Blood of the Fallen
By Dakota Rebel
Resplendence Publishing, LLC
http://www.resplendencepublishing.com
Resplendence Publishing, LLC
2665 N Atlantic Ave #349
Daytona Beach, FL 32118
Blood of the Fallen
Copyright © 2011, Dakota Rebel
Edited by Michelle Paulin and Juli Simonson
Cover art by Les Byerly, www.les3photo8.com
Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-349-2
Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including
infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable
by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Electronic release: July 2011
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product
of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.
For Bronwyn, Brynn, Lacey, Mia and Carol for never giving up on me and
supporting me through everything. You’re the best friends a girl could ever wish
for. I love you guys.
XoXoXo
D
Chapter One
“Go fuck yourself!” I screamed into the phone. “I want you out of my fucking apartment
before I get home, or I’ll throw your bony ass through the window.”
I slammed down the phone and growled my frustration into the room.
“Morning, Drake. Am I interrupting?” Alice, my assistant, stood in the door with two
Starbucks cups in her hands and a wry grin on her face.
“No, come on in.” I dropped into my chair with a sigh. “Coffee? What’s the occasion?
You never bring me coffee.”
“I stole the rest of the money out of petty cash last night so I figured I’d better get you a
present,” she said, setting my cup on the desk.
“You know, you’re the worst assistant ever.”
“But you love me.” She flipped her long, silver hair over her shoulder and sat across from
me. “Was that Gareth?”
“Yes,” I hissed through my teeth. “We are so done.”
“Are you really done or are you done for now like you were last time you were done?”
“The fucker didn’t come home last night. When he stumbled in this morning, he smelled
like a brothel. A female brothel. Fuck him. We’re done. For good.”
Alice gave me a disbelieving look that made her gold-flecked irises darken a little. I
couldn’t really blame her for having doubts though.
Gareth Spence had been my on-again-off-again boyfriend for the last five years. When
he’d moved in with me six months ago, I’d thought that meant we were going to be on again
permanently. We’d had a lot of problems in our time together, the majority of them being that
Gareth was a selfish, immature prick with a penchant for cheating on me. But he’d been so
different last time he’d come crawling back. It even seemed as if he had really changed.
Over the previous few weeks, however, he’d gone back to being a bastard. Staying out
until all hours of the night, hushed phone calls from the bathroom and canceling dates repeatedly
were just some of the things that had been pissing me off. When he didn’t come home last night,
it had been the last straw for me. I’d spent most of the morning packing up his things so he could
just take his boxes and leave.
“That’s what you get for dating a Demon, Drake.”
“Please,” I groaned. “He’s a lesser Demon.”
“He’s a Nephilim!” Alice exclaimed with a laugh.
I shrugged. “So am I.”
“No, you’re a Vampire.”
“Most people can’t tell the difference.”
“Really?” She pushed her hair behind one of her pointy ears as she rolled her eyes.
“When’s the last time you ate an infant?”
“Gareth has never eaten a baby.” As far as I knew, anyway.
“My point is,” she continued unabashed, “your blood is so diluted you might as well be
Human. His grandparents were cannibals. There’s a world of difference between the two of you.
I hate that you forget that.”
“That’s because you’re an Elf and get pissed when people call you a Fairy. It matters to
you. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“I don’t have fucking wings, do I?” Her face turned red, and her fists clenched around her
coffee cup. “Of course, it pisses me off. I’m not a fucking Fae. Fuck those bastards. As useless as
my protection powers may be sometimes, at least, I can do more than make myself look pretty in
order to bang losers.”
“Don’t hold back.” I laughed. “Tell me what you really think.”
“Look, Drake, you know that I love you like a brother. I hate Gareth, and I hate what he
does to you. Promise me that you won’t take him back again. Please?”
Instead of answering, I pulled a long box from under my desk and handed it to her. Alice
set her cup on my desk before reaching out with shaking hands to accept it.
“Is this…” she trailed off as she touched the box and her question was answered. Being a
Sub-Human, she could feel the power the sword radiated even through the thick cardboard
hiding it from view.
“I need you to get that in the vault so Gareth can’t get to it.” I stood up and looked down
at her. “He and I are done. I want you to call in anyone and everyone you need to get wards
around the building so he can’t get within fifty feet of this office.”
She nodded as she got to her feet, her arms cradling the box as if holding a baby. I
watched her wave a hand over the box, sealing the magic inside with one of her “useless”
protection spells so it couldn’t be detected by anyone before she could get it put away.
The Sword of Azazel was rumored to have been forged by the Angel himself and left
behind when he was cast into the desert by Metatron with the rest of The Watchers.
The story goes that The Watchers were a group of Angels sent from Heaven to observe
the Mortals from ground level. They’d broken some kind of rule and fucked a bunch of women
then were punished by God to live eternity in a hole in the desert or something like that. Azazel
had been one of the worst punished because he’d taught the Mortals how to make weapons. I
guess weaponry was supposed to be only in Heaven or something. Though what God would need
swords and shields for I couldn’t imagine. The legend sounded like a bunch of bullshit to me, but
wars had been fought over the sword, and I was its current protector.
The tale says that the offspring of the Human women and the Angels were the first Sub-
Human race to walk the Earth. They had super strength like an Angel and blood-thirsty
tendencies like Mortals. They were called Nephilim and were the scourge of the Earth for
centuries.
As time went on, their bloodline had branched off, some of them mating with Humans for
so many generations that the race was watered down to Vampirism. Which was the case with my
family. We couldn’t even trace back far enough to find a true Nephilim name.
Gareth’s family, on the other hand, had inbred itself almost to the point of extinction. The
only reason it had lasted long enough to create him was the discovery that mating with other
Sub-Human races kept the race purer than breeding with Mortals.
Because of the insanity and bloodlust that ran in the veins of true Nephilim, it was
decided that the Sword of Azazel should be protected by the Vampire kin. It had been handed
down for generations until finally the sword had fallen to me. According to my mother, there’s a
prophecy that says the sword will be needed in the time of the last son of Sariel, whoever the
fuck that was, for that will be the time of great war between good and evil. In other words,
Armageddon will finally come and good will need the Sword of Azazel to kick some evil Demon
ass.
Even though I didn’t believe all the Fallen Angel/Watcher nonsense, I knew power when
I felt it. The sword might not have been forged by Azazel himself, but some pretty strong magic
had been used to make it. I wasn’t about to fuck around and take chances with a priceless
weapon that was possibly a millennia or more old.
Gareth had always been far too interested in the blade. He’d felt the power radiating from
my wall safe and one day finally had demanded to know what I had. When I’d told him about the
sword, his eyes had gotten that greedy look in them, like a Troll that had just discovered a big
pot of gold, and I’d known he could never be allowed to even touch it—and this was during a
good phase in our relationship.
Even though I didn’t believe in the prophecy nonsense, I took my duties as the sword’s
protector very seriously. My family had held the weapon for generations, and it meant something
to them. I wasn’t going to take that lightly. Now that I was the last Vampire on Earth, I wasn’t
sure what would happen to the weapon when I died. My parents had never discussed what the
contingency plan was, though perhaps they didn’t realize I wouldn’t be carrying on their
bloodline.
Now that I was done, really done, with Gareth, I wanted to make sure the sword was
somewhere he wouldn’t be able to get his grubby little hands on it. I could guarantee my mother
never wanted a Nephilim near the blade.
I watched Alice walk out the door then stop and turn back.
“Oh yeah, Agent Abrams is here to see you.”
“Worst assistant ever!” I yelled as she walked away and a tall, blond man filled my
doorway.
“Mr. Brokk,” the man said as he entered the office. “I hope I’m not interrupting
anything.”
“Like you really care,” I sighed, motioning toward the chair in front of my desk. “What
can I do for you today, Agent Abrams?”
Special Agent Elijah Abrams had been to my office four times in the last three weeks.
Usually when the FBI came snooping, I could just make a phone call and the justice department
would shoo them on to some other project.
As an international arms dealer, I was always catching the attention of one government
agency or another. The majority of my dealings were legitimate business with proper paperwork
on file. It was the other ten percent that I had to be careful about. It wasn’t technically illegal to
sell weaponry to Sub-Human species, but that was only because Mortals didn’t know about
them. It would be a big pain in the ass to try to explain where that shipment of legal AK-47 rifles
had ended up for instance if I’d sold them to a group of Sidhe. When I purchase stuff legally, I
have to have a legal trail of paperwork for the sale to others. So sometimes I have to buy things a
little off the beaten path when one of the non-Human races needs a little extra firepower.
It had been a busy couple of weeks for my office. The Sub-Human races had been
beating down my door to stock up on weaponry. No one had been able to explain why they’d felt
the need to have so much artillery; they all just said they felt as if things were getting dangerous.
I had an appointment book full of meetings set up with the heads of the races to try to
figure out why their people seemed so scared. According to Alice, none of them had been very
happy to get phone calls requesting they come see me, but none of them had refused.
“You have a meeting set up with Tomas Bishop today.” It wasn’t a question.
“How do you know that?” I asked, not bothering to deny it.
“I know a lot of things Mr. Brokk.” He sat down across from me and smiled.
Alice had told me repeatedly that I should get this man knocked off my case. I knew she
was right, but part of me liked him coming in, if for no other reason than it gave me a chance to
look at him.
Elijah Abrams was gorgeous. He was tall and thin—a little too thin for my usual
preference but on him it worked. His blue eyes were bright against his alabaster face and the
white blond hair on top of his head was cut shaggy so that one side of his bangs was almost
always swept across his brow. Several times, I’d caught myself reaching out to brush the hair
away from his face, wanting to find out if it was as soft as it looked.
He didn’t look like any FBI agent I’d ever seen, and that was fine with me. Most of the
men who had come to the office to dig through my files had been old, bald and overweight. They
were paper pushers, not field agents. Those men I’d never worried about. All they’d ever wanted
was to make sure I had stamped, signed and crossed all my Ts. They knew they didn’t have
anything on me so they’d hoped for some misdemeanor paperwork fraud charge. It had never
happened.
Abrams was different. He’d never asked to look at shipping manifests or customs
documents. He always sat in my office and asked questions about the people I dealt with, the
weapons I procured and where they’d ended up.
What worried me the most was that the names he asked about were almost never
Humans. I’d wanted to ask him if he knew about Sub-Humans and Demons, but if he didn’t it
would be stupid to offer up any information. Telling Humans about the other species that walk
the Earth is a huge no-no, and I didn’t want to incur the wrath of any of them for spilling secrets
to an FBI agent of all people.
“Bishop is a pretty heavy hitter,” Abrams said, ignoring my question. “What’s your
meeting about?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Actually it is.” He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees and looking me in the
eye. “Tomas Bishop is the suspected leader of the New York mafia. He’s not authorized to
purchase artillery through your office. I want to know why you’re meeting with him.”
“Do you have a warrant for that information?” I asked.
“I can get one.”
“How did you even know I have a meeting with him?” I asked again, hoping he would
answer me this time.
“We’ve got his phones tapped,” Abrams said with a shrug, carefully not meeting my
gaze. “I heard your assistant call him and request that he come meet with you. I want to know
why.”
“I want to know why you care.”
“Look, we all know you deal with some…nefarious people in your line of work. You
have license to deal in military grade weaponry with only a few of those people. Tomas is not on
the approved list, and I want to make sure you aren’t selling him illegal arms.”
“I’m not,” I said simply as I stood. “Can I show you to the door?”
“Not good enough,” he said.
“Too bad.” I crossed my arms across my chest and glared at him. “As much as I look
forward to our meetings, I’m afraid I’m going to have to make a phone call and get you
reassigned. This is getting annoying.”
He stood then, walking over to stand in front of me. He was taller by about four inches,
and he looked down at me with fire in his gaze.
“I’m not going anywhere. There is no one you can call who is strong enough to keep me
away from you.”
The urge to kiss him was unbearable. Every muscle in my body screamed to move closer
to him, but I forced myself to stand still. His lips were parted slightly, and the need to know what
they tasted like was almost overwhelming.
“What does that mean?” I asked, the wording of what he’d just said finally breaking
through the haze in my brain.
“It means,” he said, stepping even closer to me. “I’ll be back after your meeting tonight.
And you are going to talk to me.”
If he lowered his face just a few inches, his mouth could be on mine. For a moment, I
wondered if that was his intention. But he turned abruptly and stormed out the door.
It was another few seconds before I remembered to exhale. My body was shaking with
pent up tension and anger at the situation.
“Alice!”
“What’s up?” She bounced into the room as if she hadn’t just eavesdropped on our entire
conversation.
“I need you to run a sweep of the office and make sure we aren’t being spied on. Then I
need you to call the Detroit field office of the FBI and get me any information you can on Elijah
Abrams.”
“I already did the sweep and didn’t find anything. And as soon as he mentioned Tomas, I
called the office and left a message for my friend Judy to dig up the dirt on the Agent and get it
over to us ASAP.” She looked smug as she told me all of this.
“You’re still a terrible assistant,” I said, but there was no bite to it.
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Tomas isn’t due for another hour. Do you want me to
order lunch?”
“No, I’m fine. Go ahead and get yourself something if you want.” I turned to walk to my
desk. “And I’m not buying.”
“Yes, you are,” she mumbled before shutting the door on her way out.
I sat down again and sighed into the empty room as I rubbed my eyes. Alice was very
good at handling paperwork and keeping her mouth shut, and her connections could be handy,
not to mention her Elven abilities to ward and protect things I needed concealed. But she
couldn’t help stealing everything that wasn’t nailed down or strictly accounted for. Something in
Elf DNA made them think they had a right to everything they weren’t specifically told they
couldn’t have.
It had already been an exhausting day, and I was finding it difficult to stay awake now
that the room had gone quiet again.
I hadn’t slept much in the last few weeks, and I hadn’t fed in days. The emergency stores
of Nephilim blood I kept in the office were tempting, but I was scared to tap into them yet. Now
that Gareth and I were done, it was going to be harder to get my hands on the stuff.
No one could ever satisfactorily explain to me why Vampires had to feed on Nephilim
blood. The legends say we can survive on any blood, but it isn’t true. Actually, most of the
Vampire myths are utter crap. I’m fine in daylight, I eat real food and drink non-bodily fluids all
the time. But I must feed on Nephilim blood a few times a month to stay alive.
That was part of the reason I’d kept taking Gareth back. I didn’t know any other
Nephilim, and it wasn’t likely that he was going to let me feed on him now that I’d kicked him
out. I made a note on my desk pad to ask Tomas when he came in if he knew anywhere I could
get some.
This thought brought me back to Abrams. I was really starting to think he wasn’t being
completely honest with me. He knew more than he was letting on. I’d thought he was Human,
but it was possible that he was something else. A Demon maybe. Many of the full Demons could
blend in even better than a lesser or a Sub-Human could.
I didn’t know, but I was sure as hell going to find out. My world had become weird
enough without strangers poking their noses in where they didn’t belong. Last week, I’d had a
Drow ask me for an M72 LAW rocket launcher. And he couldn’t explain what the hell he needed
it for. The best he could come up with was “for protection”.
Yeah, I definitely didn’t need someone hanging around my office, making things stranger
for me. Elijah Abrams needed to get the hell out before he seriously fucked up my life. More
than I’d fucked it up for myself.
Chapter Two
“Drake, why don’t you come to New York and see me anymore?” Tomas asked, shaking
my hand in his two large fists.
“Things have been hectic,” I said with a smile. “Please sit down. Do you need anything?
Coffee? Tea?”
“No, no,” he replied with a wave of his hand. Large, gold rings glittered in the sunlight
streaming through my office windows.
I nodded over his head to Alice who slipped out the door and closed it softly behind her.
As I sat down, I noticed that Tomas Bishop, the Troll King, looked much older than the last time
I’d seen him. It had only been about six months since he’d dragged me to Maui on vacation with
him and his harem of wives, but to look at his face now, twenty years might as well have passed.
His black hair was flecked with gray and his middle had gotten softer. He no longer looked like a
warrior, but like a man who had grown comfortable with the power he wielded over his race.
“I heard that you and Gareth have split again,” Tomas said, sadness in his tone. “That’s a
shame. But honestly, you can do better.”
“That happened this morning!” I shook my head. “Is my office bugged?”
“No,” Tomas laughed. “I would never spy on you, my boy. Gareth called me. He knew
we were meeting today, and he wanted me to give you a message.”
“Really?” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my chair. “This ought to
be great.”
“He said to tell you he left a six-month supply of blood in the box in the refrigerator and
that he’s sorry for what he put you through.” Tomas’ expression hardened. “I see that look
Drake. Knock it off. Just because he finally did one thing right doesn’t make up for the last
couple of years. That bastard made you miserable. The least he could do was leave some blood
in payment.”
“You don’t understand,” I said with a sigh.
“I have fourteen wives,” he said ruefully. “What do you think you can tell me about your
relationship with Gareth that I might not have learned already?”
“Enough.” I laughed. “You’re older, you’re wiser and more experienced. You win as
always, Tomas.”
“It’s about time you admitted it.” He smiled widely, showing off his blunt, yellow teeth.
“Now tell me, what was so important that you called me to meet you in this filthy city.”
I laughed. Only a Troll would think Detroit, Michigan was dirtier than New York City. I
guess because we don’t have as many bridges and underpasses for them to hang out under we’re
just filthy instead of convenient.
“I want to know what the hell is going on,” I said simply.
“With what?” He tried to sound nonchalant, but I noticed the corner of his eye twitch as
he said it.
“Spill it, Tomas. Something is going on, and I don’t like being kept in the dark. If there is
some sort of trouble brewing, I need to know, especially since all the sides seem to want me to
arm them, but no one is willing to tell me why I’m doing it.”
“Who’s been to see you lately?” He slid forward in his chair, looking eagerly at me.
“No. You know it doesn’t work like that. I keep my customers’ confidences. I will tell
you that I’ve had requests for some pretty heavy shit from some pretty scary people. Is there a
war coming? All of the Sub-Human races and even some lesser Demons have been in here
looking to get armed to the teeth. They’re scared, Tomas. Why?”
“You won’t believe me if I tell you that I don’t know, will you?”
“Not even a little.” I pulled a cigarette out of the pack in my desk drawer and lit it,
inhaling deeply and blowing the smoke out hard through my nose.
“When did you start smoking again Drake?” Tomas sounded almost parental in his
disappo intment.
“When I was asked to get a flamethrower for a creature that didn’t reach my knee. Stop
changing the subject.”
“There are Angels on Earth.” Tomas didn’t look at me as he said it. His gaze was fixed
on my desk, and his hands were clenched so tightly together that the rings on his fingers were
causing his fingers to turn white with pressure.
“Are you sure?” I couldn’t believe it. Angels hadn’t been seen on Earth in decades. The
last time I knew of was when they had to intervene with World War II. “What do they want? Has
anyone actually spoken to one?”
“No. I don’t think they wanted their presence to be known. They’re hiding, masquerading
as Humans. That’s why everyone is so afraid.”
“I don’t understand,” I said flatly. “Do they have to tell people when they come to Earth?
Doesn’t God pretty much have free reign? If he wants to send some Angels down here, why is
that a bad thing?”
“Because, generally, they only come down here when there’s trouble too big for Humans
or Sub-Humans to take care of.”
“And?” I was still confused about why Angels on Earth was a bad thing. I mean, they’re
Angels. The good guys. God’s soldiers.
“And in case you haven’t noticed everything is quiet here. No Human wars, no Sub-
Human problems. Hell, it’s almost like a calm before a storm.”
He was making me feel stupid. Like he had drawn all kinds of dots for me and I was
unable to connect them for myself. It was starting to piss me off a little.
“Drake,” he said exasperatedly when I still didn’t say anything. “We think that the
trouble isn’t on Earth…yet. We think that maybe Lucifer is planning a war of his own. We, that
is myself and the other species leaders I’ve been talking to, believe that the time has come. The
final battle may be at hand.”
“Armageddon?” I asked. Then I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was the most ridiculous
thing I’d ever heard. “That’s the conclusion you jump to? It’s quiet and someone claims they saw
an Angel so the end of the world is coming?”
“It’s not funny, Drake.” His gaze was cold as he glared at me across my desk.
“No.” I struggled to compose myself. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not funny. It’s just…
First of all, if Armageddon is coming what good are my weapons going to do against Satan?
He’s the fucking devil for Pete’s sake. I don’t think a rocket launcher is going to save any of us.”
“It’s not as if God and Lucifer are going to fight,” Tomas said, rolling his eyes. “They’ll
send their armies to Earth and battle it out once and for all here.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because it is foretold.”
“Where?” I snorted.
“What are you talking about, where?” He crossed his arms across his barrel chest.
“I mean, you sound like my parents. With all of this prophecy, foretelling, Bible bullshit.
None of you have any proof that this wasn’t all made up a millennia before we were all born.
They’re stories, Tomas. Fairy tales. I don’t understand why everyone freaks the fuck out about
the end of days. God could sneeze one day and blast the planet in half, but no one worries about
that.”
“I should have known you’d never understand.” Tomas stood. “You’re too young, Drake.
I hope that you’ll wise up before it’s too late. Promise me that the Sword of Azazel is safe.”
“Of course it is,” I said, frowning. “You know that I protect that out of respect for my
mother. Even if I don’t believe the reasoning behind it, I know how important that Sword is to
my family.”
He nodded before walking to the door. Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, he called
back to me.
“I hope for all of our sakes that you’re right. But if I don’t see you again, I want you to
know that I’ve always considered you to be like my son.” He sighed heavily then walked out of
my office, shutting the door quietly behind him.
I stared at the wall for a few minutes, stunned. I knew he’d believed what he was saying.
Hell, with the number of people I had wanting to buy weapons of mass destruction lately, I could
tell that most of the Sub-Humans believed something was coming. I’d just never expected it to
be Armageddon that they were all scared of.
“Alice!” I yelled when I finally found my voice. “Get in here.”
“What’s up, boss?” she asked as she bounded into my office.
“What do you know about Armageddon?”
“It’s a bitchin’ song by Alkaline Trio?” She dropped into the chair Tomas had just
vacated. “He has a hot ass.”
“Gross.” I rolled my eyes.
“No, stupid,” she said with an eye roll of her own. “I meant the chair’s warm.”
“Oh.” I shook my head. “Anyway, I wasn’t talking about the song. I mean The
Armageddon. Apocalypse. End of days and all that.”
“Oh, that Armageddon. Not much to be honest. Pretty much just what they write in those
magazine tabloid things in supermarket lines. I glance through them once in a while, you know,
to check out celebrity cellulite pictures. They almost always have something in those things
about Nostradamus and the world ending.”
“So there aren’t any Elven tales about it?”
“Fuck no.” She laughed. “Elves are too easily distracted by the shiny to worry about
battles between good and evil, Drake. I can barely remember to answer your phone every time it
rings. You think I could pay attention long enough to get through the entire Bible and retain any
information? Please. And I have a pretty good attention span for an Elf.”
She was right; she really did. Elves are great at some stuff, don’t get me wrong. I would
never call the race useless. But history and geography and reading? Well…let’s just say that
none of that would be called a strong suit for them.
“Has your friend called back? The one at the FBI?”
“Not yet. Should I try someone else?”
“No, it can wait. As of right now, he’s more a pain in the ass than a danger to me. But if
we don’t hear back by tomorrow, can you try again?”
“Sure thing,” she said cheerily, jumping to her feet. “Do you need anything else?”
“I’m good thanks. You got the sword locked up, right?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t put it in your purse, did you?”
“No.” She looked offended. “I might steal money and office supplies from you, but I
would never take something that important.”
Great. I hoped she’d never have to use me as a reference.
“Drake, are you okay?” Alice stared at me, searching my face as if she were trying to
read my thoughts. “You’re not still upset about Gareth, aren’t you?”
“Why should I be?” I asked with a laugh. “That was hours ago.”
“I know, right?” I couldn’t tell whether or not she was kidding. “Listen, why don’t you
get out of here? The appointments are done for the day, and we don’t even have any outstanding
shipments. The sun is shining and birds are chirping.”
“Alice,” I said impatiently. “If you want to go home then go. Don’t act like you’re being
noble and giving up your afternoon so I can be free.”
“Thanks, boss.” She stood and bounded out the door quickly as if she were afraid I would
change my mind.
Sometimes, Alice reminded me of a golden retriever. Energetic, beautiful, kind, loving,
loyal to no end…but not really all that bright.
I turned around and stared out the window thinking about what Tomas had said. If the
races were really that concerned about Angels, what did they think flamethrowers and grenade
launchers were going to do? Were they thinking of fighting the Angels? I didn’t know much
about them, but I had to think that it would be suicide to raise arms against the soldiers of God.
As I listened to Alice pack up, I racked my brain to think of someone I could go to that
would have some sort of information for me. Tomas had been my best hope, and he hadn’t really
been that helpful. Mentally going through the list of upcoming appointments, there was not a
single name I could come up with that was going to be able to tell me what was really going on.
Angels on Earth. I snorted aloud at the thought. How would anyone even know? It’s not
as if they sauntered around with their wings spread out. Humans were bound to notice something
like that. It all sounded like a load of crap to me. Fear mongering. It wasn’t the first time the
Sub-Human races had freaked out on each other. But with the weaponry that was being
requested, I was starting to fear a full-scale war.
“Drake?” A man’s voice from my office door startled me from my thoughts. I turned
around to see Agent Tall, Pale and Blond leaning against my doorframe. “Your assistant’s gone
so I let myself in.”
“Right. Sorry. Come on in, Agent Abrams.” I motioned to the chairs in front of my desk
as I had earlier. “Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” he said as he sat down across from me.
“What can I do for you this afternoon?”
“I told you I’d be back after your meeting.”
Right. I’d completely forgotten. If I’d listened to Alice, I could’ve been gone too, and he
would’ve had to wait until the next morning to pump me for information.
“Look, Abrams, I’ve had a really long day, and I’m not in the mood to be drilled.”
“That’s too bad,” he said.
My eyebrow shot up in amusement as my cock twitched beneath my desk at the mental
image of him lying over me naked popped into my head.
“That wasn’t what I meant,” he said, blushing slightly as he caught the innuendo of our
banter.
“That’s too bad,” I said, my voice slightly huskier than usual.
“Perhaps, I should come back in the morning,” he said, but he didn’t stand up.
He pulled at his tie, loosening it a bit at the base of his throat. His long, pale neck was
exposed a fraction of an inch more than it had been. My tongue wetted my lips as I watched the
pulse work under his collar.
“I, um…this wasn’t what I came back for.”
“Agent Abrams—” I started, but he interrupted me.
“Elijah. You can…you can call me Elijah. If you want to.”
“I want to do all kinds of things,” I said as I slowly got to my feet. “Elijah.”
I jerked awake at the sound of someone banging on my office door. Fuck, I thought as I
shook the sleep from my mind, it had been a dream. And it had been gearing up to be a really
good one, too.
“Mr. Brokk,” Elijah called from the other side of the door. “I know you’re in there. Can I
please talk to you?”
“It’s open!” My cock was still hard, and there was no way I was going to stand up to let
him in. I ran a hand through my hair quickly and wiped at any sleep that may have been at the
corners of my eyes.
The agent walked into my office and sat down in the chair he’d used earlier. We stared at
each other across the desk for a moment. I had no idea what he was thinking, but I was fighting
to keep images of him without clothes on out of my mind.
“How did your meeting go?” he asked after a minute of silence.
“It went fine thanks,” I said with a smile.
“What did you and Tomas talk about?”
“We talked about my ex-boyfriend mostly.” It was the truth. We’d spent almost as much
time discussing Gareth as we had anything else.
“Really?” Elijah looked at me curiously. “No talk of explosives or weaponry of any
kind?”
“Not that I recall,” I said with a shrug. “It was really more of a social call.”
“Tomas Bishop flew to Detroit to talk to you about your boyfriend?” The disbelief was
plain in his tone.
“Ex-boyfriend,” I corrected him. “If you’re itching to arrest someone, I could give you
his name. He’s a total mother fucker and deserves for something horrible to happen to him in
prison.”
He laughed, and the sound surprised me. It was a good laugh, deep and throaty, just not
the reaction I’d expected from him.
“Look, Agent Abrams—”
“Call me Elijah,” he interrupted.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said quickly. My heart was hammering in my chest as
I recalled the dream I’d just had. My eyes went to his throat, and as it had in my mind, his pulse
pumped visibly under his shirt collar.
My hands gripped the desk as I fought to stay in my chair. I couldn’t remember wanting
anything as much as I wanted to jump over my desk and tackle this man to the floor. I wanted to
feel his pulse between my teeth, I wanted to taste him and kiss him and fuck him right there on
my office floor.
“Why don’t you?” he asked, watching me closely.
“I’m sorry, what?” I blinked at him, wondering if he had read my mind.
“Why don’t you want to call me Elijah?”
“Oh.” This was a disaster. I couldn’t even focus thanks to that fucking dream. “I just
don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said again.
“Are you all right? You look sort of pale.”
“Look who’s talking.” It was my turn to laugh.
“Fair enough,” he said with amusement in his voice, too. “You seem a little distracted
this afternoon. Are you sure you and Tomas didn’t talk about anything…disturbing?”
