by Beverly Rae
“I’m not a child, Mother. Sorry you haven’t noticed before now. I’m a man, and I’m not letting you dictate my life any longer.” He strode over to confront his mother. “Whether you like it or not, Hilly and I are going to stay together.”
“If you do, you’ll lose everything. All the fortune, all the homes, everything.”
“All that is worthless without Hilly.”
“You, son, are an idiot. An ungrateful, selfish idiot.”
“Whatever you say, Mom.”
“Do not call me Mom!”
The air around him thickened, making it difficult to breathe. He stumbled away from his mother and watched as she grew to seven feet, then eight, then ten feet tall. Blood-red eyes glared from her pale face as it contorted into a monstrous mask of evil. Rotting skin dripped down her chin and puss oozed from blisters popping out over her body. Horns burst onto her head and her fingers extended into long, pointed claws. She roared, the sound deafening.
Bryna lifted her arm in a swift arc above her head, then jerked it forward. A lightning bolt blasted from her fingertips toward Hilly. Tanner shouted a warning, but Hilly seemed frozen in place, horror in her wide eyes and her mouth open in a silent scream.
“No!” Mustering all his strength, Tanner threw his body in front of Hilly. The bolt of power struck him in the chest, blinding him with a thousand points of pain. Blackness overtook him as he hit the floor, knocking the air out of him.
Hilly screamed and flung her body on top of Tanner’s. His face was as white as his mother’s, and his eyes were closed. Blood streamed down the front of his shirt and she flattened her hand against the wound in an effort to stem the blood flow, but it was useless. Blood covered her hand, seeping through her fingers.
He couldn’t die. Not when she’d only now found him.
“Get away from him, you slut!”
Hilly tore her gaze away from Tanner to glare at his mother. Frantically she searched for anything she could transform into that would tear the demon’s head from her shoulders. “Look what you did! He’s your son, for God’s sake!”
The tendrils of hair intertwining around Byrna’s head sped up like frenzied serpents. Her eyes blazed, sending out a crimson light that lit the rest of her body in a red haze. “For God’s sake?” she screeched. “You’re the cause of all this. You’re the reason he lies dying in your arms.”
“Go back to hell where you belong.” Hilly shifted, spreading her hand wide to form a large bandage. She increased the pressure against his wound and cringed as the blood filtered into the bandage. A sob racked her body.
“Stop your sniveling and prepare to die, changeling. The next time I see you will be to watch your skin slough off your body in a vat of boiling oil.”
Fear edged its way into Hilly’s rage as she watched Bryna raise her arm to strike again. She closed her eyes and shifted again, turning her body into a shield to cover Tanner. Please, let me live long enough to keep him safe.
Brilliant white light erupted around them. Hilly, even in shield form, was almost blinded by its intensity. Keeping her hand as a bandage, Hilly morphed back to her human form and stared at the white-haired man. He spread his wings wider as he floated next to the demon mother.
“Bryna! Stop this madness!” The man dashed in front of Bryna’s next strike. A powerful arc of lightning struck him, knocking him backward a few feet, but he quickly recovered.
“Get out of the way, Setias.” The demon raised her hand again for a third attack.
Hilly gaped at the angel. Was this Tanner’s father? She held her breath, mentally urging him to win.
Setias grew larger, his wings spreading even wider, hiding Bryna from Hilly’s view. “You will stop now or face the consequences. I don’t want to harm you, but I swear I will if you touch a hair on this woman’s head.”
Although she couldn’t see Bryna, Hilly could sense the palpable rage battering the angel. For several minutes, a stalemate ensued until, at last, the demon let out a screech, ran to the opposite side of the room and returned to her normal size. Setias landed next to Hilly, his fists on his hips and his feet planted apart.
“Leave our son alone and return to where you belong.”
Bryna’s anger hadn’t dissipated. She snarled and pointed her finger at Setias. “Don’t think this is over. One day, somehow, I’ll make her pay for taking my son from me.”
