Without looking away, Aridas undressed slowly, stalking toward the bed. “By all means,” he purred as his pants slipped to the floor, “tell me more.”
Talah continued to fuck himself as his gaze followed Aridas. The rhythm of his heart oddly began to beat in sync with Aridas’ movements, and he could feel the strengthening of his need for the man coming closer to him. “Please, Aridas. It has to be you.”
Aridas stilled by the bed and reached out, fingers sliding down Talah’s spine. Without warning, he lifted his hand and delivered a firm slap to Talah’s ass. “So sweet…”
Talah squirmed with the smack, and the motion of his fingers quickened. His breath caught in his throat before he got out the angel’s name again. “Aridas.”
Aridas traced the fingers of his other hand down Talah’s back as he knelt behind him then pushed two slowly inside Talah. “Liked that, did you?” Aridas whispered, landing a second sharp smack to Talah’s ass.
Groaning with the second hit, Talah arched toward Aridas’ hands. He gripped the posts tightly. The roll of his hips fucked the angel’s fingers, sending sensation after sensation rippling through him. He wanted to reach for his cock, but forcefully kept his hands where they were.
“Very good,” Aridas breathed in Talah’s ear. “Ride my fingers. Show me how much you want it.” Aridas added a third finger, spreading them apart.
Talah’s nails dug into the wood as the ache of his cock and the stretching inside him drove him crazy. The hard push of his ass drove the fingers deeper and Talah shuddered with the rubbing friction across his gland. Desperately, he cried out.
In one breath, Aridas’ cock replaced his fingers and he thrust hard. “Do not come,” he commanded, pumping in and out of Talah with hard, deep strokes.
Talah couldn’t breathe; the burning stretch overwhelmed him. As everything built within him, Talah held onto the post, coming close to breaking the wood. He pushed back into every thrust, and his moan took on a sharper intensity.
The strength of Aridas’ strokes increased, his hips slamming hard against Talah. Wrapping a hand in Talah’s hair, Aridas rammed into him and growled, “Come.”
The one word sent a tremor racing through Talah and a second later, he obeyed. His sharp cry of pleasure filled the room and the angel’s name fell from his lips.
Aridas groaned, hips rocking, pumping his cock in and out. “Make no mistake,” he growled as he shot. “You are mine.”
Part of Talah already understood, but it was a part he refused to acknowledge. He leaned heavily against the post, bowing his head as he tried to regain his senses. Placing a kiss on Talah’s neck, Aridas withdrew slowly.
“Come on. Time for sleep.” Aridas urged Talah down to the bed with him.
Aridas made him incapable of any real thought. Without protest, Talah nuzzled as close as he could to the angel and closed his eyes. The only place he could feel this way was near Aridas. At times it confused him, but more and more he came to accept it.
Sitting at his desk, the book open in front of him, Talah heard only half of what Tern was going on about.
“Each Order has its place within the entire order of the universe. Though some Orders aren’t as prominent as others, each serves creation in its own unique way. As the Order of the Highest, we serve the other Orders in their need for highly specialized training. Some of our novices return to their own Orders and some make a choice to remain with us.”
“Talah, what is the duty of the White Light?”
Roused from his thoughts, Talah answered promptly. “To serve the souls of the inhabitants of the first planet of the universe.”
“Quite right. And even though there is internal strife within the Order itself, it will never interfere in the prime duty of the White Light.”
Talah wasn’t so sure about that, but he remained silent.
“Ephias, what is the duty of the Order of Destruction?”
“To destroy those who have fallen from the original plan of creation.”
“Correct. Over existence many have fallen away from the original plan of creation. The Faction of the Disillusioned contains many different sects. You all know the history of the original Fall, but it continues even now. Hopefully none but Ephias will come into contact with any Disillusioned, but knowledge of them would still be helpful.” Tern paused, eyeing each of his students in turn before he continued. “There is a list of three books I want everyone to read. You will find them in the compound library.”
