Denying the Watcher

by Kim Loraine

  Taking a deep breath, she presses her lips in a tight line. I think she’s going to refuse me, but then her brows soften and she takes my hand, leading me to the couch. “I killed him. I killed Mark and my parents.”

  Shock rolls through me. There’s no way this is true. Opening my mouth, I begin to form those very words, but she stops me.

  “Let me finish.” When I nod, she continues. “In the eyes of the authorities, and of both our families, I killed them. But it wasn’t me. It was a vampire.”

  Of course. Every hunter has a reason. This is hers.

  “I found Mark. Then I found them. The police questioned me at the scene of my parents’ murders. It wasn’t hard to match the tread of my shoes, the blood on my hands and clothes to Mark’s. As soon as I realized they were going to pin it on me, I escaped. I ran and never went back. I haven’t been Willow Collins for a very long time. Because I can’t.”

  “So, you stalk the night for the vampire who killed them? Like an avenging angel?”

  She smirks, the despair in her eyes not matching her lips. “I like to think more like Batman, or Buffy.”

  Humor as a defense mechanism. I’m all too familiar with that tactic.

  “Right. So, have you found him?”

  Shaking her head, she focuses on the brightening sky in the window. “Not yet. But I will.”

  My blood begins to tingle as the last few minutes of the night ebb. “I have to go.”

  “Stay.” Her voice is small and sweet.

  Smiling, I give a small shake of my head. “I can’t.”

  “I’ve got a walk-in closet. You can shove a blanket under the door, and you’ll be safe.”

  As tempting as it is, I need to be home. I have more to take care of than just my relationship with her. Like kidnapping Galen and Reese’s son. Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, I inhale her scent and stand. “I have to get home. But I’ll be back for you. This isn’t done between us, Willow. I need you to know that.”

  With a soft sigh, she nods and follows me to the door. “Devin,” she whispers, making me turn. “I’m falling in love with you too. And it scares me to death.”

  One last kiss to her lips turns to passionate moans, and her leg hitches around my hip. God, I don’t want to leave. Her firm breasts press against my chest, and I can feel the catch in her breath as arousal takes hold. Fuck, I can smell it. Sariel begs me to take her even as I press her up to the wall and grind my cock along her center. With a glance behind us at the sky, I know I have to stop, or maybe I can pull her into the closet with me and fuck her all day. No, the time for fucking has passed.

  The next time I’m inside her, we’ll be making love.

  There’s a vampire in my closet.

  I stare at the closed door, and I swear I can feel him behind the wood. I know I can’t open it, not even to check on him, but God, I want to see his handsome face. Every few minutes, a pang runs through me as I let my mind drift to him.

  He’s in love with me. I’ve tried to let it sink in, to understand what that really means for us, but every time I think about it, my heart aches, knowing we don’t have long. Even if he loves me, I can’t let him risk his soul to stay with me.

  Exhaustion weighs heavy on my limbs as I stare blankly at my bed. Devin and I stayed up all night, and now I’ve spent hours pacing, worried about my plans for the day, about leaving him alone. What if someone breaks in and goes for the closet? Would Devin wake and be able to defend himself? Jesus, I never thought I’d be worried about protecting a vampire from death. That’s not my typical behavior. I come from the school of “stake them and let them turn to dust.”

  Checking my locks—again—I finally allow myself to crawl into bed. I need at least a few hours sleep if I’m going to be able to keep up with him when the sun sets. And I plan to. We still have to feed Sariel. My clit tingles at the thought of what we’ll need to do in order to take care of the angel’s needs. As I lie in my bed, I’m tempted to run my fingers over the little marble of arousal between my legs. But I still my itching fingers. I want to reserve my orgasms for Devin. From now on, he’s the only one who can make me scream.

  I fall asleep easily, my eyes so tired, they can barely stay open as soon as my head hits the pillow. There’s something so strange about sleeping during the day. No matter how long or short your rest, you still wake feeling groggy, fuzzy, and vaguely ill. It’s the same for me now. I know I’ve slept the day away, but I feel like I just closed my eyes. The dark sky out my window tells me different. And the dipping of the bed as the man I’ve been dreaming of crawls up the mattress and begins licking away between my legs solidifies that night has fallen. Pleasure races through me as his tongue finds my clit while he fills me with his fingers.

