Charity Received (17 page)

Kash placed a light kiss on the top of Charity’s head, but she barely acknowledged the action. Rubbing his cheek into her hair, he continued to caress her arm though she was asleep. Something in the conversation with her friend had really upset her, but he’d been afraid to ask what. There were still many things they would have to come to an understanding about, and there was still a chance she could turn away from him. Not that Kash was just going to let her walk away. He’d fight for his mate with his last dying breath.

“Did you catch any of that conversation?” Zeke asked, eyeing Kash in the rearview mirror.

“Not really. Makes me wish I could do something other than make fire.”

“She’s hiding something.”

“What makes you say that?” Kash forced his muscles not to tense. Though he had suspected there was something his mate was keeping from him, he’d really hoped it had just been his imagination.

“Her aura at her cousin’s. It was streaked with brownish blues and greens.”

“Which means?”

“She’s worried about something, and she’s not telling us the complete truth. Also something odd—she now has streaks of silver in her aura.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

Zeke glanced back at Kash and shrugged. “Don’t know for sure. I’ve seen it before, usually in humans who are pregnant.”

Kash sucked in a shuddering breath, tightening his arm around Charity as Zeke’s words hit him. “You know that’s not possible for us,” he stated, his voice turning frigid, “and you saw how she reacted when another male touched her. How could my mate be pregnant?”

“I didn’t say she was, Kash,” Zeke said, mimicking his hard tone.

Kash nodded, glancing out the window. Charity was right: they barely knew each other. And while his soul didn’t feel complete without her by his side, there was still much they would have to do to dispel their insecurities and confusion. What would he do if Zeke was correct, and while they had been apart, Charity had turned to another male? Kash wasn’t sure it was something he could live with.

Charity waited for Kash to slide the wooden door closed, a variety of scents tickling her nose. His presence was predominant, but she also caught Arak’s and Zeke’s, plus two males whose aroma she didn’t recognize. Then there were the female essences that lingered faintly. Hope’s filled her with a twinge of regret. She’d almost lost a friend because of a misunderstanding. The other female’s scent, though… Who was she? And why was her scent here?

Kash flicked on the light, and Charity took in her surroundings. Before, she had escaped like a thief in the night. Now she took the time to become acquainted with Kash’s space. While her human half wasn’t certain she would still be here once he learned the truth, her wolf was prepared to mark her territory just like she’d marked her mate.

The area was circular and constructed of solid stone. In the center resided a large pit that appeared to get little use. A series of workbenches lined half the room, and tools were mounted against the wall above them. On one section rested a steel helmet, clearly sized for a human. The design tickled her memory, but she couldn’t place it.

She ran a hand from the pointed top of the smooth steel to the lower extension that sported what appeared to be vampire teeth. The workmanship was flawless, the craftsman obviously an expert. A lot of care had gone into the making of the piece.

“Did you do this?” Charity glanced at Kash to find him standing on the other side of the room, watching her carefully. “It’s quite good.”

His reluctance to speak was a tangible thing, and Charity searched her mind for a reason. She studied the helmet more closely, trying to recall where she’d seen it, when it hit her. Every time she’d stepped into Hope’s office, it had been right there, hanging on the wall.

“It’s from Hope’s newest book, isn’t it?” she asked quietly.

“Yes.”

His voice was laced with uncertainty, and Charity moved to stand in front of him.

“It’s okay to mention her name,” she said, smiling. His eyes searched hers, looking for the truth in her words. “She is my friend too, you know.”

Kash curled an arm around her waist, a trace of humor lurking in his pale blue depths. “And your friend is so hung up on Zeke, she can’t see straight.”

Charity remembered the night she’d been attacked by the wolf and the wounded look Hope had graced her with before she’d left with Arak. Had that been only a little over a week ago?

“I thought my wolf was confused by the emotions I was sensing.” She buried her face in Kash’s neck, forcing her way deeper into his embrace and the comfort his arms provided.

Kash chuckled softly in her ear. “No. You were right on the mark. With both of them.”