Setias shook his head and adopted a rueful smile. “When hell freezes over. Go away, Bryna. Now.”
The demon’s lip curved into a sneer. Growling, she snapped her fingers and disappeared.
Hilly pillowed Tanner’s head in her lap and struggled to keep from giving up. His heart still beat in the pulse in his neck, but he looked even paler than before. She looked up to stare into the handsome face of the angel.
“Please help him.” Her voice broke as she beseeched him.
Setias folded his wings behind him, tucking them into his back. He fell to his knees on the other side of Tanner and took his hand. “I don’t know if I can. He may be too far gone.”
Her sob racked her body, but she didn’t give in to the exhaustion sweeping through her. “He saved my life. I can’t, I won’t give up on him.” She reached out to Setias. “Please. Isn’t there anything you can do? You’re his father. You’re an angel. Do something.”
A cloud flitted over his face as he studied Tanner. “This is wrong. Against all the rules and I’ve already interfered too much. But—”
“Please. I don’t care how many rules have to be broken. I’ll do anything. Give anything. Please don’t let him die.” She couldn’t stand much more. Every ounce of blood seeping into her hand broke her heart a little more. If she lost him, how could she go on?
“If I save him, there’ll be consequences.”
“I don’t care.” Her tears fell onto Tanner’s face to run down his cheeks as though they were his own tears.
“Listen to me. If I use my power to save him, I’ll have to face possible rejection from heaven again. Still, that’s not my greatest worry.”
“I don’t understand.” She sniffed and wiped away another tear. “You’ll risk being cast out for your son. So what else could happen?”
“I’d risk anything for my son, even eternal damnation.” He looked at Tanner and stroked his cheek. “But he won’t be the same afterward. He’ll not only lose everything Bryna gave him—”
“He said he didn’t care about those things.”
Setias shook his head, warning her to stay quiet. “He’ll not only lose all those things, but he’ll lose the powers he possesses. He will, by every definition, be human.”
Hilly gazed into the face of the man she loved. What would he want? He’d said he’d give up his home, his wealth, but would he be as willing to give up his powers?
“What would Tanner want?” Her heart pounded. If Setias thought Tanner would rather die than lose his powers, what would she do? Accept it? Or force the other decision on him?
Sadness filled Setias’s blue eyes. “I never thought my son would ever fall in love. He seemed too much like his mother, loving the playboy life, the life of the spoiled rich. But since he met you, he’s changed.”
Hilly watched as his pulse slowed down and became weaker. “Then do it. Do what you have to do.”
“One other thing.” His gaze bored into her. “Your sacrifice must be as great as his. You must give up your powers for him. Are you willing?”
She nodded. The sacrifice was nothing if it saved him. “Yes. Can you do it? Now?”
“Good.” His smile covered her in warmth. “Don’t move until I say you can. Do you understand?”
She nodded, nerves closing off her throat. Steeling herself for whatever came next, she brushed Tanner’s hair away from his face.
Setias lifted his hands, holding them over Tanner’s body. Closing his eyes, he began speaking in a language Hilly had never heard. His words were soft, comforting. But she sensed an underlying intensity, stronger than anything she’d ever felt. She s
wallowed and said a silent prayer.
A bright white light surrounded Setias, then spread outward to envelop Tanner and Hilly. She gasped, her fears suddenly wiped away by the warmth of the light. Nothing could hurt her as long as she was in its power, and in that moment, she was certain Tanner would live.
Setias spread his wings and kept his hands over Tanner. The white light pulsed with energy and rolled over his body in waves of soothing heat. Hilly stared at her hand, letting the waves wash over her, too.
Slowly the room around her faded, furniture, paintings, walls and windows dissolving until nothing was left.
At once, the white light was gone. Hilly shaded her eyes as the bright sun streamed down on them. Grass waved under a warm breeze.
Setias looked toward the sky and cocked his head as though listening. He nodded once, his face growing grim. “I have to leave now.”
