by Cassie Ryan
Jez nodded her respect to the queen as she spoke. “My queen. Semiazas accidentally stabbed her. We brought her through the portal in hopes it would heal her injuries.”
Lilith nodded and glanced back toward Raphael, who was now sitting up, but still looking unsteady. Surprise flashed across her face as if she’d just noticed him there. When her gaze met Uriel’s she stiffened and swallowed hard.
Jez burned to know what history lay between the queen and Uriel, but knew better than to even hint at asking.
“Human, please bring Gabriel to my chambers. Uriel, Raphael too. I can tend them both better from there.”
A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd echoing Jez’s sentiments. As long as Jez had been in existence, she never remembered the queen playing nursemaid to anyone—let alone two Archangels who were forbidden to consort with their kind.
Jez was even more shocked when Noah didn’t comment on being called human, but picked up Gabriel gently and followed after Lilith’s retreating form. “Wow. A day for surprises,” Jez murmured under her breath as she trailed behind Noah, staying close and making her claim on him obvious for any other incubi or succubi who might have thoughts about trying anything like Evelin had.
How sad that she had to worry about such things when Gabriel could still die and Raphael might still be in danger. Some things never changed.
“I can bloody well walk, Uriel.” Raphael’s voice echoed around the still-silent cabin and Jez glanced back quickly to see Uriel pick up Raphael and toss the Archangel over his shoulder to the accompaniment of more weak protests.
“Paybacks are hell, Uriel. Remember that,” Raphael warned in a halfhearted threat.
Uriel laughed. “When you can kick my ass for this, then I’ll know you’re back to normal.”
Lilith swallowed back both her fear and the urge to run her hands over Uriel like she had with Gabriel to ensure he hadn’t been harmed. She stepped inside her chamber and held the door wide—tacit approval for those following her to enter.
The human came through first with Gabriel cradled in his arms, followed by Jezebeth, and then Uriel with Raphael slung over his shoulder.
“My bed. Put them both on my bed.” Glad her voice had come out strong, she pulled back the comforter and top sheet as memories of her and Gabriel cuddled together sleeping rose up to taunt her. Raw emotions filled her throat and threatened to spill out, but she ruthlessly swallowed them back and stepped aside to allow Noah to gently lower Gabriel onto the soft bedding.
When the human took the time to arrange Gabriel’s head more comfortably on the pillow and pull off her leather boots before stepping back, Lilith had to swallow back a surprised sob. When Noah Halston had first summoned her, he’d looked at her as if she were the lowest creature on the planet. She burned to know what had changed, but that would have to wait for later.
Uriel slowly lowered Raphael onto the other side of the mattress, careful not to jostle Gabriel’s still form. Raphael winced but allowed Uriel to position a pillow behind his back before he relaxed back against it.
“I told you I’m fine, Uriel. I just need to lick my wounds for a few days and I’ll be back in the game.”
Uriel huffed out a laugh. “Only if that game involves dominos. Don’t be so stubborn; there’s no reason not to let yourself recover a bit more before you limp off to lick your wounds.”
Lilith nearly smiled at the familiar banter between the Archangels. At least it had helped lighten the mood and had chased back her tears. Eager to tend to Gabriel, Lilith turned to the human. “Thank you . . . Noah.” She nodded once as a further sign of respect. She couldn’t address him as such in front of her subjects, but here, in private, she could show him how much she appreciated what he’d done. It would have to be enough.
Jezebeth cleared her throat. “My lady, if there is anything I can do to help tend them, please ask. I owe Raphael my life, and probably Gabriel as well.”
Raphael made a disparaging noise in the back of his throat. “We’re even, little one.”
Jezebeth seemed ready to argue, but then confusion swam across her features and she fell silent.
Lilith studied the succubus intently, but couldn’t sense anything wrong with her beyond fatigue and a need for sustenance.
“That goes for me too,” Noah added, breaking Lilith’s perusal of Jezebeth. “Anything I can do to repay their kindness, just let me know.”
