RiskingEternity

by Voirey Linger

  Carefully, he lifted the woman’s bloody body and took once more to the air. Returning to the roof of the building across the street, he laid her down as gently as he could.

  Healing was not a gift he possessed. Like any divine being he could do it, but not as quickly or completely as one with the gift, such as Renatus, or an angel who was not separated from the renewing strength of the heavens. He only prayed he had the power left in him to heal her.

  Placing a hand over her wounded heart, he called on the bullet, drew it to him until it worked its way free of the brutalized flesh. Merciful Heavens, there was so much damage to her fragile human body. He didn’t know if he was strong enough to keep her alive.

  “What do you think you are doing?” Renatus hissed, appearing beside him.

  “I do what I must.” He sent another wave of his dwindling power into the woman’s chest.

  “I told you this was important. You were warned to follow orders on this assignment and you did not.”

  “That is not what you said. You said to do the right thing, and I am.”

  “You call this the right thing? You are saving the dead and killing the living! Dominicus, you must listen. This might be your last chance to save yourself from a Fall.”

  “This matters to you?” Dominicus retorted.

  “Of course it does.” Ren’s face was a mask of hurt. “You have been my friend through the eons. I want you to return with me, for our lives to return to normal.”

  But things could never be normal again. Did Ren not see that everything had changed? They could never go back. He could never go back. His entire existence was forever altered.

  Turning his back on Renatus, Dom focused on the human. The flesh was not repairing fast enough and the soul began to separate from the body once more. Merciful Father, he couldn’t save her. He wasn’t strong enough. Her eyes began to dull.

  Father, please help me! His soul screamed, but there was no light from above, no strength from the Maker filling him.

  “I need help. Give me your power.”

  “What? Are you insane?”

  Renatus leaned close to look into his eyes, no doubt looking for signs of a Fall, and Dominicus saw his opportunity. Keeping one hand over the human’s wounded heart, he reached out with the other and grabbed Renatus by the back of the neck. Jerking the other angel close, he covered his mouth with his own. Hand fisted in the golden hair, he held Renatus still as he kissed him deeply, drawing power, channeling it through his body and into the dying woman.

  Ren fought, twisting to get free, and Dominicus gripped tighter, jerking the other angel off his feet and pressing their chests together. Heavenly power flooded him, surging through his body in a rush of heat, thickening him. Dominicus angled his head, breathed in every last tendril he could before Renatus broke free. Breathing heavily, the light angel backed a safe distance away and dragged his arm over his lips.

  “You are touched by evil,” he spat, wiping his mouth, his face twisted with disgust.

  Dominicus smiled and licked his lips, taking the last drops of Renatus’s energy into his body. It tasted like he’d always imagined Ren would, strong and male. “No, I am preserving good. If I have to steal your power to do so, I will.”

  Such a theft between angels was a breach of trust, between friends, a violation. A tinge of guilt pricked Dominicus, but he shoved it aside. This was the time to act. He would make his peace with Renatus when the girl was recovered.

  Lifting his hand, he assessed the human’s wounds. The ragged flesh had closed and her heart was once again functional. With a nudge of power from him it began beating again, her body jerking as she drew air into her lungs with a harsh gasp.

  “Your sacrifice has saved a life tonight, my friend. You should rejoice.”

  “I will rejoice when her spirit enters the gates of Hell, where it belongs, where you were supposed to take it. Do you have any idea what you have done?”

  “So harsh. It’s unlike you,” he murmured. Ren was becoming very distraught over this human. How very strange. Later, when the woman was out of danger, he’d try to figure out just what that signified. For now, there was more work to be done. “I need to take her home. Do you know where she lives?” He looked at the other angel expectantly.

  “You expect me to help?” Renatus asked in amazement. “Find her home yourself. You have chosen to act outside Heaven’s commands, so you can proceed alone.” With that, Ren left, his departure even more abrupt than usual.

