Twirling, a familiar ecstasy rippled through my ribs. This was what I was born to do. And ever since I’d connected to the Old Gods in the forest outside—since I’d harnessed their light—I felt connected to the earth, to my body, more than ever.
Closing my eyes, I twirled, a smile lighting up my face—until I spun right into a powerful chest that felt a lot like a wall of steel.
I opened my eyes, finding myself face-to-face with a muscled chest dressed in a finely cut crimson shirt, and the sweep of coppery wings. Then, I looked up into the chiseled face of Kratos, his eyes blazing like sunlight as he stared down at me. A vein throbbed in his neck.
From somewhere behind him, one of his ivory hounds growled, as if sensing the tension in the room. As if I were a threat to him. The creature padded over, his claws clicking against the hardwood floor, and stood next to his master. Kratos reached down, giving the hound an affectionate pat.
“Culloch, I’m fine. You can go away.”
With a low whine, Culloch turned and padded in the other direction.
Kratos’s golden stare turned on me again, and energy crackled between us. Suddenly, I felt intensely aware of the sheer amount of skin I had pressed against him, seeing as I was only dressed in a leotard.
“Good afternoon,” I said sweetly. “I was wondering how you were doing.” I knew he was going out tonight to kill, to hunt humans, and I still smiled at him. Maybe Hazel and I were more alike than I was admitting, pretending to be people we weren’t. “Thank you for bringing my sister back.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw as his gaze swept over my body. “I want you to be happy.”
“I am. This dance studio is everything I want. Dancing and Hazel, who you found for me.” A sharp pang of guilt coiled through me. He was standing here telling me that he wanted me to be happy, while I’d come here to find a way to destroy him. I’d already taken down one angel—at least temporarily—and maybe Kratos would be next.
Of course I needed to stop them. What the hell was I feeling guilty for? They’d destroyed New York, London, one city after another. They hunted people and sowed death and destruction across the world. I had no loyalty to his kind, and I could never forget that.
“You belong here.” His voice was a low murmur that warmed my skin.
Every word of his seemed like a command, so powerful that I wanted to obey. And sometimes, when he looked down at me with his golden eyes, like he was doing right now, I had to fight the urge to fall to my knees before him. Something about his raw magic compelled me to bend to his will, to worship him. The wooden floor called to me, urging me downward to kneel in supplication. My legs practically shook as I resisted him.
Kratos’s gaze swept lower over my body, and his muscles visibly tensed. He wasn’t allowed to touch me—not really touch me. He’d been cursed for his whole life, and that meant that if he gave into earthly temptations, he’d fall. He’d turn into a demon, all leathery wings and horns.
And yet, he seemed entranced by my throat right now. Without entirely realizing what I was doing, I tilted my head back.
“Must you dance in something so revealing?” Tension laced his voice.
I swallowed hard. If I tempted Kratos to fall, the consequences would be terrible for everyone, but I wouldn’t let it go that far.
I just needed to distract him enough that he kept his mind off slaughtering everyone, but not so tempted that he’d actually fall. If he did, the terrifying archangels known as the Heavenly Host would fly to earth to finish off the last of the living.
“Maybe you could take the night off hunting,” I suggested. “Stay here to watch me dance.”
His golden eyes darkened to a deep umber. “I can’t skip the hunt. The curse compels me to do it.” He ran his fingertips over his chest. “When I don’t act as the curse commands me to, I burn from the inside out.” He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply as if some strange sort of ecstasy were overtaking his body. “But sometimes I wonder if it would be worth it to burn.” He opened his eyes again, trailing his gaze over my body, and I had the disconcerting feeling that he could see right through my leotard to the bare skin beneath, to the freckle just below my left breast.
Maybe I shouldn’t get too close to Kratos—maybe an angel tempted to fall was too much of a dangerous thing.
Now seemed as good a time as any to dig for information, now that Kratos seemed completely entranced by my body. “And Adonis is the only one of you who isn’t cursed?” I still didn’t understand these angels.
