“Ashley, I’ll be honest with you. I had no intention of telling you any of this. I was not supposed to heal you because I was not told to do so. I did it, and I did it because I wanted you to see yourself as I see you—beautiful. I knew I would be punished for it, but I healed you anyway. I chose to bear your scars as punishment, and if it had been requested, I would have suffered much more just so you would never see the damned scars again.”
She shook her head, then asked, “But why?”
Instead of answering, he kissed her passionately, for every second, every minute, every hour and every day he had been away, and she kissed him. Her need for him was clear in the intensity of the kiss filled with longing and desire. He materialized them in her bedroom, then again buried his face in the crook of her neck breathing deeply.
“I need a bath. Care to join me?”
She nodded softly and tugged her shirt over her head. He smiled as he, too, removed his blood stained pants. He walked into the bathroom, filled the hot tub with warm water and poured bubble bath in, then stepped in the shower rubbing off the dried blood.
“Oh God!” she muttered, stepping inside the room.
He glanced down noticed the water seeping down the drain tinted red. Stepping out of the shower, he noticed her eyes wide as they trailed his injuries.
“Angel, it doesn’t hurt,” he said, extending his hand toward her.
His eyes wandered down her naked body making his shaft lengthen.
She placed her hand in his. Together they immersed themselves in the water as the tub continued to fill and steam drifted in the air. Sitting next to her naked beneath the water as she trailed her hands up and down his chest, he smiled, content.
She placed her palm over the scar on his chest then whispered sadly, “I wish you wouldn’t have done this.”
“I did it for you, my soul mate. I would have suffered much more. It’s done now. You need to forget it.”
“I—”
“Don’t, angel,” he silenced her. “We’re together. We’re going to be together for eternity.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
She grabbed the bar of soap and lathered her hands in a thick film, then softly began to wash him. Her hands touched every inch of his body. With each touch, his ejection jerked with need.
After she was done, he did the same for her exploring her, admiring every perfect inch of her. They stepped out, and he immediately pulled a towel from the bar and wrapped it around her.
“Food,” he demanded.
She laughed, then paused when he continued to stare at her. “That’s a joke, right?” she asked.
He quirked a brow.
“You’ve already teased me for a half hour, and now you want food? You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said.
He laughed. His soul mate didn’t like to be teased. He drew her face to his and kissed her passionately. With her lips pressed against his and her skin grazing his, he knew, nothing else mattered.
Food can wait, he thought, running his hands along her body removing the towel he’d draped over her shoulders.
He wanted to claim her as his, taking her blood into his body, relishing as she became his forever, but he wouldn’t now, not with how pale and fragile she appeared.
He continued to kiss her, exploring her mouth with his tongue as his hands trailed down her body, cupping her breasts. She ran her fingers through his hair as she kissed down his cheek, then wrapped one leg around him and the heat from her loins reached him, driving him into a frenzy.
He quickly cupped her bottom and pulled her other leg around him, then he pressed her against the bathroom wall and drove his shaft into her.
Heaven.
She gasped at the intrusion, startling him. Concern for her now at the forefront, his frenzied need forgotten.
He stared into her misty eyes. “Did I hurt…”
She shook her head. He pulled out of her slowly, then thrust into her again, enjoying her sweetness. She moaned.
He materialized with her on the bed. Her nails scored his back, egging him on. Pumping into her faster, harder, he ravished her with his craving.
Bite her! Drink her! his instincts begged him. He fought them until he felt her blunt teeth sink into his shoulder.
Drink me, her thoughts begged.
And all reason flew out the door.
Chapter 21
An insane and otherworldly desire, an instinct she couldn’t have explained. She sank her teeth into his shoulder, biting him until his blood reached her tongue.
He groaned.
She gulped, drinking him. His blood coursed through her pumping craving, hunger, strength into her, revitalizing her. Savoring its rich, heady taste and thick texture, more liquid desire pooled in her core. She licked the bite relishing his taste one last time.
Drink me, she begged, so overwhelmed with passion she had no strength to plead aloud.
He pulled away slightly. His eyes locked on hers for a second before he buried his face in her neck and sank his teeth into her flesh. Sheer ecstasy pulsed through her. She moaned as he drank her, her blood now coursing through his body. She shuddered fully aware as her vision blurred that they were now one.
