Angel Lover

by Tricia Skinner

  “Several more hours. Her injuries were severe, extending well beyond broken ribs.”

  Mariel had fought on, heedless of her own life. A swift pang of guilt hit. She had come so close to dying.

  No. There wasn’t time to imagine the horrible what-ifs. She lived, and he would kiss every breath away as soon as he held her.

  “Need to check on my team. I’ll return within the hour. Don’t let anyone near her until I do. Got me?”

  Red scrunched his face. “And what do you believe will occur in the safety of this chamber?”

  Kas didn’t reply. The Directorate would soon learn what had happened in Detroit.

  He teleported from the Chamber of Healing. He pictured the mansion, his team, and his body moved through an invisible doorway.

  “How’d you do that?” Jarrid said upon his reemergence.

  The central room was less chaotic with no one fighting. Several groups of warrior angels stood around two or three Renegades, their swords drawn and pointed at their prisoners. He counted only eight of the thirty rebels he remembered.

  “Where’s T?” Kas checked the area over his brother’s shoulder. “Never mind.”

  He crossed the room, Jarrid in tow, and drew up when he reached the rest of the Bound. Cain and Tanis turned, but his attention narrowed to the body near them.

  Rahab’s obsidian wings fanned out and twisted at a terrible angle. Cushioned on the bloodstained plumage was the still form of his angel sire. In death, Rahab appeared younger. His eyes were open and the empty stare seemed to take in the upper balcony, the place of their last battle.

  Kas crouched next to the body and stared into the face he’d known so long ago. He skimmed over every detail and locked it in his memory. Slowly, he pressed his fingers into the blood at the torn throat.

  “Unto death, should thou desire it,” he whispered, turning the words in his mind. “You old fool.”

  The Renegade oath drew gasps from Heaven’s warriors and their prisoners. He glared at those studying him with a mixture of malice and wariness.

  Think what you want, dickheads.

  “Kas?”

  He glanced over at his mentor. The angel’s appearance was as haggard as he’d felt after transporting to Heaven. Blood clumped the platinum hair on his shoulder, and red streaks soaked through his shirt. One of Tanis’s already damaged wings drooped to the floor.

  They shared an intense moment where words had no place. Kas peered past Tanis and found Jarrid and Cain watching. He lowered his gaze to the Renegade’s body.

  The team had never come face-to-face with one of their sires even though the Bound had always known the possibility existed.

  “Where’s Mariel? And how did you—” Cain began, but Kas shook his head.

  Too many unfriendly ears were tuned to everything they said. He gave his brother a look, which received an understanding nod.

  “Mastema escaped with Nesty,” Tanis said.

  Kas barely managed to keep himself from pitching forward onto his dead sire’s body when his knees gave out. “W-what?”

  “Mastema is a death demon. He repelled everything we threw at him.”

  He shook his head, refusing to believe his father. “But how—”

  “He may have planned all this to bring us out. We fought, were weakened, and then your brother began to work his gift.” Tanis’s eyes blazed. “He took my son. I will get Nesty back, and then I’ll bathe in Mastema’s blood.”

  He labored to regulate his breathing. “The demon was that formidable?”

  “Bullets don’t work,” Cain answered.

  Jarrid hummed his agreement. “He struck Tanis despite my shield. If it wasn’t for Mariel, tonight would have turned out different. Worse.”

  “Her Grace.”

  “She accidentally touched Mastema’s soul,” Tanis added. “She screamed, and I struck too late. He vanished.”

  Kas flexed his hands. His family and his woman had fought a fucking death demon while he pursued his deadbeat dad. He should have been with them. He should have protected her. He should have—

  “Mariel deserves your respect, not your pity.” Tanis eyed him with an arched eyebrow. “She fought like the warrior she is. She ignored her injuries to provide safety to your brothers and myself.”

  “She almost died,” Kas said. “Nesty is gone. If I—”

  He stopped short. An audience hung on every word. If none of Heaven’s angels had seen him teleport, then they couldn’t add that in their reports to the Directorate. His new skill wasn’t bound, and he intended to keep it that way.

