Osamu ignored them, turning his attention to Siobhan as she dragged herself out from underneath Gabriel, who sagged forward onto his elbows but otherwise seemed rather understandably disinclined to move. Osamu clicked his tongue. “If you would be so kind, could you call Regina and tell her to send Harendra? Our angelic friend here looks like he could use a taste of the Serpent’s power.”
Siobhan nodded slowly, though the bulk of her attention seemed focused on Michael and Raphael as they struck the ground with enough force that it shook. Osamu snapped his fingers in her face. “Phone,” he stated simply once Siobhan was looking at him. “Regina. I would simply fetch Harendra myself, but once I leave, their attention will turn right back to you.”
Siobhan scrambled to pull out her phone and dialed Regina’s number. From there, it was a quick matter to explain what had happened, and Harendra showed up a few moments later, the unassuming shepherd’s crook held in one hand and leaning against his shoulder.
He turned his attention to Gabriel first, and he gave the archangel a firm tap with the end of the crook, right between the shoulders. The Serpent worked quickly, and within a few heartbeats, Gabriel could draw in a full breath again. Carefully, he folded his wings tightly to his back once more. He glanced up, meeting Harendra’s eyes just long enough to nod, gratitude and acknowledgment in one motion.
Just to play on the safe side, and because there was no real reason not to, Harendra tapped the end of the Serpent to Siobhan’s shoulder and then to Jack’s chest. Though they had been surprisingly in one piece, there was no sense in not helping them. Jack offered a weary thumbs up, and Siobhan summoned up a fragile smile.
“Well then!” With the Apple tucked under one arm, Osamu clapped his hands together once, getting everyone’s attention. “I recommend we head back to the manor,” he suggested, his tone mild.
Frankly, it was the best idea Siobhan had heard all day.
*
Michael and Raphael were all over the news. Both their fight with Siobhan and Jack, and their fight with each other. Just as predicted, all of the activity so close to town had not gone unnoticed.
“We don’t have much time left before the seraphim try something, do we?” Siobhan mused as a newscaster narrated over a few grainy still images and a very brief clip of Michael throwing Gabriel aside. The newscaster even mentioned Chambersburg and the conspiracy theories that were already beginning to fly like popcorn over a fire.
“Most likely not,” Gabriel agreed quietly, the words faintly reluctant. Everyone had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but no one actually wanted it to happen. “But at least all five of the Pieces of Eden have been collected. We should be reasonably well prepared for whatever is going to happen next.”
“Always a light at the end of the tunnel,” Siobhan agreed, though she didn’t sound especially enthused. She shook her head minutely, gathering her thoughts once again before she met Gabriel’s eyes. “Ah—listen, I just…I wanted to thank you for today. For protecting us. They could have killed you; they were going to kill you.”
He shrugged one shoulder, though the previously broken wings twitched slightly in remembered pain.
“I mean it,” Siobhan insisted, her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
Gabriel’s eyes darted away from her until his expression steeled and he met her eyes once again. Siobhan’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she went rigid when he kissed her.
It was short and chaste, and Siobhan stood ramrod straight, stiff as a cedar plank, until her faculties returned to her enough for her to wrench herself backward, away from him. She opened her mouth to snap at him, only to pause as she realized that he already looked like someone had shot his dog in front of him, a mix of guilt and embarrassment on his face as he stared at the ground. In that moment, she couldn’t bring herself to yell at him; it would feel like she was kicking him while he was already down (and given the events of the day, that was a slightly uncomfortable metaphor to contemplate).
She sighed out a slow breath and clapped him on the shoulder, keeping her hand there until he cautiously glanced up at her. He recoiled slightly when she leveled an imperious finger at the end of his nose.
“You’re not going to do that again,” she informed him, her voice mild. “I’m not mad,” she added, “but it’s not happening again. Understood?”
He nodded once in agreement, entirely silent.
“Good.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze and let her hand drop before she turned to make her way out of the room again.
Everything always had to be complicated, didn’t it?
CHAPTER NINE
Siobhan hurried through the manor, jogging up the stairs until she made it to the servants’ quarters-turned-guest rooms. She loped down the hallway until she came to the room she shared with Jack, and she heaved herself through the door with enough force that she stumbled into the bed before she managed to properly slow down. The headboard hit the wall with a clatter, and Jack’s hand clenched on the mattress.
“Where’s the fire?” he asked, lowering his book to his chest.
With considerably more grace, Siobhan knelt on the end of the bed and crawled up the mattress toward him. She plucked the book from his hold, folded the corner of the page, and closed the cover. She leaned over Jack to put it on the bedside table, and then folded an arm on his chest to look down at him.
“I know we don’t really…say it all that often,” she began slowly, “but you know I love you, right?”
He blinked up at her, bewildered. “Of course,” he replied. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”
She waved it off. “Nothing we can do anything about right now,” she replied, before she leaned down to kiss him insistently.