For just a moment, a cold fire flashed in Kratos’s eyes, and his coppery wings spread out behind him. “You need to stay away from Adonis.” His voice was almost a growl. From his back, his hound snarled in warning.
I reached up to touch Kratos’s cheek as if soothing him. “What do you think will happen if I don’t?” I asked, widening my eyes innocently.
He was looking at me the way a predator sizes up his prey. Instinctively, I took a step away from him, backing up into the wall.
But Kratos moved with me. In the next instant, his hands were around my waist, then lower, sliding down over my hips. I gasped as his fingers tightened possessively.
He leaned in, his breath warming the shell of my ear. “If I weren’t cursed, I’d be pulling that scrap of clothing off you right now and…” He stopped himself, fighting with his impulses.
I was certainly doing my job of distracting him. His fingers moved up my body, until his powerful hands curled around my biceps, pinning me to the wall. Something wild and untamed blazed in his eyes.
“Are you trying to tempt me to fall?” he asked, his voice a growl.
No, that would be bad. I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He was breathing deeply, his golden magic burning from his body like sunlight. “I see you walking around the castle, the way you sway your hips, the way your clothing hugs your body. You want to turn me into a demon, like you. Maybe I want to know what that feels like. I want to know what you feel like.”
I clenched my jaw, suddenly realizing what a dangerous game I’d been playing. “I think you should let me go now. Get a cold shower in.”
“You’re making me insane, Ruby.” His voice was a snarl, and it rumbled over my skin.
Despite myself, my back was arching into him.
“Ruby.” My name sounded like a command on his tongue, and once again I had to fight that overpowering urge to drop to my knees, to pull off my clothes like I knew he wanted me to.
My body was trembling now, and sweat dampened my skin again, this time for another reason. I raised my hands to push on his powerful chest, but it was like trying to shove an oak tree. “This is a bad idea.”
He tightened his grip on my arms, and in the next moment, his mouth was on my neck, teeth grazing my skin. He growled as his tongue replaced his teeth. He was kissing me—hard and possessively, as though he were claiming his territory—and he really shouldn’t have been. I tried pushing against him, my hips bucking, but he had me pinned.
One of his hands slid up my back, and I heard the tear of fabric as he ripped my leotard. Cold air whispered over my skin, peaking my breasts as he tugged it down.
“Stop.” I slammed my fists against his chest. “Stop!”
The words seemed to hit him like a slap to his face, and he stared at me, stunned. I gripped the top of my leotard, holding it up to cover myself. From behind him, Culloch was snarling.
My breath was coming rapidly, my cheeks flushed. I can’t stay here.
At the sound of footsteps, I realized another presence had entered the room—this one draped in shadowy magic.
Adonis crossed the wooden floor smoothly, as though moving through water. His dark magic trembled up my spine. “Get away from her, Kratos. Now.” An unmistakable threat of violence laced his tone, a ruthlessness under his perfect exterior.
Kratos growled, almost inaudibly, but took a step away from me.
As he did, Adonis’s cold rage seeme
d to disappear like smoke on the wind.
Adonis shoved his hands into his pockets, completely at ease now, a wicked smile on his lips. “Has it occurred to you that maybe having a succubus in your home is a bad idea?”
Kratos clenched his fists, his eyes still locked on me. “I’m fine. I just need to hunt soon. That’s all.”
“Let’s go, then.” Adonis’s tone brooked no argument.
Gripping my leotard, I stared after the two angels as they left the room, and dread began to bloom in my chest. I definitely needed to end this as soon as I could.
Chapter 3
Until tonight, I’d never been in the Celestial Room—the crowning jewel on top of the Tower of Silence. Nor had I ever sat below an enormous glass dome, with a canopy of stars twinkling above me.
It might have even been relaxing, if it weren’t for the sentinels drifting above us, their dark eyes glinting with suspicion.
Below the dome, I sat at a round table with Kratos and Hazel. Red candles burned in iron candelabras, casting a wavering light over the flagstone floor. It wasn’t the coziest place I’d ever been, but it had a certain stark elegance. Perfect for an angel, I guess.
