Chapter Twenty-Five
CAM
Cam arrived at the entrance of Thea’s apartment block, anticipation jittering in his veins.
It had been two weeks since Thea had rescued Amber from the Asmos demon and she was living with Thea now. He couldn’t just drop in when he felt like it anymore.
After he had settled Amber in Thea’s apartment, he’d called on an Archangel to provide some more substantial angelic healing and to heal some of her memories about the incident. Thea had been too worried about Amber for him to talk to her, so he left to give her space.
Now he was back, knocking on her door hoping to speak to her, hoping she would accept him.
“Cam,” Thea breathed when she opened the door. She smiled. “Since when do you knock?”
Her smile made him breathless. She was radiant in a beautiful blue dress that matched the color of her eyes. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and sparkling stones glittered from her ears. Cam’s chest squeezed as he took in such a gorgeous being. “Are you going out?”
“No, no.” Her smile turned shy. “I just decided to wear some of the clothes in the wardrobe.”
Cam smiled back at her, so many emotions swirling in him at her coyness, her acceptance of the clothes, her beauty.
“Come in.” She ushered him inside and they stood in her living room looking at each other awkwardly.
“How’s Amber?”
“She’s good. Mostly recovered,” Thea said. “That Archangel arranged an interview for her with a catering management company. She’s heading there now and she’s really excited about it. It’s uptown, so she’s staying in a hotel for the night.”
Cam nodded. “I’m glad she’s recovered.”
“I missed you, Cam.” Thea’s eyes bore into his. “I know you were giving me space, but I missed you so much.”
Cam held himself back from pulling her to him, although his mood lifted at her words. He needed to get out what he needed to say. “Thea, I never want you to feel that I don’t respect your independence. It’s one of the things I love the most about you. I admire everything about you—it’s not about sex. I am going to live for an eternity, so it’s no small thing to ask you to be mated to me. I didn’t ask you because I think you’re weak or because I want to dominate you. I was asking you because you are the only person who is equal to me, who is the other half of me in every way. I want you with me, not to control you, but to share that eternity with you, as my companion. Because I love you.” He said it. It had been building up within him. He’d wanted to shout it the moment he saw her again two weeks ago.
Thea smiled, tears shining in her eyes. “Cam,” she said, her voice wobbling.
“Wait, I’m not finished.” He took a breath. “I was angry and hurt before, and that’s why I left. But there is no reason we have to be mated right away, if at all. I’d like to propose that you come to the Angel Realm for a while to see if you like it. You can meet a few angels, and see if it’s somewhere you could see yourself living with me. If not, we can stay in the human world. Even if you don’t love me, I only want to be with you.”
Thea walked to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. “Of course I love you, Cam.”
“But you don’t trust me?” he said gruffly, encircling his arms around her.
She kissed him, her warm lips pressing against his, slow and tender before breaking away. “Cam, I’m sorry. I was caught by surprise and I reacted badly to what you were saying to me.”
“Because I left you for so long?”
“Yes. I wasn’t sure how you felt and honestly thought you might not come back.”
“I’m not those other men, Thea.”
“I know. It feels different with you.” She hesitated. “Cam, you need to know that you have me completely. I will follow you anywhere you want me to go. My heart belongs to you; I have no control over that. I never have.”
“But?”
She lowered her eyes. “But if you hurt me, I’ll be completely crushed. I wouldn’t be able to survive it. And that scares me.”
He lifted her chin with a finger, forcing her eyes up to his. “I won’t, Elithea.”
They remained locked in a fierce gaze for a long moment that seemed like an eternity. And then they were on each other, Cam’s hand on the back of her head, pulling out her ponytail and cradling her close. He kissed her with a fierceness he didn’t know was in him. Thea kissed him back with just as much passion, her mouth moving perfectly with his as their bodies locked together.
“Elithea, I missed you so much,” he murmured, kissing the back of her neck and inhaling everything about her. They made their way to the couch and Cam sat down, pulling her onto his lap so her legs hung over his right side.
“Camael.” She moaned his name with need. “Make love to me.”
Cam stroked her body until she was moaning and writhing on him. He grasped her breasts through her dress, fondling them and roughly wringing her nipples before spreading her thighs. He slipped his hand under her dress and into her panties, where he began to strum her clit. Thea moaned softly and he kissed her deeply, before pulling down the top of her dress and latched onto her nipple, sucking and flicking his tongue over the bud. She wriggled in his lap running her hands over his shoulders. He dipped two fingers inside her soft, wet entrance while rubbing her clit in firm circles with his palm. She humped up against his hand, grinding as he fucked her with his fingers, rubbing the sweetest spot deep inside her tight pussy. She held his head firmer on her nipple and her moans increased. When she came, she jerked roughly and let out a cry that was so sexy his cock stood at attention, demanding release.
Cam brought his wet hand up to his mouth, tracing his lips with the tips of the fingers that had been inside of her, enjoying the potent deliciousness of her arousal. She watched him, mesmerized as he parted his lips and sunk his fingers into his mouth sucking and licking them until they were clean of her juices. He took her by the chin and pulled her into a kiss then dropped his hands to her breasts and teased her nipples, rolling them gently between two fingertips. Cam tugged on them gently, bringing a gasp to her lips, causing her to grind down against his hard cock, rubbing against it through his jeans. He wanted to tear her clothes off and he almost did, standing her up and undressing her almost roughly in the blink of an eye.
As she stood before him, he took his time to lick and suck every inch of her body, saturating her with his saliva and burying himself in her essence. Soon he was kneeling down before her, his mouth on her lower lips and his tongue delving into her dripping pussy, stroking her clit. Every moan, every whimper she uttered was like music to him and his cock leaked from desperation. She tilted her pelvis, her hand on the crown of his head as she dropped her head back and groaned. Her complex aroma and sweetness skyrocketed him to a delirious high.
