by Alisa Woods
She slowly lowered the knife. Maybe she was a fool—maybe she just wanted this guy to be different from the rest—but there was something off about him. And he legit wasn’t attacking her, even though they’d been standing here for like a minute—and he could. Micah—that asshole—had basically given him permission to “have” her.
But this guy wasn’t taking him up on the offer. “You have a name, Mr. Honorable?”
A smile slowly grew on his face. “Asa.” And yeah, okay, he was knock-out gorgeous, like they all were. High carved cheeks that stood out even more when he smiled. Messy black hair that looked like he ran his hands through it a lot. Brown eyes shining with some hidden mirth again—eyes like those had no trouble seducing her the first time.
But she wasn’t the fool she was then.
“Ok, Asa,” she said, carefully. “You keep your hands to yourself, and I won’t have to cut off your little angeling member.”
He smirked. “It is not so little.”
“Yeah, whatever.” But he was keeping his distance, and she was warming up to that. You are what you do, her dad always said, and it was true. This guy was keeping his word, at least for the moment. She tucked the knife Ariel had fashioned for her into the voluminous pocket of her shapeless gray pants.
Asa’s eyes drifted down to where she was stowing the knife… then his eyes went wide. He flicked them back up to her face. “You are already with child.”
“You’re a sharp one.” How was that not obvious the moment he walked in the door? Had this guy never seen a pregnant lady before?
A dark look crossed his face, and her heart lurched. Really not smart to insult the angeling you don’t want raping you, Moll. As she was scrambling for something to say, he beat her to it.
“Was it by force?” he demanded. Like he was personally affronted by the very idea.
“That’s kind of a personal question.” But her gut was clenched again. So what if she was seduced the first time? Would that mean this guy would think she was fair game?
He closed his eyes briefly like he was in pain. It zapped her right in the heart, catching her off guard—like in that moment, he was frozen in amber, a terrible wound written on his face that could never be erased. When he opened his eyes again, it was gone.
“You’re right,” he said. “It was a foolish question.” Then he rubbed his hand across his face as if trying to physically wipe away the pain.
“You okay?” She didn’t know what was going on with this guy, but he was still not raping her, and that had to count for something. And there was a lot going on under the surface with this one.
He peered at her with frank awe. “You’re no longer afraid of me.”
“Should I be?” she scowled. What kind of thing was that to say?
“No.” Then he stepped closer to her, peering deeply into her eyes. There was a strange sort of power emanating his towering physical presence, but she wasn’t afraid.
“Um… okay.” She really should back up, get him out of her personal space. But she didn’t. Even though her breath was stumbling a little on its way into her body.
“You are… radiant, Molly.” His voice was soft, his eyes roaming her face and hair.
She wasn’t beautiful or radiant or whatever—she’d been held prisoner for months, her hair was a mess, she was pregnant, and even before that, no one ever called her skinny. Yet, somehow she felt radiant under this angeling’s intense gaze. He wasn’t undressing her with his eyes—it was like he was trying to soak her in, basking in her presence. Which was crazy.
Or maybe he was just trying to seduce her after all.
“Um… okay, look…” But she really didn’t have any words.
He frowned. “It’s not just the baby, either.” God, was he going to go on with this? “Although your little one shines like a bright new soul should.”
“Wait, what? You can see that?” The shine—that must be what Ariel had been seeing.
He gave her a perplexed look. “Of course. Although it’s difficult to see with you and your shining Virtues alongside.”
Her face heated. What was this all about? “If you’re just saying that to get in my pants…”
He leaned back, breaking the close, intense moment, and barked out a laugh.
“Okay, that wasn’t supposed to be funny.” She was suddenly cross and couldn’t begin to explain why. This guy… he was confusing as hell.
He tempered his smile. “I cannot tell you how little I’ve laughed in the last ten years.” He acted like this was a gift she had just given him.
“Well, hey, glad I could amuse you.” She scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
His humor tempered again. “You are right. Nothing here is funny.” His gaze swept the nursery—he was right about that.
Then sounds from the tent grabbed both their attention. Holy shit, Micah must have magic lovemaking skills. He was a complete asshole to Ren, and just when Molly was convinced Ren would call him on it, he hauls her off to that damn tent and gives her a few more orgasms. If steam could actually come out of someone’s ears, Molly’s would be chuffing like a freight train.
Ren’s Oh, God, Yes! chorus started up.
Asa scowled. “Do they do this often?”
“Does the sun rise in the east?”
He looked at her quizzically.
“That’s a yes, Angeling Dude.”
He looked like he was fighting a smile again. It warmed her heart to see it. So he hadn’t laughed in ten years? Her dad always said she could brighten the darkest room. She figured that was just a Dad thing, but with this Asa guy… it was like he really needed it. Even if he was part of the Evil Seduction Empire of angelings, he wasn’t one of the bad guys. And brightening his day was having the curious effect of making hers moderately tolerable.
Ren’s cries went up another notch. The tent was shaking like an earthquake had hit.
“Can we…” Asa gestured for them to move away from the action.