I took a sip of my Bordeaux, trying to ignore their ever watchful eyes. If it hadn’t been for the whole apocalypse issue, maybe Hazel would have a point about how we should just stay here enjoying the food, luxuriating in our silk dresses.
Kratos leaned over the table, refilling Hazel’s wineglass. Considering we were supposed to be thousand-year-old succubi, I couldn’t exactly point out that she was only sixteen. And Hazel certainly wasn’t turning it down.
“Cheers!” Hazel beamed, lifting her glass. “To the angels and their amazing castle!”
Kratos lifted his glass, his rings glinting in the candlelight. “I never imagined I’d be dining with two ancient succubi.”
Well, that’s because you aren’t.
His golden eyes slid to me. I still hadn’t quite gotten used to the look of them—the eerie gold that faded to a burnt umber around the edges. Everything about him blazed with an inner golden light—and yet, according to Adonis, I was supposed to be the Bringer of Light. Whatever that was.
I’d already eaten at least half a roast quail, plus a good amount of potatoes, and Adonis still hadn’t made an appearance. Had Hazel been able to persuade him to join us, or had she overestimated her befuddlement powers?
Kratos’s gaze was slowly lingering over my sheer, pewter-gray dress. I watched his body tense, glowing brighter with that honeyed light. “I must get you some more concealing clothing.”
He sounded almost angry this time. Clearly, my wardrobe was straining his ability to keep a leash on himself.
“You don’t like my dress?” I asked.
His gaze was locked completely on me, as if Hazel weren’t in the room at all. “I’m starting to wonder if it might be worth it to wear the wings of a demon.”
I bit my lip. “I can almost picture you as a demon. Maybe some horns.”
Hazel cleared her throat. “You guys remember that I’m here, right?”
When Kratos glanced at her, he looked almost surprised to find that she was still there. Then, his brow furrowed. “Did you ask me to invite Adonis to dinner earlier?”
Hazel widened her eyes and blinked. “When I spoke to you in the forest’s edge? No, we talked about the sparrows and the rowan trees, and I wondered about poisonous plants and you said there were many in the woods, and then you thought of Adonis and inviting him to dinner. That was, of course, before your thoughts turned to my sister’s body and how she would look completely naked in a rainstorm. But the point is, you wanted to invite Adonis because you’re the same, really, and your fates are the same, like a pair of oaks grown intertwined. Can I have more wine?”
Now that was befuddlement.
Kratos simply nodded at her, a faint line between his brows. Before Kratos could answer, the sound of footfalls echoed off the stone floor outside the room.
Adonis pushed through the oak door, a sly smile curling his sensual lips. As usual, he wore finely cut, dark clothes, and shadows seemed to cloak his body. Dark tendrils of midnight magic swept into the room, rushing over my skin like a night breeze. “Sorry that I’m late.”
“You really didn’t need to come at all,” said Kratos sharply.
Adonis arched an eyebrow as he pulled out his chair. “You did invite me.”
Kratos leaned back in his chair, sipping his wine. “For the life of me, I can’t remember why.”
“For my scintillating company.” A smile ghosted over his sensuous lips. “Obviously.”
Kratos winced, nearly dropping his wineglass, and clutched his chest.
“Okay there?” I asked.
“I must go hunting soon.” Kratos’s eyes burned deep gold. “You should return to your tower.”
Kratos really didn’t want me anywhere near Adonis, did he?
“Kratos,” Hazel chirped. “Golden one. Can I walk you outside? I just want to see where you keep the hounds, and I was saying earlier that I had a burning desire to see the hounds, and I thought you might want to take me to them now, and to fulfill your heart’s desire by going to the hounds now, and you really just wanted to hunt and feel that sweet release in your chest like a great explosion of joy.” She rose, her chair scraping over the floor, and beamed a smile at Kratos. “Shall we go?”
Brilliant. My sister was a brilliant manipulator.
Kratos frowned, confusion clouding his features. “Right. Hunting.” He rubbed his chest, wincing for a moment. “I need to go.”
