by Brenda Trim
Beside him, Illianna stood on tiptoe and whispered, “Raphael.” Ah, so this was the archangel who’d saved his life. Rhys couldn’t quantify what he owed the male and would forever be indebted. If the archangel ever needed him for anything, he would be there.
Rhys inclined his head toward Raphael who returned the acknowledgement. The male angels took the four points of the compass and spread their wings so their tips touched, enclosing their group. The second their wings joined, Rhys detected the familiar shimmer of a veil snap into place. Each male held out a hand and called a weapon of Light to his palm, making Rhys’ thrumming heart triple its speed.
Surely, they weren’t going to attack. He glanced down at his mate to gage her mood and noticed she was awestruck. Raphael held Illianna’s gaze and extended his weapon above their heads. Each one of her brother’s touched their weapons to his and a flash of white light momentarily blinded Rhys.
Rhys squeezed Illianna’s hand, pulling her close to his side as black spots danced in his vision for several seconds. Her gasp had his eyes snapping open. It was his turn to be surprised and his jaw dropped. His angel stood before him, her magnificent gold wings outstretched as her effervescent angelic power wrapped around him.
How had this happened? And, what did it mean? He may have been willing to let her go before, but now that wasn’t an option.
“Your brothers are very persuasive,” Raphael commented dryly. “And, I admit. Your century of imprisonment was payment enough for saving Rhys’ life.” It was the first time an angel outside of Illianna had called him anything other than demon. That had to be progress, Rhys thought.
“Oh my,” Illianna murmured, clearly overcome with emotion as she folded her wings. “I was prepared to pay any price, but I can’t ever thank you enough for making me whole again.”
“You can thank us by getting mated and living a happy life,” Abraxos responded. “You deserve this, and, so much more sister and we will always love you.”
“And, we will accept your mate when you bring him with you to Heaven,” Ayil begrudgingly added.
“I love you, my sweet Illianna, and I am so thankful that my grandchildren will be able to visit me in Heaven. Now, I believe we have a ceremony to complete,” Dara finished. Rhys broke out in a cold sweat at that declaration. Children? Visiting Heaven? One step at a time, he thought. There would be plenty of time for children, right now he just looked forward to the trying for children.
Zander shifted and lifted his hands. “We have gathered here in this beautiful place, under the eye of the Sun and the glow of the Moon. Let the circle be blessed and consecrated with Fire and Water.”
This part of the ceremony belonged to Bhric and Breslin, the Fire and Ice twins. The pair stepped forward and with a flourish, fire shot forth from Breslin’s outstretched palm. It followed the angels’ power up and over their group and down the opposite side to flow around the outskirts of the circle. The fire rose from the earth to join the star-filled sky above. Bhric raised his hands and water shot straight up the center of their group, sizzling as it touched the Light weapons before cascaded down in a sheer waterfall, extinguishing the fire. The result left their group in a sea of mist.
Zander thanked his siblings before they moved back to their places in the circle. “We call to the Goddess Morrigan, and invoke her to bless this mating,” Zander began, holding his hand out for their mating stone. Rhys retrieved the ordinary granite rock from his pocket and handed it to the Vampire King.
Rhys’ mother had given him the mating stone before he left Annwyn, telling him that he needed to keep it close for it would bind him to his Fated Mate one day. Aside from the necklace his mother had given him, it was his most cherished possession.
Rhys could feel the Goddess’ power surrounding them. It intensified as the mist suddenly evaporated, leaving a female standing beside Zander. A female Rhys hadn’t seen since he was twenty-five. As if his thoughts had conjured her, his mother, Anthea, stood before him, tears in her eyes.
“The Goddess allowed me to represent her for your ceremony, son,” she murmured and Rhys heard the muffled sounds of shock from those around him.
“Hello, Illianna,” his mother murmured, turning her attention to his mate. “I am so glad the Goddess chose you for my son. She couldn’t have given him a better female,” she choked out, a tear trickling down her cheek.
