by Lexi C. Foss
“Evangeline,” I whispered, concerned that I’d hurt her, damaged her in some way in my ferocity to reassert my dominion.
I scouted for a place to land, found one in a nearby field, and touched down while she bawled in my arms.
“Oh, darling…” This was why I didn’t… shouldn’t…
Her nails dug into my shoulders, her mouth finding mine as she kissed me through the sobs. I didn’t understand, couldn’t follow her logic.
What happened to you?
“Thank you,” she whispered, kissing me harder. “Thank you.”
I cradled her against me, returning her embrace despite my confusion.
“I love you,” she continued. “God, Xai, I hate how much I love you, but I do. You’re my reason, too. My mate. The one who always knows how to piece me back together.” More kissing, more crying, more shaking. “I hate her, Xai. The things she did to me, she wanted to scar me, to ruin me so you wouldn’t want me anymore, and I worried… I knew… but I worried…” She paused, tears flooding her eyes. “God, I feel like such a fool for ever thinking…”
“Shh,” I murmured, understanding now. She felt as if she betrayed me by believing such a thing possible. “Torture isn’t just physical, darling. It’s mental too.” And clearly, Kalida had done more damage than either of us realized. “We’ll heal together, sweetheart. It’s what we do.”
She buried her head in my neck again, her shoulders trembling violently as she cried, as she allowed herself to finally feel everything that had happened to her, in the safety of my arms.
Even angels as old as us needed to fall apart sometimes. What she had endured, most would never have survived. But my Evangeline was far from ordinary.
She was mine.
My purpose.
My eternity.
13
I Seem to Have Lost Touch with Humanity
The moon reflected off of Xai’s feathers as he flew us back to his refuge, the home he claimed eons ago that no one else dared touch even in his absence. Silence had befallen the city, most of our kind settling in for the night while the Sentries guarded them in their sleep.
I laid my head against Xai’s shoulder, exhausted both physically and mentally. He’d held me through my tears, fucked me again when I asked, and kissed me for what felt like hours.
His long hair tickled my cheek, causing me to smile despite my sleepy state. “I still don’t want you to cut it.”
He landed on his balcony with a chuckle, his ebony gaze finding mine. “We’ll see if it suits the times when we return to Earth.”
I considered that with a frown, my mind attempting to process the impossible. “What year is it down there?”
His shoulders lifted and fell. “I honestly have no idea at this point, but everything has changed. Again.”
A reference to our last stay in Heaven.
I gasped. “Oh, shit, Gwen!” I hadn’t spoken to her before everything happened, or even warned her that I was on a mission. Hadn’t even thought about it.
What a great best friend I am.
“She knows where you are,” Xai said as he lowered me to his bed and stretched out beside me. His pants were lost somewhere, likely never to be found. “Zebulon kept her informed during our search, and, according to your mother, Azrael has provided her with updates on your condition here.”
“Zebulon?” I repeated warily, recalling Gwen’s budding relationship with the Demonic Lord.
“They’ve grown close.” Xai slid his arm beneath my shoulders and pulled me into him, his chest serving as the perfect pillow for my head. “He’s good to her, from what I can tell. Zane, too.”
I gaped at him. “What?”
“Yeah, I’ll let her tell you that story,” he replied, smirking. “We have something more important to discuss anyway.”
“Do we?” I asked, not sure I agreed. Gwen, Zeb, and Zane? The fuck?
“Yes. Kalida.”
The name wiped away all my thoughts of Gwen almost instantly, my need for revenge surfacing. “She needs to die.”
“Yes, my mother said that as well. I suspect she was talking to you?”
I recalled her words from the balcony and nodded. “She knew I was standing just inside, listening.”
“At least the eavesdropping comment makes more sense now.”
Yeah, that subtle chastisement had been directed toward me. Not that I had cared. As much as I had wanted to see my mother, it was Xai I had desired most when I woke, and he hadn’t been where I needed him. “Your mother said Kalida is in Alastor’s realm, or will be.”
“Yes, she doesn’t normally give such obvious hints regarding the future, which tells me we needed her assistance to find Kalida.”
I shook my head. “No, she was delivering a verdict of fate and requesting that death—me—handle the punishment.” That much I understood by her statement. “But the Succubus deserves her fate.”
“A death sentence,” Xai said, catching on. “In less than three days’ time.”
“Which means I need to find my wings.” And the rest of my strength.
He softly stroked my arm, his heart beating steadily beneath my ear. “Everyone is focused on the shifting of power, not on Kalida. She likely knows this, suggesting she’s fallen into a state of comfort since no one is actively searching for her.”
“No one?” I repeated, surprised. “Even Ashmedai?”
“Especially Ashmedai. He’s preoccupied with protecting his lands and his people, as are the other Archdemons, even the Demonic Lords on Earth. Strange things are happening in the underworld, Evangeline, and no one knows the cause.”
“Like the portals last night.”
“Yes, exactly.”
I considered that, my brow furrowing. “But weren’t they like the ones Geier and Kalida created on Earth?”
Xai was silent a moment, his hand stilling on my arm. “Yes, but more powerful.”
