Cillian had a protective arm wrapped firmly around my waist as we made our way down to the main floor where bodies in all shapes and sizes were bumping and grinding. I didn’t know where to look, so I did my best to just keep my eyes on Cillian as he effortlessly pushed his way through the crowd. Who was I kidding? Once again, everyone was all but jumping to get out of his way. Not that he appeared to noticed.
I’d chosen to wear a jumper this time, forgoing another dress, a choice I was immensely happy about considering how many creatures were about. Normally, I paired the piece with a camisole underneath, since the neckline was rather plunging, but tonight I was being risqué and hadn’t put one on, or a bra. If Cillian’s reaction had been any indicator of how appealing I looked, one would think I was wearing a parka and rain boots, instead of the red high heels I’d put on again. The man was insufferable.
We reached the bar, Cillian pulling out a stool, gesturing to it. I took the cue and had a seat. Leaning in close, his lips brushed the shell of my ear as he spoke. I fought back a shiver. “I’m going to have a quick look around myself. Stay here. Don’t drink anything. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t leave this seat. Got it?” He leaned back to look me in the eye.
I gave him a salute like the good little soldier I was, and said, “Sir, yes sir.”
He rolled his eyes and disappeared back into the fray. Now that I was alone, my anxiety started to climb. There were too many terrifying creatures here, both of the beautiful and grotesque kind. A particularly disgusting male caught my eye at the end of the bar, his grey skin looked as though it were covered in sores, rotted looking teeth poking out through thin, pink lips when he smiled at me. At least, I assumed it was supposed to be a smile. I fought back the urge to make a grossed-out face at him, and instead nodded quickly in acknowledgment, and then turned back to watching those on the dance floor.
“How can such a lovely creature be sitting here alone?”
The voice rolled over me like velvet. Every nerve in my body perked up, a delicious heat coursing through my veins right to the apex of my thighs.
I turned my flushed face to the body beside mine, coming eye to eye with the winged male from our previous visit. His white hair framed his face, those purple eyes appraising me. At least someone liked what they saw.
“Kirill,” he said, holding out a hand.
I glanced down at the long, yet masculine fingers stretched out to me, and a tiny part of my brain told me Cillian wouldn’t like this. I ignored it, and took his hand in mine.
“Hope,” I said.
“Hope?” A saccharine smile stretched across his face. “A fitting name, I should think. Tell me, Hope, do you dance?”
I shook my head no, just as my mouth formed the word, “Yes.” Wait. What?
Amusement sparkled in the depths of his eyes, making them even more mesmerizing. “Care to join me for one?”
Again, I went to say no. I swore I did. But the next thing I knew, I was getting up from the stool I’d been specifically instructed not to leave, and was following Kirill onto the dance floor. He spun around when we got there, pulling me against his body with one arm.
The music seemed to flow right through me, the heavy beat of the base completely in sync with the beating of my heart. Our bodies melded together, moving as one as we stared at one another, the rest of the room forgotten. He leaned in, nipping at my bottom lip, chuckling. I laughed with him, my breathing picking up.
I wanted his hands and mouth all over me. Everywhere. I wanted not one inch of my body unexplored. Images of things I never knew possible filtered through my head, hiking up my arousal. I knew Kirill promised me nothing but pleasure. I could feel it in my bones, even though he hadn’t said a word.
My breasts felt heavier, and every brush of his chest against mine had me moaning against his lips that hovered just over mine.
“Have you known a man before?” He asked. I shook my head. The fact that I was about to give my virginity to some stranger should have concerned me, but all I knew was this ache inside that I needed relief from. My answer clearly excited him, his eyes glowing as those sensuous lips curved up. I needed them on my breasts. Yes, that’s what I needed.
Stepping back, I started to take off one strap and then the other, letting the top of the jumper fall to my waist, baring me to his eyes, which feasted on my exposed skin.
“You are heaven sent indeed,” he said. He took a step toward me, but was halted by a hand...attached to an arm that was coming from behind me. What was happening? I spun around to tell whoever was there to back off, but the words died in my throat.
“Have you completely lost your mind? Get a hold of yourself,” Gabe barked, his face flushed with anger.
Wait. Gabe?
I reached out to touch him, just to make sure I wasn’t imaging things. He was definitely real. Suddenly, my arousal skyrocketed being between them both.
“Gabe,” I said, my voice breathless as I let my fingers slide outwards until my palm was flat on his chest, and I could feel his racing heart beneath it.
“I do believe you have made our princess even happier, Golden One,” I heard Kirill say behind me.
Gabe looked down at me, his face twisted almost as though he were in pain. His hand wrapped around my wrist, removing my touch from him.
“This is no way to behave,” he said. “Shake off his lure and control yourself.”
