Ascending Passion

by Amanda Pillar

  “How did you know?” Was she spying on them?

  “I am the most powerful witch—”

  He cut her off. “In all of the Americas. Right.”

  Yeah, she’s totally spying on us. How, he didn’t know. But he’d work that out later.

  “Now, go get some rest so you can return to my granddaughter.” She made shooing motions at him.

  “Thanks.”

  The door had already closed behind her.

  Turning back to the alley, he threw another handful of gate dust into the air and spoke the mansion’s address. A moment later, he’d stepped through into the foyer. If he’d been a regular Joe trying to get in, the Devilsgate would have spewed him elsewhere in the world, but since he was keyed to the ward Raze had placed on the mansion, he got free access to the inside.

  He strode straight for the library, Raze’s favorite hangout. Bingo. The dark-skinned angel was at his desk, hunched beside a pile of documents that looked like an attempt at the record for the world’s tallest paper tower.

  “Raze?”

  The other angel’s head snapped up. “Ah, Yael. You’re back.”

  “Just for a few hours.”

  “Yes, Azrael mentioned you needed some sleep. Enjoy.” Raze’s head was already dipping back to his desk. The guy was seriously addicted to studying.

  Perhaps—

  “Do you have any idea why Lucifer would be specifically interested in finding the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh named Twosret?”

  Raze didn’t even look up. “It rings a faint bell, but…” The sentence tailed off as the angel went back to searching through a stack of photographs.

  Realizing that he wasn’t going to get anything further out of the distracted angel, Yael turned and headed for his room. Hopefully the sleep powder Dora had given him would work. He needed to stay sharp, because he had the feeling things were only just starting to get interesting.

  Chapter 23

  I can’t believe I actually was happy when he came back.

  Rowan kicked the side of the bed, cracking her toe. Pain burst up her leg, making her hop around the room like a crazed rabbit. “Damnit.” She sat on the edge of the mattress, rubbing her throbbing foot. Why was she being such an idiot?

  I can’t believe I kind of miss him.

  They’d only spent the last three weeks together, but it had felt almost like a lifetime. And that made her feel guilty as hell, because Eric had only been gone a month

  It’s just because you’re tired. You know you’re more emotional then.

  She didn’t know how all the others had been able to stay awake so easily over the past two days; she was so tired she was seeing things. She kept getting flashes of white in the corner of her vision, like things were glowing in her bedroom. It was likely the aura of an impending migraine.

  Time for sleep. If I rest now, I might be able to beat the headache before it kicks in.

  She climbed into bed, all too aware that the room felt empty without Yael. She punched her pillow a few times, just because, then she curled up on her side, pretending her bodyguard was in the room, that she was safe, and that she wasn’t alone with her thoughts. With her pain.

  *

  Luke’s voice drifted to her. “Rowan, you are so beautiful, you put the blooms to shame.”

  She started awake, to see a field of wildflowers. Pink, blue, purple and yellow, they formed a sea of colors so intense, so unreal, that she knew she had to be dreaming. The edges of the field were shrouded in mist, and it felt isolated, this little place of wonder.

  For a dream, everything felt real, like she was actually sitting in the field, the ground firm and slightly cool underneath her. She wore a loose white dress and a sunhat; Luke sat opposite her, dressed in a light shirt and tan pants. His long hair was unbound, framing his face, making him all the more handsome. He wore a careful expression, and had one knee raised, an elbow resting on it.

  “Where are you glasses?” she asked. He was different without them, the gray of his eyes almost white, the perfection of his face a little too relentless.

  “I don’t need them here.”

  “Okay.” She smiled to cover her unease. Something about this dream was off. Like it was coming from outside her mind, not within it.

  That’s crazy.

  Yes, but she was dreaming.

  Stuff didn’t have to make sense.

  That thought calmed her.

  “You really are magnificent.” He leaned closer, smiling.

