Destiny Strikes (17 page)

Suddenly he was covering her, his hand wrapped around her neck.

Instead, she lost her breath, gasping with a surge of such incredible pleasure that her lashes closed in some stupid form of submission.

What had she gotten into?

She would hate herself later, she decided. Maybe in a month.

Maybe never. Wouldn’t that be something?

For now, she wasn’t going to do anything to dull or take away from the incredible eroticism of his domination, no matter how divided her feelings. Every shiver pushed her desire higher. The hand not restraining her to the wall slid down to her abdomen. Nudging her legs further apart, the hard crest of his cock pressed against the swollen folds of her pussy. Her juices had her so slick, so ready for him that when he pressed against the entrance, the tip of his cock wedged easily inside.

Fallon’s back arched, a cry tearing from her lips as the first heavy thrust buried simply a few inches of his shaft inside her. Steamy water bathed them, only marginally blocked by his broad back. It heated the cubical further, steaming the glass door, creating a moist heat that heightened the feeling of oneness.

Pulling back, he gave her only a second to draw another breath before he was plunging inside her again, then again. Four heavy thrusts before he lodged fully inside her, stretching her, sending sharp spasms of incredible pleasure piercing each nerve ending inside her pussy.

Her finger curled against the walls tile, the cream-colored ceramic smooth and warm against her palms. Behind her, Travis seemed to grow only stronger and hotter. Buried inside her, his cock pounded against her vagina and her mind clouded over with the need to peak.

She was crying his name, begging, and she had no idea what she was begging for until he began moving.

His fingers tightened at her hip as he planted his other hand beside her head as he began thrusting fiercely inside her.

She was crying out his name, her pussy clenching on each quick thrust, desperate to hold him inside her. The iron-hard width stretched her until each thrust exerted just enough pressure to her swollen clit to drive her insane.

“Travis, please. Damn you. Let me come,” she gritted out, feeling his kisses linger along her temple down to her cheek. A rumbling growl vibrated against her back and at her ear.

His hips pounded against her ass, his cock shuttling hard, and deep, caressing and stroking the over-sensitized flesh of her pussy until she thought she would go mad with the sensations tearing through her.

Please,” she moaned against his bicep, feeling the muscle flex beneath her lips, “Please, don’t stop. Please, don’t.” She almost whimpered in submission.

The blasted man only growled again in response. However, the pace increased. Pistoling flesh shafted inside her faster, harder, stroking, burning through flesh as her delicate tissues clenched and tightened around each thrust until she felt that inferno building inside her reaching critical mass.

Helpless, no longer needing restraint, the hand gripping hers slid between her thighs, finding the swollen bud of her clit with the callused tips of his fingers.

That simple touch shattered her. It began with a rapid-fire implosion that stole her breath. Ecstasy crashed in upon her.

Lightning struck at her clit, speared into her pussy, and then gathered force to clench at her womb. Her sight blurred to nothing but the luminescent brilliance of his light as the fiery explosions of reaching the pinnacle.

Pressing her body into the wall, Fallon realized she’d never felt this drained, even at her worst.

If she was going to prove to Michael–and herself-that she wasn’t ruled by emotions, she couldn’t let Travis continue to breach the wall she’d built around heart since she arrived in North Carolina.

Why did her life have to be so murky?

“Why is it I’m seeing a pattern with you? You shut down on me just when I think I’m beginning to understand you?” Travis asked while purposely crowding her again.

She wasn’t going to be drawn into another bout of sexual one-upmanship.

“You initially mentioned two women,” she said, deliberately changing the subject, “and I presumed they were the only victims. Mind you, I haven’t been keeping up with the news lately.” A shiver slid down her spine. His narrow-eyed scrutiny made her feel awkward under the cooled spray. She refused to acknowledge what they just did. She moved the soap efficiently over her body lost in thought, then looked over on shoulder. “Can you describe the feather you found?”

His gaze locked on the movements of her hands as she soaped her stomach. “Long, purple, and black with scales instead of soft plumages.”

“And did you ever discover a time-line between murders with unexplained deaths and altered eyes?”

