Redeemers (The Devil's Roses Book 8)

by Tara Brown

  He thrusts once, whispering in my ear. “I have wanted this for what feels like a lifetime.” He drags himself out slowly, thrusting back in with force. My breasts wobble on my chest as he leans back, thrusting and dragging out slowly.

  His fingers grip into me, as if he’s convinced I’ll try to escape or the moment will be stolen from us somehow.

  But I couldn't move if I had to. He is using my body to fuck exactly the way he likes, using me to massage his cock, and controlling me the entire way. He thrusts faster, groaning into each one. We are like yin and yang. We fit perfectly. He lifts my ass up, thrusting and burying his cock right to his balls. They slap against my body and he does it again and again until I feel the tides beginning to build inside of me again. I reach down, massaging my tender, and yet desperate, clit as he bounces his balls off of my asshole. I orgasm as he is mid-stroke, crying out and fingering myself as he buries himself all the way rapidly, knowing not to stop his movements. The clenching of my pussy around the base of his cock drives him to push harder. He lifts my legs even more, pounding into me until every ounce of his hot seed has filled me.

  He collapses, breathing heavily and nods as if he’s agreeing to comments I can’t hear. I have to imagine the conversation is between him and God, because I can’t hear a thing. He grunts, twitching and releasing more semen. He lifts his sweaty face from my breasts and nods. “Exactly as I imagined it would be.”

  I tilt my head. “You liar. That was so much better and you know it.”

  He shakes his head and kisses in the valley between my small breasts. “No. I knew we were made for each other. The moment I saw you trying so hard to be complex, and yet getting lost in a romantic painting, I knew.” He kisses again and then stares at me in a way that makes me feel exposed. Not because I’m naked and he’s between my thighs. Not because I had a slight anal fantasy for about four seconds while we were having sex. Not because he has me spread right open. I feel exposed because he sees me and I know it. I can never hide from Dorian.

  I run my hands down his cheeks, holding his face as if it were breakable. “I love you, Dorian. I love you more than I can ever explain to you. And the thing I love the most is that you are always true. There is no magic, and in fact, we shouldn't be together for every reason under the sun. But we are and it’s because our love is real.”

  He grins and I can see a thousand wicked thoughts roam his brain before he nods. “I adore you.” He leaves it at that.

  Chapter Twelve

  Snow White and the seven dumbasses

  I can’t stop staring. It’s the weirdest feeling. I want to know what he’s thinking, not because I want to pry, but because I want to be amazed. He is that—amazing and spectacular, and yet still Dorian. He’s smug and cocky.

  Lorelei gives me a wry grin. “You got it bad, girl.”

  I nod, not even trying to deny the magnetic pull. His face is what makes me smile. His eyes are what make my heart beat. His hands make my thighs squeeze together and his lips make my stomach ache.

  I want it all again and again and again.

  But we have a war to fight.

  Somehow having him and Oliver back makes it seem like we might stand a chance.

  “So Sam is the antichrist. What are we going to do about that?”

  I glance at Blake and wince. “We are going to kill him. And it is going to kill me. But it’s the right thing to do. He needs to go to Heaven and be forgiven by God for his sins.”

  Oliver strolls over, all sexy and British. “Well, that's not exactly how it works. We didn't get forgiven. God made us come back here to where we could help out because we sinned. Who knows what he’ll ask of Sam. I do know we have to figure out a way to kill him.”

  “That's easy,” Blake mutters. “We just have to kiss away his soul like he did to Hanna and Aleks.”

  Dorian turns, giving me a look. I melt. I keep pinching myself, terrified I’m going to wake up and he’s going to be gone.

  That's the worst-case scenario for me.

  “We have to kill Lillith so that Sam is alone in the world. We need her gone more than anything. And she has magic, yes, but she can be kissed away by you redeeming angels in a heartbeat.”

  Blake gives Dorian a look. “Then we need a trap. What on Earth would she come out of hiding for?”