  “Jesus,” I cry, arching my back and digging my hands into his hair.

  He pauses and rolls his eyes up to meet mine. “Devin. My name is Devin.”

  I laugh but quickly choke on the sound when he nips my sensitive flesh and adds a third finger. “Devin, oh my God.”

  “There it is. That’s much better.” His murmured words against my pussy vibrate in a delicious way.

  I’m already close, but I don’t want to orgasm yet. I want his cock inside me when that happens. I’ve been waiting all day for him to sink into me.

  “Don’t make me come. Not yet,” I beg.

  He stills. “You don’t want to come?”

  “Not until you’re fucking me so hard, I see stars.”

  His eyes go hard as a flash of something fills them but leaves immediately, replaced with that playful glint I’ve come to love. “Then, by all means, let’s get to business.” He’s naked. A detail I overlooked in my current state of writhing on the bed in pleasure. “On your hands and knees, little hunter.”

  A shiver runs down my spine. I’ve never let a man take me from behind. I couldn’t give up control, and letting someone hold me in a position that wouldn’t allow me to see what was happening always made me panic.

  “I don’t think I can.”

  He kisses my shoulder and gently turns me over onto my belly. His palm runs along the length of my back, followed by soft presses of his lips to my skin. When his mouth reaches my ass, he bites down, hard enough to make me yelp, but not so forcefully that he draws blood. I’m a tangled combination of terrified and so turned on, I’m shaking.

  “Hands and knees,” he orders again.

  I do as he asks, and with a knee between my own, he spreads my legs. His palm flattens between my shoulder blades as he pushes me down so that my rear is offered to him high in the air.

  “I love your ass.” His hand runs in circles around one cheek. “One day, you’ll let me fuck it.”

  I move to protest and tell him the fuck he will, but his hand connects with my skin in a sharp smack. Stinging blossoms over my flesh, but as soon as it begins, he’s entering me in one solid thrust. The mixture of pleasure and pain is overwhelming and I’m thrown over the edge, eyes wide with shock. No one has ever had the nerve to spank me either. But I fucking like it.

  “Again,” I groan even as I’m still coming around him.

  His hand connects with the other cheek in time with his next deep thrust. My toes curl as the sound fills the room and his answering grunt of pleasure rolls through me. “Fuck, Willow. I love you. I fucking love you.”

  Thrusting over and over, he brings me to the brink, and I fall more times than I can count as his hand heats my ass and his cock owns me. Then, the motion of his hips becomes erratic as his hands grip my waist.

  “Rise up on your knees, Angel.”

  I do. His palms slide across my rib cage and up until he’s got each of my breasts in his hands. Thrusting forcefully, he takes my earlobe between his teeth and murmurs, “I’m fucking coming, and it’s only for you. Oh God, Willow.”

  He shudders behind me and fills me, his long groan in my ear sending me spiraling into my own release along with him.

  I know Sariel is feeding, but I’m focused on De
vin. His kisses trail down my neck and shoulder, hands still holding me to him as he lays us across the bed.

  “Willow?” His voice is soft in the darkness.

  “Mm-hmm?”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Letting me love you.”

  My heart sinks. I know he loves me, but I’m reminded once again of our end date. One day soon, I’ll have to let him go.

  Sariel is stronger. I can feel his power running through me, almost as if he’s sharing. Isn’t that nice of him? The idea that he had any part of Willow last night makes me want to scream. I can’t handle knowing he’s felt her along with me, and what’s worse, I know I’ll never get to be with her without him.

  Don’t complain too much, Devin. You wouldn’t have gotten a taste of her at all if it weren’t for me.

  I hate it when he does this. Now that he’s stronger, I can’t block him out like I want. “Shut up. This is great for you. You get to feed, and fuck, and you know Selah is waiting for you.”