Hilly spread her hands over Tanner. Blood no longer flowed from the now-healing wound. “Is he all right?”
Setias took her hand. “That depends on you. You’ll both have to learn to adjust.” He squeezed her hand. “Promise me you’ll take care of him.”
Hilly’s eyes filled with tears again. “I promise. But will we ever see you again? He’s going to want to thank you.”
Setias flapped his wings and shrugged. “God willing.” Standing, he spread his wings wide, gave her a smile that touched her heart, then vanished.
“Hilly?”
She gazed down at Tanner. “Oh, thank God. Or actually, thank your father.”
“Setias was here?” A pink hue filled his face and his eyes lost their foggy look.
“He sure was.” But how could she tell him what he’d lost? Would he hate her for making the choice for him? Yet what else could she have done? “Tanner…”
With her help, he managed to sit up. “I feel…strange. Different somehow. What happened? Where are we? The last thing I remember is my mother throwing a lightning bolt at you.”
“Please try to understand. I couldn’t lose you, and Setias said it was the only way.”
“You’re not making sense. What are you talking about? Are you all right?”
Hilly took a deep breath. “Your father said the only way he could save you was to break the rules. Tanner, he’s risked expulsion from heaven to save you.”
“No. I can’t let him do that. Not again. Not after working so hard to regain his place.” Tanner tried to get up, but his strength hadn’t returned.
Hilly snuggled against him, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time she’d be able to do so. “There’s more. In order to save you, he had to take away everything you have. The house, everything is gone. Including your powers.”
She couldn’t read the expressions flying across his features and gave him the time to let the news sink in. “Are you angry with me? I couldn’t let you die. Even if it meant losing it all.”
He closed his eyes and when he reopened them, he reached up and touched her face. She almost cried at the tenderness in his caress.
“I could never be angry with you. Not for saving my life. Giving up my powers is nothing as long as you’re with me.”
She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, holding back tears.
“What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Setias took my ability away, too. But I don’t care. I gave it up willingly and I’d do it again.”
Tanner’s mouth dropped open. Taking her face in both his hands, he studied her, his brow knitting in confusion. “You did that for me?”
“I did it for us.”
He kissed her, lingering over her lips as he skimmed his tongue into her mouth. She moaned and pressed against him, wanting the moment to last forever. Cupping her neck, he kept her close to him, his kiss growing stronger, needier. She wrapped her arms around him, pushing back to lie on the ground with her.
When at last the kiss ended, he stroked her cheek and chuckled. “We’re something, aren’t we?”
She grinned back at him. “Yeah, we sure are.”
Hilly’s pulse jumped as Tanner skimmed his teeth along her neck and teased her with the tip of his tongue. She loosened the tie holding back his hair, then tunneled her fingers through the glossy blue-black locks. She closed her eyes, reveling in the sensations he gave her.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” she murmured. “Are you sure you don’t need to rest? After what you’ve been through…” She sucked in a breath, fighting against the memory of his blood oozing between her fingers.
“I’m fine. Better.” He paused to look at her. His intense expression spoke of his sincerity more than his words ever could. “I’ve never been happier.”
He tore her top off her, then tugged the rest of her clothes from her. Naked, she gasped as his kisses trailed down to the hollow of her neck. She pushed at his shirt, urging him to disrobe.
He sat up, tearing off his shirt. His body sent a rush of lust through her, and she ran her fingertips along the ridges of his chest and abdomen. Helping him to rid himself of his slacks, she bent over him and slid her tongue along his stomach and down to the patch of curly hair.
Tanner moaned and took her hair in his hands. She dragged him inside her mouth as his hand found the wetness between her legs. Together they pleasured each other, matching their rhythms. She tortured his shaft with her tongue. He tortured her clit with his fingers.
“Hilly, I want to give you everything you deserve. But now I have nothing. No money. No powers.”
She moaned, letting her warm breath flow from the tip then down the long, wide cock. He trembled under her touch. “You give me all that I need and more.”
