Chosen Angels Page 22

  “I hear that makes a relationship easier.” For a second, I flashed back to the look in Samael’s eyes, the murderous intent, and a shiver ran down my spine despite the heat of the night.

  It was going to take time to heal from the trauma we’d been through. And that wasn’t just my eye that needed healing.

  Nim draped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his body, as we headed down the trail toward the lake.

  “I was thinking maybe I’d get a guitar,” Nim said. “How do you feel about the guitar?”

  “I feel pretty positive about guitar music,” I said.

  “Good,” he said, dramatic relief in his voice. “I’m really only good at one thing.”

  I remembered the way he’d smashed his lute, casually, as if it were nothing to him. Nothing compared to my happiness, anyway.

  “I bet you’re good at some other things,” I said.

  He quirked an eyebrow up, glancing over at me with mischief written across his face, as if in answer to the mischief in my tone.

  “You didn’t seem half-bad with a sword,” I said.

  “You don’t either,” he said.

  We talked about nothing as we walked toward the lake, and everything. What the future held for our two sisters, and how much we worried about them. Dani had left with Maria for a while, to stay out of the Council’s way. And out of my way. I wasn’t ready to forgive and forget. But I didn’t want to burden Nim with that.

  Instead, we switched to talking about what we’d eat for breakfast the next morning. I wasn’t sure I could think about life beyond breakfast in the morning.

  “I’ll make you pancakes,” Nimshi said.

  If you can’t plan far beyond breakfast, then at least pancakes is a good plan. A good beginning. We had passed through a crucible and come out at the end, scathed but alive. Now it was time for a new adventure.

  By the time we reached the lake, moonlight shimmered across the water, casting a silver glow back up toward the sky.

  Nimshi scooped to pick up a rock on the bank, and I thought he was going to skip it across the water, but when he pulled his arm back, he frowned slightly, touching his shoulder with the opposite hand.

  “Hurt?” I asked, resting my fingers just above his.

  “It’s nothing,” he said. “Just pulled a muscle or two strung—”

  Something changed in his face. He broke off. “It’s nothing.”

  “You don’t have to be afraid to remind me of what happened in the Far,” I told him. “I’m not fragile. And I don’t want to be treated like I am.”

  “I know you aren’t.” He took my face in both his hands, resting his forehead against mine. His forehead against mine felt comfortable, and I breathed in the spicy, smoky scent of his body. “I just have you to myself for once, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

  “We’ve got plenty of time together, Nim.”

  He smiled slightly. “There’s nothing like walking past your old grave to remind you to live in the moment.”

  “Well, let’s live in the moment.” I slid my hand across his shoulder, feeling how soft his t-shirt was, how hard his chest, under my palm.

  Then I wondered if maybe he didn’t want me right now, and I glanced away at the lake. It looked mystical tonight, lit with strange light.

  Just like me.

  Nim took my chin between his thumb and index finger and turned my face toward his. His vivid green eyes were bright under the moonlight.

  “I’d like to kiss you properly, Ellis Landon,” he said. “But even though I know you’re not fragile, I don’t want to take anything you don’t have to give right now.”

  “You’re afraid I’ll hurt myself healing you?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “I thought maybe you didn’t want me.” My voice came out a whisper.

  His lips parted, as if he were trying to find the right words, and then he just leaned in and kissed me.

  His lower lip met mine first, lush and soft. I put my hand on his cheek, which was smooth and hard-edged, his cheekbone so sharp I could feel it press against my palm. He had the same angelic good looks as his oldest brother, although with Ryker’s eyes and Levi’s lanky, broad-shouldered frame.

  “Of course I want you,” he murmured into my mouth. “I’ve spent my life waiting for you, and I didn’t even realize it.”

  My eyebrows arched up, looking up at him, and the faintest blush came to his cheeks before his lips quirked to one side.

  “Oh,” I said.

  “I never wanted anyone else,” he admitted. “Until I saw you…”

  “Was I even conscious the first time we met?”

