“Are you sure he’ll be ok? I don’t think drugging him was a good idea.” I studied Arrow’s prone form, making sure his chest rose and fell with steady breaths.
He was unconscious on my couch. Dragging him out of The Spirit Room had taken Rowen, Jett and I working as a team.
“Just an over the counter sleep aid, nothing for a guy like Arrow. I could’ve used horse tranquilizers, and he’d still come out of it like it was no big deal.” There was no humor in Rowen’s tone. Since leaving The Spirit Room he’d put up a mask of cold indifference, yet I saw the pain in his eyes when he thought I wasn’t looking.
When we left The Spirit Room, we’d stepped out into a night that was devoid of life. Like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, the street had been dead: no cars, no people. The stink of sulfur in the air confirmed what I’d already known. A demon had been involved in keeping authorities away, likely the same reason the cops didn’t seem to be looking for Vicky. That same demon had likely already fogged the minds of those in attendance, confusing their memories when they tried to recall exactly what had happened.
Though I couldn’t say for certain it had been Koda, I had my suspicions. For some reason he wasn’t entirely on board with Dash’s big plans for Rowen. I didn’t doubt that, had Arrow managed to kill his brother, Koda would have been just fine with it.
We didn’t have a plan. Not really. For now keeping Arrow knocked out and hoping he’d awaken calm and ready to talk was all we could do. Jett had offered to tie him up before she left, claiming to know a hell of a badass knot that he’d never get out of. Rowen had declined.
Eventually Cinder would show up, but more than likely not until daylight. Until then I had to remain calm and keep Rowen thinking positively, although I didn’t care for the rueful glint in his eye.
“He’ll be alright,” I said, trying to convince myself as well. “He just needs some time to think things through.”
Rowen scrubbed a hand over his face and gave one slow shake of his head. “It’s too late for that.”
“No. It doesn’t have to be.” I grabbed his hand and laid my forehead against his shoulder. Being the voice of wisdom didn’t come easy to me. The pressure to say the right thing weighed heavy on my mind as I asked myself where the hell we were supposed to go from here.
To my surprise Rowen captured my chin in his hand and raised my lips to his. His kiss wasn’t the tender exchange I anticipated but a hungry demand that rocked me to the core. “You’re amazing, you know that?” He murmured low against my lips. “When I’m lost, you find me. I can only see my way through all this shit because of you.”
While I took his declaration deep within and stored it in a secret part of me, I couldn’t shake the unease that followed. Before I could form words for a reply, he was kissing me again.
I got it. I really did. Rowen needed to unleash after such an emotionally traumatic experience. The scent of his cologne and the warmth of his hands on my body took me to a place of wild surrender. I wanted it too.
But shouldn’t we talk about this? He couldn’t hide from the truth in my bed. Dash was gunning for him. And he was coming hard, taking out anyone in his way in the process. We needed to be prepared for whatever happened next, and I wasn’t. There wasn’t a single part of me ready for any of this.
“I’m afraid,” I whispered, cringing inwardly as the confession escaped me. “I’m so afraid because I don’t know what happens next.”
Rowen brushed ebony strands of hair out of my eyes. “I’m scared too. That’s why we’re going to bed and I’m going to worship you until sunrise. That’s what happens next.”
“But—”
He cut me off with a spark of amber fire. His gorgeous eyes silenced my worries, though they dwelled within him too.
Rowen was right. We could worry the rest of the night away, or we could make the most of every moment. And because I was most afraid of losing him, I threw my arms around his neck and lost myself in his kiss.
Leaving Arrow on the couch with a throw pillow under his head and a spare blanket tossed over him, we stumbled into my room. Rowen shoved the door shut and flicked on the light without breaking the kiss. With a hand in my hair, he held me tight against him.
Fighting for one’s life had a way of enhancing the senses and emotions. My love for Rowen felt new, intense and genuine. And I wasn’t ready to let it go. Fisting a handful of his t-shirt, I savored the way his body felt against mine.
A sense of urgency drove us. Pressing my mouth to his neck, I closed my eyes and basked in the sexy maleness of him. I dragged the tip of my tongue over the black feather adorning his skin. Half of it disappeared inside his shirt, and I tugged at the material in an effort to free it.
He felt so damn good beneath my hands. I ran my fingers over his stomach, across the Elvish script tattooed on his side just above his hip. It said my name. My real name. Ember. He knew I’d be firmly against the idea, but by putting my name in a beautiful, fictional language, Rowen figured he could get away with it. And it was such an enchanting design that I melted as soon as I saw it.
I dragged his shirt off over his head and let it drop to the floor. My hands went to his belt.
He chuckled. “What’s the hurry? We have all the time we need.”
With a sly smile I said, “Well, I don’t want to waste any of it. Besides, I don’t see you protesting.”
