Storm of Sin

by Patricia D. Eddy

  “Zoe.” Sin’s deep voice rumbles to my left, and I suck in a sharp breath. “Stay calm. You are in my bed.”

  “Your bed?” Knowing where I am is great and all, but Sin and I are not together. And the only way I’d ever sleep with him is if... “Oh, God. You used your talents on me.”

  I try to scramble away, but Sin bands his arm around my waist and pulls me back against him. He’s so warm and solid, and the closeness calms something deep inside me, but it shouldn’t. He…fed from me!

  “You gave me permission, Zoe. We would have died. What is the last thing you remember?”

  I can barely keep my eyes open. Is he still influencing me? My thoughts wander. Tacos. Orange blossoms. Pain. “We were at Temple’s apartment. The garage.” Large, black wings. Seeing the city from high above. Flying. Oh, my God. We were flying! ”Oh, shit. You’re...you have wings! How do you have wings?” I struggle to free myself from his hold, but he’s too strong, and when his lips brush the shell of my ear, the intimate—and oddly familiar—gesture tamps down my panic enough so I can breathe.

  “I am only part incubus. My father was an angel.” His words are quiet and almost resigned, as if he doesn’t want to recognize this part of himself. Or admit to it.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I roll over so we’re facing one another, though it’s pitch dark in here, and I can only just make out his profile as he stares at the ceiling.

  His body stiffens, and he pulls the blankets over me with dispassionate precision. “I do not tell anyone. And you cannot either.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Shock roughens his tone, and he pushes up on an elbow with a groan. “That is your only response?”

  Our brush with death is fresh in my memories again, and I shudder. “Sin, you saved our lives. You flew us out of that garage, past two men and a Fae who wanted to kill us—or turn us into zombies—and halfway across the city. With a piece of fucking rebar sticking out of your back. What do you expect me to say? Besides...’thank you’?”

  Sin falls back down next to me. “You are truly unique in this world, Zoe. I am not certain any other, be they human or divine, would have been this…accepting. Or calm.”

  “I do have a question.” It’s getting harder to stay awake, and I curl away from Sin and burrow deeper under the blankets, suddenly chilled. He follows, warming me with his body pressed to mine.

  “Ask.”

  “You have this huge apartment. I’m pretty sure I saw a guest room. Why am I in your bed? I took a shower, but after that…everything’s fuzzy.”

  He sighs, his breath warm against my cheek. “You gave me more of your energy than I thought possible.” His voice too takes on a sleepy, slow cadence. “I was worried for you. Staying close will help us regain our strength faster.”

  “Is that—“ I yawn, “—the whole answer?”

  “No.” Sin runs his nose along my neck with a satisfied hum. “I did not wish to be parted from you. I needed to hold you and ensure you were safe. Sleep now, Zoe. In the morning, things will return to normal.”

  He sounds so sad, as if “normal” is the last thing he wants. And as I drift off, I think it might be the last thing I want as well.

  The scent of coffee rouses me, and when I stretch under the expensive sheets, my body feels almost healed. Except for my legs. Reaching down, I find bruises along the backs of my thighs, just above my knees.

  The lockers. They fell, pinning me, and Sin tossed them like they weighed nothing at all. A bathrobe lies across the foot of the bed, and I belt it tightly, my cheeks burning as I realize I’m naked other than one of Sin’s silk shirts. At least it’s long enough to cover…most of what needs covering.

  My partner—clad only in a pair of dark pajama pants and nothing else—lounges on a cream-colored sofa in front of a gas fireplace, staring out the large windows at a view of half the city. Cradling the cup of coffee like it’s the elixir of life itself, he doesn’t move a single muscle unnecessarily as he takes a sip.

  “I just brewed a fresh pot,” he says, his gaze never leaving the skyline. “A courier will be here within the hour with clothing for you, but I am afraid I have little to no actual food here. If you tell me what you’d like, I will have it delivered.”

  I’ve just walked into an episode of The Twilight Zone.

  “You had someone go buy me clothing?”

  Slowly, he turns his head and focuses on me. The power in his blue eyes hits me square in the chest, and I take a step back.