Rhys recalled how Illianna had told him of his mother’s depression after sending him away. He looked at his mother and saw the love she had for him shinning in her kaleidoscopic eyes. Like the mist that had evaporated, so did all of the anger and doubt he’d ever harbored.
“I’ve missed you,” he blurted to his mother. “I’m glad you could be here.”
“Me, too,” his mother replied, embracing him briefly and kissing his cheek.
Stepping back, Anthea looked to Zander. “I apologize for the interruption, but I couldn’t appear until the Goddess was invoked. Continue, please,” she urged.
“Welcome, Anthea. Rhys, your hand,” Zander instructed him. Rhys held out his right hand and drew in a breath as electrical pulses crawled up his arm when Zander placed Illianna’s hand over his. “We call upon the spirits of the East, of Air, Spring and new beginnings. We call upon the spirits of the South and the inner Fire of the Sun, Summer and personal will. We call upon the spirits of the West, of Water, Autumn, and healing and dreaming. We call upon the spirits of the North, of Earth, Winter, and the time of cleansing and renewal. Join us to bless this couple with your guidance and inspiration,” Zander recited.
The magic emanating from their stone enveloped him and Illianna, making emotion shine in his mate’s stunning silver eyes. The silver sparkle had returned, illuminating her face.
Zander removed his hand, leaving theirs clasped together around the stone. Rhys lifted Illianna’s left hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart, before placing his over her heart. The rapid thumping beneath his palm matched the rhythm of his own that pounded in his chest.
“I bless this mating under the Sun and the Moon. This circle of love and honour is open and never broken, so may it be,” Zander’s voice resonated across the beach.
Rhys felt both souls leave his body as heat built in the stone. He knew the moment the souls entered the stone and wondered if Illianna was feeling the same thing he was. She had chosen him, after all. He anticipated the moment their entwined souls would fill his being. Only then would he would truly feel complete.
A rainbow of light flashed between their fingers, making his skin tingle with the magic. Instantly, the bond with Illianna exploded to every cell of his body. He had never experienced something so surreal in his long life.
Their connection became a thick, gold ribbon that wrapped around her heart and ran to his, interweaving them. The moment their souls surged back into his body was orgasmic. His inner beast wanted to strip the dress from her body and take her right there in the sand. He didn’t care that family and friends surrounded them, he wanted his mate and he wanted her now.
Anthea placed her hand over theirs, stalling those amorous thoughts. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, sharing the joy he felt with his mom. She smiled up at him and turned to Illianna.
“The Goddess wanted me to deliver a message. No power, not even death, can ever sever this bond. Mating stones protect and bless different aspects for different couples. Yours blesses and protects your wings. Nothing can ever take them from you again,” his mother offered. That was the best gift his mate could have been given and was absolutely perfect, Rhys thought.
Overcome by the magnitude of the moment, it took a couple seconds before Rhys realized his mother was trying to pry their hands apart to reveal their mating stone. When he lifted his hand, his mom picked up their stone and held it to the moonlight.
Rhys was speechless. The granite rock had become a brilliant rainbow topaz and nestled in the center of the stone was the raven charm that had been on his necklace.
“How did you get it
back?” he asked, certain that it was the same charm she had given him all those years ago.
His mom placed it in Illianna’s palm and clasped one of his hands and one of Illianna’s. “It was never meant to be used by someone with malicious intent so it found its way back to me. The two of you have shown the greatest love of all. You were each willing to sacrifice your most precious possession for the other. Love isn’t about taking. It’s about giving with no expectation in return. I couldn’t be prouder of you, my son,” his mom expressed.
He wrapped his arms around Illianna and his mom and turned to his friends and family. He met the gazes of everyone he had come to call family and was touched by the love and support he saw. Elsie was beaming and rubbing her distended belly. Mack was smirking and Gerrick was hugging his mate. They were all there except Santiago. His absence was the only blemish on the day. However, he wasn’t going to allow it to ruin his night.
