Chapter Three

 

 

 

She sat looking stiff and uncomfortable in Rion’s favorite chair. The glass of tea in her hand sweated, and Cynthia watched beads of water drip to the dark blue denim of her jeans.

She looked the same as she had on the night he’d taken Rex into the reservation clinic, yet she also looked different. In spite of her obvious discomfort, she lacked the hard, challenging edge she’d worn that night. Kelet had infected Cynthia with his anger.

She was pretty. She lacked the otherworldly beauty of Noemi, but for a human she was lovely. Her cheekbones were wide in her round face and her nose was short and straight. Her dark eyes were hooded and mysterious. Today, she wore her straight black hair loose over her shoulders, with a section at the top held back in a braid.

Cynthia wore a small leather pouch around her neck, and a fairly new tribal tattoo banded her wrist like a cuff. He wondered if the tattoo and pouch were for personal protection.

She met his gaze and her eyes flicked away nervously.

“First off, I know what you are—both of you.” She might be afraid, but she had courage.

Rex sat on one of the kitchen chairs. He’d pulled on a T-shirt, but his feet were bare. He simply nodded at her words.

“Can you tell us what happened? We found you unconscious in an alley in San Francisco.” Rion left off the part about her being possessed by Kelet.

“Do you want to know what happened last month? Or what’s been happening for the past three years?”

“So long…” The words slipped from Rion before he could stop himself. He glanced at Rex, who crossed his ankle over his knee and smiled gently. They weren’t trying to trap her. They simply didn’t want to influence her story in any way.

“Kelet. That’s what he calls himself. I was a paramedic then, and there was a motorcycle victim. He was hurt badly…too badly to recover, but we had to try. I was giving him CPR when his eyes gleamed red. He grabbed my wrist. It was just for a second, and I felt something—” She broke off, looking slightly sick. “Anyhow, it didn’t really do too much at first. I think it was trying to gauge my strengths and skills. Plus, when I was on the reservation, it was almost like it went dormant. I still felt it, but I could think more clearly then. I could withstand its voice.”

Rex leaned forward, looking at her intently. “Noemi said that none of the tribal members were ever taken by the lesser demons.”

She shook her head. “No. Our lands are blessed. I tried to stay on the reservation most of the time. When I left, I avoided our kids. Kelet would put a little of himself into people we met at restaurants and gas stations. They obeyed him without question.”

“The kids who attacked me that day I came in… They were possessed. Was it Kelet?”

Cynthia looked ashamed. “Yes. That’s why I wasn’t so nice to you at the clinic. I could sense his stench on you, but I couldn’t figure out why you hadn’t been influenced. I am sorry.”

“No need,” Rex murmured.

Rion shifted uncomfortably, wanting to get to the heart of the matter. What had happened to Noemi? Cynthia glanced at him briefly, then looked back at her glass.

“Cynthia, do you know what happened to Dr. Gastineau?” Rex was calm and encouraging, not a small feat given his impending heat.

“A man called me. I drove to the edge of reservation land and he was waiting. He couldn’t come onto our land. His name was Michael.”

Rion frowned. Michael? When Rex caught his eye, he shook his head in confusion.

“He’s handsome for a white guy. Too handsome. Too smooth. Kelet hates him but needs him somehow. They’d made a bargain that had to do with Noemi. They both wanted her, but Michael wanted to use her to trap someone else.” She frowned for a moment, concentrating on the memory. “Anyhow, there was another woman, a white woman they sent to catch Noemi when she was in the city. She was like you.” She gestured to Rex with his chin.

“She looked like me?”

“In a way. Different color. All blonde hair and blue eyes. Same race. Species. Whatever. Crazy as a bug, if you ask me. That bastard Michael is like you.” She looked at Rion. “An angel—weird as that seems. I’m not even Christian. Don’t believe in stuff like this, but here you are.” She folded her arms and glared at Rion.

“This has nothing to do with religion, Cynthia. I’m just a person from another…dimension—or maybe another world. I don’t really know.”

She didn’t look any more comfortable. “Still, I’m running into all these mythological beings from all sorts of different cultures. I was possessed by an Inuit demon. My mind hasn’t caught up yet.” She grabbed the pouch hanging around her neck. Rion hoped she was getting help. Between the demon possession and a forced introduction to a world humans shouldn’t know about, Cynthia was in over her head. But she was dealing. She was a strong woman.