When he rose, her thighs and his chin, were dripping. He undressed himself and sat back on the couch, pulling her onto his lap to straddle him. His desire was pent up within him and he could feel her urgency to have him too. She took his cock in one hand and lowered on to him hard and deep. He moaned; her tight channel hugged and massaged him so deliciously. When he reached the hilt, they both sighed. It had definitely been too long.
She began to ride him, not bothering to take her time. It was desperate lovemaking, arising from their shared revelations and need for each other. He gripped her ass cheeks, digging his fingers into the soft flesh and yanking her down on him while thrusting his hips up to meet her. She bounced on his lap, wild and unabashed in her rough riding, crying out in pleasure when he leaned forward and suckled her neck.
As her pussy released gushes of wetness dripping down his cock, coating him, Cam couldn’t take it anymore. He lay her down onto the coach and hooked his arms under her knees spreading her so wide her hips angled up off the couch. He plunged into her, reaching deeper than ever before, relishing the tight, squelching slickness of her pussy around his cock. He thrust into her roughly the way she loved, her hips bounding to and fro allowing him to hit that sensitive spot inside her. Her moans rose into cries, and then she was yelling his name. She came again, long and hard, lifting her head to look at him with pure desire on her face. The heat of her gaze, her pussy clenching around him, caused his whole body to go off, like a chain reaction of pleasurable bursts, ending in a sweet explosion among her folds. He jerked sharply into her until all tension left him.
She drew him to her, and they lay in each other’s arms, pressed against each other as their breathing slowed, their bodies still connected. She kissed his neck, stroking his chest. He couldn’t help but smile down at her, running his fingers down her spine and scratching her scalp until she practically purred. He was utterly and completely content. This was all he needed. His mate.
“I want to go with you,” she said, looking up at him. “I want you to mate with me.”
Cam stilled, his breath caught in his throat. Those were the words he’d been craving, the ones he’d been prepared to wait an eternity for. “Really?” He lifted his head. “Are you sure?”
Thea nodded, kissing him on the lips. “Positive.”
“Let’s go to the Angel Realm first and see how you feel once you get there. My meeting with the Thrones about our mating isn’t for another two months anyway, you can decide in that time.”
“I know how I feel about you, Cam,” Thea said. “And I am positive. But I don’t mind nosing around the Angel Realm if you insist.”
Cam swallowed, unsure if he could trust her declaration after sex. If he wanted her to trust him, he had to trust her. Still...
“Careful, Thea,” he said, repeating something he had said all the time during training.
Thea frowned. “With what?”
Cam gazed at her. “With me. As far as I’m concerned, you are my mate. You are claimed. It doesn’t matter if we actually go through the process or not, but you must realize that, for me, it is forever. I’m trusting you with that. And I hope you will eventually trust me with all of your being.”
Her expression softened until she was blinking away tears. “I love you, Cam,” she whispered, smiling.
Cam grinned at her, kissing her hard. Joy sailed through him and he was happier than he ever remembered being in his entire existence, and all because of the fierce, brave Nephilim he had been reluctant to start training many months before.
After cleaning up, they fell asleep on the couch, Thea using him like a bed. He loved it. The feeling of her snuggled up to him, sleeping peacefully on his chest. It felt like home—where he belonged. He took a moment to thank the Creator for her blessing. He had no idea where his path would have led him if he hadn’t found Elithea. He drifted off to sleep stroking her hair.
***
It turned out that Amber was successful with her job interview, which pleased Thea. If she had a reputable job in a different part of town, she was on the right track. Thea told Amber that she was going away for some time, to travel and get her head right. She insisted Amber take her apartment, which made sense since it was protected from demons. Amber was grateful, but sadden by her departure.
As far as Amber knew, she’d had a rough and dirty breakup with Leo that had ended with her in the hospital. She remembered nothing of her illness nor the fight that had taken place.
Over the next month, Thea went to see her father to say goodbye. Cam knew she left out the part where she was going to the Angel Realm. Her father was too far gone, his memory too rattled, to make any sense of it. Once Amber was settled into her job and her new life, she and Thea celebrated Thea’s departure with one last evening together before Cam collected her and took her to the nearest portal.
Cam explained to her that portals were all over the human world, but only angels could access them.
“Demons can’t see them?” Thea asked, as they entered an ally.
“Not really. Legion can detect their energy but not pinpoint where they are.”
They slowed in front a wall of colorful graffiti. ”Notice anything?” Cam asked.
Thea peered closely. “Angel wings,” she exclaimed, pointing at a small pair of golden wings among the art.
“That’s the sign for a portal,” Cam said. “Only those that can enter the portal will see the wings.”
Thea breathed a sigh of awe and grinned. She took Cam’s hand in hers and squeezed it, her gorgeous blue eyes shining upon him with love. He drew her close to him and lowered his head to kiss her softly. “Ready?”
She nodded, her excitement clear to see.
Cam chuckled and stepped through the wall, leading her through the portal and into the Angel Realm to start their shared existence together.
End of Book One
Thank you for reading Claimed by Power! If you enjoyed the story, please take a minute to leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. Your review will help new readers decide if the book is for them. Reviews are crucial in helping to spread the word and I’d be grateful for your time if you could spare a moment :)
Claimed By Power is the first book in the Empire of Angel series. It can be read as a stand-alone but the next book, Ruined By Power, continues Cam and Thea’s story and ends in a cliff-hanger.
Read on for the sneak peek!
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