  Lorelei snaps her fingers, drawing a lightning bolt in the open window. “Magic. She’s a power whore. She’ll come if she thinks I’m dying.”

  “How do we make her think you’re dying?”

  Marcus smiles wide. “Finally something I know the answer to.”

  I glare, dubious he has much to offer beyond sarcasm and annoying behavior. But Lorelei and Dorian both turn their heads attentively. Marcus points at me. “Remove that scowl.”

  I hold my hands up, grinning instantly. “Wow me, great wizard.”

  He rolls his eyes. “We ask Momma Holt to cast a spell, using that magical tree, to simulate the fae leaving and the Earth dying. Lillith will think her hold over the planet is winning and everything is dying and becoming evil. Her great plan is to destroy the Earth—why not make her think it’s happened? We make Momma Holt and Lorelei appear to be dying with the planet, she takes the bait and comes for the magic.”

  Blake nods. “That’s pretty clever.”

  Marcus cocks an eyebrow at me, forcing me to concede. “It sounds perfect.”

  He nods. “I know. Now tell me I am the great and powerful wizard.”

  I lift my middle finger. “You are a great and powerful wizard.”

  Lorelei chuckles, shaking her head and taking Marcus’ hand. “Wink us to Grandmamma Holt please.”

  Shane winks them as Ari gives me a weird face. “When she comes for Lorelei, we what? Spring our net over her like in Scooby Doo?”

  Blake scoffs. “That actually might work, but I was thinking we will have Lorelei instantly do magic on her, freezing her so we can kiss those luscious lips and send her ragged ass home.”

  “What—is Lorelei going to be sleeping in the woods in her casket made of glass, feigning death?

  I laugh and give a thumbs-up to Ben. He’s the only one who really gets me.

  Dorian doesn't get our humor at all. He looks annoyed and disgusted, and instantly I’m turned on. “No, moron. She’s going to be in the house at Marcus’ feigning her death. Who lies about in the woods in a glass casket? You’re an idiot.” He walks into the other room.

  It makes me laugh. Ben shakes his head. “Some people don't remember the classics.”

  I slap him on the back. “I remember, buddy.”

  Lucas kisses Ari’s hand, eyeing up Ben. “I’m pretty sure I don't get the reference. Explain it for me, like Nana used to.”

  Ben tilts his head, ready to say something shitty but Lorelei pops back in with Shane.

  “Grandmamma Holt is pretending to be dead. She’s in a sleeping spell and it appears as if I have all her powers. What’s the plan, y’all?”

  Dorian nods at her from the living room. “Go to Marcus’. Wither and wilt there. We will all be there shortly.” Giselle jumps up and grabs Lorelei’s hand. “I’m coming this time.

  Shane winks and the three of them are gone.

  Lucas grimaces. “Anyone else think this is probably not going to end the way we think it might?”

  I nod, watching Dorian in the other room. His pacing makes me uncomfortable. I have to assume he too is doubtful.

  As everyone gets ready to go to Marcus’ house, a place where we will be vulnerable, I wink over to Roland’s.

  The power on his side of the city is out. Garbage and debris are blowing in the wind and the smell of sewage is everywhere.

  I don't understand how the world is sinking so quickly into darkness. How could God let this happen to his people? I knock on the door, finding that not only is the world altered, but so is Roland. He doesn't smile or look gleeful. He’s unshaven and filmy looking, like he hasn't showered in weeks. It has been days since I’ve seen him, I think. />
  “Ms. James, to what do I owe the honor?” His voice tells me he knows Hanna is dead.

  “I came to tell you what I did.”

  He swallows, as if he’s holding back tears and sobs, and smiles bitterly. “I am aware of the current situation we are facing. The world is dying. The fae are leaving. And young Hanna is dead.” He holds a hand out. “Could I be so forward as to ask for you to send me to meet my maker as well?”

