Reaper Dreaming: A Reaper Novel

by Christie Palmer

  Hunter laved one nipple until it was a hard peak in his mouth sucking it deep. Palming the other, Lailah arched into his mouth moaning his name. Her fingers grasping at his head holding him to her. She ground her hips against his, and he thrust up against her heat.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” Hunter moaned. Laving her nipple. Lailah nodded, and Hunter stood. Lailah squeaked and Hunter dug his fingers into her legs making sure she was safely clinging to him. He fused his lips to her as he flipped the clasp of his jeans and undid his zipper he shimmed down his pants then sat back down.

  Lailah sighed with pleasure when she felt his cock rub against her heat. She ground herself against it, her head falling back. Hunter’s hand moved down her body, hovering over her stomach for just a moment then moved lower. His thumb slipping into panties it went unnervingly right to her clit. Lailah nearly came off his lap with excitement.

  “Easy,” Hunter whispered as he drug wet kisses along her jaw line to her ear. Where he tugged on her earlobe. Hunter continued to hold her with an arm around her waist as he did horrible, wicked things with his thumb, strumming her clit until Lailah was wild with need.

  “Hunter,” Lailah cried. “Please.”

  “Shh,” Hunter whispered his head swiveling toward the door. The last thing they needed was someone barging in on them.

  Lailah chewed her bottom lip to stop herself from crying out, as Hunter ripped her panties off. When her hot, wet, core settled around his hard cock she almost came, Lailah threw herself forward her hands gripping at his shoulders, she rubbed her hips against him coating his cock with her juices.

  Hunter’s head fell back against the chair, “Gods, Lailah.”

  Lailah was licking his throat drawing his taste in letting it soak deep into her soul, at the same time scratching at his shoulders because she couldn’t get close enough.

  Finally, Hunter couldn’t take it anymore and he picked her up by the hips, Lailah reached down and grabbed Hunter by the base of his cock to guide him to her center as he lowered her onto him. Impaling her on him.

  She was so tight in this position it took a moment for Hunter to seat himself fully within her. Lailah sighed with pleasure and squeezed him internally as she settled fully around him. Making Hunter a little crazy with need, “Lailah,” He breathed.

  Lailah leaned back to look him in the eye rocking on him. Hunter grabbed her around the waist, he stared into those mesmerizing green eyes. Hunter swore he could see eternity there. He let her set the pace when he felt her body tense his hand moved down and he thrummed her clit. Her orgasm hit her and squeezed him so tight he thought she might break him. But it was so beautiful when she was done. She gave him a smile.

  Hunter stood up and tumbled her back onto the bed. Lailah laughed, her legs coming up to wrap around his hips. Hunter left her as he started to pull out, then slowly fed himself back into her.

  Lailah felt like her world had diminished to just the two of them. And she couldn’t care less, her hands came up to cup the back of Hunter’s head. He was everything she could have ever dreamed of in a man. She realized suddenly how much she loved him. How in just a matter of days he had worked himself into her heart. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him, to scream out the words that were climbing up her throat from her heart. But she swallowed the words knowing saying she loved him would scare the hard Reaper right back into the Infernos and that was the last place she wanted him to be right then.

  Instead, she wrapped her body around him as he made love to her. Because it wasn’t just sex. Her entire body felt alive, she had never been as alive as she was with Hunter touching her, and she almost didn’t believe it when another orgasm wound up deep in her stomach. Lailah arched into Hunter’s thrusts reaching, reaching.

  “I’ve got you,” Hunter moaned. Angling his hips just right as he slipped one of her legs over his shoulder he hit a spot she didn’t even know she had. Lailah felt her mouth drop open on a silent scream as another orgasm tightened her entire body. Hunter increased his thrusts prolonging her orgasm, and Lailah was in serious trouble of passing out.

