“I can’t wait to remember more about you. The feeling I have about us is very good. You will try to come and see me as much as possible when I’m here, right?” She stuck out her bottom lip the tiniest bit, so he thought she was frowning, but trying to hold it in.
“Oh, yes. I would love nothing more. You just tell me when and I’m here.” The excitement in his words was exactly what she was looking for. Pleased, Marcella broke their contact and made her cell phone appear.
“What’s your number?”
“My what?” Nemmy looked confused while he stared at what was in her hand.
“Your phone number? You mean you don’t have a phone?”
“Oh, right. Uh, no, I don’t. Should I have one?”
Marcella laughed at his puzzled expression. “Why, of course. How do you expect me to get a hold of you when I want you to come over?
“I guess I didn’t think of that.”
“Here.” She made another appear and handed it to him. “When I’m in town, I’ll call you. Tonight we’re leaving, but I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few weeks. I promise to drop a line the moment I get back into town.”
“Drop a line? You mean call?”
“Yes.” She laughed again and stood. “I should really be getting things in order here at the house. Shall I walk you out?”
“I would like that.” He held his arm out to her, and she linked hers around the lean muscle, placing her body closer than what etiquette required. The heat that rolled off of his skin told her she’d done her job very well.
As they came to the door and he opened it, she stopped and stared up at him. “I’m so glad you came by. Until we meet again, my dear friend.” She gave him a bow of her head. The quick kiss he placed on her cheek left her surprised.
“I’ll wait for your call.” He stepped outside, and Caspius followed. She bowed her head to the other angel, and he mirrored her actions. At the same time, the two angels disappeared.
Marcella shut the door and headed back to the sitting room. The men were all smiling as she entered.
“You’re too good at being bad. You can’t imagine all the lies I could smell coming off of you.” Donavon laughed.
“You were great. Fucking great.” Jason came up and spun her around in his arms. It was odd how easily the men took to her story about wanting to get rid of the angels. She thought they were all going to want to pair up with the good guys since their ultimate goal had nothing but good intentions, but she was glad she wasn’t the only one who thought those two angels were up to something.
The moment she was placed on the ground, Marcella walked over to Samael. He shook his head while smiling. “I can’t believe you did it. A part of me thought you wouldn’t be able to turn them away. Hell, if your visit hadn’t been so quick, I would have been convinced you were actually telling the truth. Your lying was phenomenal!”
“What I said last night stands. All of it.” She winked, and he stiffened considerably. Marcella wanted to laugh as she headed over to the group her men had made by the small bar. Ambrose handed her two glasses of dark liquid, and she took the other back to Samael. Marcy was so happy, she didn’t care what it was. More than likely it was going to be strong as hell, and she welcomed every bit of the heat that would accompany the drink.
“Cheers.”
Samael paused for a moment before he toasted his glass with hers. “Cheers, my queen.”
Tossing the dark liquid back, Marcella took it all down in one drink. The delicious burn worked its way down, and she closed her eyes, savoring the warmth that started to pool in her stomach.
“So what’s the big news? You’re up to something, I can feel it.”
Marcella let her eyes grow wide, innocently. “Who, me? Surely you’re mistaken.”
A laugh came from the dark angel as he placed his empty glass on the small coffee table. Her men got closer, all of them anxious to tell Samael about the plans. “Don’t play coy with me, my queen. You may be a good liar, but I can feel your excitement. You’re up to no good.”
“Am I? Does that bother you?”
Samael’s blue eyes shot to the other men. Marcella wasn’t sure what made him so nervous. Yes, she was teasing him about being intimate, but it wasn’t overly obvious. He shifted and brought his attention back to her.
“No, you’re made up of both good and bad. Just because your bad side seems to be coming out by the handful lately doesn’t mean it’s something to worry about. You’ll get bored and find something else to entertain you.”
“What in the hell are you going on about, Samael?” Dominic started laughing and shaking his head. “Marcella, just tell him. He’s clueless as to what you are talking about.”
No, he’s not. He thinks I’ll grow bored chasing after him. He is so wrong. She narrowed her eyes at the dark angel. “I don’t get bored when I’m determined. Anyway, I was referring to the first stage of my new plan. Everyone in the fortress is leaving tonight. Except you, of course.”
“I beg your pardon? Why am I being left out? And what is this plan you’ve constructed?”
Marcella walked over and refilled her glass. She took her time and walked between her two mates. Dominic wrapped his arm around her shoulder while Donavon settled for her waist.
“Donavon is going to be the leader for the shifter community. He fights Luis tonight. We’re all going because the fight will be far from fair. That’s not Luis’s style. The gun power they have is crippling, not to mention the amount of wolves who are now residing at the location. You see, when Luis found out we left, he called in a lot of people. They’re searching for us even as we speak.”
“How do you know this?” Samael whispered.
“I have my ways,” Donavon answered, cutting off what she was about to say.
“And I can’t go because?” The annoyance on Samael’s face made Marcella’s heart leap. Hell yes, she wanted him to go. Shit, they needed him, and badly, but he wouldn’t have come happily if he thought she was ordering him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marcella said, narrowing her eyes intentionally. “Masters don’t fight. They’re the ones who give the orders.”