  A lump forms in my throat and my guts burn and beg me to say no, but I don't. I nod my head slowly, staring deeply into his emotion-filled eyes. I take his hand and let him lead me inside. He is weak and exhausted, and unlike himself in every way possible as he slumps in a chair and sighs longingly. “I never knew she loved Aleks. I never imagined for a moment that her relationship with Sam was forced.”

  How can he know this?

  My eyes drift to the upstairs.

  Sam is here.

  He continues. “I never imagined for a moment that she would choose to leave so abruptly and be gone before I had a chance to tell her I would miss her. Or tell her that I adored her. Or just make certain she was okay. She just left.”

  I hate myself some days. Today is one of them.

  He sniffles and glances up at me. “Can you just send me to see her? Send me to Heaven too?”

  I nod. I know I can. I walk to where he’s sitting and kneel in front of him. I take his face in my hands, noticing the weathered feel of it. It makes me think of my own father. I lift my face, pressing my lips to his and suck as delicately as I can. He slumps into the chair and I truly feel like there is very little hope in the world. The best people are leaving the rest of us behind.

  I get up and walk to Hanna’s father’s study. He’s behind his desk, staring at maps and puzzling over things. I haven’t seen him in ages. He was in Europe before we all went into our fog with Lillith’s spell. I do not know the last time I saw him.

  His red-rimmed eyes lift to meet mine. “You are not welcome here, Ms. James. Did Roland let you in? I had asked him not to do that again.”

  “He asked me to send him to see her.” I nod. “I have sent him home.”

  He slams a hand down on the desk. I can see his skin vibrating as he fights to control the monster within him. “YOU HAD NO RIGHT! YOU HAD NO RIGHT WITH HANNA OR ROLAND!”

  “I have to do what they ask.” I wince.

  “What about what I ask? What about me? You have left me here alone. You've taken my family from me.”

  My stare falls to the floor, as guilt settles in slightly. “You cannot make people stay here with this mess.”

  “Then send me home too.”

  I lift my head, a bit surprised. I always knew Roland was weaker, having been under the spell of the siren. But Hanna’s father was always stronger. He holds a hand out to me, as if I can do it by touch alone.

  I cross the room, bending forward. I can feel the monster seething beneath the skin, sliding around like a snake under a blanket. “I am so sorry for everything I have done to your family.”

  He shakes his head. “I am so sorry you were put in the position that you had to do something. My wish for you is that one day you may be a normal girl.”

  I lower my lips, pulling him quickly. I turn away fast, hoping to not catch a single glimpse of his dead body on the floor. I walk to the stairs, knowing Sam is here.

  I wink to the room, instead of climbing the stairs and knocking. He is on the bed, curled up. He doesn’t face me but speaks instantly. “That’s the problem with you, Aimes. You always know what I’m thinking.”

  My heart is breaking for him. “You don't have to be the way she wants, you know?”

  “I am what she made me.”

  I cross the room, frightened a little of him. “You are Sam—my friend, Sam. That's all. The evil she put in you, that's hers. You don't have to use it. You still have the side God made.”

  He shakes his head. “You know she made me with a devil, an evil spirit. She gave him the form of a man and had sex with him. I thought it was one of the fallen; I figured O and me were brother and sister or cousins. But it wasn’t. That's why the sirens call didn't really work so well on me and it’s why I could trace winks and track you all. My father was the devil.”

  I sit on the bed next to him, wondering how it is possible he is so perfect, and yet related to Lillith. She’s the devil, not him. I curl my body around his, holding him tightly. “It doesn't matter who your parents are, Sam. You’re a good person. I love you.”

  He turns, facing me, revealing the dark eyes with the evil swimming around in them. I nearly pull back but I still see the stars, the way I do in Dorian’s. “I love you too, Aimes. That's why I’m going to give you a chance to get away.”

  I cock an eyebrow. “Sam, don't do this.”

  He shakes his head. “I have no control over it anymore. The sin I committed has corrupted me. Now I sort of crave it, the taste of an angel’s soul. I can imagine what yours tastes like.”

  I back away a little. “You are letting her win. Fight the evil.”

