by Mandy Lee
“Are you okay?” Mara’s soft voice was a balm to his soul.
B turned toward her as she made her way across the living room. She’d dressed and was rubbing her beautiful hair dry with a towel.
“I’ll be okay.” B reached to hug her. “I’m just not sure Gadreel will be.”
B breathed in the clean scent of the shampoo she’d used on her hair. The feel of Mara in his arms made him relax almost immediately.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Mara asked, looking up at him through her lashes.
He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. “I’m not sure there’s anything anybody can do to help him right now.” B sighed. “I know exactly where his head is. I’ve been there. I spent my life numbing myself with salvia to avoid dealing with those thoughts.”
“I still can’t believe you managed to crawl halfway across town with broken hands and feet, detoxing to get back to us,” Mara said, hugging him a little bit harder.
“That whole experience was almost cleansing in a way...hell of a way to kick the habit though. It did make me see things more clearly; I was ready to deal with my situation for what it really was.” B cupped Mara’s cheek. “There won’t be too much we can do for Gadreel until he’s in the right head space. All I can do is be there for him when he gets there.”
Mara smiled up at him. “You be there for him. I’ll be there for you…always.”
B leaned down and touched his lips lightly to hers. It was nothing more than a whisper of skin on skin, but the electric attraction between them immediately took hold. Mara leaned into him, sliding one hand up his chest and around the back of his neck to play with the hair at the base of his skull. B’s skin tingled; his nerve endings were dancing as he swept Mara up off her feet. She wrapped her legs around his waist and laughed with abandon as he carried her back to Sergei’s bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sam stood staring down at Nyx’s unconscious body. She’d been laid out on the floor of an angelic safe house; it was her turn to be a prisoner. For the millionth time, he thought about what a shame it was that all that beauty was wasted on a woman so deeply evil. Despite everything, Sam was having a hard time hating her. It was twisted, he knew, but on some strange level he enjoyed sparring with her. Sam shook his head. He must be losing his mind; the stress of the past few days was finally catching up to him.
Casting his eyes around the room, Sam took in the small army that had gathered to witness Nyx’s imprisonment. Al and Bill were standing together in the corner watching a hockey game on a smart phone. Sergei was in the middle of a deep conversation with Michael and Uriel, presumably getting their caging spell straight. Amir had arrived a short while ago. He was wandering around the room, checking out the various angelic runes drawn on the walls to ward off evil. Unless one was invited into this space by an angel there was no way past those magically-imbued symbols. Much like the barrier spell Keir had used back at the mansion, the runes created an invisible wall of magic that would keep Nyx in, but would also keep uninvited guests out.
“Time to get her chained up?” Sam asked the two angels.
“Yes, we’re almost ready,” Michael said as he turned back to Sergei for some last minute planning.
Sam knelt down beside Nyx’s body. They’d laid her out next to a set of Wolframite shackles, their chains secured to the floor. The chains were long, designed to give her some range of movement. He reached out and grasped one of her arms, lifting it gently as he placed the manacle around her wrist and snapped it shut. One more shackle to go. He snatched the second one off the floor and secured it around her ankle. He gazed down at her, feeling a little sad to see her chained up. She was an evil psychopath, but she also had an intoxicating vitality about her that wasn’t conducive to being confined.
“Ready?”
Sam started at the voice. He turned to look at the three men who were standing behind him, readying themselves to perform their magic. Sergei raised his eyebrows at Sam in question.
“You good?” he asked.
Sam got to his feet, backing away from Nyx. “Yup, all good. You guys can go ahead and do your thing.”
The three men nodded at each other. Uriel stepped forward and knelt beside their captive. He held his hand over the first of her manacles, muttering quietly. A white light burned briefly around the charmed metal before subsiding. The angel removed his hand and moved on to the second manacle. An angelic sigil had formed on the cuff Uriel had just worked on, a magical locking spell that would keep Nyx in those cuffs come Halja or high water. The angel stood and slowly made his way around Nyx’s body in a circle. He bent and drew the same intricate angelic sigil at all four corners, North, South, East, and West.
Once the sigils were in place, the three men stood together with Sergei in the middle. The two angels put one hand on each of Sergei’s shoulders. They began to speak their incantation; the language was unknown to Sam. Latin was the language of choice for most spells and wards, but this was something wholly unusual. The language was clearly ancient, the low chanting of the three men making chills run up and down Sam’s spine.
Sam glanced around the room to see that Al, Bill, and Amir were all staring raptly at the magic being conjured in front of them. As he turned his attention back to the happenings before him he saw what had so captured his friends’ attention. A pale white light emerged on the floor; the thin line slowly travelling from one sigil to another, creating a rudimentary circle around the body on the floor. As the light finally made the entire circuit of the sigils and connected with itself, it flared momentarily before moving upward. The magic was mesmerizing. Sam was enchanted as he watched the power of the three men, their hands outstretched toward the dome of light that was slowly taking shape to contain their captive. Sweat had broken out on their foreheads; the expenditure of energy required to complete this task was clearly enormous. Their arms shook as the dome finally closed around Nyx, high enough for her to sit and turn around comfortably, but not enough for her to stand.