“But Noemi… What happened to Noemi?” Rion wasn’t willing to wait any longer. If this woman knew where she was, they needed to know now.

Cynthia looked sidelong at him and pushed the wire-framed glasses up her nose. “She went with the blonde woman. Kelet was really mad. He’d expected to move from me to Noemi. He’d expected her to be powerful, but Michael decided he wanted her as bait to catch someone else. That made the blonde chick really upset.”

Rex leaned forward, looking intently at Cynthia. “Do you remember who they planned to trap?”

She sat for a moment, a frown on her face as she concentrated. “I thought it was two people. They kept using two names. One was like a comic book name.” Cynthia sipped her tea, but Rion didn’t think she really tasted it. “I can’t believe I worked with Noemi all this time and didn’t realize what she was.” Cynthia shook her head in disbelief. “But then, she never realized what was inside me either.”

She jumped at the sound of a sharp rap at the door and Rex rose and crossed the room. Rion didn’t move. His entire attention was on Cynthia. Whoever was at the door could wait.

Rion leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch. He watched Cynthia’s face as she frowned.

“For some reason, it’s getting hard to remember,” she said. “The more I think about it, the more it slips away.”

“It’s not a bad thing, Cynthia. Knowing too much can be dangerous.”

She sighed. “Patrick. His name was Patrick.”

There was movement at the entry to the living room, and Rion looked up, his eyes growing wide in surprise.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

The Angel of Death leaned casually in the entry, an irrepressible smile on his face, a dimple flirting in his cheek. His Irish accent lilted through the room and Rion’s heart leaped a bit in recognition, but those dark blue eyes were deadly serious.

Part of him was glad to see his old friend, while another part of him dreaded the appearance of the angel. Where Patrick went, Azrael followed, bringing death and heartache in his wake.

Patrick’s gaze was lingering on Cynthia. That couldn’t be good.

 

* * * *

 

“She reeked of demon.”

His musical voice was now curt and clipped, though Patrick retained his human form. Thankfully, Cynthia hadn’t been frightened off by the dark angel. She was made of sterner stuff. After all, she’d essentially kept a rein on Kelet for years. She’d patiently answered his questions, though her grip on the answers had been wavering. By the time she returned home, Cynthia would probably have forgotten all about Kelet and Michael.

Patrick paced the room, examining paintings on the walls and mementos on the shelves.

For the first time ever, Rion wondered about the dark angel’s personal life. Did he have a home? Lovers? How did he support himself in this era of materialism? They’d once been close friends, yet he knew nothing about Patrick’s present existence.

“Cynthia was possessed for several years,” Rex said.

“And she survived it?” Patrick lifted a dark eyebrow, clearly impressed. He carefully set a small wood carving onto the shelf he’d taken it from.

“Not only did she survive it, she managed to manipulate the demon somewhat so the damage was minimized. She’s a very strong woman.”

“Will you tell me why she was here? Or are you sheltering yet another misunderstood scion of evil?”

Rex snorted with laughter at the comment. “Actually, we were hoping to find you. We seem to have mislaid our succubus.”

Rion saw the slightest flare of nostrils, the miniscule flush to Patrick’s skin. He reached out and lightly fingered the strings of the old lute Rex had mounted to the wall. It was now too fragile to play, except on special occasions.

“Anahita?”

“Yes. It seems some villainous individuals wanted to use Anahita to trap a certain dark angel.”

“Me?”

Rex leaned back on the couch, his arm thrown casually over Rion’s shoulder. “There are a few things you need to hear about our little Fallen Anahita.”

As Rex relayed their story and Cynthia’s recollections, Rion was aware that it was his face Patrick studied. As angels, Patrick’s gift was justice, and Rion’s was knowledge. It wasn’t the first time Patrick had used the clarity of Rion’s gift to strengthen his own. Funny that he’d remember such a thing. It was a good feeling, to work in unison with another.

“So, this nymph Carly was the last to see Anahita?” Patrick fingered his upper lip absently.