Since he already knew a considerable amount about both sides, Talah only half listened to Tern’s lecture. He knew the hierarchy of the angels: Michael at the top, and Adonai, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael on the second tier. Then those they had trained were of the third tier, though all of those names had never been listed. The Disillusioned had the same hierarchy but with Lucifer at its head.
Angels were members of Orders and the fallen were members of Faction subsects. It seemed somewhat ironic that the demons held to the same structure they’d lived before they’d become fallen. Talah himself was of the fallen, though only by choice. He hadn’t been part of the original Fall, and a large number of the Disillusioned weren’t either. They’d been created after it.
Watching Tern as if he were actually paying attention, Talah stifled a yawn. He managed to sit still until the lesson was over. After Tern dismissed them, Talah headed upstairs for a short break before he had to be at the outside training area.
Once alone in his room, he disrobed and quickly bathed in the pool. Even though he would be training in another hour, he’d needed the bath since he had spent most of the earlier day training as well. He dried off then stretched out over the soft covers of his bed.
Focusing on his body, he began to relax each group of muscles to ease any lingering tension. There was only one place he wanted to feel any tightness, and his hand circled his cock, running up and down the length in varying strokes. Talah centered himself on the beginning ache as it spread from his cock outward.
A soft groan escaped him as his hips began jerking up, thrusting his cock against his hand. He kept the timing slow and torturous, delaying the inevitable to strengthen it. Thoughts filled his head with images of Aridas and him together, and a deeper moan rose in his throat along with the angel’s name.
Unable to control the sudden rush of heated need that swept him, Talah tightened his hand around his cock. His hips rose, desperately fucking the air, begging for the feel of the cock he wanted so badly. When he came, he called out repeatedly to Aridas, barely aware of the sound of his own voice. Finally collapsing back to the bed, Talah became annoyed with himself.
He didn’t have time for daydreams about Aridas. Growling, he sat up and wiped himself off with the edge of the blanket. “I’ve got to get myself together. I’m nothing more than a passing fancy to Aridas.”
A vague sense of hurt started to rise in him, but Talah stood, mentally shaking it off. Nothing mattered but what he had to do.
“Who is he, really?”
Aridas didn’t look at Tern, choosing instead to watch Talah train out in the courtyard. “I have a good idea, but I won’t say anything further until I have answers.”
Tern stepped beside him and looked down at the young fallen angel. “Are you so certain he will tell you?”
“In time,” Aridas said quietly as he studied the sleek, graceful movements of Talah’s wings. He could watch Talah forever. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he smiled over at his friend. “I have my ways of persuasion.”
Tern glanced at him and smirked. “So I’ve noticed. Really, Aridas, must you play with him before he attends my class? His attention is already scattered enough as is.”
It felt good to laugh, and Aridas just shook his head. “Look at him, Tern.” He waved toward the window. Talah was sparring with another angel, the sword sparkling in the sunlight. “Can you resist such temptation?”
“I prefer the fairer ones.”
Aridas chuckled as Tern clapped him on t
he back before walking out. Turning his attention back to the action below, Aridas thought on how much his life had changed since Talah wandered into it. He’d had such a handle on things before, rarely lost his temper, and he certainly never enjoyed his students the way he enjoyed Talah. The proof of his suspicions was right there, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
Every soul has its twin—light for dark, dark for light. As he stood there at the window, gazing down at the sight of Talah parrying and thrusting his sword, Aridas knew he could no longer run away from the truth.
Talah was his twin, the dark to his light.
Chapter Four
For two weeks Aridas allowed Talah to remain secretive about his identity, but it was time to end it. There was too much at stake—for himself and the Order—for Aridas to let Talah keep quiet. He found Talah on the archery range. The fallen angel’s aim had greatly improved from when he’d first arrived. Aridas leaned back against the wall, arms crossed as he watched Talah intently.