The chanting stopped and the three men hunched forward, resting their hands on their knees as they caught their breath.
Sam stepped forward. “That was amazing! Are you guys all right?”
Sergei peered up at him. “I feel like I just ran a marathon! I don’t breathe anymore, but I’m out of breath! That was intense.”
Uriel wiped his brow. “She’s Satan’s sister, a product of ultimate evil. The output of energy required to keep her contained is significant.”
“We will need to maintain this spell on a regular basis in order to ensure it remains strong,” Michael said as he righted himself.
“Yes.” Uriel nodded. “Every other day should be sufficient.”
“We should come up with some kind of interrogation schedule. She has to be full of information about Satan’s plans for us. We need to find out where we’re vulnerable.” Sam motioned for Al and Bill to join them.
“Yo, guys! That was fucking awesome!” Al said to Sergei and the angels.
“Never seen anything like it,” Bill said shaking his head in wonder.
“We should probably leave B off the schedule,” Sergei said with a smirk. “I have a funny feeling he’s going to be busy for a while. Plus the poor guy needs a break after everything he’s been through lately.”
“Agreed.” Sam nodded.
Al raised his hand like a student in class. “I think we need to have two schedules. One to watch our prisoner, and one to keep an eye on Gadreel. I hate to say this, but our boy’s in a bad way right now, and I don’t think we should leave him alone.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Sam grabbed a metal folding chair and plunked it down near the newly created magical cage. “I’ll take first watch on Nyx if one of you can head back to keep an eye on Gadreel.”
Bill piped up. “On it.”
“I hope I’m not leaving you all in the lurch, but I need to head out to take care of some personal
stuff,” Amir said as he headed for the door.
“Thanks again for your help,” Sam said with a solemn nod.
Uriel met the demon at the door and passed his hand over the charmed lock and handle to allow him passage. Amir gave the guys a quick wave and disappeared from view.
“Speaking of personal stuff.” Sergei piped up. “B asked me to do him a favour, and I was wondering if you two could give me a hand?” he said, motioning to the two angels that stood beside him. “I could use a boost of your light magic for what I have planned.”
Uriel and Michael gave each other a look and shrugged in unison.
Sergei smiled. “Any way we can travel Angel Airways to get there?”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
B glanced over at the passenger seat of the car he’d borrowed from Sergei to see Mara playing with her blindfold.
“No peeking!” He admonished her with a chuckle.
“I’m not. I swear!” She laughed.
The car’s tires crunched over the gravel of the long driveway as B pulled up in front of the mansion that had, until recently, been Keir’s home base. The stone wall and privacy hedges made the property feel like it was set apart from the rest of the high-end neighborhood, like it was in a world all of its own. B parked the car in front of the gatehouse that had been converted into a garage. Like a good gentleman, he got out of the driver’s seat and walked around the car to open the passenger door, reaching in to help Mara get safely out of the vehicle. B took her elbow gently as he led her closer to the front door of the stately old home. Nervous and hopeful about his surprise, B reached up and untied the blindfold, removing it gently from Mara’s eyes. He held his breath as he waited for her reaction.
Mara looked up at the house, and then turned to B with a frown on her face. “What are we doing here?”
B answered nervously. “It’s yours.”
“What do you mean?” Mara asked in confusion.
“I had some help from Sergei and the angels. They’ve made some arrangements so the legality won’t be questioned, and they’ve put up magical wards around the property to keep it safe. You said you liked it, so the house is yours.” B gave her a hopeful look.
“You’re giving me a house?” she asked incredulously.
“Technically, the house was free. Magic can be wonderfully practical when it’s used at the title registry office, but yes.” He gave her a tiny smile. “Are you happy?”
“Of course! It’s a beautiful historic home, just like I’ve always wanted.” She looked up at him with concern. “But are you going to be okay here after everything you went through?”
“Does that mean you want me to be here with you?” His smile got wider by the second.
Mara slapped him playfully on the arm. “Of course, I want you here! After all the crap we went through to finally get together, do you really think I’m letting you go now?”
B couldn’t help himself; he grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her lips. “I’m so glad you said that!”
Mara laughed as he grabbed her up and spun her around in a circle. He set her down gently and looked down at her smiling face. He felt like his world was coming together at last.
“This house doesn’t make me think of captivity. It’s a part of my journey to reclaim my life.” He took her hand. “Shall we?”
“Absolutely!” Mara gave his hand a quick squeeze.
Before she could take a single step, B swung her up into his arms and strode toward the front door. He bent slightly and opened the door, carrying her in over the threshold like a bride. B chuckled at Mara’s gasp of amazement as she took in the interior of the home. Sergei and the angels had done excellent work. Everything was sparkling clean, the furniture had been repaired, and the walls had a fresh coat of paint. The guys had really outdone themselves, magically restoring the home to the immaculate condition it had been in before Keir had set eyes on the place.
B set Mara down on her feet, allowing her to explore her new home. She ran her hands lovingly over the antique furniture, shaking her head in amazement.
“How?” she asked.
