Fall Into Darkness

by Valerie Twombly

  “That’s very admirable of you,” replied the blonde. “However, we don’t bargain with the devil, so I don’t see how you think to accomplish such a task.”

  Ashley dug her nails into her palms, her patience waning. “I’m not asking you to bargain, I’m willing to do so myself. I was hoping you could tell me what I need to do. What to expect.” All seven pairs of eyes stared at her until finally once again the redhead spoke.

  “I am sorry, but there’s nothing to be done. Eli is a lost cause and, if captured, will be brought before us for his trial.”

  Deep breath in. One, two, three. “And what happens at his trial?”

  Red shrugged her shoulder. “If it’s determined he has indeed fallen and lost his soul, then he will be executed.” She rose. “This meeting is adjourned.”

  Ashley let her jaw drop as she watched the Seven exit out a side door. Seconds later, she stood alone with only her rising anger to keep her company. Tears threatened to erupt, but she held them at bay. Crying wouldn’t help, and she refused to give up. Someone had to know how to help her. Turning to head for the door, she heard a rustle behind her. She spun and faced the one who had remained silent the entire time.

  “My name is Ambriel.” She looked behind her. “The others don’t know I’m here, and this meeting must remain confidential.”

  Ashley nodded.

  “Something is terribly wrong. Too many are falling and the Seven are turning a blind eye. I don’t know whether you can help, but you need a reaper to escort you to Lucifer. They are the only ones of our kind allowed between both worlds. Take care when negotiating and choose your words wisely. The devil has a way of twisting everything to his advantage.” She stepped closer. “In the meantime,” her voiced dropped to a whisper. “If you mate with Eli, it may help. There is an old tale of a fallen drinking the blood of his mate. Seems it helped the hunger, but it’s only a tale and not proven. If Lucifer sells his soul, he will still be doomed.”

  “But Eli made a deal with Lucifer himself. He was able to travel to his world.”

  Ambriel shook her head. “You were not in Hell. No angel can go there unless they have fallen.” She backed up. “I must go before we are seen.”

  “Wait! I ran into a woman who said she was banned from here because her mate fell. Is this true?”

  “I must go.” The only one who seemed to want to help her had vanished. Ashley needed to get back to her father who waited outside. There were two things she had to do. Get Eli to mate with her then get Seph to take her to Hell. First however, she would require a lesson in negotiations.

  * * *

  Eli searched out Verek and found him sitting; his gaze focused on a tombstone. He stepped up behind his fallen comrade and noted the inscription. Hannah Bailey, 1980-2001.

  “Who was she?” he asked quietly.

  “She was the love of my life. I intended to mate with her but she was young, and I wanted her to experience her human life for a few more years.” There was a catch in his voice, and Eli did some quick math.

  “You fell two years after that.”

  “Yes. I gave up wanting to go on. Her death was senseless. A drunk in a pickup fell asleep and drove onto the sidewalk where she was standing talking to friends. All three girls were struck, but it was my Hannah that died instantly.” Verek glanced over his shoulder, and pain filled his red eyes. “I’m to blame. She begged me to complete the bond, and I told her to wait.”

  “I’m sorry.” What else could he say? However, he was impressed that the angel had managed to hold onto his sanity for almost two years. Lucifer must have lost his soul or it would have been handed off to some demon by now.

  “How have you managed to survive the hunger all this time?”

  “I fell because of my guilt and loss of Hannah, but I hold on because I know once I slip completely, I’ll never see her again.”

  Eli knew what he meant without explanation. Hannah had gone on to another existence and if Verek completed his transition, he would be condemned to Hell for eternity. There would be no chance the two lovers would ever meet again. The thought that he’d never see Ashley sank deep and left him hollow.

  Verek rose to his feet and brushed the grass off his jeans. “You didn’t seek me out to discuss my problems. What is it you want?”

  Eli relayed his conversation with Tegan as well as what he’d learned from Ashley about the mates of those who fell. “We need to figure out what’s going on. Our world has been infiltrated, and no one is safe. How many others are there that still hold onto their sanity?”

  Verek scrubbed his chin. “There are a few others I know of. I ran into them by accident. Those that haven’t made a complete transition usually stay well hidden.”

  “How do they do it? Keep from soul sucking I mean?” Eli pinched the bridge of his nose and swallowed.

  “Each day you must wake up and decide to starve. We have to fight our desire every second that we live, and it doesn’t get easier.” Verek stretched out his black wings. “They say those who are mated drink the blood of their mates, and it helps, but if Lucifer sells your soul you’re still doomed. Nothing like a game of Russian Roulette.” He shot into the air. “I’ll find the others,” he shouted back.

  Suddenly, Eli held an image in his mind of sinking his fangs into Ashley’s skin and his cock hardened.

  “Fuck!” He cradled his head in his hands as intense pain shot across his temples and straight to his brain. Dropping to his knees, he bent forward, his gut twisted into a knot and pulled tight. Massive fangs filled his mouth and pricked his lower lip, and his black wings emerged folding around him. In the recess of his mind, he heard a cry of agony, and then realized his own cries echoed across the empty graveyard. The void that used to carry his soul screamed to be filled, and it didn’t care who he had to kill to do it. Fortunately, he was still sane enough to realize there would never be anything that would satiate his hunger.