“Of course, we did,” I said exasperatedly. “I’m very disturbed by my break up with
Gareth. He was a total asshole, and to be honest, the sex wasn’t even that great. So now, I’m
single, I’m exhausted, I’m sexually frustrated, I have an FBI agent in my office who’s hotter than
sin and asking me to call him by his first name, Armageddon is apparently upon us all and I
don’t know what the fuck I’m doing with my life anymore.”
Fuck. Double Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Where the hell had all of that come from? The
entire time I was talking my mind was screaming at my mouth to shut up, yet I just kept
spewing. I stared at Elijah in horror, not sure what reaction would be the right one from either of
us.
“You think I’m hotter than sin?”
Fuck.
Chapter Three
I was on my feet and over my desk before I’d really registered what I was going to do
when I got to him. Desk blotter, pens and a lamp went flying, but I didn’t care. Elijah caught me
as I launched myself at his body. His arms went around my shoulders and his mouth fell on mine
and we may as well have fallen off the face of the Earth together as far as I knew what was
happening around me. My office disappeared behind my closed eyes. The only thing I was aware
of was the softness of his lips, the strength in the arms gripping me tightly, the faintly sweet taste
of Elijah’s tongue brushing against mine and the rock hard erections pressed between our bodies.
“I fucking want you,” I said against his mouth, wanting to make myself clear but not
willing to let go of him yet.
“I’ve wanted you since the first time I walked into this office,” he growled, nipping my
lower lip between his teeth. “Your eyes flashed at me, so angry, so sexy. It’s all I thought about
that night.”
I wrenched my hands between our bodies as he talked, my fingers unbuttoning his shirt as
he talked. His mouth was pressed against my forehead now because I had to drop my gaze to see
what I was doing. I shook with the need to get to his skin. The small buttons were proving
difficult to grip while he continued telling me what he thought about me.
“I only kept coming back here to see if you were remotely interested in me.” He chuckled
as if he found the thought amusing. “Looking back, I realize all I was doing was pissing you off
more. I almost didn’t come back tonight.”
Finally, his shirt was undone, and I wrenched it open, urging him to let me go so I could
slide the jacket off with it. I grunted in frustration while pulling his T-shirt up his body and over
his head. I threw it aside with the rest of his discarded clothes.
His chest was smooth, pale and as flawless as his face. He looked thin in his suit, but with
no shirt on, I could see the slender muscles playing under his skin. My fingers traced along his
collarbone then dipped so I could splay my hands across his pecs. His heart was beating as hard
and fast as mine. Staring up at him with my palm pressed against the steady thump of it, I felt
lost about what to do next.
I was afraid to put my mouth anywhere near that heartbeat for fear I would rip into his
skin. I hadn’t fed on blood in so long the need was starting to cloud my judgment. If I felt his
pulse against my tongue, I would be done for. Realizing there was only one thing I could do to
avoid the temptation of his blood, I lowered myself to my knees.
His fingers caught in my hair, and he tilted my face up to look at him. The look in his
eyes was of curiosity. Smiling in response, I shook my head to free his hands and resumed my
downward descent.
I undid his pants, tugging his underwear down with them, moving back slightly to allow
him to shuck off his shoes and the clothing before kicking them aside. His cock was as pale as
the rest of him, a hard column of marble begging for attention.
My gaze flicked up to meet his as I licked a hot, wet line up that smooth shaft of skin. His
eyes were like blue flames while he watched me. Beneath his stare, small hairs stood up on the
back of my neck. It felt as if he were looking into my soul.
Finally, unable to stand the uncomfortable sensation, I turned my full attention to his
cock. One hand wrapped around his base so I could maneuver his tip into my mouth. His pre-
cum tasted like candy against my tongue, so sweet with just a hint of bitter.
His hand pressed against my shoulder, and I wasn’t sure if it was for support or if he was
urging me to move. Assuming the latter, I slowly took more of him into my mouth, reveling in
the feel of his skin like brushed velvet against my tongue. When my mouth finally reached my
fist, I groaned and the vibration from my throat seemed to make his knees buckle. Both of his
hands were on me now, and he leaned slightly forward, his balance precarious at best.
Reluctantly, I let him fall from my mouth so we could move somewhere he would be
more comfortable. Before I could suggest he sit down, he pulled me to my feet and kissed me so
hard it was as if he were trying to suck the taste of himself from my tongue.
Elijah moved us backward until my ass hit the desk, and we couldn’t go any further. His
hands gripped my T-shirt and pulled, ripping it apart as if it were nothing more than a piece of
paper.
My cock, already achingly hard, strained worse against my jeans until I thought I would
die of agony from the need building inside me. I clawed at his back as he fed at my mouth while
simultaneously trying to get my pants off without being able to see what his hands were doing. I
felt his frustration growing and mumbled against his lips.
“Don’t rip the jeans. They’re the only pants I have here, and I can’t go home naked.”
He chuckled but leaned back so he could see the button and popped it free quickly. I
kicked off my shoes while he shoved my clothes down my legs. He lifted me up by the hips and
set me on the desk as if I weighed nothing then threw the pants, underwear and socks somewhere
behind him before turning those piercing blue eyes to me again.
“I want you,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
“Then take me.”
Elijah growled low in his chest as he kissed me again, his hard, passionate need evident
in the clashing of his teeth against mine. He used his body to press my back against the desk, his
hands pulling my legs until my ass was barely on the surface anymore.
With his hips wedged between my thighs, he looked around the room frantically as if
searching for something. Before I could tell him that I didn’t keep lube in my office, he seemed
to figure it out for himself.
He dropped to his knees so hard I heard the impact. I was about to ask if he was okay
until I felt his hot, wet tongue pressed against my hole. My head flew backward at the sensation,
my skull thumping against the hard, wooden desk. I couldn’t tell if the stars in my vision were
from a concussion or from the feel of his tongue probing my ass.
My back arched up and my hands clawed at the desk, desperate to cling to something as
if I could stave off my release by gripping anything but my own cock in my fists.
“Elijah, please!” I cried out in frustration.
I didn’t even realize my eyes had clenched shut until I opened them at the sound of him
spitting discreetly into his hand. Watching his hand slick his saliva over his impressive cock I
feared I might come at any second.
He pressed his tip against my opening, pushing gently until the tight muscles gave him
access. His tongue had loosened me a little and my need had done so even more. Elijah moved
slowly, easing himself in so as not to hurt me, but he could have slammed his way inside, and I’d
have taken it just as gladly.
My balls were already tight against my body, and I knew that if he so much as breathed
in the direction of my cock I was going to explode. I couldn’t remember ever being this hard, this
ready to go before. I wanted to close my eyes again, to try to gain some sort of control over my
body, but Elijah’s gaze caught mine, and I could do nothing but stare into those irises, so bright
against his pale skin, while he started to move faster in and out of me.
His hands gripped my thighs, and my back slid in the sheen of sweat that had
accumulated on the desk under me. It didn’t take him long to start to lose his rhythm, and I knew
he had been almost as close to losing it as I had been. One of his hands wrapped around my
shaft, and before he had done anything more than grip me in his palm, I came, my seed shooting
in a hot stream up my chest as I screamed my release until it felt as if my throat had torn.
As if my coming had given him permission to give in, Elijah’s scream followed mine.
His cock twitched in my ass, and I fought to keep from clenching down on him as he pulled out
of me. He staggered back and sat in the chair, I couldn’t move enough to see him, but I could
hear him fighting to catch his breath.
“That,” he said after a few minutes, “was amazing.”
It certainly had been. I was still fighting to find my voice so I just nodded lazily as I
struggled to sit up. We looked at each other for a few seconds then he started to laugh softly.
“I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Neither was I,” I admitted with a smile. “I’m glad you came back.”
“Me, too.”
We got dressed in silence. I don’t think either of us really knew what to say right then.
When we had most of our clothes back on, he helped me pick up the busted pieces of the lamp
that had shattered when it hit the floor in my rush to get at him earlier.
“Do you want to get a drink?” he asked finally when the silence had stretched so long it
was getting uncomfortable.
“That would be great.” I could use a couple beers after the strange events of the day. My
nerves were just about shot. “Can I borrow one of your shirts? Mine seems to have gone the way
of my lamp.”
He laughed and handed me the white button down he had been wearing over his T-shirt.
The sleeves were too long, and I had to leave the top couple of buttons undone because my neck
was thicker than his, but it served its purpose.
“Was there somewhere specific you had in mind or do you just want to hit the bar
downstairs?” I asked as we walked out of the office.
“Downstairs is fine with me,” he said.
“Great, do you want to go grab a table? I need to do one quick thing here and set the
alarms then I’ll be down.”
He nodded. If he thought it was strange or rude, he didn’t show it. He took a few steps
toward the outer office door then turned back. His long arm reached out and pulled me against
him, kissing me quickly on the lips before letting me go again.
“Don’t ditch me,” he said with a smirk.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I laughed.
He left the office, closing the door softly behind him. When I heard the elevator doors
open and close again in the hall, I sat down at Alice’s desk.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked the empty room. My hands started to shake, and I
knew if I didn’t drink blood soon I was going to pass out. I’d put it off as long as I could, but
there was just no avoiding it anymore.
As if my life needed to be any more complicated, I’d just gone ahead and fucked the hot
FBI agent who had me under investigation. He would never leave me alone now, and I really
didn’t want him to. But it would be highly inconvenient to try to meet with Sub-Human races
about the supposed impending battle between good and evil if I was fucking a government agent.
I could just hear the conversations in my head.
How was your day, dear? he would ask when we would meet for dinner.
Great! I sold a Panzer Faust tank to a Werewolf today, I’d answer before taking a sip of
the beer he would have waiting for me.
What?
Romanian prince, I mean. I sold an army truck to a prince.
Fuck.
I could hear Tomas, too.
Oh, so you’re fucking the man whose job it is to arrest people who break the law?
Charming, Drake. That’s just great. Really? You want to bring him on vacation with us? Sure,
you can use one of the yachts this weekend. It’s not like I bought it with laundered money or
anything.
Did I mention, fuck?
Walking over to the mini-fridge Alice kept behind her desk, I realized that I would just
have to break it off now. Before anything more happened. I pulled a blood pouch out of the lock
box and started drinking it quickly. I would just go downstairs and tell him it had been fun but it
had been a huge mistake. I just got out of a relationship, after all. Sorry he had to be my rebound
fling, thanks for the toss, see you around. Sure. Great.
And when I dreamed about those eyes, those penetrating blue starbursts feeling around in
my soul, I could just tell myself it didn’t matter. That he didn’t matter. It had been a fuck, a stress
reliever, and it hadn’t meant anything at all.
I threw the pouch into the garbage can and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. As I
set the alarm and exited the office, all I could think to myself was, “Fuck me. I’m so screwed.”
Elijah was sitting in a booth at the back of the bar when I got downstairs. He held a bottle
of beer in his hand, rolling it around and playing with the label but not really drinking it.
“Sorry that took so long,” I said sliding into the seat across from him.
“Don’t worry,” he replied, though he couldn’t keep the look of relief off of his face.
“Did you think I’d skipped out on you?” I teased.
“Not really,” he said with a smile. “I was just sitting here hoping I didn’t freak you out.”
“I’m the one who attacked you,” I reminded him.
“Sorry about your lamp.”
“I hated that thing anyway.” I shrugged.
The waitress came by, and I ordered a beer. She brought it back quickly, smirking as she
set it down. I winked at her, which made her blush then she disappeared.
“What was that about?” Elijah asked.
“I used to meet Gareth here after work sometimes. My ex. I think she had a crush on him.
She used to be super attentive when I was with him. But when Alice and I come here, it’s like
pulling teeth to get anything from her.”
“I was thinking about what you said earlier,” Elijah said quickly, as if he needed to say
whatever it was he was thinking before he lost his nerve. “Before you launched yourself over
your desk at me.”
I cringed. I’d said a lot of things in that little tangent. I’d honestly been hoping he hadn’t
caught most of it.
“What did you mean about Armageddon being upon us?”
“Fuck!”
“What?” He looked startled by my outburst.
I hadn’t meant to say it out loud. But that was the one part I really, really hadn’t meant to
say at all. Of course, he had latched on to that. It probably sounded absolutely insane.
“It’s been a really long week,” I said. “I’m exhausted. The break up was rough. I’ve had
the FBI breathing down my neck.” I stopped to wink at him. “And to top it all off, my assistant
has been robbing me blind. I shouldn’t have said Armageddon, but it really feels as if my world
is falling apart around me.”
As I said it, the words sounded good, plausible even. People were always throwing
around the word Armageddon, right? Every time it rained in San Diego it meant the end of the
world so why couldn’t I use it to describe my fucked up week?
“Oh,” he said slowly. “So you weren’t talking about the actual Apocalypse then?”
“What do you mean?” I looked at him curiously over my beer.
“I mean, when you said Armageddon I thought you meant the actual Apocalypse, the
ultimate battle between good and evil that’s supposed to be fought on Earth. I figured someone
who deals in illegal arms and had the Troll King sitting in their office this afternoon might have
some more information about why the Sub-Human races are freaking out like it really is the end
of days.”
“Well fuck me.”
Chapter Four
“I’m pretty sure I already did that.” He winked. There was a small smile on his lips, and I
was glad that at least one of us was amused by the situation.
“The FBI knows about Sub-Human races?” I was dumbfounded. My job would have
been a hell of a lot easier if the government had let me in on that little secret.
“No.” He shook his head for emphasis. “I know about them.”
“How?” I watched him struggle to find an answer. He didn’t look like a Demon to me,
and he had no distinct feature of any other Sub-Human race I knew of. If I had to label him, I
would still call him a Human.
“It’s a long story,” he said as he flashed a grin at the waitress who had come back to the
table.
“Can I get you anything else?” Her eyes were glued on Elijah. I might as well have not
even been there.
“We’re fine, thanks,” I said pointedly to the back of her head. “Can you bill my office for
the drinks? I need to get home.”
“Whatever,” she grumbled as she walked away.
“I really do need to get going,” I said as I slid out of the booth.
“Oh.” Elijah stood, too. “Well—”
“Do you want to come back to my place?” I interrupted before I lost my nerve.
“Yes.”
I needed to talk to him in private. There was no way I was going to get him to answer
everything I wanted to know while we were sitting in public. I was hoping that once we got to
my place he would come clean about what he knew and how the hell he knew it.
* * * *
We had ridden to my apartment in silence. The cab driver hadn’t even tried to engage us
in conversation, which was a nice change. Usually, they jabbered on incessantly, but not this one.
He just stared straight ahead while Elijah and I ignored each other in the backseat.
I led Elijah up to the apartment and groaned when I turned the key in the lock to find it
hadn’t been latched. Closing my eyes as I opened the door, I prayed to myself that Gareth had
just forgotten to lock up behind himself.
But when I opened my eyes, I saw him standing in the doorway of the kitchen with his
arms crossed glaring at me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked as I dropped my keys into the bowl on the
counter.
“I live here,” he answered gruffly. “Who the hell is that?”
“That,” I answered with a jerk of my head toward Elijah, “is none of your business. I told
you to be gone. Tomas said you were going to be out of here.”
“Tomas doesn’t know everything. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, color me shocked.” I walked past him, my shoulder bumping hard into his as I
muttered, “You come with me. Now.” I turned back to Elijah. “I’m really sorry about this. Grab
a beer out of the fridge if you want. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Who the fuck is that?” Gareth asked loudly as he followed me toward the bedroom.
“Are you already banging a new guy?”
I shoved him into the room and slammed the door behind us. Turning to start screaming
at him, I was surprised when he pushed me against the door and pressed his mouth to mine.
He stumbled backward as I thrust out my hands to get him off of me.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked, enraged.
“You taste like beer and other men.” His voice had a husky tone to it, and I was disgusted
that he was turned on.
“You’re a sick bastard.” I shook my head. “Why aren’t you gone? Did you think I was
kidding? Let me assure you, I wasn’t. We’re done, Gareth. I’m done. I can’t live like this
anymore.”
“Where’s the sword?” he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
“It’s not here.”
“Well, I fucking know that.”
“What do you care? It’s mine. It has nothing to do with you.”
“I need it,” he said with a shrug.
“Well, you can’t have it. There is no fucking way in hell I would ever let you even touch
it.” I stared at him incredulously. Had he really thought I would just leave the sword lying
around for him to steal?
“You don’t understand,” he pleaded. “We have to get it and get the hell out of here.
We’re not safe anymore.”
“What are you talking about?” I laughed. I couldn’t help it. As if we had ever really been
safe with each other anyway. He was a Demon, and I needed to drink his blood to survive. There
was nothing unassailable about our relationship at all.
“You talked to Tomas today, right?”
“Yes.” I rolled my eyes. “You know I did. You even gave him a message to give me,
which he did. A message I took to mean you would be out of my fucking apartment when I got
home.”
“Obviously,” he spat, “since you’re already bringing twinks home.”
“He is not a twink!” I threw my hands up in frustration.
“Well then what is he?”
“He’s none of your fucking business. That’s what he is.”
“Shut up.” Gareth shook his head as if it were an Etch-A-Sketch and he could clear the
current conversation from his mind. “Look, did Tomas tell you what’s going on?”
Here we go. Gareth was going to buy into this Armageddon bullshit, too. I really wished
Tomas would stop sharing rumors with people who couldn’t handle it.
“You aren’t seriously telling me—”
“It’s going to start here, in Detroit.” His eyes were wide with panic. It was better than the
lust I’d seen in them when he tasted Elijah on my lips, but it was still scary. “The final battle is
going to be right here, and we need to be as far away from it as we can get.”
“If that’s true,” I said slowly, not really wanting to feed into his fear but wishing I could
get him to see sense, “the sword will need to be here. That’s its purpose. To be used in the final
battle. Why do you all think this is true anyway?”
“Because it is the time of the last son of Sariel,” a voice said softly behind me.
Elijah had come in to the room. I’d been so focused on Gareth and his insanity I hadn’t
even heard the door open.
“I beg your pardon?” I asked incredulously, rounding on him.
“The prophecy says that in the time of the last son of Sariel the sword will be needed in
the ultimate battle between good and evil. That time is now.”
“This is all bullshit!” I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. “Prophecies and
biblical crap. Who the hell is the last son of Sariel anyway?”
“You are,” Gareth and Elijah said in unison.
“What?” I looked back and forth between them in disbelief.
“Sweetie, sit down,” Gareth said, reaching out for me.
“Don’t you fucking sweetie me, you son of a bitch. You need to get the fuck out. Right
now.” I stepped backward away from him and bumped into Elijah’s chest. His arms wrapped
around me, and I fought not to smile at the rage that flashed across Gareth’s face.
“Fine,” he growled. “Fine. But when they come for you and the sword, don’t think I’m
going to help you. You’re on your own. I’m done protecting you.”
“Protecting me?” I laughed. “All you have ever done is hurt me.”
“You don’t know what pain is,” he hissed, taking a step toward me. “But you will.”
“Don’t threaten him,” Elijah said, his voice hard and cold.
I don’t know what expression was on the Elijah’s face, but it made Gareth go pale. With
a huff the Nephilim walked around us and slammed the door. After a minute, I heard the outer
doo r slam, as well.
My shoulders sagged as the adrenaline faded. I turned in Elijah’s arms and stared up at
him, sure that my confusion was plain on my face.
“Will you please tell me what’s going on?”
“If you tell me where the sword is,” he answered quietly.
“It’s safe. Can that be enough for now? I obviously don’t know you. I have no idea what
you even are now. I don’t think it would be wise to tell a stranger where it is.”
“You promise it’s somewhere that no one can get to it.”
I flinched. No one but me or Alice could get to it, but I didn’t think he would like that
answer.
“It will be tomorrow,” I said. “That’s the best I can do. I swear to you that it’s safe for
tonight.”
“Then I guess that will have to be good enough.” He sighed heavily. “I’m starving. Do
you have any food here?”
“No,” I said apologetically. “I usually eat out. We could order a pizza if you want.”
I was aching to know what the hell was going on, but I just knew he wasn’t going to talk
to me until I fed him.
While we waited for the pizza, he tried to keep the conversation away from talk of
Apocalypse and swords. Unfortunately, that only left the other topic I wasn’t that keen to
discuss.
“So that guy is a total jerk,” Elijah said as he opened a couple of beers. “How did you
even hook up with him?”
“Luck?” I asked humorlessly, accepting the bottle he handed me. “He wasn’t that bad
when we first met. And I needed…him.” I bit back the part about why I needed him as I took a
swig of my beer. That part could come up later if he really wanted to know.
“I can’t imagine you needing anyone,” he said thoughtfully. “I realize I don’t really know
you, but from what I’ve seen, you seem pretty independent, almost as if you’ve set yourself up to
survive alone.”
“You got all that from a few visits to my office?” I raised my eyebrow in amusement.
“I may have seen you around outside of work.” He blushed, and I knew I’d caught him.
“You’ve been following me.” It wasn’t a question. “For how long?”
“A while,” he admitted sheepishly. “But I swear to you that I had a good reason.”
“Better than wanting to fuck my brains out?”
“Not better, but different I guess.”
There was a knock at the door, and Elijah made me stay in the living room while he went
to pay for the pizza. He came back after a minute with the box and a couple more beers.
We sat on the floor with the food on the coffee table between us. I’d been hungrier than
I’d thought, and before I knew it, more than half the pizza was gone. Totally stuffed now, I
leaned back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what the best way to get back to
the impending Apocalypse conversation would be.
“So,” I said finally. “You’re not really an FBI agent, are you?”
“No,” he said with a smile. “No, I’m not.”
He didn’t elaborate, and I wasn’t sure if he’d tell me if I pushed.
“How do you know about the sword?” I asked finally, not finding any other way to get
him on the subject.
“Because it’s mine.”
“No,” I said slowly. “It’s mine. That sword has been in my family for generations.”
“That’s not what I…” He let out a heavy sigh. “I mean, it’s mine because I’m the one
who forged it.”
“I’m sorry?” My mind wasn’t registering what he meant.
“I made the sword. I am the Angel Azazel.”
Chapter Five
“Wait a minute,” I said before he could speak again. “You’re an Angel?”
“Yes,” he said with a shrug.
“But…” I fought to catch even one of the thoughts that was tearing through my mind.
“You can’t be Azazel. If he even exists, he is supposed to be buried in the desert somewhere.”
“I was. But then I was…saved, for lack of a better word.” He took a drink of his beer,
looking around the room as if he didn’t want to meet my gaze. “I told you it was a long story.”
“I have no place better to be,” I said pointedly. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling
long and slowly. “You can’t just tell me you’re an Angel and then not tell me what the hell is
going on.”
He inhaled deeply, his eyes staring at the ceiling as if he were steeling himself for my
inevitable outburst. When he glanced back at me, I tried to look patient. To be honest, I didn’t
really believe him and was starting to wonder if he was just some crackpot.
“Do you know the story of The Watchers?” he asked, his tone hopeful.
“Sort of,” I said. “What I’ve heard is that God sent The Watchers to Earth, and they
fucked a bunch of women and pissed him off. Azazel pissed him off the most by teaching men
how to make weapons. He was bound and buried in the desert by Metatron and the others were
summarily punished as well.”
“That’s not quite what happened, but I can see how it would be watered down to that
version after so long.” He stood up quickly. “Do you want another beer?”
I followed him to the kitchen, taking the open bottle he offered and grabbing an ashtray
before sitting on a stool at the island. He sat next to me and faced out into the dining room
sipping his beer as he seemed to collect his thoughts.
“God sent The Watchers to Earth,” Elijah began finally. “We were supposed to observe
only, but Sariel fell in love with a Mortal. Seeing him with a woman made some of the other
Angels envious. They lusted after the women, wanted them more than they had ever wanted
anything before. When the women wouldn’t come willingly the Angels just took them, stole
them from their families without remorse.
“The husbands, fathers and brothers of the women tried to fight. But what chance did
they have against Angels? So I taught the men how to make weapons for battle and armor for
protection.
“When the Metatron finally came to punish The Watchers for revealing ourselves to the
Humans and lying with women against God’s will, he would not hear my pleas of innocence.
Though I had not fornicated in my time on Earth, I’d helped the Mortals raise arms against my
brethren. In his eyes, and so in the eyes of God, I was as guilty as the rest of The Watchers.”
My hand went to his knee and squeezed gently at the sound of his voice cracking while
he talked. He sounded as if he still felt the pain of God’s anger against him. If he wasn’t telling
the truth then he was a hell of an actor.
Of course, having lived with a professional liar for the last six months, I knew that Gareth
had been able to manipulate me into believing his stories with tones of remorse or sadness. So it
wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that Elijah was making it all up. But I found myself
wanting to believe him.
He took the cigarette from my hand and took a long drag from it before snuffing it out in
the ashtray. I shook two more from the pack and offered him one of his own. He accepted and
we smoked in silence for a minute while he seemed to pluck up the courage to continue his story.
“We were all banished to languish in the desert,” he finally said. “We were to stay there
until Armageddon set up on the Earth. At that time, we were to be called before God for final
judgment.
“But then Lucifer fell and he wanted an army of his own. He dragged us from the sand
and took us to Hell with him to rule over the souls of beings not worthy to go to Heaven.
“I am shamed now that I went.” His voice broke at these words. Tears were pooling in his
eyes, but he didn’t let them fall.
I wanted to comfort him, to pull him into my arms and tell him that favorite lie that
everything would be all right. But he started talking again, and I let him finish, if only to let him
get it off of his chest. It seemed as if he’d needed to for a while.
The more he talked the more I believed him. It was too intricate a tale to be an outright
lie. I was half frightened and half amazed as he spoke. Questions kept popping into my head and
I tried to file them away so I would remember to ask later. But I didn’t want to interrupt his
story.
“After so long in torpor I thought it would be better to reign in Hell than to suffer on Earth. I was
so stupid and so angry at God for a punishment that at the time I didn’t feel I’d deserved.” He let
out a bark of angry laughter as he smashed his cigarette butt into the ashtray. “My only defense,
what I hope will redeem me in the eyes of my Lord, is that I never tortured the souls of the
wicked. I could not stomach even the thought of it. Lucifer allowed me to use the only talent I
had that was of any use to him; I watched.
“It was my job to observe the Humans, Demons and Sub-Human races on Earth and
report my findings. I watched wars being fought and blood being shed by the weapons I’d helped
create. God himself could not have found a more fit punishment than forcing me to see the pain
and suffering I’d helped wrought on the Earth.”
“You can’t really believe that,” I said in surprise. “Humanity’s need for bloodshed is not
your fault. It’s Human nature. You didn’t do that to people. If anything, God created that need
for destruction in them.”
“But I gave them the tools to act on it.” His voice was steady now, and the tears were
fading from his eyes.
“You gave them the tools to defend themselves.” I hoped I wasn’t overstepping my place.
I obviously had not been there, and him telling me what he had been through did not give me the
insight to the true pain he had been putting himself through for centuries. But what I garnered
from the story did not place any blame on him.
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked him, wanting to keep him talking if I could. I had a
million things I wanted to know, but this seemed the time to ask the most pertinent of them.
Elijah nodded as he stood and walked over to look in the fridge. After a few seconds he
closed the door with a sigh.
“I’ve got whiskey under the sink,” I said helpfully as I realized I was probably out of
beer. After dropping the cigarette that had gone out in my hand into the ashtray, I walked into the
kitchen with him and got glasses and ice while he rummaged through the mishmash of bottles I
kept crammed in the cupboard.
Finally, he came up with a bottle of Jameson and poured a generous amount into both
glasses. I raised an eyebrow at him as he handed me one and took a long sip of his own.
Normally, I’m not a big drinker. Four beers is about my limit. Three and a giant glass of
whiskey was going to do a number on me for sure.
“I’m sure you have more than one question,” Elijah said with a smile. “Do you want to
go back in the living room and sit?”
I followed him out and sat next to him on the couch. He’d settled in the corner with his
elbow propped on the arm and I leaned into his chest without really thinking about it. I wanted to
be close to him. It had been a weird day, and I was feeling the need to have his warmth wrapped
around me while we talked.
“The book of Enoch says that the children of The Watchers and the Mortal women were
Nephilim,” I said slowly as I tried to find the best way to word what I was trying to say. “But I’m
a Vampire. I realize these are similar creatures, but as my assistant pointed out to me today there
are some major differences between the races. If I’m the supposed last son of Sariel, then why
am I a Vampire?”
“Because the Nephilim are the children of the women who were raped and brutalized by
The Watchers. Sariel and his Mortal wife loved each other. Their kin were conceived of love and
passion and need for each other. Their children were the first Vampires. And you are the last.”
He took a drink, swirling the liquid around his mouth as he seemed to search for the
words to continue.
“The book of Enoch needs to be taken with a grain of salt, Drake. Like all of the stories
of the Bible, it has been diluted and altered to meet the needs of the religions it serves. The book
says that Nephilim are giants and God wiped them from the face of the Earth. Obviously, none of
that’s true.”
“Yeah,” I snorted before I could censor myself. “There is nothing giant about Gareth.”
My cheeks flamed as the words came out, but Elijah just chuckled.
