by Lexi Ostrow
Her smile deepened, and he thought it must be real that time. She turned to fully face him and put her palm on his chest. It felt like he was on fire. Whether it was passion pounding through him or a symptom of her bite, he didn’t know, so he kept his mouth shut. The pain of it began to dwindle after a few seconds.
“Is that how you’re such a good hunter? You do not allow yourself to think on anything remotely human? No emotions, no vices.”
The sound of seduction in her voice made him close his eyes and breathe very slowly before answering. He wanted her again. Thankfully, he wasn’t a showman. The man who had raised her would likely shoot him dead if he touched her in a sexual fashion. Agardawes had to have sensed the emotions the two of them shared, but he didn’t need to give the angry old man a reason to have to kill him for touching the other female he had raised like a daughter when the mission was over.
“Yes.”
“That’s all you’re going to respond with?”
He felt more blood rush from his head to his cock and put his hands in his trouser pockets. “Well, what more can I say? I was a soldier before I was a hunter. I watched brothers die when they became consumed in the drink or in fornicating with women to celebrate success. I had a close call myself trying to load a musket whilst inebriated and swore it all off.”
She let her eyes trail up and down his body, and he cursed silently, fairly certain she was aware she was toying with him and enjoying it. Prior to the bite, she’d been very poised, although vulgar and ill-tempered, so he wondered if the sudden sensuality had anything to do with changes within her or if she simply couldn’t resist him. He was certainly having an issue resisting her.
“How long?”
He shook his head, shaking off the lust and trying to think about what she had been saying. “How long what?”
Her voice dropped a fraction, “How long had it been since you had been with a woman before my bedroom?”
Laughter pulled from him. Of all the things, women always wanted to know about bed partners. He bet she’d like this one. “Four years. When I separated from the militant forces, I had a few months to myself. Since then, I refrain for the sake of getting the job done.”
He felt her hands start to trail up his chest, and he closed his eyes and tried to picture a demon, any demon. None came to mind. Unless a siren would count, or a Succubus. She was all he saw when he closed his eyes, and yet when he opened them, she was still all he saw.
“Then why me? Was it because you felt pity for the woman who asked you to help her live?”
He growled. She’d been slipping in and out of comments that belittled herself for a week, and it pissed him off. “We both know I wanted to fuck you long before that morning. So stop trying to over think things, and just accept that something about you triggers something in me.”
A gasp passed betwixt them as her hand blatantly swept over his prick through the trousers. It was as hot as when she’d placed her hands on his chest, but he knew it was lust that rocked through him causing him to burn.
As quickly as she’d caressed him, she pulled her hand back. “Do you regret it?” The look in her eyes was as fragile as the day she’d found out her true nature.
“No. I regret nothing. You are a beautiful, spirited, intelligent woman who is a match for any man, but perfect for a man who hunts.” His voice was dark, tinged with lust. He prayed she would take a step back because for all the years he hadn’t been tempted by a woman, she could bring him to his knees with a simple touch. “Do you regret it?”
She hadn’t spoken about her husband since right after. She hadn’t tried to stay away from him until he’d verbally attacked her. However, she was the one who didn’t want to be with him beyond what had happened back in London. Her answer shouldn’t have been any different then, but she was so rarely vulnerable, he had no choice but to ask.
“No. No, I’m not.”
Her answer floored him. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him to lean down and kiss her. He wouldn’t do anything where others could see, let them infer what they wished. If she wanted to be kissed, she would kiss him. She’d proven that.
“I am not sorry, but I want to honor my husband. He was a good man.”
It was as if she’d stabbed a knife into his thigh with the last remark. Painful but not deadly. “I respect that and you, Odette. Have I made you uncomfortable? I can go away.”
“Please don’t.”
A timid, small fire burned behind her green eyes, and he smiled. Every small detail like that one proved that he wasn’t crazy in wanting her when he’d wanted no one else, The devil was in the detail, and hers were showing she wanted him too.
“I was assigned to protect you, Odette. Whatever that means, I will do it. I think I gave up trying to ignore you a long time ago.”
Her laughter was happy, crisp and rang out in the open space of the skyship. “Well, I think the way we spar made it a little hard.”
She looked out the window again, and he wished he could see what she saw.
“We do make a good team, though.”
He wasn’t certain if she meant a hunting partnership or lovers, but he wouldn’t disagree with either statement. He couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful she looked. Her skin was so smooth and delicate, and to him, her eyes sparkled in a way no others could. The connection to Angels should have been obvious to everyone, and yet, none had thought about it.
“We do.”
Turning back from the window, she smiled again. “If we get me through this, would you trade Kellan for me?”
He chuckled. “I have tried to trade Kellan more times than I can count. The man is like a pest, he shows up everywhere.”
“Why do you do that? Hunt alone?”
His laughter stopped when her question caught him off guard. There was no deep dark secret lurking in his past. He was simply a cold and calculating man. Hunting with a partner meant someone that could get in the way, someone to look out for and someone who could destroy a well laid plan. Solo hunting meant he was only responsible for himself and the kill, and he preferred it that way.