Samael looked at her, astounded. “Of course they do. Ambrose is a master, and I bet you’re going to let him fight.”
Shrugging, she dropped her arms from her mates and walked over to Ambrose. He held her close while she looked up into his pale face.
“This master enjoys the blood that’s associated with the kill. Don’t you?”
“More than you’ll ever know.” His lips brushed against hers, and she turned back to Samael. The look on the dark angel’s face was enough to stop her heart. He was angry, and not just a little. He was pissed.
“I like to fight, too. You think just because I give out the orders that I don’t know what to do in the field? I assure you you’re wrong.”
Walking toward him, she kept her eyes averted. “Well, I mean if you want to go…”
“You know I do,” he snapped.
“Well, I guess it would be okay. I mean, if you think you can handle it, that is. I can’t be out there watching over you or anything.” Only then did she raise her eyes to his.
A gasp passed his lips. “You baited me.” He let out a laugh and shook his head. “You fucking tricked me, and I didn’t even realize it. Goddamn it. Why didn’t you just ask?” He paused, the smile falling. “Never mind. Don’t answer that.”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly. You would have said something smart ass. So, why don’t you look over my plans and see what you think? I know you’ll give me an honest opinion. Since there are houses not too far away, the majority of our powers are pretty much useless. The police would be there in minutes.”
Marcella headed for the door and looked over her shoulder, noticing they were all following. “Of course, with all the firepower they have, that might happen anyway. Just in case, Ambrose will be by me at all times. Donavon is to not leave Dominic’s side, and Aaron is not to leave Jason.”<
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Walking into the great hall, Marcella only noticed a few vampires walking around. Spying Nayla heading for the stairs, she quickly ran forward to catch up with her.
“Can you do me a huge favor, Nayla?”
“Sure.” A smile came to the vampire’s face as her green eyes looked up and down Marcy’s body.
“I was wondering if you could get everyone together and have them meet us in my headquarters. There are a few last minute details I want to go over about tonight.”
“You bet.”
Nayla bounced up the stairs, giving off no sound to her footsteps. Turning, Marcella proceeded to the room where she had all the pictures on the walls. The vampires’ coming along wasn’t something she really wanted to happen, but it was imperative that they stick together. Only problem was, she wasn’t sure exactly how many were coming. She’d be damned if they were going to fight before she had their souls. It was way too risky. If she lost anyone whose soul wasn’t protected, she didn’t think she’d be able to live with herself.
“You’re worried.”
Samael’s voice sounded right behind her. Coming into the room, she just nodded while she went to the end. The look that came across the dark angel’s face as he took in all the pictures made her pride soar.
“You did all of this?” Samael turned to her.
“Sure did.”
“Why?”
The smile fell at his question. “What do you mean, why? I needed to be able to show everyone the layout.”
“But…you’ve never done anything like this before. I’m just a little surprised. In the past, you would have just given the orders to your men. You wouldn’t even be going, Marcella. But this.” He gestured to the map of Luis’s land and also to the other maps she’d made for future trips. She had circled all the places Dominic had reported that paranormal creatures were known to live.
Taken aback, she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “You mean I didn’t help fight or find followers?”
“Recruiting is something you and I do together. As for the fighting, fuck no! You’re queen. Why do you think you have knights? This isn’t your job. It’s theirs. Do you think I’d be going if you weren’t? I thought this issue with Luis might be something personal, but obviously that’s not why you want to fight.”
“You’re right, it’s not. I should be fighting with my men.”
“Is that so?” Samael turned to all four of them but paused as the vampires began to file in. Once everyone was filling the large area, he continued. “I want all of you who agree to raise your hands. Now, who here feels comfortable letting the queen fight?”
Marcella looked around. Not a single hand rose. Furious, she walked toward Samael. “That is not the point. I’m responsible for this. I took him without taking care of the problem before we left. I fight.”
“Marcella, this is a long time coming. This is my fight. Not yours,” Donavon said softly.
She started to argue with him, but Samael’s gaze shot to Dominic and then Jason, making her pause. They both walked over and waited for what he had to say. When his eyes connected to hers, she knew it wasn’t good.
“There are more problems than this fight. Have you and Jason come to terms with your issue?”
Confused, she shook her head. “What does that have to do with anything? That can be resolved later.”
“Why, when I have the perfect solution?” Samael looked at Dominic. Somehow she knew he was speaking to Dom in his head. When her mate’s eyes shot to hers, panic flared.
“I’m sorry, Marcy, but this is for the best.”
“What do you mean, Dom?”
Samael grabbed her arm, and Dominic grabbed Jason’s. Her and her other half were thrown in one of the dungeon’s cells before she could even process how fast they’d disappeared from her headquarters.
The sound of the iron door locking had her and Jason both pulling against the bars of the cell. Marcella tried to grab at the dark angel by manipulating the energy, but her powers were utterly useless. “Don’t you fucking do this, Samael. Let us out right now! I need to fight with my men!”
