Yeah. That. "I think…you may have gotten some of my qualities in our binding. That is normal."
A look of horrified confusion twisted her face. "Qualities? Normal? What qualities."
"My angelic qualities." He slowly held his hand out. "Sweetheart? How do you feel exactly?"
She seemed to fight to process his question, her face morphing with various emotions, none that appealed to him. "I feel…" She looked down as though taking careful account and deciphering. When she met his gaze again, his gut tightened. "Dirty."
Lyght fought the rapid fire of questions that leapt on his tongue then struggled to pick the best, one that would give him what he needed to know and understand. Only problem was, he was conflicted with his own set of strange feelings.
Her gaze roamed over him until her face filled with more worried confusion. "Why do you do that?"
Before he could wonder what she meant, he saw his nails had turned that awful dead blood red color. Which meant his eyes did as well.
Her gaze narrowed at his hair. "Your hair is changed."
His hair? Lyght glanced left and beheld his reflection in the slab of diamond at the head of the bed. Bloody fucking hell.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
Her words hit him like a real blow to the chest and he gasped. "I am too."
"Are you sick?"
"Sick?" He looked at her, never having felt such pain. It was somehow worse than the first time he'd experienced it. He could only shake his head as he fought to get control of his new human traits. That's what it was. That's all. New legs, new eyes. New pain. He needed to get a grip and deal with this. Help his…wife.
More pain speared him at the term. His wife. She fucking…loathed him?
She watched him and he could only wonder in blind frustration what ran through her mind, because it clearly did, at the speed of light and he couldn't detect it. "It's me," she whispered. "I'm causing this."
Oh God. "Not like you think."
"From the beginning," she whispered. "From the first night I put my lips on you. I've…"
Lyght stood and she took several steps back.
"I knew it was wrong. That's what is wrong with you, I can feel it. It's me. I'm the reason."
"Reason for what?"
"Look at you!" She grew more distraught. "You're…you're all…messed up. Ever since you helped me, I've done something to you, I've…" she stared at him, clear understanding dawning in her wide eyes, "defiled you."
"What? Kassie—"
"Oh my God. I've made you…" She put her hand over her mouth and tears filled her eyes. "I've made you fall." She spun around and went to the wardrobe that held her clothes. Lyght couldn't move, he stood rooted in shock from her words. She mumbled as she dressed. "I knew it was so wrong from the beginning. I knew it. I knew it, I knew it, oh my God, what have I done?" Her words trembled out feeble sounding. Sick sounding.
Even when she'd dressed and paced before him like a caged animal, Lyght still couldn't find the strength to move or speak. He'd never been so confused in his existence. Nothing was making sense, he couldn't make his super-intelligent brain function in the least fucking bit.
"I'm right." She paced next to the kitchen. "You know I am, I can feel you now." She stopped pacing and nailed him with her gaze. "I can feel you. I can feel you know it's true. I'm the reason, I'm the cause for all of this. Your pain, your sickness, your disease. Your brokenness."
The agony that broke her voice broke the strange hold on Lyght's body. He went to her.
"No!" She shoved at him and held both her arms out, keeping him at bay. "Don't touch me." She pushed him away as if she were the plague.
"Kassie, stop this. You're right, you are the cause for all of this. The pain inside me, the changes in me, and yes it began from the moment you kissed me." He shook his head, "Not from the moment you kissed me, from the moment I chose you from Heaven."
"What?"
"I watched you pray for a boy you didn't know, offer yourself in his place, it was the most selfless act I'd seen in centuries, any of us. Your faith was off the charts, I'd never seen a woman with so much love and goodness. That is why I chose you, and that is what I fell in love with first and yes, when you put your perfect lips on mine, God, you changed me. You changed everything. My world, my mind, my angelic makeup. You changed me into something I was already destined to become. A man."
His explanation seemed to confound her and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why.
"You're doing it again. Touching me inside."
He groaned and raked a hand through his hair, lowering his head. "God, I can't stand not knowing why you're feeling the way you are."