“Not really. Other than the four eight months ago and the two we found in the past week. Why?”

She handed Travis the body wash while she switched to the shampoo. “This situation is a lot more complicated than I believed. If I have to call my brothers in on this, I’ll never get to go home. All I’d have to do is press three on the SAT phone. Easy-peasy. That stupid storm had to come up when I had him. What was I thinking to let him go like that?” She rinsed her hair. Leaving the shower, she was drying off when Travis stormed out after her.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going this time of the night? You still haven’t explained what finding Dennis or the damn feather has to do with anything?”

He glared at her before his expression softened. “If you think for a moment that you are going to dismiss what happened in that bed less than an hour ago, or what just happened, you have another thing coming.” Fallon however did not like the sudden calculated look in his eyes. “Besides, how are you going to find him without me?”

Fallon stared into Travis’s beautiful neon-violet eyes just before he kissed her breathless. He was just as electric as she was. Then he set her down and paced. “Your original plan was to use me. Then do it, dammit. Now tell me what the fuck is going on.”

When a crooked smile appeared on his handsome face, she grew disgusted with how easily he’d capitalized on a single kiss. Her eyes drifted from his lip to points lower. God, he was still nude. The man’s body should be immortalized in stone.

Wanton thoughts had no place for the here and now, and the possessiveness that laced his words wasn’t something she wanted to address. That particular emotion was an inconvenience she never believed she’d have to deal with. She allowed a momentary power-down within her brain, overloaded by the seriousness of both developments.

“Look, I’m dealing with more than you can dream of,” she said. “What you may have believed was a psycho killer, well, handsome, it’s beginning to look like a shit storm of epic proportions.”

“Tell me what’s happening then and give us a chance to work it out.” Every muscle worked in concert as Travis dressed with quick efficiency.

She sat on the end of the bed, weighted down with all the things that seemed to be happening at once. “Until I know for sure what I believe is going on, just talking about it won’t change the outcome.”

“I need a drink,” she finally said. When Travis made a move to follow, she told him, “I’ll be back.”

She walked down the hall and returned with a bottle of whiskey from the study down the hall. Alcohol was an old faithful when everything else was so up in the air. Travis raised a brow when she returned.

Taking a swig, she said, “Parts of this story have to be verified by my boss, The Guardian. Won’t that be a bitch? Especially since I haven’t heard from him in over a month.”

“This person must be an asshole to leave you hanging.”

The low growl caused her to melt and glance around for lightning to strike.

“I don’t think you want to talk about the supreme Seraphim. He’s the big daddy who first challenged Fallen when they turned.”

“You’ve referred to the Seven before. Who are they?”

“The Seven that fell with Lucifer weren’t also easily banished to hell. So, who do you think took on the monumental feat of putting the bad guys in their place?”

The brown liquid swished around wildly as the bottle suddenly disappeared from her fingers.

“So if he’s such a big man, why is this happening and why do you work for him?” Travis demanded, holding the whiskey bottle out of reach.

Fallon scowled. The least he could do was give it back.

“To answer you, my job’s rather similar to yours. Except, my brothers and I police the winged beings. The Nephilim race has its own history books, and if that feather you found has anything to do with what’s going on in your life and mine, we’re all in big trouble.” Striding over and snatching her bottle back, she continued, “There are some Sortaneph and Seraphim that even I won’t go up against alone. The worst of the unholy walk a line even Lucifer won’t cross.”

“So do you think Dennis may be one of these evil beings?”

Finishing off half of the whiskey, she said, “Shit no, but right now I’m questioning many things. One main thought keeps popping up. What if his momma slept with the beast? Do I know what a Seraphim mongrel is fully capable of doing? No one’s dared to find out. Let’s just say, what he’s doing has a purpose, and we need to find out what that is.”

Things had changed between them, and Travis was not going to let Fallon forget it. She’d had one brief moment where she’d recognized the significance of their lovemaking but then without warning, she’d shut him out, lost in her own world. But at least she’d shared with him. Her story resembled one in the Angelic Bible Mrs. Bixby had mentioned. Some of what she’d said was confusing. Nonsense. But then again, the words strangely resonated with a bit of truth. If love and forgiveness can save the Earth, so shall it be in Heaven.

