Chapter 14

An uneasiness in my soul stirs me awake to the dim light of night. Still lying in bed with Collin asleep next to me, I feel the presence of another nearby. Someone is close, practically hovering over me. Their warm breath tickles my shoulder. My mind races through the possibilities. My first thought: is it Sarah?

Slowly, my hand reaches for Collin, but he doesn’t move. He must be in the hunt, maybe preparing to battle one of my demons. I might as well be completely alone.

Am I ready to fight if they attack? My body feels better, perhaps healed enough. If I had to, I could defend myself, even protect Collin if it becomes necessary. First, I’ll have to get this IV out of my arm. As my hand reaches over to pull the needle, the person standing over me reaches for my shoulder, causing me to startle and gasp.

“It’s okay, Jaime. Just me. Came in to check on you.”

Doc?

He turns away and searches for something in his bag. When he returns, he has a stethoscope in his hands. Taking a moment to listen to my chest, he grins and puts his hand on the side of my face.

“You sound better. How are you feeling?”

My heart is still pounding as I stare up at him and manage a tight smile. Rick leans over and kisses me on the lips then lifts his head slightly. He’s staring into my eyes and I’m not sure why. His actions are so unusual as if it’s not really him. Then, he leans over and kisses me again, longer this time, and my body starts to shudder. After one more glance into my eyes, he rises to his feet and leaves the room. Remaining still, I listen to the thump of my heartbeat pulsing in my chest, wondering why his kiss bothered me so much when it had the opposite effect just hours before. More than an hour passes before I fall asleep again.

The next time I open my eyes, morning light is shining through my curtains and Rick is once again at my side, the stethoscope in his hands. He smiles down at me while warming the metal rim before placing it on my chest.

“Your lungs sound almost healed, amazing. There’s only a slight wisp. I think the excess fluid will be absorbed. By tomorrow, you could be back to normal, if it’s possible to use that term for you.” He smiles at me playfully. “But you need to stay down all day.” Then, he turns to glare at Collin. “Don’t do anything physical.”

Collin smirks back. “Thanks, Rick.” There’s obvious sarcasm in his voice. I don’t have to see his expression to know there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Rick pulls the needle from my arm and immediately tapes a folded gauze square in its place. “Keep it there for an hour. You don’t need to bleed anymore.”

Before leaving, he leans over and kisses me softly, but passionately, on the mouth. This time, my body doesn’t react as it had either time before. In fact, there’s no reaction at all. When he pulls back, I lick my lips and he smiles again. “I have to go. Call if you need anything.”

One more quick peck and he pushes himself to his feet, turns and leaves. As his car rolls down the drive, I lean forward to slip off to the kitchen.

Before I can roll out of bed, Collin’s hand catches my arm. “Where are you going?” He still has that look on his face, like he’s a cat that caught a moth in his teeth.

My eyes narrow back at him. “I’m getting something to eat. I’m starving.”

“Didn’t you hear Rick? You need to stay down.”

He accents Rick’s name like a bully on the playground. I sigh and shake my head at his childish game.

The grin spreads across his face as he reaches for my ankles and gently eases me flat on the bed, causing my body to tremble with excitement. I almost expect to see a smirk on his face, but his expression has turned serious and intense. The glint in his eyes reflects a hidden fire. His passion is nearly feral and I shiver in anticipation and fear. Once again, he’s crawling over me like I’m his prey and he’s playing with me before the kill. My body aches for him to do more than tease me, more than nip behind my ear. I want him to touch me and satisfy the burning between my thighs. My arousal makes me want to hunt again, this time kill more than simply some worthless demon.

The tremors racking my body are out of control as I peer into his eyes. As much as I fear what I see, I can’t help but want more. Must be the dark angel in me. Or maybe my sick obsession with danger. Oh, God, forgive me, I want him to make me scream.

I’m startled when he grabs the front of my shirt and rips it open, laying the halves over my arms. His hand traces a line down the center of my abdomen to my navel. He touches the wide scar in my side with his fingertips as if he’s admiring it. The flesh is all but healed like it happened weeks ago. My breathing grows deep when he slowly lowers his lips to my stitches. I catch my breath when his hand brushes my panties, admiring the texture of the lace before running up my tummy to my ribs. Then, he slides his fingers along my ribcage to my side, taking my hands and pulling them slowly over my head. My heart beats faster as I wonder what he’s doing and what he has planned for me, intently watching him as if I’m paralyzed.