“Initially we thought Noemi’s memories of Anahita were spontaneous, perhaps triggered by contact with Rion and me. While she slept, I examined her memories and found that Noemi and Anahita were indeed the same individual. I was afraid I’d triggered a meltdown.” Rex looked guilty and pained. “But from what Cynthia told us before you arrived, Carly might have forced her to remember.”

“How? And to what purpose?”

Rex buried his hand in his hair, clearly distressed. After all, he and Carly had been friends and occasional lovers for decades. Centuries. Rion felt slightly sick to his stomach at her betrayal. He couldn’t imagine how Rex must feel, suspecting his old friend of doing something so harmful. Had Carly reacted out of jealousy of the succubus? Had she been protecting him and Rex from a perceived threat?

“Carly is a nymph, Patrick. She’s a descendent of Aphrodite.”

“So she has a strong sexual allure.” Patrick frowned at Rex, his blue eyes bright in the sun slanting through the room.

“Not only that. She has power over memory. Carly has the ability to soothe the minds of those who grieve by suppressing their memories. Unfortunately, Carly’s gift rebounds on her. Most of her casual lovers forget her soon after she leaves their side. Nevertheless, her gift is powerful and could be easily abused.” Rion glanced at Rex. He had feelings for Carly too, but not like Rex did. The Sidhe must be reeling at what they’d learned about her.

Patrick looked stunned. “Such a curse is…unimaginable.”

The dark angel swallowed hard and sat heavily on the big chair. Without a word, Rex went into the kitchen and poured him a glass of water. He hadn’t divulged everything he knew. Not yet.

“Noemi and Anahita are truly the same person?” Rex’s voice was little more than a whisper.

Rion nodded. “And we’ve come to believe that Anahita was my…Kokabiel’s wife prior to our Fall.” His voice was always husky and painful, but forcing those words out hurt more than usual. Patrick had been his friend back then, and surely knew details of Rion’s life he’d never remember on his own.

“She was.” Patrick’s gaze dropped to the floor. His clasped hands dangled between his knees. He looked more human than Rion could remember him ever appearing. “You understand, Kokabiel, that I’d already been sent away when you Fell. Otherwise I’d have intervened.”

“Would you have?” Rion asked. “You’ve always followed orders, Azrael. We’re told the high angel Michael is corrupt, but he tells you what to do and you obey. Isn’t that the truth?”

There was a very long pause.

“Yes.” Patrick looked from Rion to Rex. “But not so much anymore.” He set the glass of water on a table and stood, walking to the window and looking outside. “I recently encountered Anahita.” He turned to face them. “Your Noemi. Long ago, I was instructed to kill her, but I’ve never been able to carry out my duty.”

“When did you see her?” Rion stood, facing the other man. “Is she all right?”

“She’s fine. She told me to come here for answers. You’ve given me those answers already.”

Rex leaned forward, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why couldn’t you do it, Patrick? You didn’t kill Rion, and now you’ve spared Anahita as well. What is changing for you?”

Patrick looked steadily at the Sidhe. “I’ll tell you, Reux. Michael ordered me to kill the Fallen known as Anahita. And to use her words, what sort of man would tell me to kill my own sister? And what sort of man would kill his own sister?” He blinked rapidly. “Am I so monstrous?”

Rion’s breath stilled in his chest. Patrick’s words resonated in his memory. There were things he almost remembered, but couldn’t quite grasp. “Your sister. Anahita is your sister. Where is she, Azrael? Please tell me you haven’t hurt her.”

“She’s safe.” He reached out and picked up the newspaper from a table. “But judging from the date, she’s out of step with time. I came from her only an hour ago, but it seems nearly a month has passed.”

Rex went white under his brown skin. “She’s in the Other Place.”

“I don’t know where it was or how I got there. She told me a nymph named Carly was responsible for sending me to the cave, but I don’t know her. I have no memory of Carly.”

“Rex, I can’t see Carly doing anything so hateful. From what Cynthia told us, she has feelings for…” Rion nodded in Patrick’s direction. “I can’t believe she’d trick Patrick into killing his own sister.”

“She would to protect our people.” Rex stood then, moving to Patrick’s side. “Azrael, you must take us to her now. If she’s in the Other Place without the knowledge of the Guardian, she could be in grave danger.”