He reached to take her face in his hands and brought her mouth to his. She hoped he’d taste his juices on her tongue and in his mouth. She played with his tongue, then let him do the same with hers. She bit his lower lip as he bit her upper lip. Enveloping her in his arms, he molded his hand to her breast.
The urgency inside her gave the whirlwind of desire more speed. A need, stronger than she’d ever known, burned in her, and she sensed his need equaled her own.
He broke free and studied her with his intense dark gaze. She clung to him, holding him to her, and sighed softly.
At last, he growled, bent his head and sucked her breast. She arched, wanting him to take more of her, all of her. Running her fingernails along the tight muscles of his upper arms, she dug in, marking him as hers.
“Oh, Tanner.”
He shoved his hand between her legs and rubbed her clit until she spilled her pleasure. She shuddered through the climax and he spread her legs more, placing them on either side of him. She obeyed his silent request by wrapping them around his waist and bringing her pelvis to his. His manhood pressed up against her throbbing pussy, rubbing her wetness onto his shaft.
His tongue slid over her other breast, and she cried out in joy. Another orgasm burst from her. “Now, Tanner. Please.”
Grasping her under her arms, he lifted her and she clung to him. He brought her up, sitting her on top of him. His dark eyes glinted with love and passion. Kissing her once, he thrust into her. She threw her head back and shouted as he drove inside her again, going deeper than before. She clutched his neck and held on, beads of sweat breaking out along the back of her neck. Shuddering as her body tensed for yet another release, she rocked against him, undulating her hips. He yanked her hair, capturing her as he sucked her nipple into his mouth, pulling harder.
A moment later, he stiffened, paused, then digging his fingers into her buttocks, gave in to his release. She collapsed on him, and they sat, hugging each other, as their breaths slowed and the lust cleared from their minds.
Together, they slid to the grass as one. Tanner brushed back her hair and kissed her gently on the cheek. “I love you, Hilly Tristan.”
Tears sprang to her eyes again. “Oh, hell. I wish I could stop crying.”
“It’s okay. I guess I just have that effect on women.” He shot her the grin she loved so mu
ch.
She laughed. “I love you, too, Tanner Cage.”
A comfortable silence fell between them. Hilly snuggled into his arms, never wanting to leave his side.
“I want to ask you a question.”
She held her breath. Could he be asking her to marry him? She fought back a giggle, feeling silly at her quick assumption of marriage. They’d only just begun their life together. How could she expect him to pop the question so soon? “Okay. Ask away.”
“Don’t you think we should start walking?”
Disappointment swept through her, but she kept her voice light. After all, what did it matter if they married as long as they stayed together? A tickle of fear chilled her. Would he want to stay now that he’d lost everything? “I could call Meg to come pick us up?”
He cringed and she laughed at his wary expression. “I think I’d rather walk.” She started to rise, but he pulled her to him. “Just one more little question.”
”What is it?”
He arched an eyebrow, the color of his eyes fading back to silver-blue. “Would you marry me?” He put a finger to her mouth. “Remember. You’ll be gaining a demon for a mother-in-law, so please take that under consideration before answering.”
She laughed, feeling happier than she had in years. “I guess having a father-in-law who’s an angel makes up for the other in-law. At least I hope he’ll still be an angel.”
“We’ll put in a good word for him. So? Do you have an answer or do you need more time to think about it?”
“No.”
“No?” Tanner gaped at her. “You won’t marry me?”
She kissed him quick and hard. “No, I don’t need time to think about it. Of course I’ll marry you. After all, who else is going to take care of an ex-supernatural player?”
Epilogue
“Tanner, do you smell something burning?” Hilly added a face to her whisper and hoped her sisters didn’t smell the stench.
Tanner froze, looked toward the floor, then shrugged. “Yeah, but I don’t think it’s her.”
She tilted her head toward the oven. “Um, I’m not talking about your mother.” My future mother-in-law. God, help me. “How are the cupcakes coming along?”