by Ashlee Sinn
“No,” she cooed. “We definitely are not.”
Shaking my head, I did my best to hide my disappointment. “I’ll show myself out.”
“Arabella, wait.” My sister climbed out of Silas’ lap and ran over to me. “How much time do you have to kill the angel?”
I glanced outside. “A few more hours.”
She placed her hands on my shoulders and made me face her. “Okay, that’s enough time to get it done.”
“But I can—”
“You can, Arabella. You do not want to be trapped with Leviathan. Do you remember Peloris?”
“The harpy?”
Ashby nodded. “She pissed off one of the archdemons when she tried to steal from them and they gave her to Leviathan. No one ever saw her again.”
“What happened to her?”
“Rumor has it she’s still locked in his dungeon. He likes to let his serpent out and when he does, they say he destroys anything in his path.” She pulled me into a hug. “You can’t let him have you.”
“But Jericho wants to help us.”
“Fuck that. Go to Viktor. See if he can get the vampires to help. But whatever you do, please kill the angel. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Can you help me?”
“Today?” she squeaked.
“Yes, Ashby. Today.” Holy hell, seriously?
“I can’t right now. But I know that you’ll take care of it. You always were the stronger one.”
When she pressed her lips to my cheek, I wanted to scream. How could she turn her back on me? I needed her and she was choosing Silas over me. I never thought the day would arrive when a man would come between us.
But apparently there’s a first for everything.
“I’m leaving.” Pushing her away, I opened the door and kept on walking even when she tried to give me another pep talk. Fuck her for being so selfish. And fuck Mammon for putting me in this position. She should have refused to bargain with me. There were other, lesser-demons that Leviathan would have been happy with. Why me?
Hating the pity-party I was throwing myself, I checked around to see if I was alone and then blinked back to my apartment. Conveniently landing next to the bar, I took that as a sign and poured a shot of tequila. It was the good stuff—a gift from a wealthy human who sometimes used my services to take care of his unproductive employees. The first one went down quick. I savored the second one a little more.
“Rough morning?”
Spinning around so fast I dropped the shot glass, I shook my head when I saw Jericho sitting on my couch. “What the hell? What are you doing here?”
He didn’t bother standing and he didn’t look at me either. “I just…I didn’t know where else to go.”
Not sure what to say or do next, I decided to keep my hands busy. “Drink?”
“It’s eight in the morning,” he said with a smirk.
“We’re awake. It’s always a time to drink when you’re awake.”
“Sounds good.”
I poured two shots, kicking the broken glass toward the wall to clean up later. Sitting down next to Jericho, I handed him the drink and held it up for a toast. “To shitty mornings.”
“To shitty mornings.”
We drank and then tried to combat the horribly awkward silence growing between us. Finally, Jericho spoke. “My brothers are dicks.”
“My sister is selfish.”
Jericho chuckled. “Looks like we’ve got something in common.” Then he leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. “I’ve just never felt so abandoned.”
“I know what you mean.”
“You saw your sister?”
“Yes.”
“And she’s not going to help?”
“She wants me to kill you.”
Jericho laughed. “I hate her already.”
“She means well, but her head’s not in the game right now and this is the time she needs to be a part of our world. Not slumming it up with a human man in suburbia.”
“If it helps any,” he started, “my brothers want you dead too.”
“This relationship is doomed,” I teased, slumping back against the couch with Jericho and liking the way our shoulders brushed against each other.
“We’re in a relationship?”
“The love-hate kind, yeah.”
He squeezed my thigh, still staring up at the ceiling. “It feels hopeless.”
“This relationship?”
He smiled. “No, the fight. How are the two of us supposed to convince beings that existed since the beginning of time that we know what’s best.”
“If I don’t kill you, I don’t think we can.”
Jericho groaned. “Well, then. Maybe you should do it.” He suddenly sat up and lifted his black tee shirt over his head.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked.
“Just making it easier for you.” He pressed the palm of my hand against his heart. “You have to hit me here or I’ll heal. Do you still have that dagger?”
“Yes, but I—”
“Just make it quick.”
“Jericho,” I ripped my hand out of his, “what’s wrong with you?”
“If my death stops the reveal, then it’s my duty to sacrifice myself for the greater good.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Stop being so righteous.”
Jericho’s eyes widened when he stared at me as though surprised I said a bad word or said anything at all. Then he opened his mouth…and started to laugh. It was a deep, full laugh that I hadn’t heard from him before and I hated to admit how much I loved the sound. His chest shook as he kept brushing the hair out of his face.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“I don’t even know.”
“Well, stop laughing.”
“I can’t.”
“This isn’t a funny situation.”
“No, it is not.”
“You should stop.”
He sucked in several breaths before starting up again. “Can’t.”
I stared at his chiseled face, bare chest, and heart-stopping smile and realized that there was no way in hell I could kill this man. He’d saved me. He supported me. He even stood up for me against his brothers despite barely knowing me. For the past twenty-four hours, he’d been the only person by my side.
My heart sped as I thought about what to do next. I knew what I wanted, but was it right? Fuck, right, my inner demon said, and I decided to listen to her.