  “You would prefer to go into work wearing only my shirt? That can be arranged.”

  “I owe you an apology, then,” I mutter as I pour myself a cup of coffee so strong, I’m actively wary of the first sip. “Clearly I took the ‘right’ side of the bed last night. You definitely got up on the ‘wrong’ one.”

  Sin cages me against the counter before I realize he’s moved, and the mug slips from my hand. He catches it, but not before the hot liquid splashes my fingers.

  “Fucking hell,” he mutters and spins me towards the sink, wrenches the faucet, and thrusts my hand under cold water. “I do not know how to do this, Zoe.”

  “Do what? Avoid spilling coffee all over your partner? That’s pretty damn simple. Do. Not. Touch. Me.”

  “I cannot help it.” His breath stutters, drawing my focus to his chest—and the heavily scarred but still damn sexy eight-pack ending in a v at his waistband. “I am drawn to you in a way I have never felt before.”

  “You’re hungry,” I whisper. “That’s all this is.”

  “Perhaps. But I can control my appetites. What I feel for you is different.” He shuts off the water and carefully dries my hand. “Does it still hurt?”

  “No. Not...really.” Hurt isn’t the word. When Sin touches my fingers, little sparks of electricity run up and down my arm. He’s not the only one who doesn’t know what the hell is going on here. “Scale of one to ten. How hungry are you right now?”

  “Six.” Tipping my chin up, he meets my gaze. “You can tell by the color of my eyes. By how much red they contain. A ring around the blue means I have a day or more before I am compromised. When they turn completely red, that is when you must worry.”

  “They were red yesterday in the garage.” He’s still touching me. Still holding me, and dammit, I don’t want him to stop.

  Twirling a thick curl around one of his fingers, he inhales deeply. “And then you kissed me.”

  “You told me you could save our lives. I...had to. It was perfunctory.”

  “All you had to do was let me siphon off some of your energy. Instead of a simple kiss, you practically threw yourself at me. It was...far beyond perfunctory.” Dipping his head, he brushes his lips to mine. “And most unforgettable.”

  “It can’t ever happen again,” I breathe, and whatever magic was flowing between us vanishes in a heartbeat.

  A chime sounds, followed by a short knock. Sin releases me, turns on his heel, and strides down the hall. After a brief exchange of male voices, the door shuts again. “Your clothing,” he says, dropping a bag on the floor at my feet before walking away.

  And then I hear him start the shower. I’m so fucking turned on, I’m halfway down the hall before I stop myself. This has to be a side effect of letting him feed from me. I need to wash him off, figuratively and literally.

  Each step causes Sin’s shirt to rub against my over-sensitized nipples. Would he notice if I got myself off in the shower? If I don’t, I’m not sure I’ll be able to concentrate at all today, and there are still two demons out there hunting people. In the guest bedroom, I spread out the clothing he bought, then catch sight of the clock on the nightstand.

  It’s still early—not even 8:00 a.m.—and the distance between us, as short as it is, allows me to think. We were attacked around 5:00 last night and once we got back here, we never checked in with Commander Eve. Did anyone go to Loup Noir?

  Rushing down the hall before I realize what I’m doing, I burst into Sin’s bathroom. H
e’s in the glass-walled shower, his dick in his hand, and his head thrown back as four separate jets spray his sculpted body. He’s too far gone to notice me, and like some invisible force has tied a rope around my waist, I take step after step closer.

  He’s magnificent, and his moans of pleasure ratchet up my own arousal until he manages to form a word I can understand. “Zoe.”

  Me. He’s fantasizing about me.

  Like you aren’t doing the same damn thing right now.

  The voice in my head—the one that always gets me into trouble—won’t shut up around him, and I wonder. Maybe if we gave in, just once, we’d get this out of our systems and could move on.

  He says my name again as my robe falls to the floor, and from the size of the hard length in his hand and the speed of his thrusts, he’s close.

  Mine. The word rips through my very soul, and at this moment, the only thing I care about in this entire fucking world is getting my hands on him.

  I don’t bother stripping out of his shirt, just yank open the shower door and step inside.

