“Apollyon?” Serenity moved closer to him, her fair eyebrows furrowing as she gazed up at him and a flicker of concern in her hazel eyes. “Is something wrong?”
He forced a smile and shook his head, but it was another lie, because everything was wrong. Everything was changing and he couldn’t keep up, not with the world that closed in around him or with the feelings rushing to life inside him.
The table nearest them became free and he placed his hand against her elbow, guiding her over to it, because he needed to sit for a moment so he could get his head on straight again and find his feet.
She slid onto the tall black velvet stool and placed her drink down on the round black table.
Apollyon sat opposite her, watching her sip her drink and waiting for the world to stop tilting and swaying and feeling as if at any moment it was all going to drop from under him.
The music continued to pound but soon changed to a new song. Some of the dancers left the floor and walked past them towards the bar. Serenity stiffened, her heart beating faster as she paused midway through sipping her drink.
He brought his focus back to her and the club, pushing out the conflict that was trying to drag him down into a dark abyss, and frowned as he sensed the male she had pointed out closing in on them.
Apollyon reached across the table and placed his hand over Serenity’s just as Edward reached them.
He smiled at her when he felt Edward’s focus settle on them, sensed the male’s agitation and surprise, and then glared at the bastard’s back as he moved away. Everything that was dark in him, all of the parts he did his best to suppress and control, goaded him into following and dealing with the man, whispered tempting things about meting out justice and making him pay.
Serenity’s hand shifted beneath his and her eyes were enormous when he dragged his away from Edward’s back and settled them on her.
“Did he see?” She leaned towards him, affording him a glorious view down her black dress to her breasts.
Was she trying to tempt him?
“He saw.” Apollyon peered over the crowd, tracking Edward’s progress across the room.
Edward was shorter than him, and his build was slighter. He seemed plain in the face but it was difficult to tell in such poor light. The male had to have some good qualities to draw Serenity to him and make her care for him. Right now though, Apollyon couldn’t see anything good in him. He saw only a sinner, a man to be punished and made to suffer, just as his mistress desired.
Edward reached the bar and looked back at him.
No, at them. He was looking at them. He would have seen that Serenity was with him and that they were more than just friends.
Serenity sipped her drink again and Apollyon grazed his thumb lightly over the back of her hand, staring at them. She didn’t seem to mind him touching her, or was it all part of the act?
His gaze rose to her face, studying her as she sucked on the two small black straws. Her blonde hair shone blue in the lights and the cold colour of them washed out her skin and made her make-up even darker.
She looked up from her drink and released the straws. Her smile teased him, curving her dark lips and tempting him to take this charade further just to see how she would react.
“What sort of spells can you cast?” he said over the music.
She slowly stirred her drink with the straws, staring into his eyes the whole time. Did she have to think that hard about it? Could she cast spells on men that made them her willing slave? If she could, he would swear that she had cast one on him.
“My mother told me only to do magic that benefitted others, and I had until today.” She lifted the glass to her lips, pushed the straws aside, and took a long gulp of the drink. She set the empty glass down. “I’ve done minor curses for people, spells to aid maternity and conception, and love spells of course.”
Love spells.
Perhaps she had cast that spell on him.
She had never used magic to benefit herself before today.
He had seen enough of the world to know that she was unusual in that respect. Her warmth, her selflessness and kindness, spoke to his heart, making her more beautiful. She thought only of helping others when most who possessed her powers would use them to profit from other humans. Power was a drug to mortals. He had seen the effect it had on them. Another person with her abilities would have used it to make them rich, important and popular, lured in by the promises of false happiness it gave until they were addicted to it.
Serenity seemed immune to it, and when she had finally succumbed to using it for herself, it had been to heal the pain in her heart and have vengeance. The hurt her ex-lover had caused her had driven her to use her power.
And Apollyon had heard her call and responded.
Perhaps he was the result of her spell after all. Her magic could have amplified her voice and he could have heard it because his focus had been on her at the time.
“You are never tempted to use them?” He leaned closer to her, unsure how many of the people coming and going past them were witches and not wanting any normal humans in the area to overhear their conversation.
She shook her head and then glanced away. “Perhaps sometimes.”
Sometimes.
Her gaze snuck back to him, meeting his, and her cheeks darkened. It would have been impossible to see it if he hadn’t been watching for it. She had considered a spell. On who? On Edward or on him? Revenge or love?
Serenity’s other hand settled over their joined ones. It was cold from holding the glass but soon warmed on contact with his skin. She turned the hand that was beneath his, trapping his between hers.
“Do you think we should dance?” There was a nervous edge to her expression as her gaze flickered past him, over his shoulder.
“Is he still watching?” Apollyon could already feel the man’s gaze on him.
She nodded.
“Then we should definitely dance.”
She hesitated. “Is it okay to dance... to do any of this?”
How many times was she going to ask him the same question?
His answer wasn’t going to change.
Whatever she wanted, he would do it.