I craned my neck to look at him and realized that I was still thinking of him as Elijah
Abrams, but he wasn’t. As farfetched as it all seemed, he probably was the Angel Azazel. The
creature that forged the sword my family had been protecting for generations.
“What do I call you?” I asked. My speech was slurring a little from all of the booze I’d
consumed. His blue eyes were staring down at me in that way he had of making me feel like he
was searching my soul with them.
“You can call me Elijah. It’s been my name for so long I’m comfortable with it. Also, it
keeps my anonymity here.”
He licked his lips, a slow motion of his tongue that made my cock twitch. There was so
much I still wanted to know, so much that we had to discuss. But I was tired from the alcohol
and hungry with need for him again.
Armageddon wasn’t going to happen tonight, I told myself. If he really was an Angel and
the Apocalypse was really coming, it would all still be that way in the morning.
“What are you thinking about?” Elijah’s voice had taken on that husky quality he’d had
in my office, and it made me grow harder.
“I’m thinking that I want to know what it’s like to fuck you in my bed.”
“With everything we’ve talked about tonight, that’s what you’re thinking?” He laughed
and shook his head, but I could feel his erection growing against my back.
“What can I say? You inspire wicked thoughts in me.”
“Not very angelic of me, is it?” He placed a light kiss against my temple.
“Depends on your definition of Angel I guess,” I said as I pulled his mouth to mine.
Chapter Six
Our clothes were gone in a flurry of hands and mouths. We finally managed to make our
way to the bedroom, tripping over each other as we tried to kiss, touch and walk at the same
time.
When I felt the bed behind us, I pushed Elijah onto the mattress on his back and climbed
over him to straddle his thighs while I claimed his mouth again. His tongue was like velvet
against my lips, and he tasted of good whiskey and bad intentions.
My mind was struggling to focus solely on him and his body though. With all of the
things he had told me, it was difficult to push the fears and thoughts aside even though I wanted
him so badly.
“Open your eyes and look at me,” Elijah whispered against my mouth.
I did, staring into those impossibly blue eyes while gripping his hands in mine against the
mattress.
“If you don’t want to do this tonight, I’m fine with that. It’s been a long day for you. I
don’t want to pressure you or anything.”
“I’m the one who initiated this,” I reminded him.
“And you’re free to stop it any time.” He smiled. “I’ll stay with you or I’ll go, but I’ll be
back. You’re kind of drunk and probably pretty exhausted and confused.”
“I am all of those things,” I admitted with a chuckle. “But I also want you like crazy. I
don’t know that my mind is in any place to process all of the things you told me. What I do know
is that you’re fucking sexy as hell and I don’t want to think about the Apocalypse anymore
tonight.”
“What do you want to think about?”
“I want to think about how incredible you feel inside me,” I said as I lowered myself back
to his lips.
He moaned his agreement into my mouth. His arms snaked around my back to pull me
tighter against him. I could feel his cock totally hard and leaking pre-cum between our bodies,
and it was a struggle not to climb up his body and impale myself right then and there. I knew it
would hurt at first but felt sure it would eventually be the best thing ever.
Before I’d even really made up my mind to do it, my body was inching its way up his
legs. I gripped his cock in my hand and stroked the shaft a few times while he continued to kiss
me forcefully. It wasn’t until I was trying to position his head against my entrance that he
realized what I was doing.
He used his whole body to flip me over onto the mattress so that he was on top of me. He
was shaking his head and smiling when I opened my eyes to look at him again.
“You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I want you,” I said as if this explained everything.
“I want you, too,” he growled, nipping gently at my chin. “But I’m not going to fuck you
without some preparation. You’d never forgive me or yourself tomorrow.”
I knew he was right in theory, but my mind was so clouded with exhaustion and alcohol
that his logic seemed pretty poor right then.
“Do you have any lube around here?” he asked, scanning the bedroom.
“If I say no, will you tongue my asshole again?”
He winked at me, making me smile and flush at the same time. I wasn’t sure what it was
about him that made any censor my mouth might have had, which granted wasn’t usually much,
fly out the window.
“It’s in the drawer,” I said, pointing to the nightstand. “But I think we’ve both missed a
wonderful opportunity here.”
He crawled off of me and rooted around in the drawer for a minute before finally coming
up with the small tube in his hand. He poured a generous amount on his fingers before putting
the cap back on and dropping it next to me on the mattress.
His slick hand wrapped around my cock and squeezed gently before he started to slide his
fist up and down my shaft. My fingers curled in the bed sheets at the sensation. Eyelids fluttering
closed, my back arched off the bed as he stroked faster and harder over my erection.
“I’m going to come,” I panted as I felt my balls tighten almost painfully against my body.
It felt as if electrical currents were shooting up my thighs to converge at my cock in his hand.
The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck were standing at attention, and I couldn’t
remember the last time I’d needed to explode this badly.
Elijah’s mouth closed around my tip, and I came, screaming, my cum pumping into his
mouth as I writhed under him on the mattress. He swallowed me down, his hand still fisted
around my base until my body melted to a puddle beneath him and I couldn’t move anymore.
He climbed up to lay next to me, his eyes sparkling in the lamplight in the room as he
watched me slowly open my lids to face him.
“Thank you.” It sounded lame as it came out of my mouth, but my brain was even fuzzier
than it had been before the orgasm. I could hear my tongue thick with sleepiness as I said it and
feared I would fall asleep before I could return the favor.
“You’re most welcome,” he chuckled. “You should get some sleep.”
“But you—”
“Don’t worry about me,” he interrupted. “I’m more than happy to just take care of you
tonight. Tomorrow, you can let me fuck you over and over again. Tonight, let me lie here and
watch you sleep.”
“You want to watch me sleep?” I asked with a yawn.
“I think sleep is fascinating,” he said.
My eyes fluttered in a struggle to stay open. I knew I would lose the battle at any minute.
I shifted my body as best I could to lie lengthwise on the bed but finally had to let him help me
reach the pillows at the top of the mattress.
I opened my eyes to see him lying on Gareth’s pillow watching me with a silly smile on
his face.
“S’not Gareth’s anymore,” I whispered.
“Neither are you,” Elijah said.
At least, I think he did. I was asleep before I could ask if it had really been him or if I’d
imagined it.
* * * *
“Damn it, Drake. Wake up!” Elijah was yelling at me and shaking me violently.
“What’s the matter?” I asked groggily as I shoved at his hands to get him off of me.
“Alice is on the phone, and she needs to talk to you,” he said, thrusting my cell into my
hand.
“You answered my phone?” I asked, still trying to shake sleep from my brain.
“She called the house first and left a screaming message on your machine then started
blowing up your cell phone. So yes, I answered it. It’s an emergency. Now wake the hell up and
talk to her.”
“What’s going on?” I asked in to the phone. The word “emergency” had finally gotten
through to me, and I sat straight up in bed with the phone clutched to my ear.
“Oh fuck, Drake!” Alice cried on the other end of the line. “The office, Drake. Shit. The
whole fucking thing is gone. Everything. Totally destroyed.”
“What are you talking about?” I climbed out of bed and jammed the cell between my
shoulder and my ear as I started pulling clothes out of my closet and wrenching them on.
“There was a fire, an explosion really,” she said. Her voice was thick with tears, and she
started to hiccup. “Half the building went up in flames, and they think the whole thing is going to
collapse. Drake they won’t let me inside.”
“Fucking good!” I yelled at her, stopping in the middle of the room. “What the fuck are
you thinking? You can’t go into a burning building.”
“But Drake—”
“Shut up!” I dropped the phone onto the bed so I could pull on a pair of shoes, but I kept
yelling toward the receiver. “Just shut up a minute. You keep your tiny, Elven ass on the street
where it belongs. We’ll be there as soon as we can. I fucking mean it, Alice. If you take one step
toward that place, I will beat you to within an inch of your fucking life. Do you understand me?”
I didn’t wait for an answer. Grabbing the phone and snapping it shut, I shoved it into my
pocket and ran out of the bedroom. Elijah stood in the living room, fully dressed and waiting for
me.
“What happened?”
I grabbed my keys and ushered him out the front door. “I don’t know.” I headed for the
stairs, not wanting to waste time waiting for the elevator. “What time is it?”
“It’s about three-thirty,” he answered from a few steps behind me. “Why?”
“It’ll be faster if I drive,” I said, more to myself than to answer him really.
We exited the staircase into the parking garage attached to my building. I didn’t drive
very often, preferring cabs to dealing with afternoon traffic downtown. Plus I have a pretty nice
car and am terrified of it being stolen.
The Porsche Boxster S sat glittering under a motion light as we approached. I heard a low
whistle from Elijah and couldn’t help smiling despite of the situation. I loved this car.
“Still going to tell me you’re not doing anything illegal?” Elijah asked, sarcasm heavy in
his tone.
“First of all, this car was a gift,” I said as I slid behind the wheel. I figured it would be
better not to mention that it had come from Tomas. “Second, lots of people with legal jobs have
nice cars.” I turned the engine and felt the familiar spark of excitement as it roared to life.
“Fair enough,” he said with a shrug.
“Put your seatbelt on,” I said as I peeled out of the parking space and raced toward the
street.
“Don’t you think you should slow down a little?” Elijah called over the sound of the
engine as it gunned through the deserted streets.
“Relax,” I said as I took a corner going sixty miles per hour. “All the cops will be at the
fire, and there is no one who lives around this district anyway.”
As we entered downtown proper, I saw the smoke billowing up around the abandoned
buildings in the neighborhood of my office. Emotion swelled in my throat the closer we got.
Thank God, Alice hadn’t been in there. Thank God, it happened in the middle of the night when
no one would be working.
I slowed down as we reached the police barricade at the end of the street. I cut the engine
and jumped out of the car, racing toward the large crowd of people huddled as close to the action
as the police would let them get.
“Alice!” I screamed, searching frantically for her. She was so fucking short it was going
to be a nightmare to try to spot her. “Alice, where the fuck are you?”
“Drake!”
I could hear her, but I still couldn’t find her in the crowd. As I spun around, I realized
Elijah was no longer with me either.
Something slammed into me, and I had to grab a light pole to keep from staggering
backward. I looked down to see a mess of silver hair tangled on top of a head pressed to my
chest. I hugged Alice back just as tight, sinking to my knees to get a better grip on her.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I said as I smoothed her hair with my fingers.
“I thought you were in there,” she choked into my shoulder. “Sometimes, you sleep here,
and when they called me and said there was a fire all I could think was that you were in there.
Then you weren’t answering your phone and—”
Her whole body shook as she cried against me, the rest of her tangent cut off with a large
hiccup. I made useless shushing sounds and continued to pet her head as if she were a small child
who had woken up alone in the dark.
“We’re okay,” I said softly. “That’s all that matters.”
“The sword!” she wailed, gripping my shoulders with her nails. “Drake the fucking
sword was in there.” She leaned back and sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “They wouldn’t
let me in. I tried to sneak past them.”
“Stop,” I said, pulling her back into my arms. “Forget the sword. I need you here and safe
more than I’ll ever need that hunk of silver. Do you understand me? You’re my best friend,
Alice. What that fuck good is that sword to me if you’re dead? Nothing. Are you listening to me?
Nothing is more important to me than your safety.”
“I love you too, you big baby,” she said with a hiccup.
I smiled and wiped the tears off of her cheeks with my thumbs. After kissing the tip of
her nose, I stood and looked around for Elijah. He was pretty tall, but I couldn’t see him
anywhere.
“What are you looking for?” Alice asked with a sniff.
“Elijah,” I said distractedly as I continued to sweep the crowd for him.
“Elijah Abrams?” She sounded surprised, and I remembered that she didn’t know I’d left
with him. “Is that who answered your phone?”
“Um, yeah. He, uh, he and I…” I trailed off. My cheeks were burning with
embarrassment, but she just grinned at me.
“Drake, he’s not an FBI agent. Judy called me—”
“I know,” I cut her off. “But he’s okay. He’s…a good guy.”
“Oh.” She relaxed then smiled up at me. “And you banged him? Nice one.”
“Thanks.” I rolled my eyes. “I wonder where he could have gone. He was right behind
me.”
“The sword’s gone,” Elijah whispered in my ear.
I jumped and spun around to see him standing behind me. He was soaking wet, and there
was a burn patch on his white T-shirt.
“Did you… Did you go in there?” My heart was in my throat because I already knew the
answer.
“Of course, I went in there,” he said, his tone sounding as if I were the crazy one.
“Are you insane?” I hissed as I jabbed my finger into his chest.
“Drake, calm down. I lived in Hell for centuries. A burning building is nothing.”
I shook my head incredulously. He was right of course, but it sounded ridiculous to hear
it out loud.
“What do you mean the sword is gone?” I asked after I’d calmed down a little.
“You told him about the sword?” Alice squeaked in surprise.
“He already knew about it,” I said waving my hand to shush her.
“How?”
“He made the damn thing,” I said, irritated. I knew that she wasn’t aware of anything that
was going on, but I wanted to know what Elijah had found in the building, and I was annoyed at
her for interrupting. “Can I fill you in later?”
She fell silent, taking my hand in hers and squeezing it. I squeezed back in apology, and
she smiled up at me before we both turned back to Elijah.
“I mean the sword isn’t there. I couldn’t sense it at all.”
“I warded it before putting it in the safe,” Alice said.
“No offense to your warding skills, my dear,” Elijah said with a small bow toward her.
“But there is no magic on Earth that can shield the sword’s power from me. The weapon is not in
that building. It looks like the explosion happened in the office directly below yours, right under
your wall safe. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. Did anyone else know that
the sword was here?”
“No one knew for sure, but I would bet anything that Gareth would have figured it out.” I
sighed. “But he isn’t smart enough to pull off something like this.”
“Can we get out of here?” Alice was rubbing her arms as if she were chilled. “I can’t just
stand here and watch this place fall to the ground.”
I nodded my agreement, and we all walked back toward the end of the street where I’d
left my car. I was thrilled to see that it was still there. In my hurry to get to the scene I hadn’t
even locked the doors. But with all the flashing lights visible I think even professional car
jackers wouldn’t have taken a chance at stealing the car.
“Do you want to come back to my place?” I asked Alice as we reached the car. “You’ll
have to sit on Elijah’s lap for the ride, but you’re welcome to stay with us.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind? You’ll have to bring me back to my car in the morning.”
“That’s fine, sweetie,” I said as I climbed into the car. “You don’t mind sleeping on the
couch do you?”
“As long as you two don’t spend the rest of the night fucking. I don’t want to listen to
that shit.”
Elijah laughed as he helped her get situated between his legs. I heard the water from his
pants squelching against my leather seats and fought not to visibly cringe. At least, they aren’t
fabric seats, I told myself as I put the car in gear and swung around to head home. But the smell
of burning was emanating from him, and I couldn’t help worrying that I’d never get the stench
out.
“Sorry,” Elijah mumbled with a glance over at me. “I’m sure it will come out.”
“Can you read my mind?” I asked sharply, looking at him through narrowed eyes.
“Nope, just your face. Your nose was crinkled almost as much as your eyes, and I know I
must smell terrible. If you want, I’ll take the car to get it detailed for you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
Alice groaned. “Great, two hot guys who are always right. This is going to be a fabulous
relationship.”
“Shut up,” I told her with a laugh.
We rode the rest of the way to my apartment in silence. Since I drove the speed limit, the
trip home took longer than it had to get to the office, and Alice was sound asleep by time we
pulled into the parking garage.
Elijah carried her to the apartment as if she weighed nothing and laid her gently on the
couch. I grabbed a few blankets from the hall closet and covered her up before leading Elijah
back to the bedroom.
“No!” I yelled as he was about to sit on the bed in his still wet clothes. “Please change
before you get in bed. And you should probably shower, too.”
“I don’t have any clothes here,” he said. “And I don’t know where your shower is. You’ll
have to come with me to make sure I get all the soot smell off of me. Then I’ll probably have to
sleep naked.”
“Alice isn’t going to be very happy if we wake her up.”
“Then you’ll have to be very, very quiet,” he said pulling me into his wet, smelly arms
and kissing me.
His tongue forced my lips apart, and I moaned into him. He smiled against my mouth at
the sound, gripping me tighter around the waist. “You aren’t off to a very quiet start.”
“I can’t help it,” I whispered hoarsely. “You have that effect on me.”
“Then we’d better get you in the shower and hope the water drowns out some of the
sounds.”
Chapter Seven
I made Elijah actually wash before I’d kiss him again. The smell of ash and singe was too
pungent for me to even think of sex while it permeated the air. When the water sluicing over his
body finally rinsed clear, I pounced on him, pinning him to the wall of the shower with my body
as I kissed him.
He chuckled against my lips before joining in, his tongue sliding over mine as his hands
roamed by body. His cock grew hard against my stomach, and my own raced to respond.
“How do you do this to me?” I whispered between lingering kisses up his neck. “I’ve
never wanted anyone the way I want you.”
“It’s one of my Angel powers,” he said, and I heard the smile in his voice. “That and
opening wine bottles without a cork puller.”
“Those are both very useful gifts.” I licked a drop of water from his earlobe. “There is
never a corkscrew around when you really need one.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, his arms wrapped around my waist. “God created us mostly to
entertain people at parties.”
“I know how much his son loved wine.” I nibbled my way back across his collarbone.
“Jesus was a lush,” he laughed. “But he was fun.”
“I feel sort of pervy talking about him while you’re all naked and wet with me,” I
admitted. “I would hate for him to hear his name and look down to see us…”
“Don’t worry,” he said kissing my lips. “They all know better than to watch. Millions of
people scream God’s name during sex. They’ve learned to ignore it for the most part.”
“Well, that’s good.” I shivered against him. The water had gone cold while we’d been
talking. “We should probably get out. I don’t want to molest you with pruny fingers.”
“I appreciate that.” He nodded seriously though his lips had twitched into a smirk.
I turned off the tap while he climbed out of the tub to grab towels. We dried ourselves off
then made our way back to the bedroom. As much as I wanted him, I couldn’t help but look
longingly at the fluffy pillows and thick comforter on the bed. It looked so inviting and I was
exhausted.
“I’m not going to be offended if you want to go back to sleep,” Elijah said, pulling me
into an embrace before placing a soft kiss on my lips. “You’ve had a really rough day. And you
look terrible.”
“Well, thank you,” I said, fluttering my eyelids at him. “Just what every man wants to
hear while standing naked before an Angel.”
“I should rephrase that,” he said as he nuzzled my neck. “You look good enough to eat,
but you seem tired and stressed. I don’t want to make it worse.”
“Honestly, I think you could only make things better,” I said with a sigh. “As horrific as
tonight has been, having you here with me makes me almost not even care.”
“That’s a dangerous attitude to have.” Elijah’s eyes darkened with concern as he looked
down at me.
“I said almost.” I rolled my eyes. “I was trying to be romantic.”
“Don’t,” he said with a chuckle. “It doesn’t suit you.”
“You know what does suit me?” I asked, running my hands up his back and taking a
fistful of his hair in my palm.
“What’s that?”
“You throwing me down on this bed and fucking me all night.”
“I don’t think Alice would appreciate the noise that would cause,” he said seriously, but
his eyes twinkled mischievously.
“I don’t think I give a fuck,” I growled as I pulled his head back by his hair and licked a
line up his throat. His pulse was hot and heavy against my tongue. I wanted to taste him. Just a
gentle nip, barely a drop really was all I wanted.
“Are you all right?” Elijah asked.
I realized I had frozen with my mouth pressed over his throat, and he was probably
feeling a little nervous.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, moving my mouth down to his shoulder where I would be less
tempted to bite him.
“When’s the last time you fed?” His tone was cautious as if he were afraid of offending
me.
“Last night,” I answered, hoping my voice was even and calm.
“With Gareth?” He still sounded casual, but his body had stiffened as if in anger.
“No!” I held his chin in my hand and made him look me in the eye. “No. I have not fed
off of that scumbag in weeks. I had stores of his blood in my office, and I drank one while you
were getting a table at the bar.”
“But it was his blood, right?”
“Yes,” I said defensively. I dropped my hands from his face and walked over toward the
bed. “Do you know where else I could get my hands on Nephilim blood? You do know that I
have to feed from him, don’t you? It’s not like I enjoy depending on him for anything.”
“Drake,” Elijah voice was thick with apology.
“Don’t.” I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up over my body. I suddenly wanted to
hide from him. I had nothing to be ashamed of, but the admission of having drank Gareth’s blood
made me feel dirty.
“I didn’t mean—”
“I said don’t.”
“What are you going to do now?” he asked, sitting on the mattress next to me. “Now that
he’s gone, how are you going to feed?”
“Tomas said Gareth left me a six-month supply of blood here before he left. If I’m
careful I can probably stretch it out to last almost a year. After that…I’m not really sure.” I didn’t
want to admit that blood was one of the reasons I kept taking Gareth back after all this time. Any
time my stores would run low, I would let him come groveling back into my bed out of fear of
what would happen to me without him. I hated being dependant on him.
“What did you do before you met Gareth?” Elijah asked as he lay down next to me.
“We were friends long before we were lovers,” I said as I inched closer to him, laying my
head on his shoulder and running my fingers up and down his arm. “His family and my parents
were close and the Spence’s were always willing to donate to us. Plus my mother always seemed
to have connections for backup supplies. I never thought to ask her how she did it. I suppose, I
thought she would just always be around to feed me.”
“Where is she now?” he asked cautiously, as if he knew the answer but wanted to hear
me say it out loud.
“Dead.” I sighed as I turned to face him. “My father was killed by poisoned blood. I’m
not sure how or why. My mother never wanted to talk about it beyond telling me it had
happened. After that, she stopped feeding completely. I think she just couldn’t bear to go on
without him. She wasted away and died about six months after he did.”
“I’m sorry,” Elijah whispered, gripping my hand in his. “I shouldn’t have pushed.”
“No, it’s fine. I just don’t talk about them very often.” I rolled onto my back and stared
up at the ceiling. “Watching her die like that, it’s part of why I stayed with Gareth for so long.
He was there when I needed a shoulder to cry on, and he always had an open vein for me when I
wanted or needed it. Keeping him with me kept me safe. I knew I would never shrivel to nothing
for want of blood if Gareth was in my life.”
I couldn’t figure out why I was still talking. Something about this man made me want to
spill every dark little secret I had. It was as if I had to spew it all out in big mouthfuls to make
sure I was able to tell it all at once.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
“For what?” I turned back to look at him again. The moon was bright outside and it
illuminated the half of his face that wasn’t pressed into the pillow. His eyes were bright and he
looked worried.
“For the way I sounded earlier. If you need to feed on Gareth, that’s none of my business.
Hell, anything you want to do with him is not my concern, is it?”
“I don’t know. Is it?” I propped my head up on my fist. “Do you want it to be your
concern?”
“I like you,” he said, his voice husky in that way that made my cock twitch. “Maybe
more than I should. We barely know each other but…”
“But it feels as if we’ve known each other forever,” I finished for him. “Yeah. I don’t
know what’s happening here. What I do know is that I like you, too. And I hate Gareth. And as
exhausted as I am, as rough as tonight has been, I want to feel you inside me. I want you to tear
me apart and put me back together again with your hands and your mouth and your body. Can
you do that for me? Can you make me forget everything else? Just for tonight I want to believe
that you and I are the only things that exist, the only things that matter. If the Apocalypse is
really coming then we need to cram as much pleasure as we can into the days before it, in case
we don’t have any days left after.”
“I can do anything you want me to do.”
“You still smell like soot,” I said with a smile as I inhaled deeply into his hair.
“Just pretend I’m Santa Claus.” He grinned wickedly as he climbed on top of me, his legs
straddling my hips as his hands roamed over my chest.
“A very hot, skinny, Santa Claus,” I said with a laugh.
“Yeah, okay, don’t pretend I’m Santa.” He laughed too.
“I’ll just think you’re you if that’s all right.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and
pulled him down to kiss me.
His legs slid down until his front was flush with mine. The blankets had been shifted
aside, and we were pressed naked against each other, our cocks both hard against each other’s
skin.
“I’m not letting you out of it this time,” he growled against my mouth. “You’re going to
let me fuck you. I don’t care how tired you are. I need to feel that sweet ass gripping my cock
again, or I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”
“I’ve only been begging you to for hours,” I complained. “It’s not my fault you decided
to jerk me off earlier. I was all set to ride you, but you had to go and be noble and let me come
then pass out.”
“I’m an idiot,” he nodded as if I’d said it and he were just agreeing. “I’ll have to work on
that.”
“Elijah?”
“Hmm?”
“Shut up and fuck me.”
His mouth crashed back down on mine, his tongue licking against mine as our teeth
gnashed together. His hands roamed over my body, and I thought I could live like this forever.
Elijah touching and kissing me, his skin against mine. There are certainly worse ways I could
imagine spending eternity.
“Heaven can’t be better than this,” I whispered as his mouth trailed hot kisses down my
throat.
“I think this is Heaven,” he said before taking one of my nipples between his teeth and
nipping it gently. He released me quickly, continuing his descent over my skin.
I wanted to agree, but my voice was lost to a moan as his lips wrapped around my shaft,
warm and wet, his tongue like silk over my cock. My fists clenched in the sheets, and I writhed
under him, my hips arching toward him of their own volition.
He pulled away from me, staring up at me with need I’d never seen in a man’s eyes.
Gareth had certainly never looked at me that way. I shook my head as if I could physically clear
the thought of that asshole from my mind. I didn’t want to be thinking about him. I didn’t want
to ever think about him again, but certainly not while I was with Elijah.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Sorry, my mind wandered for a second.”
“Well, stop that. I want you right here with me.” His eyes darkened with that look again.
As hard as it was to understand, or even to believe, he really did want me. Just me.
“I’m here,” I said pulling him up by his biceps. “Right here. As long as you want me to
be.”
He kissed me, softer than before, and I tried to put everything I felt in the kiss I returned.
All of the need, the hunger, the affection that was coursing through my mind and my heart I tried
to convey with my lips and my tongue and my hands. It would never be enough, but I hoped he
would at least understand some of it.
Elijah’s fingers traced my jaw before winding their way into my hair, tugging gently to
break my lips free from his. He stared into my eyes in that way that made me think he was
studying my soul through my irises.
“What?”
He shook his head with a smile. “I just can’t figure you out, Drake Brokk.”
“Can you try again tomorrow?” I asked with a small smile. “I’m kind of waiting to get
fucked here.”
“My apologies,” he said, dropping his face low to nip my ear. “You’ve waited so
patiently, too.”
His body slid down mine again, the friction of his skin over my cock making me shudder.
As his teeth grazed my hip, I closed my eyes in anticipation of his mouth around my shaft again,
but he laid the barest breath of a kiss against my tip before moving further, trailing wet, hot
kisses over my thighs.
Elijah’s hands worked their way under my legs, and he pulled until my knees were bent
and my feet were planted flat against the mattress. I jumped in surprise when his cold, slick
fingers traced my opening. I hadn’t even heard him open the bottle of lube that must have still
been on the bed from earlier.
“Don’t stop,” I hissed when his fingers paused at my reaction. “Please don’t fucking
stop.”
I looked down my body to see Elijah smiling up at me, his face inches from my aching
cock. His gaze held mine as he slowly slid one finger inside of me, then another. It was a
struggle to keep my eyes open as he began to scissor his digits back and forth, working me looser
in preparation. When he twisted his fingers around so he could start to fuck me with them, I lost
the battle and threw my head back, my lids fluttering shut as a low moan escaped my throat.
“Your ass is so fucking tight,” he whispered as he continued his ministrations. “I can’t
wait to feel this gripping my cock. I’ve been thinking about it for hours. Every time I blink, I see
you spread across your desk for me. I can still taste you on my lips every time I lick them.”
His words did just as much as his fingers to make me ready for him. I wanted to beg him
to fuck me, but I couldn’t form words anymore. Everything I tried to say came out as pathetic
whines. Finally, he climbed over me, his hips between my thighs, one hand under my ass to raise
me up and the other on his cock, positioning it against my entrance.
Even though he had prepared me well, the initial intrusion of his huge tip spreading me
open drew a sharp hiss from me. He flicked his gaze to meet mine, and when he saw that my
eyes were as hungry for him as his were for me, he didn’t stop. He slid inside of me agonizingly
slow, his thick shaft stretching me wider than I remembered it doing earlier—maybe because we
had been so hurried in my office. This slow, steady pace left me free to feel every inch of him.
My ass burned from the intrusion, but it wasn’t really pain. I knew in moments it would be the
best feeling ever. And when he started to move I knew he had been wrong earlier. This was
Heaven. Whatever we had done before, maybe that was Purgatory. But this, nothing could ever,
ever feel better than what he was doing to me.
“Look at me,” Elijah said, his voice almost hitched with pleasure.
I forced my eyes open, meeting his blue starburst irises that mirrored the hunger I had for
him. His hands found mine on the mattress, and I had to wrap my legs around his waist to keep
him from slipping out of me.
“You are so fucking sexy,” I said, my voice hoarse from the strain of keeping quiet.
“You’re so fucking tight, Drake. I can feel every one of your muscles clenching around
me. Like your ass is trying to suck my orgasm out.”
His fist closed around the base of my cock, and he stroked me furiously. I knew he was
close to coming and wanted me to come with him. It wasn’t going to take much. I’d been ready
to explode since I’d thrown him against the wall in the shower.