"But you do know, I just explained it."
"I mean no offense when I say this, but what you just explained has zero logic in my psyche, love. Everything you said is true, but what I don't understand is…" Lyght clenched his eyes at the pain that surged up to steal his breath and close his throat off. "I don't understand…" The second attempt to say the words was again cut off by the surge of emotion. Fuck. Just fucking say it. He fought to spit the words out, but all he managed was a strained whisper. "Everything you've done…every change you've caused in me…is beautiful and…"
"Unholy."
The blasphemous word she'd barely breathed brought anger that rolled over his pain. "What?" He prayed he'd heard wrong.
"You heard right. Unholy." The bold words trembled behind her hard façade and she began pacing again. "I can't stay here. I don't belong here."
"You're my wife!"
Kassie jolted to a halt at those words, he hadn't meant to yell them. She stared with sad incredulity. "Look at you." Tears streamed down her face and her lip trembled. "You're a mess. You have a mission to stop evil and you're falling apart. And it's my fault!"
She'd yelled the last words but it only fed into his anger. "Yes it's your fault, it's supposed to be your fault, you're the woman I chose to be my wife, but I just never…"
Those fucking emotions assaulted him and closed his throat.
"You never what?"
"Don't you know? Can't you feel it? You can feel every bloody thing else going on with me."
"What I feel is…blasphemous."
Lyght spun and smashed his hand into the diamond bed post, shattering it. He jerked to her. "Don't you ever say that! Don't you ever fucking say that! I will never be a blasphemer!"
"Not you! Me!" Her scream was just as angry.
Her words brought him to his knees with agony. He hated the feeling of weakness. Hated it. Fury knocked on his heart and he threw the door open wide and let the strength in. He slammed his fist into the diamond floor, cratering it, then leapt for her.
He pinned her body to the floor with his and kissed her. Kissed her until she moaned and whimpered, and writhed beneath him. When she wrapped her legs around him, he thrust his erection against her with aching need. He gasped in relief when he managed to think her clothes off.
With a crazed hunger, his lips found her breasts. With a reckless need, he bound her to the floor with his power. With a dizzy fervor, he opened her wide and licked her secrets with all the angelic passion he had left, willing the divinity, the holiness of it into her as she buried her fingers in his hair and pulled hard, as she cried out even harder, grinding herself on his mouth with a volatile and sweet abandon that lit him on fire. The way only she could.
Just before she broke, he covered her body with his and entered her fast and deep. She cried out, the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. Not wanting it to end, he answered that hunger inside her, inside him, and joined their souls again, demanding her to see. "Not blasphemous! Because I love you," he whispered desperately. "I love you with all of my soul. All of my heart, Kassie. Please love me."
****
Kassie's heart felt like it exploded in her chest at his words. She didn't know what happened, really. His agony produced a sharp stab of guilt, leaving her wishing she could make it all go away.
Sudd
enly she was in the dark. Alone. Someplace unfamiliar. The smell of alcohol pervaded the damp night air. A glance around showed her huddled against a cement wall, outside a single story building that felt large. Heavy bass music thumped from inside, and from somewhere nearby, the scent of a pasture—that specific combination of fresh grass, large animals and manure—wafted through the night.
Pasture?
Where in God's name was she? How did she get there?
A shiver rolled over her and gooseflesh rose on her body. Holy cow! She was naked.
Oh God.
Voices off to her right sent her scurrying along the wall, feeling with her hands in the dark as she went. Nothing but dirt beneath her feet, all the way to the very corner of the building. She peeked around the front, trying to conceal herself behind a four-inch drain pipe running up the wall. Her heart stuttered in her chest, stalled and threatened to not restart, then took off at dangerous pace when she saw where she was.
The Green Door. Why in God's name was she there? A sudden flash of memory took her back to the night she and Bill had gone there to celebrate their little wedding. Her body ached with pain. And need. The need for his protection and still-familiar arms. The need for his…for his humanity.