  “I shall simply have to do this the human way,” he told the girl, who blinked at him uncomprehendingly. Spotting a small wallet tucked in the waistband of her skirt, he pulled it out, smiling when it opened to reveal her driver’s license. Maggie Barton. The name suited her. He smiled and checked the address. Her apartment was not far from this location. He picked her up and took to the air once more.

  Landing on her bedroom balcony, he used his waning power to will the door to open and carried her through the darkened apartment to her bathroom. Another thought turned on the lights and sent steaming water pouring from the showerhead. With a final push, he willed her clothing and his away before carrying her unconscious body into the tub. Under the stream of water, he began to tenderly wash the blood from her.

  Her injury was repaired but the drugs were still strong in her body. She didn’t flinch, even when the water hit her face. She lay limp and motionless, dead weight in his arms, while the water ran down the drain, streaked crimson with her blood. Worry stabbed at him. Did he have enough strength left to deal with the chemicals in her system?

  When the water ran clean, he willed it off and shook the droplets from his feathers. He took the towel from the bar by the tub and wrapped her in its fluffy softness. Another towel hung by it, and he draped it over her head, squeezing the moisture from her hair. Through it all, she never showed any response. She was getting worse.

  Moving to the bedroom, he placed her on the bed and leaned in, trying to breathe in her essence, to analyze what she needed. Alongside the bitterness of alcohol lay the salty bite of the date-rape drug.

  “Poor girl,” he whispered as he stretched out beside her. “I’ll get rid of it all for you. You will wake up clean and pure.” He lowered his face to hers, until her faint breath washed over his face. He smoothed her damp hair back from her face with one hand. “I can only give you this one night, though. The rest is up to you.”

  He placed his mouth over hers and breathed in, drawing the toxins from her. The first taste made him want to pull away in revulsion. She was filled with enough chemicals to stop the hearts of several humans. It would have killed her, just as surely as the bullet.

  The demons must have wanted this soul very badly indeed.

  The drugs clung to her, slowing her body, making her breathing shallow. Focusing his power into his mouth, he drew deeper, purging them from her body. They flooded his mouth where his power burned bright, singeing him as he destroyed them. Again he sucked in, taking another vile breath of chemicals, but this time he could taste something else, something sweet and pure mingled with the foulness.

  The flavor of Maggie.

  Another deep drink from her lips, and the sweetness overcame the sour. A groan of pleasure escaped him and his tongue slipped over hers, searching for more of her taste. Like a feast for a starving man, her sensual flavor overwhelmed him. Healing forgotten, he ran his tongue over hers, caressing, encouraging hers to play, too.

  She made a small sound and her hand came up, fingertips grazing his bare arm until she cupped his shoulder. Her delicate touch held him in place more effectively than brute force ever could. His flesh thickened, the hard length of him pressed against the soft towel separating them.

  He needed more. More heat, more contact, more of her intoxicating taste. It had been too long since he’d lain with a female, centuries since a cherub had graced his side or his bed. The pull of this woman was simply more than he could resist. More than he wanted to resist. He sent more of his power over
her, let it shimmer over her, awaken her nerve endings and spark arousal.

  Easing the terrycloth aside, he slid his hand over her still-damp skin, creamy flesh sprinkled with cinnamon freckles, and marveled at her softness. He ducked his head, took one hard nipple in his mouth and moaned at the sweetness of it. She cried out in orgasm, her body shuddering under his. He’d forgotten how tempting human pleasure tasted. May the Heavens help him, he hadn’t touched a human since the Most High had declared human and angelic offspring to be forbidden.

  Ah, the prohibition. He released her nipple and squeezed his eyes shut tight. The closest thing to Heaven he’d touched in two hundred years and she was forbidden to him. He forced himself to stand, to move away from her.

  He looked at her again, the towel twisted around her body and one pink nipple still gleaming from his mouth. She was too lovely, too tempting. He shot a thought at the lights, willing them to turn off, but they only flickered. He’d used too much of his weakened powers burning the chemicals from her.