She was his forever.
He licked his brand on her and hissed. His eyes hazy with desire met hers, then her gaze shifted to his lips tinted with her blood.
He claimed her lips. She delved into his mouth, heedlessly tasting her essence on his tongue.
She lifted her hips to take more of him. His eyes deadlocked on hers brightened as their bodies collided in perfect unison. Overcome with desire and passion, she came seconds before his release.
He collapsed next to her, pulling her toward him so their bodies remained close staring into each other’s eyes. He laced his fingers through her hair.
Never get enough, he thought, and she heard.
“What?”
“You can hear my thoughts now, angel, and I can hear yours,” he explained, smiling.
“Because—”
“Yes, because we’re mated now,” he said finishing her thought. “You are mine forever.”
She smiled. “As you are mine.”
After several moments, she whispered, “Clyde, the Malums…they won’t come after me anymore because we’ve mated?”
He sighed, heavily. “Asher is gone, and you are mated to me, so no other immortal can mate you, but you and your sisters are still coveted because of the prophecy.”
“Are the Guardians going to have a hard time recruiting because of what Asher claimed?”
He lightly kissed her lips. “No, angel. Asher is gone. A little PR and we’re good.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
“You can ask me anything, any time, love. I’ll always tell you the truth.”
“You…denied I was yours for…” Her words trailed off. “When you came back, you said I was your soul mate. How did you know?”
His hand, embedded in her hair, stilled. “The Lords told me,” he replied softly.
“So you needed them to confirm it for you to realize it?” Her heart clenched in her chest, but she couldn’t fathom why. The answer really didn’t matter. She’d merely asked out of curiosity. They were together now after all and were now bonded to one another.
His stare intensified. He dragged his hand toward her cheek, cupping her face. “No, I knew it all along, but I tried to deny it because I thought it was impossible. I thought angels couldn’t mate. I suppose I feared falling for you and having to let you go. When Jenna mated, I felt like I lost a friend in some respects although it wasn’t the case. Deep down I knew if I lost you, I’d never recover, so I distanced myself.”
He paused. His face marred with his regret. “Denying you has been my greatest mistake. I know I’ve hurt you deeply. If I could take it back, I would’ve done it already. I am sorry, more than you’ll ever know. I know I’ll never be able to make it up to you, but I ask that you let me try. I’ll spend the rest of eter
nity trying to.”
I forgave you long before now, she thought.
He smiled wide, leaned into her and pressed his lips against hers, giving her a kiss that touched the deepest part of her soul.
Epilogue
A few days passed since Clyde had returned from his heavenly excursion. All Ashley and Clyde had done since was make love and eat, the latter at Clyde’s insistence.
As a matter of fact, at that very moment, amongst her sisters and their mates, she wondered how long their family gathering would last. She wanted nothing more than to return to their bedroom.
“Okay, so what is this about?” Jenna, sitting across from them, asked in her no nonsense attitude.
Clyde had mentioned days ago he needed to have a talk with her and her sisters. She’d tried to pry it out of him, but he’d kiss her senseless until her insistence was forgotten. Then again, perhaps she hadn’t tried so hard. She’d been too wrapped up in him and envisioning what the rest of eternity with him would entail: making love, fighting the upcoming war, children? She had enjoyed every second of it and knew this was only the beginning. The thought thrilled her.
“The Lords gave me some information you should know.” He paused briefly wrapping his arm around her more firmly. “Your mother was an angel. She mated an immortal and that’s how the five of you came to be.”
Several gasps sounded throughout the room, coming from her sisters. Ashley felt every inch of surprise coursing through them as well as her own.
“What?” she croaked, turning to face him.
His eyes met hers. He smiled, rubbed the side of her face with his palm, then staring into her eyes he continued, “They said you are my soul mate, and as a warrior angel it is my job to fight alongside you in the upcoming war.”
“What else did they say about our mother?” Jenna asked.
Clyde’s attention shifted toward Jenna. Ashley saw the internal battle he waged, deciding whether to tell them what he knew.
He glanced at her, then met Jenna’s stare and sighed heavily. “Angels can’t be killed unless they’re fallen.”
