”

  “Good.” His mouth covered hers again, pulling a whimper from her lips.

  She felt his arms bunch as he lifted her from the chair like she weighed nothing. She wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands moved to the bare flesh of her legs sending fire straight to her fluttering womb. Their lips met in a heated dance of tongues. Her fingers sank into his hair, desperation pushing her to get closer, kiss deeper—anything to feel more of this intoxication.

  She was vaguely aware that he had opened the door to the RV, and the air within felt cold compared to the heat rushing over her skin from his touch. Sera felt the edge of the small kitchen counter against her ass as he set her upon it and stepped between her legs, giving her no chance for escape from his claiming mouth. She felt weak from just his lips and tongue, her heart racing in her chest, body pulsing with a need that only he could fulfill.

  “You know,” he spoke with his mouth pressed against her lips, rubbing himself back and forth between her legs. The slow rocking sway sent sparks of pleasure rushing through her body, “when I finally get you into our new bed, in our new home, you’re not going to it leave for a week.”

  Gasping softly, Sera panted and licked her dry lips before speaking. “Our home? You’re moving in, are you? Not sure we discussed this.” Oh God, she wanted to break down and beg him to make the exquisite pain more intense, wanted to feel him leaning over her, making her body his. She loved the low growl that came from him. It vibrated through her, from his lips down into her womb, making her body hover on that insane edge. The wet heat of her body soaked through her pants. He was killing her! But she had wanted this. She had played with the Sin.

  “Discuss? There is no discussion, Pixie. You belong to me, and I to you. That’s all there is to it. After everything you have been through, I’m going to lavish affection on you. Everything you deserve. Including ravishing you until you can’t walk straight.”

  “Stupid male. You know that all I need is you, right? Besides, what happened didn’t just happen to me.” Sera lifted her hand to his cheek, brushing a smudge of dirt from his skin. “We survived this, together. I need you, so stop treating me like I’m going to break any moment.”

  Sera watched his eyes shimmer with heat. His hands moved to her cheeks, and he held her still for his toe-curling kiss. By the time he was done, she was a shivering puddle of need, but he didn’t seem to be in any rush. His fingers brushed over her cheeks and down her neck. He left a trail of fire wherever his fingers touched. Down her arms, to her wrists, he kissed each pulse point that pounded under her skin.

  “Yes, together. I promise. No more china doll act. Now, in the spirit of ‘together,’ there are some places on your body I think I missed earlier. I need to rectify that problem. It’s been bugging me. I can hardly work when all I can think about is that spot on your lower spine I neglected.”

  Sera gasped as his teeth nipped at her wrist, sending pulses right up her arm to awaken his bite mark. Panting softly, she nodded, her whole body alive with his touch.

  “I agree. It was terrible of you.” She gasped the words and tilted her head back.

  He chuckled, and she felt his hands moving to her ass. He lifted her again, his lips moving to the bite mark that had already been humming and throbbing on her throat. Sera cried out as a shock of pleasure rushed through her, nearly making her pass out. God, she’d missed this, missed his intense need for her, and her desperate craving to feeling his skin next to hers. Next thing she knew, she was on her back in the double bed that took up most of one end of the RV. The cold sheets quickly warmed against her skin from their collective body heat.

  Ze ran his hands along her legs with a grin that bordered on pure seduction. His hands moved over her hips and began tugging at the hem of her shirt, lifting it to reveal the soft swell of her belly. He continued to rub his lips back and forth against the bite, fracturing her sanity bit by bit. Panting, Sera gripped the sheets under her as his hands skimmed her breasts.

  “And just what do you think you’re doing?” Her gasped words made him smile against her throat. The arrogant ass had the nerve to laugh.

  “Hmm, what am I doing? Getting to second base, it appears.” He ended his sentence by biting down on the mark, sending her tumbling back into that world of sensation and need.

  Oh God, she was going to smack him when he bit down and sucked on her throat. Okay, maybe she would smack him later. Gasping, she arched under his expert touch, and the bastard took ample opportunity to rip her shirt from her body, pulling down the cups of her bra to expose her breasts.

  With a groan, he covered one peaked nipple, biting down on the puckered flesh until Sera was writhing under him, desperation for release crawling under her skin like a drug. Her panties were so
aked, she could feel the damp saturating her, and he well knew it. He took full advantage of her hypersensitive flesh.

  Sera knew she was totally lost to him and didn’t care in the least as his fingers made a pathway of flame down her sides and over her tummy. Before her mind could catch up, he had his sliding up under her skirt. Then he paused his eyes heating his voice a rumbled purr jealously rolling from him in waves. He began to trace her inner thighs with his fingers.

  “You’re not wearing any panties. You were outside, with all those men, with no panties. Bad girl.” With a growl, the Sin lived up to his nature. He sank two fingers into her wet body, his target that sweet spot deep inside that blew the top of her head off. Sera cried out, her hands gripping his arms. “So wet, Pixie. All for me.” Withdrawing his fingers he rubbed her clit in achingly slow circles using the pad of his thumb before spearing his finger through her wet lips again, making her arch under him. “That’s it. Feel me, Sera.” Lowering his lips, he scraped his teeth down the column of her throat right over his bite mark.

  Her release hit hard and fast, her muscles clamping down hard on his fingers, her whole body tense as pleasure surged through her veins and swamped her body. Her brain was fluttering high from his touch, yet he continued sliding his slick fingers in and out of her body until she whimpered and shook with reignited need.

  “Ze, please!” She threw her head back, her second rise to that perfect precipice was coming quickly. She could feel it in the deep throbbing of her clit.

  “Not yet, Sera.” The command sent another surge of slick heat to swamp her. He pulled his fingers from her body and leaning his head against her shoulder, purring against her skin like some great cat.

  His skin was shimmering, flickering flame rising from his flesh. He always hesitated before he took her body and soul to the stars with him, as if he worried about her. The first time they had been together, he had been out of control—heated, passionate, commanding. Sera reached between them, sinking her hand into his sweats, and wrapping her fingers around his pulsing shaft. Ze hissed.