What was he talking about? I was in complete control of myself. The only control I seemed to lack was over the fact that the two of them were both still clothed. The ache in me was almost unbearable now, and yet neither of them would touch me.
I looked up at Gabe through my lashes. “Please,” I begged.
I heard a deep, muttered curse, before two warm, rough hands came around me, cupping my breasts. I sighed at the touch, leaning into the hard chest at my back.
“I leave you for one fucking minute,” a voice said beside my ear. His breath against my skin was delicious. I arched my neck to give him more access. This was who I needed. My body was rejoicing now, screaming “finally”, as it recognized the scent of them.
Wait. I knew that scent too. And that miserable voice.
Wait.
I looked down. Yup, Cillian’s hands were currently cupping both my breasts. I blinked. Where? How?
My head swung around. I was on the dance floor? Yes, that’s right. No. Wait. I’d been sitting at the bar. Why did I...?
“Couldn’t you at least cover her?” I heard Cillian growl at someone. I turned my head to see Gabe. Gabe was here. And he was looking at me, half undressed, being held by Cillian, as if he just ate something bad. My face burst into flames.
“What happened?” I managed, my throat suddenly parched.
“You decided to put on a show, princess,” Cillian said in my ear. I could swear I felt his teeth graze them, as though he were having a hard time not biting my head completely off. “Did I not tell you to be careful of the incubus? And you,” he said, looking over at the demon in question. I also looked, my heart racing just at the sight of his unworldly beauty. “You court death with this little exhibition.”
Kirill lifted both hands in the air, a smile playing on his lips. Lips, I was having a hard time not looking at. “I hardly even touched her, I swear. We were just having a bit of fun, weren’t we princess?”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I suggest you leave before she completely destroys you,” Cillian said. “Trust me, I’ve seen her do it.”
Looking unfazed, Kirill turned and walked away, but not before sending me a quick wink in the process.
“Why I oughtta,” I said, taking a step forward. I couldn’t get any further with Cillian’s hold on me.
“Mind pulling up your top now?” He said.
Grimacing, I made quick work of righting my clothes again, and then turned to him with flaming cheeks. He shook his head at me as if I were a wayward child.
“Give me
a break,” I said. “You shouldn’t have left me alone in the first place.”
His brows shot up, his mouth opening to surely argue, but Gabe interrupted before he could.
“She’s right. You know damn well someone is targeting her, and yet you leave her smack in the middle of an entire room of demons? Are you daft?”
I had the insane idea to step between them, but thought better of it as Cillian turned so he was fully facing Gabe now.
“What are you even doing here, feathers? I thought your kind didn’t go any further down than the human’s world? Slumming now, Gabriel?”
My head twisted back and forth between them. What was I missing? What was Cillian saying?
“You’re lucky I was here before that disgusting creature had his way with her.”
“What do you even care? She’s not one of your kind. She’s the daughter of the man you loath.”
Man he -
I looked to Gabe - Gabriel? - for answers. “What is he talking about, Gabe? Have you...do you know what - who - I am?”
“Gabe,” Cillian snorted. “It must have killed you to pretend to be one of them, didn’t it? Humans are so beneath you.”
Gabe’s mouth was pressed into a thin line. His hands fisted at his side. I quickly registered that the majority of the demons around us were giving him a wide berth. Or both of them, perhaps. It was hard to tell. I caught a number of them looking warily at Gabe specifically.
“Why don’t you lose the glamour and let her see you. Or are you starting to enjoy being a deceitful liar? Maybe you fit in here better than I thought.”
A light flashed, so bright I had to cover my face with my arm, and then it was gone just as fast as it had appeared. I blinked a few times, dots spotting my vision, before I could see properly again.
I gasped.
It was still Gabe standing there, but then, it wasn’t. Gone was the boy-next-door good looks, and in their place, was something indescribable. His hair was even more golden, longer now, down to his shoulders in soft waves. His face was chiseled and bronzer, his eyes lit within by some immortal flame that my gut told me had been judge and jury to many. That hint of danger that I’d always sensed just beneath the surface in him was now in full force. Everything about him was amplified. It was almost painful to look at him, and yet painful not to.
The most shocking were the giant wings now protruding from his back. I didn’t need to be an expert to know what kind of wings they looked like either. The soft, white of them seemed to deflect every breath of darkness in this place.
Gabe - Gabriel was an angel. I knew it, without him having to say the word.
My eyes roamed over those wings, every one of our conversations and excursions running through my mind as if they were on an old movie reel.
“The bungee jumping?” I said, my voice catching.
I could see in his eyes he knew what I meant. What I was saying, asking, without really voicing it. Had it all been for show? All a game? He knew exactly what it was like to fly, probably knew everything when I thought he had just been a normal boy who was interested in me - a normal girl.
But I wasn’t, was I?
And neither was he.
And we were sworn enemies. Of that, I had no doubts.