  Eli.

  Shit. Ashley beckoned him, and in his weakened state, he couldn’t fight his urge to go to her. He only prayed he had enough strength to keep from hurting her.

  18

  Ashley wandered through Eli’s bedroom, noting how bare it was. Except for a queen four-poster bed, a dresser, and a fireplace, there was nothing else here. She wondered how lonely he must have been to never make a real home in one place. Eva had told her this small cabin in the north woods was always his favorite and that was why she’d asked to be brought here.

  After stoking a fire, she donned the short red nightie that hardly covered her breasts and left her long legs exposed. There was no way he could resist if he were half as needful as she, and something told her he would be more so. She hoped he’d be so lust ridden that he’d complete the bond. Guilt filled her for what she was about to do, but she’d do anything to save him. She’d worry about the aftermath later.

  The double-winged tattoo on the back of her hip burned, and she’d learned it meant Eli was close by. Was he watching from a distance? She stepped into the soft light of the fire, knowing it cast a sensual glow across her skin. Yeah, she was pulling out all the stops. A cool breeze whispered across her chest, causing her nipples to tighten.

  He was here.

  She turned and when her gaze fell upon him standing in the shadows, she gasped. His naked chest glistened in the firelight that reflected across the room. A thick rope of muscles coiled just under his skin, and her fingertips itched to touch him. Dark jeans settled so low on his hips, she could see the dusting of hair that led to his sweet spot. However, it was the massive black wings that stretched out and brushed the ground that really drew her attention. Her fallen angel was dark and sinister, yet every fiber of her being said he’d never harm her. He’d come to her and she was determined to finish what they’d started.

  She was determined to save his soul.

  “Eli.” She took a step closer.

  He flashed a set of fangs. “I’ve never been weak in my entire life, but with you… You are my we
akness. Look at me Ashley, I’m one step away from claiming you. Being mated to me will be a fate worse than death.”

  Another step. Careful not to scare him off, she stopped short of being able to reach out and touch him. Opening her mind, he could feel everything she did should he choose to. “You’re wrong. Walking away from you would be a worse fate. You’ve touched something deep inside me. Fate brought us together because we need each other.” She took the last step and placed her hands on his chest. He stiffened beneath her touch.

  “I need you and I don’t mean just the physical. I mean emotionally as well. You have my heart as well as my body. All of me, it belongs to you.”

  His adam’s apple rose and fell then he gripped her waist and tugged her close. He bent his head and slanted his mouth over hers. Sucking her bottom lip through his teeth, he gave a nibble; his fangs gently scraped her sensitive flesh before his tongue slipped inside. She dragged her nails down his chest, and he deepened the kiss. They both became lost in the moment.

  Eli broke the kiss and licked his way down her neck and across her clavicle. Ashley tipped her head back with a moan.

  “You have on too many clothes,” he whispered.

  “Then I suggest you get rid of them,” she urged.

  He wasted no time. Gripping the top of her nightie, he ripped it wide open then shoved the satin material off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She stood before him; her body bathed in only the firelight.

  “You should be laid out on a bed of silk and worshipped. Instead, I tear your clothes from your body.” He unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them to the floor, stepping free from them before he kicked them aside. She started to reach for his erection, but he pinned her back against the wall. “I can’t stop myself. I’m so damn cold, and I need to feel your warmth wrapped around me.”

  “Take what you need.”

  Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he lifted her off the floor, locked her legs around his waist, and slipped inside. She cried out.

  “I hurt you.”

  “No. It feels wonderful.” She placed her hands on his shoulders, and he began to slide in and out. The pace was slow as he nuzzled her neck.

  “You deserve so much more than this. More than me,” he groaned.

  She cupped his face and forced him to look at her. His eyes, a deep red, focused on her. “We deserve each other. I love you, Eli.”

  “You can’t mean that.”

  “I can, and I do. Make me yours forever.” She laced her arms around his neck and arched her back against the wall, taking him deeper inside her.

  He growled. Placed his hands on her waist and stepped backward. His wings folded around her and the next thing she knew they were floating several feet off the floor. He quickened his pace, creating a heated friction that had her crying out with her first orgasm immediately followed by his own. Heat flooded her body and when she opened her eyes to look at him, his aura had changed. The black rim that previously circled his before had now dulled to grey. Were they mated?

  A sharp pain seared her back and then was gone. Eli’s stare widened as he set them down and pulled free, gently placing her feet on the ground.

  “Hell. What have I done?” he asked, folding his wings.

  “What? Are we mated?” She didn’t feel different. “Your aura has changed.”

  “Look at yourself.”

  She glanced down and, other than being naked, she… “What the hell?” She stepped back and nearly tripped over a pair of black wings. “Oh. My. God!” They were attached to her.

  “I’ve never seen any that color,” he stated.

  “What does it mean?” She had to admit they were gorgeous. As black as a moonless night sky, except for the gold. It looked as if someone had blown gold dust and the sprinkling had landed on her wings. She closed her eyes and stretched them out, surprised at how natural they felt. How perfect she felt.