  I’m sure I look like a crazy motherfucker as I walk down the street muttering to myself, but this is Seattle after midnight, so I’m probably safe.

  Remember, I only get her after we complete our obligation to the archangels. If we fail, we all die. We have to keep our lines of communication open until then.

  “Yes. I remember.” My voice drips with annoyance. “Speaking of communicating, are you going to fill me in on your joyride last week? You remember, the one that ended in me poisoned and left to fry in the open air of morning?”

  I don’t want to discuss it.

  “Really? Fuck you, Sariel. Feathers said it was Lucifer who bound you. As in the fucking Devil. So I think we need to talk about it.”

  I went to see Galen and his boy. I … needed to know what we’ll be taking from him. Then, I’d planned to go after Selah, but someone got to me and injected me with dead blood. After that, most of it is hazy. I remember seeing flashes of Lucifer’s beautiful face, but I can’t recall the details of it. His wings, they made me ache to spread my own again. He promised me I could have them back, that I could have everything I wanted if I’d join them and give them my grace. When I refused, he bound you in chains and bound me with spells. The next thing I remember is Gabriel freeing me.

  I rake my fingers through my hair and roll my eyes up to the clouds. What a fucking mess. Pulling open the door to the Starbucks on the corner, I take in the scent of roasted coffee beans and steamed milk. I wish I could enjoy it. Something tells me, if I could, I’d be a fan of the caramel mocha. I always had a sweet tooth.

  My gaze sweeps across the room as I search for my target.

  Galen sits in the back corner, his hands around a disposable cup, eyes focused on the paper in front of him. He looks up as I pull out my chair and take a seat.

  “Devin, what’s this about? Why couldn’t we meet at the house?”

  My gut churns at the thought of what I have to tell him. “It’s about Sean.”

  Galen’s dark eyes lock on mine. “What of him?”

  “I need to take him.”

  His fingers grip his cup so hard, I worry he might crush it. “What the bloody hell are you talking about? He’s not going anywhere. He belongs with us.”

  “He needs to be with the archangels. They need him, to keep him safe.”

  “He is safe. The house is warded.”

  I shake my head, needing my friend to see reason. “His powers are only going to grow. The angels can bind him, seal his grace, and make him normal. The Watchers only want him because he has a piece of Sariel in him.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my son, Devin.”

  “No. But, eventually, those powers he has are going to begin to hurt him, maybe even kill him. Please, Galen. I don’t want to have to take him from you without permission.”

  The hurt and betrayal in Galen’s eyes make me angry. I’m pissed at the angels, at the Watchers, and at myself for being in this situation. But Gabriel will make good on his promise to smite me. I’ve seen him do it. That’s not how I want to go down, and he might be an asshole, but he’s not a liar.

  Running his hands through his hair, Galen sighs, looking resigned. “When?”

  I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Tonight.”

  “Fucking hell.” His brows furrow as despair fills his eyes. “What am I going to tell Reese?”

  “The truth. Sean will be fine. Gabriel has promised he won’t be hurt.”

  A flash of the vampire he’d been crosses his face. “He’d better not fucking be. I will rip the wings from Gabriel’s back if one hair on my boy’s head is harmed.”

  “Okay, calm your tits, Galen. You’re scaring the natives.” Standing, I shove my hands into the pockets of my jacket. “Let’s get this over with. Hopefully, we can do it without ever waking Sean. Maybe they can suspend him in a dream or some other angelic shit.”

  We walk in silence to the car Galen has parked around the corner. I’m honestly waiting for him to punch me or something, and I’d let him. This has to be gut-wrenching for him. It hurts me, and I’ve never spoken to the kid. As we pull into the garage at the house, he sits as still as a statue while the engine cools, a faint ticking sound filling the air.

  “Let me talk to Reese. Don’t go anywhere near Sean until I tell you it’s okay. This is going to shatter her.”

  All I can do is nod and watch as he heads inside. Following a few minutes later, I head straight to my room. They’re going to need privacy, and I don’t want to be in the middle any more than I have to. Unfortunately, I can hear everything. Shouting, crying, Galen shushing Reese as she sobs. It breaks my heart. Then the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs toward my room has me on my feet.