“Let’s party. Hey juice for everyone!” he shouted.
Leaning to whisper in Illianna’s ear, “I’m taking you to our room first chance I get. We have a blood exchange to do.” He laughed at the way his angel’s eyes flared. He grabbed her hand, leading them to the tables of food.
“Blood exchange,” Illianna squeaked, clinging to his arm. She had faced countless demons in Hell and wasn’t daunted, but the thought of a blood exchange terrified her.
“Don’t worry, Luscious. I guarantee you will enjoy it,” he husked in her ear.
She smacked his arm and her wings fluttered against his back. He allowed his fingers to travel up her spine as they walked. He ran them along the inseam, where wing met flesh. She shuddered next to him and he could feel her arousal pouring off in waves.
Her brothers approached and he glanced around for the archangel, finding him talking to Dante and his female companion. “What exactly is this drink?” Araton asked as they came to a halt next to the refreshments.
Jessie chuckled as she stood next to her mate, James. “That would be Rhys’ special concoction. He swears it’s guaranteed to make the women saunter up to him saying, hey baby.”
Suddenly, three pissed off warrior angels were in his face. “You’d better not plan on having other women in your bed,” they snarled in unison. Seeing them on the same page was scary as shit.
He held up his hands in surrender. “There is no way I plan to have any female other than Illianna in my bed. Not only do I love her with every cell in my body, but I couldn’t be with another female, even if I wanted, which I don’t. It’s physically impossible for Fated Mates to be unfaithful. Don’t worry, there is no female but my Illianna for me,” he vowed.
“Leave him alone,” Illianna told her brothers. “I haven’t gotten a chance to thank you for giving my wings back,” she said, hugging them.
Sensing they needed a moment alone, he leaned down and kissed his mate. “I’m going to grab you some food. You’re going to need your strength,” he said with a leer. She laughed, but he didn’t miss the way her eyes darkened with desire.
His mother joined him as he made his way to the food. “How long do you have?” he asked when the silence stretched.
She didn’t pick up a plate when he reached for one and he feared her answer, his gut clenching. “I don’t have long,” she replied, confirming his intuition. “The Goddess needs me. I was only allowed to come here for your ceremony because of the sacrifice you made for your angel. The Goddess was so pleased with you that she granted me this favor.”
“Will I ever see you again?” he asked, suddenly feeling like that child transitioning to adulthood, feeling lost and vulnerable and frightened.
She placed her palms on his cheeks like she had done on that day long ago. “Of course you will see me again. Much more frequently now that you are mated to an angel. I cannot leave Annwyn, but when you are in Heaven with Illianna, you can visit me in my sector.
Ryhs, I am sorry I couldn’t keep you when you were a child, but I never stopped loving you or thinking about you. I did what I could to look after you and follow your progress. You made me proud long before you ever volunteered to go to Hell,” she informed him.
His mate had given him so much with her love, but now she was giving him a way to be with his mother. He couldn’t count the blessings she had brought to his life.
“I didn’t really understand why you sent me away until I found Illianna, but she explained what you went through. A cambion in his sexual prime doesn’t belong in Annwyn, I see that now. And, I will absolutely come see you and bring our children when we have them,” he added, watching Elsie pile food onto her plate as she told Zander the baby was hungry.
“I love you, Rhys. I may not have chosen to be with your father, but I’ve loved you from the second I learned I was pregnant. Now, get back to your lovely mate. I need to return to the Goddess, but I will see you soon,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
He wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her as tight as possible, careful not to break her tiny frame. “I love you, too, mom. See you soon.”
Releasing her, he watched as she walked out of the tent. A gentle hand on his back told him Illianna was there as he watched his mother disappear.
“Thank you for bringing her back into my life. Without you, I wouldn’t have her again,” he told his mate, kissing her nose. “Now, we need to get you some food and hey juice. Like I said, you’re going to need your energy.”