Blood surges through my veins like when I sense a demon hiding in a nearby shadow, but it isn’t a killer I’m detecting. Though Collin’s desire makes him nearly as dangerous in different ways. Reaching over my chest, his hands slide across my collarbone to the neck of his shirt. He grabs the collar, careful not to catch my hair. With one quick motion, the shirt is freed and I’m holding my breath, lying on the bed, vulnerable in my bra and panties.

“Collin, no,” I whisper.

He touches my lips with the tip of his finger and slowly shakes his head. “Shh.”

I know he won’t go much further. Or will he? No, he can’t. Dark angels aren’t allowed to consummate until their union is ordained. But he could drive me mad if he doesn’t stop soon. Is this what my mother tried to prepare me for? This animalistic passion that drives me to want this man in a way that I know is wrong. Is this what she meant when she said we make love like we hunt?

Before backing away from me, his lips brush my neck and my tummy to let me know he’ll return. Eager to know what he’ll do next, I let my eyes follow him to the edge of the bed and soon I realize he’s unbuttoning his jeans. Oh, my God, he just might do this. To think he’d actually defy the order because he wants me so much excites me in a way I hadn’t expected.

Anxiety rises from the pit of my gut, making me unsure if I want to see what happens next. I lower my hands to my eyes and close them tight before turning away. When I hear heavy cloth slip to the floor, I feel his fingers encircle my wrists and pull my hands over my head once again. Oh, God, why do I find it so damned sensual when he dominates me in this way?

“Open your eyes,” he whispers, his hands still pinning mine to the bed, and I do as I’m told. He’s still wearing his boxer shorts that are pulled tight around his hips by his erection.

With the release of a long-held breath, I’m finally able to breathe, but only until he strips off his t-shirt revealing olive skin pulled taut over sleek muscles. As striking as he appears, I’m more attracted to his scars and work my hand from his grasp. They show his strength and commitment in ways his muscles never could. Reaching for a mark on his abdomen, I want to touch it, trace it with the tips of my fingers. But his hand stops mine, holding it in his palm, his fingers gripping me firmly. From the look in his eyes, his desire is barely contained.

When he releases my hand, his fingers drift below my waist and into my panties, caressing the soft patch hidden within. At the light stroke of his fingers on my moist, sensitive flesh, my body shudders and I draw a sudden, deep breath. I want him to touch me more, stronger, deeper. Sensing my arousal, he continues to hold back to drive my desire for him, yet not long enough to bring me to anger. He clearly understands the female emotions of our kind. Maybe too well.

As his fingers work magic between my thighs, barely slipping into me and starting a fire I’ve never known before, his mouth finds the flesh my bra barely covers, practically devouring me as I moan in approval. Collin’s scent fills my head as my fingers become tangled in his hair and I pull him to me, tearing his lip with my teeth. Suddenly, the gentle stroke of a hidden, sensitive area sends me out of control, and I draw blood with my nails in the taut flesh of his shoulders. His eyes are wild as he clenches his teeth and throws his head back. The sound that rises from his throat is something carnal and thrilling.

While writhing in ecstasy, the muscles in my body grow as tight as his shorts. I want him desperately, but I know I can’t have him, not fully. Still, he places my hand on the bulge between his legs, causing my fingers to tremble while discovering the firm, rippled flesh. The smooth rigidity of him makes me gasp, still aching for more.

With my fingers sliding over him, discovering him and longing for him, his body becomes as tense as mine had been moments before. The look on his face is more animalistic than ecstasy as his fingers dig into my hips. The intensity in his eyes stirs fear in me that heightens my arousal as his hips press into mine once again. As soon as his muscles ease, his body forces me into the mattress and his lips find mine, kissing and biting, his blood salty on my tongue.

I’ve suddenly forgotten about killers hidden in shadows. At this moment, all I can feel is Collin Leary’s body on mine as his lips and tongue move over me, owning me. My hands explore him as he explores me, fingers caressing flesh, drawing through creases and coaxing my desire once again to a dangerous level.