Still confused, it took a second for Jack to react, one hand curling around one of her hips and his other arm wrapping around her waist. He tugged her closer until she let her legs stretch out so she could sprawl over his chest like a blanket.
There was a certain amount of urgency in the kiss, Siobhan’s teeth nipping at his lower lip until he opened his mouth enough for her tongue to slip between his lips. Their tongues slid together wetly, and Jack’s hold on her hip tightened as the fingers of his other hand began to trace up and down her back, the tips of his fingers dragging over the bumps of her vertebrae, hiking the back of her shirt up as he went. It didn’t take long before she leaned away from him to pull her shirt over her head, and then she reached back to unclip her bra. Both garments were summarily tossed over the edge of the bed to acquire wrinkles on the floor.
Rather than sprawling on top of him again, her fingers curled in the fabric of his shirt and she tugged at it, her eyebrows rising expectantly as she watched his face. She needed the feel of bare skin against bare skin. With a crooked smile, Jack sat up, her hand falling to his thigh as he did, and with a few quick movements, he yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor to join hers.
Siobhan surged close again, her lips finding his neck. He tipped his head to the side to give her better access, and she nipped at his neck, fangs scraping against skin, though not enough to draw blood.
She nibbled delicately along the side of his neck until her lips closed around his earlobe. She gave it the briefest suck and then trailed the tip of her tongue along the shell of his ear, until he tipped his head back to kiss her once more. As they kissed, she hooked her pointer and middle fingers on both hands through two of his belt loops and tugged, just once at first and then a bit more insistently. He got the point quickly enough, his hands falling to his fly to unbutton it and drag the zipper down, and he hitched his hips up, off of the mattress, so Siobhan’s next, more substantial tug pulled them down his hips to his thighs, soon followed by his boxers. She rose up on her knees, giving him space to kick both garments off. They landed at the foot of the bed and slid artlessly to the floor.
Everything was almost ideal. Siobhan just needed to do one more thing. Still upright on her knees, she began to shimmy
her pants down her hips, Jack watching her raptly as her hips swayed back and forth with each motion. Soon enough, her pants and her panties were on the floor with everything else, and neither of them wore a stitch of clothing.
Jack leaned up on his elbows as Siobhan leaned down, their lips meeting in the middle. She idly trailed the tips of two fingers down his chest and stomach until she came to his cock. It was only just beginning to stir at that point, but as she wrapped her hand around it and stroked, it twitched, and she knew she could remedy the situation soon enough.
The longer and more firmly she stroked, the sloppier the kiss turned, until Jack was more just panting against her mouth. When his hips were jerking impatiently and his cock was fully erect, Siobhan relinquished her hold on it long enough to straddle one of his thighs, rocking herself against his leg. Only briefly, though, before Jack moved, drawing his leg out from beneath her.
He shifted, gathering his legs beneath him. He wrapped his arms around her middle and sat up on his knees, and Siobhan squealed as he scooped her up and dumped her on her back on the bed.
He leaned down, capturing her lips in a lightning quick kiss, though it broke soon after as Siobhan gasped in a breath as Jack sank two fingers into the wet heat between her legs and began dragging his thumb in a circle over her clit.
She squeezed her legs together as if to drag his hand deeper into her, and her hands fisted in the bedding as he added a third finger and crooked them. Siobhan writhed as he thrust his fingers into her, the pad of his thumb dragging over her clit with each motion of his hand. Her legs fell open and her hips left the bed, grinding insistently toward his hand, trying to get those fingers even deeper.
Obligingly, Jack’s hand moved like a piston, and he brought his other hand into play, three fingers rubbing her clit in tight, hard circles. She could feel herself dripping, and almost at the same time as she processed that, she came, her head falling back and her back arching. Jack’s hands kept moving, working her through her orgasm until she was limp on the bed, her muscles twitching faintly and her chest heaving.
Finally, he pulled his hands away, settling them instead on either side of her head as he leaned over her to kiss her, slowly and lazily and sloppily, as Siobhan got her bearings and remembered how her muscles were supposed to work. He bore more of his weight down on her gradually, and she could feel his erection pressing against her hip, reminding her that they weren’t quite done yet. She gave her hips a slow, lazy roll, and she could feel him grinding against her slowly.
He would be content to get off that way. It wouldn’t even occur to him to be disappointed. Siobhan knew that. But that wasn’t what she had in mind. She let the kiss play out for a while longer yet, still periodically rolling her hips, until she knew his cock was leaking, pre-cum dripping from the tip. Finally, she pulled away, biting gently at his lower lip as she did.
Her smile was almost impish, one corner of her lower lip caught between her teeth, before she hooked a leg around him, and with a twist, she flipped him onto his back on the mattress again. He landed with a grunt, and she flung a leg over his thighs. Her weight settled against his legs as she straddled him. He huffed out a laugh that was more just a breath, and his hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs running in circles around her nipples.