  Jarrid eyed Rahab’s body. “Wasn’t this Mastema’s second in command?”

  “Yeah,” Kas said. “Not the head bastard, but close enough.”

  “What’ll we do with him?” Cain asked.

  Tanis moved closer. “The Directorate will want his body. In their eyes, this is a partial victory. This Renegade cell is broken. The surviving rebels will be sentenced.”

  Low grumbles sounded, but none of the prisoners made a move to fight. Kas gave each survivor a hard stare. Part of him wished they’d try some shit so he could release the anger still simmering from his failure to help Mariel and Nesty, but Tanis was right. She’d handled her business, no matter the cost to herself, and his brother was no weakling.

  He pulled out a dagger and slid the blade across his palm. Blood welled, and he cupped his hand, stood, and turned to Tanis.

  “My loyalty never wavered.” He raised his bloodied hand, splayed his fingers, and pressed his palm against the center of the angel’s chest. “There has only ever been one father of the Nephilim.”

  Several of Heaven’s angels shuffled uncomfortably at the display of sentiment. His brothers pulled daggers and slid the sharp steel across their palms. Then, as he had done, the Bound Ones anointed Tanis in their blood.

  He was their father. The one angel who’d never seen them as abominations or impure.

  Kas watched Tanis work his jaw, fighting to remain composed, as the significance of the act registered. The Bound were truly tied to the angel, down to their blood. No Renegade sire stood a chance against what they shared.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Mariel nestled deeper into the softness of her bed. She could stay wrapped in the blanket for the next month, but as the blissful idea surfaced, it nudged her memories awake. She had something to do, and it wasn’t sleeping the day away.

  Dark tendrils spread across her mind, reaching for her. She shrieked and sat up.

  “Be at ease, warrior. You are in no danger.”

  She struck her fist out and punched the speaker before her surroundings registered. White and spacious. The glow of candles. Clean air.

  “Where am I?” She heard a groan and peeked over the edge of her bed. On the floor, a blond angel wearing a glittering silver robe rubbed his jaw. “Oops.”

  “I should not have startled you.” He used the mattress to pull himself to his feet. “At least you are alert and retain some strength.”

  She rubbed her head. This wasn’t the mansion. “I am in Heaven?”

  The angel, who she finally recognized was wearing the garbs of medicine, nodded. “The Chamber of Healing.”

  The last thing she remembered was fighting, surrounded by warriors and the Bound Ones. Kas had been paired off against his sire. Her eyes widened as she said, “Is the battle over? Did Mastema fall?”

  The doctor shook his head. “That I do not know. The Nephilim did not explain from where he had come, only that we were to save you.”

  Kas. She brought her fingers to her right side, but the torn flesh and extruding bones were gone. She poked around, but she couldn’t feel scars through the thin fabric draped over her.

  “Your wounds are healed, warrior.”

  Mariel ignored the pull on her back. They must have wrapped her shoulders with the same material covering her. She stared at the doctor. Kas must have teleported her to the chamber, but where was he? She hopped off the bed…
<
br />   And stumbled under the weight of wings.

  “I-it cannot be.” Her body trembled. She flexed her shoulders and felt the heavy fan of feathers slide against her back. “It is impossible.”

  The doctor chuckled and stepped close enough to steady her. “Nothing is impossible with the Creator’s Grace.”

  She focused on the miracle behind her. Leaning against his arm, Mariel took a cautious step, and then three more, until she was confident she’d remembered how to walk with wings. She tested them again, flapping each separately. The movement almost lifted her from her feet.

  “God of All,” Kas whispered from the doorway.

  Her gaze found his shocked face. He stood just inside the chamber in a hockey jersey that had seen better days. Bloodstains turned the winged wheel emblem into a freaky palm-sized splatter. Most of the fabric was in tatters, as was one leg of his jeans.

  “You look well,” she said, teetering to the side.