My shoulders dropped, and I turned to Cillian who had a blank look on his face. “I want to go home,” I said.
“Hope,” Gabriel said, his voice like steel.
I looked up at Cillian. “Please,” I said softly. His stony facade cracked a fraction before it was back in place as he glanced over my shoulder. I was pretty sure Cillian was the poster boy for, “if looks could kill”.
“Let’s go,” he said. Grabbing my hand, he led the way out, the two of us making our way through the crowd without incident. When we got outside, I instantly went into his arms, and we were rising into the sky in the next instance.
Gabe - ugh - Gabriel was an angel. I still couldn’t believe it. An honest to goodness angel. From the heavens above, fluffy white wings, angel. No wonder he had frozen when I’d gone to kiss him. It was probably a sin, or completely revolting to him, to kiss a human. Never mind, a demon! What’s worse, he saw me half naked.
I groaned, shaking my head. “He saw my boobies,” I moaned.
Cillian looked at me, rolling his eyes. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say boobies.”
We flew in silence for quite some time as my mind raced. I didn’t know what would happen now. Would he leave the school? Why was he there to begin with? Had Cillian found anything out while we’d been at the club? I hadn’t even bothered to ask after - everything. I flashed an angel, for crying out loud. Had all but begged him to have...I was going to Hell. Dear God, I probably owned it, what the heck was I thinking?
How much worse could this night have gone? I gulped. Worse. Cillian had covered my boobs right in front of Gabriel. I let my head fall forward in misery, hiding my face against Cillian’s chest.
“You just remembered I touched them, didn’t you?”
I grumbled.
I could have sworn I felt his body shake with laughter, but I was too mortified to look. We didn’t speak again until we got home.
***
We had just landed in front of my house when I heard the sound of flapping wings, and then another set of feet land.
“She doesn’t want to speak to you, feathers. Get a clue,” Cillian said over my head.
“Hope, I’d like to speak with you - alone,” Gabriel said, ignoring Cillian.
I started to turn to say - who knows what. It didn’t matter, because I wasn’t going to get the chance to say it anyway. In the blink of an eye, we were suddenly surrounded by demons that looked like cartoon miniature devils. They had little red bodies, the bottoms of them black and hoofed. Black hair covered their heads, with two tiny horns popping through them, and goatees on their faces. Literally, identical, all of them. I was having trouble counting them, because I kept losing track of which ones I’d already counted.
Cillian cursed, stepping up beside me. “Here,” he said, passing me a knife. I took it out of instinct, and the looked down at it in question.
“You give her a weapon? She should not be fighting,” Gabriel said, stepping to my other side.
“She can use that thing just as well as you could, and I’m not leaving her unarmed.”
“Is this going to be another hound situation,” I asked, eyeing the little buggers.
“Yes,” Cillian answered, sounding seriously pissed, but in a - this is ruining my night, kind of way. “Except these guys are a tad bit more intelligent than the hounds, so be careful and think quick on your feet.”
“I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean,” I said, slightly panicking.
“It means, stick by one of us at all times, and don’t let them get around the back of you,” Gabriel instructed, right as the first wave of the fiery little devils came at us. He had a huge sword, from where? I had no idea, but it was silver and gold, and so shiny I got momentarily distracted by it. It was both lethal and beautiful looking. Both he and Cillian swung their blades as the seemingly fearless creatures ran at us as though one really angry angel, and one even more angry looking demon weren’t standing there, both with serious weapons at the ready.
Of course, they all seemed to be trying to get at me. I held the blade Cillian had given me uselessly in front of me as I waited for them to reach me. Except, both of the men seemed to be doing a good job at keeping me between them, and away from harm. It was hard to decide who to focus on.
There was something innately graceful about the way Gabriel moved as he fought. It looked like a dance, one that had been ingrained in his blood as though this is what he was born to do. Something told me there was truth to that thought. I didn’t know much about him - if anything, really - but I had no doubt that Gabriel was quite used to fighting.
Then there was Cillian, who moved in the way a panther might as he sl
inked through the forest, stalking his prey. All lean muscles, and powerful strides. Whatever was in his way fell. Neither of them missed a step, swinging and spinning, turning and lunging as if they had rehearsed this. I must have been standing there, mouth hanging open, watching them and not paying attention to anything else, because I didn’t hear the one demon come around us.
Suddenly, he was on my back, my knife gone, and his hands wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air supply. I choked, my fingers digging at his skin, trying to pry him loose. He only seemed to tighten his hold. Black spots dotted my vision as my body screamed for oxygen. I couldn’t focus. Staggering back, I willed fire into my hands, same as I’d done with Lila, holding them against his skin. He only laughed, the high-pitched sound ringing in my ears.
The Dark Princess (The Balance Series Book 3) Page 21