Elise tumbled toward the ground below and I snatched her out of the air in the clawed talons of my hind legs at the last second before death. Better not kill the vampirina.
Her screams were lost to the wind as I flexed my wings and two powerful beats carried us upward. I spiralled higher and higher, my grip on her tightening as Aurora Academy shrank to a sprawling gothic shadow below.
I tilted my head to the sky and released my Order magic, a twisting maelstrom of electricity ripping a hole into the clouds. Even the moon seemed to shy away from my power. I was a beast. A king. A warrior. And I was not going to be laughed at by anyone.
A shadow caught my attention below and I spotted Gabriel racing up to meet us, eyes like iron, his mouth in the thinnest line I’d ever seen it.
I angled my head toward him, sending a warning blast of lightning past his head.
What the fuck did he think he was playing at?
His black wings spanned almost eight feet wide, beating hard and driving him up toward me at a ferocious pace. Silver armour glistened on his skin as he called upon it to shield him and I knew what that meant. War.
I let him come to me, whipping my razor sharp, two-pronged tail sideways to try and knock him out of the air. He rode the wind with grace, ducking under the blow and disappearing beneath my belly.
I roared as something slashed my leg and three words sounded from Gabriel, “Trust me, Elise.”
He cut me with something again and I bellowed as my grip loosened and Elise wriggled free. She fell. I sensed her go and panic momentarily seized me as I bolted down to catch her. My eyes practically bled when I saw her cradled in Gabriel’s arms like he was some angel who’d fallen straight out of heaven to rescue her.
A storm built within me and around me in the clouds as I swooped towards him, fury pulsing under my scales. I stared at Elise in his arms and a growl rumbled through me like thunder. I couldn’t fight him while he held her and the smirk on his face said he knew it. I may have wanted to put her in her place, but I never would have really hurt her. Now he’d intervened and he’d had no right.
I turned away from them, my rage too much to bear as I soared into the clouds and flew as far away from them as possible. I brought a storm down on the academy, descending into a mood as I drowned myself in the crashing thunder and endless darkness of my own tempest.
Gabriel’s arms were tight around me as I cringed against his chest and the wind whipped through my short hair, throwing it into my eyes. Rain battered against us but with a wave of his hand, he directed away, his control over the water diverting its path and keeping us dry.
His powerful wings flapped hard as he carried us up towards the silver sphere of the moon for a few eternal seconds before he twisted to the right, flipping us around as we dove back towards the ground.
My stomach swooped and I couldn’t help but shriek in fright as I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him like my life depended on it. Which it did. Even though I had good reason to suspect he was a killer. But then he’d just saved me. What the hell was I even supposed to think?
My heart was racing and my thoughts were a blur which only made space for one single thing. I don’t want to die!
Gabriel sped towards the roof of the dorm tower without slowing and I curled against him, slamming my eyes shut, unable to bear to look as we shot towards the concrete at the speed of a hawk descending on a mouse.
He pulled up short, taking a few running steps as he landed and the swooping sensation in my stomach finally fell still.
It took me another moment before I could peel my eyes open and I looked up to find Gabriel eyeing me with concern.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice gravelly.
I shook my head slowly, unable to tear my eyes away from his steely grey pupils. They were the colour of a thunder cloud tonight, full of secrets and power.
“Dante is a hothead. He’ll fly off that aggression and forget about it by tomorrow. It might be better if you don’t go back to the dorm tonight though,” he said thoughtfully, placing me down on my feet and I stepped back out of his hold.
I nodded, unsure what I should really say to that. A part of me never wanted to go back to that room again. But if I didn’t, I’d never get the answers I needed to figure out who was responsible for Gareth’s death and this hole inside my heart would never heal.
Not that I really thought it could anyway.
What were you thinking in coming here? You’re so far out of your depth it’s untrue. Taking on Fae more powerful than you and going up against gangs so ruthless even the FIB can’t stop them. You’re just a stupid little girl. You can’t get justice for Gareth. You didn’t even realise he was in danger. You’re useless. Pathetic.
I turned away from Gabriel just before the first tear fell. My heart fluttered with panic as the walls I’d built to keep me strong came tumbling down and the grief poured in, threatening to crush me.
My bare feet were cold in the puddles forming on the roof as the storm continued to build around us. Gabriel stopped the rain from hitting us but the crash of thunder and arc of lightning in the sky couldn’t be contained.
More tears spilled over and I wrapped my arms around myself as I took a few steps towards the edge of the roof. I tried to hold them back but the more I did, the more they seemed to find a way through. I tightened my hold on myself as I slowly lost control.
The chill of the wind whipped around me and I shivered. I was only wearing my thin pyjamas which consisted of a vest and a pair of shorts. Not what I would have chosen for a midnight walk in March during a thunderstorm. But the cold gave me something to focus on outside of myself, just enough to rein in the worst of the tears and hold back the sob which was threatening to tear its way out of my throat.
A hand landed on my shoulder and I stilled at the sound of rustling feathers.
“I can see how sad you are even when you aren’t crying,” he breathed. “You don’t have to hide your tears from me.”