I’m not expecting a second release until my voice cries out and the muscles in my groin throb again, causing my body to arch, my head thrown back as if I’m in pain. How can he do this to me with just his tongue or the touch of his fingers? Before the pulsing subsides, he flips me over to my tummy and then grinds his body into mine. A groan escapes his throat and I realize his ecstasy, his body tightening as he bites the back of my neck. A moment later, he collapses on me before rolling gently to my side. His arm and leg drape across my body while he kisses me on the shoulder. I have no idea what happened, but I know I’m dying to do it again. First, my heart needs rest and so does my body. With my mind drifting off to sleep, Collin nuzzles my neck, lightly nipping at my skin.

As I become aware of my room again, I feel Collin’s arm still clinging to me. I stare up at the ceiling, unmoving, feeling his breath on my skin. His presence is strong enough without laying a finger on my flesh. With his body tangled in mine, it feels as if the heat has fused him with me.

My mind drifts to the memory of our passion together, his hands on every inch of my skin, his mouth following close behind. Just the memory of his touch takes my breath away. Something has grown between us that I can’t explain.

His face is peaceful as he sleeps. The curve of his brows, the long, narrow bridge of his nose, dimpled chin, so familiar are his features. I must have known him in the pre-existence, but I don’t remember. There are only few I recall, Michael, Raph, and there were others who were close to me most of the time. My parents, they were always nearby, but Collin wasn’t so close. Maybe I noticed him from afar in one of our battles. If he was valiant, I’d have taken note. Maybe that’s it. It bothers me that the memory won’t come. Not one of his muscles flinches when I reach over and touch the scar on his shoulder, tracing it over the arch to where it ends on his upper bicep. The softness of his marred flesh, so warm, nearly hot, makes me crave him more. I caress the wound on his ribs. When he opened his memories to me, I saw it all. I didn’t give him these scars. He earned them in battles with demons. Some happened when he tried to save his wife. The deep one on his side was from that fight. He almost didn’t survive, trying to protect her. There were too many rogues for two angels. They were surrounded. His heart was broken as he cradled her body when he woke. Devastating.

My feelings seem to be evolving into something deeper than desire for Collin. Even though he’s a formidable warrior, he also seems so vulnerable. When he touched my body, I recognized a hesitation from him. He almost faltered when I cried out as if the sound of my ecstasy made him weak. Then, he turned to beast. A deliciously brutal creature. And I devoured what he gave me. Every. Succulent. Moment.

Running my fingers through his hair, the tresses are nearly black against my skin and feel like silk. The locks slip easily through my fingers to his forehead where fat curls lie on his smooth skin. His dark lashes are long and thick. Aside from his nose and chin, Collin’s other prominent features are soft, almost childlike in the filtered light of the room. His lips are full and scrumptious, making me want to lean over and kiss them, and so I do. They’re so warm and my lips ache from his teeth tearing at them, drawing my own blood as I had his. The memory arouses my passion and blood surges to my groin.

Even at the feel of my touch, he still doesn’t stir so I press my lips to his again, feeling the wet flesh against mine. I lift his palm in mine and touch my lips gently with the tips of his fingers as he had early today. The sensation is indescribable and I kiss them one by one. Am I falling in love with him?

I’m not sure if I’m capable of submitting myself to another, definitely not the submissive type. I wouldn’t even know how to ask for a union to be ordained. Doubt he’d ask anyway. He was deeply in love with his wife. Can’t imagine he’d be ready to unite with another so easily. Sigh. I’m getting way ahead of myself.

As much as I’m enjoying exploring his body while he sleeps, I’m starving and in desperate need of a shower. Placing another kiss on his lips, I slip from the covers and head to the kitchen. A slice of toast and glass of juice will have to do until after I’m clean. I’ve come to the point where I can’t stand myself.

The hot spray of water feels so healing falling over my scalp and running down the rest of my body. The thick lather feels luxurious in my filthy hair. The stitches from a few nights ago stand out in the back of my head. I’ll have Rick pull those when he returns. From the feel of it, the gash is completely healed.

My mind wanders to Collin again, the feel of him on my skin, his breath tickling the hairs on the back of my neck. I wonder what it would be like to make love to him; fully give myself to him and claim him as mine. An experience I may never know. Now that I understand more about him, I’m not sure how this story will end. The most important revelation: he’s an angel like me.

I’m not alone.

Hopefully, he’ll contain his hunger long enough to continue respecting me. His desire overpowers my senses. If it wasn’t for the problem of ordaining in advance of uniting, I might have let him take all of me. Drawing my fingers across my mouth, I imagine his lips in their place. I want his hands on my flesh once more, brushing lightly against me, claiming me until I can no longer control my urges. Will I always feel this way?