He shook his head. His black curls were ebony dark in the sunlight. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I don’t think I can fix this.” He looked from one to the other. His face was pale, his eyes bright with emotion. “My poor Anahita… I’ve failed her so many times. I’m sorry, Rion. But I will try. I will try…” His breath caught and he sounded like he was in pain. “I cannot stay here any longer.”

Without another word, he vanished from sight.

“Patrick!” Rion lunged for where he’d been standing. “Damn it!” Rex grasped his arm, and he pulled away. “Patrick!” He shouted as loud as his damaged vocal cords would allow, nearly striking out in frustration.

“Rion.”

He looked over at Rex. The Sidhe’s form wavered in front of his eyes. Tears. How many more betrayals could he endure? How much more fear? For the briefest moment, Rion wasn’t certain he could go on.

But he must. What choice did he have?

As he watched, Rex released the charms that kept his true form hidden. Rion looked around the room, suddenly aware that it was dusk. It was the dusk of the gibbous moon.

Rex stood before him, slender and beautiful. His dark curls tumbled around his head and his hazel eyes glowed green in the dimming room. His wings waved gently, the vivid colors and patterns decorating them were hypnotic.

Rion sighed and held out his arms. Rex walked into the embrace and held him tightly.

 

* * * *

 

“Three days, Orion. We’ll book a flight to Edinburgh. We can use the portal there. Perhaps Brita can help us.” Rex looked into Rion’s tortured eyes and inside, he grieved. It was bad enough to live with Noemi’s absence, but Rion’s pain made it so much worse. His memories might not be complete, but inside his heart, Anahita was his wife—his first love.

“There are other portals, Rex. Others that are closer.”

Rex looked up at him and smiled slightly. “True, but in Scotland, we’re taking it back to my—our territory. You were right. It’s time to go home.” He let his hands roam Rion’s steely body. The love he felt for the angel mingled with the raw lust of his rapidly ascending heat. In an hour he’d be in distress, and by tomorrow he’d be in torment he Rion couldn’t possibly comprehend. With Anahita’s help he’d never needed to let Rion know how deeply he suffered during that time. The torment of the heat affected his mind as fully as it affected his body. He reached up and pulled the angel’s lips down to his for a lingering kiss.

“Show me your true self, Rion. Let me see your full splendor.”

Rion’s wings slowly appeared, and his very essence intensified. He didn’t so much change as he became more. His fair skin became so white it glowed, and the cerulean blue of his eyes transcended the most precious gem the Earth could produce. His hair spilled to his hips in a wash of red.

“You are so beautiful. So absolutely beautiful.”

He wanted to take the angel, plunge into his body and fuck until they were both senseless. But Rex kept his touch delicate. This time, while he still had the ability, he’d be submissive. His lover needed some measure of control over his life even if it was just for this hour. There’d been too many revelations this day. Too much sadness and loss. Memory was flirting with his angel and they might not like what Orion’s past held. Rion dropped his hand to Rex’s ass and pulled their hips tightly together.

“Make love to me, Orion,” he whispered against the angel’s beautiful mouth. When Rion forced him backward to the couch, Rex became malleable in his hands, bending, submissive to his touch. Rion ground their hips together and Rex moaned as their cocks grew hard and erect. Rion started at the base, forcing their balls close, and rolled upward, easing only when the pressure became too much to bear.

“Yess…” Rex hissed, letting his head fall back. All of Rion’s pain and emotion spilled over him in a series of sharp, painful kisses, bites to the tender skin of his neck and hard thrusts into his pelvis. Rex submitted, encouraging the rough display. Rion turned him to face the wall. He pulled the shirt from Rex’s back and stripped the jeans from his hips. Rex heard the rustle of clothing behind him as the angel undressed.

He rested his face against the cool plaster, letting his eyes drop closed as Orion ran strong hands down Rex’s back and waist, kneading the firm muscles of his ass. He knelt on the floor behind Rex, nipping and licking at the tender skin of his thighs, his knees and calves. In torment, Rex reached down and clasped his shaft, pumping as the angel continued his erotic tour.

“Both hands on the wall, Reux.”

