Unchained

by J. Lynn

  “Well, when you put it that way,” she drawled slowly. “I don’t really have a choice. I was born to this.”

  He stared at her curiously. “You always have a choice.”

  Strange, but Michael had said the same thing. “I may have had a choice, but I don’t any longer. I signed the Contract. Can’t get out of it now.”

  Turning serious, he nodded. “Now you have forever, and it’s just you and your duty.”

  “Oh the joy.” She stepped around him, checking the locks on the door. They were thrown. Wow! He seriously did just blink into her apartment. When she turned around, the air hitched in her throat. The level of intensity in which he observed her made her nervous, really nervous—and hot. “You should leave.”

  “It must be a lonely existence for you,” he said as if he hadn’t heard.

  Her fingers curled around the edge of her robe. Of course her life was freaking lonely. The closest intimate contact she had recently took place in a bar’s laundry room. And she wouldn’t be surprised if Julian knew that.

  “What about you?” she threw the question back at him as she walked toward the kitchen. “I’m sure you have lots of people to occupy your time.”

  “Not anymore,” he whispered.

  She stiffened. She felt him behind her and, immediately, her body came alive. Answering some sort of call she didn’t understand, her nipples tightened against the smooth silk and heat pooled between her legs. “Why is that?” she whispered.

  Julian gently brushed the mass of wet hair over her shoulder as he leaned forward. His breath stirred the small hairs at the nape of her neck, sending fine shivers through her. “Things changed for me.”

  She darted away from the door, putting some space between them. But that space lasted a second, because when she blinked, he was behind her again. Every cell in her body warred. Fight him, stand still. Tell him to leave, or not say anything at all.

  He lowered his head so that his lips brushed the exposed skin of her neck. “It was never a why, you know. More like a when…”

  “Oh.” It wasn’t one of the most intelligent responses, but it was the best she had at the moment.

  Julian trailed his lips over her skin lightly. “Eight years ago to be exact.”

  The significance of the date did not pass Lily. Some inane part of her wanted to hear him say it. “What happened eight years ago?”

  He chuckled as his hands settled on her shoulders. “You,” he said as he brought his hands down to her elbows in one smooth caress. “You happened.”

  “I didn’t do anything.” Ah, this is dangerous and stupid. But she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She tipped her head back against his hard chest. Just a little longer, and then she’d kick him out. Just a few more minutes with this magnificent thing behind her, and the glorious heat he created in her. Then she would let it go. She had to, because this was idiotic. Because this was how it all started with Anna.

  “You didn’t?” His hands followed the curve of her arms, resting where she tightly held the edges of her robe.

  “Other than stabbing you?” She started to pull away, but he held her in place. “No.”

  The deep rumble of Julian’s laugh vibrated down the length of her, and a small sigh escaped her lips. “That wasn’t what I had in mind.” His fingers closed over hers. “Ah, Lily, you drive me to do insane things.”

  She drove him to do insane things? What was she doing? Allowing him to be this close and to forget all the ways this could go bad. Like everything had gone bad for Anna. Ice drenched her veins, and she tensed. This was wrong.

  Julian squeezed her hands gently. “It’s okay,” he whispered just below her ear. “I’m not going to hurt you. If you tell me to stop, I will.”

  Her mouth opened to tell him to stop, but his thumbs brushed against the swell of her breasts and the words left her. Heat pulsed through her body, melting the ice.

  “I will stop, Lily. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do,” he continued, pressing his lips against her pulse. “Just don’t shut me out in fear. Don’t let fear control you. That’s all I’ll ask from you today.”

  Her heart tripled its beat, and her fingers loosened their hold on the soft material. “I can’t do this.”

  “How do you know?” He gently pulled her hands away from the material, bringing them to her sides. The loose robe immediately gaped.

  Air hitched in her throat. Every cell in her body waited as he brought his hands back to her shoulders. She needed to pull away, but she remained there, filled with a wanton curiosity that excited her in a way she’d never been before.

