Desiring A Demon (Archangels) (9 page)

“Cute. Should I pat you on the head now and feed you a biscuit?”

“You calling me a bitch?”

He grinned
,
and she almost melted.

“I would say if the shoe fits, but somehow I don’t think I have your undying loyalty.”

That did piss her off. She pushed away from him and left the kitchen. As expected, he followed.

“Go away, Rafe. Why don’t you take a flying leap?”

He chuckled. “I’ll bet you say that to all your boyfriends, and seeing as how I actually could…”

She spun around and he almost ran into her. “Is that what you are? My boyfriend?”

He stared at her for a moment as her heart raced and everything in her cried out for acknowledgment. She was almost afraid to hear his answer.

Finally, he cupped her face with both hands and gave her a gentle kiss before replying. “You’re a hell of a lot more to me than the human concept of girlfriend. I don’t know where this is going, Asta, but I don’t plan to let you go without a fight. You can call me boyfriend. You can call me lover. Hell, you can call me that asshole who follows you around like a puppy. I don’t care. Just know, I’m here for you, baby. No matter what.”

Her heart nearly stopped.

The next kiss seemed to go on forever but he pulled back
,
and it wasn’t enough. She grabbed his head and brought him back down the scant inches she needed to reach his mouth. He chuckled until her lips pressed against his and she slipped her tongue through them. Then neither of them laughed nor spoke.

This time
,
he carried her to his bedroom and the enormity of that action wasn’t lost on her. The cool sheets were navy blue, the bed frame hand-carved mesquite. Everything else was lost to her as Rafe filled her sight and her thoughts for the next hour. He made love to her slowly and drove her completely crazy, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she lay panting and covered with a fine sheen of moisture, he released a contented sigh and stretched out beside her. She was sated in more ways than ever before in her life. Her body tingled in ecstasy, her soul was at ease, and the demon voices that always whispered in her mind were silent. Peace stole through her as each muscle relaxed and her skin slowly cooled.

“I guess we are going to spend the whole day in bed,” she whispered.

Rafe ran a warm palm over her naked hip and up to the side of her breast. The tip of his thumb barely brushed her nipple, making it harden once again into a fine point.

“You won’t hear me complain,” he said. “So long as you stay naked.”

She smiled weakly. “Don’t I need to talk to your brothers?”

He sighed and his amusement seemed to fade away. “Yes, you do. Feel up to it?”

“I guess. Why don’t you call them over
,
and I’ll get some cookies in the oven.”

He chuckled and kissed her again. “Definitely a good idea. Mike can’t stay grumpy in the face of your cookies.”

Luckily
,
that proved to be true. She set a platter of both cookies and brownies on the coffee table before sitting on the floor near the fireplace. The men took up the sofa, with angels she didn’t know standing behind them.

“Asta, you met Sebastian,” Rafe said as he pointed at the man. “Beside him are his brothers Nathaniel and Ezequiel.”

“Hello,” she said.

They both nodded and accepted a cookie from the platter Cam was now holding.

“So, tell us what you remember,” Mike said. “It’s best if you tell us everything. You’re under Rafe’s protection, which means you’re under ours
,
too.”

She looked at Rafe for confirmation
,
and he nodded in encouragement. After a deep breath
,
she started with the hardest part to confess but found herself holding some back
.

“I’ve been having terrible headaches and other pains. I don’t know why it’s happening or what started it. So I thought maybe I could find another half
-
demon like me who might know. I went out and started asking around, using my demon influence to find others. But it just led me to corrupt humans. They kept telling me about a guy who was really evil and liked to talk about demons like he knew what he was talking about. I ended up at an empty warehouse downtown.

“It was Forge they were telling me about, but I didn’t know it at first. He looked completely human…but he’s not. He’s half like me, but really powerful. His essence is much more demon than human
,
and he has powers like a higher-level demon. I don’t know what he did to me.”

They all looked at each other and she guessed a telepathic conversation was going on, but Rafe’s encouraging gaze never wavered.

“So, he never told you what he wanted?” Mike asked.

“No. He asked what I wanted, and when I said answers he laughed at me.”

They seemed to talk that over for a minute before Mike stood. “Well, I guess that’s that.”

“Can you show us which warehouse?” Sel asked. “Maybe there’s still a portal there.”

“Not tonight,” Rafe said.

“We should look while it’s still fresh. Too many days have already passed,” Sebastian said.

“But she’s tired and has been through a lot.”

“No, Rafe, it’s okay. I should show you while I remember and there’s still a chance he might be there.”

As everyone prepared to leave, Rafe scowled
.
“All right. But stay close to me, okay?”

“I will.”