Rion’s voice was harsh with arousal, yet barely rose above a whisper. His teeth bore down on the firm flesh at the base of Rex’s tail, drawing a tortured cry from his throat. When Rion’s warm mouth closed over the tip of his tail, his legs shook and trembled.

Rion’s chuckle was harsh and low. “I forgot how horny this makes you.”

Rex’s answering laugh was slightly hysterical. He widened his stance when Rion began playing the lightly tufted tip up between his legs, tickling his sac with the soft, felt-like down. Unable to bear any more, Rex pulled his tail free and wrapped it down the length of Rion’s leg, pulling him closer. Rion stood, pressing his erection against Rex’s ass.

For a moment Rion moved away, and Rex’s body sagged in disappointment, but he didn’t disobey orders. He stayed with his face against the wall, his arms over his head. Only his tail moved, swaying gently, searching for his lover’s body. When the fragrance of lavender wafted into the air he grew even harder, and a tiny bead of fluid trickled from the slit in his cockhead.

Rion dribbled oil over his shoulders. From there, it trailed down his back and belly. Rion rubbed it into his skin, finally reaching the crack of his buttocks. When a warm, slick finger circled his anus, Rex nearly lost control.

“Don’t come, Rex. Not yet.” Rion’s voice was a growl in his ear.

The finger pressed past the powerful ring of muscle there. Rex exhaled, rolling his forehead against the wall. Rion’s finger pumped slowly, deeply. When the angel found his gland, Rex whimpered in pained bliss. Everything about it hurt—the penetration, the rough skin of Rion’s hands and the tart sting of lavender. It was bliss. Rex’s entire body shuddered.

“Please, Rion, just fuck me.”

In answer, the angel bit his neck—hard—and he pulled his hand away. Rex’s cock jerked, and, at the same time, the blunt head of the angel’s rigid shaft was there, pressing, thick and ominous. For a second, Rex couldn’t breathe. They took turns topping and Rex was no virgin, but as always, it felt like the first time. Rion’s cock was thick and long and painfully hard in his ass. He retreated in a smooth movement and returned with a burn.

Rex moaned, leaned forward a bit more and angled his tail to the side. His flesh parted for Rion until finally the angel was balls deep. His ass was so full that Rex felt as though they were tied together. Rion gripped his hips, his fingers sinking painfully into tender skin. Rex forgot about pain as they began a steady, shallow tempo.

Rion leaned into his back, holding Rex close to his body. They came to a stop, frozen in the moment.

“I love you,” he said breathlessly.

Rex swallowed hard. “I know you do, Rion.” He turned his head slightly, letting the angel catch his lips in a hard, passionate kiss. The tiny part of him that feared Orion’s obsession with Anahita began to let go, and Rex eased into the pure intimacy of the moment. Rion began to move again, his strokes growing stronger, deeper, until their flesh slapped and their skin grew slick with sweat. Rex kept his hands braced on the wall above his head, unable to touch, to embrace. He curled his fingers into fists and his arousal grew. He was close… So close…

When Rion’s fingers wrapped around his cock, he gave a shout.

“Not yet—please…”

Somehow he held back, panting and moaning, thrusting his ass back onto Rion’s cock. “Harder, Ri—”

The angel held him in place as he thrust ever deeper and faster. He groaned harshly. “Almost… Ohhh… Together… Together…”

Rex felt the sudden blooming of sweat on Rion’s skin and the way his strokes became ragged and quick.

“Now?”

“Yeahh…” Rion’s hand slipped up his cock, cupping the glans so with every thrust Rex’s cockhead glided over the calloused skin of his palm.

That did it.

Rex cursed through gritted teeth, his orgasm tightening every muscle in his body. He peaked, held and shuddered as his semen spilled in a torrent into Rion’s palm. As his balls drew up and contracted into another spasm, Rion’s climax came with a noisy sigh. Rex felt warm seed pulsing deep within his body. Rion strained against him, his body flexed and taut. When he finished, he wrapped powerful arms around Rex’s body, and his great, white wings drifted forward to wrap them both in a quiet, peaceful embrace.

Rex dropped his trembling arms from the wall and turned, pulling the angel close.

“I love you, Rion. Always. Always.”

Outside, the sun dipped out of sight and the moon crested the horizon.