  She met his stare and froze. His eyes were cold now, colder than snow. He might smile and praise her, but there was something calculating in his gaze. Realizing he was waiting for a response, she mumbled, “Thank you.”

  He drew back, as if surprised by her reply.

  Isn’t that what most women say when they’re uncomfortable around a guy?

  He reached out and clasped one of her hands in his own. He’s persistent. The touch was meant to be reassuring, but she found the heat of his grip confining.

  “Am I making you uncomfortable?” he asked.

  Why do guys ask that when they know they are? Like by acknowledging it, it made it okay.

  “I don’t know what I’ve done to earn such praise from you.” Her answer was pathetic, she knew, but she didn’t want a confrontation, even in her dreams. In fact, she wanted the dream over and done with so she could get some rest. Her body and brain needed it.

  Something like pity flickered through his expression, before it settled on earnestness. “You are remarkable.”

  A little devil came to life in her. Clearly Dream Luke wasn’t the giving-up kind of guy. “In what way?”

  He wasn’t expecting that.

  The fact he didn’t have a ready answer made it clear his words were just empty fawning.

  “Come now,” she urged. “Surely there is something about me that has earned your regard.”

  “You are intelligent.” His voice deepened. “And you are beautiful.”

  She pulled her hand out of his clasp, disappointed. “I am not beautiful.”

  So even my subconscious doesn’t appreciate lies.

  You’d think this would be the one place she’d fall for it, the fantasy. An amazingly hot guy thinking she was his sun and moon. But no. Even in her sleep she was too pragmatic for that.

  Lucky me.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Luke said.

  “I might pass for pretty, but I am not beautiful. Don’t waste your time on meaningless flattery.”

  He leaned back, as if she’d slapped him. “I—”

  The dream warped. One moment she was in the field, and the next, she was spinning through space, nothing but stars and velvety darkness surrounding her. Her stomach lurched at the sudden change, then she landed on the ground with a thump, her body throbbing from the impact.

  What kind of a dream does that?

  Her lip stung. She licked it, surprised at the iron taste. Wiping the blood away with her white sleeve, she checked herself for more injuries. Nope, just the split lip, although she’d have some bruises. Pushing herself up, she scanned her new environment: polished marble floors and cloud-colored marble columns soaring to a powder-blue ceiling above. In the middle of the expanse, a stone chamber squatted, its architectural lines reminding her of a mausoleum.

  “Where am I?” she muttered to herself, as she shoved herself up on her knees.

  “Heaven.”

  Yelping, she spun around. Yael was behind her. He wore a white robe, belted at the waist with silver rope, like some Grecian god. His eyes were locked on the mausoleum.

  “Why am I here?”

  He turned to her and swallowed, like being here was so painful that he struggled to talk. “I don’t know.”

  “Why are you here?”

  He sighed, like she was the nosiest person alive. Reaching out a hand, he helped her stand. His grip sent sparks through her, her whole body coming to life. He let go as
soon as she was on her feet.

  “I used to live here.”

  Her eyes widened. “You used to live in Heaven?”

  “Yep. Worked here, too.”

  “As what?”

  “An angel.”

  She snickered. “What?”

  “You think it’s funny? That I was once an angel?”

  “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “You’re serious.”

  Dream Yael really was offended.

  “Yes, I’m serious. Come.” He strode toward the squat building, and she trailed along behind him.

  “Where are your wings?” she asked, taking in the finely hewn muscle of his back.

  He didn’t answer.

  I bet the real Heaven looks different to this. It was so austere. Not that she actually believed in Heaven and Hell, but she figured that Heaven would be all green fields and lush paradise. Not some sterile hall with a tomb in the middle.

  The door of the mausoleum had been blasted away. “It’s broken,” she said. Scorch marks marred the gray stone within, an empty pedestal standing forlornly in the center of the space.

  “This used to house one of our most precious artifacts: Heaven’s Heart. Ten months ago, it was stolen. I was part of a special military unit designed to protect it. After it was taken, we were banished. Our wings cut off.”