They drove to the warehouse district. They had to walk a few blocks before she found the right building.

“This is it.”

Rafe sighed in disappointment.

“What?” she asked.

“This is the same building we encountered him at before. We already know about this portal.”

“Oh. Well shit.”

He chuckled and kissed her on the mouth in front of everyone. Shock ran through her but no one else seemed to notice or care. They were too busy looking around at the other buildings nearby.

“We’ll still search the area again. He’s been here more than once so maybe it has some kind of significance to him.”

“Maybe.”

She walked a few paces away from him and started looking around, though she had no idea what she was looking for. Did evil guys leave traces on the ground? Maybe there was a piece of paper with a map to his lair? She snorted a laugh at herself and shook her head. If only.

Rafe was less than ten feet away, also looking around for a clue. She was about to take a step in his direction when heat flared up her side.

“What the—”

She spun to find Forge standing right beside her.

“Miss me?” he asked as he grabbed her arm.

“Let go!”

“Asta.” Rafe ran toward her as Forge pulled out a large knife and held it to her throat.

“You got her back for a few hours. That was me being nice,” Forge said. “Now you call off the dogs
,
and I’ll give her back in one piece.”

“What the fuck do you want with me?” Asta asked.

“You’re just a means to an end, sweetheart.”

“Release her or I’ll rip you to shreds,” Rafe said through gritted teeth.

All of the angels appeared in shining armor and held large flaming swords. Asta held onto Forge’s arm to keep the knife from slicing her throat. His other hand held her by the hair but she barely felt the pain. All of her concentration was on his very large blade.

“You see, I have a problem with all of you searching the city for me. It’s bad for business. You’re frightening away my customers. So, you leave me alone
,
and I’ll leave her in one piece. Agreed?”

“We don’t make deals with the damned,” Mike said. “Release her now
,
and we’ll show some leniency.”

“Hmm. Doesn’t sound promising.”

He yanked on Asta’s hair
,
and she involuntarily cried out in pain. Rafe growled and stepped closer.

“Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you,” Forge said.

Fire erupted in front of Asta’s feet and she screamed.

Forge laughed. “Looks like we’ll have to negotiate another time.” Then he pushed her forward into the flames. She stumbled toward the abyss and used all of her strength to jump over it instead of plunging through.

Chapter Eight

Rafe’s heart froze as his nightmare came to life. Asta surrounded by flames while he stood helpless. The triumphant grin on Forge’s face sent a surge of rage through him that bordered on true wrath. Pain lanced his head from such an evil emotion, but he ignored it and concentrated on saving Asta. He broke the paralysis and rushed forward, mindless of anything else, and she leaped into his outstretched arms.

“No!” Forge growled. He flung his open palm in Asta’s direction, as if throwing an invisible weapon
.
She gasped in pain and collapsed against Rafe. The portal winked out
,
and Forge pulled a gun from the back waistband of his pants. “Let’s find out if you fuckers are bulletproof.” He started shooting.

Chaos erupted. The angels sprang forward, most with their swords ready. A couple of them hung back to check on Asta.

“I’ve got her. I’ve got her
.
” Rafe frantically waved his brothers on while he held Asta’s unconscious body. He unfurled his wings and wrapped them securely around her to keep any stray bullets away. Little did Forge know, Archangels are bulletproof.

The sound of bullets hitting the sacred metal of their swords echoed all around them. Rafe glanced over his shoulder to see his brothers closing in on Forge, but the demon moved back as they closed the distance. The angels spread out to surround him when the rumble of motorcycles cut through the air.

“Ahh, here come reinforcements,” Forge said before taking aim at Mike’s head.

The bullet glanced right off and fell to the ground
,
whole and untouched.

Half a dozen humans on motorcycles arrived within seconds, every one of them with guns. They opened fire and the angels pulled back.

Time to go
, Mike said.

They leaped into the sky as one, the humans still shooting at them.

Rafe rushed home to take care of Asta. Forge had almost taken her with him. His pulse raced at the thought of losing her again, especially to the nether realms. He thanked the Source she had been able to jump over the portal
,
and her demon side had not succumbed to the pull of evil.

An hour later he watched her sleep, his gaze straying to her naked torso that was now completely reddened. Her black nipples enticed as much as they had when pink, but the change in her skin concerned him. This couldn’t be normal, even for a half-demon. Could it? What other changes would she go through? He still hadn’t confessed this to Mike. No one had been in the room when he’d pulled off her burned clothing to inspect her wounds. He’d lied and said she was fine, but the truth was he didn’t know. Perhaps the fire Forge created had caused her skin to change more?

