Salvation in Darkness (Misplaced Halos Book 2)

by Nicole Edwards

  “My turn,” she said, pushing at his shoulders.

  Since he could deny her nothing, Eclipse fell to his side, allowed her to force him to his back. He admired the lean lines of her body as she got to her knees, jerking at the button on his jeans. He chuckled when she sighed, finally content once she’d freed his erection.

  That raspy laugh died in his throat, drowned by a rough growl when she wrapped her lips around him and drew him deep into her mouth.

  Eclipse wasn’t sure what he’d expected from Orianna when it came to sex, but her aggressive need to sate both of them surprised him. He admired her willingness to take what she wanted, to bestow an immeasurable pleasure in her quest. It seemed they were extremely compatible in that regard.

  His hips shot up off the bed, his hands fisting in the comforter to keep from reaching for her. He didn’t trust himself right now. The pleasure she wrought robbed him of his senses.

  Orianna wasn’t a sweet, innocent lover. However, he wasn’t interested in either of those. Oh, no, he wanted this female, exactly as she was. Strong, independent, earnest, and determined. As she worked him with her mouth and hand, Eclipse held on, refusing to come until he was seated deep inside her. Granted, holding off was easier said than done. When he was seconds from detonating, he reached for her, pulling her onto him before rolling, her body once again beneath his.

  “This is where I need you,” he rumbled as his lips trailed along her jaw. “Beneath me.”

  It was the work of a moment to get his jeans down his thighs, but he didn’t bother kicking his legs free. He couldn’t wait that long, nor could she, because Orianna’s fist wrapped around him, guiding him between her legs. As he plunged into her welcoming heat, she gasped, her hands gripping his hips, holding firm to keep him from going deeper.

  Pausing, Eclipse stared down at her. “Did I hurt you?”

  She surprised him with a smile. “Slow. I just … need you to go slow.”

  Fusing his mouth back to hers, Eclipse began rocking his hips, her slick heat enveloping him inch by inch. She was so tight, her body clenching around him like a velvet vise. The deeper he went, the more she relaxed, her body acclimating to take all of him.

  When he was buried to the hilt, Eclipse lifted his head once more. “Still want slow?”

  Orianna grinned, shaking her head. “Definitely not.”

  He eased out until only the head of his cock was inside her, then pushed in deep as he watched her face. Her mouth opened on a beautiful moan as he began to slide out and in, pushing as deep as he could go.

  “More, Eclipse … I need more.”

  Bracing his upper body on his elbows, he pumped his hips forward and back, driving into her harder, deeper, faster until he was drilling her. Her body stretched tight as she tilted her head back. His gaze dropped to her neck, his fangs punching out, throbbing with the need for her blood. He ignored the desire as he drove them both closer to orgasm, loving how vocal she was, how her hands moved over his arms, clutching him as though she never wanted to let go.

  When she peered back up at him, Eclipse knew what she saw. His eyes were glowing brightly, the emotion she invoked drawing to the surface. While the pleasure was intense, there was something else at play here. Never in his life had he been with a female who touched the deepest parts of him. Orianna was his one and only, the love of his life, his amsouelot. And this feeling, he prayed it wasn’t too good to be true.

  She reached up, her hand gliding over his cheek, then sliding behind his neck.

  He didn’t resist as she urged his head down, their eyes locked. But when she turned her head, baring her neck for him, Eclipse growled low in his throat.

  “Please…” she whispered, tugging his head down with a firm grip. “Don’t fight this.”

  His breath locked in his chest when his lips slid over the sensitive skin of her neck. He could hear her heart beating, the rapid thrum of her blood moving through her veins.

  How he resisted, he wasn’t sure, but Eclipse continued to stroke her flesh with his own, desperate to come deep inside her, to mark her as his for eternity.

  “Take from me,” she demanded, tugging his head again.

