by Zoey Ellis
They both groaned and immediately began moving against one another. He had to concentrate so he didn’t come straight away. The tight squeeze around him couldn’t compare to the memories he’d had to be content with all this time.
She tucked her head into his chest, as he plunged in and out of her and thrust her hips harder against him.
He drew in a sharp breath as his climax approached. “Look at me.”
She lifted her head and he was pleased to see her eyes were focused on him, although there was none of her usual fire. He gripped her ass cheeks with both hands and slammed into her, repeatedly. She lifted her knee, spreading wider for him, and dug her nails into his chest as she cried out his name. She came in shuddering convulsions, her face contorting with pleasure, which sparked his own orgasm. It took over his whole body, blazing through him as he squirted into her.
As their breathing calmed, they lay staring at each other, in each other’s arms. Thea looked sleepy and relaxed, but she didn’t smile as she ran her fingers over his mouth and traced his jaw.
Cam watched her closely. “You’re not sleeping well.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Is it… what happened with me… that caused it?”
Her eyes ran down his face, rested on his lips and then darted back up to his eyes. “I don’t know.”
Cam pulled her to closer into him. “I won’t stay the night, Thea,” he said, tucking her into him and stroking every inch of her he could reach. “I just want you to sleep well. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
She sighed into his chest. “Okay.”
He held her until she fell into a deep sleep, this time completely undisturbed. He gently untangled himself from her, fixing her clothing and duvet as he left the bed.
He stood and watched her for a moment, wishing he could strip her and delve his tongue into her pussy and taste her, pure and potent. He had already gotten hard again before she fell asleep. He kissed her forehead lightly and murmured good night to her before heading back to his quarters.
***
On the second day, they located four demons that could potentially answer their questions. While Elyon was on the other side of the square watching one of the demons they were following, Cam took advantage of the time alone with Thea. She had been acting reserved all day, barely looking at him, and it put him on edge. Maybe she regretted last night, or maybe she wished she didn’t have to see him again so soon.
"What's wrong, Thea?" he asked as they stood behind a group of teenagers loitering on a bench. "Something's wrong, and it's not just about this assignment. Would you prefer I wasn't here?"
Thea frowned at him. "No, I want you here, Cam."
"So what is it?"
"I'm just a little bit nervous working with you and Elyon. I know you don't like him." She lifted her shoulders sheepishly, and he got another slight smile. "I keep waiting for something to happen."
"Nothing is going to happen," Cam said, firmly. "We have an understanding. As long as you are not interested in him, in that way, I won’t be breaking his nose again." He smiled at her before adding under his breath, "At least not today."
Thea broke into a full smile and even giggled a little.
He sobered at the beauty of her smile. "I want you to be comfortable around me, Thea," he said, seriously. "I really want you to forgive me. I know I don't have the right to ask that of you, but we don't have much time on this assignment."
Thea’s smile faltered, and he almost regretted speaking. She swallowed. "I do forgive you, Cam."
The weight that had been pressing on him since that moment in the alley when he realized she was hurt, lifted. Suddenly he could breathe easier. He kept his eyes on her, knowing she wanted to say more.
"I don't want you to Fall. I don't think you deserve that, but I also don't know about us. I don't know if I want to be here anymore, following the orders of the Dominion League—they don’t care about me. I came to the Angel Realm for you and… you let me down. Amber and my dad and Amber's daughter are here in the human world, and I feel like I should be with them. I don't feel the same way about our relationship now." She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Cam couldn't speak for a long moment. She had spent too long away from him and had lost her feelings for him. It was what Zak had warned him about after the attack. Last night had been goodbye, not a rekindling of her feelings for him. As he studied her, he realized he didn’t see the love in her gaze that he had always seen before, the tenderness that Thea normally had when she watched him with her beautiful blue eyes. Now, they were full of indecision and distress, and Cam was helpless to do anything about it. Thea already saw him as her past, someone who used to be important to her; it was something he richly deserved, but that didn’t make it hurt any less to see the lack of passion in her gaze. His mood dropped so low it was difficult not to let it affect his manner.
He tried to smile. "Thea, I don't blame you. I hurt you in a way that no mate ever should hurt the one they love. You don't have to apologize for the way you feel now. Everything that has happened has been my fault; I brought you to the Realm without proper information, I took the job to destroy the Legion task force, I didn't connect to the Stream when you asked me to, and I attacked you. I should have looked after you better. I only want you to feel true forgiveness for me before I Fall."
Thea's eyes filled with tears. "I do. I only wish we had more time to say goodbye."
"If we had more time, I wouldn’t allow you to give up on us," Cam said, with a wry smile. "There won't be anybody that will love you the way I love you, Thea. And I don't believe that anyone will love me the way you do. And you still do, you just need to remember that. It’s not fair for me to try and persuade you when I’m going to Fall, but we’re still natural mates. That hasn’t changed."
Thea lowered her eyes, blinking away her tears and causing them to trickle down her cheeks.