  “I’d never tortured anyone before except that minion Samael took over, and the minion had chosen that path,” Nim said. “But when I got the call about you and the Nephilim, I didn’t think it would bother me. Soulless and all.”

  “But then I was just so damn cute, you had second thoughts?”

  “I thought I’d kill anyone who tried to hurt you. That I had to keep you to myself. I didn’t realize then just how much…”

  I rested my head against his chest, feeling his breath in his chest. His heart beat quickly.

  “Fated love is a hell of a drug,” I murmured.

  “Yeah.” His hands spanned my hips, holding me against his lean body. “But it’s more than that now. I can’t believe you came after me. Into Hell… And my brothers too…”

  “It’s like Jacob said,” I reminded him. “You’re kin. Even if you have to get to know each other now, in the everyday.”

  He glanced away this time, looking over the water and shaking his head as if he didn’t want to acknowledge his emotions.

  But when he looked back at me, his lips quirked up, as if he’d just put that all aside. “I guess I’m a lucky man, huh?”

  “Let’s see how lucky,” I said, right before I kissed him.

  I could feel his hard-edged abs and his desire for me pressing against my stomach as our tongues tangled. His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging at my scalp. I pulled him down toward me, and he knelt in front of me. His lips brushed over the naked skin where my shirt and jeans gaped.

  I ran my hand through his wild curls, remembering how he’d knelt in front of me here, yanking open his shirt to expose his chest, inviting me to kill him if I wouldn’t hear him out.

  “My trickster,” I said softly.

  “No tricks this time.” His thumbs slid through the loops of my jeans, holding me there as he pressed his lips across my abs, kissing me over and over.

  I pulled my shirt over my head, slinging it to one side, and looked down to find his eyes on me steadily. I slipped one bra strap off my shoulder, then the other, meeting his eyes the whole time. I knew there was a wicked smile curving my lips up, even if the eye patch I wore now might ruin some of the effect.

  Then I couldn’t quite reach back to undo the clasp. I was hung up in my bra as he laughed at me, and I leaned down into his touch as his fingers brushed over my spine. He released my bra, and I felt it slide away, my breasts suddenly free. He made a soft noise of desire in the back of his throat, his eyes on my breasts. The breeze brushed over them, raising my nipples into hard pink pebbles.

  “Healing 101. We begin with removing obstructions,” I said, letting go, letting my knees press into the soft, damp ground of the lakeshore. I began to unbutton his shirt, my fingers clumsy in my urgency.

  His fingers brushed over the waistband of my jeans, his thumb sliding across my lower back. “All of them?”

  “For science,” I affirmed, moving down to undo his belt.

  He grinned slightly before he kissed me again. The smile dropped away between us as our lips met. Our mouths slowly opened to each other, and then his tongue swept against mine. The warm, wet pulse of our mouths moving together made me feel a thrum of lust, wanting to move with him in every other way. Bathed in soft silver light and in the warmth of the summer breeze, we undressed each other.

  “This is quite the p
lace for your first time,” I said softly. The moon shone gently down on us, and the warm breeze around us stirred a sense of well-being in me as I looked at this man who had committed to me so recklessly, even before he understood what we were to each other.

  He glanced up at the lake. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. Who cares about the place, though? I’m here for the girl.”

  “You’re so smooth.” I smiled at how charming he was. “It’s hard to believe you’re innocent.”

  “I wouldn’t say innocent,” he said, with a slight heat that made me smile wider. “You can tell me later.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Because there’s plenty of time to practice. We’ll do it again tomorrow.”

  “Before pancakes or after?”

  “Both.”

  He grinned. “I’ll hold you to it.”

  “It’s a promise,” I said.

  He sprawled back out on the grass, one muscular arm propped beneath his head, and crooked a finger at me to invite me over. I moved to straddle him. I took him firmly in hand—all these men of mine needed to be taken firmly in hand—and pressed the head of his cock between my thighs.