  Something inside him snapped. Her demand triggered a desperate hunger that only she could sate, an urge so strong it overwhelmed him. The next thing he knew, his fangs were piercing her vein, her warm blood filling his mouth, sending immense power to every limb. His heart pounded in his chest, his cock swelling. Her taste was like the sweetest ambrosia, an aphrodisiac unlike any other. Never had he tasted anything as good.

  Orianna held his head in place, her body going rigid beneath him as she cried out his name, her sex milking him as she came.

  Somehow, he managed to pull his fangs free, closing the wounds with two swipes of his tongue. No sooner had he pushed up onto his hands than his head fell back on his shoulders and a deep rumble roared up his throat, his body jerking and twitching as he came inside the warm, wet depths of her body.

  Kaj was walking down the corridor to the guest room Obsidian had so kindly offered when he heard the animalistic rumble. Following on the heels of the sound was a surge of energy that nearly knocked him off his feet.

  Planting his palm flat on the wall, he barely avoided knocking one of those ancient framed paintings to the floor. Granted, it would probably look better there, but he wasn’t all that into art.

  More sounds ricocheted through the mansion, piercing his sensitive ears. Soft moans and urgent growls drifted in the air, but there was only one that truly caught his attention. He could hear her breaths and the thrum of her blood across the distance.

  “Acadia,” he moaned, her name falling from his lips as his body hardened.

  Ah, fuck. What the hell was going on here?

  It took three tries, but Kaj managed to stumble the few steps to the door of his room. He had no clue where he was going, but he knew he needed to be somewhere private because whatever this was … his cock was raging and in desperate need of release. It throbbed to the point of pain, the scrape of denim against his flesh nearly unbearable.

  “Kaj…”

  Pivoting, he saw Acadia walking into his room, her head held high, amethyst eyes glowing brightly.

  So he wasn’t the only one affected. Good to know.

  “What is that?” he asked.

  “It’s what’s known as gathenya.”

  Yeah, that was completely lost on him. He’d heard Obsidian speak in his native angel tongue before, but he’d never bothered to learn himself. However, he wasn’t an idiot and he didn’t need a translator to know that what it boiled down to was some sort of sexual vibration that stimulated the need for sex.

  “How long does it last?”

  Those beautiful eyes dropped to his fly. “Until you’ve sated the urge.”

  “Not helping,” he grumbled, turning away. “Close the door.”

  When she remained on the same side as him, Kaj knew the reason she’d come to him. It wasn’t out of concern for his well-being or to give him a quick lesson in what to expect around here. She needed him the same as he needed her.

  Desperate to sate the ache, he ripped his T-shirt over his head and tossed it onto a chair before reaching for the button on his jeans. He managed to remain upright, turning to see Acadia’s eyes were wandering over his naked chest, and if he wasn’t mistaken, the lust he saw there was spurred by more than just the strange energy pulsing through the mansion.

  “Strip, Acadia.”

  Her eyes danced over him as he forcefully yanked the laces on his boots loose enough he could toe them off, then shucked the denim shackling his legs.

  A moan escaped him when he wrapped his fist around his rigid cock, stroking roughly.

  “Now,” he commanded, remembering how this female had always enjoyed his dominating nature.

  “As long as you understand this is a one-time thing.”

  “Sure.” She could believe whatever she wanted.

  Those amethyst eyes began to b
righten more as she worked that complicated contraption she called a dress. Seconds felt like years as she loosened the strings and removed one layer after another until, finally, she was gloriously naked. Kaj sucked air in through his nose as his fangs shot down from his jaw, the need to feed as powerful as the urge to fuck.

  There were no more words spoken as he picked her up and carried her to the nearest flat surface, which happened to be the frilly couch. But rather than toss her onto it, Kaj set her on her feet and turned her away from him. Unable to resist, he curled his hand around her jaw, pulled her lips toward his. Her kiss was just as he remembered, achingly tender yet fueled by an unmistakable passion.

  “Kaj … please.”

  He managed to release his hold, urging her to bend over the back of the sofa.