With a thick, soapy puff I clean the blood from my abdomen. I slowly scrub the top of my shoulders and allow the suds to slide down my back, removing remnants of yesterday’s attack. The water flowing down my legs and surrounding my feet is brown for a moment, turning clear as it’s replaced with the fresh, the clean, everything toxic being rushed over my body and far away.

As I clean the crease between my breasts, the puff softly grazes my nipple, making it tighten and I close my eyes. The memory of his fingers between my thighs floods my mind and I reach for the same spot that had sent me soaring beneath his caress. I’d never touched myself this way before. No one had. The desire, the yearning he drew out in me was like the driving energy of Niagara Falls. My fingers search my flesh, gently stroking as he did. When my fingertip brushes a soft fold, a slight thrill shoots through my body and a tiny, erect pearl protrudes. I had no idea. Spilling a drop of soap on the tip of my finger, I reach down and stroke again. Oh, God! If I’d known about this before, I’d have never left my house. With my back against the cold tile of my shower, I continue, gliding in and out until reaching the climax of my desire and am sent over the edge. When the shudders of ecstasy cease to rack my body, I slip down the wall to sit on the floor, water raining over me and sluicing down the drain.

When I’m finished, I wrap a towel around me and go into the room to check on Collin. As I leave behind the steam of the bathroom, I immediately feel his energy nearby, but that’s not all. I also feel the presence of another. We’re not the only ones in the room.

When I reach for him, he doesn’t stir. He’s in a deep sleep, his eyes wide open. When I search his pupils, I see past the veil that shrouds his dream and realize he is caught in a fight. As I turn, I catch the movement of a hidden form leaving the room. I usually don’t fare as well in a chase, which is why I typically let the killer come to me. In this instance, however, I see no alternative. They’re loose in my home and there’s a chance Rick will walk through the door at any moment. They’ve already attacked him once.

Outside the bedroom, the hallway is empty. There are no sounds of footsteps anywhere throughout my house. Although it’s late afternoon, the rooms seem dark. Am I dreaming? Collin said he wouldn’t let me fight until I was better. Did he forget?

The floorboard creaks beneath my foot, betraying my presence. The demon has an advantage, knowing my location while I have no knowledge of his. As I leave the darkened hall for the open living room, a searing pain traces my cheek. Spinning to confront the attacker, I find no one there. Reaching up to my face, I feel hot blood on my fingers.

They could be anywhere. Backing up to the wall, I search the room. Starting from my far right, visually moving to the next corner, I search the bookcases, around the overstuffed chair, past the sofa, beneath the table, curio cabinets and the kitchen island. Moving carefully past the next doorway, I keep sufficient distance between me and the shadows. If they’re hiding in the darkness they will have the advantage, should I draw too near.

Inside the kitchen, on the breakfast bar, there’s the stainless steel knife set. All are intact. The pantry door is open. Nothing seems out of place. Then, I hear a crash coming from the bedroom.

When I reach the room, I see the lamp knocked to the floor. A dark figure stands over Collin. Before I can reach the bed the figure slips off and disappears in the corner shadows while Collin gasps for air, a royal blue necktie wrapped tightly around his throat.

“Collin. Collin, do you hear me?”

After unraveling the cloth, I lift his head. His eyes grow dark and he bolts upright. Blood runs down the front of his chest from a deep cut.

“Collin!”

The sound of him gasping for air paralyzes me. He’s still in the fight. I can do nothing for him, only watch, try to keep him safe and stay out of his reach. As I back away, his arm swings forward, barely missing my face. Better to move further backward.

His head finally turns downward, eyes fixed on a target. My heart skips a beat. I know that look, similar to the one he gave while climbing over me this morning, but this time there’s fury on his face, not passion. He’s in the last throw. One of them is about to die and I hold my breath, waiting for him to finish. Let it not be Collin.

My head turns downward with his, my eyes fixed on him as if it will help. His concentration is precise, eyes moving across the room, tracking the demon. I watch through his eyes, tracking them as well. Then, he reaches forward and pulls his arms around in front of him, ripping the monster through the air and snapping his neck before bringing his hands to his side. With his eyes closed in victory, I move closer to him, releasing the air I’ve kept trapped in my lungs. When Collin recognizes my face, he reaches for me and pulls me to his chest. I almost thought I heard a sob escape his throat. What happened in his dream?