“Elijah!” I hissed as my balls tightened painfully against my body. My body jerked
against the mattress when I came in hot, thick spurts up my chest.
He came as I did, his cock twitching in my ass so hard I felt it pulsing inside of me. His
body pitched forward, and he barely caught himself on shaking arms. He pulled out of me slowly
before falling to the bed next to me.
“That was…” I searched for words as I fought to catch my breath, but nothing seemed
appropriate to describe what we had just done.
“Yeah,” he agreed with a small laugh. “It was.”
“Do you think we woke Alice up?” I asked, glancing nervously at the door.
“I doubt it. She doesn’t seem very shy. I think she would have yelled if she’d heard us.”
“You’re probably right.” I tried to stifle a yawn.
“You need to get some sleep,” he said. He kissed me quickly, pulling away when I tried
to keep his mouth pressed to mine. “If you kiss me too much, I’m not going to let you get any
rest tonight.”
“Fine,” I said with a sigh, climbing out of bed. “I’m going to get cleaned up then I
suppose I will go to sleep. And what, you’re just going to watch me again?”
“That’s what I do,” he said with a shrug. “I’m a Watcher.”
“That’s funny.” I shook my head as I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind
me.
After a perfunctory wipe down with a wet washcloth, I padded back to bed and let Elijah
fold his arms around me. I was too tired to talk, and as I felt my mind go fuzzy around the edges,
I hoped he didn’t mind that I hadn’t even said goodnight.
Chapter Eight
I opened my eyes and blinked in the bright sunlight that filled the room. Reaching over
for Elijah, I was surprised to find the bed empty. His scent was still on the sheets though, and I
couldn’t resist planting my face into his pillow and inhaling deeply. There was a faint touch of
ash smell mingled with the manly scent that I had come to associate with him.
Flopping back onto my own pillow, I blew out a sigh. I needed to get up and get dressed.
I heard voices on the other side of the door and realized that Elijah and Alice must be out there
talking. My gaze fell on the clock sitting on the nightstand, and I groaned at the red numbers
saying it was already after two in the afternoon. My stomach gave a low growl, and that
cemented it. I had to get out of bed.
After pulling on a pair of clean jeans and a black T-shirt, I padded out of the room
barefoot in search of people and food.
Alice and Elijah sat on the sofa, facing each other, each with a Styrofoam takeout
container on their laps.
“I told you if you brought food into the house, it would wake him up,” Alice said with a
smile. “He’s got a metabolism like a teenage boy.”
“It’s the Nephilim blood,” Elijah said nodding. “It should always be worse for the first
few days after a feeding. It takes a lot of energy for his body to process the blood. That’s why
he’s so tired all the time after he drinks it, too.”
“I never knew that,” I said as I glanced around. “Where’s mine?”
“I left it on the island,” Alice said.
I walked out to the kitchen and opened the container, smiling at its contents. Eggs, bacon,
sausage, ham and six pieces of toast. Sometimes, I loved how well Alice knew me.
“So I still don’t understand why you can’t just make another one,” Alice said in the other
room. “I mean, can’t you just forge something stronger?”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Elijah said with a sigh. “I was a warrior of God when I made
that sword. Now I’m fallen. I don’t have the same powers I did then. My soul doesn’t even have
the same intentions, no matter what my heart wants. My blood is tainted with evil.”
“So make an evil sword,” I said as I came back into the room with my food and a bottle
of orange juice.
“What?” Elijah and Alice asked in unison.
“Make an evil sword,” I said again. I sat down on the floor opposite them and started to
eat my eggs while they both tried to make sense of my idea.
“Make an evil sword,” Elijah repeated. “What the hell good is that going to do?”
“A lot, actually,” I said around a mouthful of toast. “Just because the sword is tainted
with evil doesn’t mean it can’t be wielded by someone good, right? So you make a sword with
blood of the fallen and whoever ends up the warrior for good uses it to kick some Demon ass.”
“Drake, you’re a fucking genius!” Alice cried.
“Why do you sound so surprised?” I asked in a mock hurt tone.
“You two are crazy.” Elijah shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“Why?” Alice and I asked together.
“That’s not… There’s a fucking prophecy. The sword of Azazel is used in the battle.”
“And if you make another sword isn’t that also the sword of Azazel?” I asked.
“No.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “You are who you are. It’s not going to be the sword of
Elijah just because that’s what I call you. Maybe the prophecy is talking about a second sword.
Or maybe the prophecy is bullshit. There is still no proof that Armageddon is even coming is
there? It could all just be a bunch of freaked out races who haven’t had anything else to worry
about for a while so they are all banding together in a massive fear mongering quest.”
“Drake—” Elijah started, but I cut him off.
“No. I’m not ready to just give in to this. It’s ridiculous. Are they talking about the
Apocalypse in Hell right now? Is Satan gathering his forces?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “I haven’t been back in years. Lucifer got sick of
me and sent me to Earth. He hasn’t called me back, and I haven’t bothered to check in. I don’t
care if I ever go back there.”
“Maybe you should,” Alice said quietly.
I glared at her, but she didn’t even flinch.
“It would be helpful to know if the other half of this equation is thinking the way we are,”
Alice said thoughtfully. “If evil thinks the end of days is coming too then it’s enough to put it
into motion. Even if now wasn’t supposed to be the time, both sides preparing for a battle out of
sheer nerves will be enough to ensure it happens. Good and evil will want to be ready in case the
other one strikes first. Eventually, one of them will set it off, and the battle will begin.”
“Christ,” Elijah swore. “You’re right. If they catch wind of what’s being talked about up
here, it might be enough to start a war.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to go back to Hell,” I said. I pushed my food away in
disgust. My stomach had knotted so much at the thought of him going away that I wasn’t even
remotely hungry anymore.
“Drake, Alice is right. I have to go see what’s going on.”
“Why you?” I knew I sounded like a child, but I didn’t really care.
“I’ll be back.” He slid off the couch and crawled around the table to sit next to me.
“Don’t worry. I’ll just drop down there, and I’ll be right back. You won’t even have time to
know I’m gone.”
“What if he doesn’t let you come back?” The question came out in a choked tone as I
struggled to keep eye contact with him. “I mean, I just got you. I don’t want to lose you already.”
“You’re not going to lose me,” he said firmly. “With any luck, Satan won’t even know
I’m there. I just need to find my brother. He’ll know what, if anything, is going on. And he won’t
tell anyone I’m there.”
“I don’t like this at all,” I said with a sigh. “And I think you should make the sword
before you go down there.”
Elijah rolled his eyes, but I stared at him, trying to make him see that I was serious.
“Look, if you don’t come back, I want a backup plan. Get to crafting because I want steel
in my hand if I have to go in there and bust you free.”
“You’re fucking bonkers!” Alice said loudly. “Like I’d let you saunter into Hell.”
“Like you could stop me.”
“Like you could get in there,” Elijah said angrily.
“There are ways,” I said softly, dropping my gaze to the floor.
“No!” Elijah caught on to what I was thinking and wrenched my face up to look at him.
“Listen to me, you sick son of a bitch. You will not. Do you hear me? You will not!”
“I don’t understand,” Alice said. “Will not what?”
“Kill himself.”
I stood up and looked down at both of them. “I’ll do whatever I have to do. What are you
so worried about Elijah? I thought you said you’d be back before I even knew you were gone? If
it’s going to be so easy for you to get in and out, why are you freaking out about this?”
“Because you’re scaring me,” he said, standing up. He seemed bigger than I’d ever
noticed as he glowered down at me. “The fact that your mind went straight to that terrifies me.”
“Well, don’t worry. You’ll go and come back, and it won’t matter what I was thinking.
But you are going to make me that fucking sword before you leave me.”
“Damn that happened fast,” Alice said with a whistle.
“What?” I asked, rounding on her with my fists clenched.
“You two. Falling in love like that,” she said with a shrug. “It happened so fast. It makes
sense, I guess. You’re both fucking mental. I’m just surprised is all. And unless you’re planning
to punch me Drake, you should probably loosen those fingers before you make your palms
bleed.”
I stared at her in disbelief but relaxed my hands. I could feel the little half-moon
impressions my nails had left in my skin. It took all of my strength not to look at Elijah. His eyes
were practically burning a hole through me, but I didn’t know if I wanted to see the expression
on his face. I think no matter what I had seen right then, it would have been the wrong reaction
from him.
“Anyway,” I said in an irritated tone. “I would just feel better if I had a weapon. Someone
took the sword, and they knew I was the keeper. If they knew about the prophecy then they know
I’m apparently the last son of Sariel as well. I don’t want to be here defenseless if they come
looking for me.”
Finally, unable to keep my gaze away, I turned to see Elijah glowering at me. I wasn’t
sure if he was still mad at me about the suicide comment or about wanting another sword or
because I hadn’t responded to Alice’s comment about he and I being in love with each other. I
sure as hell wasn’t going to ask him, though.
“Okay. Sure, Drake. Do you happen to have a big ass pile of silver lying around
somewhere I could borrow?” Elijah crossed his arms over his chest.
“I don’t want a silver one,” I said as I pulled the cap off of the orange juice. I took a swig
from the bottle before continuing. “I told you, I want a steel one.”
“What for?” Alice asked. “Wouldn’t silver be better?”
“Nephilim can’t be hurt by silver,” Elijah answered for me, his face relaxing with the hint
of amusement in his voice. “You want to use it to kill Gareth.”
“Among others.” I shrugged. “It won’t kill everything, but steel will fuck up some
Demons real good.”
“And it will be completely useless against others,” Alice said crossly. “I don’t need you
going and getting yourself killed just so you can murder your ex-boyfriend, Drake. What the
fuck would I do without you? No one else is going to give me a job.”
“Maybe if you didn’t steal everything that wasn’t nailed down you would have better
opportunities. Besides, in case you missed it, our office exploded last night. What makes you
think you still have a job?” I winked at her to show her that I was kidding.
I hadn’t really had time to process the fact that the office was gone. Some of the work
could be done from the apartment I supposed, but all of my manifests, the computer system,
everything would have burnt to nothing. I’d built that company from the ground, literally poured
blood, sweat and tears into it, and some asshole had destroyed it.
Gareth may have been too stupid to pull it off himself, but I knew he was involved. And I
was going to kill him. Not just for blowing up my office, though it was a good place to start the
list of reasons he should die.
There was another name nagging at the back of my mind, but I couldn’t bring myself to
believe it. Tomas certainly had the resources and the brains to pull off what had happened last
night, but he was my friend. My mentor. Hadn’t he just sat in my office and told me I was like a
son to him? What did he have to gain from stealing the sword?
“Hello?” Alice’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Drake, what’s up?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking about how we’re going to keep the company going,” I said
half honestly.
“You could just shut it down,” Elijah said with a raised eyebrow. “If things are really
going to get nasty, we certainly don’t need you supplying artillery to fuel the fire.”
“Don’t start.” I glared at him. “The majority of what I do is completely legal. What do
you even care? You’re not really an FBI agent.”
“No I’m not, but I don’t need you in any more danger than you already are. If you’re
selling tanks and flamethrowers to people who are scary enough without weapons—”
“Stop it,” Alice said, cutting him off. “Please don’t fight. I can’t take it right now, okay?”
“Fine,” Elijah and I said together.
“Great. Now, you.” She turned to look at me. “I don’t need you getting in a pissing match
with Gareth right now. We need to figure out what’s really going on. Hot wings here is going to
go to Hell and see what’s what. And you’re going to sit on your hands and wait for him to get
back.”
“And you.” She looked at Elijah. “Are going to make cry baby here the biggest, baddest
steel blade you can manage. Pour your blood into it, salt it, fuck, cry on it for all I care. But
you’re going to do it and you’re going to do it before you leave.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Elijah said with a wry smile.
“He gets hot wings and I get cry baby?” I huffed.
“That right there,” she said with a grin, “is why you get cry baby. Now you boys play
nice. I’m going to grab a cab back to get my car.”
“I can drive you,” I said, getting to my feet.
“No, you have shit to do. You can walk me out though.”
“Smooth,” Elijah said. “You could have just told him you wanted to talk to him alone.”
“I could have,” she nodded solemnly. “But I’m not an asshole.”
She walked out the door without saying goodbye to him. I looked after her in disbelief
then turned back to Elijah who shrugged.
Alice was waiting for the elevator when I stepped out in the hall. I shut the apartment
door behind me and walked over to her.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked, turning her around to look at me.
“Drake, I don’t like this. I’m scared.”
“Come on, Alice. First of all, I would never let anything happen to you.”
“I know that,” she said with a sniff. “I’m more worried about protecting you.”
“From what?”
“From him.” She jerked her head toward the apartment. “You love him.” She held up a
hand to stop my protest. “You do. And as much as you pretend that Gareth was just convenient,
you loved that fucker more than you will ever admit. And he hurt you so badly it gave me pains.
I can’t watch you go through this again. I won’t. If he comes back and tells us that the war is
coming, I’m leaving. I’ll go underground until the pieces fall where they may. I won’t watch you
battle Demons, real or internal. I love you to death, Drake, but I don’t think you’re strong enough
to survive any of this.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No,” she said with a rueful smile. “It’s not. But it’s true, and you know it. Your greatest
strength is also your biggest weakness.” She put a hand up to my heart. “This thing here is going
to get you killed. You’ll walk into Hell after him, happy to go, and I’ll be left here alone. I can’t
sit back and watch it happen. And since I know I can’t stop you, I’ll just leave.”
“Alice…” I didn’t know what to say. It was as if she’d insulted me and complemented
me at the same time. She was scaring me and pissing me off, and I didn’t know whether to
smack her or hug her. Before I could think of a response, the elevator dinged and the doors
opened for her.
“Call me when he figures out what’s going on.” She stepped into the lift and pressed the
button. “I love you, Drake.”
“I love you, too, Alice,” I said as the door closed between us.
Chapter Nine
“So what’s up with Alice?” he asked as I walked back into the apartment. “Does she hate
me?”
“No, not really. I don’t think so. She’s afraid you’re going to hurt me.”
“So am I.” He looked down at the floor as he said it.
“Look, I’m a big boy, and I can take care of myself.” There was a thread of anger in my
voice now. I was sick of them treating me like I was weak or a child. I had managed to survive
thirty-one years on my own before either of them had flitted into my life.
“That’s not what I’m saying. Drake, look, I’m not good for you. I know that, and Alice
knows that, too. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to stay away from you.”
“I know.” I nodded solemnly. “It’s the gravitational pull of my good looks and charm.” I
shrugged. “It’s the cross I bear. Like Jesus.”
“Just like Jesus,” he agreed. “Except, you know, his was a real cross. But still. I get the
point.”
We stared at each other. The joking had done little to lighten the tension in the room.
“We could just fuck,” I said dryly.
“What a rousing endorsement,” he said, but he laughed. “How could I possibly turn down
such an offer?”
“Look, I’m nervous, okay? I don’t want you to go back there. Can’t you just make the
sword here?”
“That’s not why I’m going there. That’s just a bonus and you know it. Alice was right. I
have to know if Hell is preparing for battle. If we can cut this thing off before it gets too far we
could save a lot of lives.”
“And how are we going to do that?” I snapped. “We don’t even know—”
“Exactly!” he yelled over me. “We don’t know anything. But if I can confirm that
someone up here is trying to start trouble, we can go after them instead of having to prepare for a
war no one is ready for.”
“Fine.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “Fine. Go. Have fun. Bring me a souvenir or
something.”
I turned away from him, walked into my bedroom and slammed the door behind me. It
was a struggle not to open it again and start screaming some more. The thought of him going to
Hell and getting stuck there was making me sick to my stomach. He acted as if it were the easiest
thing in the world. And maybe it was, but it didn’t seem so cut and dry to me. If it was truly that
simple for him to wander in and out of that place, why had he not gone back for years?
He said he had to talk to his brother. Who the fuck was his brother? Did he mean his
actual brother or did he mean it like a slang term? Did Angels have family?
I walked over to the bed and sat down, straining to hear sounds from the other side of the
door, but there was nothing. Had he left? There was a burning need inside of me to go back out
into the living room—it was my apartment after all—but I couldn’t. If I had to look at him again,
I didn’t know if I would start shouting or if I would knock him to the ground and have my way
with him. Neither of those things would help us get anything accomplished.
Figuring there was nothing left to do, I climbed into the shower and let the hot water beat
at the tension in my shoulders. Part of me hoped that Elijah would come to find me, to apologize
or even to yell some more, but he didn’t. When the water finally started to run cold, I got out, got
dressed and ventured into the living room to see if he was still there. He wasn’t.
The apartment seemed more empty than I’d ever felt it. Even on the dozens of nights I’d
sat up watching infomercials and waiting for Gareth’s cheating ass to get home did the place feel
so desolate. I was well and truly alone. My lover had literally gone to Hell, and I had to sit and
wait for him to get back.
Patience is not one of my strong suits. After flipping through every channel on the
television three times and checking my phone for missed calls a few hundred times, I knew there
was no way I could stay there any longer. I grabbed my keys and went to my car.
As I slid behind the wheel and closed the door, silence enveloped me. It was a different
quiet than the apartment. This noiselessness was chosen. I wanted to be encased in the smooth
leather tomb of the vehicle. This car, more than anything else in my life, was an escape. From
problems, from too much thought—or not enough—and from the rest of the world in general. It
was like a one-way ticket to freedom. I always knew that at any moment I could get in the
Porsche and be gone. To wherever I wanted to go.
Now that I was sitting there with the engine humming, I had no idea where to go. The car
still smelled faintly of soot from Elijah. Thinking of him made my stomach contract, and I
pushed him from my mind. It wasn’t going to do me any good to worry about him. All I could do
was trust that he would come back unharmed.
I put the car in drive and headed out toward the office. There was nothing else to do so I
figured I might as well go check it out. Traffic was surprisingly light as I wove my way around
the one-way streets through the city. When I got to the scene, I found it was still barricaded.
A bored looking police officer leaned against the traffic barrier chewing on a toothpick.
He looked at me with mild interest when I pulled up next to him.
“Excuse me, is there any way I could get down there and have a look?”
“You a reporter?” He eyed me suspiciously.
“No, my office was in that building. I’m just curious…” I trailed off, not sure what I was
curious about really. I just wanted to see it. Not that I was about to say that to the cop. It sounded
stupid.
“Yeah, all right,” he said with a shrug. “Leave your car though. There’s still debris
everywhere, and you wouldn’t want anything to happen to this beauty.”
“Thanks,” I said as I cut the engine and got out.
“If you get hurt over there, I’m going to say you knocked me out,” the cop said dryly.
I looked at him for a minute but couldn’t decide if he was kidding or not.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as I walked around him and headed down the street.
A lone fire truck was parked across the street from the building. I assumed they had to
stay in case any smoldering was going on in the wreckage. I nodded to one of the firemen who
leaned against the truck smoking a cigarette. The irony of it almost made me laugh.
Looking up at the demolished shell that used to house my office made my chest constrict.
It was gone. Everything. Not just the sword, which was a pity in itself for sure, but years and
years of hard work had vanished in the blink of an eye. At that precise moment the day before, I
had been sitting at my desk across from Tomas and talking about the apocalypse. Twenty-four
hours later, there was nothing but blue sky visible where my office had stood. The building had
collapsed in on itself and only the bottom few levels remained, charred and ruined.
My fists clenched at the thought that Tomas had had anything to do with this. There was
no one else, I had decided. He was working with Gareth, and I wanted to know why. Fuck this
sitting around for Elijah to get back bullshit. The smartest thing to do was to call my ex and
weasel whatever information I could out of him.
I turned my back on the destroyed building and jogged back to my car. The cop was
looking through the windows and jumped when I tapped him on the shoulder.
“Thanks for watching her for me,” I said with a smile.
“That is a sharp fucking car, mister,” he said, nodding appreciatively. “You’re not a drug
dealer are you?”
“No sir,” I said, my tone thick with laughter. “I promise you I am—was—just a business
man. Now that my office is gone, I suppose I’m unemployed at the moment though.”
“Damn shame,” he said grimly. “Can’t imagine what kind of person would do that. Damn
firebugs.”
“Yeah, you’d have to be a real son of a bitch to torch someone’s property like that.” I
gave him a quick salute. “Thanks again for letting me have a look.”
“No problem, son. You have a nice day.”
“Thanks, you too.” I got behind the wheel and did my best not to peel away from the
scene. It was hard not to gun the engine on her, but I thought that speeding off in front of a cop
who’d just done me a favor was probably not the best idea in the world.
By time I got back to the apartment, I had calmed down a little. I knew Elijah would be
pissed if I went off half-cocked after Gareth. He was risking himself to go into Hell for me, the
least I could do was sit on my hands until he got back. We’d talk about me going to Gareth later.
Maybe he could even help me come up with a way to trick my moron ex-boyfriend into spilling
his guts.
I threw myself down on the sofa and turned on the television. There was nothing on. The
building offered satellite TV with over a thousand channels, and there was never anything on.
Finally, I left it on a music channel and got up to clean the apartment.
Since I was hardly ever home and Gareth had never really been either even when he lived
there full time, the place wasn’t that dirty. It was dusty though, and I spent about three hours
wiping down all of the surfaces. It should have only taken about twenty minutes, but I had to
stop and check my watch and every clock in every room of the apartment every twelve seconds.
Finally, I decided I had become the butt of some cosmic joke and someone had stopped all of my
clocks from advancing. There was no way he had only been gone for seven hours. Surely, days
had passed by now.
I ordered a pizza, more for something to do than because I was actually hungry. Forty
minutes later, I had paid the driver and set the box untouched on the kitchen table. The television
was still playing music, though the genre had switched at nine o’clock.
Settling back on to the couch, I turned on an infomercial channel and watched women go
from three hundred pounds to one hundred pounds in six weeks of eating this food, working out
on that machine or dancing to hot, Latin music. The irony of the situation was not lost on me.
This was exactly what I would do when I was waiting for Gareth to stumble home. And when he
had, he’d always smelled like booze and other men, sometimes even women’s perfume.
I never asked him about what he had been doing those nights. We usually didn’t even
bother to fight until morning. He would take a shower, and I would lie awake in bed listening to
the water. It used to frustrate me that no matter how mad I was at him, no matter what he had
done to me, I always let him back into my bed.
At some point, I’m sure I loved him. But after a while, he’d just become a convenience.
At least, that’s what I would tell myself. I didn’t want to believe that I could love anyone who
would treat me the way Gareth did.
My neck was starting to get a crick in it from turning between the set, the door and the
clock. It was almost midnight, and Elijah still wasn’t back. He had said it would only be a few
hours. I hoped this didn’t mean something had gone wrong.
How would I even know? Would I just have to sit on the couch forever until I finally had
to decide that he wasn’t coming back? It wasn’t as if he could send me a letter from Hell to tell
me he’d gotten caught and had to stay.
I glanced over at my phone and thought about calling Alice. She used to talk me through
the nights when Gareth was out cheating on me. Sometimes, she would come over and sit with
me. We’d order Chinese food and she would tell me which pictures on the infomercials were
altered and which were different people all together.
Alice was my best friend. Hell, she was kind of my only friend. Now that she was gone,
who was I going to talk to? If Elijah actually was gone for good, would she come back to me?
Did she really think I wasn’t strong enough to handle whatever might be coming? Coming from
an Elf, those had been some pretty harsh words. Especially from one who flat out said she was
going into hiding.
I was starting to get angry again. Angry was good. It was distracting. And God knows I
had enough of it buried inside me to get me through a hell of a lot. Between Gareth and Elijah
and Alice and losing my business and being trapped in this stupid apartment alone all day with
no word from anyone about anything, it was enough to make me want the Apocalypse to start
just so I had someone to fight.
Voices in the hallway pulled me from my thoughts. For a minute, I hoped it was Elijah
then I realized that there were two voices. Who could he have with him? But as I turned back to
glare at the television, the door to the apartment opened and Elijah walked in followed by a very
tall, very muscular, blond man.
“Where the fuck have you been?” I yelled. Having already worked up a good temper
before he’d come back, seeing him walk through the door with another man about set my blood
to boiling.
“Oh, you’re still awake.” Elijah sounded exhausted. “Drake this is Sariel,” Elijah said
pointing at the larger man. “Sar, this is Drake, my… This is Drake.”
“Hi there,” Sariel said. He grinned and held out his hand to shake mine.
“Sariel?” I asked, some of my anger deflating instantly. “As in, I’m the last son of Sariel,
Sariel?”
“That would be me,” he said.
He was far too chipper for the lateness of the hour. I was almost sick with relief to see
Elijah back in one piece and more than a little confused by the presence of another Fallen Angel
in my apartment.
“No offense,” I said with a nod toward Sariel before turning to Elijah. “But what the fuck
is he doing here?”
“We need to talk. All of us. But not tonight, all right? You need to sleep.” Elijah held up
a hand to keep me from interrupting him. “You have to sleep, you look like you’re about to fall
over. Between the stress you’ve been under for the last twenty four hours and feeding yesterday,
I’m amazed you haven’t collapsed already. Obviously, you’re not going to take care of yourself
on your own so I’m going to make you. Sariel is going to hang out here for awhile while we all
work some stuff out. We can talk tomorrow.”
I wanted to argue, but he was right, I was exhausted. Worrying about him all day had
taken a bigger toll than I’d realized. When he’d walked through the door it was as if a year’s
worth of adrenaline had poured out of my muscles. Now that I knew he was okay, I figured he
was right and everything else could wait until morning. But I didn’t have to like it.
“Sorry to just invite myself over,” Sariel said with a sheepish grin. “Things got a little
crazy downstairs, and this was the best plan we could come up with on the fly.”
“And you expect me to go to sleep?” I said with a raised eyebrow to Elijah. I wanted to
know what had happened. I had a feeling neither of them would share any further information
tonight.
“Yes,” he said with a shrug. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”
“Try to keep it down,” Sariel called after us.
It reminded me so much of Alice that my heart twinged in regret. Once again, I found
myself wanting to call her, but I knew she wouldn’t answer. She might have said I should call
her when shit got figured out, but I knew her well enough to know she’d just ignore me if I did.
I let Elijah take my hand and lead me to the bedroom without further argument. It wasn’t
even worth it at that point.
He closed the door and nudged me toward the bed. I climbed into it fully dressed and laid
down to watch him strip off his clothes.
“I don’t see how you expect me to go to sleep if you’re going to stand there and get
naked in front of me.”
“Close your eyes,” he said with a smile.
“No fucking way!” I got to my knees and crawled to the edge of the bed so I could wrap
my arms around him. Pulling him closer, I laid my lips against his bare chest. “I’ve never felt
less like sleeping in my life.”
“Drake—”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
Chapter Ten
I looked up at him expectantly until he grinned and lowered his face to press his lips to
mine. His tongue slid against me as his fingers curled into the hair at the back of my head.
He pushed his body forward, making me lie back on the bed with him on top of me. It
had been less than twenty-four hours, but I’d missed the weight of him on me.
“I was so worried,” I whispered against his mouth.
“I’m sorry. It couldn’t be helped. I swear I didn’t mean to be so long. We’ll talk about it
tomorrow, okay? I promise. Not tonight though.”
“Not tonight,” I agreed before pulling his head down to kiss me again.
His mouth moved from my lips, over my jaw and down my throat. I felt his fingers
unbuttoning my shirt before he resumed his kissing descent over my chest to my stomach.
I needed this. I needed him. The feel of his skin against mine reassured me that he was
really back and he was okay. The story of how and why could wait. All that mattered was that he
was back.
The unbuttoning of my jeans brought me back to what it was he was actually doing to
me. His tongue dipped under the waistband of my jeans while he pulled my zipper down. I lifted
my hips so he could slide off the pants. I heard them hit the door behind him with a soft thump.
“Sariel is going to hear us,” I said with a soft laugh.
“He knows what we’re doing in here,” Elijah growled as he spread my legs with strong
hands on my thighs.
“How do you know?”
“Because I told him that when we got back here I was going to rip all of your clothes off
and kiss every inch of skin you’d let me before laying down and begging you to fuck me.”
“You told him that?” I asked in surprise.
“He asked,” Elijah said with a shrug. “Now, can we please not talk about the Angel on
your couch and get back to the part where I’m going to press my mouth against every piece of
you that I possibly can?”
Without waiting for an answer, he wrapped his lips around my aching cock and slid down
my shaft. My hands clenched into the bed sheets in shock and pleasure. His hands cupped my
balls while his mouth worked quickly up and down my erection.
I bit my lower lip to keep from crying out. Just because our guest knew what was going
on in the bedroom didn’t mean he wanted to hear it. However, if Elijah kept up at the pace he
was sucking my cock I would be screaming my orgasm in minutes.
“Elijah,” I hissed. “If you don’t stop I’m going to come.”
His lips released me, and he climbed up my body to kiss me quickly before rolling over
and grabbing for the lube that was lying on the nightstand.
“I guess I’ll have to kiss the rest of you later,” he said as he coated my cock in the
smooth, thick liquid. “I want to feel you inside of me.”