She moaned and rolled closer to him. He smoothed a wrinkle in her brow with the tips of his fingers but she swatted his hand away. Then she rolled onto her back and growled low in her throat. A hint of fear crept in as she started to thrash around. He grasped her shoulders. Her back bowed and she cried out while the scent of sulfur filled the air.

“Asta. Asta.” He shook her lightly but she remained asleep, or at least unaware of him. Her skin heated until he had to pull his hands from her shoulders. They glowed red as burning coals.

Light smoke drifted from beneath her and he realized the sheets were burning. Not knowing what else to do, he grabbed her and ran for the bathroom. Holding her sent shards of pain shooting up from every point of contact, but he ignored it to gently set her in his tub. He crawled in with her and turned on the cold water, then held her as the tub slowly filled. She stopped flailing and leaned into him. Her cries of pain turned into whimpers that cut through him like a sword. He wasn’t the healer Zerach was but he could ease pain and suffering to some degree. He held her tight and let his powers flow through him, concentrating them over her entire body. Then he gasped as they bounced back and tore through him. She was immune to his powers this time
.

The urge to release her startled him. Pain ran through his body where her heated skin continued to burn him. The water helped
,
but it didn’t stop the fact that she was boiling from the inside out. Her eyes finally opened and were filled with agony. He wanted to howl in anger and aggravation that he couldn’t take it from her.

“Rafe?” she whispered.

“Asta, what do I do? What will stop this?”

She shook her head and whimpered again, then lifted her hands up. As they watched, her nails grew and blackened into short pointed claws. She cried out and curled her fingers into her palms. Blood ran where her claws cut into her skin, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Rafe shook her. “Asta. Asta stop. Open your hands.”

Confusion filled her gaze but after a moment she did as he said. Her palms were pierced and the blood continued to flow.

He turned off the water one-handed and reached for a washcloth. Then he gently cleaned her hands. The wounds were small enough for him to heal, and luckily his powers worked on her this time. He breathed a sigh of relief as the last one closed with no visible scarring.

Asta had gone quiet and unmoving, her eyes once again closed. He held her to his chest and ran his free hand over her back. The crimson stain now covered both arms to her wrists and down her torso to her knees. Her neck and face remained porcelain though slightly flushed from pain. As tremors ran through her body and she panted out her breaths, he looked up at the ceiling in fear and helplessness.

“If you give any kind of a damn about me and my brethren, then help me. Please. I’m begging for the sake of this innocent. Please, help me help her.”

He nearly stopped breathing as he waited in hopeful anticipation for a voice he hadn’t heard in centuries. What would it take for the Source to answer his summons once again? Long minutes slipped past as he held Asta’s cooling body. Anger slowly replaced anticipation. His control was slipping. The urge to curse the one being above all others nearly overwhelmed him, but he fought it with everything he had. That was one step he couldn’t allow himself to take. Questioning the Source was human nature, and something the Archangels had begun to do lately. But cursing their creator was forbidden and a sin for his kind that would not be forgiven.

It took nearly an hour for Asta’s body temperature to return to normal, or as normal as it got. She was always a little on the warm side. Rafe wrapped her in a towel and placed her on his bed
,
then dried himself and pulled on clothes. She’d made a few sounds but remained unconscious as he dried her off and dressed her in one of his shirts. Once she woke to find her body nearly completely red she’d freak. He hoped she didn’t try to bolt in nothing but his shirt.

He paced across his room and fought to keep his emotions in check. The connection to his brothers would tell them of his heightened emotions, but he hoped the events of the past few minutes remained hidden
.
He needed to talk to her before revealing anything to his brothers. And it was time to tell them something was happening with Asta. However, he’d give her fair warning first…and hope she didn’t try to run away.

…

Asta woke with a sense of dread and finality. There was no pain, but the memory of the episode in the bathtub was fresh in her mind. Expecting to hear all of the Archangels within the house, she lay quietly and listened for their voices. Would they try to kill her now, or simply kick her out? She held no illusion that Rafe would ignore this one. It had been a really bad one. Her palms were still sore. She lifted her hands to see her new claws. Charcoal black, they ended in tiny points that almost looked dainty. The memory of the first time she’d grown claws filled her mind. Those had only lasted a couple of minutes, but these didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Though her hands remained normal, the skin around her wrists was a vivid red that bled down her arms. This time fear didn’t fill her so much as acceptance.

Her demon half appeared to be taking over
,
and she had no idea how to stop it. But someone might know. Unfortunately, her search had led to a half-crazed half-demon with delusions of grandeur and an odd penchant for kidnapping her. Terrifying as the prospect was, she’d have to turn to the angels for answers. There was no other way.