Sitting up taller, I grabbed Jericho’s face between my hands…and I kissed him.
I’d never kissed an angel before. I’d kissed a lot of creatures throughout my years, but an angel? No, this was very wrong. Yet…it felt so very right.
Jericho’s lips parted around mine, devouring me like a last supper. His hands brushed along my spine, and in no time at all, he’d pulled me into his lap. Straddling his hips, I pushed my sex against him, enjoying the way it ignited a fire between my legs. Jericho moaned into my mouth and squeezed my ass hard enough to leave bruises. Pushing my tongue inside, I savored the sweet taste of him, sucking it up like it was the last good thing on this side of Hell.
Pulling me tight against his chest, Jericho broke the kiss and flipped me on my back. Lying on the couch, looking up into his mesmerizing eyes, I could barely catch a breath. But when he suddenly stood up and ran his hands through his hair, the instant sense of loss overpowered me in a way I didn’t care for. “What’s wrong?” I whispered.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he huffed. “What are we doing? We can’t do this.”
“Why not?”
He sighed and turned away from me again. “Because we just can’t. This isn’t right.”
“Doesn’t it feel right?”
Marching over to the bar, Jericho downed another shot before answering me. “Yeah. It does,” he finally admitted.
I sat up and turned my head to look at him. “There’s nothing wrong with seeking comfort from another. It’s natural.”
He shook
his head. “I’m not denying that.”
“Then what’s the problem?” I hated how my heart ached right now, as though it could feel him slipping away every second and knowing that if Jericho abandoned me, I truly would be alone.
Jericho faced me, leaning against the bar with his abs and naked chest tempting me even more. “I don’t understand what’s going on here,” he whispered.
“With me?”
“With you. With my brothers. With the archangels.” He pushed his hair out of his face again. “This whole thing is fucked up.”
I stood, accepting that our little make out session was over. “Okay, so let’s forget about what just happened and talk through a solution.”
His eyes found mine and I watched them sparkle with desire. Raking his gaze down my body, I felt the air between us crackle with tension. “I don’t think I can do that,” he growled.
“Do what?” My lips quivered, and my sex tingled. There was no denying the attraction we both felt for each other.
Jericho continued to watch me with a look that could only be described as hunger. His jaw twitched back and forth, his arms flexing as though being forced to hold himself back. “We shouldn’t do this,” he whispered.
“I know.”
“It’s only going to make things worse.”
“Possibly.”
He grinned for a moment before hanging his head. I stood still while I watched him come to a decision. And when he looked up at me again, I knew that everything was about to change between us. Pushing away from the bar, he stepped toward me like a lion hunting its prey. The anticipation was enough to push me into dangerous territory. I was designed to elicit desire and enjoy the carnal pleasures of the flesh. But this felt very different. This felt powerful and divine and maybe even a little fateful. Jericho and me…there was something between us I couldn’t deny.
“This is a bad idea,” he said, stalking closer.
“Probably,” I breathed, anticipating his touch like no other.
Reaching forward, Jericho wrapped one hand around the back of my neck and tilted it sideways. “I want you so bad, Arabella.”
“Then, take me,” I whispered.
He chuckled. “Oh, I plan on it.”
A split second later, his lips found mine while he unzipped my pants. Running my hands through his hair, I shimmied my hips to help him rid me of my clothing. In no time at all, I was naked from the waist down and waiting, anxiously, for him to touch me. But Jericho seemed to be a man who liked to be in control. One who liked to draw out the anticipation for maximum pleasure—or torture.
He walked us back toward the couch and gently lowered me on it. But instead of climbing on top, he knelt between my legs and slid his hands underneath my sweater. I smiled down at him as his fingers graced my skin, eliciting a round of shivers that I couldn’t control. Once he unhooked my bra, I lifted my arms to allow him to remove the rest of my clothing. Lying naked and exposed on the couch, I waited for his next move.
“You should undress, too,” I teased.
Shaking his head, he said, “Not yet.” Then, he grabbed my hips and pulled me forward so I sat at the very edge of the cushion. With a wicked grin, he pushed my legs apart and lowered his mouth.
The first kiss to the inside of my thigh, had me quivering like an addict. The second kiss sent me into a state of bliss. Jericho’s lips sucked and teased their way closer to my sex. I wiggled against his touch, but he kept his hands firmly planted on the top of my thighs, controlling the pace and enjoying his power.
Grabbing his head, I tried to pull him closer to me. But he refused, and rubbed the tip of his nose against my clit instead. I leaned back in pleasure, allowing him to take over and trying to forget that I was doing this with an angel. And when his tongue slipped inside me, I had no trouble thinking only about my own needs. Angel or demon—it didn’t matter anymore. We were simply two people trying to get over a very bad day.
I sucked in a sharp breath when Jericho added his fingers into the mix. Nipping and teasing my clit with his mouth, he brought me close to climax quicker than anyone else ever had. Maybe Ashby’s declaration, that sex with only one person could be worth it, was starting to make sense. Or maybe it was the fact that I needed this kind of distraction right now, which allowed me to fully give in to the angel pleasuring me like no other.