Letting Odette know the reason he hunted alone was because he was mostly heartless and cared only for himself and the mission wasn’t a smart choice. Not after he kept telling her that he wanted to protect her, which he truly did. Even as a partner on a hunt. She was fast, vicious and held her own a little better than Kellan. If things were different, if he were a less selfish man, he would have told her that.
“You have never really told me about your husband, you know.” The change of subject was jerky, and he didn’t care. She didn’t need to know how heartless he could be. Part of why he hated the demons so much was because he could be as unfeeling as they were.
Her smile brightened her whole face, and he realized that she had never quite looked at him that way. Ignore it. You can’t pretend to compare to a man she loved.
“He was a merchant. We actually traveled from London together. He was very much like you, really. Tall, very stubborn, dark in coloring.”
“I didn’t miss the stubborn comment.”
She winked at him. “You weren’t supposed to. He was a wonderful man, very kind and compassionate to others but also dedicated to the career.” She got a faraway look in her eyes, as if she were remembering detail by detail, and not just recounting them to him. “When he told me he was assigning a new captain, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy. It would mean less time on the waters for him, more time at home.”
Tears filled her eyes, but her voice sounded happy and pleasant, so he didn’t make a move to touch her. Somehow, touching her whilst she spoke about another man felt wrong.
She didn’t get a chance to say another word. Without warning, the entire airship slammed quickly to the left. Every one of the group shouted in alarm, Odette’s body slammed into the fabric wall, and he reached out to grab her as Lucius’s voice rang out.
“We’ve got fucking friends.”
Anot
her slam rocked them all towards the left again, and he and Odette basically bounced off the wall.
“What in the bloody hell is going on?” Greyston growled.
For a split second, Philippe wanted to throw Odette out the window. If the big guy got riled, his Incubus juice would overpower all of them, and she would be fair game for any of them.
“Someone calm his arse down! Odette and Eliza are in enough danger—” A hand suddenly smashed through the small window, and nails raked across Philippe’s cheek before he was able to grab and break the wrist. An inhuman howl emerged in the night, followed by the sound of shattering glass on the opposite side of the balloon.
He grabbed Odette around the middle and sprung out of the way of the windows.
“Everyone, in the center of the ship. Put your fucking goggles on and stand back to back.” Agardawes’ orders were immediately followed, but not before a tearing sound happened overhead. They all looked up and staring down at them were Angels—Pure Angels with white wings.
Philippe’s mind tripped. Pure Angels didn’t attack humans unless they were ready to fall.
“What tha feck?” Kellan shouted, and then a door slammed.
“Pure Angels! They’re attacking. Lucius can hardly keep control of the ship, and he swore there are four of them.”
Eliza’s panic was clear as day, and Philippe felt bad. She might have loved the thrill of demon hunting, but when it came down to it, she was an inventor and wasn’t cut out for the pain and fear that came with hunting.
“Well if there are four, only three are in good condition. I broke one’s wrist before I knew what it was.” Another slam to the ship sent it spinning. He wasn’t certain how much longer they would last. No one was panicking except Eliza, but she was the only one who knew how much damage the airship could endure.
“But why are they attacking?” The Guildmaster was looking at the ground, his eyes darting back and forth.
“I don’t know, but there is a banshee with them.” The fear radiating from the poor inventor made him wish Lucius wasn’t flying the ship so he could calm his mate down.
“What did she say?” Odette shouted over the roar of wind, and as a group, they all crashed into one another.
“My name. She said my name.”
So that was why the woman was so shaken. With what may come to pass, the banshee may as well have said all their names, though.
Philippe didn’t know how much longer the craft could stay in the air with the wind rushing in from the two windows and the slice across the top. An Angel darted through the hole, and despite the goggles, he wanted to help it for a split second.
A green beam shot at the creature, and he turned his head to see Odette shakily holding a smoking gun. She’d missed, but he wouldn’t. He slammed the trigger on the weapon back and didn’t let up as the bright green light tore into the Angel’s torso. Philippe let the beam move up towards the neck, not by choice but because the damned ship was whirling out of control. The howl was as demonic as any other demon when it died, and it dropped to the floor with a smoking section in its neck.
The ship was slammed one final time from the top. He wasn’t certain if they all crashed to the floor, but he felt a foot under his arse and wasn’t too pleased.
“Eliza!”
“Eliiizzzaaaa.”
One voice was the wail of the banshee, the other was Lucius as he raced and tumbled into the group. The ship began to pick up speed, and at that moment, he knew that the banshee had not been an attacker, but to deliver a warning. With Lucius out of the captain’s area, the ship was certainly going to crash. His hand dropped the gun and grabbed Odette’s. Their eyes met, even as the ship began to take on more and more speed and his stomach flew up into his throat. Laughter rang out, and thanks to the goggles, the wind wasn’t hurting his eyes. He looked up to see the three Angels flying away, their job done.
“Everyone stay as close to the floor as possible. We’re over flat land, we might not die tonight.”