  “Do you want me to stop?” he asked.

  The words formed on her lips, but they went no further. Her body and mind were fighting. Hormones were definitely winning at this point.

  Julian brushed the silk over her slight shoulders and down her arms. The cool air whispered against her bare skin, and when she should’ve been fighting him, she was instead thrilled. He ran a finger over the outline of her tattoo. “I knew you would be beautiful with wings.”

  The same could be said about him if he still had his. Then the thought flew out of her mind when she felt his tongue tracing the same line his finger had. Sweet Jesus, every muscle in her body locked up. “Julian, I…this…”

  “Do you want me to stop?” When she didn’t answer, he hauled her back so that she was flush with him. “You and I share this ache. Fight it all you want, but it is the truth.”

  There was no denying that. The ache was driving her crazy.

  “Let me take the edge off all that loneliness.” He lifted her chin, his thumb tracing idle circles over the delicate expanse of her neck. “So beautiful,” he murmured as his other hand roamed across her quivering stomach. “No one will know. No Nephilim. No Fallen. It is just you and me.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut, and when his hand drifted up her stomach and stopped just under one round globe, she almost cried out.

  “Tell me to stop.” His voice was thick. “And damn it all to Hell, I will.”

  Her lips parted, but she didn’t speak.

  Julian growled low in his throat and then brought his mouth down on hers.

  Chapter Eleven

  It had been years since she had kissed anyone. She’d been a teenager, before Baal and before she accepted the Contract. She’d forgotten how much pleasure a kiss could bring, but she never remembered being kissed like this before.

  Julian claimed her lips as if he were laying stake to her soul. The possibility that he had already done so should have served as a dire warning, but she was far too immersed in the feelings Julian was working out of her. His lips were demanding, and when he tugged on her lower lip with his teeth, she yielded to him. The kiss deepened, and his tongue slid over hers. She let out a little breathless moan against his hot mouth. The taste of him, his smell…all of him invaded her, burning her. She was so hot, so wet.

  His lips began to leisurely explore hers as his hand finally, finally smoothed over her breast. He touched her like he’d been starving to do so. His deft fingers plucked at her nipple, causing her to do something she’d never done before.

  She moaned into his mouth.

  His chest rumbled against her back as he left her mouth. “I will not force you. Even though every cell in my body demands that I take you now. You have a choice, Lily.”

  What choice was he giving her when his fingers moved to her other breast, drifting over her pebbled nipple? The liquid fire in her was too potent to be ignored. But she was gasping for air, knowing she’d already gone too far.

  But there was still a choice. Even as worked up as she was, she could regain control of herself, but it was more than the physical. She was so incredibly lonely and he…he had saved her twice now. And his touch, there was nothing like it. Her response ran deeper than trying to ease some of the loneliness, but she wasn’t ready to delve too deeply into that.

  “I want to give you pleasure,” he said, smoothing his thumb over her botto
m lip as his other one did the same to her nipple. The combination was maddening. “That is all, Lily. This will be nothing more.”

  “It won’t?” Doubt colored her words.

  “Oh, I want to do more. Much, much more. I want to sink deep inside you. I want to fill you while you scream my name.”

  Her body shuddered.

  “All you have to do is tell me no.” His hand left the tip of her breast, dropping to where the robe was still knotted. “No?”

  She bit down on her lip. Her breast ached from the loss of contact.

  He quickly unraveled the haphazard tie she had made, and the robe completely parted. “So beautiful,” he whispered again.

  Her eyes opened into thin slits as his fingers made their way to the soft mound between her legs. She held her breath. A finger skimmed over her damp lips, barely touching her, but she jerked against his hand. No one—no one had touched her without some sort of barrier between her flesh and theirs. And without thinking about it, she parted her thighs, giving him more access.

  He gently explored her heated flesh. She was quickly losing herself to him, breathing like she’d run five flights of stairs. When his thumb pressed against the little bundle of nerves, she whimpered.