He straddled my hips and used his hand to guide my cock to his opening. Slowly, he
lowered himself on top of me. His ass was so tight it felt as if a fist gripped my tip as I broke
through the tight ring of muscles. When he had adjusted to the initial intrusion of my cock, he
lowered himself further, sliding down my shaft until his ass rested against my body.
I stared into his eyes, which gazed back at me without blinking. We looked at each other
for a few minutes, both of us seeming to want to say something but neither of us able to find
words. And then he moved over me and speech might as well have not existed.
My fingers dug into his hips as he slammed himself up and down, up and down, up and
down, until I thought I might pass out from the pleasure of his ass clenching over my shaft.
A groan escaped my throat as my balls tightened painfully against my body. I didn’t even
have a chance to warn him before the orgasm ripped through me, my muscles spasming as stars
exploded behind my eyelids.
Elijah cried out as he came on my chest in hot, wet spurts. His body shuddered over me,
and he barely caught himself on his hands before plummeting down onto me. He managed to
disengage himself from me and roll onto the mattress, his hand finding mine as we both fought
for breath.
When I was sure I could move without collapsing I sat up, took off my shirt that had
somehow managed to stay on and used it to clean myself up. I tossed it to the floor then rolled
over to look at Elijah.
“Can I be in love with you?” I asked. I hadn’t really planned on saying it, but it had just
slipped out and I didn’t regret it.
“Why not?” he asked, a small smile twitching at the corner of his lips.
“I don’t know. It seems like it should be too soon, I guess.”
“Do you love me?”
“Yeah.” There was no hesitation. I did love him. I think I’d known it when Alice had said
it earlier. But it had been cemented when I was sitting up waiting for him to come back. The
thought that he might not return had been too horrific to even consider. If he had been hurt, or
worse, I think I might have just stopped breathing. I’d have died from the pain of it. “Yes. I love
you.”
“Good. Because I think I fell in love with you at your office when you told me I was
hotter than sin and that Armageddon was coming. If you didn’t love me too, I don’t think I could
stand it. I just—”
Sariel’s voice from the living room cut him off. “Fabulous, you love him. He loves you. I
love you both. We all fucking love each other. Will you let the Mortal sleep now? You’re
grossing me out.”
I felt my face flush and looked at Elijah in horror, but he was shaking with silent
laughter. I’d forgotten there was another Angel in the apartment until Sariel had yelled at us.
“Glad you’re amused,” I grumbled.
“Sorry,” Elijah said, and he had the decency to look sheepish. “He’s right though. You
should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another long day. There is a lot of talking and
planning that needs to be done. I want you rested.”
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “Are you going to stay with me?”
“I think I’m going to use your shower then I’m going to go talk to Sariel. But I’ll stay
until you fall asleep if you want.”
I nodded. He didn’t have to stay the rest of the night, but I needed to feel him wrapped
around me for a while.
We shifted around on the mattress so I could lie on the pillow and he could press against
my back. His arm dropped over my hip, and I sighed as I finally started to relax.
“There’s pizza on the counter if you guys are hungry,” I mumbled, my face half pressed
into the pillow.
“Thanks,” he whispered. “Go to sleep.”
His breath gently blew against the hairs at the back of my neck, and it tickled for a
second, but then the world faded to black and I never felt him leave the bed as I fell asleep.
Chapter Eleven
“You guys ate all the pizza?” I complained the next morning. I had opened the box,
hoping to find at least one slice left, but there wasn’t even a piece of dried cheese stuck to the
box.
“You offered,” Elijah said defensively from the living room.
“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think you’d eat it all.” I was starving, and there was no food in
the apartment. If I had been of sound mind the previous afternoon, I would have gone to the
store. It would have killed some more time at least. But no, I’d slunk around the house all day
and moped. What a moron.
I realized as my stomach gave a lurch of hunger that other than a few bites of breakfast I
hadn’t eaten anything the previous day. I’d been so caught up in my own angst, it had slipped my
mind. With my high metabolism, I had to be sure to eat regularly or my body burned through the
Nephilim blood faster than normal. Which was funny, since Elijah had told me that the blood
was what revved my metabolism in the first place. Someone should really write a medical
dictionary for Sub-Human races. Most of us relied on our parents to pass down knowledge of
how our races worked, but mine had died before they’d really filled me in on all the risks and
benefits of blood on my body.
The thought of blood made my head turn toward the fridge. There was a whole box of it
in there. I had taken two steps toward the kitchen when Elijah’s hand pulled at mine.
I turned to see him shaking his head at me. “We’ll go get breakfast. I don’t want you
drinking that unless you absolutely have to.”
“Why?” I asked. “That’s what it’s there for.”
“I know, but I would just feel better if you didn’t feed again right now. Your body is still
processing the blood from yesterday. Right now, it’s a want, not a need.”
“Did I hear someone say breakfast?” Sariel walked into the kitchen to meet us. “I’m
starving.”
“We can walk over to the restaurant Alice got food from yesterday,” I said to the Angels.
The Coney Island was only two blocks from the apartment, and we made it there in just a
few minutes. The place was almost empty, but I requested a booth in the back, far from any other
patrons. I hoped that the guys would talk while we ate. Now that I had gotten some sleep, I was
anxious to know what had happened.
We all ordered coffee and enough food to feed an army. I tried to get Elijah to tell me
what was going on, but he refused to talk until the waitress brought heaping plates of eggs and
bacon and left us to ourselves again.
“Now will you tell me what the fuck happened?” I asked around a mouthful of toast.
“Well, I found Sariel right away,” Elijah said. “He’s been waiting for me to come back
actually.”
“There have been some rumors about what’s going on up here,” Sariel said, picking up
the conversation. “We know that someone is trying to put Armageddon into play, but no one
knows why. It’s definitely not us, and we don’t think it’s Heaven either. From everything we’ve
gathered, someone on Earth is trying to pit the good and evil against each other.”
“Why?” I asked. “What could someone here possibly gain by starting a war? They’d be
lucky to survive the apocalypse themselves, what with all the hellfire and brimstone on Earth and
all that.”
“That’s what I thought,” Elijah said solemnly. “Sariel and I were going through the
prophecies about the Great War, and it doesn’t look like it’s supposed to happen for centuries.
Both sides are just observing for now to see what happens.”
“Well, if it’s not supposed to be happening, then how do you know it will?” I asked.
“Because it is the time of the last son of Sariel,” he said. “Every prophecy refers back to
that one.”
“Then how was that not supposed to be for centuries?” I was so confused. It felt as if I
was missing a chunk of information, and they didn’t realize it.
“Because you’re not supposed to be the last of my line,” Sariel said. “You’re the last son
only because of the circumstances of your parents’ deaths.”
“So you don’t think that the prophecy just didn’t know I would be gay?” I asked with a
smirk.
“No,” Sariel said, a hint of sadness to his tone. “Your parents were not supposed to die.”
“I don’t think this is the place to get into that,” Elijah said quickly. “We’ll talk about the
rest when we get back to the apartment.”
We finished our food in silence. I ate quickly, eager to get home and finish the
conversation, but both Angels seemed to be taking their sweet ass time. It was almost as if they
had no desire to ever get back and talk about it.
The waitress brought the bill, and I handed her a wad of cash before she could walk
away. I waved off the offer of change and glared at the men who were both sipping their coffee
annoyingly slow.
“All right you two,” I said in frustration. “Let’s go. Coffee is the one thing I do have at
the apartment.”
They stood reluctantly, and I led the way back home. I ushered them inside and slammed
the door behind myself.
“All right,” I said as I followed them into the living room. “Spill it.”
“Look,” Elijah said, taking my hand in his. “We’re going to tell you everything, but I
need you to sit here and keep your mouth shut. I want you to promise me, right now, that when
we’re done you will stay here. I don’t need you running off half-cocked without a plan or any
protection.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, frustration plain in my tone.
“Promise me you will stay right here, with us, when we finish telling you what
happened,” Elijah repeated.
“Fine. I’ll stay here,” I said. “I promise.”
Elijah glanced over at Sariel and gave him a small nod before urging me to sit on the
floor next to him.
“Obviously, you know the prophecy,” Sariel started. “In the time of the last son of Sariel
will come the Great War between good and evil. As I said earlier, you are not supposed to be the
last of my line. You—”
He faltered. Now that he was about to tell me the rest of the story, he didn’t look as if he
really wanted to. Elijah was watching me, and I glanced between the two of them waiting for
someone to say something. Finally, with a sigh, Sariel continued.
“You know that your father was poisoned. And from what I’ve heard, you believe your
mother died of starvation. But, that’s not exactly what happened.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked incredulously. “I was there. I watched it happen.”
“No, you saw what you were told to see. The truth is she was poisoned, too, though she
did not ingest as much of it as your father.”
“Is that why she lived so much longer?” I asked, my voice was quieter than I thought it
would be. I had come to terms with the loss of my family a while ago. It still hurt to think about
it, but I no longer choked up when talking about them.
“No, see, it wasn’t exactly the poison that killed her.”
“Just tell him,” Elijah said. “You’re making it worse by dragging it out.”
“Your mother was pregnant,” Sariel said quickly. “The poison was in her system and
passed on to the baby. Because your mother couldn’t trust her blood supply anymore she stopped
feeding and the baby drained her energy until they both died.”
“She…wait. What?” I stared at Sariel in disbelief. None of this was making sense.
“Your mother was supposed to give birth to a baby girl. This girl would breed with a
mortal man and continue the bloodline. We believe whoever poisoned your family didn’t want
this to happen. They knew you would not pass on your genes, and by killing your parents, they
would ensure that this was the time of my last son,” Sariel finished.
“But…but I fed during that time. If she was worried about poisoned blood why would she
allow me to continue to feed?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around the fact that my mother
starved herself and her baby to death.
“How were you feeding then?” Elijah asked. His tone had a bite to it that reminded me
exactly how I’d been getting blood.
“From Gareth,” I whispered. “But he offered to let her feed from him, too, and she
wouldn’t.”
“Because she knew his family was part of the plot to kill her. They were always the
donors to your family, being the only Nephilim for thousands of miles. We’ve learned that they
actually forced the rest of their race half way across the world so that your family would have no
choice but to use them as a source of blood. This plot has been in the works for a very long
time.”
“So Gareth…” I avoided looking at Elijah. “That whole time, everything, it was all a lie.
He just…he just used me all along.”
I tried to stand up, but Elijah held my arm and made me stay on the floor. “You
promised.”
“He killed my fucking parents!” I struggled to get to my feet, but the Angel wouldn’t
allow it.
“Which is why I made you promise,” Elijah growled. “What are you going to do if I let
you go?”
“I’m going to kill him,” I said hotly.
“And that is going to accomplish nothing,” Sariel said. He had moved to sit next to me,
too. “He isn’t the one who planned all of this. Killing him isn’t going to stop the war. Hell, it’s
not even really going to make you feel any better.”
“The fuck it won’t,” I argued.
“Listen,” Elijah said forcefully. “I know you’re pissed. And you have every right to be.
And far be it from me to defend that weaselly little fucker, but he is a pawn in all of this. I
believe he has been played from the start. First, by his parents, and now, by—”
“Tomas,” I finished. I had known all along it had been him. I just didn’t understand why.
“Where are Gareth’s parents now?” Sariel asked.
“Dead,” I said blandly. “They died not long after my parents. No one really knows what
happened. Gareth and I had gone to New York to visit Tomas, and when we came back, Gareth
found them dead in their house. We never figured out what happened. There were no wounds or
anything to indicate they’d been killed. They were just lying in bed together. We buried them in
his backyard. It’s not like we could call the cops. They would have done an autopsy and found
how very not Human their skeletal and organ systems were.”
Nephilim were not very good at blending. Gareth was the most Human looking of his
race I’d ever seen. His parents had both been almost seven feet tall with high foreheads and
thick, meaty extremities. All Nephilim had extra internal organs also. Their bodies processed
food differently than Humans. Many of the Sub-Human races had these issues, and their people
took care of their dead themselves. It was part of the agreement to keep Humans from finding out
about us.
“Didn’t Gareth want to find out what happened to them?” Sariel asked in surprise.
“Of course, he did, but who were we going to go to? Neither of us knew where to find
another Nephilim to help us, and since we couldn’t do an autopsy ourselves, we had to just
dispose of the bodies. Eventually, he stopped looking for answers. Though…now that I think
about it, maybe he found the answer from Tomas and just never shared it with me.”
“I’m sorry,” Elijah said. “I know this has to be hard for you.”
“What?” I asked ruefully. “Finding out that my ex-boyfriend helped kill my parents and
has been conspiring to bring on the end of the world with the closest thing I have to a father? It’s
no big deal.”
Sariel smiled and clapped me on the back. “That’s the spirit.”
“So what happened when you went back?” I asked, changing the subject. “Sariel said
things got crazy.”
“Well, like I said, he was waiting for me when I got down there,” Elijah said. “The
Watchers have been meeting in secret, trying to figure out if the end of days are really coming. It
has particular significance to us, you see. When Armageddon comes, we’re supposed to be
judged and possibly get back into Heaven.”
“It’s been strange down there without you,” Sariel said to him. “You’re supposed to play
a big part in this war, and we were sort of at an impasse as to what to do if you didn’t come
back.”
“Why?” I asked. “What are you supposed to do?”
“We’re not sure,” Elijah said quickly before Sariel could talk. “There’s a lot of talk about
the sword, as you know. But you’re supposed to wield that in the battle. My name comes up in
prophecy, but nothing seems very specific.”
I noticed that Sariel was looking at Elijah with an annoyed expression on his face. Before
I could ask what I was missing, Elijah continued.
“So when I got there Sariel called the rest of The Watchers so we could talk about it as a
family.”
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been as stealthy as I thought,” Sariel said with an
embarrassed smile. “As soon as everyone was assembled, one of my spies came flying into the
room to tell us that Lucifer was coming. We had to scramble to get out. We’re pretty sure he
doesn’t know anything about this impending war, and we don’t want to alert him if we can help
it. If he finds out there are plots afoot, he may jump in to the war with both feet and a full army.
He’s not very big on asking questions first. If he hears ‘Apocalypse’ he may just put it into full
motion and not care that Heaven isn’t ready to be involved.”
“Lucifer would love an excuse to let loose his Demons on Earth. He could cause untold
carnage in hours before Heaven even knows it’s happening,” Elijah said, answering the confused
look I must have had on my face. “So we ran for it. I brought Sariel back because we feared
Lucifer knew he was the one assembling The Watchers.”
“But won’t he know that for sure now that you’ve left?” I asked incredulously.
“Not necessarily,” Sariel said. “We’re allowed to come and go as we please. He usually
doesn’t even keep track of us anymore. In fact, he probably prefers it when we’re gone. The
Watchers are sort of a pain in the ass for him. Lucifer only took us in because he thought we had
turned to the dark side. But only a few of The Watchers had actually taken part in the debacle on
Earth. I had loved Ramona more than anything. And obviously Azazel hadn’t laid a finger on
any of the women. God cast us all out, but only a few had really committed any acts of sin. So
when we got to Hell and refused to act as the Devil felt Demons should act, he got pissed.”
“But he couldn’t send us back to Heaven because God didn’t want us. All he could do
was let us flit between Earth and Hell and try to keep us from talking his faithful followers into
converting and becoming good,” Elijah finished. “I think that’s why he freaks out if we all
assemble as a group. He doesn’t care what we do as long as it doesn’t look like we’re all banding
together.”
“So where’s the sword?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.
“There wasn’t time to forge one,” Elijah said.
“Well what do we do now?” I asked, trying to keep anger out of my voice. Nothing, it
seemed, was going the way I wanted it to go. I’d lost my best friend, my ex had killed my
parents, Tomas was pulling strings to bring about the end of the world, and I didn’t even have a
weapon to use against him.
“I’m going back to Hell and making one,” Sariel said.
“But the prophecy—”
“Fuck the prophecy,” Elijah interrupted. “We’ve decided to change the rules. I would
think you, of all people, would understand the need to ignore something just because it was
written somewhere.”
“We think that we can get an upper hand by not setting store by the prophecies,” Sariel
interjected. “Since Tomas is following all the rules, the best way to beat him would be to change
them.”
I nodded slowly. It made sense. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t scary as hell.
Chapter Twelve
“You know I have to talk to Gareth,” I said after Sariel left.
He was going to back to Hell to make me a weapon. I wasn’t sure I was even going to
need one. If we could stop Tomas before anything happened, there wasn’t going to be a need for
an all-powerful weapon.
Elijah had said that since I’d spent the previous six months arming all the Sub-Human
races to the teeth, it wouldn’t hurt for me to have some extra protection. When he put it like that,
I decided it wasn’t worth arguing anymore.
“I don’t want you anywhere near him,” Elijah said hotly.
“It’s the only way we’re going to find out how far Tomas has gone with this. If we know
now that it’s just him and Gareth scheming, we can shut it down before anyone gets hurt. But if
he has other races involved, it could get dicey. We have to know.”
“You don’t have to be the one to do it, though.”
“Really?” I smirked at him. “What good did it do for you to go into Hell yesterday?
None. You could have called Sariel to come here and tell you everything you needed. But you
went anyway.”
He had the decency to look embarrassed, and I tried not to gloat.
“This is different,” he said finally. “This is dangerous. They probably want you dead.”
“But they don’t think I know it’s them,” I said. “Why don’t you trust me?”
“I do trust you,” he said quickly. “It’s them I don’t trust. At least, wait until Sariel gets
back.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I sighed. “We don’t even know how long he’ll be.”
“He won’t be that long.” Elijah didn’t look as if he believed it when he said it either.
“You know I have to do this,” I said, taking his hand and squeezing it. “You went into
Hell for this. The least you can do is let me have a beer with my ex-boyfriend.”
“They have to know you suspect something,” he argued. “Hell, they might be waiting for
you to call.”
“If we’re going to stop this war from happening I have to confront them eventually. It’s
safer if I go through Gareth. Tomas would see through me in a heartbeat. Gareth is too vain and
stupid, I could get something out of him.”
“Besides, I know you’re going to go back to Hell to help Sariel, and this will give me
something to do while you’re gone.”
“How could you possibly know that?” he asked, not even bothering to deny it.
“Because I’ve learned quite a bit about you in the last couple days,” I said with a shrug.
“I know you’d never be content just sitting around waiting for others to work on your behalf. So
you’ll go to Hell and make sure nothing happens to him while he does this favor for us. It’s just
how you work.” I smiled. “I kind of like that you’re so noble.”
“Noble is just a nice word for stupid,” he said with a laugh.
I crawled over to him and straddled his legs. Taking his face between my palms, I kissed
him gently on the lips. His arms wound around my back so he could pull me tighter against him.
“How do you do this to me?” I asked, my voice coming out as a husky whisper.
“Do what?” he murmured, his mouth pressed against my throat.
“In the middle of all of this fear and uncertainty, you make me want you more than I’ve
ever wanted anything.”
“Just good luck I guess.” He flicked his tongue over my earlobe. “You remind me that
there are things worth fighting for. You’re good for me. I’m glad I evoke such feelings in you,
too.”
“I love you,” I said, my hands holding his face steady again to force him to look at me.
“I love you too, Drake. And when this is all over, I’ll show you just how much. I
promise.”
I kissed him again, reveling in the feel of his tongue against mine. He tasted faintly like
peppermint, and I remembered that the waitress had left mints on the table when she’d dropped
off the check. I hadn’t even noticed him eating one. I must have been too distracted by all of the
“Gareth and Tomas killed my parents” conversation to focus on him. I was ashamed. I felt as if
there was never anything better to watch than what Elijah was doing with his mouth at any given
time.
“Show me now,” I said against his lips. “Before you leave me again, show me how much
you love me. Remind me what we’re fighting for, because when I look at you, I just want us to
be safe. I don’t want to stop the war. I just want you whole and here with me.”
His hands moved up my shirt, and he pulled it over my head then threw it aside as his
mouth returned to my neck. My cock grew hard at the feel of his warm, wet tongue darting out to
lick my skin.
We fell backward onto the floor, his arm behind my head to keep me from slamming into
the wood below us. Elijah wrenched the button on my jeans open then dragged them down my
body along with my boxers, leaving me naked under him on the floor.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed as he stared down at me.
“Shut up and fuck me.” I smiled as he discarded his own clothes quickly then dropped to
lie on top of me.
His mouth crashed over mine while his body shifted slowly up and down against mine.
The friction of his skin against my shaft made my body quiver with need for him.
Elijah moved down my body, trailing kisses over my chest and my hip. I waited for him
to take me in his mouth, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued down my skin, pausing to nip gently
at my thighs while his hands urged my legs apart.
I spread open for him, and even though I knew what he was going to do, I still hissed in
surprise when his tongue started to probe between my ass cheeks. He rolled my balls in his hand
as his mouth pressed furiously against the tight ring of muscles in my ass.
My hips bucked forward of their own volition at the initial intrusion of his hot, wet
muscle entering me. There was nothing beneath me to grip so my hands went to his head, his soft
hair flowing between my fingers as they clenched against his scalp.
Soft, guttural noises escaped my throat at the feel of him preparing me for his cock. I
wasn’t sure if I wanted to him to stop and fuck me or if I wanted this feeling to last forever. My
mind was in a fog of pleasure, leaving coherent thought unavailable to me.
Finally, or all too soon, he urged me to roll over. With a strong arm under my body, he
pulled my hips to him so that I was on my knees before him, my face pressed to the floor so that
I was open and offered up to him like a gift.
“So beautiful,” he said again.
I heard him spit quietly into his hand, and I braced myself for the first bite of discomfort.
He pressed his tip against me and slid forward slowly, easing himself through the ring of muscles
that fought against him.
Elijah pushed himself steadily until his hips made contact with my body. I exhaled at the
feel of him fully encased inside of me. He gave me a moment to get used to him stretching me
wide then he was moving and the world disappeared.
My eyes slid closed so I could focus only on the feel of him moving inside of me. His
hands shifted my hips until I was in the position he was looking for, and I felt the tip of his cock
rubbing over and over that sweet spot inside of me. I’d never been with a man who could find
that part of me with his cock. It was a completely new experience for me, and the surprise of it
made my orgasm back off a little so I could enjoy the sensation a little longer. The novelty wore
off quickly though as every up and down stroke brought me closer and closer to release.
“Drake, I’m close,” he hissed as his rhythm started to falter.
“Go,” I said through gritted teeth.
He exploded inside of me, and I stopped fighting my own orgasm. Screaming his name
into the room, I came in hard, fast spurts, my balls twitching with every shot of cum that hit the
floor beneath me.
Elijah’s head rested on my back as he pulled himself out of me. We stayed there for a
minute, both struggling to catch our breath as our bodies wound down from the exertion.
A sharp twinge in my knees finally made me roll out from under him. We lay on the floor
next to each other, chests still heaving. I glanced over at him and found him wearing the same
silly, contented smile I could feel on my own face.
“I love you,” he said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
“I love you, too.” I glanced around at the destroyed living room and sighed.
“I’ll clean it up,” he said with a groan as he rolled to sit up. “You go take a shower.”
“Are you telling me I’m dirty?” I asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“Not dirty enough,” he growled, leaning over to kiss me quickly. “But I figured you’d
want to clean up before we get back to arguing about your plan.”
I tried to be annoyed with him, but after the incredible fucking he’d just given me, I
found it harder to convey than usual. And since he was offering to clean, something I’d never
before had a man do in the apartment, I figured I shouldn’t turn him down.
“Fine,” I said, getting to my feet. “But you’d better still be here when I get out. If you
sneak out on me, I’ll track you down and kick your ass.”
“Kinky.” He flashed a smile at me, and I wondered if he would be ready to go again if I
jumped him. “Later.”
“Are you sure you can’t read my mind?” I asked suspiciously.
“Just your face.”
* * * *
When I got out of the shower, I walked out into the living room to find Elijah watching
the news. I settled on to the couch next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
If this mess worked itself out I hoped that we could always be like this. Fucking and
relaxing and just being together. It had happened so quickly, but falling in love with him didn’t
seem wrong at all. Somehow, it just felt as if I’d been waiting for him. Everything in my life
before this moment was just practice so I’d be ready when he finally arrived.
“I really think you should wait until Sariel and I are back with the new sword before you
go talk to Gareth,” Elijah said, breaking the comfortable silence.
“And I really think you should stay here and let Sariel handle this on his own. But we
can’t always have everything we want, can we?”
“It’s a bad idea.”
“It’s our only idea.” I sighed. “Look, we all agree we have to find out what is going on.
And more importantly, why. So let me do this. I can’t just sit here and let a couple Angels do all
the dirty work. You’re making me feel useless, and I hate it.”
“That’s not my intention, Drake. I just couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”
“Oh, and I could go on without you?” I retorted. He flinched, and I softened my tone.
“Look, Gareth is harmless. He’s a puppet. I can handle having a beer with Pinocchio for God’s
sake. We’ll go somewhere nice and public, and I’ll see if I can get him to talk to me. You’re
making it into a bigger deal than it needs to be.”
“Fine,” he said in a tone of defeat. “Fine. But if Tomas is with him or if anything seems
suspicious, I want you to walk away. Promise me you won’t do anything dangerous or stupid.”
“Will you promise me the same?”
“I promise I won’t do anything dumber or more dangerous than going into Hell to forge a
weapon for you to stop the Apocalypse.” He raised three fingers into a Boy Scout salute, and I
laughed.
“Then we’re in agreement,” I said with a grin.
“We’re both absolutely mental,” he agreed with a smile of his own.
“When do you have to leave?” I asked.
“About five minutes ago.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. You know I have to do this.”
I nodded even though I knew no such thing. Mostly, I was confused as to why Sariel
couldn’t handle it himself. But it didn’t seem as if I were getting any actual answers out of Elijah
so I just had to let him go and trust he would be back soon.
At least, this time, I wouldn’t be sitting around doing nothing while he risked his neck. I
had a plan. A shitty one, sure. But it was something more than I had last time Elijah had gone to
Hell.
We stood up and I walked him to the door. He kissed me more quickly than I would have
liked then walked out into the hallway. I closed the door and leaned against it with my hand still
on the doorknob. Running after him wasn’t going to do anything but embarrass me so I planted
my feet on the floor and stood there for five minutes until I was sure he was gone and wouldn’t
catch him even if I took off looking for him.
With a heavy sigh, I grabbed my phone from the table and pressed the speed dial number
for Gareth. As it rang, I told myself that I needed to delete him from my phone after this
nightmare was over. Gareth Spence was someone I was never going to call again.
Chapter Thirteen
“Where’s your new boyfriend?” Gareth asked scathingly as he walked into the apartment
without knocking. “Or is he waiting in the bedroom? Oh God, please tell me you called me to
have a three way.”
“Not quite,” I said, biting back a grimace. “Anyway, he’s gone.”
“Finally learning the joys of a one night stand?” he asked with a grin. “Glad I could teach
you something.”
“The difference being that I waited until I was single to have one.”
“Whatever.” He waved his hand at me as if swatting away a fly. “Do you have any beer?”
“I’m out,” I said with a sigh. “I thought we could go grab one at the bar.”
“Nah, I don’t feel like going out.” He threw himself on the sofa and grabbed the remote,
turning on the television. “Come sit with me.”
Damn, there went the plan of going out in public. If I’d been a smarter man, I would’ve
told him to meet me at the bar instead of planning to leave together from the apartment.
“I’m fine over here thanks,” I said as I perched on the arm of a chair. “Do you want
something else? I have…whiskey.”
“Nope, I’m good, Drake. Really.”
This wasn’t working out at all. I thought I’d take him out, get him plastered and talk him
into spilling his guts. I’d never imagined he’d want to hang out and watch old reruns. Nothing
about him ever went the way it was supposed to.
“So what did you want to talk about?” Gareth asked, his eyes still glued to a rerun of
some sitcom.
“I don’t know. Nothing really. I just…I don’t know.” I hoped I wasn’t overdoing the
drama. Since he was only half paying attention to me, I thought I might be in the clear. “The
apartment was just so empty without you.”
His gaze finally flicked over to me. A slow smile spread across his face as he stood up
and walked over to me. I got to my feet too but backed away in time with his forward progress.
“I knew you’d call.” His tone was husky, and the heat in his eyes made me want to vomit.
This was spiraling out of control. I’d invited him over, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep
him away from me but still get information out of him.
“When’s the last time you fed?” he asked, his arm resting on the wall I had backed into.
“What? Oh, um, a couple days ago.”
“Was it mine?”
“Was what yours?” The closeness of him was distracting. He was a son of a bitch, but I
had slept with him for years. The smell from his skin flooded my nostrils and made my brain
grow fuzzy.
I hated this man, I reminded myself. And more than that, I had Elijah now. Elijah, who
had gone into Hell to get a sword to protect me. I took a deep breath and stared at Gareth.
“Yes,” I spat at him. “Of course, it was yours. Where else was I going to get Nephilim
blood?”
“Was it from what I left here or that old stuff in your office.”
“What does that matter?”
“You know it matters. You’ve always preferred fresh blood to stuff that’s been sitting
around. Do you want to open my throat right now? I’ll let you. One more bite, you know, for old
time’s sake?”
It was getting harder to hear his voice over the pounding of the blood in my ears. I
watched the vein in his neck pulse in time with the steady beat in my head and felt my tongue
dart out to lick my lips.