  * * *

  Fuck, fuck and fuck! Eli stared at the woman he’d just mated. Locked together for eternity. Damn the Maker, he’d screwed up and big. He’d lost total control of his senses. No wait. It was his sense of desire that had gotten him into trouble. The minute she’d whispered her love for him, he’d checked out. Let his emotions override common sense. He had zero willpower when it came to this woman, and now she would pay the price.

  His cock stirred again as he stared at her naked body. Her skin had become luminous and her hair more golden. Those wings. Damn if they weren’t the sexiest things he’d ever seen. She opened her eyes and looked straight at him, pulled her hair up and tilted her head to the side.

  “Come, drink, and ease your hunger.”

  His mind screamed no, but his damn feet carried him straight to her. Hunger burned, and he tried to fight but to no avail. In seconds, he’d pulled her close and sank his fangs into her throat. His muscles coiled tight as his mind tried to fight what he was about to do.

  Take her soul.

  Surprise struck him, however, when blood coated his tongue. The sweet honey taste hit the back of his throat, and he swallowed. Muscles relaxed and the burning in his gut cooled for the first time since he’d fallen. Ashley moaned and relaxed into him. Her musky arousal filled the room, and he scooped her up, never breaking his bite as he strode toward the bed.

  Fold in your wings.

  She complied, and he laid her down, retracting his fangs as he slipped between her thighs and entered her again. She raised her hips and ground against him. He leaned forward, nipping her ear.

  “I would say I’m sorry for mating you, but in reality I’m not.” Nothing had ever felt more perfect. “I love you, Ashley.” This woman had managed to dig her way deep into his heart. For her, he’d somehow find a way to stay sane. He would keep from taking a soul and he would do whatever it took to gain his back. He’d bargained with Lucifer once before; he’d do it again.

  “Do not worry yourself. I will get your soul back, if it’s the last thing I ever do,” she whispered.

  He pulled out then plunged into her warm depths. Moving slow this time, he wanted to enjoy the feel of her while his hunger hung in the distance. There was no doubt it would be back, but hopefully he could enjoy some relief.

  She moved beneath him then flashed him a seductive look. “Roll over.” With a shove, she had him on his back and straddled him. Her hands planted on his chest, she lifted herself and glided up and down his shaft. Her pace became faster and pleasure had her biting her lower lip. She was close so he reached between her thighs and rubbed his thumb across her clit.

  She tipped her head back and cried out. Her muscles clenched around him, milking every drop of semen he had left. When she opened her eyes and looked down at him, she smiled and he had to admit he’d never seen her look happier.

  “Your pain is less,” she whispered and she lay on his chest.

  “You took a great risk in allowing me to feed from you. What if it had backfired?” He wanted to reprimand her but at the moment, he was too content. Later he would.

  “I had no doubt it would work.” She lifted her head; green eyes filled with mischief. “I have never felt better in my life. I feel alive, powerful like I can do anything.”

  He gripped her arms. “Careful, little one. I’ve no idea what you are or what kind of power you have. We should dress and call your father.”

  She wrinkled her nose and pushed off. “Fine.” He watched her firm, round ass as she walked away. Already his hunger was returning.

  * * *

  Ashley stood in front of the bathroom mirror and examined her wings. It was a strange sight that both excited and scared the hell out of her. Regardless, it was done. Her and Eli were now bonded, and she could tell he was already struggling with the hunger again. She’d hoped her blood would stave off his pain longer than it had. Perhaps it would take several more feedings. The thought of his fangs buried deep in her neck flooded her with desire.

  Your father is here. Cap that desire for later and get dressed.

  “O
h crap.” She quickly pulled on her jeans. The sweatshirt was another issue. Umm, how do I make these things go away?

  Simply command them and they will disappear.

  “Well I’ll be damned. It worked.” She pulled the shirt over her head, ran her fingers through her hair, and exited the bathroom. For some reason, she didn’t want to look as though she’d just rolled in the hay. It was difficult enough getting used to Tegan being her father without her adding anymore undue stress.

  She stepped into the living room where both men were busy wearing a path in the floor with their pacing. “Why do I sense something’s wrong?” They stopped and focused on her.

  “Ashley. Eli tells me you’re mated now, and he’s concerned about what you have become,” Tegan stated, a twinkle in his eye. Was he happy for them?

  “Why do I suddenly feel like a freak again?” She rushed toward the two men who waited with impatience on their face.

  “You are not, nor were you ever a freak,” Eli reassured.

  “Eli’s right. I’m sure there is a logical explanation for what’s happened. How are you feeling?” Tegan questioned, a look of concern furrowed his brow.

  “I feel great.”

  “Good.” Her father nodded. “Can I see your wings? Just think about them and they’ll appear.”

  She did as asked and felt the brush of feathers against her skin. Ashley was beginning to like them and thought they were beautiful. She studied the look on Tegan’s face, but it was unreadable. “Well?” Her nerves were starting to twitch.

  “One like you hasn’t been seen in centuries. The last of your kind was slain in a great battle.” A smile softened her father’s features, and she could swear he looked proud.

  “What am I?”