He was starting to think he would do more than she asked if she showed him again that she desired him, that this attraction wasn’t one sided and he wasn’t the only one feeling things.
Apollyon took hold of her hand, stood and walked around the table to her. His smile seemed to give her the answer that she was looking for, bringing another dark blush to her cheeks, and she slipped from her stool and followed his lead towards the dance floor.
The music was heavier now, harder, and slower. The dancers were bordering on clothed sex again and, for a moment, he wondered if it really was a good idea. He wasn’t sure where a dance would lead, but the heat in Serenity’s eyes as he risked a glance at her told him that wherever it took them, it wasn’t pretend.
He wasn’t the only one feeling this attraction, this gravity that seemed intent on pulling him towards her.
He tugged her into his arms before his nerve failed. Her hands landed on his chest, scalding him despite his armour, and he forgot what he had been doing and ended up standing stock still and staring down into her wide eyes.
Her pupils dilated, devouring the hazel of her irises, until her eyes overflowed with the passion and hunger that he could feel beating in her heart.
The same passion and hunger that drummed in his veins.
Whenever she let go of her nerves and of the fact that he was an angel, she was more confident, sensual in her movements and almost flirtatious in her air around him. He wanted her like that now, and not because it would make Edward jealous to see it.
But because he needed it.
He needed to know that whatever she had felt for Edward, it was over. Done. He needed to know that she felt something for him.
Apollyon slid his hands down to her waist from her ribs, and over her hips. She felt too good beneath his touch. He want
ed to caress every inch of her, wanted to learn her curves and every sensitive spot on her body. He wanted to bring her to life in the way she had brought him to life, flooding him with feelings that were foreign to him now, startling in their strength and how easily they overwhelmed him.
Her eyelids slipped to half-mast and her palms pressed harder against his chest, not on his suit but on his armour. Did she like the feel of his hands on her? Was she enjoying this tentative exploration as much as he was?
He tightened his grip on her hips and drew her against him, starting to move slowly to the heavy beat because he was meant to be dancing with her, and he feared that if he didn’t start now, he never would and she would question him again, might even pull away from him. He wasn’t sure he could handle that, not when he was loving the feel of her in his arms.
Her hands slid up over his breastplate and then over his collarbones towards his neck, and he shivered when she lightly swept her fingers across his shoulders, teasing the straps of his armour. He fell back under her spell again as she stepped into him, bringing their bodies into contact, and began moving against his.
Each time they brushed, each step that had them rubbing against each other, drove him a little closer to the edge of control.
Serenity didn’t help when she slipped her hands around the back of his head, twirled the dark hair of his ponytail around her slender fingers, and then settled them against the nape of his neck.
He shifted his trembling hands, easing them around her back, until they met in the small of it and she was flush against him. He bit back a groan at the feel of the way her hips moved as she danced with him, how her leg would slide between his and his between hers.
When his thigh brushed the apex of her thighs, her lips parted and her eyelids dropped to half-mast, a wickedly alluring glimmer of pleasure flitting across her face that made him want to press harder, to move closer.
He groaned aloud as he obeyed that need and moved closer to her, eager to feel the whole of her body against his, his thoughts diving down routes they hadn’t traversed in a long time.
How good would she look naked?
He wanted to explore and tease every supple inch of her with his mouth and hands, wanted to worship her body until she cried his name and collapsed in his arms, sated by his touch.
His gaze dropped to her mouth.
How would she react if he kissed her?
Would she welcome it as part of the charade? Would she welcome it because she wanted to feel his lips on hers?
Or would she push him away?
Apollyon fought the urge to find out, struggled against it as she swayed in his arms, a tempting siren who was shredding his control with no more than a sultry swing of her hips and press of her thigh between his. He somehow found the strength to tamp it down and stepped back a little.
He needed a moment to breathe. He was too close to letting go.
Serenity stared into his eyes, hers full of invite, asking him to give in to her. He would do so willingly if he could be sure that this wasn’t an act. It was a charade, nothing more than pretend so they would make Edward jealous. That was all it was.
So why did it feel so good to have her in his arms?
She ran her hands down over his biceps, slowly, her gaze following her right hand as it traced the curves of his muscles. Her heart beat faster, as though exploring his body excited her, and her eyes darkened again, hunger igniting in them that echoed in his veins.
Why did his body burn wherever she touched?
His gaze flickered to her mouth.
And why couldn’t he keep his eyes off her cherry red lips and his mind off how good it would feel to dip his head and kiss her?
It had been a long time since he had desired a woman, but he knew it had never felt like this—so strong and irresistible. He loved how she moved against him, her body brushing his, teasing him into submission, sending shiver after shiver over his skin and sending his temperature soaring. He loved the way she looked into his eyes and smiled at him, so full of honest emotions and desire.
It didn’t feel like an act.
It felt so real and he was sure that she would welcome a kiss from him.