One side of the bed dipped and she turned her head to find Rafe sitting there, watching her. Something in his gaze made her pulse race. Was it love or just concern? Whatever emotion he held was foreign to her. Lust she knew. But his expression said so much more. She had to look away.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

Her throat felt like it was filled with sand as she swallowed and tried to answer. He moved, and when she looked again, his hand curled around a glass of water. He slipped one arm beneath her shoulders and helped her sit up, then he held the glass to her lips. She sipped the cool water when what she really wanted to do was gulp it down. Unfortunately, her stomach nearly protested the small amount she’d taken in. He pulled the glass away from her mouth.

“Enough?”

She cleared her throat. “Yes. Thanks.”

He ran his fingers through her hair and watched her for a couple of minutes. Her tense muscles had begun to relax when he spoke. “Do you have any clue at all what might be happening to you?”

She shook her head. “Not really. But if I had to guess
,
I’d say I’m losing what humanity I have and going full
-
on demon.”

“I don’t think you’re actually losing your humanity.”

She huffed out a breath. “Then what else could it be? I’m starting to look like every human’s idea of a demon straight out of hell.”

He frowned and ran his fingers down one side of her face. “I don’t feel any evil coming from you. Sure
,
you’re beginning to look the part, but it seems only cosmetic. What was the catalyst?”

“I have no idea.”

“When did this start?”

She bit her lip as she thought it over. She hoped he wouldn’t be too angry at her answer. “Well…the red didn’t start until a couple of days ago. At least, not that I noticed. That’s when the pain…the
episodes,
where I breathe smoke and smell like shit, happened for the first time.”

His thick brows went up at that but he showed no other sign of surprise, or anger. “And is it always painful?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Hmm.”

“I know. Sucks to be me.”

His frown spoke of annoyance but he started running his fingers lightly through her hair again. His gentle touch was both soothing and encouraging. At least he hadn’t thrown her out of his house yet.

“I think we should talk to my brothers about this.”

She knocked his hand away and rolled off the bed, away from him. She was nearly at the door before he caught her around the waist. “Baby, wait.”

“I’m not your baby. Let go.”

“No. I’m not letting you run away in this condition. We need to figure this out before it gets any worse.”

She struggled against him but they both knew she was no match for his strength. His grip only tightened the more she tried to get loose.

“Let me go, Rafe.”

“Never.”

She released a whimper of frustration when she really wanted to howl. “How can you even stand to touch me when I look like this? I’m disgusting.”

“Not to me you’re not. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, Asta. Inside and out.”

The sincerity in his voice couldn’t be faked. She stopped struggling. He carried her back to bed. Instead of setting her down, he sat against the headboard and cradled her in his lap. She stared at his bare feet that appeared as strong as the rest of him. It was no wonder she was falling so hard. Even his damn feet turned her on.

“I’m not letting you run away from me,” he said, his warm breath ghosting across her forehead. “Especially since that psycho Forge tried to take you again. We’ll figure this out together. My brothers know I care for you. They won’t hurt you, Asta. You can trust us. All of us.”

There really wasn’t any point in arguing, even if she didn’t fully believe him.

“Maybe you should check out Cam’s library?” Though she hadn’t seen it, she’d heard about the massive library Cam kept in his home. It was said to rival Alexandria’s and occupied nearly every room of his large house. Cam only lived about an hour away
.

“There’s an idea,” he said. He kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll pay him a visit.”

She didn’t have to fake her groan. “I’ll stay here. I still feel like shit.”

Indecision warred with concern in his gaze. He looked her over and she hoped she looked as bad as she felt.

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”

“You strengthened your wards
,
and my episodes always happen a few days apart. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll wait until you’re feeling better.”

“And if something else happens by then?”

“You just said—”

“Geez, Rafe. I’m not a fucking baby.”

It took all her strength to push away from him, but this time he let her go. She rolled onto her stomach, faced away from him
,
and huffed out a breath in frustration.

He was silent. Then the bed moved as he stood and walked around to be in her line of sight again. “Fine. I’ll fly up there real quick and grab anything he thinks might hold some answers. I’ll be as vague as I can so he doesn’t freak out and call Mike. I should be back within the hour.”

“Fine.”

Guilt ate at her. He was trying so hard
,
and she was being a bitch. A frightened one, yeah, but still a bitch. “Hey.”

He squatted to her eye level. “What?”

His blue eyes held patience and caring, something she would miss dearly if he shunned her after figuring out what was happening to her. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his lightly, then pressed them together for a stronger kiss. He growled and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She sucked on it to take as much of his taste as she could get. Something she would hold onto in her memories for the rest of her life.