CHAPTER 31

With the windows down, humidity was at an all-time high for dusk hours. The way Fallon saw it, stagnant air wouldn’t have been an issue if she’d been able to take her own vehicle. Instead of hopping on her bike, Travis had suggested they ride together. The man seemed glued to her hip. So far, he didn’t try to fill the cab with idle chitchat. Fallon found a measure of peace in that.

She and Travis were heading to Dennis’s house to speak with the boy’s parents.

It was a start.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart raced thinking about what happened in bed and the shower. She’d never been that brazen. OK. So she’d watched a couple X-rated flicks. There was never a question and answer portion at the end of the video. Obviously, Travis figured she’d be game for a sharing session.

What was she supposed to say?

There were precious few times she had cried over the centuries, yet as soft country music poured from the radio, she fought the urge. So much had happened in one day and with fear added to the mix, she’d had one hellish cocktail.

Walking into this situation blind and not knowing what Dennis’s capabilities were, she would be a lamb to the slaughter. Not to forget, if she were called to action, would she destroy the whole town if she lost control? The man beside her probably loved some of the townspeople, affecting whatever she decided. The fact that she even cared enough about a man she barely knew to look out for his well-being was momentous, but she avoided what that meant. She stole another peek at him. She could only guess at what he would do if they found Dennis home. Would he let her carry out what would have to come next before it was too late?

“Don’t look at me like that.” Travis’s harsh demand startled her.

She’d been caught absently staring at him.

“I know what has to be done. This whole situation is screwed sideways. Excuse me if it’s going to take time.

Propping his elbow on the window seal, he scraped his forehead, while fisting the steering wheel. She was uncomfortable he hadn’t once turned. Face forward, he stared at the road visible beyond the headlights and occasional oncoming traffic.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back, sighing. Travis had chosen a profession that led him into difficult situations all the time. None of that would add up to what he would face this time.

Then he surprised her, wrapping his large paw over hers. “Look, as hard as it is thinking about what will happen to Dennis when we find him, you, better than anyone else, understand what discovering being other than human does to a person. Instead of all negatives, I’m seeing what I’ve gained. The most important thing is you. You’ve shattered my idea of never being able to connect with someone and opened the possibility of a family and kids, which I under no circumstances let myself believe I’d have with my condition. The downside was learning there were things out here beyond my realm of imagining, a race of people I now find myself associated with somehow. Quite literally searching for a kid I’ve known for years with the intent to kill him. Yeah, babe, I’ve got a lot to think about."

Travis’s expectations were a might far out for her taste. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she’d just had sex for the first time. To hear him talk about kids when she didn’t even know if she could have one was another concern entirely. That brought a new set of issues to the table and filled her with panic. Saved from the full effects of an anxiety attack, Travis turned into a gravel drive that led to a single-wide trailer.

He shut the engine off, turning to her. “Let me handle this part. I know this family and can probably get him to come with us if he’s in there. Do you mind waiting in the truck?”

She didn’t see the use in waiting. She knew what she was dealing with. Travis did not. She did not want to see him get hurt if Dennis decided he did not want to leave like a gentleman. She shook her head. “Here’s what I will do. I’ll stay out of your way until we know if he’s in there. No sense involving an innocent if he’s not. If there’s trouble, then I’ll step in. This kid will be a lot stronger than you think, and we don’t want more people hurt if he does decide to resist.”

“Okay, that’s a plan. Are you ready?”

They exited the truck at the same time, proceeding at a cautious pace to the house. After Travis delivered three forceful knocks, Fallon soon heard someone moving around.

Travis unsnapped and half-lifted his sidearm from its cradle, glancing at her before the door cracked open.

Yawning, the tall, but thin middle-age woman in a pink bathrobe and sleep-tousled hair darted her eyes over the two people on her doorstep. “Hello, Officer, what are you doing here at this time of the night? Andy’s not even home tonight, and it’s been a while since I needed the police to come out.”