Yes. Zeke had tried to deny the connection he felt toward Hope. Interesting.

“Let’s go up to our quarters. We have much to discuss, and I’d like to do it where we won’t be interrupted. And then, I want to lie with you in our bed, to hold you in my arms.”

Kash pulled free from her grip and entwined their fingers as he led her to the alcove on the other side of the room that housed the staircase. Charity faltered as she glanced up the winding stone steps. She wasn’t certain how she would react if she scented another female’s presence where Kash slept. The last time she’d been up those steps, she’d been too out of it to notice.

As if sensing the reason for her reluctance, Kash made a tsk-tsking sound with his tongue. “Oh chérie, no other female has ever been past my forge.”

“Never?” Charity found that hard to believe. She wasn’t naive enough to think there had been no other women before her.

“I will not lie to you and say I have lain with no others,” he whispered, returning his hand to her cheek. “I have been on this earth a very long time. But never in my private quarters. Even Penny has never been above.”

“Penny?” she asked, having never heard the name before. Was this the unknown female she’d smelled?

“Has Faith never mentioned our sister? She used to share quarters over the guardhouse, but now occupies a room in the main residence.”

Charity shook her head. Faith had actually spoken very little of those who resided within the great fortress, and had certainly never mentioned there was a sister to go with all the brothers. Were they really all even related?

Kash sighed. “Then I guess I have much to tell you. Even more than I first suspected.”

“Anytime you’re ready.”

Kash snickered at her exasperated tone. “Soon, chérie…soon, I promise.”

He entwined their fingers again and led her up the stairs. Charity barely caught a glimpse of the second floor, spotting a flat-panel TV mounted on a wall with a tan leather couch before it and what appeared to be a kitchen area on the far end, as Kash continued to climb the stairs. He paused when they reached the top, moving only slightly to pull her next to him.

The room was not much different than the first and second floors. It had the same stone walls, only these were partially covered by a set of tapestries that seemed to depict a story. The first was of an angel falling to Earth, his face lined with anguish.

The second showed a horrible battle centered on two large males, struggling in combat. The third was the strangest of the scenes—only the turbulent waters of the open sea. The fourth was another battle scene, only this time Charity thought it might be of a Templar knight. And the fifth showed a blacksmith in what might have been an average day in a medieval castle. As Charity inspected them, she noticed one seemed to be missing. There were lines upon the stone where one had rested for quite some time.

“I’m having a new tapestry commissioned.” Kash wrapped both arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“You are?”

“Yes. Imagine a forest…one similar to that surrounding the abbey.” Charity closed her eyes as Kash’s voice wove a spell around her. “Amid the trees, a majestic red wolf hunts her prey. And by her side walks a simple man…her mate.”

Charity’s eyes flew open, and she turned to face him. “It sounds beautiful.”

“It will be.”

Kash released her slowly and backed away, stopping only when the backs of his knees butted the bed. He glanced up, and she realized the massive wooden structure had been moved to the center of the room, under a section of the ceiling that was now open, revealing a thick pane of glass. Kash sat on the edge and pointed up.

“There are hatches in each floor to let smoke escape from the pit in my forge. Before we became completely self-sufficient, I was forced to use the pit so the humans living with us didn’t notice our differences. Now it only gets used when I’m feeling terribly nostalgic.” He lay back and propped his hands behind his head as he stared up into the starry sky. “I would lie here, looking up into the sky, and wish you were beside me.”

He centered his gaze on her, so full of longing that Charity felt her feet moving forward of their own accord. Kash held a hand out to her, and she grasped it, allowing him to guide her onto the bed before dragging her into his arms. With her head resting on his chest, the beat of his heart drew her in, making her feel safe.

They were quiet for some time, their bodies becoming reacquainted with each other.

Charity wished she could just forget all that stood between them. Her wolf certainly didn’t think any of it mattered. She had already curled into a ball, content and ready for sleep to consume her. But Charity needed to tell him of her parentage before she could truly feel she was safe. And at home. She was eager to discover what those words meant.