“Can I touch you?” Cam asked softly, unable to help himself from moving before she answered. Thea’s eyes grew wide and she licked her bottom lip, her eyes following Cam’s hand as he lifted it to touch her face. He stroked her cheek lightly with his thumb and for a moment, she leaned into his hand, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Every muscle in his body wanted to pull her close, to kiss her until she couldn't remember her name, to remind her she belonged to him. But he knew he was lucky to even be touching her.
She opened her eyes and looked back up at him. "Do you forgive the Creator?"
"Yes," Cam said immediately. "She gave me you. Then she allowed me to revel in thoughts of you while I was imprisoned. I cannot continue to hold a grudge against her."
"Why did you blame her in the first place?"
Cam sighed and lowered his hand. He glanced at the demon they were supposed to be watching and noticed that he was leaving the square. "I'll tell you as we walk," he said, gesturing to the demon. They fell into a comfortable walk, side by side as they followed the demon out of the square and down a busy street. Cam took in everything about the surroundings; where Elyon was, the positioning of other demons in the area, the behavior of the humans they were passing.
"Kara and I argued about how we were going to deal with the Legion task force," Cam began. "Kara was an excellent strategist. She researched everything there was to know about their headquarters and what was going on in and around the entire area. She even considered the season and time of the year for humans and had good judgment on the best time to attack. I just wanted to storm the place, but obviously Zak went with her plan.
"We breached their headquarters and cut them down until we got to the center of the building they were using. We fought in almost perfect sync, almost like the way we fight together," Cam said, smiling down at Thea, "but then I felt something change. Kara began to fight strangely—she missed hits and moved too slow. I couldn't figure out what was happening. She shouted to me that she couldn't draw any energy from the Stream. She kept shouting that. I couldn't figure out what she mea
nt. I didn't understand how she wasn't able to draw energy from the Stream—all angels can draw from it. She was fighting in their central control room, while I was fighting at the entrance, just outside. Every time I looked over she was struggling more and more, until she was overpowered by the Legion demons."
The demon they were following walked at a slow pace, stopping to speak to other demons and humans he knew. Thea and Cam walked even slower behind him, trying not to make it obvious they were tailing him.
“How did you get out of there?” Thea asked.
Cam took a breath as the memories flooded him. “As they tore her apart, I continued to fight as though it wasn’t happening. The demons expected me to help her, to save her but I didn’t. She was screaming for the Creator when she died.”
They continued walking in silence for a long while. The demons turned down a side road and entered a building through the side door. Thea and Cam stopped opposite the door and waited.
“So you blamed the Creator because the Creator didn’t help her?” Thea asked.
“No,” Cam said. "I blamed the Creator because she didn’t allow Kara to draw energy from the Stream at the time when she needed it the most."
Thea leaned against the wall, her arms crossed against her chest as she looked down and thought. "Maybe there was a good reason. Have you ever heard of any instance of that happening before?"
"No," Cam said, his voice firm. "I searched the libraries looking for any explanation as to what might have happened, but I found nothing that would explain why the Creator turned her back on Kara."
"What did Zak say?"
"I've never told anybody else but you, Thea," Cam said, turning to face her.
"Why?"
"Because I failed too," Cam said, trying to keep his guilt out of his voice. "I didn't save her."
"But you would have died as well, Cam," Thea said softly. "You did the right thing."
Cam shook his head. "But I didn't even try, Thea. I did what I was supposed to do, what I was trained to do as a Power, but as her friend and her arranged mate, I should have been willing to die to save her."
Thea watched him, her eyes troubled.
"I couldn't share that with anyone, Thea,” he admitted. “Not even Zak."
"So your rage wasn't just about being angry at the Creator," Thea said, almost under her breath. "You were also angry at yourself."
Cam didn't answer. It was the first time he had ever spoken about it since it happened, and weirdly he didn't feel like any less of a Power talking about it with Thea. Maybe it was because she had already seen his failings. Maybe it was because she had already decided that she did not want to be with him anymore—what was the point in hiding one more mistake?
"He's upstairs alone," Elyon said, as he approached. He turned to Thea. "Do you want to do it now? According to what I heard him say to the others, he should be alone for the next hour or so."
Thea pushed up off the wall. "Where will the both of you be?"
"I’ll be right behind you," Cam said, before Elyon had the chance to say anything stupid.
Elyon glanced at him, irritated. "I'll be downstairs in the same building. If I feel you shift, Cam, I’ll come up."
Thea took a deep breath and began walking towards the building. "Okay, let's do it."
Chapter Nine
CAM
Thea entered the building and headed straight upstairs, where Elyon said the demon was.
Cam stayed close behind her, nodding at Elyon when he signaled he would be staying in position on the ground floor.
Thea walked through the door into the office where the demon sat, his orange glow emanating from him as he leaned over a desk snorting white powder into his nose.