  He returned to the bed and removed the damp towel before pulling back the covers to tuck her in. It was best to cover the temptation. She trembled with delicate shivers. Considering the amount of blood she lost, she would need as much help as she could get keeping warm. Using the towel he pulled from her, he wiped the rest of the water from his body before retrieving his clothing from the bathroom.

  A wave of dizziness washed over him as he pulled on his jeans. He needed to rest and allow his power to be replaced.

  His feathers ruffled in irritation.

  Dominicus returned to the woman’s side and laid a hand on her forehead. The chill of her skin was worrisome. She was far too cold. Too tired to do anything else, he slid under the covers. He spooned behind her, drawing her into the heat of his body and eased one wing under her. Pillowing her head with the warmth of his feathers, he pulled the other forward and spread it over them, blanketing them against the too-cool room.

  Alone with his thoughts, doubt and guilt assailed him. He’d killed a human and taken physical pleasure with another. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t come. She had, and the kiss had crossed from healing to carnal.

  As if that violation was not enough, he’d crossed a boundary of friendship and taken advantage of Renatus physically. Even worse, he’d stolen power from Renatus and betrayed their relationship for this woman. That broken trust was the sin he felt most acutely this night.

  Too soon, exhaustion claimed him and he fell into a troubled slumber, holding Maggie in his arms and sheltering her under his wing.

  Chapter Three

  The chill woke her. Opening her eyes cautiously, she checked the clock. Noon. What an ungodly time to be awake on a weekend.

  How did she get home? There was some guy who hit on her at the bar, bought her a drink, but things got fuzzy after that. She hated it when she drank too much. She always ended up doing something stupid.

  Maggie rolled out of bed and stumbled woozily to the bathroom to find her robe. She flipped on the lights and braced herself for the bombardment of pain against her hungover eyes, only to stop in surprise when it didn’t hurt. When did hangovers stop being miserable? She didn’t have a headache, and her stomach wasn’t rolling. The only thing hurting was her chest. She rubbed the aching spot just to the left of her breastbone.

  Her hand stilled at a small patch of uneven skin. Pulling the robe aside, she examined the spot in the mirror. It was small and silvery. The circle of skin almost looked like a scar, but she’d never been hurt there, and couldn’t remember ever seeing it before. How weird.

  She quickly brushed her teeth, holding onto the vanity for support. She might not be hurting, but she was wrung out. Head spinning, she took a step and crashed into the wall. Shit, that hurt.

  Caffeine. That would fix everything. She just needed her morning cup of wake-up. Opening the bedroom door she was stopped by the scent of freshly brewing Columbian roast. Did she manage to set the timer on the coffeepot last night? Somehow, she doubted it.

  Crap, she hoped she didn’t bring anyone home with her. That had happened once before, and she still cringed at the memory. The humiliation of finding a strange man in her bed left a dark stain deep inside her. Please God, don’t let me have done that again.

  “Hello?” She looked around cautiously.

  No one. The apartment was empty. She wilted in relief. The timer on the coffeepot had been set after all.

  She shook her head to clear it and reached in the cabinet for her favorite yellow mug.

  “Good morning, Maggie.”

  She spun with a scream, the cup flying from her hands to shatter against the floor.

  The beautiful man standing in front of her didn’t seem to notice her alarm.

  “I trust you slept well?”

  “Um, yeah. I did,” she stammered, unable to look away. Suddenly, bringing home a man didn’t seem quite so bad. Hell, her taste was improving. Black hair hung around his shoulders, so rich and thick she wanted to sink her fingers in and never let go. Stubble covered his strong jaw and eyes as blue as the Heavens hinted that this was a man who could corrupt the most jaded of women.

  And damn if she didn’t want him to give her his best shot.

  Lust pooled in her belly, warm, wet and creamy. She wanted to nibble on his full lower lip and see if it tasted as good as she thought it would, to crawl all over him, to see if he looked as good out of that black t-shirt as he did in it.