  Now I feel like an asshole.

  He was watching her like she was meant to reply. Why was this dream so odd? Normally things just happened, and she rolled with it. She didn’t have to actually think about stuff. “Can you get back into Heaven?”

  “Yes, if I find the artifact, and the two other pieces that were once part of it.”

  “Were all three stored here?”

  “No. The other two have been lost to Heaven for eons.”

  “A bit of an impossible quest, then.”

  “Yep.” He glanced down at his watch, checking the time. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

  “So why aren’t you flattering me?” she blurted.

  “I—What?”

  “I was dreaming I was with Luke. He was being overly nice. Then I come here and you’re all business.”

  Yael stepped close to her, his body barely a hair’s breadth away, and leaned down, his hazel eyes intense. “I am always business.”

  Why did that sound more seductive than anything Luke had said?

  The angel straightened slowly, his gaze sweeping over her, making her body heat. “Plus, I don’t need to flatter you. You know what you’re worth.”

  Rowan awoke with a gasp.

  Chapter 24

  Lucifer slammed a fist on the table, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

  How did she do that?

  While she’d been at the valley this morning, he’d had a sorcerer re-do all the spells her bodyguard had neutralized in her room. The most important was the dream-weave spell on her bed. It was designed to make her dream of him, and to enable him to reach her while she was sleeping; to slip into her subconscious and control the flow of her dream. It was amazing what a few well-placed nighttime fantasies could do, even with the most stubborn of people.

  But somehow, he’d lost control of her while she slept. They were in the Field of Fancy—as he liked to call it—and he had been slowly but surely wooing her. Women loved flattery. He’d used the field numerous times over the years; the flowers emitted a subtle aphrodisiac that worked on the subconscious mind.

  However, she hadn’t reacted typically. Her pulse hadn’t raced with latent lust, her skin had remained creamy, with no telltale flush of excitement. It was as if the flowers hadn’t had any impact on her at all. And she’d been skeptical of his compliments. He was willing to forgive that, however. It served to highlight how intelligent she was, that she would not fall prey to a few kind words.

  It made him appreciate her more; and worry less about that other fallen angel. Yael did not have the physical perfection he had, and his attitude was abrasive. No, even if he did say a few pretty words to Rowan, she would not succumb.

  But Luke needed Rowan.

  At the end of the day, however, he didn’t need her to be willing. It would make life easier for her, but it was not necessary for his plans. If she would not succumb to his charm soon, he would be required to use more forceful measures…

  Chapter 25

  Yael was back in Luxor the next afternoon, feeling refreshed but a little edgy. While he hadn’t had any sex dreams of Rowan this time, he’d had a doozy nonetheless. He’d been in Heaven, showing her the Sanctum and the missing Heaven’s Heart. Not only was it sacrilege to show a human the Celestial City, it was also beyond comprehension he’d tell her about his fall and the artifact.

  Thank God it was just a dream.

  Although it certainly had felt real.

  Knocking on her door back at the compound, he waited impatiently for her to answer. Azrael and Dru had checked in earlier via SMS to say she’d been fine, but he didn’t like being away from her for so long. What if Lucifer had tried to seduce her? He couldn’t picture Azrael throwing himself between them, not with Dru around.

  Although it would have been fucking hilarious if Dru had decided to take on the Hell-lord.

  He raised his fist to knock again when the door swung inward. Rowan stood on the other side, in the black gown she’d worn to dinner in Cairo. The dress was shapeless, but it accentuated her long legs. Her red hair was out, and she even wore a faint smattering of makeup. His eyes were drawn to her lips where—

  “What the Hell happened?” He barged into the room and dragged her under the light, angling her face so he could see better. “Who did this to you?”

  Carefully, he raised a finger and her split lip. She hissed in discomfort, but he couldn’t see any other bruises or wounds that would indicate she’d been attacked.

  Her lip was split on her arrival in Heaven…

  But that was just a dream.