  He growled low in his throat as he nudged her legs apart with his feet. He was desperate to be inside her, to feel the smooth walls of her sex clutching him. By the time he aligned his cock with the slick entrance to her body, he was gasping for air, the need overtaking him.

  Acadia cried out as he thrust in deep, the sound so familiar, one he’d missed for so fucking long. He had never admitted it aloud, but Kaj had ached for her. Not only this, either. More. Just being in the same room with her … it settled the beast within him. He knew deep in his marrow that she belonged to him, but he’d purposely ignored it because he’d had more important things to take care of.

  But right this instant, as he filled her body, Kaj knew there was never anything as important as her.

  Bracing his hands on the back of the sofa, Kaj plunged into Acadia as she wound her arms around his. When her soft hands rested atop his, he spread his fingers wide, allowing her to twine their fingers. He knew what she needed from him. The emotional energy she would draw from this encounter alone would sustain her for days, and he was more than willing to give.

  “I’m going to bite you,” he warned, his mouth hovering over her shoulder.

  He took her soft moan as encouragement. As he drove his hips forward, retreated, and plunged in again, Kaj raked his fangs over her smooth flesh. Acadia angled her head, giving him direct access to the vein he sought. Kaj held himself there as he took from her body, giving all of himself in return. And when he couldn’t hold out any longer, he stabbed his fangs into her neck, taking deep pulls in an attempt to satisfy the bloodlust.

  “Kaj…” Acadia’s fingers tightened on his, her sex clutching him as she shuddered in his arms.

  He didn’t stop feeding or fucking, taking all she was willing to offer.

  Mine.

  He shot the single word into her mind, needing her to know this was where she belonged. With him. Always.

  Even as he drove them both to an earth-shattering climax, Kaj knew walking away from her again was not an option. And he hoped like hell she didn’t expect it to be.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Surrounded by Kaj’s massive body, Acadia gave in to the overwhelming desire. No male had ever been able to quench her needs the way he could. The energy she took from him was more powerful than any she’d ever siphoned. And the way he took her felt more like a claiming than a means of sating their baser urges.

  As soon as she felt the powerful spasms deep within her, Acadia knew this had been a mistake. Rather than seek him out, she should’ve fled. It had been her intention from the instant she’d stepped foot inside the room. And while she’d been eager to sate the urge from the gathenya, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t allow those long-buried feelings to arise.

  Oh, who was she kidding? Nothing had been buried, certainly not her feelings for the male. Regardless, she’d failed.

  “Stay,” Kaj urged as he slipped from her body.

  “I can’t.” She couldn’t. Seriously.

  “You can,” he insisted, lifting her off her feet as though she weighed absolutely nothing.

  To balance, she threw her arms around his neck, held on tightly. Kaj bypassed the bed, moving into the adjoining bath. A dozen memories flooded her as he flipped on the shower, then urged her to join him by lowering her feet to the floor. As though he feared she would run, he took her hand and brought it to his lips.

  They’d spent so much time doing exactly this. Back when he’d been recovering from his injuries. It had been in those months that she’d fallen in love with the male only to have her heart shattered into a million pieces when he had walked away from her. A year and a half should’ve been plenty of time to heal that wound, but the moment she’d glimpsed him in the dining room, she knew she would never be completely healed.

  “Look at me, balisra.”

  Forcing her eyes to his face, Acadia tried to ignore the way her heart fluttered, the warmth that consumed her simply from looking into those intelligent green eyes. Kaj’s other hand caressed her cheek as he watched her, seemingly peering into her soul. It unnerved her, but as had been the case before, she couldn’t seem to turn away from him.

  “How I’ve missed you,” he whispered, pulling her in close, his thick arms wrapping tightly around her.

  Acadia fought the sigh that threatened to escape as his warmth seeped into her. She attempted to tap into his emotions, to steal a little more to keep her going, but he’d somehow closed himself off to her.

  Pulling back, she peered up into his handsome face. The dark stubble on his jaw and the shaggy black hair were a stark contrast to the celadon-green eyes that seemed to glow. Never in her life had she seen a male who was so intriguing. But never had she met a more infuriating one, either.