  He made a soft noise in the back of his throat as I used him like a toy, using him to stroke my clit. His eyes were intent on my face, full of desire and affection. Each slow circle I made with him increased the intensity I felt, and I could see the same wildfire desire reflected in his bright eyes.

  “Ellis,” he said, his voice rough. He rested his hand on the back of my head, his fingers warm on the back of my neck, tangling in my hair. He pulled me down against his chest, picking up his head to press his lips against mine urgently.

  I let my hips sink low as I kissed him. He slid into me, slowly, as we kissed. He moaned into my mouth, and I felt my lips quirk up in response.

  He pulled back slightly, raising his eyebrows at me. “And I’m supposed to be the wicked one.”

  “Sorry,” I said, without a trace of apology in my voice. I sat up, my knees pressing against his hard sides, and his cock slowly pushed the rest of the way deep inside me.

  His hands spanned my hips, and I could feel each of his fingers hot like a brand pressing against my ass. He pushed me up, so high that he slipped out and I felt his cock tease between my thighs. I settled down onto him again, slowly sinking down until my thighs were pressed against his chest and he was buried deep inside me. Thank God we were taking it slow because it was his first time, because he was supernaturally gifted just like his brothers.

  We made that slow passage several times, until I could feel myself tighten around him, on the verge of orgasm just from the feel of traveling up and down his shaft. I leaned forward, resting my hands on his broad shoulders, letting him take my weight. My hair dangled around us both, blocking out the rest of the world; all that was left was his handsome face, the way he bit down on his lower lip as he fought back his orgasm, the way his high-boned cheeks were flushed with desire now.

  I rode him slowly, taking my time, feeling my head fall back and my back arch, pushing my breasts into his face. His hand stroked down the curves of my back and ass, raising pleasant goosebumps at his rough but welcome touch.

  Then I felt my orgasm taking control. I clutched tight around him, and he pulled me against his body as my orgasm swept over my in waves. The moonlight seemed to shatter around us, the world bright and beautiful and eerie, as my clit flushed hot and my legs shook. He held me tight, his arm a powerful bar across my lower back, as I orgasmed around him, and I heard him make a low noise into my hair as he came too.

  I collapsed onto his chest, resting my face against his pecs. He took a long, slow breath. He was still deep inside me.

  “Worth the wait?” I asked. My tone was teasing, and yet I could hear the expectancy in it as I turned my gaze up to him.

  Nimshi shared up at the sky, so I took in his face in profile, his determined jaw and the rounded shape of his cheekbones. There was a dreamy look on his face, one I hadn’t seen before.

  He toyed with my hair, combing it with his fingers so that it sent pleasant tugs up my scalp.

  “Oh, Ellis,” he said. “I already knew you were.”

  Chapter 35

  When Nim and I emerged from the woods, hand-in-hand, I saw the backyard scene spread out in front of us: the twinkling lights, the music playing, the fire pit glowing with the shadows of my boys and the McKennas standing around it with their bottles of beer. The scent of smoky barbecue drifted across the yard toward us. Ryker carried my sister in his arms down the stairs from the deck, settling her into an Adirondack chair by the fire pit. Her wide smile in her thin face was jarring, but I knew she was going to get back to normal. Or something new, not quite normal, but good, anyway.

  Just like me.

  My mother fussed over Ash, trying to offer her a blanket even though it was a summer night, and I could see Ash laughing as she shook her head.

  Mom gave up and handed the blanket to Levi, who threw it over Ryker’s head. Ryker freaked out for a second, yanking it off, as the other guys laughed. Ryker grinned at Levi and then threw himself at him, the two of them stumbling back away from the fire before they fell into a wrestling heap.

  Jacob shook his head at them both, that patient big-brother expression written across his face, and then turned to answer some question Olivia had asked. Olivia smiled up at him in a friendly way, without that painful, hopeful light that used to be in her eyes, as if she were healing from his rejection. My mom was holding court with the McKennas, who seemed to find her hilarious. Well, that was the most terrifying thing I’d seen yet; I could only imagine what embarrassing stories my mom had to keep them amused.