Lucius’ voice was loud, despite the almost deafening whirring in Philippe’s ears. “Time to pray.” It was the last thing he said as he looked into Odette’s eyes and closed his own, bracing for the impact that could shatter their bones and send the ship up in flames.
Twelve
Seraphina looked over the three Angels who had returned. When the Illusion Demon had come back with news of a party going to search for a cure, she had decided to kill them. She had no clue which hunters were there, except for the one who had been bitten, Philippe and the man who was in charge of the Alliance.
She had been granted an opportunity to finally end the Alliance of Silver and Steam, and she’d taken it. It had been a wonderful way to test the loyalty of the Angels as well. The Angels were Pure who had begun their fall from grace of their own free will. She had found them in a whorehouse—all four including the woman. Persuading them to fall on their own had been rather simple.
“You are certain they did not die?” She was tired of incompetence but curious to see which hunter would show up at her doorstep to Hell, intrigued by how they could survive a crash from the sky.
“Positive. When we flew over, they were not moving, but all breathing. You had not instructed us to kill them by our own hand, so we left.”
She nodded, Angels had a strict sense of duty, and she had only implored them to crash the mysterious flying vessel. She had said those on board needed to die and to attack the ship, but failure wasn’t a matter of not following orders. It was a matter of stupidity and not accurately interpreting the orders. Had it not been for the appearance of their wings, she would have killed them for their failure.
Black wings sprouted from both male’s backs, the violent act had finally caused their fall, and she couldn’t have been more delighted. She didn’t even know their names, it hadn’t been important. Only the Angels she had fought with, the ones who let Demetrious die and then wouldn’t help her save him, mattered when it came to those that fell. The female’s wings had a stray black feather here and there, proof she had held back in the attack.
Hesitation wasn’t what she wanted or needed in a Fallen, and she would not waste time creating one that wasn’t a part of her plan for revenge.
Without a thought, she took the long blade sword from the hand of the closest male. “Your hesitation displeases me.” The sword slammed so far through the female Angel it was almost entirely showing out the side of her back. With a vicious pull, Seraphina yanked the sword back, and the female dropped to the floor—dead and bleeding everywhere. “Dispose of her and find me Izazal. I have a welcoming to prepare for after all, and a new plan, because they are certain to kill the infected one and ruin my plan if they do not reach the flower.”
She could have ordered all the flowers in Hell to be destroyed. The problem was, they weren’t out in the open, and she didn’t even know where they all bloomed. She was curious if the hunters knew that their cure was not in plain in sight.
The stickiness touching her eye when she blinked frightened her. Slowly, she forced both eyes open and cried out as something slid onto her left eyeball and burned. Her hand immediately flew up to wipe at her eye, and she felt as if she was pressed under bricks.
When Odette tried to sit up, every muscle in her body screamed in protest, and she felt more liquid drip into her eye. Rubbing it, she pulled her hand back and cursed at the deep red blood smeared across her fingers, and carefully touched her fingertips above her eye, confirming the bloody gash. Bright sunlight made her flinch back and realize that her goggles were gone.
Her hand flew to her waist to check for the crystal gun that hadn’t been in her hand during the crash. She brought it up, afraid to turn her head and sighed in relief. Something had protected the crystal somehow. She shook it to verify, and when nothing tinkled or pinged inside, she knew the gun was in working order. So why did she feel as if she’d hit the ground hard enough to shatter bones?
“If that’s all that is wrong with me, I need to
zip my lips.” She winced as she tried to turn her head and saw what had become of them from the crash. She had been thrown, presumably on impact, and lay about six-hundred meters away.
The airship was in far better condition than it had any right to be. The top of the balloon ship had collapsed down from the tear, but where it attached to the poles, it still held its form, not completely deflated or laying on top of itself. A small lake was next to the ship, and she prayed none of them had been tossed in it.
“One, two, three.” She counted and bit hard into her cheek as she pushed off the ground. It was unexpected when she didn’t feel any pain, just a dizzying rush as she stood up. She looked down at her body and saw a small slice across her thigh, exposing her skin and dried crusty blood under the pants. If it was morning, she had been unconscious for a whilst.
“If we were all unconscious, then we were safe from Lucius. Small miracle.” Slowly she put one foot in front of the other, unable to fathom why only her head and neck hurt. Another drop of blood in her eye made her curse. Tearing at her sleeve, she put the makeshift bandage on her brow and pressed down, trying to stop the blood as she walked.
She saw Lucius, a short distance from where she had lain. The demon’s body was bent in a horrible position, his arm under him and a foot twisted backwards. She didn’t want to risk bending down, so she gently tapped his shoulder with the toe of her foot.
“Lucius. Lucius, can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can. It’s fucking daytime, though. Don’t try to get me to move, I feel like I got rolled over by a motorbike.” He couldn’t work as well in the day, simply because he was a creature of the night.
“Sorry to tell you this, that’s not the only reason I won’t try to make you move.”
“Where is Eliza? Please, find her. That banshee—”
“Shh…it’s okay, Lucius.”
“Odette? Lucius?” Greyston’s deep baritone called from the ship itself, and she almost cried out when he stepped out the doorway.