His grip on my shoulder tightened a little and I let him turn me to face him, looking up at him as I fought to rein in the tempestuous grief that had risen to the surface in me.
Ever since Gareth’s death, I’d been obsessed with the fact that he’d been murdered and the idea of catching the culprit and making them pay. I’d cried for a solid day then stopped. I hadn’t really let myself feel the grief I knew I should have since then. I was driven towards this goal of vengeance and retribution but then what? He’d still be gone. I’d still be alone...
Gabriel leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek, my tears washing over his lips.
I looked up at him in surprise as the heat of his mouth on my skin trickled down into my veins, awakening a completely different set of emotions in me.
“You don’t have to tell me why you’re so sad,” he said, a faint frown creasing his forehead. “But I think the stars brought us here. I was meant to be here with you now. Before I entered our dorm I had a vision of me carrying you through the sky in my arms and less than ten minutes later it came to pass. This was meant to happen.”
“You really think fate brought us here together? She clicked her fingers and made a Dragon throw me out of a window just so that you could catch me?” I shook my head in denial but the seriousness in Gabriel’s gaze stopped me from outright refusing to accept it.
“I think you were meant to end up in my arms tonight,” he agreed in a deep growl though I wasn’t sure if he sounded happy about it.
A cool breeze gusted around us, rustling the feathers of his giant wings at his back. He’d half shifted back out of his Harpy form, the silver scales withdrawing from his flesh so just the black wings emerging while he stood before me in the jeans he’d been wearing while he perched on his bunk in our room five minutes ago. Or a thousand years ago, depending on if you asked my head or my heart.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” I breathed.
“I couldn’t just let you fall.”
His stormy e
yes captivated me and I found myself at a loss for words as I looked up at him. He was so tall, so strong and sure of himself. I should have felt small in every way beside him and yet somehow I didn’t. There was strength in his solid aura of calm and I couldn’t help but steal a measure of it for my own as I stood before him.
His chest was bare and his tattoos stood out on his flesh, highlighted by the flashes of lightning which scored the sky overhead. I spotted the symbol for my own star sign, Libra, etched into the skin right above his heart and reached up to touch my finger to it.
Gabriel’s wings flexed and spread at my touch and my eyes widened as they opened up behind him, blocking out the vague moonlight beyond the clouds and shrouding us in darkness. They were huge, magnificent, like the wings of an angel who had fallen from the heavens just to save me.
Gabriel leaned forward to press a kiss to my other cheek, stopping those tears too.
My heart skipped a beat and I decided to take a leap of faith. He said fate had brought me here and tonight, for the first time since I’d come to this academy, I was letting myself truly feel something other than rage. And I didn’t want it to stop too soon.
Before he could pull back, I turned my head and touched my lips to his.
Gabriel fell still. He didn’t return my kiss but he didn’t pull away either. I stayed there for another second then stepped back, heat filling my cheeks as I dropped my gaze.
“Sorry,” I muttered, backing up again. “I don’t know why I-”
Gabriel caught my face between his hands and pressed his lips to mine again before I could say anything else.
My heart tumbled over itself in surprise as my lips moulded to his. His kiss was gentle at first, unsure, like he thought I might change my mind as the salt of my tears slid between our mouths.
But with each second that passed, desire for the dark angel before me was pushing out my grief.
Gabriel pulled back and I looked up at him with my heart pounding and the moon shining through the clouds above us like it was watching.
A shiver raced along my skin and I bit my lip as goosebumps rose everywhere. Gabriel’s gaze slid down my body, taking in my hardened nipples which pressed against my thin vest and my bare legs beneath my shorts.
“You’re cold,” he stated, offering me his hand which I accepted hesitantly. “Come on.”
Gabriel tugged me along toward a canopy set up on the far side of the rooftop. It had three walls and a roof formed out of dark blue canvas and was tall enough for us to walk inside even with his wings out. He dropped his hold on the water magic protecting us and the sound of the storm thundering down on the canvas roof surrounded us.
“Do you just...hang out up here on your own?” I asked, looking around at the piles of books strewn about the place. To the back of the tent was a thick mound of blankets which probably explained why it seemed like his bed hadn’t even been slept in some nights.
“I find the clamour of too many people...stifling,” he admitted slowly. “Sometimes I just need to be.”
I chewed on my lip, realising that this wasn’t just some man cave he was showing me, it was personal, private, a place he called his own and I was most definitely trespassing.
“Look, Dante has gone off in his Dragon form and I’ve got a perfectly good bed downstairs. I don’t wanna intrude on your space and you’ve already done more than enough for me, so-”
Gabriel cut off my babbling by pressing his lips to mine again. His long fingers slid into my hair and every particle in my body came alive for him as my breath caught in my throat.
I hardly even knew him and I had every reason to be suspicious of him but somehow the feeling of his body against mine seemed like the most natural thing in the world.
His hands moved to my waist and he started walking me backwards as the passion between us grew into something more tangible.
I slid my arms up around his neck, my fingers pushing into the hair which curled at the nape of his neck.
Gabriel slid his hands down my spine and I arched into him, a sigh escaping my lips between kisses.