“No, you’re the one who’s going to need the energy, baby,” she said seductively.
“Fuck the food and the drink,” he replied, scooping her up and heading to the house.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Illianna was tingling from head to toe and couldn’t believe what had happened over the past couple hours. She had gone from having butterflies in her stomach about her pending mating ceremony to butterflies because her mate had picked her up, whisking her away to make love to her.
And, her brothers and mother had arrived with Raphael who had returned her wings and angelic status. She’d been mated to the love of her life and his mother had come to bless their mating. Life was good.
She could sense Rhys’ emotions more clearly now and knew he was close to the edge. His inner beast was about to break free of his rigid control. But, she wasn’t afraid in the slightest. It was surprising how his desire fed her arousal.
She’d never felt more alive than in Rhys’ arms. She could explore her dark side with him without fear of rejection or judgment. He palmed her breast, kissing her neck as he kicked the door to their room shut. Their room in the island house was much smaller than the one they shared at Zeum, but still lavishly furnished. Lit candles were spread throughout the room, emitting a soft glow. A sliding glass door was open to the ocean breeze and she could hear the party-goers on the beach below.
Rhys placed her on the bed and braced himself, leaning over her. Stretching out her legs, she lifted her hands over her head, pushing her breasts to the edge of her dress, teasing him.
“What now?” she asked, suddenly nervous about the blood exchange. Rhys had assured her that she would feel only pleasure, but she’d had enough demon blood to last several lifetimes. Yes, Rhys was different, but she couldn’t help being uncertain. The blood she had been forced to consume in the Underworld had made her sick. She didn’t want to ruin their mating night by throwing up.
He rolled her over and slowly, deliberately unbuttoned each of her fastenings and pushed her dress down before he ran his hands down her bare back.
“I’m going to take you nice and slow the first time, or do you prefer savagely until my name is the only thought left in your head?” Rhys queried.
“I like the sound of savage first and then you can go slow and drive me mad, and then savage again. Your name is already the only thought in my head,” she grinned up at him as he rolled her over, removing her dress and shoes, tossing them to the floor.
“You’re killing me, Angel,” he groaned, running his hands up her legs and torso.
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br /> She arched her back, pushing her breasts into his palms. “That makes two of us,” she admitted, feeling her dark side creep forward.
Sitting up and kneeling in front of him, she urged him to remove his suit jacket and impatiently ripped his shirt open, buttons pinging all around the room. The sensual light in his eyes flared brightly as they focused on her. Allowing herself an indulgence, she placed both palms on his chest and caressed his muscles.
“You are gorgeous,” she murmured kissing his pectoral muscles as her hands traveled to the indentations at his hips. That was her favorite part of him, where his abdomen tapered into a V. “Absolutely perfect.”
“Illianna, you need to stop torturing me,” he begged.
She chuckled and tore his pants open. Her cambion never wore underwear and his cock jutted to his belly button, thick and erect. Her eyes flared as she took in the sight and his pants drop to his feet, leaving him to step out of his shoes and pants.
Her fingers didn’t meet when she wrapped them around his erection. Sitting in front of him, she slowly pumped his length from base to tip several times as she leaned forward and licked his mating brand. Her tongue felt the fire of his skin as she ran her tongue over the horns and halo. He’d promised she would have one, too, and she couldn’t wait. She wanted to wear his mark. He groaned, immediately grabbing her wrist and stopping her.
“You’ve asked for it now,” he warned and her body went up in flames. He could bring her to the edge with his words. And, he always followed through on his promises.
Roughly pushing her to the bed, she lost her breath at the heat in his eyes. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him closer. He prowled up her body and dropped his muscular torso over hers.
Bringing his face close to hers, his lips claimed her mouth and she lost all clarity. Her core became hotter and hotter the more he stroked his tongue against hers and suckled her lips and mouth. Each stroke felt like it were traveling over her sensitive clit, making pleasure barrel from her head to her toes. She was close to orgasm, all from his kiss.