  Nim squeezed my hand in his.

  “I used to look at them and feel like this wasn’t really my world,” I said, wondering how he felt.

  He nodded. “I suppose I’ll always be a bit of an outcast, but it doesn’t matter to me.”

  “You won’t be an outcast here,” I said.

  “Then that’s all that matters.”

  Ryker and Levi’s mock-fight took them staggering across the yard. Blowing off steam as they so often had before, but I had to shake my head that they hadn’t had their fill of fighting lately. Levi plowed Ryker over and the two of them fell heavily at our feet.

  I grinned at them and made a move to go around toward the fire. Nim pulled me back toward him. His arm caught me around the waist, and I leaned back into his grip as he pressed his lips to mine.

  Ryker climbed doggedly to his feet in front of us, carrying Levi, who had his arm barred across his shoulders.

  “She’s mine,” Ryker growled, catching my hand and pulling me away from Nim. “For this song.”

  Levi slipped off Ryker’s back, smoothing his clothes out, as if he were a very mature and responsible man who never started trouble with his brothers.

  I wrapped my fingers around Ryker’s hand, but leaned back into Nim to finish the kiss, pressing my lips against his.

  Then I let Ryker tow me toward the deck. The cloth-covered tables were still spread with food, but they had been pushed against the side of the deck, forming a dance floor. I laughed as he pulled me into his chest, my hand in his. His other hand settled on my hip, holding me close. I could feel the warmth coming off his body, his hard muscles against mine. Our bodies moved together fluidly to the music, feeling easy and natural in a way it never had before when I danced with another man.

  His kissable lips were close to my ear when he said, “You look beautiful tonight.”

  I bit down on my lip for just a second, debating whether to make a bad pun, and then asked, “Am I glowing?”

  He rolled his eyes at the pun, and I had to laugh, feeling a little bit better. Ryker certainly wasn’t acting like I was fragile, or like anything had changed at all.

  It gave me the strength to lean into him, my lips near his ear, and said, “Samael took my eye instead of my life because he thought eventually, you all would give up on me. You wouldn’t be abl
e to handle that I’d sacrificed something for you.”

  Ryker’s eyes met mine. “Give us a chance, Firestarter.”

  For the first time, I felt hot tears fill my good eye.

  Panic flashed across Ryker’s face—he hated it when I cried—but he pulled me into his arms so tight that my face pressed into his chest. Dancing was forgotten as the two of us just swayed, the music playing on around us.

  “We would all do anything for you, and you would do anything for us.” He said finally, his voice low and husky and sexy in my ear. “How the hell would that ever pull us apart? Samael was a fucking moron.”

  I felt myself grin at that. The last tears leaked over my rounded cheek. I started to pull back to wipe them away, but Ryker slid his thumb across the tears, wiping them away.

  Levi’s hands settled on my hips, and he pulled me gently back. My ass bumped into his hips.

  “I know,” Levi said. “Ryker’s dancing is so bad it makes me want to cry too.”

  I doubled over laughing, covering my mouth with my hand. Ryker glowered as us both playfully as Levi’s hands roamed across my body. Levi moved agilely with the music, with a keen sense of rhythm, and his sexy body against mine made me feel a thrum of lust.

  “Fuck it,” Ryker said, and he stepped in close to me, pinning me between him and his brother.

  Yale came up onto the deck, carrying my sister in his arms so she could dance too. Olivia spun around Nash, making him grin even though he crossed his arms and shook his head. Levi leaned back, grabbing Nash’s shoulder, and mouthed you owe her. Nash finally started to dance. Even my mom dragged out the seventies-ea solo dance moves she usually only displayed at weddings.

  Nimshi and Jacob joined us, and with the four of them around me, I raised my arms above my head, dancing under the moonlight, letting the music carry me. The four men I loved danced around me, their hard-angled bodies pressing against mine. Their faces were a blur around me as I danced, a blur of broad smiles and beautiful eyes. A blur most of all of a fierce, determined love that knit the five of us together.

  I wasn’t broken.