She was human.
Not angel.
Blasphemous. That's what it all was. She was more convinced of that than ever before. She just needed to be away from Lyght. Oh God. What was going on? Had he really given her power? Is that how she got there? Is that how she was able to know things? Know this truth? Know what he was feeling? Thinking?
Her body tingled in memory of what he'd done, followed by a hammering shame and guilt. She was so vile. So very vile. Because she loved it. She loved what he did to her. Loved it more than she'd ever loved anything. How very vile she was.
The holy and the unholy, united as one. Oh God, surely she didn't let that happen. He'd called her holy. Said he'd chosen her. For her amazing faith and love!
The absurdity of it all stole her breath. Confounded her. How did he not know? He was an angel. Shouldn't he know those things especially? He'd not done his homework very well and she needed to inform him, she needed to give him the dirty details, then he'd realize, then he'd see what she saw and knew and felt.
Wait a minute.
Of course he didn't feel it. He was an angel. He was likely not able to feel such things. But hadn't he said he'd gained human abilities? She wasn't so sure those should be considered abilities. Weaknesses.
Kassie concerned herself with her immediate situation. Being naked out in the middle of nowhere at a place that made no sense, no clothes, and no clue as to how to get back where she belonged.
Chapter Twenty-One
"Are you okay?" Peggy couldn't resist sliding her fingers in Tyler's hair. Mostly to see if it was as soft as it looked. She watched his skin turn a deep red as her fingers voyaged from his hair to his cheeks, her curiosity knowing no bounds when it came to the sweet human. The downy precursor to the beard he would soon have fascinated her. Her fingertips insisted on knowing the texture.
Was the rest of his skin as soft as his hair? She allowed her fingers skip across the soft curve of his jaw, already beginning to show the square angle it would be when he finished puberty. By their own choice, her fingers resumed their exploration, trailing along his hairline to the skin at the back of his neck.
It was. As soft as his hair. And perfectly warm. Such a heavenly mix of ever-changing texture. She smiled, happy to sit there at his side and acquaint herself with every single fascinating inch of him.
Wait. Could he possibly be as fascinated with her? Would he like to touch? What would it feel like if—
Her finely tuned senses suddenly took note of his highly accelerated pulse and labored breathing. What could be wrong? He seemed distressed. Something to do with her? Her hair maybe? Her scent? Did she not choose the right combination of pheromones?
"I'm-I'm fine. You look…"
Peggy stepped back and looked down at her carefully chosen ensemble. She'd had a hard time choosing, but she'd finally settled on what the magazine called delicious low-rise stretch jeans and a curve-loving cotton sweater with a sweetheart neckline. She'd added a light leather jacket, a pair of gorgeous high-heeled knee boots to tuck the jeans into and swept her hair up in a cascade of loose curls, also from a magazine.
She'd studied fashion for a total of four hours and knew everything there was to know about it over the centuries. She'd chosen the precise norm for teen females in this geographical location. So why this reaction?
"Is it the color? I had my skin analyzed. Lavender is supposed to be one of my colors, I'm what they call a summer, but I also wondered if it were correct because I naturally like deep jewel tones." She looked around and found six amused eyes on her. Stupid brothers. You could never count on them to help with anything important.
"And what are you looking at, clackity?" She flicked her finger at Robert.
"Oh, don't mind me." He waved a pincer at her. "I'm just enjoying your little fashion show. And our young man's dashing response to you."
Peggy's mercury coagulated in her blood and she balled her fists. "I suppose you know so much about fashion. I'll have you know—"
"You look beautiful. That's what I was going to say. I hesitated because…" Peggy's chest fluttered with joy as she watched the cute human boy struggle to speak. Then he boldly and bravely pinned those dark blue eyes on her. "Because I'm stupid."
Peggy gasped on joy and didn't think twice about hugging him or even swinging him around in her arms. She'd study the female human nature and behavior next. She had a strong feeling that she was violating a lot of behavioral codes for her age and gender. She didn't care at the moment. She was too thrilled that she'd gotten her attire right.