“Xander will show you to your quarters.” Impatient to tend to Gabriel and evaluate Raphael’s condition, Lilith gestured toward the doorway where the incubus stood lurking. “And will provide anything you both might need. I’ll summon you later.” She turned her back, not bothering to watch to see if her orders were carried out. Xander was power hungry and could be snide, but she was confident he knew better than to directly disobey his queen.
When the door closed softly behind Jezebeth and her human companion, Lilith began to gently strip off Gabriel’s clothing, careful not to press too hard on the Archangel’s stomach. Dark bruising marred that area where Lilith had explored very recently, and made Lilith more determined to see it back to its pristine pale beauty.
She pressed her hand against the area as if she could will health back into the still woman in front of her.
On the other side of the bed, Uriel was helping Raphael disrobe as well, even though the injured Archangel cursed and winced with nearly every movement. “Damn it, Uriel. Remind me to be unconscious next time this is necessary.”
“Stop whining, Raphael. This can’t be as painful as taking Michael’s sword through your back.”
Lilith froze in midmotion and turned to stare at the two men. “Michael’s sword?”
Neither of them acknowledged she’d spoken. Instead, Raphael lifted his hips so Uriel could slide off his leather pants, revealing dusky skin that Lilith remembered well from the night at Uriel’s. “That happened fast—one sharp pain.”
Uriel shook his head but remained silent.
“We’ll get them into the hot spring, which should speed their healing.” Lilith gently lifted Gabriel to pull the tattered shirt away and drop it on the floor next to the bed before she reached for Gabriel’s pants. “Now, tell me what happened.” Lilith didn’t care which one of the Archangels answered her, as long as one of them did. She caught Uriel’s gaze and held it until he relented and glanced away.
Uriel cleared his throat and quickly filled her in on everything that had happened.
“Then Michael just disappeared?” She snapped her gaze to Uriel’s to make sure she’d heard correctly.
“Yes.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Lilith catalogued all the information inside her mind to go over later, but for right now, all that mattered was making sure Gabriel and Raphael were fully healed.
Lilith pinned up Gabriel’s hair before stripping off her own dress and clipping her hair on top of her head. She gently lifted the female Archangel, cradling her against her chest, trusting Uriel would bring Raphael.
Lilith stepped into the swirling hot springs, careful to keep Gabriel’s head above water, even though the Archangel didn’t need to breathe to survive. As the hot water swirled around them, Lilith began to rock slowly back and forth with Gabriel in her arms as she said a silent prayer for the Archangel.
Life couldn’t be so unfair as to have robbed her of first Adam, then Uriel, and now Gabriel. Did God even listen to the prayers of succubi? Or was she considered beneath His notice?
Raphael laid a gentle hand on Lilith’s shoulder. “He hears all prayers, Lilith.”
She snapped her gaze to his as embarrassment spilled through her. “It’s impolite to listen to my thoughts.”
He laughed, but the sound was weak. “It wasn’t a thought but a prayer, Lilith. And those we hear regardless.” He patted her shoulder before letting go.
Uriel stood next to the springs, still fully dressed. “She’ll be all right, Lilith.” He gestured to Gabriel with his chin. “Your little succubus suggested
taking us through the portal to your lair, and damned if she wasn’t right. They aren’t fully healed, but I think the springs will speed them along.”
“She’s a smart one,” Raphael added. “And her human is worthy of her.”
Gabriel murmured and snuggled closer against Lilith’s chest. “Gabriel?” Lilith heard the raw hope in her voice, and for once didn’t care who heard. “Can you hear me?”
When no response came, Lilith refused to let it dampen the small light of optimism that had warmed her. She felt the weight of Uriel’s gaze and glanced up in time to see the raw pain in his silver gaze before the normal mask he showed the world slid firmly into place, locking her out.
Pain sliced through Lilith at his reaction. Even though she’d been the one to tell him they should no longer see each other, her heart still railed against the unfairness of it all. She slowly sucked in a breath and raised her chin. She had found a small measure of budding happiness with Gabriel—something Uriel refused to offer her—so she refused to let guilt steal that possibility from her as well.