  Though she attempted to keep her distance, Acadia caved for a moment, savoring the feel of his skin, the warmth of his embrace. She had missed him so much while he had been away, but she had to remember he was the one who had left.

  Kaj shifted, his hands cupping both sides of her face as he forced her to look at him. Acadia attempted to shield her emotions, but she knew he would see them anyway. He’d always been able to detect what she was feeling, even when she didn’t want him to.

  His eyes danced over her face briefly before he released her. Acadia half expected him to usher her out, but instead, Kaj reached for the body wash on the shelf. She didn’t move, even when he soaped his hands and began sliding them over her shoulders, down her arms. A soft hum escaped as he continued his trek, massaging and kneading as he took great care to wash her. His hands were reverent, his fingers teasing when they plucked her nipples and later dipped between her thighs.

  Only sex.

  That was all this was.

  He wasn’t caring for her, he was reigniting the flames, attempting to stoke the conflagration that would no doubt roar to life the longer they were in here.

  Only. Sex.

  As long as she could keep that in mind, she would be fine. At least that was what she wanted to believe, anyhow.

  Acadia remained motionless as he washed her from neck to toe. By the time he was finished, she was trembling, but she figured that had been his intention.

  “I’m going to kiss you now,” he whispered, cupping her cheek and leaning down, his lips hovering over hers.

  It would’ve been wise to push him away, but as his breath fanned her lips, Acadia found she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not yet.

  And when his lips fused to hers, a flood of emotions surged through her, threatening to drain her supply quickly. She loved how dominant he was, so subtle yet insistent. He knew exactly what to do to turn her on, exactly how to kiss her to make her burn and ache.

  Kaj took her wrists, planting her palms flat on his chest. “Take more from me, balisra.”

  She felt him open himself up to her again, the surge of power flooding her as she feasted on his energy with her hands. The next thing Acadia knew, she was backed against the tiled wall, and with a quick flex of his muscles, Kaj had lifted her off her feet and held her suspended, back to the wall. His green eyes settled on her face as she felt the thick head of his erection pressing insistently against her sex. The power that moved through him astonis
hed her, the way he could so easily maneuver her as he pushed deep inside. Acadia cried out as pleasure assaulted her once more, her body giving in because there was no denying that yearning she had for him.

  When she tried to pull back, both emotionally and physically, Kaj stopped moving, his erection buried deep inside her. She could feel him pulsing, his sexual energy coming off him in waves.

  “Tell me you want this,” he urged, tilting her head and forcing her to look at him.

  Acadia couldn’t tell him. She wouldn’t. Maybe it was true, but she wasn’t willing to risk having her heart ripped from her chest again.

  She saw the disappointment on his face as she felt his body tense. And when he retreated, she almost cried out from the loss as he withdrew from within her. She managed to remain quiet, to keep her disappointment to herself. His warmth disappeared as he set her on her feet once more.

  Her heart squeezed in her chest, the ache she’d lived with for so long returning with a vengeance. She loved Kaj, there was no denying it. Even now, after all this time.

  But she had her pride. Not to mention, she knew the repercussions. If she were to love him unconditionally, her existence would no longer be necessary. It would defeat the very purpose of her presence here on Earth.

  “When you’re ready,” Kaj whispered, “I’ll be here, balisra. I’m not going anywhere. Never again.”

  Her breath hitched, but before she could reveal too much, Acadia reached for a towel and fled the room. She had enough sense to grab her dress before evanescing her physical form and returning to the safety of her room.

  Two down, Michael thought as he stared at the list of amsouelots the warriors were searching for.

  The papyrus paper with its now broken seal was the original document that had been maintained in the vaults by the Fates since the beginning of time. It had once sat alongside countless other scrolls, all depicting the alignments of souls. Once the souls were united, their destinies officially sealed by the Fates, the scrolls were then burned, the ashes scattered over the blessing fountains so the angels within the heavens could continue to watch over them.