  Sin

  I can almost feel her hands on me. Hear her voice tell me she wants to be the one to make me come.

  Nothing and no one in my many centuries of life has ever made me feel like she does.

  “Look at me, Sin.”

  I almost lose my balance when I open my eyes. She’s here. Standing in front of me, soaking wet, with my shirt clinging to her slight curves. “What are you doing?” I can barely force the words out, but I need to know she wants this.

  “Maybe…getting you out of my system. All I know is that I need you.” Her fingers twist in my wet hair, and she tugs to the point of pain as she pulls me down for a kiss. I cannot help it when her arousal nourishes me, but this is so much more than feeding.

  With her free hand, she strokes my shaft, her thumb sliding over the head, and the feel of her…it is too much. “Zoe.... Fuck!” I shout and lose control, jerking my hips and spilling my seed over her fingers.

  The energy she gives off is intoxicating, and within seconds, I’m hard again. My desperate, overwhelming need partially slaked, I can take my time. Ravish her in all the ways she deserves, and all the ways I dreamed of as she slept in my arms.

  “This must go.” Buttons pop off the shirt, and the material shreds easily, leaving her exposed. So thin. So much pain and sorrow—more than one human lifetime should hold. And her scar. Even now, with her flushed pink from the hot water and her need, the raised skin almost glows.

  There is magic inside her. An ability. And soon, we will explore it. But for now...

  She weighs nothing and drapes her arms around my neck when I lift her, hit the shower knob with my elbow, and carry her, both of us dripping wet, to my bed.

  “Are you certain about this, Zoe? I need to hear you say it.” I back away and avert my eyes. I will not take the chance that I am somehow influencing her without intent. She matters too much.

  “Don’t turn away,” she whispers.

  “I have to. Until you say the words. My gaze…I could unintentionally sway you.”

  Her hands smooth down my shoulders. “You walked away from me in the kitchen and I came to find you. I want this, Sin. I need this. I’m so aroused, and even when we first met, when I thought you were a total and complete asshole, I wanted you. I just refused to entertain the notion.”

  “We will still have to work together.” The enormity of what we are about to do hits me. I am not strong enough to resist her. Not unless she puts a stop to this now. Zoe Dawes is everything I have ever wanted. Strong. Intelligent. Beautiful. And with no reservations about putting me in my place.

  “I’m an adult. You’re immortal. Pretty sure that makes you one too. Are we going to talk this to death? Or are you going to finally kiss me like you mean it?”

  The husky sass to her voice pulls a growl from my throat, and I spin around, grab her wrists, and pin her to the mattress as I straddle her. “I do not do gentle.”

  “And I’m not made of glass.” Her lips twitch in challenge, and that is all I need. She will be mine. If only for today.

  Nineteen

  Zoe

  His predatory gaze should scare me, but he crushes his lips to mine and suddenly all I want is to devour him. He tastes of coffee and strength and power, and unlike when he fed from me in the garage, I don’t feel like I’m lost in him. It’s the opposite.

  I’ve found something. I take as much as he does, and my body tingles all over, power flowing through me. “You are delicious,” he growls, trailing kisses along my jaw to my neck. Desperate to feel him—all of him—I dig my fingers into the hard muscles of his ass and pull him closer, trapping his length between us.

  I want him inside of me, but more than anything else, I need to come, to have him play my body like a musical instrument—one where he controls all the strings.

  Firm lips clamp around my nipple, pulling a moan from somewhere deep inside. More. Closer. Harder. “Sin. Please.” My back bows as he bites down, and his fingers trail along my stomach, resting for a moment on the scar from Temple’s bullet, and then dancing over my mound.

  “Perfection,” he says, meeting my gaze as he settles between my thighs. “I am going to make you scream, my sweet Zoe.”

  The first swipe of his tongue through my folds sends me shooting into the stratosphere, and if this isn’t the most intense, amazing moment in all of time, I don’t know what could top it.

  With firm strokes, he urges me higher, then slides one finger into my slick channel. It’s not enough. Not nearly enough. “More!” I pant.

  “In time,” he grunts around my clit. “I intend...to make...this last.”