My bare feet brushed against the soft blankets at the back of the space as he continued to move me backwards and I dropped down onto them, tugging him down with me.
Gabriel moved over me, his wings flexing behind him, casting us in shadow. The lightning flashed on them, making them appear like a spill of oil. I couldn’t help but reach over his shoulder, running my hand along the hard ridge at the top of his left wing.
Gabriel groaned as I touched him, looking down into my eyes with such intensity that I could feel myself blushing.
He trailed his hand along the side of my face, his fingertips carving a burning path along my flesh as he studied me in the dim light.
“You’re so beautiful, Elise Callisto,” he said seriously, his thumb brushing over my lips.
“I didn’t know you’d ever even looked at me before now,” I teased, unsure how to react to his intensity.
“I haven’t stopped looking at you from the moment you walked into our dorm. I’ve seen your pain, your sorrow, your light and your fire. And it isn’t enough. You captivate me.”
I blinked up at him, lost for words but his mouth captured mine again before I had to think of any to give him.
This time when he kissed me it was deeper, fiercer, the heat of it warming me right down to my core and causing desire to pool in every inch of my skin. Where we came together my whole body hummed at the contact, needing more and more of him.
Gabriel pressed down on me and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he ground against me through the barrier of our clothes.
It wasn’t enough. I needed more of him. All of him. I needed to feel alive again and every touch, every kiss he placed on my flesh felt like it was waking me up. Like I’d been lost and cast adrift but he was calling me back from the edge of an endless void. Offering me hope that I could feel something more than pain and misery.
It didn’t make sense. I hardly knew him. But Gabriel thought the stars had meant for us to come together and I’d never wanted to believe in fate as much as I did in that moment. And it wasn’t like I’d never had a one night stand before. Maybe one of the Kings wasn’t the most sensible option in the world, but tonight I felt like being anything but sensible.
His hands slid up my sides, pushing at my vest as he moved it off of me.
I arched my back, breaking our kiss as the material passed over my head and the cold air caressed my exposed flesh. Even the smallest brush of his skin against mine sent butterflies warring through me. I’d never felt desire as keenly as this, I was ready to explode and he’d barely even begun to touch me.
Gabriel’s mouth started carving a line down my neck and I moaned again. “Why does this feel so good?” I gasped as a shudder ran through my body.
“I don’t know,” he replied breathlessly. “I’ve never wanted anyone this much. I could lose myself in this feeling.”
I moaned as he kissed me again, the passion of it bruising as we acknowledged the strength of this connection between us and took advantage of it selfishly.
His mouth made it to my breast and his tongue ran straight over my nipple, sending a surge of need between my thighs. I ran my fingers through his dark hair, my nails scraping his scalp. He sucked and teased at my nipple, biting down just hard enough to pull a moan from my lips.
Gabriel’s hand slid to the waistband of my shorts and he pushed beneath it, a groan escaping him at the wetness he found waiting for him there. He pushed a finger inside me just as he drew his teeth across my nipple again and I arched against him as I felt his touch in every single inch of my flesh.
“Shit,” I gasped, my body trembling and toes curling as he moved his finger in and out a few times before adding a second.
I ran my hands up the strong swell of his biceps, my nails biting into his flesh each time he pushed his fingers into me again.
I was tightening around him already, my body giving in to the demands of h
is hand even though he’d only just started touching me.
Gabriel dragged his teeth over my nipple and drove his fingers in harder, his thumb pressing down on my clit in the same movement and I cried out as pleasure crashed through my body. My vision darkened and I tipped my head back as I soaked in that feeling like I’d been starving for it and hadn’t even realised until this moment.
Gabriel growled in satisfaction as he returned his lips to mine, devouring the pleasure he’d just given me as the hard length of his arousal drove into my thigh.
Thunder crashed overhead again and I felt it rumbling right through my body as I lay trembling in the wake of what Gabriel had already done to me.
We were both panting with want and need, our tongues moving against each other’s in a desperate dance as our movements grew faster. I wanted more of him. Every hard inch.
Gabriel reached between us and unbuckled his jeans, rearing back to push them off of him and I slid out of my shorts.
As he knelt above me, I couldn’t help but stare at his tattoos which stood out along his skin even in the dim light. My gaze caught on the symbols for Libra and Scorpio which almost seemed to be glimmering against his flesh.
I opened my mouth to point it out but Gabriel lowered back down onto me in the same moment and I instantly forgot all about it.
As his mouth came down on mine again, Gabriel swept his wings out around us. Pressing the edges of them down to the blankets either side of us and completely cocooning us in darkness beneath them.
I reached out behind him, dragging my fingertips down the inside of his wings, impossibly soft feathers sliding over my skin.
Gabriel groaned against my lips, shifting his hips forward with need as he pressed against my opening for a moment. I moaned in encouragement, need gathering in me as I kissed him harder, urging him on.
He pushed into me slowly, devouring the sound I made against his mouth as he filled every single inch of me before drawing back just as slowly. It was a heady feeling, my body adjusting to accommodate him. He seemed to take delight in the way his body was possessing mine as he paused a moment, holding me in suspense.
Dark Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 1) Page 12