  Kas moved quickly and wrapped her in his arms. They peered into each other’s eyes. He recovered first. “Thought I’d lost you.”

  She caressed his jaw and rubbed the stubble there. “I prayed you lived.”

  “You nearly died. I saw you. I—”

  “I am alive, Kas.” She feathered a kiss against his lips. “I am whole because of you.”

  His mouth closed over hers, and Mariel melted into his solid embrace. Tonight could have meant the end for them, for this intoxicating connection they shared. She slanted her head to accept the passion from his lips.

  He reached behind her and touched a feather. “When they said they could fix your wings, I didn’t dare believe it.”

  Sensation tingled down her spine to her flight feathers. He repeated the action, playing with her plumage until a small moan slipped past her lips.

  “Did I hurt you?” He stilled his hand.

  “That was not from pain,” she said as heat bloomed in her cheeks.

  His sexy grin made her smile. “Interesting.”

  “Ahem.”

  They turned and met the doctor’s impassive gaze. “This is a sacred place of healing. Such displays are best reserved for private quarters.”

  Mariel’s blush spread to her neck. “Sorry. I had forgotten how sensitive wings could be.”

  “How sensitive?” Kas asked in an interested rumble.

  Her insides quivered, but she gave him a you-better-behave look. Her precious wings were restored, and she owed that to her gorgeous half angel. “You should tell me what happened.”

  “Goldie, give us some privacy.”

  The doctor mumbled about ridiculous emotions and stomped past them, closing the chamber door. Once alone, Kas gestured to the bed she’d recently abandoned. They sat, and he took her hands in his.

  He creased his brow. “Didn’t know you’d been hurt. While you and my brothers fought Mastema, I tangled with Rahab on the balcony. Couldn’t get to you.”

  She remembered him paired against his sire. “And Rahab?”

  “Killed him.”

  Mariel squeezed his hand, but she didn’t push for details. The Renegade had deserved to die, but he had given Kas life. One day, her beloved might face the emotional aftermath of killing his sire. She vowed to be at his side.

  “I arrived after Mastema disappeared with Nesty,” he continued. “I was too late. You’d fallen. I thought…”

  She had died. “My heart aches for you and your brother.” She prayed the Creator protected Nestaron. She remembered the darkness. “Mastema is a demon. His soul is black and foul. It was as if I stared at Death himself.”

  A death demon was a legend. No angel knew one. None had seen one, though all of Heaven believed them real.

  “A demon comes from the in-between, part angel and part something else,” Kas said. “Mastema has lived for centuries longer than any of us. He was with Lucifer when they fell.”

  “I always wondered how he rose to lead the Renegades, but as one of Lucifer’s disciples, the power to command might have passed to him.”

  “We’ll find Nesty,” Kas said. “Nothing will stop us.”

  She believed him. And she’d help. “How did I arrive at the Chamber?”

  His sly grin curved his mouth in a way she’d come to adore. “Did an abracadabra and threatened to kill the doctors.”

  “Tell me you are joking.” Mariel shoved at him. “Do you know the trouble that will cause? No one threatens a healer.”

  Kas raised her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Worked.”

  “You are lucky they didn’t—”

  “They wouldn’t dare.” He winked. She should shake him for his foolishness, but he had risked himself to save her.

  “Kas, I…” Mariel bit her lip.

  He tipped her head back. “I know.”

  Soft lips touched hers and drew her heartstrings tight. She molded against him and poured her affection into the kiss. She trailed her fingers across his neck and wound them into his long hair.

  …

  Not even death could keep Kas away from his angel lover.

  He pressed Mariel gently on the bed, kissed her neck, her cheeks, her ears, her brow. She was alive and healed and his. The fear he’d suffered for her vanished.

  “We cannot. Not here,” she whispered between kisses.

  Chamber of Healing. Heaven. Shit.

  Kas gave one last deep lick against her tongue then forced himself to pull away. His body was ready to rock, but he’d do more after they changed location.

  She sat up. “I hate to ask, but has the Directorate received a report?”