  Teasing me over and over again, he brings me right to the edge of release, then crawls up to kiss my lips. I taste myself on his tongue, and I want to touch him, to wrap my fingers around his cock and make him as desperate as he’s made me, but every time I try, he pins me down and tells me not to move.

  I’ve never been one to take orders—not even in the bedroom—but with Sin, it’s all I want to do. Well, that and take him deep in my mouth. Or have him press me up against the wall. Or...so many other variations.

  We’re both drenched with sweat when he fills me with three fingers, and I cry out at the sudden invasion, the perfect mix of pleasure and pain. My core clenches, starts to throb and pulse in time with his tongue, and as I scream his name, a great rustling sound fills the room, and the pressure of the bed against my back falls away.

  Holy shit. We’re…floating. Sin locks his gaze with mine, watching as I come undone, my body rocked by the aftershocks of the most intense release I’ve ever felt. “In this form,” he says, his voice strained and rough, “I cannot carry disease. But—“

  “I’m on birth control.” Sweet Jesus I need him inside me, and even though there’s so much we don’t yet know about one another, I’m certain of one thing. This man—demon—angel—doesn’t lie.

  With a roar, he plunges into me, his wings whipping the air around us into a storm. A chair overturns, the bedsheets tangle in the corner, and his cheeks redden, a vein in his forehead bulging as he thrusts harder and harder.

  “Kiss me,” he demands, and I oblige, wanting every single part of us to be connected when he finally lets go.

  I shouldn’t be ready again, but I am, and with one arm holding me against him, he slips his free hand between us to toy with my clit.

  “Oh, God. Sin. More. More, more, more...” I beg against his lips.

  Another flap of his wings, and I’m pressed against the wall several feet off the ground, my angel’s hips pistoning hard and fast until he roars my name. Pure and overwhelming ecstasy consume me, and everything else fades away until there’s only Sin.

  Sin

  With Zoe in my arms, her head resting on my chest, I bring us down to the bed and force my wings to retract. It hurts like a son of a bitch every time I release them, but the rush of power and adrenaline that follows is addicting. And part of th
e reason Gabriel rarely visits this realm.

  We need more time. Days to spend exploring each other’s bodies. But we must soon return to the investigation. And reality, and I fear I will never have her this way again. There is something so right about this, about us together. Something more than simply the sating of a longstanding need.

  “Commander Eve messaged overnight,” I say as I twirl an auburn curl around my finger. “Cameras at Loup Noir did not capture any sign of Regina last night.”

  Zoe’s sweet relief perfumes the air, and I marvel at how easily I can read her emotions without the slightest use of my talents. “So, what do we do now?”

  “We have an hour. Perhaps two, if you’d like another go…”

  She snorts, a very indelicate sound for such a tiny human. “I meant with the case.”

  “Oh.” My disappointment surprises me. “We should ask Eve for additional agents. Form a task force to watch the most popular clubs. When I first…knew him, Thorn did not have a pattern as he does now. He took women as he saw fit. As opportunities presented themselves. If he had grown tired of toying with his previous acquisitions or knew of a demon interested in a woman with certain characteristics, he would send Regina—or me—out to hunt…”

  “Why the change, then? Granted, we don’t know the exact dates all of the women were taken. But it seems pretty obvious it’s about every three days.” Snuggling closer, Zoe trails her fingers along the T-shaped scars covering my chest. I do not remember most of the floggings, but memories of coming back to awareness covered in blood and in so much pain, I could barely move fill my nightmares. I cover Zoe’s hand with mine, and she seems to sense my discomfort and changes the subject. “So, um…how come you didn’t tell me you were an angel?”

  I close my eyes, relishing her closeness for at least another few minutes. “It is complicated.”

  Zoe straightens the sheet, drawing it over us before sinking back onto the pillow. “I don’t really have…friends, Sin. Acquaintances, sure. But friends? People I trust?” She ticks off a finger at a time. “My grandmother, one of my college professors—though I can’t even remember his name right now—and Temple. I want to trust you. But I don’t know you. Yesterday, you kissed me and then sprouted huge black wings. And just now…? We had sex in the air! Why would you hide that?”