Molly shrugged. “Won’t help much, but sure.” She glanced at the area near the front door to where Eden had retreated. She’d turned her back on Molly and Ren both, but Molly couldn’t blame her—she’d probably have flashbacks if she had to watch Molly get attacked. Even Ren’s visits from Micah had a chilling effect on Eden—she had to leave the babies and be alone for a while afterward. Molly made a mental note to check on her as soon as she could get rid of this Asa person.
They got as far away from the tent as they could without slipping into the kids’ territory. They were winding down from some epic melee thing again. Molly did a quick scan for Ariel, but she couldn’t find her in the chaos.
“It’s clear,” Asa said quietly, keeping his voice low, “that Micah is very… possessive of your friend, Ren.”
“You noticed that, huh?” She shouldn’t give him a hard time, but he was part of this whole operation.
“Does she have love of him?”
That was a really odd way of saying it. “Why do you want to know?”
He grimaced and glanced back at Eden. Which touched Molly’s heart a little—he hadn’t forgotten her. He turned back to face Molly. “I can’t imagine Eden wishes to be here. Or you.”
“Well, you got that right.” But she squinted at him. What was he up to?
“But I’m uncertain about Ren and her…” He paused, and Ren’s whimpers flitted across the room to them. “Attachment,” he said finally.
“Why does it matter to you?” She had a creeping feeling up her back.
“I told you—I’m on loan from another Regiment. And I’ve been assigned the duty to guard this place.”
Molly’s eyes went wide. Was he saying… “I can’t speak for Ren.” Which wasn’t true—she would drag Ren out of here because she really needed to get clear of Micah, but they couldn’t have that getting back to Micah. Not until they were free. “But Eden and I would leave in a heartbeat if we could.”
Asa frowned. That wasn’t the answer he wanted.
“What are you getting at?” Molly pressed. Ariel said she would get them out—tomorrow. And that was totally the plan. But having a backup plan in case things didn’t work out with Ariel was just plain smart. Unless the backup back-fired. She knew nothing about Asa.
“I want to help you, Molly…” He faded off, his face suddenly soft. His gaze dropped to her belly and lingered there. She could swear he was tearing up.
What the hell was going on with this guy?
“No,” he said to her belly. She had no idea what that meant. Then he looked her straight into the eyes. “No, I will help you. You have my vow on that.”
Her mouth worked, but she had no words. Did he mean it? She’d never seen someone so intensely certain about something. Wait… no, she had. It was the look on Ariel’s face before they cut their palms and smeared blood together.
“We’re not going to do a blood oath, are we?” she quipped, just to take the intensity down a notch. How much could she trust an angeling she just met? The answer to that should be zero.
“What?” He blinked.
“Just kidding.” She gave him a weak smile.
“I am not kidding, Molly.” And he wasn’t—there was a steely determination in his eyes. “No matter what, I will come for you. I will help you. And Eden. But you must keep that secret while I…” He glanced at the tent again. The shaking had subsided. They must have finished Round One. With Micah’s stamina, they had at least three more rounds to go. “While I sort out the situation with those two.”
“You’re not going to hurt Ren.” It was a statement. Or a question. Maybe a demand… but she wanted an answer. She felt Asa wouldn’t lie about that. She wasn’t sure why.
He scowled. “Of course not.”
“She didn’t ask for this,” Molly said. “None of us did. Not like this.”
He nodded, and she felt he understood. Like truly understood.
“Okay, good.” She swallowed. “And I’ll take that Get Out of Jail card you’re offering, but… I don’t really have anything I can trade.” She didn’t want him thinking she would trade sex for her freedom. Although, when it came right down to it… she might. He seemed decent, and if he helped them escape… well, that definitely put him in the Good Guy category. And of course, he was smokin’ hot. There was that.
“My reward will be knowing you and your babies will be free of Elyon.” And the way he spat out the name, there was definitely more story to that.
With a cool spread of insight, she realized: Asa is a spy. He was here for some reason, and it wasn’t what everyone thought, whatever that was.
Maybe, just maybe… he would break them out. Definitely backup plan material.
“You know what?” she said. “I take back all the bad things I said about you.”
“You’ve said bad things?” A smile quirked at his lips.
She shrugged. “Well, I did threaten you with a knife.”
He grinned. “So you did.”
Then she got serious. “If you get us out of here, Asa, I promise not to cut your throat.”
“A rich reward indeed.” His smile was breathtaking. Like, it was literally stealing the breath out of her mouth.
“See?” she struggled to say. “I can be reasonable.”
His smile was turning into a smirk, and that smirk was doing dangerous things to her insides. You will not sleep with him, Moll! She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to shout at herself. Obviously, that wasn’t happening.
She was saved from further turmoil by Micah tearing out of the tent. The flap of the door swung in his wake, but no Ren appeared. Which was strange—they almost always came out together. Micah beckoned Asa from across the room. Also strange. But then again, Micah had never brought one of the guards inside for an “introduction” before. Was it just because Asa was new? Did everyone else already get the memo on who “belonged” to who?
Asa quickly said, “I’ll return, Molly. I promise.” And then he spread his wings and lifted up, soaring across the expanse of the room to meet Micah by the door.
