The wrath of the fallen, p.34
The Wrath of the Fallen, page 34
Samkiel kissed as well as he fucked. His body and mind were wholly devoted, driven by pure, blinding need. And gods, the sounds he made, the whimpers and groans. It was enough to send me over the edge. My head fell back, my orgasm singing through my body as pleasure skipped along every nerve ending. My pussy clenched around his cock, squeezing in tight clenching pulses as I rode my orgasm to completion.
He surged into me, his breaths hitching and his biceps bulging as he lifted to press impossibly deeper. He threw his head back, the muscles along his chest and throat flexing. “Fuck, akrai,” he hissed, slamming his cock deep one last time before following me into pleasure.
We lay there intertwined, Samkiel still buried in me as the world with all its impossible realities came crashing back down. We could stay here for hours, days, maybe longer, but the world would never allow it. Silence fell in the room as our breathing quieted and our heartbeats slowed. The air circulating in from our balcony whispered across our sweat-slicked skin, cooling our bodies. My fingers ran across his scalp as we processed the last few hours.
“I hate being threatened,” he finally said.
“I know.”
He took a deep breath, his arms locked around me. “A hound come to heel is what he said, and he’s fucking right. I have no idea what he truly has planned for any of us, but I’ll play along for now because I can’t lose you.”
“Hey,” I said, gripping his hair and forcing his head back, making him look at me. “I’m here, safe and alive.”
His chest rose and fell far quicker than I could track as he rose on his arms, hovering above me. “But you weren’t because of me.”
“No.” I gripped his face. “Not because of you, but because Death is playing some sick game. Never you. You love me. You’d never hurt me.”
His eyes flashed, returning to that stormy gray shade. His adyin subsided, leaving only toned bronze skin behind.
“I don’t think I am meant to rule this world,” he said, his expression stark as some deep part of him seemed to accept the thought as truth. “I think that’s why they kept us apart, why they fought and manipulated for centuries to ensure our paths didn’t cross.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my brows furrowing in confusion.
“Because when it comes down to it. You or the world? It will always be you. I have lived and died by my sword. None of it was worth it. You are. I will always choose you, and my enemies know it.”
“You’ll never have to make that decision. Together, we are strong enough to battle any storm that comes our way.” I braced my hand on his chest and pushed up, slanting my lips over his in a chaste kiss. “Even the ones you make.”
A small smile brushed across his lips. I wiped at the tear that slipped across his cheek, and he gently gripped my wrist to place a kiss on my palm.
“Was it bad?” he asked hesitantly, as if speaking it out loud made it real. But I understood his need to know. “What you felt?”
“Honestly?” I shrugged. “No, it was merely a second. I don’t think I was gone long enough for my brain to process it. It was like a blink.”
He lowered his head, nodding solemnly. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
He looked as though he didn’t believe me, but said, “You are bound to them, and they to you. I hate this entire situation, but I cannot risk you as much as I hate them.”
“I know.” I nodded.
“And so my enemies become my friends,” he said with a hint of malice biting at his tongue. “For now.”
My hand splayed on his biceps, fingers dancing over the heavy muscle. “So, what does Death want? What’s our plan?”
He told me everything Death had said, what he mocked and threatened. By the time he was done, I was snickering.
“It’s not funny,” he said, his eyes flat.
“Oh, but it is,” I said. “We just go to the Otherworld for this stupid medallion, and what, Death lets us all off the hook? I don’t buy it.”
Samkiel scowled. “Me either, but first things first. We need to see Killium.”
Now it was my turn to be confused. “Why?”
“I need my ring. Oblivion is growing far too volatile, and from what he said and showed me, I cannot risk it,” Samkiel said, looking toward the empty spot on his finger. “I am too unpredictable without it.”
“Okay,” I said, pushing at him, trying to roll him off me. “We start there.”
He pulled out of me and shifted to the side, but kept his arm around me, holding me in place. “Where are you going?” he demanded.