Of course, I wanted it. My plan had backfired horrifically, and now, I was stuck in this
painful dance of hunger and need, and I didn’t want any of it from him.
“Come on, baby,” he purred as he took a step closer. “Just a quick bite. I won’t tell if you
don’t.”
“Get. The. Fuck. Out,” I growled through clenched teeth.
“You asked me to come here,” he said with a shrug.
“Not for this,” I replied, exhaling when he took a step backward.
“Then for what? To talk? We didn’t talk. You talked, and I ignored you until it was time
to fuck you again.”
“That sounds about right,” I growled. “God, I’m such a fucking idiot. What was I
thinking? Get the fuck out of my apartment.”
“Our apartment,” he corrected with a smirk.
“My apartment, you annoying little cockroach! Get out.”
“Fine, I’m going. Don’t expect me to come back again though.” He walked out,
slamming the door behind him.
I slid to the floor, my heart pounding in my chest until I thought it might break free of my
ribs. That was not how I had envisioned the meeting going. And now I was starving. He had
tempted me to breaking point, and even though I shouldn’t have needed it, my body was
screaming for his blood.
Not trusting my legs to support me, I crawled into the kitchen and pulled a pouch of
blood from the box in the fridge. With my back resting on the cupboards, I punctured a corner of
the bag and sucked the cold, thick liquid as hard and as fast as I could, swallowing as if I hadn’t
drunk in years. I felt some of it drip down the corner of my mouth but couldn’t be bothered to
stop to clean myself up.
When the pouch was empty, I continued lying against the wall, gasping for breath as I felt
the blood course through my body. It only took a minute to realize something was wrong.
I was stunned by the weakness spreading through my body. As soon as I focused on it,
my veins seemed to catch fire. I screamed as my blood boiled inside of me, scratching at my skin
as if by puncturing my flesh I could let out the pain.
My fingers dug into my arms until I had long, bloody scratches down both of them. The
more I grasped at my skin the softer the nail strokes became until I collapsed on the floor with
my face pressed to the linoleum and blood trickling from the small wounds I’d managed.
The door opened again, and I saw two pairs of black boots walk into the kitchen and stop
next to each other. I tried to lift my head but couldn’t even manage that small movement
anymore.
“Damn,” Gareth said as he stared down at me. “Tomas sure does have your number.”
“What did you do to me?” I slurred, my tongue felt way too large in my mouth.
“Don’t worry. You’ll recover. Eventually.” He stooped down and pulled me to my feet.
I tried to stand but couldn’t get my balance. Gareth caught me before I fell forward into
the counter. My legs felt like jelly beneath me, and I knew there was no way I would be able to
get away from him.
“I called him as soon as we got off the phone earlier and he told me what to do. You’re
such a blood whore.” He laughed. “Tomas said if I teased you with my throat, you’d go straight
for the tainted blood as soon as I left. He’s a smart guy that Tomas.”
“Smart enough to teach you how to blow up my office?” I asked.
“Figured that out did you?”
I heard the humor in Gareth’s voice and wished I had enough strength in my arm to
punch him.
“Yeah, Tomas is killer with explosives.”
The world started to fade out around the edges, and it was a minute before I realized that
Gareth was still talking.
“—right under your safe and BAM!” He laughed. “The whole thing busted, wards and
all.”
“Great,” I said weakly. “What the fuck are you two doing?”
“No time for that now. I need to get you out of here before your boyfriend comes back.
Let’s go.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“Too bad.” He dragged me toward the door where another set of hands, stronger than his,
lifted me off the ground and threw me over a shoulder. The movement made my stomach turn
and rather than fight the urge, I vomited down his back, hoping to get some of the poison out of
my system.
I felt it though, the poison, coursing through my veins. If I recovered, I would pound
Gareth’s face in.
“Fucking gross!” The man who held me screamed as the hot blood slid down his back.
“You fucking bastard.”
He dropped me hard on the floor and hit me. The punch sent my head reeling backward
into the wall and stars filled my eyes. As consciousness slipped away, I had enough time to think
how funny it was then everything went dark.
* * * *
A sharp smack startled me awake. I blinked open my eyes a few times and struggled with
the ropes laced around my hands. As my sight came back into focus, I was face to face with
Gareth who was poised to hit me again.
He smiled when he saw my eyes were open and slapped me again. “Good morning,
sunshine.”
“Go fuck yourself,” I spat.
“Language,” Tomas warned from behind me.
I tried to turn around, but my muscles ached, and I couldn’t make my neck move that far.
“Better?” Tomas asked as he moved in front of me. “I’m sorry it had to be like this,
Drake.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, and it sounded pathetic.
“Of course, you don’t,” Tomas said sadly, shaking his head. “I kept my plans from you. I
realize now what a mistake that was. If I had brought you onboard, things might have been
different.”
“Brought me onboard for what?” I was totally lost, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of
the poison or because they weren’t making any sense.
“I hate to do this to you,” he said, choosing to ignore my question. “I meant what I said. I
have always considered you to be like one of my sons.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. In all the years he had been telling me that, it had never
occurred to me how he treated his actual sons. Yes, he lavished gifts on them, but he could be
cruel to them. When they were young, I remember savage beatings when one of them
misbehaved. He had no time for them. If he couldn’t buy their love with money then he wasn’t
interested.
I was such an idiot.
“You did beautifully, my boy,” Tomas said with a grin. “Even your boyfriend played his
part as I’d hoped he would.”
“Stop all this cryptic bullshit. Either tell me what’s going on or kill me.”
“Kill you?” Tomas ran a hand over my cheek. “Drake, I’m not going to kill you.”
“Then why am I tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse?” I asked after jerking my
face away from him.
“Because you’re bait.” He shrugged. “After your lover gets here, you’re free to go. If he
even makes it back out of Hell.”
“What do you want with Elijah?”
“Don’t worry about him,” Gareth said with a laugh. “We’ll take excellent care of lover
boy for you.”
“Shut up!” Tomas hissed at him.
“Why would he come here?” I asked.
“The same reason he went back to Hell,” Tomas said simply. “For you.”
“He didn’t go to Hell for me,” I said angrily.
“Sure he did. And by doing so, he’s setting the war into motion for me.” Tomas grinned.
“For you? What the hell are you talking about?” I stared at him incredulously. Maybe it
hadn’t really sunk in that he really was the one who had planned all of this. Hearing him say it
now just made it more real than our speculating in the apartment had. But I still didn’t
understand what he had to gain by all of this.
“Now, now, Drake. You know I’m not going to sit here and tell you all of my secrets. If
you want to live, you’ll just sit there and look pretty for Azazel…or Elijah as you call him.”
How could he possibly know about Elijah? Even if he had been plotting to start
Armageddon all this time, there was no way he could know that Elijah was the Fallen Angel.
There was only one person on Earth, other than Elijah and myself who knew…
“No,” I said out loud as I forced the thought from my mind. Alice would never betray me
like that.
“No what?” Gareth asked, grinning his stupid smile at me.
“None of your fucking business,” I shot back with a glare.
A loud crack filled the room as Tomas’ fist connected with my cheekbone. For a minute,
I wondered if he’d fractured my face. The pain was incredible, but I refused to give him the
satisfaction of hearing me react. I gritted my teeth and swallowed down the scream that fought to
escape my throat.
“I told you to watch your language,” he said quietly as he walked away.
“How did you know?” I asked when I could breathe again. “About Elijah?”
“I think you know the answer to that Drake,” Tomas said.
“No. No, I don’t know. At least, tell me that.”
“Maybe later,” he said as if he had no intention of ever telling me the truth.
I hoped Elijah wasn’t dumb enough to come in after me. Sure he was an Angel, but I had
no idea what kind of powers he might possess. I also didn’t know what kind of trap they had set
for him. The fact that Tomas knew exactly who and what Elijah was scared me. We had hoped to
have an element of surprise, but if he was expecting the Angel to come then he would have
prepared accordingly.
“If everything goes to plan, we won’t have long to wait,” Tomas said as he settled into a
chair across from me. “I believe your boy should be back to your apartment soon. He’ll get my
message and come running to your rescue.”
“He could be days,” I said. “He had things to do down there. I don’t know when he’ll
actually return.”
“Time moves differently in Hell, Drake.” Tomas’ tone sounded as if he were explaining
something to a child. “An hour on Earth could be a month down there. Trust me, he’ll be here.”
I wondered if Tomas knew why Elijah had gone back to Hell. If he didn’t know that
Elijah was getting me a new sword, there might be hope for us getting out of this situation
relatively unscathed.
As much as he’d been running his mouth, I had to believe he didn’t know about it.
Surely, he’d have mentioned it by now. I glanced around to see if I could find the first sword, but
there was nothing in the room except for a couple of chairs, some old busted up wooden pallets
and the three of us. I didn’t even see or hear whomever I had vomited on earlier. If Tomas had
the sword, it wasn’t readily available. Another plus in my column.
I was getting tired. The poison was still working its way through my body, and the stress
of the situation coupled with my weakened state was making my eyelids start to droop. There
was nothing I wanted more than to be back in my apartment, curled up in bed next to Elijah.
“I think he’s passing out again,” Gareth said, his voice growing closer as he spoke.
“Leave him,” Tomas responded with a sigh. “There wasn’t that much poison in the
pouches, he’ll be all right. He just needs to sleep it off.”
I didn’t want to sleep. I needed to figure a way out of this mess. It pissed me off that I’d
fallen for all of this. I should have known better than to drink blood Gareth had left for me. He
wasn’t a nice guy. He was a fucking bastard. Looking back, it should have been obvious he
would pull something like this.
My eyelids closed, and I dropped my head. I wriggled my hands trying to loosen the rope
around my wrists, but it wouldn’t budge. I was stuck, I was starving and I was terrified of what
they would do to Elijah when he showed up.
Tomas was right. The Angel would come. If the roles were switched I would run to
rescue him. All I could do was hope he was smarter than me and would be prepared for it. If he
had the new sword, he might have a chance.
Darkness was closing in on my mind as I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.
“Someone’s coming,” Gareth hissed.
I heard both of them stand and tried to open my eyes to see where they were going, but
my eyelids were just too heavy. A door slammed somewhere behind me then everything was
silent.
Chapter Fourteen
I wasn’t sure when I’d actually passed out or how long I’d been unconscious, but when I
opened my eyes, I found myself staring at Elijah who was bound to a chair across from me.
“Fuck,” I said dryly. “I was really hoping you’d just kill them, and we could go home.”
“Yeah,” he said with a half smile. “That was sort of my plan A, too.”
“What happened?” I asked. My voice was hoarse with thirst, and I was blinking more
slowly than normal, but other than that, I was actually starting to feel a little better. The poison
seemed to be wearing off.
“Goofus and Galant had the place tripwired. I was trying to sneak in and see what was
going on but got busted.”
“You don’t seem too worried.”
“I’m not,” he said with a shrug.
“You should be,” Gareth said. When he walked into my line of vision, I saw that he was
carrying my sword—the first Sword of Azazel he had stolen out of my office. “Tomas is going to
fuck up your boyfriend, Drake.”
“Where is he?”
“He had to run an errand. He’ll be back. Until then I get to play.” He walked behind me
and cut my hands free. He helped me stand, and when he was sure I wasn’t going to fall, he
walked over to Elijah.
“Drake, I have to admit. He sure is pretty.” He traced the tip of the sword over Elijah’s
jaw. “But he could never give you what I can.”
“How the fuck did you stay with this creep for so long?” Elijah spat, his hatred for the
Nephilim plain in his voice.
Gareth walked back over to me, the sword in one hand and the other outstretched toward
me.
“He needs me,” Gareth said as he ran his hand through my hair. “Don’t you, baby?” He
licked a hot, wet line up my neck, which drew a shudder of revulsion from me.
“I don’t need anything from you!” I screamed as I tried to pull away from his touch.
“Oh no?” There was amusement in Gareth’s tone. “So you don’t need this then?”
The smell of his blood hit my nostrils before I saw his arm dripping in front of my face.
He’d cut a large gash in his forearm and let the crimson liquid spill to the floor.
My knees buckled at the sight of it, the aroma of it. Only Gareth’s other arm, wrapped
firmly around my waist, kept me on my feet. I wanted to fall to the floor with the blood, to suck
it from the concrete.
“Drake, don’t!” Elijah yelled. “Please, don’t give in to him.”
“Shut up,” Gareth sneered at the Angel.
“I am going to drain you dry,” I growled up at the Nephilim.
“Well, go ahead then.” He waved his arm in front of my mouth again. “You know you
want it. Look at it, all fresh and burning hot, straight from my skin.”
It was another trap. It had to be. No way would Gareth give me a free pass to feed on
him. Tomas wanted me weak, and Gareth wasn’t going to go against his boss’ wishes now.
“Just drink it,” Gareth whispered into my ear. “Drink from me, and we can be together
forever.”
“Drake,
please
,” Elijah pleaded.
The smell of Gareth’s blood was intoxicating. My mind was swimming in thoughts of
bathing in the warm, sticky liquid. Memories flashed through my mind like pages of a photo
album. Gareth and I huddled together in bed, my mouth suckling at his throat as a thunderstorm
raged outside. That had been my thirtieth birthday, I mused, as another picture of us together
filled my mind. This time Gareth was forcing me to drink from him, his arm cut then as it was
now, pressing it against my mouth to make me taste it. We’d been broken up for three months
when that had happened. I hadn’t
drunk
his blood since two days before he’d left and he’d come
to check on me. When he’d found me half alive on the apartment floor, he’d saved my life. I’d
forgotten about that. I’d always remember my mother fading away but had not recalled doing it
to myself. That had been the very first time we’d split. He’d never left me without blood again.
He wasn’t always an asshole. And deep down, I believed he really did care about me.
This was all Tomas. It had to be. Gareth wouldn’t do this to me
on his own
. What a horrible
person I am, I thought. Here he is, trying to save me again, and I’m pushing him away.
“Drake no!”
Elijah screamed.
The sound brought me back to myself. As the fog lifted, I realized I knelt on the floor,
holding Gareth’s bloody wound an inch from my mouth. I had been poised to drink from him.
Gareth screamed in frustration. He walked over to Elijah and punched him hard enough
to rock his head backward. The crunch was so loud it echoed through the nearly empty room,
and I winced from the sound of it.
I heard a “tsk, tsk” behind me and turned to see Tomas walking back toward us.
“I almost had him,”
huffed
Gareth.
“That one,”
he jerked his head toward Elijah,
“snapped him back.
Let me kill him. Please. I want to do it. I want Drake to see me
do
it.”
“Shut up,” Tomas said sternly. “The time for killing isn’t here yet. We need answers
first.” He looked down at me then back at Gareth. “Why is he loose?”
“He’s not going anywhere,”
sneered
Gareth, kicking me in the stomach to prove my
defenselessness.
The pain shot into my spine, and I curled into a ball, my knees inches from my tender
abdomen. My muscles constricted from the contact, and I wretched, bile and hints of blood
trickling from my mouth.
“That’s enough!” Tomas yelled. “We are not here to hurt him.”
“Hurt me then,” Elijah said defiantly. “I’m not going to give you anything. You have to
know that.”
“But you will though,” Tomas said. I watched his feet turn away from me and start
toward Elijah. “You’ll give me all of the information I want…and then you’ll die for me.”
“So kill me.” It sounded as if Elijah couldn’t care less. “You know my soul will just go
back to Hell. And I’ll walk out of the gate again and come straight for your midget ass.”
“I think you know better than that,” Tomas said with a grin in his tone. “That’s the thing
about this sword. Maybe you don’t remember because you forged it so very long ago. This sword
condemns the soul to suffer the fourth circle of Hell. Go straight to Hell. Do not pass go. Do not
collect two hundred dollars.”
“That only works for Demons,” I said as I struggled to sit up.
“He is a Demon,” Gareth spat hotly.
“He’s an Angel,” I argued, surprised at the strength in my voice.
“A Fallen Angel,” Tomas corrected me. “
Which makes him a Demon for all intents and
purposes.
” He laughed.
“Go fuck yourself.” I glared at Tomas, trying to put all of the hatred I felt for him in my
gaze.
“You really need to watch your language, young man. Perhaps, it’s time that you learn
some manners. It’s not just lover boy here that your words affect anymore. You might want to be
more careful.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Confused, I glanced from Elijah to Tomas.
“Should I go get her now?” Gareth asked.
“I think that would be good,” Tomas answered.
I leaned against one of the pallets that
was
on the floor close by. I was actually feeling
much better, but I didn’t want Gareth and Tomas to know that yet. It was best for them to think I
couldn’t manage much strength.
The corner of the rug that was spread over the concrete had flipped up, and I noticed
there was chalk on the floor. Shifting very slowly so they didn’t see me move, I kicked the carpet
over more and saw that there was some sort of design drawn on the floor.
I wasn’t very skilled with magic, but I knew that there were symbols that could trap
Demons in place. I wondered if this one was designed to hold Angels. Since it seemed to have no
effect on Gareth, it made me think that’s what it was. And if the circle felt Elijah was still an
Angel, I could only hope the sword would too if they really did decide to use it to kill him.
“Tell me, Azazel, when you went back to Hell were they talking about my war?” Tomas
asked as he settled into the chair I had been tied to.
“Your war?” Elijah asked. “What do you mean your war?”
“I know that you and Nancy Drew over there have figured out I’m the one who put this
all in motion. I’m just wondering when the Demons will come to Earth to uphold their part of the
bargain.”
“No one is coming,” Elijah said with a laugh. “They don’t believe any of this is going to
actually happen.”
“But it’s been foretold. I’ve been plotting this for years. Who do you think poisoned
Drake’s filthy Vampire parents to make sure he would be the last son of Sariel? I put this into
motion and made the deals and it has begun. I don’t care what they’ve told you, the Demons will
come and unleash Hell on Earth.”
“Think what you want,” Elijah said coldly. “But no one is coming to your rescue.”
“To my rescue?” Tomas grinned widely. “I’m not the one who should be worried about
getting rescued Azazel.”
Gareth came back into the room carrying something small bundled in his arms. As he got
closer and laid it on the rug in front of me, I saw a tangled mass of silver blonde hair sticking out
of the blanket she was wrapped in.
“Alice!” I croaked.
I crawled over to her and moved the cloth around her so I could see her face. When the
mass of bruises and scratches was visible I wished I hadn’t done so.
“I am going to kill you all,” I said as I glared at Gareth.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Gareth said. “She’s alive. It’s her own fault for
being so uncooperative. If she’d spilled her guts about your boyfriend sooner, I wouldn’t have
had to get rough with her.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered into her ear as I brushed her hair out of her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I tried not to Drake. I swear. They blocked my magic, and I
couldn’t do anything to warn you or escape.”
“Shh. Don’t you dare blame yourself.” Tears burned my eyes. “This is my fault. All of it.
If I’d killed him when you first told me to, none of this would have happened.”
“When did she tell you to kill me?” Gareth asked huffily.
“The first time you broke my heart,” I growled up at him.
“That bitch always hated me,” he said with a wave of his hand. “She’s bat shit crazy. I’m
a great guy.”
“You’re a psychopath.” I glared at him.
“Sticks and stones,” he said in a sing-song voice. His boot connected with my jaw and
sent me reeling backward. Pain exploded behind my eyes as I lay on my back staring up at the
ceiling. There was another design drawn up there, right over where he and I had been standing
when he’d tried to get me to drink his blood.
Alice followed my gaze, and I heard her inhale sharply. I glanced over at her and shook
my head slightly when she looked back at me. She nodded that she understood she shouldn’t
show any reaction and went back to lying still on the floor.
Tomas and Gareth really had seemed to have planned this all out for a while. With all of
the chalk drawings around, it looked as if they’d prepared for anything. I could only assume that
the one above us had been meant to tie me to Gareth, and that drinking his blood would have
cemented it. That’s why he had been so pissed when Elijah had pulled my attention away from
him.
I wondered what else they had in store for us. When my jaw stopped throbbing, I sat back
up and looked over at Elijah. He had been quiet, and it worried me. When I saw his state, I knew
why.
Tomas still stood by him, but now, he had the sword. He was using it to cut shallow
gashes in Elijah’s arm. I couldn’t help feeling a little pride in him that Elijah hadn’t made a
sound the whole time Tomas had been working him over.
“You will tell me the truth, Azazel,” Tomas taunted the Angel as he pushed the tip of the
sword deeper into Elijah’s shoulder. “I want to know what Satan has said about the war. I want
to know when the Demons will be unleashed upon the filthy Humans and when I will get my
rewards.”
“And I want you to die a slow and painful death,” Elijah spat at him. “Guess which one
of us will get their wish first.”
“That symbol on the ceiling is a binding hex,” Alice murmured quietly, confirming my
earlier suspicion. “They’ve got the whole building drawn to keep us from using magic. I tried to
put a protection charm on you and Elijah, but I can’t make it work.” She looked around to make
sure that Gareth and Tomas were still busy with the Angel. “Are we going to get out of here
alive?”
“I really don’t know,” I admitted. “But if we go down they go down. I promise you that.”
“I don’t want to die.” Her voice cracked, and it broke my heart. I didn’t want any of us to
die. She was here because of me, and I didn’t know how to save us.
“What’s that noise?” Tomas asked sharply.
I hadn’t noticed until he said something, but it sounded as if there were something
happening on the other side of the door.
“That would be the cavalry, you stupid son of a bitch,” Elijah said, triumph in his voice.
“You didn’t really think I’d come here alone, did you?”
“You didn’t think you’d only have to go through Gareth and I, did you?” Tomas asked,
that sick grin on his face again.
“Of course not,” Elijah answered, struggling against his restraints. “But what match are
your cronies going to be against the full force of The Watchers?”
Suddenly, the fight was inside. People poured in through the doorway that had been
blasted open. The noise was deafening as guns went off and people screamed. I grabbed Alice
and pulled her to the side. I knew she wasn’t strong enough to fight anymore and didn’t want her
to get hurt in any crossfire.
As I got to my feet, I recognized some of the men fighting. Sariel was there, holding a
beautiful sword I assumed was supposed to be mine. A few of my former customers were there
as well, wielding weapons I had sold them against men I assumed were The Watchers.
I rushed over to Elijah and struggled to untie the knots at his wrists, but I was knocked
backward by a vicious punch to the side of my head.
As I shook cobwebs from my gaze, I saw Gareth glaring at me with his fists raised to
attack again. A tiny ball of silver fluff raced past me and threw herself at the Nephilim. He
caught her and used her momentum to throw her into the floor. I heard a sickening crunch as her
head met concrete, and she stopped moving.
“Alice!” Elijah and I screamed together.
Rage burst inside of me hotter than I’d ever felt it. I rushed Gareth and jumped, wrapping
my legs around his waist and riding him to the ground, my fists rocketing into his face. He
screamed but couldn’t get the leverage to pull me off of him. Blood flew as my fists connected
again and again with bones that could no longer stand up to the force of the hits. I heard them
crunch and break as the agonized yells of pain he’d emitted faded away, but I didn’t care. I
wanted to kill him this way, with my bare hands.
“Drake!” Strong hands pulled me off of the Nephilim. I fought the arms that dragged me
backward, but I might as well have been swatting a mosquito for all the good it did.
“I will hold you down if I have to,” Sariel screamed at me. “He’s dead, Drake. He’s gone.
You can’t hurt him anymore. And he can’t hurt you.”
I blinked blood out of my eyes and tried to make sense of what the Angel had just said.
Anger still boiled inside of me, and it thumped in my head like a heartbeat.
“Here,” Sariel said as he used his blade to cut a gash in his forearm. “Drink this. I think
you’re going into shock, and we need you right now.”
I looked at him in disbelief, unsure what he thought his blood would do for me.
“Angel blood is about ten times stronger to a Vampire than Nephilim blood. It’s not well
known because, well, obviously, it’s not that easy to come by. Now, fucking drink it before you
pass out.”
He forced his arm to my mouth, and when the warm liquid hit my tongue, I became
ravenous. My hands gripped him tightly to keep the wound pressed against my mouth as I
sucked and sucked and drained his blood from him. It was like nothing I’d ever tasted. Strength
flooded through my muscles, and soon, I realized that I supported Sariel as he was no longer
standing on his own. Deeper and deeper, I drank until I realized that the blood was no longer
pumping out on its own.
I lowered Sariel to the floor and stared down at his lifeless body. A scream of horror tore
from my throat as I realized I had killed him. I had never killed anyone, and now, I’d murdered
two in the space of minutes.
Sinking to my knees over him, I felt tears prick at my eyes. How could I have let it get
this far?
Chapter Fifteen
“Drake!” Elijah screamed.
I turned to see Tomas standing over Elijah, the sword sticking out of the back of Elijah’s
shoulder. The Angel was covered in blood. Tomas had been busy while I’d been distracted.
“Fuck you!” Elijah yelled back. “Just fucking kill me.”
“No. No, that’s what you want, isn’t it? It’s what you’ve wanted this whole time.” Tomas
turned to survey the scene. All of his men were dead, but so were The Watchers. Only the three
of us remained.
“Your plan failed,” Elijah said, a laugh in his tone.
“Your Angels are dead, and I’m still here. The war will happen. I’ve won.”
“We were supposed to die, you fool!” Elijah said, his voice straining as the pain finally
seemed to make his façade crack. “It was the bargain we made to stop Armageddon. The
Watchers would die, and we would go before God for final judgment. God will either forgive us
or banish us to Hell forever.” He turned to face me. “Sariel, too. When he wasn’t killed in battle,
he made sure you would drain him dry.”
If he meant that to be a comfort to me, he failed. I felt sick. The need to vomit the
Angel’s blood onto the floor was overwhelming. It was made worse by the strength coursing
through my veins. Sariel had been right, his blood had given me more strength than Nephilim
blood could ever have done.
“Then I’ve still won because you’re still here,” Tomas said.
I picked up the sword that had fallen next to Sariel’s body and walked toward Tomas. I
wasn’t trying to be quiet, and he turned to watch me advance.
“Kill me then,” Tomas said, spreading his arms wide. “I will be welcomed like a hero in
Hell. And I’ll waltz right back out when the gates are opened for us. I’ve made deals with the
Devil boy. You can’t touch me.”
“I will not leave this room alive, Tomas. You lost. It’s been decided. Satan will not
continue this war,” Elijah said, his tone tired but triumphant.
“No!” Tomas shrieked, turning to face the Angel. “No. We had a deal.”
“Our deal was worth more to Lucifer in the long run,” Elijah said, wincing as he tried to
shrug.
Tomas shrieked with fury, and he raised his fists to attack Elijah again. I ran, the sword
straight out in front of me. The blade slid through Tomas’ chest as if there had been no bone or
muscle in its path. The Troll king staggered and fell to his knees, staring up at me in disbelief.
“You were like my son,” he croaked, a tear running down his cheek.
“Then you probably shouldn’t have killed everyone I cared about,” I said coldly. With a
jerk, I pulled free the sword, and he fell backward, blood pooling beneath his lifeless body.
I was numb as I walked over to cut Elijah free. He pulled the sword from his shoulder,
with a grunt, and let it fall the floor next to him. I helped him to his feet, and we stood next to
each other looking around at the carnage.
“Drake—”
“Shut up,” I said, holding up a hand to stop him from talking. “Just shut up.”
“Drake, you have to—”
“I said shut up!” I turned to glare at him. There was nothing he could say to me to make
any of this all right. This had been a suicide mission for the Angels, and he had failed. I knew
what it meant, and I didn’t want to hear it.
“You have to listen to me,” Elijah said, taking my hand. “The only way to seal the pact
with Lucifer is to spill all of the blood of the Fallen.”
“That’s why you went back again, isn’t it?’ I asked, wrenching my hand out of his and
backing away. “You didn’t go to help Sariel make the sword. You went because you all decided
to make this deal.” I saw the truth in his eyes, and it broke my heart. “You knew this the whole
time, and you didn’t tell me? What? Did you think that the betrayal would make it easier for
me?” I glared at him through unshed tears. “You knew it would come down to this, and you
didn’t bother to fill me in?”
“There wasn’t exactly a good time to tell you,” he said, anger raw in his voice. “I
couldn’t just say it in front of Tomas and Gareth, could I?”
“Don’t!” I screamed. “You could have said something before you left. You could have
warned me that it was going to play out like this.”
“No, I couldn’t have!” he yelled back. “You wouldn’t have understood.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. There had to be another way.”
“This was the only option.” The fight was leaving him slowly. He looked tired and weak,
and it made me angrier to see him like that. I wanted him to scream and yell with me. I wanted
him to be as furious as I was.
“I was better off with Gareth,” I spat, trying to find something that would hurt him the
most. “At least with him, I knew what I was getting myself in to. He never lied about who or
what he was. He was a bastard, but he owned it. You…you played me like a fucking
instrument.”
I gripped the hilt of the sword so tightly the diamond encrusted handle cut into my flesh,
but I didn’t care. The pain was the only thing left to let me know this was all really happening.
“Drake, please,” Elijah whispered hoarsely, not rising to my bait. “I just wanted the
chance to go home. I’ve spent a hundred lifetimes being tortured for my sins.”
“So now, it’s my turn?” I choked on unshed tears. “I’m to be punished for what you’ve
done?”