“I must go and clean up any damage done in the human world.” Uriel turned and then stopped. “Raphael. Call me if you need anything, and let me know how Gabriel fares.”
“I will,” came Raphael’s soft reply from beside Lilith.
When Uriel dematerialized, the tentative dam Lilith had shackled over her emotions broke and sobs wracked her as she held onto Gabriel like a lifeline.
Raphael’s strong arms closed around her, and she allowed herself to wallow in the comfort offered as she cried.
22
Jezebeth stepped outside Lilith’s room as Noah pulled the door closed behind them. Memories prickled at the edges of her consciousness, and she had the distinct impression that she’d forgotten something important, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch those escaped thoughts.
Wasn’t there something she wanted to tell Noah?
“I greet you, Jezebeth.” Xander’s words broke her out of her thoughts, scattering even the wispy tendrils of memories she’d tried to capture. He accompanied his words with a blatant up-and-down perusal of Jezebeth—something she knew was done purely to irritate Noah. There had never been much affection between her and Xander, and he’d paid her very little sexual notice in the past.
“Xander.” She kept her voice noncommittal. Not that Xander wasn’t attractive; he definitely was. In fact, he resembled a Greek god come to life with dusky skin, dark hair, and bedroom eyes. He wore silk pants that had always reminded her of something to be worn inside a Persian harem, which left his impressive, muscled chest bare. However, Xander was the epitome of a manipulative social climber, and anyone who trusted him did so at their own detriment.
Noah took a quick step forward placing himself in between her and Xander. Noah’s eyes were narrowed, his lips thinned into a hard line.
Xander raised one questioning brow. “And greetings as well to your human, Jezebeth.” As the man’s dark gaze raked over Noah with the same thoroughness he’d done with Jezebeth, Noah scowled, and Jezebeth sighed. She really hated succubi/incubi politics and power plays. Even though they’d been a constant part of her life since her creation, that only meant she’d tired of them long ago.
“My name is Noah, not human. And you are?” Noah pierced Xander with a steady glare.
“Xander.” The incubus smiled, completely unruffled by Noah’s aggressive stance. “I am an incubus, so am at your service as well, hu—Noah,” he amended when Noah growled under his breath. Xander’s lips quirked as if unsuccessfully trying to hide his amusement.
Jezebeth started to answer, but Noah distracted her by reaching behind him to pull Jezebeth closer. “Your services aren’t required by either of us, Xander. Why don’t you just show us to our room?”
Xander nodded in a small bow, his lips still quaking as he continued to unsuccessfully hide his amusement. “As you wish.”
The hair on the back of Jezebeth’s neck prickled, and she made a mental note to remind Noah to watch his back while he was here. He might still have Lilith’s ring, but she wasn’t sure what protection that would offer him here among her own people. After all, now that his assignment was at an end, any one of them could try to twist him for their own purposes.
Jezebeth smiled at Noah before she followed Xander down the hallway with Noah close beside her, his palm warm on the small of her back. She couldn’t remember when exactly he’d begun treating her with this level of intimacy, or when she’d begun to enjoy it, but being back here steeped in her old life reminded her that no matter how much she would miss it, she’d soon have to live without it, and him.
Jez swallowed hard against the thick wave of loss that tightened her throat and instead concentrated on savoring each moment with Noah while she still could regardless of the curious glances Xander kept tossing back at them over his shoulder.
Noah’s touch remained gentle, but his gaze swept around them in a continuous sweep as if he were alert for an ambush. Since Xander still walked with him, she didn’t explain to Noah the subtle nuances of succubi/incubi political intrigue. This place was worse than the English court at the height of King Henry VIII’s reign, which had to be quite a shock to Noah after the human world.
Xander stopped in front of a doorway a corridor away from her own and turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. “This is your room . . . Noah.”
To Noah’s credit, if he was surprised by Xander’s proclamation, he didn’t show it. “Where is Jezebeth’s room?”