It couldn’t be the glamour because it didn’t work on her. She had to be attracted to him.
She smiled up at him, her hands resting lightly by his elbows, burning him with her touch. He wanted to feel her hands on his chest but this time without his armour in the way. He needed her to touch him, to feel what she did to him and how hard she made his heart beat.
He moved against her, pressing closer again, satisfying himself as much as he could in public and without overstepping the mark. She didn’t seem to care. Her eyes slipped shut when he ran his hands down to her backside and he groaned under his breath at the way the twin peachy globes moved beneath his fingers. He slid his hands lower, until he cupped her bottom, and drew her against him, so her hips were close to his.
He wanted her.
Her wide eyes met his, pupils swallowing her irises, and her lips parted.
He wanted to kiss her.
It couldn’t be pretend.
He wanted to wrap her in his arms and his wings and never let her go.
What had she done to him?
What spell had she cast to make him like this?
Her fingertips caressed his arms, working back up to his shoulders, and she traced the line of the leather straps that held his armour in place. She toyed with the buckles, making his body tremble with the thought that he might get his wish and she might remove his breastplate and touch his bare chest.
He wanted that so much.
Her chest rose and fell with each hard breath, luring his eyes there. Deep hunger bolted through him at the sight of her breasts pressing against her small black dress and he lost track of what they were doing, until they were only holding each other, staring into each other’s eyes, both of their hearts racing.
His gaze drifted back to her mouth and he couldn’t fight the temptation.
Apollyon lowered his mouth towards hers, wrapped her in his arms, and tilted his head to kiss her.
She giggled.
He pulled back, frowning at her, confused as to her reaction. She thought his intent to kiss her was funny? She laughed then and wriggled against him, and he groaned low in his throat when her hip pressed against his aching erection.
She was beautiful when she laughed though, could laugh at him all she wanted and he wouldn’t care, because it lit up her face and chased the clouds from her eyes. She brushed her shoulder and then down her arm, and he realised that it was his wings that had provoked her giggling fit.
He lifted one and swept the black feathers over her shoulder, and absorbed the way she burst into laughter in his arms. His lips curved into a smile as he watched her, warmth spreading through his entire body to lighten it.
She seemed to have forgotten her heartache.
They both seemed to have forgotten this was make believe.
CHAPTER 6
Serenity stared up into Apollyon’s dark eyes as he smiled down at her, seeing the passion and desire that burned deep within her reflected in them. She had to be imagining it. This was all just an act and it was working as far as she could tell, but then she had lost track of what Edward was doing the moment Apollyon had placed his hands on her.
The past few minutes had felt real.
They couldn’t be.
His wings were a constant reminder of that and she had needed to feel them touching her to bring herself back to her senses. It didn’t matter that he had looked as though he had been about to kiss her. He was an angel and he was definitely off limits.
Even if he did kiss her, she had to convince herself that it was only acting.
She couldn’t fall for an angel, no matter how sexy the angel in question was. There was no hope of it becoming anything more than a mission to him. She wasn’t naïve enough not to see that.
An angel couldn’t fall in love with a mortal.
“He left.” She took a step back from Apollyon.
Disappointment flashed across his handsome face as her hands slipped from him and she turned away so she didn’t see it and could pretend that she had only imagined it.
Apollyon led her from the dance floor and went to sit down again at the table, but she caught his hand and headed for the exit instead.
There was no point in staying when Edward was gone. The music was giving her a headache and she had played pretend enough for a lifetime. When she had suggested it as a plan to get revenge on Edward, she hadn’t considered the consequences or how it might affect her.
“We are leaving too?” Apollyon’s deep voice did funny things to her insides and she wanted to be back in his arms, held close to him while he murmured sweet words into her ear.
Serenity nodded and quickly moved to the exit.
The cooling night air washed over her as she stepped out onto the pavement and she breathed deep of it as she tried to pull herself back together. She looked up, wishing she could see the stars. The sky was clear but the city lights caused a haze that blocked all but the brightest from view.
“You want to fly?” Those words were temptation, husked in a low voice close to her ear.
She ached to nod and throw caution to the wind. He moved closer to her, until she could feel his heat and a need to turn and kiss him until the fire he had ignited inside her burned out raced through her.
His breath tickled her neck as he lightly placed his hands on her shoulders, making her body warm and quake where his palms met her bare skin. “I can fly you home.”
“I’m afraid of falling,” she whispered.
Apollyon moved around her, sensual and like a predator, his gaze drilling into hers, as though he wanted to see right down into her heart and know the real meaning behind those words.
She was afraid.
She couldn’t fall for an angel.
“I will not let you go.” He claimed her waist and then stepped into her, sliding his hands around to settle in the arch of her back. His blue eyes held hers, the pale flecks of lightning in them mesmerising her. She could look into his eyes and never be bored. They shifted somehow. Each time the markings were slightly different, as though they were constantly changing. He smiled. “Would you prefer to face me or face away?”
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