Liam didn’t know what to say, so he nodded. He had wanted the chance to prove he was worth the risk, and now he had been presented with one. The only thing he knew as he watched the angel disappear was that he had no idea what was going on, but he’d better not fuck this up. He was worried beyond reason about Lacy. What if she was hurt? His mate? Was that what she was to him? Was that why he couldn’t think of anything but her and keeping her safe and happy? He knew that he had fallen hard and fast for her, and now he knew why. His mate. The vampire angel had seen it, but Liam had been so blind. Until the moment Antonio voiced it, Liam hadn’t been willing to accept it. But now he knew, and there was no going back. He should have told her how he felt about her. He should have kissed her. A lot. He should’ve done this and he should’ve done that. Now wasn’t the time for regrets, though. He had to believe that Lacy was coming home and he had to make sure she had a home to come back to.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ash’s arm was heavy and his legs were having a hard time holding his body upright, but still, he fought. The demons were escaping Hell faster than he and his Guard could kill them off. He fought a wave of hopelessness just before sheer determination filled his chest again. He looked to his left and saw Lacy staring back at him. “Thanks,” he mouthed to her and she nodded. He knew that she had been the one to replace his feelings with determination. That gift of hers was pretty handy, except it didn’t put the demons back in the portal.
“Where is Antonio?” Lacy shouted to him as she swung her sword at another shadow demon.
“Fuck if I know!” Ash called back to her.
“I got an idea,” Jake shouted. Ash nodded at him and Jake set his plan into motion. He called forth his fire and deliberately marched it in a circle around the portal. Up and up the fire climbed, swirling and mixing with the shadows of demons. Ash threw his black fire into the mix and commanded it to mix with Jake’s. The fire rose higher into the sky, making the portal look like a tornado of fire.
“Miss me?” Antonio asked with a grin, appearing out of thin air.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Ash demanded without taking his eyes of the fire.
“I was getting help,” Antonio said. Ash looked away from the portal long enough to see that Antonio had in fact brought help. Twelve angels, warrior angels from Heaven, were fighting off shadow demons as they escaped the portal. “We need to stop the hemorrhaging,” he yelled at Ash.
“No shit,” Ash yelled back, forcing more of his fire into the portal. “Lacy!”
Lacy fought her way through the demons to Ash’s side. “Yeah, boss?”
“Use that gift of yours,” he said.
“To do what?”
“I don’t know!” Ash yelled over the noise. “Make the demons too afraid to come out of the portal, make them happy to stay in Hell. I don’t care what emotion you use, but use them!”
Lacy focused on the portal. She hadn’t tried using her ability on more than one person at a time, much less a horde of demons that were determined to get out of Hell. She thought hard on what she wanted before she started speaking to the demons. “There is nothing out here for you,” she told them. “Why go through all the trouble when Ash is going to put you right back in Hell? There is nothing good here. Earth is boring.” On and on she continued. Finally, the flow of the dark shadows began to slow, and between herself, Ash, Antonio, and the Warrior Angels, the portal stopped leaking demons.
“Now, let’s combine our powers,” Ash said. The three of them concentrated with all they had on the flaming portal. At first, nothing happened. Twelve warriors formed a circle around the portal and waited. Slowly, the column of light and flames began to harden, not unlike putty that was drying. The flames hardened and solidified, encasing the huge portal inside itself. From the bottom up, the light from the portal began to fade, until finally, it was snuffed out completely.
The trio stared at the monument they had made. It was at least thirty feet high and ten feet across, rising up from the earth like a black statue.
“Wow,” Lacy breathed.
“Right?” Jake agreed.
“Let’s make sure there are no holes,” Ash commanded before taking flight. Lacy and Jake followed and the three of them circled the portal together, looking for any gaps or openings. “Looks good,” Ash said and they landed together.
“Nice work,” Antonio said.
“But it’s still here,” Ash reminded him.
“We’re gonna have to find someone who can close it,” Antonio said.
“Who would that be?” Lacy asked. “Do you think we could convince Balthazar to close it?”
Jake snorted. “I’m thinking, no.”
“Go,” Antonio told them. “We can stand guard here while you get the answers you need.”
“You sure?” Ash asked him.
Antonio nodded. “We got these guys on loan until further notice. Besides, you gotta find Balthazar and you need to find someone, anyone, who can close this bitch up. As great as it looks, I’m afraid it’s just a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.”
“Where’s the witch?” Ash asked him.
“Put her in the cage,” Antonio told him. “Liam’s watching her.”
Ash nodded in approval. “Let’s flash,” he told his guard. Then they went back to Hell for some serious housekeeping.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Liam and Elizabeth stood back to back. The door was rattling and Liam knew it was only a matter of time before the demons got in. “I sure do wish you would take cover somewhere,” he told Elizabeth. Of course, she wasn’t going to listen. Liam was okay with guarding the witch, but now he was responsible for the well-being of Ash’s mate. This job, he could not fail. If anything at all happened to her, even a broken nail, Ash would fry him until there was nothing left.