  He shrugged. “Probably.”

  Mariel sighed and fluttered her wings. God, she was angelic perfection. He stared at the dazzling white feathers and admired the contrast with her honey-colored skin. He planned to spend quality time learning every plume.

  She scooted off the bed. “Well, they can rot. They betrayed me and murdered my friends. The next time I see the angel board, I will kill them.”

  Kas’s brow arched high. “That’ll require some serious strategy.”

  Hurt flashed across her upturned face. “Are you saying I am incapable?”

  He raised his palms. “Not what I said.”

  “Good. What they did was unforgivable. I will never forget.”

  “Think strategy and tactics. You’re on their turf, talking mutiny. Won’t get far before they turn you to ash.”

  “I do not care!”

  Christ, he understood her need for revenge. Mariel had every right to want the board dead, and he’d help her. However, now wasn’t the time. Before she could protest, he grabbed her and teleported.

  They materialized in the Stronghold. She wobbled a little and then checked around her. “Where are we?”

  “My room.”

  Her expression calmed, and she strolled around, picking up various computer parts. She was the first woman he’d brought to his home, which made him oddly pleased. Mariel belonged here, with him.

  “You really are a technology aficionado.”

  “Tech geek.”

  “Of course.”

  “Be right back,” he said before disappearing into the bathroom.

  As quickly as he could, he cleaned himself up and then returned to the bedroom wearing only his briefs.

  Mariel’s curious gaze traveled over him. “Kas?”

  He removed his underwear and steeled his resolve. He’d almost lost her. Killed his sire. His brother had been abducted. He would no longer wait for mercurial fate to decide his life.

  Mariel’s wings trembled. He walked over, near enough so that the warmth of her breath tickled his chest hairs.

  “This is all that I am,” Kas said. “A half-breed. An assassin.”

  She covered her mouth.

  “I’ll fight any battle by your side. I’ll hunt anyone you wish. I’m yours, if you want me. That is my vow.”

  …

  Mariel had believed having her wings back was a miracle. Now, not so much. She’d never exp
ected the powerful words Kas delivered to her. Standing naked and offering himself with the solemnness of a warrior. Her soul swelled.

  She loved him. Completely, irrevocably, eternally. Kas was everything she wanted—lumps, bumps, attitude, and all.

  Her yearning to destroy the Directorate drained away, leaving only desire for him.

  She unclipped the clasp holding the healing gown together at her neck. Her shoes and clothing had been removed prior to the ritual. The weightless material pooled around her feet.

  Now, Mariel was as bare as Kas.

  Nervous tingles erupted across her exposed flesh. She passed her fingers over his broad chest and down his well-defined abdomen. His nipples hardened. She leaned in and licked one.

  A hiss issued from between his teeth. “Mariel.”

  She played with the long strands of his sable hair. Kissed along his collarbone. Nibbled his earlobe. Through it all, he did not return her touch.

  A wicked idea filtered into her mind. Mariel pressed their bodies flush and whispered, “I shall show you how an angel makes love.”

  She brought her wings forward and wrapped them around him. He went rigid for a second and then relaxed, lowering his forehead to hers. Feathers smoothed over his back, his firm rear, and his legs. He shuddered, and she held him.

  Mariel turned her head, and Kas devoured her mouth, lapped at her tongue, and spread his hands against her ass. She moaned and rubbed her breasts on his chest.

  More. She palmed his erection, and he shook, but she increased the pressure, languidly stroking him. His hardness contrasted with the silky skin in delicious ways. She kept her wings against him and lowered to her knees.

  “God help me,” he said before she enclosed her mouth over the weeping crown.

  Kas thrust, and she accepted him deeper, sucking and releasing with every shallow movement of his hips.

  She loved his strength.

  She loved his taste.

  She loved him.

  He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up. “Won’t last.”

  “That is the point, is it not?”

  Kas kissed her deeper, scattering her thoughts. Locked together, they maneuvered to his colossal bed. He fell onto his back and tugged until she sat astride him.