“It was the only way,” he said, staring at the ground. “We had to sacrifice ourselves to
keep you and the rest of the world safe. This was always the only way.”
“So when Sariel said you were in the prophecies, and you said it wasn’t specific, you
were just lying to me again?”
“We didn’t know for sure what it meant. We could only guess. But yes, there are
prophecies that state that my death will open the gates of Heaven to the Fallen. I have to do this
for them. It’s our chance to finally be judged. One way or the other, at least, we’ll know.”
“Oh. For them. Right. You’re doing this for your brothers. This has nothing to do with
you, does it?” I felt blood pooling in my palms from the handle of the sword, but my grip refused
to slacken. I wanted to drop the fucking sword and walk away. What concern was it of mine if
they got back into Heaven? Maybe, they had all gotten what they’d deserved when they were
cast out.
“Drake—”
“Just shut up!” I turned away from him and dropped to my knees outside of the circle.
The pain of my joints hitting the concrete radiated up to my hips, but I didn’t care. I raised my
head to the ceiling and screamed until my throat felt as if it had ripped open.
“Haven’t I given enough?” I asked. I suppose I was talking to God, but it wasn’t
intentional. I was just talking to get the words out of my chest before they made my heart
explode. “I’ve given everything. My parents, my best friend and now this. What the fuck did I
ever do to you?”
“Drake,” Elijah sounded closer to me than he had been before.
I turned around to see he’d walked to the very edge of the circle, as close as he could get
to me.
“I wish I could hate you for this,” I said as I got to my feet. “It would be so much easier if
I just didn’t care.”
“If I could make you hate me, I would. I thought I had done everything I could to get us
to the point. But I guess the line between love and hate isn’t as thin as people would like us to
believe.”
“How could you possibly still love me if I kill you?” I asked him. I felt a tear slip down
my cheek but didn’t bother to brush it away. “If I do this and you still end up in Hell, how could
you ever forgive me?”
“Because this is a bigger sacrifice for you than it is for me. This is just one more thing
you’re giving up. I may not know where I’ll end up, but I’ll at least be able to look in on you
once in a while. You’ll never be able to see me again. This has to be harder for you than it is for
me. I knew it would come down to this when I made the deal with Lucifer. I’ve had a few hours
to come to terms with it.” He smiled, but there was no humor in it. “You’ve given me more than
I could have ever hoped. I know I’m asking too much of you. But it has to be done. It’s the only
way to stop this war from happening. The only way to make sure Tomas doesn’t win after all. I
love you.” He tried to reach out to touch my face, but the circle wouldn’t allow any part of him
out.
I stepped inside the chalk and let him rub his hand over my jaw. Standing on tiptoes so I
could reach his mouth, I pressed my lips to his. They were cold and I knew it would always be
the last kiss he’d ever given me.
“I love you, too.” I closed my eyes and slammed my arm forward before I chickened out.
Blood gushed over my hand and splattered up my arm, hot, wet and thick. It matched the heat
flowing from my eyes and down my cheeks. I cried silently as he bled out onto my skin and the
floor. As his body sagged, I held him until his weight became too much for me and we sank to
the concrete together.
We laid side by side, and I watched as the light left his eyes. After a minute, he was just a
corpse and I might as well have been for all I cared. All I could do was stare at him. My hand
was still gripping the hilt of the sword, which jutted from his abdomen. We were locked in a
macabre embrace, and I would have stayed there forever if she hadn’t pulled me back to my
senses.
A small hand gently pried my fingers off of the sword. I wasn’t sure how it was possible,
but I knew who it was.
Alice helped me to my feet, and we supported each other as we left the room. When we
got out the door and shut it behind us, we both slid to the floor but never let go of each other’s
hands.
“I thought you were dead.” Tears stung at my eyes as the weight of emotion hung over
me. Alice was alive, but I felt guilty for being relieved. I knew I should do nothing but mourn the
loss of Elijah. But I couldn’t help the joy pushing on my heart to know that she was still here
with me.
“So did I,” she said solemnly. “I must have just been knocked out. I woke up just as
you… I just woke up.”
“How do you feel?” I cringed as the words came out of my mouth, but she didn’t chastise
me for the stupid question.
“I’ll live. Geez, don’t be such a cry baby.” There was a small smirk on her face, and I
laughed in spite of myself. There wasn’t much humor to it, but I was lost as to what else to do.
“Yeah. Me, too.” I leaned my head back against the door and sighed as I wiped my
watery eyes. “Someone has a huge mess to clean up in there.”
“Can’t we hire someone?” she asked with a sigh of her own.
I looked over at her and wiped a thin line of blood from her cheek with my thumb. She
looked like hell, and my heart ached to know that it was my fault. This was all my fault. I’d
murdered every important man I’d had left in my life and almost lost the last friend I had on
Earth. Not one of my better days to be sure.
“I want to bury Elijah,” I said softly. “But the rest of them…we’ll just get someone to
burn it down and salt the earth. I’m with you. I don’t care if I ever see this place again.”
* * * *
Alice and I called in a couple of favors and managed to get a team together to dispose of
the entire building where the Apocalypse had been averted. We held a small funeral for Elijah
and buried him in a field out in the country where hopefully no one would ever disturb the body.
The nightmares were horrible for weeks. I finally had to ask Alice to move into the
apartment with me because I was terrified to go to sleep alone anymore. She seemed pretty
relieved, and I wondered if she’d been having the same problem. The dreams didn’t stop, but it
was nice to have someone to talk to at three in the morning every day.
I spent weeks trapped between anger and heartache and depression with small flashes of
happiness that always had to do with having Alice in my life still. My emotions were so raw I
found myself snapping at Alice and even came close to hitting her once. Finally, she had sat me
down and forced me to watch Steel Magnolias with her. I’m not sure if she thought I should
consider myself lucky because at least I wasn’t going to die of diabetes or what, but the three
hours she held me while I cried after the credits rolled seemed to do more good than all of the
shouting and bitching I’d been doing.
After about a month, I finally stopped waiting for Elijah to come back. Part of me kept
hoping he would walk through the apartment door and tell me that it had all just been the worst
joke ever. I would hit him, and we would laugh and fall into bed together then we would live
happily ever after. But finally, I had to realize that wasn’t going to happen. He was really gone.
And since I had killed him, I probably wouldn’t even get to see him after I died. I’d go to Hell,
and he would just hang out in Heaven, playing his harp and boozing it up with Jesus or whatever
it was Angels did up there.
I had to believe that after all of the sacrifices that God let him go home. It was too hard to
think of the alternative. If The Watchers gave their souls up for judgment and God cast them out
again, then I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.
Chapter Sixteen
“I’ve missed you,” I said as Elijah climbed over me.
“I’ve missed you, too,” he replied before lowering his face to kiss me.
His tongue slipped between my lips to tangle with mine. I held him close. The need to
keep him against me was overwhelming though I didn’t know why. I wasn’t even sure why I had
missed him. It seemed as if he had been gone for a while, but I couldn’t remember him leaving.
“You need to feed,” he whispered as his mouth traveled down the side of my neck.
“I don’t want to feed,” I said with a sigh. “I want to feel you inside of me.”
He straddled my hips and grabbed a knife from the bedside table. I tried to pull his hand
away, but he knocked me aside and drew the blade across the inside of his arm. Fierce red blood
welled to the surface and instinct took over.
I grabbed his arm and pressed the wound to my mouth. It felt as if I hadn’t fed in months,
and the coppery, sticky blood against my tongue felt amazing. I swallowed him down, letting the
hot liquid slide down my throat.
As the strength spread through my body, it triggered something in my mind. I felt as if I
should be remembering something, but I couldn’t seem to make my brain cooperate.
“What’s the matter?” Elijah asked as he pulled his arm out of my grasp.
“I don’t know,” I said slowly, looking around the room. “Something seems…off.” I
shook my head then turned back to him. “I think you sitting here naked is distracting me.”
“Glad I can be a distraction.” He smiled as he leaned over to kiss me. As he pulled away,
he wrinkled his nose. “You taste like blood.”
“Go figure,” I laughed. “Someone just donated a bunch.”
“How do you feel?”
“I feel great,” I admitted.
My hands roamed up his chest, fingers splayed over the smooth skin. When I got to his
shoulders I paused, that nagging feeling back. My thumb worked circles over the dip in his flesh
right over his armpit. Something about this spot on him didn’t seem right.
I leaned forward and kissed the tender skin. It felt just as soft and smooth as the rest of
him. He was exactly the same as I remembered him being. I couldn’t figure out why I felt there
was something wrong.
“Drake,” he said as he tilted my face to look up at him. “Just be here with me, okay? Stop
picking at everything.”
I nodded, not really sure what he meant, but it didn’t seem to matter. I wanted to be here
with him. There was nowhere else I ever wanted to me.
Elijah grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into his chest, his mouth crashing
down on mine, all worries of the taste of his blood apparently gone. I opened to his tongue,
allowing it to tangle with my own as our hands grasped for each other’s skin.
My cock grew hard at the friction our bodies created. Pre-cum pooled at the tip as he
groaned into my mouth. He shifted me so that I straddled his lap and our cocks were pressed
together.
Gripping his hair tightly in my fist, I pulled him backward so I could look down into his
pale blue eyes. The need burning in his irises matched the passion I felt in every muscle of my
body. I loved him so much, and I couldn’t believe he was mine.
That strange feeling piqued again, and I pushed it away. It wasn’t worth worrying about
right now. All that mattered was Elijah and me and getting as close to him as I could.
I slid my hand between us and gripped our shafts together in my fist, pumping us firmly
until he growled, low and deep in his chest. The sound made me smile. I loved that I had that
effect on him, that I could draw animalistic sounds from him like that.
“Drake, I want you,” he begged, his body trembling beneath me.
“I always want you,” I whispered before claiming his mouth again.
He pushed himself forward so he could lay me back on the bed. I wrapped my legs
around his hips and used my calves to draw him closer to me. Struggling to get his hand between
us, he finally managed to position himself at my opening.
I didn’t remember preparing myself for him, but he slid in easily, my muscles welcoming
him as if I’d been ready for hours. There wasn’t even the initial bite of pain that I usually felt
when he entered me.
“You feel so good,” I moaned as he started to rock, his shaft moving in and out at a
steady pace. “I don’t ever want this to end. I just want you to fuck me forever.”
“That sounds like Heaven,” he said.
My eyes flew open to look at him. That word, Heaven, had triggered something. This
wasn’t right. Something was very wrong. Before I could fully grasp what my mind had been
trying to tell me, Elijah gripped my cock in his hand and started to jerk me off furiously.
I came hard, calling out his name just before the memory of what had happened in the
warehouse blasted over me, and I sat bolt upright in bed alone.
My chest heaved as I fought to catch my breath. I looked around the room and realized it
had been another dream. I threw myself backward onto my pillows and growled up at the ceiling
in frustration.
A soft knock on the door interrupted my fuming.
“Drake, are you all right?” Alice called from the hallway.
“I’m fine,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”
I would have invited her in, but the sheets were stuck embarrassingly to my groin and I
didn’t want her to see me like that.
“Don’t worry. It’s morning anyway. I’ll make coffee.”
“I’m going to take a shower,” I said. “I’ll be out in a minute. Hey Alice?”
“Yeah?”
“I really am sorry.”
“I know,” she said. I heard her pad back down the hall and knew she understood I wasn’t
just apologizing for screaming in my sleep.
As I climbed into the shower, I realized I’d been apologizing a lot lately. She always
accepted, even though we never discussed what I was actually apologizing for. Maybe because
there was so much I needed to be sorry for. For dragging her into that mess. For being an angry,
depressed mess for the last few weeks. And of course for screaming in my sleep and waking her
up weeks after she seemed to be recovering from her own bout of nightmares.
We’d only talked about that horrible night in the warehouse once. After Elijah’s funeral,
we had sat in my apartment and drunk our way through a bottle of Jameson as we filled each
other in on the parts we’d missed. Neither of us got too detailed, and we just spoke in general
terms. This person was killed, these people tortured this information out of Alice, that Sub-
Human race had been involved in the plot. We shared enough information to satisfy ourselves
then silently agreed never to discuss it again.
* * * *
“I found some new office space I think we should go look at today,” Alice said. She was
sitting on the sofa with the classified ads spread out over the coffee table when I came out of the
bedroom.
“Sounds great,” I said distractedly as I wandered into the kitchen for coffee.
“Hey, Drake,” she called.
“What’s up?” I asked, coming back out to the living room.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” I said, sitting down next to her.
“When’s the last time you had blood?”
I stared at her for a minute. I hadn’t even thought about that. It had been weeks. Since
Sariel had made me drink from him. There hadn’t been a single twinge of hunger since that
night, though obviously I had been dreaming about drinking from Elijah. Surely a dream
wouldn’t be enough to sustain my body.
“I haven’t…not since…”
“That night,” she finished for me.
“Yeah. What the hell do you think that means?” I asked.
“I was doing laundry the other day, and I found something.” She looked nervous, as if
she didn’t want to say it but knew she had to.
“What?”
“There was blood on your sheets. Just a few drops, but it looked fresh.”
“What are you saying?” I was confused.
“I don’t know really. Just…it’s strange, isn’t it? You haven’t fed in a month, and you’re
fine, but then I find blood on the sheets.” She sighed. “Do you think that you’re going out to feed
and don’t remember it in the morning?”
“I don’t think so,” I said slowly. “I don’t sleep hard enough anymore to sleep walk, and
besides, how would I find a Nephilim in my sleep when I couldn’t do it right now?”
Part of the dream I’d just had came back to me. Elijah had made me feed on him. I tried
to remember if I’d ever had that dream before, but I just couldn’t. I knew I’d been having dreams
of him and about that night it had all gone down, but I rarely remembered details from them.
Besides, they were dreams, and no matter how badly I wanted them to be real, they weren’t.
Thinking that maybe he really was coming to me in my sleep was dangerous. It had been hard
enough to try to move on. If I let myself believe in him again…
No. No, that was madness. I’d probably just bitten myself or something. Scratched
myself in my sleep. Elijah was not stealing into my room at night to feed me.
“Drake, I’m just saying it’s strange.” She sighed. “Oh well, I guess we’ll just put it on the
list.”
There was no actual list. It was just our new way of refusing to deal with things. I didn’t
want to talk about Elijah if I could help it, so every time he got brought up, he was put on the list.
Alice didn’t want to talk about what Gareth and Tomas had done to her so we put it on the list.
Heaven, Hell, Angels, Demons and pretty much all Sub-Humans were on the list, too. If it didn’t
involve food, coffee or getting the business back up and running, it didn’t really need to be dealt
with by either of us.
“So I made an appointment with a realtor to take a look at a loft in Toledo,” she said,
abruptly changing the subject.
“Toledo?” I asked in surprise. “Why Toledo?”
“I want to move. Detroit is too…” She waved her hand as if swatting a bug away from
her face. “I can’t stay here. I was hoping you’d feel the same way.”
She was right. Detroit was way too difficult to deal with anymore. I think the only reason
I had stayed this long was the hope that Elijah would come back. Looking around the apartment,
I realized there was absolutely no reason to stay here anymore.
“Sounds good,” I said with a shrug. “Do you have any apartments in mind?”
“Yeah.” She chewed on the end of a pen as she studied some listings she had circled.
“Actually, the loft we have an appointment to see today could be modified into an office and
living space so we could just buy the whole building. There’s probably enough room to do two
separate apartments and have the office on the ground floor.”
“You don’t want to live with me anymore?” I asked. My tone was harsher than I’d meant
it to be. I’d been snapping a lot lately though, and I think she was probably used to it.
“I love living near you,” she said cautiously. “But don’t you think it’s time… I mean, if
you wanted to bring someone home, you should be able to without worrying about me—”
“I have no desire to bring anyone home ever again,” I cut her off. “However, it is
probably time that you have space of your own. I know you only moved in here for me, and I
can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, but yes. I suppose it’s time we live separately again.
What time is our appointment with the realtor?”
“In a couple hours. We should probably get going.” She stood up and slid on her shoes.
“Can I drive?”
“Absolutely not,” I said as I grabbed my keys.
We climbed into the Porsche together, and I sped off toward the highway. It had been a
hard decision to keep the car. It had been a gift from Tomas, and after everything that had gone
down, I sort of just wanted to set it on fire. Alice had convinced me that I’d more than earned the
right to keep this one thing and I shouldn’t let it be a reminder of what he’d done. I tried to see it
that way, but every time I got behind the wheel, I still got a little twinge of pain and regret for
how things had gone wrong.
Alice played with the radio for a minute, finally choosing a hard rock station, and we let
the music ease any need we might have felt to fill silence with conversation. I drove faster than
necessary, and we made it to Toledo in record time, thanks to the lack of police on the highway.
She pulled out a map and helped me navigate the unfamiliar streets to the warehouse
district where the building she wanted to look at was located. The neighborhood looked nice and
clean. Very different from downtown Detroit. We didn’t see a single homeless person as we
wound our way through the city.
Finally, she announced that we’d reached the address.
Chapter Seventeen
I pulled over the car in front of a large, white building. It was six floors high, and there
was a sign out front announcing it was for sale. We got out of the car and approached the door
where a man with dark blond hair sat on the stairs, smoking a cigarette. He was muscular with
broad shoulders that were accentuated by the way he was resting his elbows on his knees.
“Don’t you think this is a bit much?” I asked her as I stared up the building. “What are
we going to do with all this space?”
“We’ll have a beautiful office, lots of storage and kick-ass apartments. It’s in our price
range, and look at this place.” She gestured up and down the street. “Don’t turn it down before
we’ve even looked at it.”
The man who’d been sitting in front of the building approached us. He held out his hand
to Alice then to me.
“Shall we have a look around?” he asked, motioning toward the building.
“He’s the real estate agent?” I asked Alice under my breath. “He doesn’t look very
official.”
Upon closer inspection, I saw his hair was a medium blond with red accents that looked
more punk rock than business professional. He wore a white, button-down shirt and a pair of
khakis, but no tie or nametag. I wondered for a minute if real estate agents wore nametags.
“Who else would he be?” she hissed. “He has keys to the place.”
“What’s his name then?” I asked.
We hadn’t moved forward, and the man turned around to look at us from inside the
doorway. “Are you two coming?”
“I don’t think so,” I said as I pulled Alice back toward the car.
“What is your problem?” Alice asked angrily, wrenching her arm out of my hand.
“This doesn’t seem right to me,” I said, not bothering to keep my voice down. “He didn’t
even give us his name.”
“You’re right,” the man said as he bounded down the stairs toward us. “Where are my
manners?”
He stretched his hand out and took mine again. I looked up at him and something in his
pale blue eyes made me freeze.
“Do…do I know you?” I asked as I racked my brain to remember where I might have
seen him before.
“Maybe,” he said with a small smile. “Drake Brokk, right?”
“That’s right,” I said slowly. His gaze still held mine, and something finally clicked.
Wrenching him forward into me, I kissed him, my tongue pressing between his lips until
he opened for me. It was right, yet it was so wrong. He didn’t taste the same, his lips weren’t the
right shape or size, and his body didn’t feel the way it should against me. It was Elijah, I knew it
was, but this smaller, more solid body didn’t curve into my mine the way it should have.
I’d missed him so much, dreamed about him for weeks, and here he was. I didn’t know
how or why, but it was him. I stepped back to look at him, those blue eyes against skin that
wasn’t nearly pale enough was confusing to my brain. Without really planning to I raised my fist
and punched him in the jaw.
My body shook, and I couldn’t make my mouth work right anymore. He was here. The
man I loved had come back in this strange form, and I didn’t know now if I wanted to kiss him
again or strangle him back to death.
“You asshole,” I choked out. I was happy to see him again and yet so fucking angry at
him for leaving me in the first place. For making me kill him. For taking so long to come back.
Emotions flitted through me so quickly, it was difficult to grasp and hold on to just one of them.
“Drake!” Alice yelled, grabbing my wrist as if to keep me from hitting him again.
“What’s the matter? Are you all right? Fucking talk to me.”
“It’s Elijah,” I said, still staring at him.
He watched us bemusedly. That look too was Elijah’s, the smirk on his face looked odd
set on a pair of lips that were too full to carry it off.
“What are you talking about?” she asked. She looked worried now and searched my face.
“Drake, sweetie you’re scaring me.”
“It’s my fault,” he said in a voice that was not quite right. It was higher than Elijah’s. Not
girly, but just…wrong. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you. How to come back to you? This was the
best thing I could come up with. I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity and when I
overheard Alice making the appointment with the agency, I figured it was time to come out of
the shadows. I was afraid if I didn’t do it soon you’d forget about me.”
“Overheard me how?” Alice asked suspiciously.
“I’m an Angel, Alice.” He shrugged as if that explained everything. It didn’t. It explained
nothing.
“It can’t be you,” I said. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from
him. “I killed you. I laid in your blood. I know you were dead.”
“That body was dead,” he corrected me. “You did what I needed you to do. You released
my soul and let me go back to Heaven to be judged with my brothers.”
“Elijah?” Alice asked, her voice barely a whisper. “This. This is the best way you could
come up with? In the middle of the street in Toledo? What are you fucking stupid?”
“Apparently,” he said with a small smile. “How would you have felt if I turned up in your
apartment? Would you have believed me? Would you have even let me try to explain or would
you have shot me dead thinking I was a random intruder?”
“I expected you to come walking into my apartment, you son of a bitch!” I yelled at him.
Anger was quickly winning out over any happiness I felt at him being back. The depression I’d
been suffering for a month was much easier to turn to rage than joy, and I let that wash over me
in an effort to keep from bursting into tears and jumping back into his arms. “For weeks, I waited
for you to come back to me. I had given up. All my dreaming and wishing and hoping, I gave up
thinking I was ever going to get you back. And you do this now? Here? When I was about to
move on?”
His face fell in sadness. I hadn’t meant to imply I was over him, because I was far from
it. But I didn’t know how to react. I was still too torn between running into his arms and beating
his face in with my shoe.
I looked at him, really looked at him now. His eyes were definitely the same soft blue
eyes I had fallen in love with. This body though, it was so different. I was used to seeing those
irises set against alabaster white skin with a blond mop of hair framing them.
Now, he was about my height, more muscular than he had been before, but not huge,
just…fuller in the chest and arms. His hair was still blond, though not as light, and set with red
lowlights to it and his skin was darker. He was…different. Not unattractive by any means, but it
was strange to see him like this.
“Does it bother you?” he asked as he watched my eyes travel over his new form.
“I didn’t fall in love with your body,” I said.
He looked slightly relieved.
“This is going on the list for a while,” I said, shaking my head. “I just can’t process this.
Can we go in and look at the building?”
As I walked past him and through the door, I heard him say to Alice “The list?”
I didn’t stay close to hear if she explained it or not, I just started wandering around the
lower level of the warehouse.
It was very clean and well lit. Sunlight poured through the dozens of windows that lined
the walls. There was carpeting that looked relatively new and nice light fixtures hanging from the
ceiling.
My heart was hammering in my chest. My arms wanted to be thrown around Elijah, to
hold him and confirm that he really was here, but my legs seemed to want to carry me as far
from him as I could get. My mind reeled. I wanted to kick his ass and fuck his brains out at the
same time. I’d missed him so much, and now, here he was and I had no idea what to say to him.
I tried to stay focused on the light fixtures in an attempt to keep from thinking about the
fact that Elijah was standing outside. But it wasn’t working. My Elijah. My lover I’d killed and
who had come back to me in the strangest way possible.
Wasn’t this what I wanted? I shook my head. I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. I
needed an apartment and an office. That was what I needed to focus on now. That was real. The
rest…I wasn’t so sure.
Alice and Elijah stayed by the entrance as I opened doors and examined bathrooms and
closets. It looked much nicer than our old office. Very open. We’d have to build a few walls if
we took it. I still wanted an office with a door I could shut.
Thoughts continued to intrude where they weren’t welcome. I didn’t want to think about
Elijah. My heart ached, and it was all I could do to keep wandering through these rooms I was
barely seeing rather than to throw myself at my former lover and kiss him until the rest of the
world disappeared.
Where had he been for the last month? All those dreams about him, had he really been
there all along? Why hadn’t he told me then that he was back? Had he gone to Heaven or did he
take weekend passes from torture in Hell to make sure I was able to feed? Did I even want to ask
him?
There was an elevator and a set of stairs off to the side of the main entrance. I chose the
stairs and climbed up to the second level, my hands clenched into fists and my tongue firmly bit
between my teeth to keep from turning around to talk to Elijah. I wasn’t ready. I thought I might
never be ready as I stepped out onto the second floor. This had obviously been used for storage.
There were busted pallets on the ground and a few empty boxes still littered the room.
For a minute, I was transported back to that warehouse in Detroit where I had lost
everything I held dear to me. I had to grab the wall to keep from collapsing under the weight of
the memory.
“Drake,” Alice said softly. She took my face in her hands and forced me to look down at
her. “They can’t hurt us anymore.”
That had become our mantra during our middle of the night conversations. When we had
nightmares or memories threatened to overtake us, one of us would remind the other that Gareth
and Tomas were dead, and they could never hurt us again.
Elijah had been cut to shreds before we’d managed to kill the bad guys. His beautiful pale
face, the one that wasn’t even his anymore, had been mutilated. What was this form he was in
now? Was this what he would look like when he was on Earth? Had he chosen it or had it been
given to him to use?
I nodded and let her take my hand to lead me up to the third floor. This looked like an
actual warehouse. The top three floors of the building were actually one floor open to the ceiling
with shelving that would require boom trucks to reach.
“Alice this is going to take some major construction to turn into apartments,” I said as I
stared up at the metal units lining all of the walls, the thought of all the work that would need to
be done temporarily clearing my head of emotion.
“But it will be so worth it,” she said squeezing my hand. “A little happiness isn’t a bad
thing you know. This emo shit is getting kind of old. I know you want this. We deserve this,
don’t we?”
I knew she wasn’t really talking about the building. I turned to look at Elijah. Did I
deserve this? I’d killed the only man who had ever truly loved me. And here he was, back again.
Would I hurt him again? What if the fate of the world depended on us again, and I couldn’t do it
next time? Or refused? Could I even let him back into my life after what he’d made me do?
“I’m going to go outside and…well, I’m leaving,” Alice said as she let go of my hand.
“Talk nice and no punching.”
She walked down the stairs and left Elijah and me alone. After staring at him for a few
minutes, I turned and followed her down. I was too close to either telling him I loved him or
telling him to fuck off. I was afraid if I opened my mouth I wouldn’t be sure which would spew
out. It was safest to say nothing for a few more minutes.
“Drake, wait,” he called, thundering down the stairs after me. He caught me on the
second floor and pushed me into the room, blocking the staircase so I couldn’t run away.
“What?” I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.
“You’re not even going to talk to me?” he asked.
“What the fuck am I supposed to say?”
“How about you’re glad to see me? Or you hate me? Or anything? Say something to me,
please.”
“I don’t know what to say!” I yelled. “I don’t even know you. This face, this body. I
don’t know if I can even believe this is you.”
“It’s just a vessel,” he said in a tone of frustration. “Here.” I watched in amazement as he
closed his eyes, and his form shifted before me. Where a second earlier had stood the new,
muscular, darker Elijah, now it was just him as I had remembered him. Tall, thin, blond and pale.
It was as if the form he’d met us in today was just a glamour that melted away with only a
thought from him.
My breath caught in my throat and tears burned my eyes again. This was my Elijah. The
man I had fallen in love with. The man I had murdered with his own sword. The man who had
led me down a path he knew would end in his destruction. He was standing before me as he had
that first day I met him, looking down at me with piercing blue eyes that I felt were staring into
my soul.
“Is this better?” he asked.
“I think it might be worse,” I said in a choked voice. My heart pounded in my chest and I
thought I might pass out. Lifting my hand, I ran my palm over his jaw where I’d hit him earlier.
“How?”
“It’s a long story,” he said, his mouth twitching into a half smile.
“I’ve got forever,” I said as I sank down to sit on the floor, grabbing his hand to pull him
down with me. My legs felt weak, and I didn’t trust them to hold me up for much longer.
“I’m so sorry, Drake—”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear your apologies. I want to know why you’re here.”
“God sent me here,” he said as if that would make everything clear to me.
“God sent you?” I blinked at him. “So your plan worked then? You got into Heaven?”
“Not all of us,” he said with a sigh. “The plan did work. We were all sent before God for
judgment. Some of us were forgiven and allowed to return home, some of us weren’t so lucky.”
“It was decided that Sariel and I had done nothing to receive the punishments that had
been bestowed upon us. God had left the original decision to Metatron, and he’d banished us all
without bothering to care if it was appropriate or not.”
I wasn’t sure what any of this had to do with why he was playing show and tell with
buildings in Toledo, but I kept my mouth shut and let him continue.
“We were allowed into Heaven and given a choice of assignments. We chose Guardian
Angels under the condition that we could pick our charges.” He smiled and I started to
understand why he had returned. “It was granted with the contingency that I was not to reveal
myself to you in my original Human form. You had to come to recognize me on your own.