He wasn’t going to get to see Lacy again if that was the case. God, he prayed that she was ok. He didn’t know exactly what the hell had happened, but shit was getting in a bad way fast.
The doors rattled again and someone screamed with joy outside the office. It wasn’t so much a happy sound, though. It sounded exactly like what it was. The euphoric cry of a demon that was free. “You sure you wanna stay here?” Liam asked one more time.
“I am not going to leave you alone,” she shouted over the noise.
Liam couldn’t argue with her anymore. The doors crashed open and five demons barged into Ash’s office. “Protect the cages!” Elizabeth shouted as she engaged one of the demons. She punched it in the face with a fast right hook and then kicked out with her foot.
Liam held his sword up and sliced through the torso of a black demon that was short and stocky, but had razor sharp fangs for teeth. It seemed that as soon as he dispatched one, two more shoved through the doors. The clash of metal against horns was a sickening sound, as was the sound of intestines dropping to the floor. It was a sound that Liam didn’t care to hear again, but was forced to when a demon nearly got the drop on Elizabeth; she had a demon in her hands and wouldn’t have seen this one coming. Liam struck quickly, slicing through the stomach of the demon. Its innards splashed to the floor and Liam had to swallow the urge to vomit.
He swung the sword the angel had given him again and again. When it clashed against metal and not demon flesh, Liam looked up into a pair of familiar red eyes. “Oh, thank God!” he said as he looked into the furious face of his leader.
Ash nodded at him and then joined the fight. Liam looked around until he saw a flash of blonde hair. “Lacy!” he cried out and in an instant, he was at her side. “Are you ok?” he asked her as he dispatched another demon.
“I’m fine,” she told him. “Holding up ok here?”
“It’s been interesting,” he said with a smile.
The floor started to shudder violently and even his eardrums were vibrating. Liam looked up and saw his leader burst into black flames. “Get out!” Ash bellowed. Demons were flying out the door by the power of Ash’s will. “Get back to where you belong!”
Ash commanded. The creatures knew that it was either go home or be destroyed. They thought better of the fight and disappeared.
The room was suddenly plunged into a thick, heavy silence. Ash stomped over to his phone and jammed his fingers against the keypad. “I want everything on lockdown!” he barked into the receiver. “Then make it secure!” he slammed the phone down and stood statue still while he forced his breathing under control. Elizabeth joined him and he snatched her up into a tight hug.
Liam was busy checking Lacy for the slightest scratch. “Are you hurt?” he asked her. His held out her arm and inspected it thoroughly, then moved on to her other arm. He checked her head for bumps and moved around her in a circle.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “What are you doing?”
“Seeing for myself,” he muttered.
Lacy turned around to face him and took his face between her hands. “Look at me,” she said.
Liam looked into her blue eyes. “I am unharmed. I promise.”
Liam searched her eyes for any sign of a lie, but found none. Of course she wasn’t lying. It wasn’t her style. He was overwhelmed with relief and all sorts of feelings. He felt affection for her but also, he felt her feelings for him. It was weird. He didn’t know what to do with it, so he gave in to temptation and crushed her lips beneath his own.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Ew, could ya’ll do that somewhere else?” Antonio said with a cringe. “Get a room, or a cave, or something?”
Liam forced himself to pull away from Lacy’s lips long enough to glare at the angel. Antonio raised his brows at him as if to say, “What?”
“Let’s go,” Liam whispered in Lacy’s ear.
“Where?” she asked with a giggle.
“Your room,” he answered her.
Lacy didn’t waste any time flashing them to her private quarters. She hadn’t spent much time at all in there and the bed looked freshly made. She wondered by who. She hadn’t even slept in it yet.
How long had she been dead? Did she need to sleep? It didn’t matter, because Liam walked her backward until the back of her knees hit the mattress. She allowed herself to fall back into its softness, taking Liam with her.
She momentarily forgot that she had wings, and when she landed on them, she was surprised at how easily they folded under her body. Liam stood at the edge of the bed and just looked at her. He wanted to remember how she looked right at this moment.
“I’m so sorry,” he said to her.
“Why?”
“I should have been there with you,” he told her. “I should have been there to protect you.”
“You didn’t need to be there,” she reminded him. “You were needed here. You had a job here and you did it. You proved to Ash and to everyone else that you deserve to be free.”
Liam nodded in agreement. “But for how long?” he asked her. “I have tried so hard not to do anything to get thrown back into Greed, but I can’t stay away from you. I tried. I denied the thing I wanted the most, but I can’t deny it anymore. I’m not strong enough.”
Lacy motioned with her hand for him to join her. “Why do you say that?” she asked.
“I was a greedy man,” he told her as he sank onto the mattress. “I wanted things I had no right to want. And right now, I want you. I want you more than I have ever wanted anything in my life. I know that in taking what I want, I am going back to Greed. I know this, and yet I plan to do it anyway. When it’s all said and done, I won’t have any regrets. I just pray that you might come by to see me once in a while.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” she said with a smile. “Why is it that you want me? Is it for selfish reasons?”