  “Devin, you asshole. What the hell is this?” Reese is all blazing fury and defiance. Her cheeks are shining with tears, and her eyes burn with hatred.

  Galen is on her heels, his hand sliding over her shoulder as she nears me. She shrugs out of his grasp with such anger, he takes a step back. “A ghra—”

  Spinning around to face him, she closes the distance between them and hisses, “Don’t you try and Irish charm me. This is our son. Our son, Galen. And he wants to take him from us.” His hands go back to her shoulders, but she jerks out of his hold. “No, you don’t get to touch me. He wants to take him, and you want to let him.”

  “Reese,” I start, but I don’t really know what else to say.

  Rounding on me again, she gives me a look that could kill a lesser man. “You don’t get a say in this, Devin. This is my child. You can’t possibly understand what it’s like to have to give up your child to the unknown.”

  That hurts. It stabs straight through my chest, and I swear, my soul cries out all the way from its place in purgatory.

  “A ghra, don’t speak of things you don’t know about.”

  “No, Galen. She’s right. I didn’t leave my child in a situation where I couldn’t see her. I watched her grow and live her life. Reese, all I can say is that I trust Gabriel. He won’t hurt Sean, and you’ll get him back. That’s more than I got when I had to leave my little Mary. You’ll hold your son again, get to breathe in his sweet scent and know he’s yours. I won’t see Mary ever again, unless, by the grace of God, I get my soul back and can one day go to Heaven and meet her.”

  “What? Devin.” Reese’s eyes shine with tears, and I know they’re for me. “You never mentioned you had a family.”

  I shake my head. “Not a family. It was just Mary and I. Her mama died in childbirth. We were on our own, making our path in the world. And then, one night I woke up a vampire. I had to leave her, but I watched from the shadows for her whole life.”

  Reese pulls me into the warmth of her arms, sending waves of love through me. Not romantic love, but the love of someone you’ve shared challenges with, the love of a friend you know will always be there.

  “Reese, we need to call Gabriel.” I hate to have to break this moment, but time is running o
ut, and Sean needs to be safe. “I need you to bring Sean to me.”

  She stiffens in my arms but nods, releasing me from her hold and stepping back into the circle of Galen’s embrace. Murmuring in her ear, Galen kisses the top of her head and leaves. Reese and I stand in silence as we listen to the sounds of his footfalls above us. When he returns, he’s holding a sleepy Sean against his chest.

  “Where?”

  I jut my chin in the direction of the backyard. “Just outside the walls.”

  Wrapping a thick blanket around Sean, we all journey outside, Galen clutching his son tight to him and pressing kisses to his dark hair.

  Before his name leaves my mouth, Gabriel appears. His wings are on full display tonight, unusual for him. I can’t help but stare at the blindingly white feathers, some as long as my forearm. Each one is tipped in shimmering gold, and I can’t be sure, but I think his whole body is emanating a glow.

  “Reese, Galen, I’m assuming Devin has explained what needs to happen?” He’s keeping his tone light and soothing. Smart man.

  “Aye.” Galen steps back, unease written all over his face. “When will he be returned?”

  Gabriel shrugs. He fucking shrugs. As if this isn’t the hardest thing Galen and Reese will ever have to endure. “I can’t say for sure.”

  “I want to go with him,” Galen says.

  Reese lets out a pained cry but doesn’t protest.

  “Do you understand that you may never return if we don’t win the fight?”

  What? That wasn’t part of the deal.

  Galen flicks a glance at Reese as she links her hand with his and nods. “Take care of Sean, Galen.”

  Galen’s gaze turns his focus back to Gabriel. “I understand. But, I can’t leave my son alone.” He looks to me with a plea on his lips. “Devin—”

  I hold up a hand to stop him. “Stop it, you moody Irish bastard. You’ll be back because Sariel and I are going to win. In the meantime, nothing will happen to Reese or little … what’s-her-name.”

  “Ella. Jesus, Devin. You don’t even know her name?”