“Meaning someone has perfected them, which suits the timeline, right? How many thousands of years have passed in Hell since the incident on Earth?”
“You think Kalida is involved.”
“How couldn’t she be?” I asked. “Think about it. She and Geier started to create an army on Earth to take over her father’s territory, and failed. But someone helped her escape, who I’m guessing has yet to be identified, indicating a level of power that supersedes or matches Ashmedai’s. She also has a pet Nephilim who somehow masks her aura even when he’s not by her side, and he thrives in Hell. Is all of that a coincidence?”
“You know how I feel about coincidences.”
“Yes, it was a rhetorical question. We both know it’s related.” I went onto my elbow beside him, meeting his dark gaze. “Could it be another Archdemon tinkering with the balance?”
“It would require more power than that.” He stroked my spine, his expression curious. “The Divinity is fracturing. I’m not sure what happened, but Johanna is in Hell with Bael, and I think Ezra is mated to a Halfling.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Is any of that even allowed?”
“I’m not sure anyone is following the rules anymore.” Amusement tugged at his lips. “Is it wrong that I approve?”
“No, it’s very you.” I leaned in to kiss him, my lips lingering against his. “Son of Chaos.”
“And Fate,” he added, his brow crinkling a little. “My mother seems to be indicating I have a new future path.”
“I heard that,” I whispered. “Something about your calling?”
He pinched my side. “You really were eavesdropping.”
I shifted back with a snort. “You’re one to talk.”
He shrugged, unapologetic. “Regarding my mother, I’m not clear on what she’s predicting—as usual—but it sounds imminent. And…” He paused, his pupils contracting in an eerie way. “I sense it too, Evangeline.”
I studied him, the mysterious thinning and expanding of his dark irises, the way he took on an almost faraway gleam as if searching for the thread of
that elusive thought. “Your powers are strengthening, too.”
He swallowed and nodded. “Yes, I think so. It would explain how I deepened our connection, how I survived the Shadow realm without so much as a scratch, how I managed to bend Ashmedai to my will, why the other angels seemed to be looking to me as a leader, how I sensed the portals last night before they formed…” He drifted off, his expression holding a twinge of concern.
“That’s why I woke early,” I realized. “You must have somehow triggered it when you felt the disturbance.”
“No, that was your soul waking to the call of death.” He said it with such confidence, as though he just knew it was true. And he didn’t even notice it.
“You’re the son of two Archangels. You’ve always favored chaos because it served you well in your role on Earth, but your mother’s blood also lives within you. Maybe that ability is awakening.”
“But why, after all these millennia?”
“Because it’s almost time,” I murmured. “Isn’t that what your mother said?”
He considered it, his eyes taking on that faraway gleam again. “Yes. I just wish I knew what it meant.”
“Something tells me we’re going to find out, and soon.”
He nodded, his fingers tracing my arm again as he pulled me back to him. “But we’ll deal with Kalida first.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “And figure out how she’s linked to all of this.” Because I felt it with every fiber of my being that she was involved. She had to be.
“That gives us two days to heal your soul and find your wings.”
“Any idea where to start?” Because aside from my missing feathers, I felt almost normal. Almost.
“I do, actually.” He flattened me beneath him, his lower body settling between my thighs. My breath came out in a shudder at the very intimate position and the feel of his hot, hard length against my tender flesh.
“Xai…”
“Evangeline,” he returned, sliding into me. “You begged me to fuck you, did you not?”
I arched beneath him, a whimper escaping my lips that sounded mysteriously like an affirmative. I had begged him, would do it again if it meant another bout of pleasure and forgetting.
“Did you think we were done, darling?” He punctuated the question with a sharp thrust that had me sighing in content.
I loved him. This. Us.
My fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him down for a kiss that he denied with a grin against my lips.
“Beg me again, Evangeline.”
I nipped at him instead. “Give me more.”
He grinned. “So defiant.”
“So arrogant.”
He nuzzled my nose. “So perfect.”
“So mine,” I replied, tightening my grip in his hair.
“Forever, love.”
“Show me.” I licked his lower lip. “Promise me.” Another trace of my tongue against his mouth, urging him to open. “Devour me.” I dipped inside, humming in approval. “Take me.” Those last two words were a breath against his mouth, my body shivering with want beneath him.
Electricity sizzled between us, his irises darkening to match his feathers. “Hold on to me, love.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and vowed, “I’ll never let go.”
14
A Quick Guide to Seducing the Daughter of Death: Buy Her Silver Toys
Evangeline balanced the sword with the ease of a practiced professional, her stance ready. “I still prefer knives.”
“I know.” I struck and she countered, her lithe form shifting with ease.
“And guns,” she added while parrying my next move.
“I know,” I repeated.
She arched a blonde brow. “Remind me again why we’re doing this?”
“Because it’s fun.”
She gave me a dubious look and tossed her sword aside. “I prefer sparring.”
I sighed, lowering my blade. “It’s like you want to be killed.”
Her fingers danced over the throwing daggers sheathed against her sides. “I’m still armed.” Happiness glimmered in her gaze, confirming she approved of the items I’d gifted her this morning.