He sighed out a slow breath as she closed a hand around his erection, and she stroked once, then twice, before she rose up on her knees, her fingers curled around the base of his cock. She shuffled forward until she was in position, and with a quiet hum of satisfaction, she began to sink down, her hum turning to a moan as the head of his cock breached her. Her hand let go of his cock as she sank lower, her fingers instead resting against his abdomen, soon joined by her other hand.
She kept sinking until he was fully sheathed within her and groaning quietly as she moaned. She paused, then, just for a moment. She shifted back and forth, just to hear the way his breath caught, and then his hands closed tightly around her waist. His arms tensed, and he lifted her until only the head of his cock was still inside her, and even then only barely. They paused for a moment before she sighed out a breath as she sank back down again.
Her fingers curled around his wrists, and her thighs tensed as she began to rise up onto her knees again, her hair falling into her face as her head tipped forward. With a toss of her head, she shook it out of the way again, sinking back down until she was seated on his hips once again.
The first few thrusts were slow and measured, taking the chance to appreciate every movement, every motion, and every feeling. However, willpower was all well and good, but it could only hold out for so long before it had to break.
Jack’s hands tightened around her waist, and Siobhan’s hands settled on his stomach before they slid higher up his torso, from his abdomen to his chest, as her fingers splayed wider. With a jerk, she straightened her legs, and he lifted her, only to slam her back down immediately after. There were no holds barred after that, and she was very nearly bouncing on his lap with how quickly they were moving.
Her hands explored aimlessly as she rose and fell, moaning in time with each downward slide. She traced the line of his throat and the angle of his jaw. The ridge of his cheekbone and the point of his nose. She ran a hand through his hair, tucking it back behind his ear on one side. All the while, heat curled steadily in her belly for a second time, and his groans were steadily picking up speed, until he was simply panting.
Her hands fell to his shoulders, gripping tight, until she knew her nails were digging into his skin. Not so much as to draw blood, but enough that she knew he felt it, and he rolled his neck in response.
She held out for as long as she could, her muscles tensing as she tried to stave off the inevitable for just a little bit longer, but the tension in her gut was insistent, burning with a fierce need, and a wanton moan tumbled past her lips.
Siobhan came for the second time with a sigh, her lips parted and her mouth trembling slightly. Her head fell back for a moment before her chin dipped forward again, toward her chest. Though Jack’s hands were still wrapped around her waist, he stopped lifting her, giving her a moment to catch her breath again. For a moment, Siobhan was still, and then her hands settled against Jack’s chest and she resumed moving, rolling her hips clumsily for just a few more moments until he came with a drawn out groan.
He reached up afterward, curling one hand around the back of her neck. When he drew her down for a kiss, she went easily, bending over until their lips met. The kiss was slow and lazy, their tongues tangling only briefly before the kiss turned tame once again.
Slowly, Siobhan tumbled down to his side, his cock slipping out of her. She could feel his ejaculate dripping out of her, trailing down her legs, and she knew that soon enough, she would want a shower. For the moment, though, she was content to lie on his chest, tucked against his side with one of his arms around her shoulders.
Absentmindedly, his fingers trailed up and down along her arm. They were silent for a time, until eventually Jack asked, “You sure you don’t want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I just didn’t want anything to go unsaid,” Siobhan replied, mumbling against his shoulder as she said it. “In case anything goes wrong.”
“That’s not ominous at all,” Jack returned wryly. “Something happened?”
“There are angels on the news,” she finally informed him, since she supposed he was going to find out about it himself easily enough. “From earlier today.”
“…Oh.” Jack’s voice was quiet. He knew what that meant. He knew what it meant was coming—what was going to happen.
“Well, then.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You already know this, but I love you.”
Siobhan laughed gently and nudged her nose against his cheek. “You already know this,” she parroted back at him, “but I love you, too. And hopefully we won’t die because of angels.”
“To be fair, that would be a pretty badass way to go out,” he argued, his tone reasonable. “Better than gett
ing stuck in the sunlight or taken out by some dumb punk who fancies himself a vampire hunter.”
“I feel like there’s a story behind that one,” Siobhan returned dryly.
“Early 2000s. Some frat guy spotted one of us feeding and decided he should deal with the menaces. Mind you, he caught one of us feeding on a sheep, not a person, but I guess he found it very traumatizing to deal with,” Jack explained, sounding as if the entire situation was perfectly normal. “Mostly, he just made loud, vaguely threatening noises, but he did manage to actually kill a fledgling. Granted, she killed him at the same time.” He shrugged. “I’m pretty sure he was inspired by a television show, but none of us ever actually asked him what was going through his head.”
“The real question,” Siobhan added, “is whether or not a stake through the chest is particularly threatening to vampires.”
Jack’s eyebrows furrowed. “I mean, yeah, if you actually hit the heart,” he replied. “Not because of some…I don’t know, mystical properties or whatever, but just because we would probably die before the damage to the heart could heal.”
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