"Can we get on with business? Dorn said back to business."
Peggy put Tyler down carefully and glared at Francis. "Fine Mr. Fancy pants." She took Tyler's hand and pulled him with her to the couch. When she sat, she patted the seat next to her. She wanted him close. She liked the way he felt and the smell of his skin. Definitely something she needed to explore more thoroughly, along with his responses. Not to mention her own.
Sudden overwhelming curiosity about his taste struck her. She shook it off. That was surely not in the realm of normal human behavior. Surely. Although… Yes, several times she'd witness Toren and Sam tasting one another. She glanced around at her brothers' curious expressions. Perhaps she should save that particular exploration for a time when she and Tyler could be alone?
Her thoughts went whirling off in another direction. She should probably study human development too, more thoroughly than the cursory reading she'd already done. It might be a good idea to familiarize herself with puberty and when Tyler might be fully grown to manhood so she could adjust her own growth to match.
Maxwell sat next to Peggy and cleared his throat dragging her attention back to the present. "So what are we going to do? What do you have in mind?"
Good. She needed a distraction from this endless curiosity about Tyler before she either offended him or made a fool of herself. Peggy patted Max's leg and smiled, thrilled to see him in human form.
All of them had changed form. Except Robert. Peggy regarded her obstinate brother for several seconds while he tried to find a spot to lounge his clickety clackety self in. "Is human form too difficult for you, Bobby?" The diminutive form, or nickname as Francis had explained it was called, of his name irritated Robert greatly, so she never missed an opportunity to use it.
"Not at all. It's a cinch." He snapped his pinchers in the air with a devious wink, the massive claws crashing together like diamond sledge hammers.
Tyler jumped in response and Peggy glared her displeasure at Robert. Showoff.
"Well, let's figure this out." Francis paced before them, all business, raking his hand through his gorgeous red hair. "How about we form a little operation?"
"In human form?" Peggy squeezed Tyler's hand in e
xcitement. Every moment spent in human from with him was an exquisite treasure.
Her ruby brother paused briefly, giving her a speculative look. "Yes, human. We have to go undetected."
Peggy smiled sweetly when Robert rolled his eyes at her.
"What sort of plan do you have in mind?" Maxwell crossed his legs several different ways before finally leaving them uncrossed. She'd need to insist on a crash course for male human mannerisms before they stepped into the world. Otherwise they would be easily spotted.
Francis turned and swung his arm at the dense ruby wall, turning it to liquid that he directed to the right of the huge TV screen just beyond. He swirled his fingers and the liquid ruby stayed put. "Operation…" Francis paused and muttered, "Ruby Crush."
"Oh Heavens." Robert rolled his eyes. "The ostentatious prince and his austere presumptuousness."
"This is an area called The Bottoms in Columbus" Francis went on, ignoring the ridicule. Peggy admired her brother's confidence and courage. He took after his father in that respect. "It's a simple plan. We infiltrate this gang, the Kings of the Bottoms, and break its core by taking a few of its most valuable members."
"Taking?" Maxwell, put his arm on the top of the couch.
"Yes. Legally, of course." Francis moved his hands over the screen and pulled up a group of people, then zoomed in. "I've been studying their profiles and lives. See this one?" He pointed to a young boy. "He's my prime target. He's at the perfect age for my operation and his position in the gang will guarantee to shake the core as well as gain us invaluable Intel."
"Why him?" Robert asked.
"He's under the secret protection of the leader of the female counterpart to the Kings. His best friend is also important to them. He's the younger brother of one of the main leaders. They have high plans for both of them."
"She looks scary." Maxwell pointed to a figure slightly to one side, close but separate from the others.
Peggy stared at the lone female in the group with the hauntingly brilliant blue eyes encased in pitch black make up. Matching black and blue tattoos and piercings covered her pale skin. She was beautiful. Beautiful human art.
Summon Lyght (Archangels Creed) Page 17