  The black bags under his eyes are frightening. I can physically see the sickness of the hate on him. He shakes his head. “There is no point. I want to kill you all. I want to let the world go dark, and I want to end everything God made. He made Hanna and he made Lillith. And I loved Hanna and he let Lillith take those things from me. He could have intervened. He could have saved me. He has never even tried.”

  I run my hands down his cheeks, contemplating just sucking him right here but worried he might suck back. “How do you know God didn't send me to intervene? How do you know I’m not here to save you?”

  He grips my face, moving lightning fast. “I know because he never would have put something so delicious in my path, knowing it would be the one thing I would never hurt.” His eyes change, becoming a flash of red that resembles blood and fury. “Now run away before I am forced to kill you.”

  I shove him back, winking the moment I am free of his grasp.

  The terrible feeling in my stomach that everything we are doing is wrong, is back with a vengeance.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The fresh prince of hell air

  Big Ben is a great vantage point, even in the dark, to look out at the chaos and despair that has become London. Gwen looks upset, seeing the city she has grown to love in ruin. She sighs again—it’s the eighth one in minutes. I cover her hand with mine and wink.

  Instantly, it is like we are in another world. There are flowers as far as the eye can see in a field that is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The sun has just set behind them but the sky is still bright with its light.

  “Where is this?”

  “Revelstoke, BC. Canada.”

  She gazes around us, marveling at the beauty. “This is incredible.”

  I nod. “It’s the only meadow I’ve been able to find lately. The rest are dead. All the flowers are gone and the grass is burnt.”

  She gives me a desperate look. “The last one?”

  “Yeah.”

  She sits down, lying back to look up at the fluffy white clouds as the setting sun starts to light them aflame with its bright colors. “The world is on fire and there is nothing we can do to save it.” It’s like poetry with her Scottish accent saying it.

  “We can wait and see if she takes the bait.”

  She turns with a skeptical look on her face. “Do ya really think she will? It’s been a month and the world is almost completely devoid of beauty. The people are starting to look like science fiction movies. Toothless, hairy, and dirty. No power. No cars. No buses. No food. No running water and no sewage. What’s left?”

  “Hope. I know it’s cheesy but I have hope and I have to believe the rest of them do too.”

  “I have to believe that God has forgotten about us. He left us down here to rot.” She gets a wicked smirk. “Sort of wished I’d eaten more witches in my day.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Liar.”

  She sighs ag
ain, a sound I could do without. “But really, I wish I’d done other things and seen other places, beyond the Roses work. Everything is in ruin. There were small sights I desperately wanted to see that are destroyed, characteristics of humanity I never got to appreciate.”

  I know what she means. The image of the list I had made fills my mind.

  “Are your parents and sister all right?”

  “I don't know.” I shake my head. “They’re at my friend Blake’s parents’ hunting and fishing cabin. His parents are scary rich. They have a fully sustainable house. It’s not even a cabin. It’s a huge lodge. Blake and I have told our parents we work for the government. It’s a huge lie but they believe, thanks to Marcus. He has our parents, Shane’s, and Giselle’s, never asking questions.”

  “I hope they are well. As harsh as it sounds, I’m grateful my parents are not here to be part of this. I know which side they would have taken.”

  I shake my head. “No, you don't. They were tainted by an evil deed when they made the choices they made. That isn’t the same thing as just choosing to be evil. Lillith is no different. She was savagely raped and abused by God’s creation and his punishment was another wife. A more demure one. One made of his body, so she was technically less worthy than he was.”

  Gwen sneers. “That's not the punishment I might have given him.”

  “Me either.”

  She stretches and yawns. “Well, it’s time to kill shit. Thank you for the small break, Aimee.”

  I can’t help but like her. The accent is infectious and the way she is so laid back is even better. I take her hand and wink her back to Germany where she had been when I was sent to check up on her. Her partner Landry, one of the last remaining Roses, is waiting for us. He smiles when we get closer. “Have a good mini break?”