Most women wanted diamonds. My woman preferred silver knives. Not a problem in Heaven, where the substance existed in abundance. A little harder on Earth, but I managed.
“Then let’s spar.” I set my sword down beside her—much more gracefully—and widened my legs. “Show me what you can do, Evangeline.” I laced doubt into my tone just to irk her. It worked.
Her eyes narrowed. “Gladly.”
She moved faster than I expected, striking out with her foot instead of her palm and landing a hit to my thigh before sidestepping my counter. “That was actually good.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am,” I admitted. Her strength had certainly returned, and with it, her skill. Was it Heaven’s atmosphere aiding her recovery? Her mother’s healing power? Or was she, too, impacted by altering energies throughout the planes?
Another quick kick—this one I caught—followed by a punch that very nearly connected with my jaw. I dodged her second fist and returned one of my own that barely nicked her shoulder.
“More,” I encouraged. Sparring with Evangeline was hotter than the best foreplay. It set my blood on fire and stirred an electricity between us that existed nowhere else.
We circled each other, striking, pulling back, kicking out, catching each other off guard, and moving until we were both breathing hard.
“I haven’t seen you fight like this in eons,” I whispered, awed.
“It feels good.” She tried to knock me off balance with her leg, but I caught her and whirled her in my arms, placing her back to my front, my lips at her neck.
“You feel good.” She attempted to elbow her way out of my hold, causing me to chuckle. “You may be quicker, love, but I’m definitely stronger.”
More squirming until she finally conceded, her head falling back against my shoulder. “This isn’t productive.”
I pressed my hard cock into her backside. “I disagree.”
“One-track mind,” she groaned. “I need my wings, Xai.”
It concerned me that they hadn’t made their appearance, especially with her body being fully healed. Had the Shadow demons somehow damaged that part of her permanently? I hated that thought, despised the possibility, and refused to even voice it.
Rafaela would have sensed that, right? Evangeline, too?
“You’re worried too,” she said, sagging against me. “What if they don’t come back?”
“They will.” I rotated her in my arms and captured her face between my palms. “We just need to give it time.”
“We don’t have time,” she argued. “She’ll be in Alastor’s realm today, Xai.”
I sighed. Yes, two days had come and gone far too quickly. But there was an element to this that Evangeline seemed to be ignoring. “You don’t need your wings in Hell.”
She considered, her blue eyes holding mine. “But without them, I’m not at full health.”
“You seem well enough to me,” my mother said as she landed beside us.
“Hello, Mother,” I murmured as Evangeline moved to my side, her arm around my lower back beneath my feathers.
“Should you not be headed to Ashmedai’s realm right now?” my mother asked, ignoring greetings as usual. “There are several paths, and I favor this one.” Her uncanny eyes unfocused, refocused, and unfocused again, the patterns of the future shifting before her.
“The Succubus will say she knows, but she does not. Her fate lies in the hands of death. Consult with the Daughter of War. She’s powerful.” My mother blinked, then smiled. “There, that’ll do nicely. Have a safe trip, but do come back soon. We need you.”
She took off in a flourish of color, her opal feathers glinting in the sunlight.
“Daughter of War?” Evangeline repeated. “Archangel Scion doesn’t have a child.”
An image f
lashed in my head, unexpected and unbidden, but utterly right. “Trudy.”
Evangeline’s gaze rose to mine, her eyebrows lifting. “What?”
“She’s talking about Trudy.” I had no idea how I knew that. The Nephilim looked nothing like her father, apart from maybe the cherubic facial features. “We need to go to Ashmedai’s realm.”
“But—”
“You’re ready,” I said, knowing exactly what Evangeline intended to say. “You’re fighting better than you have in decades, and with my blood, you’ll be strong enough to take on everyone in your path. And you’ll have my wings, should you need them.” Because I would be entering Hell in full Archangel mode.
Her blue irises contracted around her pupils, her expression one of respect rather than disquiet. “I trust you.”
“I know.”
“Even though you’re an arrogant asshat.”
My lips twitched. “I know.”
“Good.” She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Now give me some blood and we’ll be on our way.”
“Vampire.”
“Chaotic Archangel,” she returned.
I adored this woman more than breathing. “Kiss me.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“It wasn’t a request,” I corrected, my lips brushing hers. “Open.” I sliced my tongue open with a sharp bite that stung, and slipped inside her waiting mouth. Instincts told me she wouldn’t need much, which seemed contrary to past experience.
Our bond is strengthening.
Because we’d finally given in to it? Because of everything we’d been through together of late? Because of the changes in Hell rising to Heaven? All of the above?
Her moan against my mouth brought me back to her, to us, to our embrace. I deepened our kiss, forcing more of my essence into her, encasing her in my protection by filling her with Chaos’s bloodline. She would be able to move about Hell as freely as I did, at least temporarily. I would give her more the second I sensed her weakening, and together, we would find Kalida and bring her to justice.
I traced the seam of her mouth with my tongue, loving the taste of her. “Ready?” I asked softly.