She drew small circles on his chest, hoping to ease the tension she felt growing there. And when that didn’t work, Charity rested her head on his sternum and whispered his name.

“Earlier you asked what I am. Look around, chérie, and see my life.”

Confused, Charity stared at him a moment before moving her gaze to his gesturing hand. He was pointing to the tapestries. Charity rose from the bed and stood before the first one, and that was when she realized it was her mate, falling from Heaven.

His hair was much longer, almost to his waist, but it was definitely Kash.

“Are you saying you are an angel?” But even as the words left her mouth, she knew it was more than that. She turned back to the bed where Kash was lying, watching her warily.

“Have you ever heard of the Grigori?” he asked quietly. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed but remained seated, studying her face.

Charity glanced away, the pain in those baby blues too difficult to bear. “Fallen angels, right? They were punished for taking wives and having children.” When Kash didn’t respond, she looked and found his eyes widened in surprise. “Prue. She loves biblical mythology.”

“It’s only mythology if it isn’t true,” he said. Kash leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and looked down at the floor.

His obvious discomfort had her saying, “We can do this some other time. It’s not important.”

Kash jerked his head up. “No. You deserve to know the truth. And I would prefer to get it all out at once.” He swallowed visibly and ran a hand over his face. “We were not cursed for taking wives. No. Lucifer tricked us into sacking Athens. We wiped out an entire civilization. For that, we were punished.”

Charity stood immobile for a moment, her mind trying to wrap around what Kash had said. But out of it all, only one thing seemed to stick. “You were married?”

He joined her in front of the tapestry and cupped her face. “I did join the Grigori with the intention of taking a mate. I just never found her—until now.”

Charity leaned into him and rested her cheek against his chest. “What happened to the others—the wives and children?”

“Lost. Drowned when our home sank.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered as a tear slowly slid down her cheek, unnoticed until Kash brushed it away with his thumb. “So the others…Zeke, Bale, Arak…they all lost wives?”

“Arak’s mate was a Grigori. Bale’s, a human. Both were killed. As far as I know, Zeke had no one.”

Charity knew Kash was wrong about that. Zeke had lost someone. Of that she was certain. He’d understood her pain entirely too well. She pushed out of his arms, smiling sadly at him. “Well, shit. An angel, huh?”

“Fallen angel,” he amended, the corners of his lips turning up.

“And here I thought
my
pedigree was messed up.” Charity wiped the tears from her eyes, then glanced around the room, looking for the object that would help explain everything.

“What does that mean?”

“Where is my sword?” Now that she knew who Kash was, knew how long he had roamed the earth, that he had taken the sword was not such a big surprise. More than likely, he’d known exactly what it was and the damage it could cause.

He studied her a moment, and for just a second Charity thought Tempy might have been wrong. Then Kash crossed the room, and from the large wardrobe, he drew open the bottom drawer. He bent to retrieve something, and when he turned, she saw in his hands the box containing the sword she had inherited.

He set it on the bed, protesting when Charity removed it from the velvet lining. “Do you have any idea what the hell that is?” He jumped back as she swung the sword in an arc. “It is not a toy, Charity.”

Pausing with the blade raised high in the air, she gave him a feral smile. “Of course I know what it is. It is Bladhm Claíomh de Fírinne. Flame of Truth. Demon slayer.

Bane of Lucifer. Take your pick.” Charity angled the sword, studying the metal glow in the moonlight filtering down from the window above. She drew the edge slowly across her arm, watching as it sliced her skin open, and blood pooled over the wound.

With a flurry of curses, Kash grabbed her arm. “What have you done?”

Charity met his wide, frightened gaze. Yes. He knew exactly what the sword did and feared she would perish like the many who had already fallen under its merciless power. “Because of the pact the angel Ariel made with Eochaid Ollathair, as his direct descendant, it cannot harm me. And because my venom now runs through your veins, you are safe from its curse also.” Charity carefully returned the sword to the lined case and shut the lid.