My lips twitched. “To shower and interrogate our prisoners, then we’ll head to see your magical friend. You know our plan.”
“Not yet.” He tugged me to him, chest to chest, his lips claiming mine in a kiss filled with desperation and love.
43
IMOGEN
Alow mechanical buzz vibrated against my feet as the warship we were on soared through the sky. I sat in the emptiness of my mind, having long given up on trying to reclaim control over my body. The guards had shown up after Samkiel’s light had torn through the sky, and Isaiah disappeared. I grimaced at the thought, disgusted with myself for how hurt I felt that Isaiah had abandoned me after saying he would protect me. Perhaps I was a toy to him, too, and he just grew tired of me. I hated myself for even caring. He was a murderer, the worst of the worst, and an accomplice to Samkiel’s death. My only feelings toward him should be contempt, yet when the back of his knuckles caressed the side of my face, tucking my hair behind my ear, it was the first time I had felt anything since my capture.
I stood with my back straight and my arms held at my sides as they spoke, staring at wings of the purest white flecked with gold. They belonged to Milani, the Queen of Trugarum. She had the largest fleet the realms had ever seen, and ruled the sky, every sky, with her enormous armada. Nismera was all too happy to bestow wealth, jewels, and gifts upon Milani, including selling me to her like I was some kind of guard dog. Her generosity was reflected in the extravagant finery and tech that surrounded us.
This ship was her primary residence and the size of a small city. The massive windows in this room showcased the beautiful sky and clouds. The sunlight pouring in seemed drawn to Milani, dancing off the gold in her wings and highlighting her ethereal beauty. It would be awe-inspiring if I didn’t know what a cunt she was back when she was nothing more than her father’s pampered princess. That was back when she and Samkiel had their brief fling, which likely led to the allegiance that resulted in this. If only he had known what he was actually offering her in their trade.
“Why do we keep her?” Ennis, Milani’s sick and twisted brother, asked, tossing his head toward me. Her smile was an angelic, pure thing, but it was a lie. She was anything but angelic, and the idea of her being pure was laughable. Her brunette hair was pulled to the sides with two large feathered clips, mirroring the intricacy of her armor. Her breastplate flared across her chest, coming to points at her shoulders. Stylized, white double wings, matching those in her long, luxurious hair, were embedded in the gold pauldrons. Her wings flared behind her as she stepped down from the massive dais.
“Nismera’s orders. Apparently, she is what they are looking for, and if she is here with us, well … How do you catch any beast?” She stopped in front of me, flicking her nail under my chin. “You set a trap.”
My stomach dropped.
“I’m surprised you haven’t bruised her up by now, Sister,” Ennis said.
Milani’s smile was sweet and cute to those who did not know the vindictive bitch she was.
“She is no longer the one I wish to bruise.”
“Oh, right. His wife,” Ennis said with a cruel grin before biting into a round purple fruit.
Milani stared daggers at him and pointed a menacing finger. “Don’t ever say that again. We both know it’s not real.”
He rolled his eyes and chuckled, chewing on his bite of fruit.
She caressed the side of my head as if to smooth back my hair. “You really thought you stole him from me all those years ago. I hated you so damn much. He wouldn’t even return my letters because of you, and now I find out he tossed you aside, too. I pity you. We’re basically sisters now.”
If I could have recoiled, I would have. I wished I could speak or slap her hand from me or tell her the reason Samkiel didn’t talk to her and left her was how psychotic she was, how she tried to seduce him to secure a throne out of pure lust for power.
Ennis laughed at her insanity, nearly choking. Oh, how I wished he would just keel over dead.
She leaned closer to whisper against my cheek, “Now, he will be mine. Forever this time because Nismera gave me a very special gift.”
She pulled back and snapped her fingers, holding out her hand expectantly. Ennis sank his teeth deep into the fruit, holding it there as he pulled a sheathed dagger from his armor and handed it to her. She gripped it, her wings rustling in excitement as she unsheathed it. The blade shimmered, the entire knife pulsing with magic.