  “Let me take you to the couch and I’ll bring you your coffee.”

  “Oh, but—”

  He swept her into his arms and carried her out of the kitchen. “There is broken glass and your feet are bare.”

  She’d never been swept into anyone’s arms before. Holy crap, that was sexy. She was a big gal, tall and well, rounded, but he didn’t seem to notice as he carried her across the small apartment. And he didn’t just drop her on the couch like most guys would, either. He set her down carefully, like she was something precious and fragile.

  Dazed, she stared at him. He felt even better than he looked. She needed to figure out his name and how to keep him around a while.

  A steaming cup was placed in her hand. The coffee was rich, with just enough hazelnut creamer to make her mouth water. If he cooked, she was going to chain him to the bed, leave him just enough slack to serve her. But first, she needed to find out his name.

  “Listen, this might sound really rude, but last night is a bit of a blur.”

  “Last night was hard on you,” he replied, sitting beside her.

  She blinked in surprise. Hard on her? Hard like how?

  Visions of rough sex filled her brain but there were no aches to go with it. Actually, they were no gentle-sex aches either.

  “Um, yeah, I guess.”

  “You are recovering well. I’m happy I was able to help you.”

  Recovering? Help her?

  Jumbled images of a man handing her a drink filled her head, him following her from the club and… Something else happened, she was sure.

  “You brought me home and put me to bed, didn’t you?” That he hadn’t taken advantage of her condition was left unspoken.

  “Yes. You needed assistance.”

  “And you helped me.” She shook her head to clear it. She’d never met a man in that club who’d help a woman without getting something in return. “Well, I’m really grateful for your help.” It was time to drop a little hint, let him know she wouldn’t mind some advantage-taking, especially if it meant more time with this hottie. She leaned in and suggested, “Maybe we can spend some time together. Give me a chance to thank you properly.”

  “Stay safe. Take care of yourself. That will be enough thanks for me.”

  “Can’t I just do one little thing to thank you?” Or two or three little things?

  “What is this little thing you have in mind?” He smiled at her and his gaze dipped to her chest before returning to her face.

  “A kiss.”

  He jerked backwar
d with a hiss. Crap. Wham, bam, no thank you ma’am. She’d read that one wrong.

  “Sorry, forget I mentioned it.” The heat of embarrassment washed over her face and she wished she could take the words back.

  “I cannot easily forget such a tempting invitation.”

  “But you don’t want to.”

  “I want to, lovely, but I didn’t help to earn this kind of gratitude.”

  “I know. That just makes me want to kiss you more.”

  He leaned in toward her, stiff and awkward. This wasn’t going to go well. He probably had pulled back because he already had a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Maybe he wasn’t into women. That would be a little better than him thinking she was ugly.

  No way was she going to let it stop her, though. She’d probably never get another chance to taste a piece of candy like this again and she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. One innocent kiss, just a little nibble and no one got hurt. She wouldn’t even use tongue. Much.

  Maggie leaned in and brushed his mouth, keeping hers gentle. Oh God, his lips were luxurious, as soft as angel wings and twice as heavenly. Heat sparked, arcing through her and pooling in her core with a hum of energy. She slipped her tongue over his lips, unable to resist stealing another taste.

  With a moan, he angled his head and the kiss went from angelic to pure sin. His tongue slipped over her lips, dipping into her mouth. Heat sizzled between them, sending a stab of arousal spiking through her. A strange crackling sensation danced over her tongue and through her body, setting every nerve ending ablaze. Just like that, she was ready, needy, poised on the brink. Another sizzle of electricity crackled in her mouth and tension twisted, tightened. It broke over her and she screamed her orgasm into his mouth.

  He pulled back, leaving her bereft.

  “Be careful, Maggie” he whispered. “There are more dangers in this world for you than you could possibly imagine.” Without giving her a chance to respond to that cryptic statement, he stood, walked to the front door and left without looking back.