Jason’s yelling was just as loud as hers. “Dominic! Let me out. You’ve seen my fucking dragon! You fucking get me out of here right now. I’ll hurt her. You know I will.”
Dom shook his head. “You love her too much to hurt her, Jason. You can control your dragon. I know you can. A part of me has had trouble facing the reality of your situation with our queen, but I have to trust in her judgment, and she thinks she can control you.” He turned to Marcella with a sad look. “I’m sorry, but Samael is right. I don’t want you fighting, and this is the best thing for you and Jason.”
All Marcella could do was think of her new mate and her potential followers. “You can’t let Donavon, Aaron, or the vampires go. Please! I meant to do a ceremony before I left for those who wanted to follow. Their souls will be lost if they die!”
Samael lifted his hand, a gesture she took as him trying to calm her. “We’ll bring the ones who want to follow and fight down here. You’ll have to do the ceremony through these bars. It’s the only way. You’re not getting out until we get back, and that could take a few days. I want to scope out the area myself. Oh, and don’t bother trying to use your gifts here. There’s a spell forbidding anything like that from happening.”
Marcella sunk to the ground, still holding onto the bars. How did this just happen? The ceremony was something to celebrate, something beautiful. The memories they would have when they thought of their special day would revolve around her being in the dungeon. Great. Not to mention, she wouldn’t be there to protect or watch over her men as they fought. That just made everything worse.
“Dominic, go tell everyone what is going on. Let them decide. Bring down the ones who want Marcella as their queen.”
Her mate nodded and disappeared. Jason yelled as he began pulling on the bars again. “Samael. I never had a problem with you until this very moment. What you’re doing crosses the line. You have to let me out of here. You saw what I did to her the last time. Without her having her powers to at least fight back, it’ll be even worse. Don’t make either of us go through that again.”
“I also saw you submit at the end, Jason. You stopped. There was a small window where you could have gobbled her up, and you didn’t. Trust me. You’ll be fine. Hell, I bet by the time we get back, you’ll be thanking me.”
“Or putting my blade through your chest because that’s exactly what I’m going to do if I hurt her again.”
Samael waved off the threat with his hand. “Marcella.” The dark angel lowered himself until his face was level with hers. “Look at me.” Tears clouded her vision as she met his eyes. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to your men or followers.”
“What followers, Samael? I haven’t had a chance to spend nearly as much time with them as I would have liked. My life is a fucking mess. Every spare moment I have is usually complicated by one of my creatures.”
“You mean your succubus, don’t you? She comes a lot?”
“All the time.” A sob passed her lips as she looked down. Samael’s fingers came through the bar and eased under her chin, bringing her gaze back up to his.
“What if I told you there was a way you could satisfy your demon for weeks at a time? What would you say?”
“I’d say you were probably planning an orgy, and I’m not interested in sleeping with fifty million men.”
“And if it were only one man who could sate your demon’s cravings? What then?”
Marcella rose to her knees, gripping the iron tighter. Samael moved up to stay level with her. “Impossible. No one person is capable of holding that much energy.”
A smile came to Samael’s face. “I know one person who is.”
“Who?” The word barely left her lips as her heart accelerated.
“The devil himself,” Jason spat from across the room. “Who do you think, Marcy? No one is that strong. Dom, Ambrose, and I are damn near
drained by the time you get done with us. For someone to hold that much power is like you said, impossible.”
Samael rolled his eyes at Jason and turned back to her. “Next time she comes, summon me. I’ll take you to him. That is, if you’re interested.”
“She’d be gone for weeks.”
“Well, it’s not guaranteed, but I do know this person was perfectly made to take a succubus of your strength, so you won’t drain him. I’m betting you don’t even make him break a sweat.”
“Really? What’s his name? Have I met him in either of my lives?”
Samael laughed. “Of course. I wouldn’t take you to someone I didn’t approve of, especially for this. I guess you could say he’s the only person I trust with you.”
“Then I’ll meet him. Whether or not I can go through with it is something entirely different.”
Samael stood, and so did she. “My queen, I’m betting once you see him you won’t have any objections.”
One man. Weeks succubus free. She’d be damned if this wasn’t the next best thing to winning the lottery.
Footsteps in the distance had her pressing her face against the bars to try to see the entrance, but it was impossible from her angle. “Samael, who’s coming?”
“Almost everyone, my queen.” A laugh came from his throat as he stepped away from the bars. “Of course, we both know the new vampires need more time, but it seems the ones who have been here the longest are all here. Oh, wait, I take that back, the twins are here. Lovely. Nayla really took a liking to you, it seems.”
Lavender immediately filled the air, and Marcella ignored Samael as she fought the tears that once again tried to escape. As the vampires all came to stand before the cell, she had to tighten her grip on the iron just so she wouldn’t fall because of her weakened knees.
The door opened, and she was immediately pulled out and shackled to the outside of the cell by Samael. Jason ran for the door, but it was locked before he could make out. Walking forward, Marcella noticed she had a good twenty feet to move.
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