  Hunter’s orgasm hit him hard, crashing through him as he slammed into Lailah letting it flow through him and into her. His body shuddered with his climax making his entire dermal plane tingle with electricity. He had never felt an orgasm so powerful and it took everything he had not to roar to the heavens as it slammed through him. When his release finally quivered through him, Hunter’s body went limp and he collapsed on top of Lailah. Burring his face in the crook of her neck he breathed in her scent. The intoxicating smell they had created together, the mixture of her sweat and his. He couldn’t think of anything better.

  “Are you okay?” Lailah finally whispered from beneath him.

  “I’m fine,” he said and kissed her again. Rolling onto his side, Hunter pulled her close.

  She wrapped her arms around his middle, and kissed his chest. “Good, because I’m exhausted.” He felt her smile against his chest. Hunter needed to apologize to Eric but the thought of leaving her right then was abhorrent so instead he gathered her close and did something he never did before. He let his obligations go and cuddled.

  * * *

  “What the hell is this?” Lailah was asking. Hunter sat up in the bed surprised.

  Hunter shook the sleep out of his eyes and looked around the room for a weapon. What the hell had he been thinking to have fallen asleep without even knowing where a weapon was? What if someone had attacked?

  “What?” Hunter demanded.

  Lailah was next to him, she had a handful of white fluff. Hunter reached out and took it. It looked like fluffy down, he looked around and there was more of it. “Do you have down pillows?” Hunter asked looking at the pillows.

  Lailah shook her head, “No.” Lailah sat up further and looked under the covers and Hunter got a look at her back and he knew exactly what it was from. Two large bumps had formed on her back just over her shoulder bones. And from those bumps, the skin was split open, and tufts of white down was coming out of it.

  Hunter touched her back, Lailah turned and looked at him. “What?”

  “Your back,” Hunter said.

  Lailah tried to see, “What?”

  “Don’t freak out,” Hunter tried. He honestly didn’t know how Lailah would react to this new development. But he should have known better because the moment he told her not to freak out, of course, a tuft of down sprouted out. From the corner of her eye, Lailah saw and let out a little scream.

  “It’s coming from me?” Lailah shouted and scrambled from the bed. Hunter shouldn’t have enjoyed the view. He really shouldn’t have, but damn he was a man. And Lailah had the sweetest ass, which was currently scrambling over the side of the bed toward the full-length mirror.

  Lailah stood in front of her mirror, her back facing the mirror she looked over her shoulder. Hunter climbed from the bed.

  “It’s not that bad,” Hunter said as calmly as possible. “Just a little down. Not even full feathers.”

  Lailah turned to him her mouth hanging open. “I’m moulting.” Lailah wailed. “Do something,” she begged

  Her wail was followed by pounding footsteps down the hall. Hunter shook his head and grabbed Lailah’s robe that was hanging on a hook next to her mirror, “Are you happy now you have an audience.”

  Lailah clutched the robe to her chest but turned back to the mirror, “Do something, Hunter.”

  Hunter was reaching for his pants when Uriel pounded on the door. “Lailah? Are you okay?”

  “NO,” Lailah cried back.

  Hunter only had one leg in his jeans when her door flew open. Hunter held up one hand, “Give us two minutes. Lailah is fine,” he growled.

  Uriel narrowed his eyes and looked over Hunters shoulder at Lailah. Hunter stepped in front of Uriel, “Take one look at her and I’ll break your neck,” Hunter growled.

  “I’m moulting.” Lailah said with a whine from behind him. Hunter pulled up his pants and turned to L
ailah.

  “Lailah, calm down. You are only making it worse.” Hunter said taking her robe and forcing her to put it on. Once she was covered he went back to the door and allowed Uriel to come in.

  “It looks like her wings are starting to come in and she isn’t taking it well,” Hunter told the Angel.

  “This is your fault,” Uriel exclaimed pushing past him to get to Lailah.

  “My fault?” Hunter asked crossing his arms over his chest. “And how is this my fault?”

  “Emotional upheaval can force the transition,” Uriel said.

  “Emotional upheaval?” Hunter asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “The sex?” Uriel spat waving his arms like a crazy person.

  Hunter barely kept himself from bursting out with laughter, “So by fucking her I made her an Angel?” He asked.