“Hell no.”
With a panty-dropping grin, Rowen pulled me down on the bed with him. He rolled me over so I was beneath him and slipped his tongue in my mouth. Hooking the hem of my top with his thumbs, he jerked it up and off in one swift motion, barely breaking the kiss.
My cleavage became the lucky recipient of his loving attention. The heat of his mouth on my skin stole my breath. As the rest of my clothes came off my heart raced faster. I loved him, and I’d written off love, believing it wasn’t for me. But I just hadn’t met the one who could understand me, the one who shared more than my interests. He shared the most difficult parts of me, the parts that came from a world beyond this one. Every time we made love, gratitude filled me for the wonderful gift it was to know him.
Rowen’s touch was firm and commanding without being aggressive. As he kissed his way down my body, he slid a hand along my hip to cup my ass. A small voice in the back of my mind nagged me, reminding me that I should be worrying about what tomorrow would bring. Then Rowen descended between my legs, obliterating any form of thought from my mind.
With the bed sheet crushed in my fists, I bit back a small cry. The last thing we needed was to wake the crazed nephilim on the couch.
“Don’t hold back,” Rowen murmured. “Nothing short of the apocalypse is going to wake him.”
Holding back wasn’t even an option. Rowen sure didn’t. With a carefully calculated touch, he brought me to the brink of climax, forcing me to hover there until I couldn’t take it anymore. Only after I was a thrashing, shuddering mess beneath him did he stop.
The sound of my gasping breaths filled the room. A drawer sliding and a subtle rustle of foil indicated what was coming next. I couldn’t wait. I tossed my hair so it fanned out across the pillow and reached to pull him close.
Spreading my legs for him, I welcomed Rowen into my arms and my body. He already possessed my heart. Propped on one arm, he gazed down at me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
I stroked a hand over his cheek wanting to promise him that I’d love him forever. Knowing that such promises couldn’t easily be kept, I held my tongue but swore it to myself anyway.
A shuddery breath racked my body when Rowen slid inside me. With one hand on his side and another on his tight rear end, I clung tight to him. The heat rolling off his flesh appealed to my fiery side. As we worked ourselves into a frenzy, I bit down hard on my bottom lip. Whether to keep from crying or moaning I wasn’t sure. I just knew that whatever sound came out, it would betray the depths of my inner turmoil.
Rowen kissed my lips, my cheek, my neck. With slow, even strides he took me to greater heights than I’d ever known before him. Every time we touched, every intimate moment we shared, it did something to me. Something deep and profound, changing me, making me better. Rowen’s light was so much more than an ability. It left a lasting impact on everyone it touched. I felt grateful to be one of them.
“I love you, Spike,” he whispered against my ear. “No matter what happens, remember that.”
I ran a hand up his back, dragging my nails along his spine. “Rowen, you brought me back to life. You showed me that love does exist for me in this fucked up world. I will love you forever.”
So much for not saying it.
Rowen gazed down at me, brow furrowed as if some internal struggle went on inside him too. A groan escaped him. Before I could question it, he grabbed my hips and rolled us over so I was on top.
A flash of light momentarily blinded me as Rowen’s wings unfurled beneath him. They spread out across the bed, two beautiful silver wings so big they almost hung off each side. As I readjusted myself atop him, I reached to glide my hands over the silken feathers. So soft and yet so strong. Glorious.
I set the pace, drawing him inside me. Watching Rowen close his eyes and throw his head back in ecstasy filled me with joy. Being able to take him to that magical place beyond this world was exhilarating.
As each moment passed we fell deeper down the rabbit hole of pleasure. The worries that lived in me went silent, numbed out by the overwhelming sensations as our bodies united as one, moving in tandem.
I couldn’t control the force of our lovemaking. It took over, driving me to the brink of climax though I struggled to hold back, to make it last longer. Once he pushed me past the point of no return, I fought not to come undone.
I leaned down over him, needing to feel more of his body against mine. His skin was hot, a light sheen of sweat covered it. With one hand I clutched a few feathers, marveling at how impossibly soft they were.
Rowen murmured my name. I made a sound that was almost a whimper as it all became too much, too intense, and I crashed over the edge like a wave smashing down on the beach. His body tensed beneath me, and he threw his arms around me, holding tight.
Chest heaving, I rolled off onto the expanse of feathers spread across the bed. Rowen flung a hand out, needing to keep touching. I caught it, slipping my fingers between his. We lay there in silence, enjoying the moment while catching our breath.
After several minutes of afterglow bliss, Rowen turned his head toward me and grinned. “Ready to go again?”
I slapped him playfully and laughed. “You must be in better shape than I am. I think I need some water first.”
“I’ll get it. Want anything else from the kitchen?” Rowen disentangled himself and bounded for the door, bare-ass naked.