“What you’re saying is if she hasn’t fallen then there’s still a possibility she’s alive?” Jenna asked.
He nodded. “But don’t—”
“…get our hopes up,” Ashley finished for him.
He turned in her direction and smiled sadly then faced her sisters and continued, “The Angel Lords can sense when an angel has fallen through a number of ways. It’s how they knew Asher had fallen. But your mother was a different story…she simply disappeared.”
“But you said if an angel hasn’t fallen then they can’t be killed,” Jenna repeated. “So there’s hope—”
“Yes, if she hasn’t fallen, she could be alive, but she’s been missing for twenty years, and although we can’t be killed, we can be poisoned and tortured. There’s no way to know what condition she’ll be in if she is still alive.”
Landon and Lucas, standing behind their mates, shared a look of concern.
“Poison?” Jocelyn asked.
“Yes, it’s a rare metal found only in the deepest pits of hell. It’s called inferni ignis.”
“Hell’s fire,” Lucas whispered, understanding the Latin phrase.
Landon’s expression hardened. As if he needed to feel her, he gripped Jocelyn’s shoulders and asked, “Then it’s possible that’s what could have poisoned Jocelyn a few months back?”
Clyde nodded.
“How would it have gotten here?” Landon asked, his voice rough.
Clyde shrugged. “A number of ways… One way is to travel to hell, but to do that you would’ve had to barter with the devil. He’s only ever interested in souls and not rotten ones. He knows he’s getting those already and doesn’t care for them.”
“And the other ways?” Lucas asked.
“Stealing them from whoever travelled to get them.”
A pregnant silence filled the air for several moments then Clyde spoke.
“Anyway, you’re all aware Ash and I mated, but I also asked her to marry me. She said yes.”
Her cheeks flushed. A second later, her sisters were at her side congratulating her as they pushed Clyde away. Reluctantly, he stood and gave them a chance to speak. The reality of their lives, the brewing war, was temporarily forgotten.
“Oh, this is so exciting!” Jenna grinned. “I can help you plan it!”
“Oh, me too,” Jocelyn exclaimed. “I’ve been doing research for my own wedding—”
“Jenna and Joce,” Clyde warned. “She wants a small wedding. Don’t push her with your lavish, over the top—”
“Clyde, why don’t you just butt out and let the women handle this, huh?” Jenna retorted, smirking.
“I will, but if I sense you two planning something Ashley hasn’t agreed to, we’re eloping,” he threatened.
Ashley’s heart swelled. He always looked out for her, even with regard to her sisters, who’d never harm her, maybe just push her around a bit because they wanted her to have the best, biggest, most lavish everything.
Jocelyn quirked a brow, then teased, “You wouldn’t dare. You could scare me and cause me to go into early labor.”
Landon’s eyes widened. Tensing, he took a step toward Clyde. “If my female or the babies are harmed, I’m coming after you, angel.”
Lucas threw his head back and laughed aloud.
She realized despite their bickering they were all just a big, happy family.
I love you, angel, she heard his mind whisper, drawing her gaze away from Landon and Lucas and toward her soul mate, Clyde.
His sapphire eyes pierced through her as if she were the only one he saw. Heart fluttering, she smiled.
I love you, she thought.
A second later, he stood at her side, lifting her and tucking her against his chest, then he claimed her lips in a searing kiss and carried her out of the room.
A word about the author...
J. L. Sheppard was born and raised in Miami, Florida where she still lives with her husband.
As a child, her greatest aspiration was to become a writer. She read often, kept a journal, and wrote countless poems. She attended Florida International University and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelors in Communications. During her senior year, she interned at NBC Miami, WTVJ. Following the internship, she was hired and worked in the News Department for three years.
It wasn’t until 2011 that she set her heart and mind into writing her first completed novel, Demon King’s Desire, which was published in January of 2013.
Besides reading and writing, she enjoys traveling and spending quality time with family and friends.
Visit with her at:
http://www.jlsheppard.com
www.facebook.com/JLSheppardAuthor
~*~
Other J. L. Sheppard titles
DEMON KING’S DESIRE, Elemental Sisters I
BURDENED BY DESIRE, Elemental Sisters II
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Heavenly Desire Page 25