Fallon sympathized with the mother’s naivety, so unaware her son was sucking her emotion dry. People tended to overlook sins of the ones they loved. Rafael would soon face justice himself, no matter how much her family wanted to believe otherwise. Tonight would be this woman’s wakeup call if her son were home. Travis eased his hand away from his weapon, tipping his head as if a wide brim hat were in place. “We’d like to have a moment of your time ma’am.”

Travis did not want to bring Fallon in on this. He’d originally felt she was just being stubborn, but he now grudgingly admitted she did have a point. He didn’t know what he was dealing with yet, so it would be a good idea to have her along, even if the thought putting her in danger did not sit well with him.

“I hate to trouble you this late, Mrs. O’Hara, but is Dennis home? We need to speak to him.” Travis squared his shoulders, keeping his voice firm and controlled.

“What’s this about?” she asked after a questionable glance at Fallon.

“Mrs. O’Hara, we’re looking into a few things that happened in town this week and suspect your son may know something that would aide us in our investigation.”

Interest, more than courtesy at this late hour, probably led her to remove the chain from the door. Mrs. O’Hara stepped back, motioning for them to come inside. Leaving them in the front hall, with an invitation to sit, she disappeared down a short hallway seeking her son.

Edgy, yet not wanting to alert Mrs. O’Hara, they took a seat on a marble embroidered sofa and waited.

She soon returned with a disconcerted frown. “I checked his room and he’s not here.”

Pulling her robe together tighter, she shuffled into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

“Don’t worry,” he answered, keeping his eyes on her. “We can wait awhile.”

Movements stiff, Mrs. O’Hara busied herself setting cups down and taking out cream and sugar as she told them. “I don’t see how Dennis could help. Although his life choices with school, friends, and partying have been off-kilter lately, he’s still a good boy.”

Turning back to them, her disapproval was evident in squinted lids. She appeared almost eager to vent, hissing. “My boy was a different child before that neighbor moved down the road. Filling my son’s head with talk about a father I can’t stomach thinking about to this day.”

Travis noted her anxiety, as she twisted the small diamond on her finger. “Although I didn’t do much better with his stepdad, Andy.” After a vigorous shake of her head, she continued. “I was so happy for Dennis. At least he was enjoying life and not here witnessing Andy and my fights.”

Covering her eyes with a visibly trembling hand and wrapping one arm around her middle, a hiccupped sob escaped her. Travis concluded from experience, when handling shame of any kind, people tended to block the listener out that way. Which made him wonder what she’d have hide from.

“Then one day, Andy and I were in the middle of a pretty nasty argument. Instead of leaving,” she hiccupped again, “Dennis had stood around as if he were enjoying it. An evil smile similar to that of his biological father twisted his face.” She coughed into her fist, clearing her throat. “Ever since that day, I started getting ill. That’s one of the reasons Andy’s not here now. I’ve just been so tired lately. I have an appointment with our family physician next week. I hope I’m not becoming anemic.”

She fell silent after that, looking miserable.

Travis took in her drawn appearance. There were obvious signs of strain in the effort it took to lift the coffee pot with two hands instead of one. The sound of her slippers dragging across the linoleum as she moved around the kitchen spoke of an unkempt floor. Every action, down to filling her cup, went sluggishly. If Dennis had played any part in his mother’s current condition, he probably was far too gone.

“Thank you for that information.” Taking into consideration Mrs. O’Hara’s haggard appearance, he said, “People go through changes. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Do you have any idea where Dennis would be right now?” Travis asked gently. “We ran into him at the fundraiser for the church earlier this evening. When the storm came up, everyone headed out. Do you know any friends he could be with right now? It’s important that we speak with him tonight.”

“There are so many now.” She shook her head slowly and her stare remained distant before offering softly, “He could be anywhere. I can give you his cell number. Maybe you can reach him that way.”

Travis knew it would be a dead end. The young man would be smart enough to ditch the phone as soon as he heard anyone was looking for him. He would run.

“Thanks.” Travis pulled out his notebook and wrote the number down anyway. “One other thing before I go, Mrs. O’Hara. Please keep this visit quiet until we find him. I appreciate your help.”