“No, thank you. Don’t tell me you guys walk around like that in front of each other,” I said, pulling the edge of the sheet over my nudity. Just in case.
Rowen paused near the door and stretched. His wings disappeared but I could still see them when I tried. “You don’t want to know. Let’s just say that Arrow has no shame, which I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“And how,” I muttered. I had woken up in Arrow’s bed next to his naked self not so long ago.
“He’s out cold anyway. I’ll be right back.” Rowen darted out the door before I could protest, leaving me to giggle at the sight of his clenched butt cheeks on his way out.
While he was gone I propped myself up in a sitting position against the headboard. I stared at the Midnight Star where it leaned against the wall beside my guitar case. It was the reminder I needed. Bad things were coming down the wire. I could feel it. But could I stand up in the face of it? I had to.
Pondering what the future held right after a steamy session with Rowen probably wasn’t the best idea. I didn’t want to let anything ruin the afterglow I was rocking. Still, I couldn’t shake the sneaking suspicion that things were going to get worse before they got better.
“Here ya go, babe.” Rowen’s reappearance startled me out of my thoughts. He kicked the door shut and pressed a glass of cold water into my hand. Then he stared at me until I’d taken a drink and set it on the night table. “This is for you too.”
I was surprised when he held out a small black velvet bag. “What’s this?”
He slid onto the bed next to me, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Open it.”
Adrenaline hit my system. After the night we’d had, I was amazed my body had any left to spare. With shaky fingers I fumbled with the drawstring holding the bag closed. A ring fell into my palm. The band was white gold with two angel wings that met at the top, lying diagonally beside one another. It was beautiful. I had no words for what I felt staring at the ring in my hand. It took several attempts before my voice would work.
“It’s beautiful, Rowen. But what is it? I mean… Sorry, I don’t know what I mean.” A blush warmed my cheeks.
“It’s a promise.” He stared at the ring as if that were easier than looking at me. He took a long, slow breath with a shudder. “It was my mom’s. Even though I’m adopted, I think she knew more than she ever let on. She sent it to me a few years ago and told me to give it to someone I couldn’t imagine my life without. And that’s you. I wanted you to have it… before everything goes to shit.”
Realization settled in as both my dreams and nightmares came true at once. “You’re going to do something crazy, aren’t you?”
Still he wouldn’t look at me when he said, “I might have to.”
I swallowed hard, nodding as tears welled up in my eyes. “You know I won’t let you give yourself up for me.”
Now he dragged his gaze to mine, as if it took great effort to do so. The pain he didn’t want me to see was heavy in his amber eyes. “I know.”
One single tear escaped me, and I wiped it away before it could get far. “So what are you promising?”
This was not how I wanted to end a night of mayhem and love. But it was fitting I supposed. Maybe I was a fool to think we could have it all. We were born into a battle. Perhaps there was no room for love in war.
“I promise to love you no matter what happens. And when things seem the most bleak, that’s when my love will be the strongest.” Taking the ring from my hand, Rowen slipped it onto my finger. “Let this be a symbol of what you mean to me. Which, in case you can’t tell, is everything.”
The moment that ring slid onto my finger I knew that, whatever Rowen planned to do, it was going to destroy everything we’d created together. All I could do was give a solemn nod.
“I promise that I won’t give up on you, Rowen,” I said, each word more painful than the last. “No matter what stupid ass thing you’re going to do.”
A smile lit up his face, but it didn’t ignite the fire in his gaze. “That’s all I want to hear.”
Rowen leaned in to kiss me. Hooking an arm around me, he lay me down beneath him and proceeded to love me again. His breath on my neck, his whispers and moans in my ear, the way every nerve came alive under his caress: these things I cherished, storing them away for when I needed them most.
It was almost morning when we lay spent in each other’s arms. Rowen curled up behind me, holding me against his chest. I often wondered if he was still there with me once he fell asleep. As a dreamwalker Rowen was able to enter the dreams of others. It was his newest ability. Though he said he had full control of it, I couldn’t help but be curious.
Sleep came against my will. I fought it as long as I could, wanting so desperately to stay awake, to be ready for anything.
When I woke up several hours later naked and alone, I felt disappointed, then alarmed. A quick glance around the bedroom confirmed that Rowen’s clothing was gone. With a brief, wistful glance at the ring on my finger, I rolled out of bed and yanked on some PJ pants and a t-shirt.
Arrow lay still asleep on the couch. One arm and leg hung haphazardly off the side, and he snored into the pillow we’d crammed beneath his head. It took several nudges and pokes to rouse him.
He blinked up at me, confused at first and then annoyed. “What the hell am I doing here?”
“Get up,” I said, ignoring his question. “Rowen’s gone. And I’m pretty sure he went straight to Dash.”