As he nocked the arrow to the bow, Talah stiffened. Then he drew back the arrow and let it fly. It hit the target off to the side of the center. Clearly something had disturbed his concentration. Frowning, Talah handed the bow to his trainer then listened before he nodded. Talah headed back into the compound in the opposite direction.
Aridas trailed behind Talah. He caught the door to Talah’s room just before it closed. “You can’t avoid me forever.”
“Why not?” Talah stilled beside his dresser. Not bothering to look at Aridas, he opened one of the drawers and pulled out another set of clothes.
“Because it is futile, especially here.” Aridas closed the door, taking care to lock it. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”
Tossing the shirt and pants on top of the dresser, Talah stared at him for a long moment before he finally sat on the edge of the bed. “What do we have to discuss?”
“How about you start with the truth? It will be much easier that way.”
“What truth?”
“I’m done playing games, Talah. If you don’t tell me willingly then I will force it out of you.”
Talah stood abruptly. “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Aridas. It’s time for me to meet with Tern.”
“Report to my office when you are done.” Within the blink of an eye, Aridas was gone.
Ignoring his own bad feeling, Talah changed his clothes before he left the room. It only took him a moment to get to the Order’s library. Looking around, he saw Tern hadn’t shown up yet, so he headed down one of the aisles to get a head start on the books he needed. He pulled one of the books from the shelf and leafed through it. He could hear the voice of others entering the library, but he didn’t pay much attention to them.
“Did Sipiel speak to you yet, Enael?”
“Yes. But he wasn’t sure what the trouble was about.” The sound of books landing on a table followed.
“Aridas has been short of temper lately and it’s not like him.”
Talah looked up from the book and moved closer to the voices, taking care not to be seen.
“Anything that bothers our leader is bound to be a great deal of trouble, Aseron.”
The comment hit Talah like a blow. His mentor was the leader of the Order of the Highest. Disbelief kept him frozen as the other two walked off. When he could move, he headed around the bookshelves back into the central area of the library. The book was nearly forgotten in his hand.
“Ah, there you are.” Tern appeared at the end of the aisle. “Did you find the books on my list?”
“Uh, yes, I found one of them, Tern.”
“Wonderful. One of them is in Aridas’ office. Though, when you go to get it, be aware, he’s been in a mood lately.”
“It would be,” Talah muttered under his breath. “I’ll take this back to my room and get the other book as well. Did you need me for anything else?”
Tern thought for a moment. “Oh. Yes. Taleon sent word for you to be in his office in one hour.”
“Why am I popular all of a sudden?”
Tern shrugged. “Beats me. Get that book from Aridas, though, and get yourself to Taleon’s office.” With that, Tern left the library.
Talah put down the book. Not about to ignore his sense of inner alarm, he strode to the door and looked out. Instead of heading for the upstairs offices, he walked to the outer door of the building and went outside.
Once he was free and clear of the structure, his wings unfurled and he took flight. He had to get back to Sepha before any of the Order got their hands on him. In a blur of speed, distance displaced for him, and when it slowed he landed on one of the streets of Nara. Making his way to the nearby bar, Talah pushed opened the door. No doubt Sepha would show up sooner or later, and Talah was prepared to wait for him.
“What can I get ya?” a woman asked as she approached him just as he sat at one of the tables.
“A bottle of your strongest stuff.” Talah knew Sepha wouldn’t be at home right now. The demon was normally out recruiting through the area with Oriyas, but Talah had little doubt they would eventually come into the bar.
“On the way, hun.” She headed off to the bar.
The door opened a moment later and a hooded, cloaked figure walked in. No one seemed to notice the newcomer as the figure went to a table in a dark corner. When another woman approached the stranger, there were hushed voices, a nod of her head, and she left the table again.
Talah kept an eye on the door, but ignored the stranger for the most part as he waited for his drink. Before the barmaid could return, Sepha came in. Immediately Sepha’s golden gaze found him.
“What are you doing here, my sweet?” Sepha purred.
Keeping his voice low, Talah got right to the point. “I’ve had a problem, Sepha. I believe they’ve somehow discovered who I am.”