I had no clue what that dagger did, but if she was planning to use it on Samkiel, it couldn’t be good. My body remained impassive, despite my brain scrambling with panic for him. I wished I could warn him. This was all so wrong, a fate worse than any torture. They wouldn’t even let me die.
So as the hateful siblings prattled on, and I stood as an unwilling, silent sentinel as always, I let my mind drift to the murderer with hazel eyes and warm skin, wishing just for a moment that he would find me again.
44
SAMKIEL
“And kidnapping Miska?”
Kaden’s face held no remorse, not that I’d expected any. “Call her collateral damage.”
My hands flexed at my sides. Even the few hours Dianna and I had spent lost in each other hadn’t eased the frustration that boiled in my blood. I wanted to rip them apart, rip Death itself apart, for thrusting this on us, on her. I tried to cool my lethal hatred, but the moment we’d descended the stairs to the dungeons below the palace, it raised its head like a viper ready to strike.
“You’re disgusting.” Dianna’s voice was a soft, hateful whisper at my side. She dug her nails into the sleeve of her dark shirt. She had insisted on being down here with me, even if seeing them, being near them, was too much for her. My strong, beautiful girl. Death was right. I’d rip the world apart to keep her safe.
“What’s with the bullshit interrogation?” Isaiah called from the other side of the cells. “You can’t kill us.”
I stared at Kaden. He sat at the back of his cell, deep in the shadows. The darkness was a living thing, wafting off him to lick at the wall.
“He is right. I can’t kill you, but I’m willing to bet this link between you all only pertains to death. I bet I can hurt you just fine, and for a long while, without Dianna even feeling it.”
Isaiah stood straighter. “Oh, yeah? Let’s try it,” he said with barely contained fury.
I bared my teeth in an eager grin.
“I’ll ask again. Why take Miska, and why were you three in Whitcliff? It had been weeks. You should have been back with Nismera by then,” Dianna said, the rage in her voice startling all of us.
Isaiah’s eyes flicked to Kaden, but he only stared at us. Dianna and I had showered before coming down here, but hateful male pride made me hope he could smell me all over her, my scent coating her flesh like a second skin. Gods, I hoped it made him sick.
“Had you not reached her?” Dianna asked, her head tipped to the side.
Kaden remained silent, and I was half a second away from dragging him out to test my near-death hypothesis.
“She betrayed you,” Dianna said, her voice soft and thoughtful.
I looked at Dianna to see her gaze locked with Kaden’s. Isaiah’s back went rigid, and he stopped his taunting, the room growing silent.
“What?” I asked.
“She betrayed you,” Dianna said again, taking a step forward. “That’s why you were with Miska in Whitcliff. That’s what I felt,” she said, looking up at me. “I felt a slicing pain in my gut when I was kidnapped. I thought it was something else, but the bond was at play even then.”
My jaw clenched at that word. I hated that Kaden had any sort of bond with her, forced or not.
“Nismera tried to kill you. Both of you. Didn’t she?” I asked.
Kaden’s eyes flicked to mine. “She needs our blood for something, and she tried to take it by force. Only mine is … tainted.”
“Their blood?” Dianna asked, her voice a cool balm against my mind.
“Unless she is doing some form of dark magic, I cannot see why she would want it or try to take it by force.”
“How does it feel to be used as you carelessly used so many before?” Dianna asked. “Hurts, doesn’t it? I hope it does.”
For what it was worth, Kaden was quiet. He did not snap or snarl like he had when I beheaded him. No, he just stared as if he could look right through us.
“We get it.” Isaiah sighed. “So what? You’ve come to taunt us, then? Can we get on with whatever the fuck you guys came down here for?”
Dianna and Kaden were staring at each other again. I hated it, but then I noticed she had her hands clasped in front of her, the ring I’d placed on her finger proudly displayed. It shone like a shield against him, a totem that showed him who she loved and belonged to, now and forever.