  Rowan stepped out of his hold. He was surprised she’d allowed him to manhandle her for that long. “I woke up with it.”

  He frowned. “You woke up with it?”

  “Yes. I went to bed, no injury. Woke up to blood all over my pillow and a split lip. I figure I must have bitten it or something.”

  The vertical line of the wound was in completely the wrong direction for it to have been caused by her teeth, but he didn’t bother setting her straight. Because telling her the truth wasn’t an option: that she might have done it during a dream, where she landed face-first on the floor of the Inner Sanctum.

  Can humans even visit other people’s dreams?

  But then, she wasn’t entirely human, and he had ingested some magical sleep powder from her grandmother. Maybe he had reached out to her.

  Better not have any more of that stuff.

  She was scowling at him; he’d been looming over her a little too long.

  Time to change the subject.

  “So why are you dressed up?” he asked.

  “This?” She ran her hands over her slender body. Kill me. Why did she have to do that? “We’re going out.”

  “We are?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not us.”

  “Right.” He wasn’t following.

  “Well, you can come, obviously. But Luke is taking the archaeologists out to dinner, to celebrate the tomb opening.”

  She crossed the short distance to the desk and grabbed her purse. “Let’s go then.”

  “Sure.”

  “Actually, let me check my makeup.” She touched her wounded lip and headed for the bathroom. It was the only time he’d ever seen her care about her appearance. It was strange, that she was nervous about it.

  He much preferred her confidence.

  After she’d left the room, he quickly withdrew the Clear Sight powder and applied it. He should have done it before heading to the mansion, but he’d been more concerned about getting some sleep.

  Opening his eyes, he
was nearly blinded by the glowing spells.

  Damn.

  Someone had been busy in the past day.

  Every spell he’d neutralized over that past three weeks was back, and then some. Her bed was like a fucking eighties dance party.

  A knock sounded and he opened the door to see Azrael and Dru there.

  “Whoa!” Azrael blinked rapidly.

  “You can see these without the Clear Sight powder?”

  Azrael rubbed his eyes. “Yeah. Can’t you?”

  “No.”

  Azrael was only a century older than him, why could he do it and Yael couldn’t? “Have you always been able to?”

  “Yes, I thought all of us Darts could. Seems like that isn’t the case.” He put on a pair of sunglasses. “That’s better.”

  “What kind of spells are there?” Dru asked. “Tell me, tell me!”

  “Lots. Mostly listening,” Azrael replied. “There’s a badass dream-weave one, too.”

  Dru gave a low whistle, impressed.

  Rowan emerged from the bathroom. “Oh! You’re all here. Great. Let’s go.”

  Something dark and green filtered through Yael’s mind at her ready acceptance of Dru and Azrael. No need to get jealous, asshole. Those two are devoted to one another. And they were. It was the only good thing he could say about Dru: she clearly loved the shit out of Azrael.

  The four of them headed for the parking lot, where they met Kayla, Campbell and Murdoch. Lucifer was nowhere to be seen. Thank fuck. They all piled into the minivan—Yael in shotgun, the driver’s seat vacant.

  “Where’s Dr. Mustafa?” Rowan asked.

  “He’s not coming,” Kayla replied, attention locked on the gravel yard outside the car window.

  “Then who’s driving?”

  Murdoch shifted in his seat, long limbs protesting their confinement. “One of the guards.”

  A demon dressed entirely in black climbed into the driver’s seat. Yael figured he could only see the guy’s true form because of the Clear Sight, because Rowan didn’t let out a scream at the appearance of a bright-pink horned monstrosity.

  The guard pulled out of the lot and guided the van out onto Wadi Al Melok Road. As he drove, Kayla chattered in the back with Rowan, winning the occasional quip from Dru. The men were largely silent, but that could be because Murdoch seemed to be permanently cramped, and Campbell looked like he was about to leap out the van door whenever Azrael glanced his way.