Basically, God wanted proof that you really do love me, that you need me. By concealing my
true identity and giving you the opportunity to fall in love with me again, or recognize who I
really was, it would prove to God that we belong together. I have to admit, you made me a lot
faster than I thought you would.”
“But you did show your true self to me,” I argued. “You came to me in my dreams. That
was you wasn’t it?”
“It was. That was a grey area. It fell under my Guardian Angel responsibilities because if
I hadn’t come to feed you then you would have died. One had to trump the other. It was agreed
that I could come to you as a dream. You weren’t supposed to remember the dreams.”
“I could never forget you,” I said, a smile twitching my lips against my will. I took a deep
breath and tried to pull my indignation around myself like a shield again. “So, what happens
now?”
“Now, I have to stay close and watch out for you for the rest of your life. It’s up to you
how I do that. I can do it in the open by your side, or you’re free to dismiss me and I’ll never
show myself to you again. You can continue to move on with your life without me physically in
it.”
“Where’s Sariel?” I asked. I didn’t want to think about this right now. He was offering
himself to me on a silver platter. I could have him back if I wanted him. But he had hurt me so
bad. And I had hurt him.
“He should be downstairs with his charge,” Elijah said with a shrug.
“He chose Alice?” I asked in surprise. “Why?”
“Because he’d been watching her anyway. I think he has a crush on her. Plus this way he
can stay close to you. You are his last descendant.”
“Sariel has a crush on Alice? I hope he doesn’t own a lot of jewelry.”
Elijah laughed, and the sound brought a grudging smile to my lips. “I wouldn’t worry.
He’ll give her anything. She won’t have to steal it. By the way,” Elijah’s looked down at the
floor as if unable to meet my eyes. Or as if he didn’t want to. “Sariel wants to thank you. For
making his death as painless as you did.”
“Thank me?” I climbed to my feet and started pacing, trying not to get angry again. I’d
managed to not scream or cry for the last couple minutes. I didn’t want to ruin my streak. “Thank
me? That’s hilarious. All I’ve done for the last month is replay over and over in my mind that I
murdered two Angels in that warehouse. I’ve been prepared to drop dead and go to Hell for it.
But instead, God gives you back to me and Sariel wants to thank me? Well fuck you both.”
So much for keeping my temper in check, I thought as I hit the stairs at a run, clambering
down them at full speed until I made it outside into the fresh air. Bile had risen to my throat at
the admission to Elijah and I was afraid I was going to vomit. Leaning against the building for a
second, I breathed deeply, trying to settle my stomach.
Alice was sitting on my car hood, talking to Sariel. Apparently, he didn’t have to change
his form from his previous one, or it didn’t matter since I’d recognized Elijah because he was the
same large, blond figure he had been when I’d first met him in my apartment.
“Alice, we’re leaving,” I said as I walked around the car and opened my door.
“Well, I’ll see you later then,” Alice said to her Angel and got in to the car next to me.
I gunned the engine and took off toward the highway. We rode in silence for about
twenty minutes until apparently Alice couldn’t take it anymore.
“Are you all right?” she asked tentatively.
I laughed, and it sounded a little hysterical. “No. No, Alice, I am far from okay. This is
seriously fucked up.”
“It’s a little strange,” she agreed. “Did you know that Sariel is my guardian Angel now?”
“Yeah,” I said, flinching at the bitterness in my own voice.
“Well, he filled me in on what happened after…after that night.”
I was glad. I didn’t think I was in any condition to talk about it at the moment. Mostly, I
just wanted to get home and drown myself in a bottle of whiskey.
“Elijah has been sick about how everything played out, Drake.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I warned her.
“I don’t care,” she said hotly. “He sacrificed himself to save the world. The least you
could do is talk to him. He loves you. And you love him. Don’t even try to pretend that you
don’t.”
“I have never pretended not to love him, Alice. But that doesn’t mean I can’t hate him
anyway. Who the fuck does he think he is? He just comes back here and acts like everything
should be fine? Like I can just forgive and forget and we’ll all live happily ever after? Fuck!” I
banged on the steering wheel and had to swerve to keep from hitting the car in the lane next to
us.
“Drake calm down,” Alice said, a thread of fear in her voice. “I know you’re upset, but
killing us isn’t going to help the situation.”
“I don’t think I can kill us,” I said hotly. “We have our very own shiny Guardian Angels
now. I could probably cut across all four lanes of traffic without looking, and that son of a bitch
would keep us safe.”
“Okay, well, let’s think about all the other souls on the road right now. They may not
have someone watching out for them. So let’s just get everyone home in one piece, and you can
freak out there, all right?”
“Whatever.” I blew out a sigh and turned up the radio to keep her from talking any more.
There was nothing she could have said anyway that would have made any of this better.
Even as my body thrummed with anger, part of me couldn’t help being upset that I hadn’t
kissed Elijah goodbye before I’d taken off. I shook my head in disgust with myself and turned
the radio even louder, hoping I could drown my own voice out as well.
Chapter Eighteen
I was not even remotely surprised to see Elijah and Sariel sitting on my couch when I
walked into the apartment.
“Fucking Angels,” I mumbled, dropping my keys on the table, walking straight to the
bedroom and slamming the door behind me.
I took a few deep breaths and turned around, jumping at the sight of Elijah sitting on my
bed.
“You know I’m not going to let you just walk away without talking to me,” he said. He
stared at his hands that were clasped in his lap. “I know you’re angry, and you have every right
to be.”
“Angry?” I walked over to stand in front of him. “Angry is just one of a million things
that I feel right now. We should probably start with heartbroken though. That’s where it all
starts. You made me kill you. Every time I close my eyes, I feel that sword sliding through your
body. I smell the blood that I was drenched in. I watch the life leave your eyes. You did that to
me.”
“You saved the world, Drake.” He looked up at me, and the tears I saw in his eyes made
me angrier. “I told you, it was the only way to stop the war.”
“Fuck the war,” I growled. “I was destroyed in that room, too, but I didn’t have the
luxury of dying. Every day, I get to get out of bed and start reliving that nightmare over and over
again.”
“Drake, I’m sorry.”
“Fuck your apology!” I screamed at him. “Do you really think hearing that you’re sorry is
going to fix me?”
“I don’t think anything I do is going to fix you,” he said, standing up and trying to reach
out to me.
I backed away, not wanting him to touch me. If he touched me, I was done. I loved him
so much it was physically painful. He was in my apartment, in my bedroom, back with me
forever if I wanted him. But I was so fucking angry at him. I didn’t want to give in yet. I wanted
to let my irrational anger wash over me and keep me safe for just a few minutes more. If I could
stay angry, I wouldn’t break down in front of him.
“Only you can fix what’s broken in you. I don’t need your forgiveness. You do. You
have to understand that you did nothing wrong that night.”
“Everything I did was wrong,” I said in a shaky voice. “If I hadn’t called Gareth, if I
hadn’t let you leave, if I had stopped Alice from walking out… Everything that’s happened is my
fault.”
“Everything that was saved is because of you. There was no other way for this to go
down Drake. If I could wave a wand and send us all back in time, it would still play out the same
way.”
“Why? Because it was foretold? Screw your prophecies, Elijah. There had to be another
way.”
“Tomas made sure there was nothing else to be done. By striking that deal with Lucifer, it
was a death sentence for everyone. Only your sacrifice kept you and Alice alive. You saved the
people who needed to be saved, Drake. Until you realize that, you’re never going to be able to
heal.”
“I don’t deserve to heal,” I said. I walked across the room and stared out of the window.
People were walking around outside, talking and laughing. Going to work, leaving their shifts,
those Mortals would never know how close they’d come to Hell on Earth. Yes, I had kept those
nameless creatures safe, but did I care? Not really. What difference did it make to me if millions
of faceless Mortals were tortured and killed by Demons? If I could have kept my friends from
harm, would I have chosen them over these Humans? As I watched people come and go below
me, I realized I wasn’t sure.
Elijah wrapped his arms around me, and I let him rest his chin on my shoulder, let his
touch melt some of the ice cold anger and fear that I’d had wrapped around me for weeks. “You
do deserve to heal, Drake. You deserve that and so much more. It’s okay to be confused by this.
And if you want me to leave you in peace, I will. You’ve earned the right to choose your own
path now. I know that I hurt you, and if you can’t forgive me for that, then it’s your right. But
you have to forgive yourself. You can’t carry this blame around with you forever. It will kill
you.”
“I don’t know if I want to live anymore.” As the words left my mouth, it felt as if a
weight had lifted from my heart. There it was. The truth. I just wanted to lie down and die. I was
so tired. I had been in so much pain for so long I just wanted it all to stop. I was sick of making
choices. For myself, for others. I was just done.
“Don’t say that.” Elijah had gone very still. He was still holding me, but his body had
gone rigid against me.
“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, Elijah. I get up every day, I shower, I dress, I eat
food and I plan the future with Alice. But none of it seems real. I’m just going through the
motions of living, but I don’t feel it. Life doesn’t really mean anything anymore. It’s as if I died
with you in that room, but God forgot to take me. He just left my body here to walk around and
talk and pretend to be Drake Brokk.”
“Please look at me.”
I turned in Elijah’s arms and stared into his eyes. His arms were still around me, and his
forehead was wrinkled in concern.
“God did not forget you. You and Alice were granted Guardian Angels because of what
you did that night. If it hadn’t been us, it would have been someone else. You’ve earned the
highest praise he can bestow on anyone. And when it really is your time, and trust me love, that
is not any time soon, you will be welcomed into Heaven as the hero you are.”
“Then why do I feel like I’m being punished?” It came out as a whisper. Like I didn’t
want God to hear me criticizing him.
“Because I broke your heart,” he said, his tone just as soft as mine. “I know you don’t
want to hear my apology, but I am so sorry for what I did to you. I will always, always love you.
If you can’t return that, then I understand.”
I sighed and pressed my forehead into his chest. It felt so good to have his arms around
me again and know that it wasn’t a dream. He was really here, and he could really stay if I
wanted him to.
“Elijah, if I didn’t love you, I couldn’t hate you so much right now,” I said, my arms
wrapping behind his back to hold him as he had been holding me.
His chest hitched, and I knew that he’d started crying. I wanted to cry, to let the anger
and the frustration and the pain rain from my eyes, but I just couldn’t do it. I was too tired. Later,
I would cry. I would probably rage and fight some more, too. But for that moment, I had what I
needed. Elijah was holding me and I was ready to start healing.
“Is this the part where we get to have make up sex?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood a
little.
“This is the part where you get everything you want for the rest of your life,” Elijah said,
his voice steady even though I knew he was struggling for composure.
“I’m still wicked pissed you at,” I said as I pulled back to look at him. “I’d just as soon
punch you as suck your cock.”
“I understand,” he said solemnly. “Just not at the same time okay?”
I considered it for a moment, and he laughed at my hesitation. This was the Elijah that I
had fallen in love with, the one I would always love, the Angel I had missed with all of my heart.
“There’s my boy,” I said, my voice husky with the unexpected need that had filled my
body.
His mouth crashed down on mine, our teeth clanking together from the force of the kiss.
He tightened his grip around me, lifting me to walk us to the bed and throwing me down on the
mattress.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he growled as he climbed over me, pulling his shirt over his
head and throwing it aside before dropping over my body to kiss me again.
“You’ve been here,” I said as he broke contact with my lips to nip at my neck.
“In dreams,” he said, flicking my earlobe with his tongue. “I could share blood with you
and give you release, but I felt none of it. I didn’t think it would be fair to take advantage of you
that way.”
“How very noble of you,” I said, the words garbled as he ripped my shirt over my head,
but he grasped the concept.
“How stupid of me,” he said grinning. “It’s been forever. I’m afraid I won’t last very
long.”
“That’s all right. Apparently, you’ll have a very long time to make it up to me.”
“So you’ll take me back?” he asked cautiously.
“I’ll give it a shot,” I said. I held his face in my hands and made him look into my eyes.
“Just remember that I am seriously fucked up right now. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted
anything, but I’m pissed and I’m hurt and I’m so fucking confused by all of this. I can’t promise
you anything other than I want to try. Can you live with that?”
“It’s more than I could have hoped for,” he said, nodding his agreement.
“I want you,” I said. “Touch me, let me know this is really happening and it’s not just
another dream. Make me feel. It’s been so long.”
“It’s been forever,” he agreed, lowering himself to kiss me again. “Fuck, I’ve missed the
way you taste.”
He slipped a hand between us to undo my jeans, and I had to raise my hips up so he could
pull them down my body. He tossed them aside as he stood to remove his own pants.
I watched him as if I’d never seen him before. His body was flawless, as it had been the
very first time he’d stood naked before me. That alabaster skin glowed in the sunlight that
streamed through the windows. I wondered if it was just a trick of the light or if it was an Angel
thing. Then I realized it didn’t matter. It was an Elijah thing.
My body hummed in anticipation of feeling him again. Really feeling him, not just a
dream version of it. He was right. It had been forever. I may not have been sure of much at that
moment, but I knew without a doubt that I wanted him inside of me.
He was getting the bottle of lube out of the bedside table when I was reminded that we
were not alone in the apartment.
“We’re going out,” Sariel called through the bedroom door.
I felt my face flush as I realized they had been out there the whole time and I’d forgotten.
“Yeah, you obviously need your privacy,” Alice said, and I heard amusement in her
voice.
“See you,” Elijah yelled back. If he was embarrassed, it didn’t show. He caught my
mortified gaze and grinned.
“Fuck,” I said through the palm I’d slapped to my face.
“They obviously don’t mind,” he said as he crawled back over me, the bottle still in his
hand. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Easy for you to say,” I mumbled. But then he was kissing me, and all thoughts of other
people flew from my mind.
He trailed hot kisses down my throat and over my chest as his hand fumbled to get the
bottle open without looking at it. Finally, I heard the lid pop open, and I started shaking in
anticipation.
“Relax,” he whispered as I watched him pour some of the smooth liquid over his fingers.
“Not likely,” I said with a small laugh.
His hand urged my legs apart, and I hissed as the cold lube on his finger pressed against
my opening. Trying to relax, I closed my eyes and focused on the feel of him pushing inside of
me.
My cock twitched as Elijah added a second finger, the sweet burn flowing through all of
my muscles as he worked me loose for him. He crooked his knuckles so he could rub against that
spot inside of me, and I cried out in surprise as my orgasm made stars explode behind my eyes. I
hadn’t expected to come so quickly. There had been no real warning for it. My balls seized as my
release sprayed onto my chest and I struggled to catch my breath.
Before I’d fully recovered, Elijah positioned the head of his cock against me and pushed
inside. I raised my knees up, and he moved hard and fast, fucking me as if we’d been teasing
each other for hours. His eyes were wild with need as he stared down at me, and I was amazed to
feel another orgasm building in my abdomen.
As if he could see that I was ready to come again, he shifted my hips so that he was fully
supporting my weight and he could use his cock to rub on that sweet spot again. Over and over
and over, he pushed and pulled and worked himself inside of me until we were both screaming
our releases together.
When our bodies had calmed down enough that we could move with purpose, Elijah slid
out of me and collapsed on the bed.
“Did I die?” I asked him, finding my voice hoarse.
“No, I think we both just proved that we’re very much alive,” Elijah said, his voice just as
harsh and strained as mine.
“I do love you,” I said, my hand finding his and squeezing it hard.
“I know. It’s amazing that you do, but I swear I will never take that for granted again.”
He swallowed hard, his chest still heaving from the effort of catching his breath. “Still mad at
me?”
“Thoroughly pissed,” I said with a nod.
“Thank goodness for small favors,” he said, smiling at me. “You’ll have to keep taking
that out on me I suppose.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, a smile threatening to spread across my face as well. “It could
take years before I’m ready to fully forgive you.”
“God, I hope so.” He leaned over and kissed me, his tongue slowly tracing my lower lip
before sliding inside my mouth.
I hoped so, too.
Epilogue
“What did you do now?” I asked as Alice handed me a cup of coffee.
We’d finally moved into the new building. After much arguing and bitching and
moaning, she’d broken me down and convinced me to move to Toledo. It had taken months to
get all of the construction completed, but once everything was said and done, I had to admit it
had been a great decision.
The office was huge and beautiful, the apartments were amazing and business was
booming. Alice and I had agreed we would stick to legitimate, Human-only arms dealing from
now on. The Sub-Human races could, in her words “go blow goats.”
“What?” she asked defensively. “I can’t bring my boss coffee if I want to?”
“No.” I rubbed my eyes tiredly. “No, you can’t. What did you do or what do you want?”
“Sariel and I were talking about going away for a few weeks. I’m going to need to cash in
some vacation time.”
“You’re out of vacation time,” I said crossly.
“Well, take it out of next year’s time.” She crossed her arms and glared at me.
“You’ve used up six years of vacation time in the last eight months.”
“Whatever,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’m leaving for a few weeks
so you might want to get a temp.”
“Whatever. I’m sure I can handle things on my own.”
“Right,” she laughed. “You won’t last long without someone up front.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s really difficult not taking messages and stealing all the petty cash.
Whatever will I do without you?”
“Go fuck yourself,” she said sweetly. “I’ll send you a postcard.”
“Worst assistant ever!” I yelled after her, but I couldn’t help smiling.
She and Sariel had been taking quite a few trips together lately. It hadn’t taken very long
at all for Elijah and I to see they had fallen in love. It was really very sweet. Though I was sorry
some nights that I’d let her take the top floor apartment. Her bed had been very squeaky. Finally,
I’d broken down and bought her a new one because I couldn’t take it anymore.
I took a sip of the coffee she’d left on my desk and gagged. There had to be about
fourteen sugars in it. Even when she tried to suck up, she got it wrong. I laughed. Or she’d just
done it on purpose because she was Alice and, thankfully, would never change.
“Are you about done?”
I looked up to see Elijah leaning in the doorway of my office. He was wearing a tight T-
shirt and an old pair of jeans that were worn in all of the right places. I glanced up and down his
body and felt my cock twitch under my desk.
“Still hotter than sin,” I murmured.
“What?” he asked, but he smiled so I knew he’d heard me.
“Yeah, I’m all set here. My assistant’s taken off indefinitely so I might as well enjoy the
free time while I have it. I’m going to be busy as hell for the next few weeks.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to use our time wisely,” he said. I followed him out of the office
and watched him lock up. He took my hand and led me upstairs to our apartment.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he padded into the kitchen.
My gaze darkened as I took his question to my favorite, sexy place. “I’m always hungry.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, turning to look at me with a raised eyebrow.
“I know what you meant.” I blew out a sigh and walked into the living room. “What the
fuck are those!”
Hanging over the fake fireplace we’d installed were two crossed swords. I glared at him
as he walked into the room, looking sheepish.
“What do you think they are?”
“Why the fuck are they here?”
“Because they’re yours. I thought—”
“Get rid of them.” I walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind me.
Things had been getting a little easier every day. I still had the occasional nightmare, and
sometimes, I would close my eyes and see Elijah’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood. But
those visions were getting fewer and further between.
Seeing those swords sitting on my wall had felt as if one of them had punctured my gut. I
couldn’t stand it. I had used one of them to kill Elijah. He had no right to bring them into our
home.
“Drake?” Elijah called hesitantly through the door. “Can I talk to you?”
“Did you get rid of the swords?” I asked hotly.
“No.”
“Then go the fuck away.”
He opened the door and came in anyway. I crossed my arms across my chest and glared
at him.
“Look, Drake,” he started cautiously. “I know how you feel about—”
“Really? If you know so much then why did you bring them here?”
“Because I think you’re ready to deal with it. You should be proud to display those
swords. You saved the world with one of them. You endured so much, you lost so much, you’ve
earned the right to own them.”
“But do I have to have them on display? I don’t want to look at them every day and be
reminded—”
“Be reminded of what?” he asked coldly. “That you were the only man on Earth that God
felt was strong enough to save it? You should be damn proud of what you did.”
“I don’t want to be reminded every day that I killed you,” I said. “I have enough of that
already thank you.”
“But I’m here to remind you, every day, that you saved me.” He walked over and
wrapped his arm around me. “You saved us all, Drake. Your parents trusted you with my sword,
and God trusted you with Sariel’s. You’re a warrior, and you’ve exceeded everyone’s
expectations of you. I just want you to be as proud of yourself as everyone else is.”
I blew out a sigh. It irked me when he talked about all of this. I didn’t feel like a warrior.
I felt like a pussy who couldn’t get his act together even after all this time.
“I don’t like it,” I said after a minute.
“You don’t have to.” He shrugged. “But they’re staying. You’re still the protector of the
Swords of the Fallen.”
“Swords of the Fallen?” I rolled my eyes. “Why does everything with you people have to
have a name?”
“So prophecy writers know what to call them.”
“Great,” I whined. “More prophecies?”
“Nah. Not for you. Not for a long while.” He kissed my nose. “By the way, you might
want to think about getting a temp for the office. I think Alice may be gone for a while.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow in surprise.
“Sariel is going to propose.”
“Get out!” I shoved him in surprise. “Can Angels get married?”
“Sure we can. It may not be legally binding on Earth, but it’s morally binding in
Heaven.”
“Well, good for them. How are you at typing?”
“I suck.”
“Perfect, so does Alice.” I grinned. “When you say no prophecies for a while—”
“Nope, we’re not talking about that anymore. The swords stay, and you take your clothes
off.”
“Is that an order?”
“Yes,” he grinned. “Strip.”
I supposed the swords could stay…as long as Elijah did, too.
About the Author
Dakota lives in Detroit Michigan. She loves the city at night and the shopping during the day.
She loves David Bowie and vampire movies, The Beatles and Dolly Parton. She is partial to
pixie sticks and cannot stand nuts...in her food. She will always believe that pizza is the perfect
food.
She is as much in love with her partner as she is with herself. And she will be the first to tell you
how incredibly witty she is. She doesn’t believe in lipstick but won’t leave the house without
eyeliner. She is fiercely political and can often be found ranting around her house and the
internet on any given topic. She still won’t admit whether or not she really believes that vampires
exist. And if you let her, she can convince you she doesn’t know how to ride a bicycle.
For more information about Dakota visit her website at www.dakotarebel.com or her blog at
Also Available from
Resplendence Publishing
Tropical Hedonism by Dakota Rebel
After a boating accident, Sean Harris wakes up staring into the eyes of a handsome doctor. Even
when he discovers that he is on an island within the Bermuda Triangle, and there is no way for
him to get back to his old life, he can’t be too disappointed if it means being stuck with the
doctor.
Dr. Wesley Carpenter cannot believe that the younger Sean Harris would want anything to do
with him. After half-heartedly turning down the advances of his patient, he realizes that
resistance is futile.
The men find themselves falling for each other quickly, but ghosts from their pasts and outside
influences try to get in the way of their happiness. Sean and Wesley may be on the island
forever, but neither is sure if that guarantees they’ll be able to continue their Tropical Hedonism.
Duck! by Kim Dare
Raised among humans, Ori Jones only discovered he was an avian shifter six months ago.
Unable to complete a full shift until he reaches his avian maturity, he still can’t be sure of his
exact species.
But with species comes rank, and rank is everything to the avians. When a partial shift allows the
elders to announce that they believe Ori to be a rather ugly little duckling, he drops straight to the
bottom rung of their hierarchy.
Life isn’t easy for Ori until he comes to the attention of a high ranking hawk shifter. Then the
only question is, is Ori really a duck—and what will his new master think when the truth
eventually comes out?
Backing Brian by Cheryl Dragon
Once a Texan, always a Texan and Brian Beaumont has come back home to open his high-end
western wear shop. Not everyone is thrilled with the gay son of a Texas millionaire opening a
clothing store. Lucky for Brian, his new brother-in-law sends protection from Raider’s
Bodyguard Service. If only Brian could resist the hunky muscled Texas native assigned to guard
his body day and night.
Jones never wanted to go back to Texas. He left at eighteen for many reasons, but his career is
more important than the demons of his past. Always a professional, he meets his match in the
tempting Brian. The line between business and pleasure vanishes when their mutual love of sex,
rope and power play takes over.
In For a Penny by Carol Lynne
What’s the old saying…you can never go home again? Raven Black resigned himself to never
returning after being ordered from the only real home he’d ever known. Now, seven years later,
Raven is back to face the man who sent him away.
Zane Conner is not only Raven’s foster brother but the only man Raven ever loved. Despite his
mixed feelings about the situation, Raven can’t deny Zane when the older man asks for his help
in saving the Lazy C Bar Ranch. A boy found dead on the ranch clinches Raven’s decision.
Why did the young boy look so much like he had at that age—the same age he’d been when his
own father had beaten him and left him for dead?
The Mark of Cain by Cash Cole
After a night of hot sex with an elusive Native American, Gage is left with a bullet wound and a
scarred shoulder from where a panther slashed him. The New Orleans police tell Gage that his
lover morphing from man to beast is highly improbable and that whoever broke into his hotel
room left no trace evidence, but Gage knows he hasn’t imagined any of this. He starts with the
only clue he has, the name of a town in Oklahoma where his lover said he was born. But can he
track down sexy Cain, who is in witness protection, before the assassins find and kill them both?
Possession by SW Vaughn
Devlin Island Series: Book One
Sully Shaw is one of three – a coven of gay male witches on Devlin Island, charged with
protecting the place from the ancient gate between worlds, deep in the woods, that sometimes
lets evil things escape. Sully’s job is to banish demons and spirits – which works for him,
because after his last disastrous relationship, he’d rather not deal with people. Until a gorgeous
stranger crashes on his private beach and needs his help.
Troy Landry was just out for a vacation, and maybe a fling, on Devlin Island. What he didn’t
bargain for was crashing his boat on the beach, finding a hot naked man who claims to be a
witch, and getting possessed by a demon who takes over his body when he falls asleep. The
demon can’t be driven out until dawn – so Troy and Sully have to stay awake all night long. Lots
of sex helps. But when they start falling for each other, incredible sex might not be enough to
overcome Troy’s insecurities, Sully’s past trauma, and a demon bent on releasing its brethren
and killing any mortal who stands in its way.
Moon Princess by Suzanne Graham
As Celina Maddock left the office on a Friday evening, her coworker jumped into her car and
demanded she get on the highway and drive fast after their sizzling kiss in the parking lot. She
never imagined she’d get the gorgeous Barrett Osborn ordering her around; however, when he
starts talking about Shadows, werewolves, and werebears, she becomes a little worried about his
mental health.
When Barrett’s lover, Stan Varka, offers his assistance in escaping the Shadows, Celina goes
along with their strange story about shapeshifters, because finding herself the center of their
attention becomes extremely erotic.
Once they’ve finished their night of playacting, Celina doesn’t think she could possibly have a
future with these two amazing lovers¼until they convince her that she really is the Moon
Princess and the only hope for establishing peace between the wolves and the bears.
Ryland’s Sacrifice by Kim Dare
Principles don’t pay tuition fees. When Ryland’s math scholarship disappears overnight, he has
two choices. He can borrow money from fellow student Jason Burrows, who has very interesting
ways of collecting debts. Or, he can volunteer to be thrown to the werelions.
One night spent playing the part of a willing human sacrifice will give him enough money to
finish his PhD. It seems like a good deal-right up until the moment he finds himself naked,
blindfolded, bound and surrounded by lions.
In the Shadow of a Hero by Anna Mayle
A cop dies in the city, life goes on. For one little boy, though, it changed everything. Haunted by
his past, Maxwell Thomas has grown up homeless and friendless, trapped by his guilt. Prowling
the city, the small man guards the Church District like a vigilante, trying to make up for his
crime. When he rescues the wrong rent boy, he is pulled back into the madness that destroyed
him as a child. And now, another cop's life is on the line...
Nick Kenna is a beat cop with dreams of being a detective. When he stumbles across a murder
and the very unusual suspect, he finds himself caught, not only by the mystery of the vagrant he's
apprehended, but something deeper that sparks between them.
Will Nick be able to save Maxwell, from his past and himself? Or will love be lost as the broken
man fades into the shadow of his hero?
Mind F*cked by Mia Watts
Sage has the ability to read minds, but only in high passion moments when thoughts transmit at a
higher frequency. But the gift is double-edged. Sage is inordinately handsome. Some might even
say he’s a walking orgasm. So what’s a half-breed to do when every person he meets seems
intent on seducing him, and how will he know if the man he chooses will love him for more than
his looks?
Joe has never been the object of anyone’s lust before. Now Sage, the hottest guy he’s ever laid
eyes on, has Joe starring in his sexual fantasies. It would be perfect if only Sage could shut up for
one minute, and quit talking about his own hotness—or about how he can read minds.
Meanwhile, Joe and Sage must secure the last three Zodiac Stones and prevent their theft while
they wait for exhibition. Can they put their sexual tension aside long enough to stop a clever
thief? And even if they do, will Joe’s heart be a casualty of their inevitable fling, or could Sage
really be looking for more than a one-night stand?
Find Resplendence titles at the following retailers
Resplendence Publishing
www.ResplendencePublishing.com
Amazon
www.Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble
www.BarnesandNoble.com
Target
www.Target.com
Fictionwise
www.Fictionwise.com
All Romance E-Books
www.AllRomanceEBooks.com
Mobipocket
www.Mobipocket.com
1 Place for Romance
www.1placeforromance.com
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