Xander frowned and cocked his head to the side. “Your role as Jezebeth’s companion has been completed, I—”
Jez cut Xander off midsentence. “He’s my protector and has not yet officially been released by Lilith.”
Noah opened his mouth to add something, and Jez gave him a subtle head shake, which luckily he picked up on and closed his mouth. Having Noah declare any type of attachment for Jezebeth without Lilith’s express consent would be disastrous for him. After all, Jez was Lilith’s creature entirely and irrevocably as much as she’d begun to wish it were otherwise.
Xander studied them both before slowly nodding. “These will be your quarters when you are through inspecting Jezebeth’s to ensure her safety, as per your agreement with the queen.”
Jezebeth noticed the quick look of calculation in Xander’s eye and decided to take control of the situation before it got out of hand. “I appreciate your hospitality, Xander, but I can find my way to my quarters and I’m sure Noah can find his own way back to his.”
A quick flash of irritation flowed across Xander’s chiseled features as he looked between her and Noah. “I’ll ensure both of you are sent nourishment.” He nodded curtly before turning to walk back down the hall, the way they had come.
Before Noah could ask a bunch of questions that should never be asked inside an open hallway in Lilith’s lair, she pulled the door to his quarters shut, grabbed his hand, and pulled him down the hall, around the corner, and down to the end of the hall where her own quarters were located.
Once inside, she closed the door and leaned back against it with a relieved sigh.
“What was that all about?” Noah seemed genuinely curious rather than angry as she’d expected. But then Noah surprised her at every turn, which was one thing she really loved about him.
“You showing a preference for me without Lilith’s express permis—”
Noah stepped forward and placed his finger over her lips. He stood so close, the heat radiating off his body teased her with vivid memories of the first time he’d kissed her back at Max’s cave.
Her nipples hardened and her pussy clenched as a warm slickness took up residence between her suddenly swollen labia. She let out a shaky breath against his finger as she lost herself in the storm-cloud gray of his eyes.
Noah smiled as if he knew exactly the reaction he’d caused. “And since I haven’t been officially released as your protector, it would show weakness for me to defer to anyone else,
or to lessen my guard at all in regards to your safety. Since you are regarded as Lilith’s property, the care I take with you is looked upon as the care I extend directly to the queen. Correct?”
Jez swallowed hard and managed to nod.
Noah dropped his finger from her lips to trace down her collarbone and over one hardened nipple.
A hard shudder ran through Jez along with a hard stab of arousal. “I keep forgetting about you and all your reading.”
Noah chuckled as he slowly brought his mouth to hers, stopping when their lips hovered only a hairsbreadth apart. His warm, sweet breath feathered against her lips. “Maybe I can make you forget about everything.”
A loud knock on the door startled them both, and Jez inwardly cursed at the interruption as Noah verbalized his creative curses.
Jez turned and opened the door, surprised to find Xander back after her previous dismissal.
“Noah,” he said pointedly, as if he expected a reward for not calling him “human” again. “Lilith would like me to help you find some more appropriate wardrobe choices for the duration of your stay here.” The incubus’s expression was smug as he watched them both for a reaction.
Jez was tempted to question the incubus, but not many who resided in Lilith’s lair were stupid enough to lie and use the queen’s name in the process. The punishment for such betrayal was something far worse than death—each instance more creative and excruciating than the last, considering Lilith turned all offenders over to the demons for their sport, and none were ever heard from again.
Jez smiled at Noah as she looked again at his shredded, dirty clothes. “I’m perfectly safe in my quarters. No one except you or the queen can enter without my permission.”
Noah nodded. “I’ll check in on you before bed.” Without waiting for her to answer, he turned and followed Xander.
Jez sighed, her body still humming with awareness from Xander’s sudden interruption of her liaison with Noah. It would’ve been nice for once for her and Noah to have some time alone without the threat of the scariest denizens of Hell breaking in on them at any moment. She couldn’t wait to make love with him.