  Uriel opened and closed his mouth several times, Hunter took pity on him. He wasn’t going to argue the point with him. Uriel could think whatever he wanted, the man was a zealot for the Angels and nothing Hunter did or said would change that. He had a bone to pick with the Reapers. God forbid, Lailah’s wings were coming in because of the brand she had taken from Eric earlier in the day. But Hunter wasn’t about to fight over the situation with Uriel. Hunter had more important things to worry about right now than how Uriel was taking Hunter and Lailah’s intimate relationship.

  Hunter turned to Lailah, “Why don’t you get in the shower and try to relax.”

  Lailah turned and stomped toward her bathroom. “I’ll probably clog the drain with my moulting,” she muttered just loud enough for Hunter to hear her. Which only made Hunter laugh.

  “Keeping calm is the best thing you can do,” Hunter called after her. Lailah waved him off and slammed the door behind her.

  Uriel glared at him. And walked past him toward the living room. Skylar was watching TV in the living room. “What’s the pretty Angle freaking out about this afternoon?” Sky asked.

  “She’s moulting.” Hunter said with a smile.

  Sky looked confused, “I don’t think I want to know.” He said with a shake of his head.

  “Where is everyone?” Hunter asked.

  Skylar shrugged, “Who the hell knows. But I do know Eric is waiting for your ass to call and apologize.” Skylar said in a singsong voice. “So you better get on with it,” Sky said tossing him a phone.

  Hunter hated it when Skylar was right, but Skylar had a point and Eric deserved an apology. The phone was already set to call Eric all Hunter had to do was hit send.

  “This better be good,” Eric said when he picked up.

  “I was wrong and you were right. What more is there to say? I’m sorry,” Hunter practically choked on the words. “Are you going to stop being a baby and come back and work with us or not?”

  “You Reapers are the only species who can make an apology sound like an insult you know that?” Eric asked.

  “It’s a gift.” Hunter told him. “So are you coming back or not?”

  Hunter could practically here the wheels turning in Eric’s head from here. “I guess,” Eric said. “See you in an hour or so.”

  “Thank you,” Hunter said and hung up. He tossed the phone back to Skylar who was giving him another strange look. “What?”

  “You know, between you and Victor, you Reapers almost seem normal,” Skylar said sliding the phone back into his pocket.

  Hunter snorted, “Almost.”

  * * *

  Everyone was sitting in the living room staring at Lailah when the twenty-four-hour mark came. Banner had sworn he would take Lailah back, and they were all starring at her waiting for her to disappear. Lailah was sitting staring at the horrible brands on her palm. She didn’t know what to expect.

  Hunter sat on the couch next to Lailah holding her other hand. Lailah was holding her breath, but when the time came and went she gave his hand a squeeze, “I guess Eric’s brand worked.”

  Lailah turned to Eric and smiled, “Thank you.”

  Eric was watching the clock, but turned to Lailah. “No problem.” But he was chewing the inside of his lip thoughtfully.

  “You don’t look happy.” This made her stomach turn over.

  “You should have felt something, the call is still burned into your skin after all,” Eric said. “I would have thought you would have felt a pull of some kind.”

  Everyone turned back and stared at Lailah. Lailah looked down at her mangled palm, it was a brand over a brand and it just looked like a mess to her, but Lailah knew it meant something, “Maybe Banner gave up. Maybe what Hunter said to him in the diner scared him off.”

  “Like hell,” Hunter swore. “Banner has too much invested to give up now.” Hunter stood and went to the window. “Banner is up to something.” Pulling up the blinds Hunter looked out into the street. The sun was just setting and his body was outlined, all muscle and man. Lailah released a pent up breath, she wanted to believe Hunter, but maybe Banner had given up. Maybe all she really had to worry about was her transition.

  But then her window shattering froze everyone.

  Hunter was picked up, right off his feet and thrown several feet back. Lailah let out a scream and stood, but she only made it one step toward Hunter before she was tackled to the floor. She wasn’t sure who did the tackling all she cared about was getting to Hunter.