He looked up. "This is a private office—" He leaned back into his chair, giving them a cocky smile. "Hello, Nephilim. What can I d—“
His words were cut off by a blast that knocked him over and sent him skidding backward across the room. Cam looked at Thea, surprised at her sudden attack. She made her way over to the demon.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions," Thea said, as the demon groaned and tried to sit up. Thea put a foot on his shoulders and shoved him roughly down against the ground. "If you choose to be difficult, I'll kill you."
The demon sneered up at her. "You think that blast was strong enough to kill me?"
"No, that was just a warning. I have two of the most accomplished Powers waiting for me to tell them what to do," Thea said, with a seriousness that Cam hadn’t witnessed from her before. "If you want to die today, keep pissing me off."
The demon glanced at Cam and his face dropped. "What do you want to know?" he asked, tightening his mouth.
"You once lived on East 33rd, in an apartment building opposite a warehouse. About thirty-five years ago, or so."
The demon nodded.
"Tell me about the angel named Oriah."
The demon thought for a moment. "Yes, I remember an Oriah that lived there. She was a fallen angel though."
"What do you know about her?"
"Why should I tell you?"
Thea punched the demon in the face. Hard enough to break his nose. He let out a curse as blood spurted onto his clothes and dripped down his face. Cam frowned, surprised at the violence Thea was exhibiting. Usually, she blasted demons with energy balls and spikes from a distance, so engaging them this closely wasn’t normal for her. Something about her behavior felt off. He watched her closely.
She grabbed his collar and unsheathed a dagger from her hip. "I know holy daggers burn," Thea said, her voice harsh. "There are plenty of places to stab you each time I don't like your answer."
The demons face twisted in anger.
"What do you know about Oriah?" Thea repeated, snarling into his face.
"She moved here for a short while when she was heavily pregnant. She was looking for work even though she was obviously about to have a child. There were a lot of Legion here around that time, always around her. Flooded the place. I couldn't get any work done while they were here."
Cam furrowed his brow. That was strange. Legion demons weren’t known for flocking together all at once, unless they were working in a task force. There was no task force at that time that he could remember. An uncomfortable niggle in his gut set him on edge. Something wasn't right—he needed to talk to Zak.
"What else?" Thea asked, still annoyed. Cam guessed she wanted more information about her mother specifically.
The demons shrugged. "She gave birth and then within the next few months I didn't see her around here anymore. Didn't see the Legion around here either. I figured she must have gone to do some work with them." A gleam entered his eyes. "Maybe the kind of work that landed her on her back."
Thea punched him in the nose again and he howled in rage trying to fight her back, but she was too quick. Thea kicked and stamped on him before sending a giant spike of energy into him, a spike much bigger than was actually needed to kill him. She looked absolutely furious. Cam walked to her as the demon dissolved into ash.
She looked at him, her features intent and angry. "What does that mean?" she asked. "Legion demons. Why would they be interested in my mom?"
"I don't know," Cam said, stepping closer to her. "But it's unusual. I need to talk to Zak about it straight away." He stepped even closer until he was looking down at her. "Are you okay, Thea?"
Thea clenched her fists repeatedly then placed her hands on her hips and shifted between both feet. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth.
Cam reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled it back sharply.
"I said I'm fine, Cam. I just don't like the idea that my mom has become one of them."
Cam nodded. "I know it must be difficult. Let's go and talk to Zak."
Thea shook her head. "You go," she said. "I need some time in the human world on my own."
"No," Cam said, a little too sharply. "There are a lot of demons in this neighborhood."
Thea scowled. "Yes, this is the nei
ghborhood I grew up in, remember? I'm completely capable of looking after myself, Cam. I want to see Amber. I haven't seen her for over twelve human years."
Cam stared at her, taking in her agitated state. She glared back at him and then relaxed slightly.
"Honestly, Cam," she said, more softly. "I'll be fine. Amber's apartment isn’t even in this neighborhood, remember? And it’s protected. I'll only stay for a night and then I'll come back to the Angel Realm. I'll be back within a few hours."
Cam didn't respond. He didn't want her to leave his sight.
"Please, Cam," Thea said, her voice low. "Don't stop me from seeing her."
Elyon entered the room. "Did we get what we need?" he asked, glancing at the pile of ash.
"Yes," Cam said, keeping his eyes on Thea. "We need to go back to the Angel Realm and speak to Zak. Thea is going to stay here."
"Cool, I'll see you there."
Thea and Cam kept their eyes on each other as he left.
"You’ll be back tomorrow," Cam said, a statement not a question.
Thea nodded.
"I’ll take you there," he said reluctantly, the words almost sticking in his throat.
Thea looked as though she might argue but eventually nodded. They made their way out of the building, then he picked her up before she could protest and flew swiftly into the air, cuddling her against his body as he made his way to Amber's apartment. She trembled against him and he didn't know if her body's response was from desire, revulsion, or fear. Either way, it didn't matter; she needed to be safe.
He placed her down at the entrance of Amber's building and kissed her forehead before she had the chance to move away.
"Have fun with Amber," he said.
She smiled at him, and he fought the urge to take her back into his arms. Then she was gone, heading into the building.
Chapter Ten