“Sergei, Michael, and Uriel lent a magical hand,” he said as he watched her. “The exterior is warded with the strongest light magic they could conjure. We’ll be safe here as long as they come back every now and then to boost the spell.”
“You guys were all in on this together and I had no idea?” Mara shook her head. “Sneaky, sneaky.”
“They did a really good job with the place.” B looked around, pleased with how the house had turned out.
“Yes, they did,” Mara said, sidling up to B with a devious look on her face. “So, how about you show me the upstairs.”
“Master bedroom?” B asked.
Mara shot him a naughty smile and took off at a jog up the stairs with B hot on her heels. They laughed as he chased her down the hallway to the master. Mara put on a burst of vampire speed so she was waiting for him as he crossed the threshold. She leaned seductive against the bannister of the gorgeous four-poster bed, beckoning him toward her with a crooked finger. B approached her slowly, stalking her like a jungle cat. Her gorgeous green eyes were starting to swim with gold, a sure sign of her erotic intentions. He reached for her, but was thwarted as she spun him around, leaning him back against the bannister as she placed her hands on his chest and slid slowly down his body to kneel at his feet. B’s eyes rolled back as she slowly unzipped his jeans, freeing his cock. He grabbed the bannister, steadying himself as he felt her tongue circle around his crown. His free hand slid into her hair as she took his length into her mouth — the hot, wet suction making his hips jack forward of their own volition. He tried to rein himself in as Mara’s hand slid around to grab his ass, her fingernails digging in with such a sweet sting as she moved along his shaft, making love to him with her mouth. B opened his eyes and looked down, Mara moaned as she moved along him. Suddenly, she looked up at him through her lashes. Their eyes connected as she sucked hard, sliding back and letting him pop out of her mouth. She gave him a smile as she leaned forward to lick the tiny slit in his head without breaking eye contact. B groaned. This woman was going to be the death of him…in the best possible way.
“Enough.” He ground out as he reached down and grabbed her under her arms, lifting her as though she weighed no more than a feather and tossing her onto the middle of the bed.
Mara pulled her shirt off over her head and tossed it on the floor as B shucked his jeans and shirt, sending them sailing over the bed to join hers. He climbed onto the bed and crawled toward her like she was his prey. Reaching her waist, he made short work of the button and zipper of her jeans, sliding them down off her legs and kicking them onto the floor at the foot of the bed. B raised his eyebrow at her as he saw that she wasn’t wearing any panties.
“Commando?” he asked with a wolfish smile.
“I hate panty lines,” she said breathlessly as he licked his way up the inside of her leg toward her core.
“Yes,” he whispered. “Panty lines are bad.”
B dipped his head back down to swipe his tongue up her crease, closing his eyes briefly as he tasted her. He flicked his tongue over her tight bud as he slid a finger into her tight, wet channel, feeling her inner muscles tense. He flattened his tongue, taking long laps as he slid his finger in and out faster and faster as she began to writhe beneath him.
“I need to feel you inside me.” She begged as her inner muscles clenched around his finger.
Happy to oblige, B took one last long lick, then slid up her body. He positioned his cock at her entrance, sliding the head against her slick opening.
“Stop teasing,” she said as she raked her nails along his neck into his hair, drawing him down for a scorching kiss, their tongues duelling.
B thrust forward, her slick channel taking his length with ease. She cried out as he began to piston in and out of her, his hips moving of their own accord. B moaned, her inner muscles gripping him with such sweet pressure. He needed to g
et deeper, to become one with her. B hooked Mara’s knees under his elbows, raising her legs back beside her head. Her lower body lifted with the shift in position, allowing B to sink into her depths until his erection came up flush against the end of her channel.
“Yes!” She cried out, spurring him on to thrust harder and faster.
B could have happily died from pleasure. “Fuck, yes!” He shouted, pounding into her as she clutched him tighter.
B felt her inner muscles ripple as she got close to her release. He felt an answering tingle at the base of his spine as his body undulated over hers. He felt her inner muscles squeeze his cock as she cried out her release, the flexing and contracting throwing him over the edge. B shouted as he felt his body spasm in rapture.
Sparks lit the air around them as they were encircled by a powerful white light. B jolted like his body had been struck by lightning. A radiant golden glow burst from the sigil on his chest, consuming him in light as he suddenly felt a flash of pain on his shoulder blades that made him cry out. The pain receded as quickly as it had arrived. Mara stared up at him with a look of wonder.
“What was that?” he croaked in confusion.
Mara just shook her head and smiled, her eyes swimming with tears. Sliding her legs back down to the bed and kneeling in front of him, Mara reached over B's shoulder and stroked the arch of one of his newly-regained wings. B shivered in delight. He glanced over his shoulder at the soft grey feathers and stretched out the new muscles, his wings unfurling and smiled.
“I love you,” Mara said, her voice shaking with emotion.
“And I love you,” B said, cupping her cheek and leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips. He pulled away to gaze down at the woman who'd managed to help him piece his broken soul together. "I'd fall all over again if I knew I'd find you in the end."
Mara looked at him with all the love in the world shining in her emerald eyes. "And I would die and be reborn happily knowing you were waiting for me."