“You will explain everything to me later.” Sepha paused when Oriyas walked up to the table. “It seems my young one has returned to us unexpectedly.”
“What happened?” Oriyas asked.
“They know who I am,” Talah said.
Oriyas lifted an eyebrow. “How?”
Sepha cupped Talah’s face in his hand, his talons sharp, digging into Talah’s skin as Sepha pulled him closer. From the look in Sepha’s eyes, Talah hazarded a guess that the demon might know more than Talah wanted him to.
“My precious Talah will tell me all about it later, won’t you?” Not letting Talah answer, Sepha kissed him hard.
When the barmaid set down several mugs in the center of the table, Sepha pulled back and smirked. He lifted his mug and took a healthy swallow. “Return to the house. You will explain everything there.” Finishing off his drink, Sepha stood. “I expect you there promptly.”
Oriyas got up as well and followed. “Do you want me to handle Isasen?”
“No, we will both take care of him then I will return home,” Sepha answered before directing a look back at Talah. His faint smile spoke volumes.
After drinking half of his cup, Talah set it down then slid out of the booth to leave as well.
Sepha and Oriyas made it out the door, but just before Talah neared it, the cloaked figure shimmered into form before him. “Upstairs. Now.”
Recognizing the voice, Talah stiffened, but before he could get away, a relentless grip encircled his arm. He had no choice but to follow as Aridas pulled him up the stairs and down the hall to one of the private rooms. The second Aridas locked the door, he slammed Talah face-first against it.
“Leaving was a very stupid idea.”
Pain shot through Talah as his face pressed into the wood. He growled and twisted, freeing his arm, and went for Aridas. He had no doubt the angel planned to kill him.
An iron grip seized his arms, wrenching both behind Talah’s back. Aridas used his free hand to rip Talah’s pants open. “You came into my House under false pretense,” he snarled. Hard, heated flesh slid between Talah’s thighs. “But you made one very bad mistake…” Two barely-slick finge
rs thrust into Talah. Aridas’ voice dropped to a whisper. “You left.”
Shock rippled through Talah. He hadn’t expected this at all. Before he could subdue his own response, a low moan escaped him. “Aridas.”
Withdrawing his hand, Aridas spit on his palm, slicked his cock and pushed in, filling and stretching Talah without stopping. His entire length buried deep inside, Aridas pinned Talah to the wall, one hand reaching around between Talah’s body and the wooden wall to wrap tight around his prick. “Don’t do it again.”
Talah was lost and he knew it. He had no resistance to Aridas. The pressure filled him and his thoughts spun wildly out of control. “Fuck me, Aridas. Let me feel you again.”
“If I see him near you again, I will kill him,” Aridas snarled in Talah’s ear, his thrusts brutal as he pumped in and out of Talah’s body.
Talah realized what had brought this out in the angel. He met each thrust, wallowing in the roughness as he reached back for Aridas. He could feel Aridas everywhere inside him. It felt as if Aridas had taken complete possession of him, and Talah gave in to it. “I just want you.”
“Prove it.” Aridas stopped moving. “Come.”
The echo of Aridas’ voice ran deep inside Talah. Before he could still or control it, the sudden urge overwhelmed him. Without even touching himself, he began to shake and he cried out to his lover as he came.
“Where do you belong?”
Collapsing back against Aridas, Talah shivered uncontrollably. He knew the answer and could no longer deny it. “With you.”
Aridas pulled out slowly then slammed back inside, hips jerking as light exploded around them, fusing their souls.
Blinded by the energy, Talah felt the piercing heat envelop him. Within it, he felt nothing but Aridas. He didn’t even hear his own cry as tears rolled unheeded down his cheeks. He’d been brought home, where he belonged.
Easing out, Aridas drew Talah back toward the bed. “Shhh, I’m here.” He got them on the bed and held Talah close.
“I work for the Damnation sect, Aridas. They sent me to the Order of the Highest to gain information about your Order.”
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