Asa was beautiful and majestic and hot as Sin, but that little display with the midnight wings? Just an excellent reminder that this was hell, and she should take whatever chance she had to get free.
And she should stay away from hot men who weren’t men at all.
Chapter Nine
Asa could see why this was considered “punishment duty.”
He’d been sitting in front of the door to the nursery for hours and hours. Sitting, standing, flying up and down the hall, literally climbing the walls then back down again… all to relieve the terminal boredom of guarding a place that hardly needed it. Micah had given him strict instructions to stay until relieved and then left in a huff before Asa could broach the subject of rescuing the women. Did Micah even want that? Or did he just come around to fuck the woman he loved until… what? The baby was born?
Asa had no idea.
So he spent the long hours piecing together how Elyon’s breeding program must work. The women were impregnated and brought here—perhaps the original seduction was a voluntary thing, perhaps not. But certainly being locked in an otherworldly cage was not. The women were kept in seclusion until the babies were born… but then what? It didn’t escape his notice that the children of the nursery were in cohorts, just like in the Dominions of the light angels. He knew all too well how that happened—the babies were taken from their mothers at birth, whisked away in an act of thievery so vile the only excuse for it was the mothers and babies were safer when separated. Because the shadow realm came to claim the children they produced, without fail. He knew that when he discovered Ellie had been attacked and impregnated by a shadow angeling. He’d vowed to protect her, and he was ready when they’d returned in force—more of Elyon’s Regiment—to claim the woman and the child. He’d fought them and won… only for her life to be taken by her own hand, driven to despair by the horror of what she carried in her womb. He’d tried to tell her—the baby’s soul was bright and shining and pure, just like hers—but she didn’t believe him, not truly. The cruel act that produced the child had broken her… much as it broke him, in the end.
A familiar rage surged up at the thought—his ever-present Wrath—but he was well-practiced in containing it. Saving it for the next time he would slay some shadowkind. He would bide his time and make Elyon pay for all his crimes.
The purgatory of waiting outside the nursery stretched on.
If Elyon’s forces had claimed Ellie and the child, she would have ended up behind him in the very room he was protecting. That was the simple reason he vowed to free Molly, and the other mothers besides. To do less was to condemn them to death, he was sure—for the shadow realm had no use for the tender love of mothers beyond the care of the youngest of babies. The children would be raised in a brutal cohort, a preparation that no doubt made them well adapted for a life in the shadow realm—and possibly a short life as fodder in Elyon’s war.
The only question lay in the fate of Micah’s beloved—Ren. Did he think he could defy his father and keep her? Was he that delusional? Or did he truly not love the woman, merely feeling that possessive spirit which was a pale reflection of a Love that was True? Asa had known that kind of love—the kind that lifted the heart and soul to heights he hadn’t known could exist as a mere angeling raised without a mother’s love. He’d only had that True Love with Ellie a short time before she took her life, but Love was timeless that way. A single moment was enough to know the Truth of it.
Or to shatter one’s soul when it was gone.
Hours passed, and no one came to relieve him. It had been at least a day now.
He was sure of only one thing—that Micah eventually return to visit Ren. Molly said they fucked often. So he kept vigil and spent his hours of duty trying to discern the depth and Truth of Micah’s love. But his thoughts kept wandering to the luscious and spirited Molly, just behind the door yet completely out of reach. He’d been given leave to “do as he pl
eased” with her—in theory, that meant he could go into the nursery to visit—but he didn’t want to be caught inside when Micah returned. It might be his only chance to talk to him alone.
Still, his thoughts dawdled on the lovely form of the red-haired beauty inside.
She was a study in contrasts. Her body and face were soft with curves that reminded him he was half human and 100% male. Her eyes were hard hammers of judgment then gentle as the softest rain. Her lips… he’d spent entirely too much time considering just how a woman whose hair was fiery had lips so delicate and yet full, like tiny pink pillows he might rest upon. Or perhaps that was her bosom. Or the other soft-fleshed spots he might visit with his lips. That she was carrying a new, shining life inside her meant she was in the full flower of her womanhood—a flower he wanted to inhale and taste and possess…
Such thoughts… he hadn’t had their like in more years than he could count.
Not since Ellie.
That thought struck terror in his heart. Because Molly was in mortal danger just as thoroughly as Ellie had been, and he had failed utterly to protect her. These soft feelings rousing within him… their resurrection was a small miracle, but did they just portend another kind of dark Fall? Would he survive losing another beautiful soul? The answer there was clear—no. He’d barely survived the first time. Losing his heart again was more terrifying than any painful death Elyon could conjure.
Elyon could only destroy his body. Rip apart his mind.
Molly could annihilate his soul.
Not that she would ever intend such a thing—the light of her Virtues was blinding. That was the danger. He may be in shadow, but he’d never stopped loving humanity the way only an angeling of the light could. The summer queen had been right on that count—he was still, even in shadow, driven by love. All his Wrath came from the loss of it.
Asa stood and shook those thoughts from his head. Then he paced more, chasing the inner demons away with the pumping of his immortal blood through his veins. He needed to be alert, ready at a moment’s notice—
Micah appeared in the hallway, a few paces from the door.