  “Stop?” he asked.

  When she said nothing, he increased the pressure until her hips began moving, rocking against his hand. A fierce heat surfaced, overshadowing anything she had felt before. Building and building till she feared it would consume her.

  Julian lazily ran a slender finger over her wet slit. The tension coiled inside her as she pressed into his hand, wildly seeking whatever it was he would offer.

  “Look at me, Lily,” he ordered roughly. “Tell me what you want.”

  A ragged breath escaped her parted lips, and her eyes met his.

  He pressed against her, his cock thick and hard against the small of her back. “Tell me to stop.”

  Everything seemed to come down to this moment. Her hips were still thrusting against his hand, twisting until sharp spikes of pleasure shot through her.

  “What will it be?” He pressed his lips to the bruise on her temple. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No,” she gasped.

  He made a triumphant sound and scooped her up in his arms. His movements blurred, and then he was placing her on the bed. Julian removed the robe from where it had been trapped around her arms and laid siege to her lips. He kissed her until her fingers sunk into his hair, pulling.

  Groaning with pleasure, he lifted his mouth and trailed his lips down her neck. She wanted—no, needed—to feel his skin against her. With trembling fingers, she grabbed hold of his shirt and lifted. Wordlessly, he paused and raised his arms. She tossed the shirt aside. Each hard plane and ripple of his chest begged to be touched.

  And she did, running her hands over him. Damn, he was utterly magnificent. His skin was like silk stretched over steel. Every part of him was hard and smooth.

  Then his lips settled over her nipple, sucking long and hard. “Julian,” she begged in a heated whisper.

  Answering her plea, he pressed his hand against her, slipping one finger into her wetness. Her back arched off the bed as she ground her hips against his hand. The feeling of him—his finger inside her—had her thrashing.

  He slipped in two fingers, and the fire in her core flared. His name was like a sinful prayer on her lips, urging him on. Julian’s mouth glided from one breast to the next and then back to her lips. She felt the thick length of him against her and sparks flew. Her fingers dug into his skin as he pressed his entire body against her.

  The tension building in her expanded, her hand dropped to the band of his pants. More, she wanted more. “Please,” she pleaded. “Please, Julian.”

  “Don’t,” he grunted against her lips as he slowly pumped his fingers.

  Ignoring this, she jerked the fragile material. Buttons snapped, scattering across the dark room. She yanked the material over his hips, and his cock sprang forward. Figures. He would go commando. And damn, he was huge. She wrapped her hand around him, and he jerked as if he had been burned.

  He groaned, arching into her hand. “What you do to me. Ah, Lily, don’t.”

  She didn’t listen. She ran her hand down him, marveling at the length and width. His breath was coming out in short, little gasps, and she was awed at what her touch could do. Soon, he was pushing into her hand as he carefully thrust his fingers into her.

  He pressed his thumb against her clit. “Come for me, Lily,” he ordered.

  The coil within her started to spin madly. Her grip on him tightened. “I want to feel you inside me. Please.”

  Julian groaned, swirling his thumb over her clit. She felt him swell in her hand. The whirling force inside her spiraled out of control, and the first wave of pure bliss crashed over her. She cried out, tensing against his hand. Spasms racked her body, and her toes curled. With wide eyes, she saw Julian stiffen and felt his cock jump in her tight grasp. Then he, too, joined her in release, their hearts racing as their bodies spent themselves.

  The force of her orgasm left her speechless, and as her heart slowly returned to normal, Julian gently removed his fingers. He gave a shaky sort of laugh, pressing his lips to her damp forehead. “That’s not what I had in mind,” he said gruffly.

  Lily realized her hand was still wrapped around him, and he was already hardening under her touch. She pulled her hand away, flushing. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I guess I got carried away.”

  He eased himself beside her and gently cupped her cheek. “No. Don’t apologize.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Sweet Lily, you surprise me.”

  Her hand fell idly to his chest. She was warm and fuzzy all over, and her bones felt like they had melted somewhere along with her sanity. “Do I?”