The heat began to build, the pressure so great, I yanked on Jericho’s beautiful hair like a rein. He chuckled against my sex and dug his fingers into my thighs. Licking and sucking, he knew exactly what to do with his heavenly mouth, and in no time at all, I was whispering his name as the orgasm exploded inside. Jericho continued his movements until every last pulse had disappeared. And while I lay there, naked and tingling, he slipped out of his jeans. I watched him slide the fabric slowly over the muscles in his lower abs, and then past the well-defined thighs that reminded me of professional athletes. He smiled as I stared, making a little show of the strip tease and enjoying the way I licked my lips, if his erection was any indication.
Reaching out to him, he lifted me off the couch. I slipped my hand over his hardness and savored the way his breath hitched in his throat. “My turn,” I whispered in his ear.
He shivered against me, letting me stroke him fully. But Jericho wasn’t ready to give up total control. As I increased my speed, using the moisture on his tip to help, he stepped away from me.
“What are you—”
His massive wings exploded from his back. Seeing Jericho standing before me, fully erect, beautifully naked, and not afraid of hiding his true nature, was probably the most intimate moment I’d ever experienced in my life. The gray feathers stood out sharply against the white, but that didn’t seem to bother my angel one bit. He smiled at me in a way that warned me he was ready to pounce.
“What are you doing?” I giggled.
“It’s time to show you who I really am,” he growled, a moment before he rushed forward and picked me up.
With my legs firmly wrapped around his waist, we flew up in the air until my back brushed against the far wall and my head almost hit the ceiling. I giggled as I looked down, but that quickly turned into a satisfied moan when Jericho pushed himself inside of me. Filling me up completely, I opened my mouth only to have no sound come out. My back pressed against the bricks while Jericho slowly flapped his wings. And with each pulse, he pushed further and further inside. The sensation was like nothing I’d ever experienced before—dangling in the air while having sex—the fear and pleasure all wrapped into one. I knew, right then and there, that I wasn’t going to let this angel walk away from me.
Jericho kissed my neck, his mouth pushing against me hard enough to leave a mark. Thrusting his hips forward, he managed to fuck me like a pro while keeping me safe and satisfied.
“Harder,” I breathed in his ear.
He chuckled, and then flew us to the other side of the apartment. Flush against one of the large windows, a piece of me got off on wondering if anyone could see us. Jericho pinned my arms to the side, the cold glass offering a strong contrast to the heat building between our bodies. He slid his giant cock in and out of me without breaking a sweat. Every once in a while, he’d slow, say something in another language, and then speed back up again. Squeezing his hips with my legs, I pumped against him the best I could. The slight fear of falling, mixed with the intense pleasure of him filling me up, had me close to orgasm once again.
“Jericho,” I whispered. “I’m so close.”
“You’re so fucking hot,” he growled, biting down on my breast while he thrust hard and deep inside. “I can’t get enough.”
With my arms still pinned, there wasn’t much I could do, so I pulled him in and out of me with my legs. He let me take over, smiling and kissing my lips every chance he got. Faster and faster, I thrust him inside of me. So close. So warm. So perfect. Harder and harder I let his hips press against my clit. And when the rush of my second orgasm rocketed through my body, I cried out. Seconds later, Jericho moa
ned into my mouth as his hot release pulsed inside of me. He twitched and jerked for what seemed like minutes, holding me close and allowing his orgasm to linger.
We stayed glued together, hovering in the air, our moist bodies sliding against the cold glass. Panting with exhaustion, I held on tight when Jericho finally lowered us to the ground. He kept his wings extended for several more moments before pushing me away slightly. Kissing the tip of my nose, he rested his forehead against mine and sighed. “So…”
I giggled and grabbed his ass. “So.”
“Drink?” he asked, his voice still trembling.
“Sure.”
He kissed me one more time before turning his back to me. As he snapped his wings back inside until they disappeared completely, I admired the view from behind. Damn, was every angel this sexy? No, I said to myself. Not every one. Just mine.
My angel? Had I really just thought that? A few days ago, I was set on killing the creature mixing us a morning cocktail. And now, here I was, admiring his beauty, his skills, and the way he so easily knew what I wanted, that I couldn’t even imagine a life without him. Could something like this work?
Maybe.
I could act like Ashby—abandon my life up here and below and simply do what I wanted. Why not? Mammon had plenty of spawn to keep by her side. She didn’t need me or Ashby to run her little kingdom. I could do this. I could have a life with Jericho, right?
Maybe.
Something tickling my foot caught my attention. Looking down at the floor, I slowly bent forward to pick up the lone gray feather sitting right next to me. I knew there would be consequences for disobeying Mammon, but I wondered, with a sad heart, if Jericho had risked so much more.
That thought didn’t leave me all day. Not when we ate some fruit to gain back our energy. Not when we had sex two more times in the kitchen. And not now, as I lay beside him in my bed while we grabbed a late afternoon nap.
Jericho didn’t seem fazed by our decision to give into our desires. In fact, each time we did, the actions felt more and more intimate. As though we’d been doing this for years, there was a comfort between us I couldn’t explain. Even now, while I rested on my side and brushed my nails over his back, it was hard to imagine him not being here with me.