“I want you because my every waking thought is of you, of how you smell and how you taste. I think of what you’re doing when you’re not by my side. I am terrified every second that I can’t see you. I want you to be with me so I can keep you safe, even though I know it’s irrational and you can take care of yourself. I want you because you are the other part of me.” He caught himself stroking the soft skin of her arm as he talked. He had to touch her. He couldn’t stop touching her.
“That’s beautiful,” Lacy told him. “And it’s not selfish. That’s love.”
“I do love you,” he admitted in a hoarse whisper. “And I will gladly spend another eternity in Greed just to have you in my arms for one night.” He knew she wasn’t finished protesting, but he silenced her with a kiss. He crushed her soft lips under his own, demanding entry with his tongue.
He kissed her breathless, and when he finally freed her lips, he kept his lips on her skin. He kissed and licked at her jaw and then her throat.
Lacy craned her head back, exposing the delicate skin of her throat to him. Liam took the opportunity that she presented and nipped along her throat, eliciting a soft moan from her mouth.
He kissed across her collarbone, loving the taste of her skin. Never enough. He would never get enough of her. He worshiped her skin as if he would never taste it again. He probably wouldn’t, so he committed her taste to his memory.
Lacy laid back and enjoyed the affection that Liam lavished all over her exposed skin. When he ran out, he reached around behind her to untie the bindings on her corset. He loved that outfit. The first time he saw it, the day she got her wings, he knew. He just fucking knew that he had to have her, and that eventually he would give in to his wants and take her. Functional, yes. Hot? Fuck yes!
It was almost a shame to take it off her. That was, until her body was free of the steel boning and her chest was exposed. Her breasts were proportionate to her slender body, just enough to fill his hands. He sat up and back on his knees to admire the artful lines of her torso. Her blonde hair fanned out over her pillow and her wings were just barely visible under her body. Those wings looked like a million tiny opals, shimmering and changing with every look he gave them.
Liam couldn’t resist the urge to touch them. They were soft as silk and delicate under his fingers. The feathers weaved intricately with each other, creating the illusion that they were delicate. He knew they were anything but.
He moved his hands to trace the contours of her shoulders, then down her sides. He feathered soft touches across her belly and smiled when she giggled.
Liam’s pants were becoming entirely too tight and he had to adjust his position to avoid cutting off the circulation to his dick. He pushed it aside under his waistband and then leaned over her, supporting his weight on his arms. “You’re beautiful,” he told her.
Lacy watched his every move with rapt attention. She loved the way his hair fell over his eyes when his head was down, and the way his muscles bunched and rolled under the fabric of his shirt. When he dropped his head so that he could take a hardened nipple into his mouth, electricity crashed through her body. Her back arched, forcing her skin further into his mouth. “Yes,” she hissed as she grabbed the back of his head and held him to her.
Liam rolled that nipple between his teeth gently, and then sucked it hard into his mouth. He paid attention to the other nipple as well, until she was pushing her hips up into his body.
He reached down with one hand and freed the ties on her leathers. He had to get up to get them off her though; they fit like a second skin. He wasted no time ripping his own clothes from his body.
Once she was bared to him, Liam spent a moment just admiring the woman. Not only was she perfect, but she was beautiful, inside and out. Never had he met anyone so caring and so genuinely good.
He hated the past she carried and he vowed that he would make her forget. Never again would the ghosts of her past haunt her. He was going to make sure of it. He was going to show her what it was really like to be loved. He had to – because he was only going to get one shot at it.
Liam took one of her small feet in his hand and held it up. He kissed her ankle and then began to work his way up her leg. He covered her skin in searing, open-mouthed kisses, tasting and savoring her skin along the way.
“Lia
m,” Lacy breathed his name, “please.” She was breathing heavily and had fisted the sheet in both hands at her sides.
Liam smiled and settled his broad shoulders between her thighs. “You better hold on,” he warned her right before he darted his tongue out to taste her.
Lacy’s hips shot up off the bed on their own. Her hands flew to his head and held him to her as he teased her with his tongue. He circled her clit repeatedly until she was gasping for air. Then, he pushed her legs over his shoulders and speared his tongue inside of her.
“Fuck!” she screamed out, grinding her pelvis into his mouth harder. “Fuck me,” she demanded.
Liam moved back and licked his lips. “Nothing compares to how you taste,” he told her. Then he went back for seconds. This time, he pushed one finger inside her and sucked her clit into his mouth.
Lacy bucked against him but he used his free hand to hold her hips down. He knew she was flirting with the edge and he wanted to push her over. He curled his finger inside her, hitting that perfect place inside her that made her moan his name.
He felt her walls tighten around his finger and flicked his tongue faster against her. She was so perfect and he wanted her so badly, but he had to wait. He had to make sure that she knew how he felt about her. That didn’t make his body understand any better though, and he was grinding his hips into the mattress. It was all he could do to bank the need to be inside of her.
Lacy clawed at his head, the bed, and anything else she could reach. Her body was bucking wildly, and if not for Liam’s hold on her, she would have been lost. The tension built higher and higher, until finally, she shattered.
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