“Of course you do,” said Hazel. She strode out of the room, and Kratos trailed after her.
At the threshold, he turned back to me, his body flashing amber. A corona of light beamed around his head, and his copper wings appeared behind him, cascading down his back. “You’ll want to get back to your room, Ruby.”
As he turned and left, my stomach dropped. That was right. I couldn’t forget that I was a prisoner here.
When I glanced at Adonis, amusement was dancing in his pale eyes.
“He seems awfully eager to keep us apart,” I said.
Adonis picked up his wineglass. “Of course he is. I’m a monster.”
A shiver danced up my neck. Sometimes, his beauty had a cruelly mocking edge to it.
I took a long sip of my wine and glanced around the room, taking care that no servants lurked in the shadows. “If you’re a monster, why are you working against the other death angels?”
“Their vision is limited. They’re slaves to the commands of the Heavenly Host. They don’t want what I want.”
“And what do you want?”
His masculine scent wrapped itself around me, bringing with it promises of dangerous pleasure. “To rebel against those who seek to control us. To maintain my free will, to drag the gods from the heavens, and make them suffer, just a little.” The ice in his eyes hardened. “To put them in their place.”
“And you need a Bringer of Light to achieve…your rebellion?”
“Precisely. Powerful as I am, I can’t kill the other angels. Funny, isn’t it? You’re a fae from nowhere, but only the Bringer of Light can stop them.”
“What exactly is a Bringer of Light?”
He leaned closer, his dark magic curling around his powerful body. “Someone who can control the magic of the Old Gods. A power grew in the rowan branch. I couldn’t see it like you could, but I could feel it. When you fought Johnny, I watched you harness that power. You’re a vessel, Ruby.”
“I see. And you want to use me, but you haven’t explained what I need to do.”
In his eyes, I saw nothing but the cold, staggering arrogance of an ancient god. “It’s quite simple, Ruby.” The candlelight flickered over the chiseled planes of his face. “As the Bringer of Light, I want you to serve me. I don’t want to rule on earth. Worship from humans is hardly an achievement. I want to rule the celestial realm. You can help me achieve that.”
“How? And what’s in it for me?”
A wicked smile. “What’s in it for you, my little feral fae? You get to live.”
Chapter 4
My chest tightened. Of course, he’d keep his cards close to his chest. Bringer of Light—whatever that was—obviously came with some serious power, and he wasn’t going to give me access to it without keeping complete control.
“You want me to help you gain even more power than you already have?”
Adonis’s magic moved in menacing whorls around him. “Yes.”
“Call me crazy, but I’m not sure I’m keen to give more power to a monster.”
The air thinned around me. “You’re surrounded by monsters. You just have to decide which ones are your allies.” An easy smile, a predator toying with his prey. “I must say I find it interesting that you were perfectly happy to kiss a monster on Eimmal. I heard your heart speeding up, felt your blood racing. I saw the look in your eyes, how much you wanted me. Tell me, Ruby. Does death lure you in?”
I tightened my grip on my wineglass. “No. The spring fever affects me that way because I’m fae. I kissed you because you were there. That’s it. I would have preferred Kratos.” I wasn’t sure why I added that, except I thought it would help to keep Adonis at a distance.
Adonis’s eyes hardened like chunks of ice, and a cold draft whispered over my skin. “Is that right?” His powerful, shadowy magic slid through to my bones, making my body shiver. “Then you’re a wise one, Ruby. And you’re right to think me a monster. I’ve killed scores of humans. I’ve spread plagues over continents. When I lived among the fae, I helped them kill for fun.” His eyes gleamed with a terrifying intensity, and his magic coiled around my ribs. “I killed my own parents, Ruby. That is what I am.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I swallowed hard. “Wonderful. Sounds like a promising partnership. Why the hell should I choose you as an ally?”
“Because I’m the only one here who knows the truth about you. Kratos’s reaction to your deception is an unknown. And what’s more, if I rule the celestial realm, I won’t be here. We both have the same goal, don’t we? Get me away from this world.”
Black Ops Fae Page 2