  He nodded, sliding one arm under her, and nestled her against him.

  Falling quiet, she tried to reconcile everything she knew about the Fallen with what she knew about Julian. What they had just done—what they had shared—had been true bliss. How could someone so evil be so patient, so gentle? And bring her such pleasure.

  Unease crept over her. For the first time since she knew what she was, she doubted what she knew. All Fallen were evil. They lacked compassion and were totally immoral—that’s what she had been taught. But she couldn’t bring herself to think of Julian that way.

  He leaned over, placing a kiss against her cheek. “What are you thinking?”

  She tipped her head back, looking at him. There was no way around it. “Why did you fall?”

  His stare didn’t waver. “Why do you think I did?”

  She shrugged. “Sleeping with young maidens?” Please don’t say you killed an entire family of four because you felt like it, she begged silently.

  He was silent for a moment, and then he leaned down and kissed the pulse at the nape of her neck. “You would think that, wouldn’t you?” He lifted his head, staring down at her. “It was a long time ago, Lily. I had been foolish and very prideful.”

  She bit her lip. That wasn’t much of an answer. She pushed. “You didn’t kill an innocent person or something?”

  His gaze sharpened and his brows rose. “What does that Nathaniel teach you? No. I did not kill anyone…who was innocent.”

  Lily held his gaze for a moment. “Okay,” she whispered. “I believe you.” It made her a fool, considering that wasn’t much of an explanation, but she did.

  He lightly grasped her chin, bringing her lips to his. When he was done, he pulled her into his arms. “I better not see you at Deuces Wild again,” he said gruffly, pressing her cheek to his bare chest.

  Sated and strangely happier than she had felt in years, she smiled sleepily as his heart thundered under her cheek.

  …

  Michael’s head was going to explode.

  He was full of knowledge—and it was way too much. He had spent the bulk of the day cloistered away with Luke, and now Remy. It was like being in school again. Except wha
t he was learning was far more bizarre and interesting than anything college could have taught him.

  From what he had gathered from Lily that first night he had learned of the Fallen and what he learned today, he decided they were screwed.

  It was sheer statistics.

  Luke had explained that only so many Nephilim were born a year. The now-infamous Nathaniel—who he’d yet to hold a conversation with personally—would receive the name somehow. He’d called bullshit on that, which had earned him a sharp look from his impromptu teacher. Out of those Nephilim born, only about fifty percent actually survived the first year. Apparently his kind were needy babies.

  From that fifty percent, the Nephilim saved only twenty percent. The Fallen got to the rest.

  Once again, sheer statistics.

  So yeah, they were screwed.

  He wondered why he was still sitting there instead of packing up everything he owned and leaving town. He was on the losing side, but he didn’t leave. And honestly, wouldn’t it all eventually catch up with him anyway? Thinking back to reasons why he’d left his comfy job and joined the police force, he began to understand a part of him that had lain dormant. This whole time he had been searching for something missing in his life. The elusive purpose people always talked about. He thought being a police officer would seal up the hole in him. But it had only been a step in the right direction.

  A step that had led him to Lily—and the truth about himself.

  He explored the Sanctuary, lost in his own thoughts. He learned the security-firm portion of the Sanctuary was one of the best. It offered protection to some of the world’s richest people and provided software security for the top companies in the world. He saw more than one supercompany listed on documents carried by one human or another. Fucking unreal.

  Over the course of the day, he realized he was able to pick out the other Nephilim who mingled among the human workforce. A strange tingling sensation appeared before a Nephilim stepped off the elevator in front of him or walked past the door.

  After wandering the upper levels, he went underground. Without asking who he was, the guards stepped aside, allowing him access to the real Sanctuary. Underground, his senses were firing left and right. There were Nephilim everywhere. Aboveground, the humans at least smiled at him, but the Nephilim didn’t look his way as they passed. Even more strange was the fact that he had not seen one single female Nephilim.