  Lailah vaguely heard the sound of more glass shattering and popping noises as she clawed at the floor. But Lailah only had eyes for the pool of blood spreading out beneath Hunter.

  “We need to get Lailah out of here,” someone said from over her.

  “No,” Lailah cried. As she clawed at the floor. “HUNTER!” she screamed he hadn’t moved and Lailah felt like her world was spinning out of control. But in a wild ball of fire, everything changed.

  When Lailah opened her eyes she was laying on the floor of the bookstore with Victor and Elle standing over her.

  “What did you do?” Lailah cried. “What did you do?” She screamed. “Go back for Hunter.”

  Lailah scrambled to her feet as pain spiked through her head but Lailah ignored it. As she physically attacked Victor, “What about Hunter?”

  “Lailah,” Uriel said from beside her. “YOU need to calm down.”

  “Fuck you,” Lailah said turning on the Angel. “Go back.” Lailah felt like she wanted to pull her hair out, she grabbed Uriel by the shirt actually picking him up off the floor and shaking him like a rage doll. Before flinging him away. Lailah then turned to Victor, who grabbed Elle and pulled her behind him. “You need to go back and get Hunter.” Lailah’s voice had changed and the words echoed inside the small store making the shelves and windows shake. Her voice was layered upon itself, several voices all at once. It should have scared the hell out of her but she wasn’t paying attention to what was going on with her right now. All she cared about was Hunter, and the pool of blood he had been laying in.

  Victor grabbed his head and stumbled back, “Lailah we can’t go back. Your apartment is under attack. Hunter…” Victor stumbled back another step when Lailah took a step toward him. Blinding light lite the bookstore with an unholy brightness it should have alerted Lailah that something was off. Another sign to her, but she wasn’t thinking just then the only thing she could concentrate on was the fact that she might have just witnessed the death of the man she loved.

  “NO.” Lailah was beyond reason, beyond control, her fear over what she had seen, Hunter bleeding out on the floor. Was he already dead? Was it too late? Lailah started to see flashes of brilliant light in her peripheral vision. Hunter couldn’t be gone, he just couldn’t.

  “Lailah…” Victor tried. “You need to calm down…”

  Lailah felt another stab of pain lance through her head and this time, it was her who stumbled. Lailah felt her legs wobble and give way, “Hunter,” Lailah said his name as she went down to her knees, she felt something tear free in her mind and then light surrounded her tore through every bit of her lingering control. Lailah l
ooked up and she reached for where Victor had been, she needed something to anchor her to this world because she felt like she was being torn apart. “Hunter…” Lailah cried out as everything in her world came screaming apart.

  And then she was falling, falling into the light coming for her. “Please…” But it was too late, too late for everything, it was time for her reckoning and nothing could stop it. Lailah had been heading for this her entire life, no her entire existence. And now the time had come…

  Chapter 7

  Lailah was cold. It made her laugh, why she thought being cold was funny she didn’t know but it made her laugh all the same.

  Lailah pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around. She was surrounded with white. It wasn’t a color, nor was it a place, it was a lack of everything. It was just white, and she was naked. But none of this bothered her, the cold didn’t even really bother her.

  Standing she looked around, “So this is it?” Lailah asked the white.

  “This is never it,” The white responded.

  “Oh please,” Lailah said.

  “This is what we have been reduced to from lack of belief,” The white said.

  “Ah,” Lailah nodded. “So why am I here?”

  “Your body must heal before you can integrate your new mind back with your body,” The white responded. “It all happened before you were fully ready.”

  Lailah shook her head, “Tell me about it.” Lailah shuddered at the pain she had felt right before she had appeared here. It definitely hadn’t been pleasant.

  “You have never done things the way we planned them.” The white said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Lailah asked.

  “Your life has been unexpected. The lessons you’ve learned have been…” The white trailed off.

  Lailah shrugged, “I have an eclectic past.”

  “We would have had your upbringing done differently.” The white explained.

  Lailah barked out a laugh, “You mean foster homes, drugs, runaways, and Jimmy weren’t your idea of a proper upbringing for an Arch-Angel?” she asked.