Isaiah continued to rant and mouth off, but all I saw was her. Dianna did not shut me out as I reached across our bond for her. She loved and trusted me enough to leave her defenses down for me. After viewing the thoughts and feelings going through her mind, a part of me wished she hadn’t.
A thousand and one emotions flooded her brain as she showed me everything. Dianna let me see the man who had saved her in the desert, their attempted relationship, and its many failures through the years. She let me feel how her shame and pain manifested as anger when the man she thought she knew manipulated and hurt her. She laid herself bare and shared with me the wounds he inflicted on her soul each time he used the promise of keeping her sister alive to force her to do what he wished. The worst was the annihilation of her heart when it was all for nothing. I felt her grief rise from its tenebrous grave, reaching for the surface to drag her back into the cold abyss. I saw her soothe it to the best of her abilities.
Death had used Dianna as an anchor, utilizing the fractured and weak connection to Kaden to form the bond between the three of them. He had woven it into her emotions, and she wasn’t just remembering the bad parts but the good as well, memories of before he became cruel.
I knew it wasn’t rational, but in some primal part of my brain, it hurt to know she’d found any sort of peace or comfort with him. To know he had tried to occupy the heart I held and cherished had jealousy biting at me with vicious teeth. I wanted all of Dianna’s everything, her firsts, her lasts, all of it.
They had history together. It was why his betrayal had caused her such blistering pain, shaping her into the woman she was today. The kind of hate she felt for him could only be spawned from love, even if it was fleeting and died eons ago. After centuries of him feeding her hatred and her nurturing it, her rage now burned brighter than any wild flame, tempering her pain into wrath. Their time together was filled with violence and cruelty. When she looked at him now, all she saw was a liar, a manipulator, and her greatest enemy.
Kaden was such a fool. He’d had her love and attention, and instead of getting on his knees and thanking the gods, he repudiated it all and rejected her. After it was far too late, he tried to force his so-called love upon her, willing to use blade or magic to reclaim her. For his final and worst betrayal, he’d ripped her heart out when he killed her sister, stealing the last tether to her mortality. Now, to add insult to injury, she was bound to the one being in all the realms she wished to be rid of. It was a cruelty beyond measure. Rage flared through me. We were truly stuck in an impossible situation, and the fact that I couldn’t kill Kaden only made me hate him more.
Within her mind, I felt flaming red eyes turn toward me. A large, jet black beast rose with feline grace and padded toward me, massive paws meeting the floor of her mind. Enchanted, I watched her approach, the shadows forming her body solid one moment and then swirling nebulae in the next.
She’d known I was there and hadn’t hesitated to show me all that she felt. It was an offer of true trust and utter devotion. My heart swelled. She wasn’t hiding herself from me, no matter how ugly she thought certain parts were. At some point she had decided to strip off her armor and lower her walls, trying so damn hard despite the pain she had experienced at Kaden’s hands. Now this magnificent and deadly beast circled my soul and nestled close, seeking safety and comfort, begging for protection from the demons that had risen to yank her back into the abyss with them.
Dianna could have fought on her own. We both knew it. She was beyond powerful, beyond strong, but she sought the safety of my arms, allowing me to shelter her. In an act of unrivaled bravery, she laid her burdens at my feet and trusted me to keep her safe. I wrapped my power around her like wings, vowing without words that no matter what came, what the world threw at us, she was and would always be my main priority. Her ears flattened as she curled up against me and slept.
Gods above and below, I loved her, and I would raze the realms to dust and ashes for her. I reached out my hand and entwined my fingers with hers.
“We need to go to the Otherworld,” I said.
Isaiah scoffed. “I’m not going anywhere with you all.”
“You are,” I snapped, my power surging beneath my skin, my adyin glowing softly. “Because you have no other choice in the matter. I do not trust you enough to leave you locked in my home. So either you come willingly, or I bind you, gag you, and drag you the whole godsdamn way.”
Crimson flames flared in Isaiah’s eyes as he snapped. “I fucking dare you.”