Travis reached the door in two strides. Fallon passed him going down the steps to the truck. Mrs. O’Hara stopped Travis from following behind Fallon. “Travis, who is that woman you brought with you tonight? Is Dennis in trouble? Tell me what’s going on?” she pleaded, closing her housecoat tighter still and wrapping her arms around herself against the door.

“I apologize again for disturbing you at this late hour,” Travis said with true regret. “Fallon is my date. I was on my way to drop her off at her home when I thought of Dennis, and she agreed to make the stop with me. She lives over on the adjoining road. I appreciate you sharing despite my rudeness and her presence. I just didn’t want to leave her sitting in the car.” Travis hated himself for all the lies.

“She looks like someone,” Mrs. O’Hara said. “I . . . I just can’t place her.”

Travis gave an all-tooth grin and hoped to distract her. Things could get dicey if she placed Fallon with Rafael.

“She is beautiful, isn’t she?” he asked. “We could most definitely make some pretty babies, don’t you think?” He gave her a conspiratorial wink, as if it were their little secret.

Dennis’s mom gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder as he said, “If Dennis does make it back before we find him, will you give me a call? Here’s my cell number. It’s important that I speak with him. I just have a few questions for now.”

Travis joined Fallon in the truck. She glared at him, and he wondered if she’d overheard his conversation with the mother. If so, there’d be hell to pay.

Fallon’s fury overshadowed thoughts of intimacy. Travis backed out of driveway and heading in another direction than they arrived. Why did he have to keep talking about babies? The little creatures scared the crap out of her. Easing her clenched fists open, she focused on the fact she had bigger fish to fry. Travis would absorb anything she sent his way, so she would ignore his
 
beautiful babies
 
comment, for now.

“Travis, Dennis’s mom looked awful. This is the first time I’ve seen this kind of an effect on a human. Dennis has whittled down that poor woman to nothing. Rafael also has the ability to feed off peoples’ emotions, but I didn’t think he could pass it along. It’s not making sense.”

Travis reached over and grasped her hand before asking, “Did you detect anything different when you were near Dennis?”

“No, nothing.” Fallon confessed. “I have stores of energy on hand so it’s not essential for those of our kind to siphon more.”

“Distinguishing who’s who would be as if lightning could strike twice in same spot. Unpredictable. Take the night we met, for instance, I know it was you I sensed after what’d happened earlier, instead of the stray mongrel I’d believed at the time.”

Fallon squinted. The headlights from a car with it high beams on almost blinded her. When she looked at Travis, annoyance defined his handsome features.

“Okay, let’s review what we already know and see if we’re missing something,” Travis suggested. “First, your brother shows up, befriending Dennis. From what Dennis’s mother just told us, he was okay a few weeks ago. Then, if my math is correct, by the third week, the first body, discovered in a deserted area, turns up. Not even two weeks later, the second body ends up in a field with fifty or more people in attendance.”

Fallon turned in the seat, and as another car filled the cab of his truck with light, Travis scowled. “What has me confused is that if any sect of angel can control that many people, and cause the kind of chaos where a majority of partygoers end up in the hospital, with that kind of power, why would they choose now to start wreaking havoc?”

Fallon’s excitement burst forward as she reached across the bench seat to squeeze Travis’s arm.

“That’s the missing factor! What if people
are
a boost for Dennis and he somehow absorbed Raphael’s gift of empathy to feed on emotions. I’ve never encountered a mongrel with the capacity to accomplish a feat like it, but it’s not beyond the realm of impossible. If Dennis is the result of an evolution in the mongrel chain, what breed is he?”

She had to find the little bastard to get some answers. She’d hogtie him, wrap a ban of electricity around his body, and he’d tell her everything, especially, his father’s name.

“That may explain why Dennis’s mother’s appearance was so disturbing.” Travis interrupted her train of thought. “Yet, it does not explain why the victim’s eyes changed color after death. You still haven’t clued me in on that theory.”

“As we’ve discussed, I think it has to do with bloodlines. Take your eye color, for instance. They are a dark purple, and as close to any angelic source as one can get. Then there are the human-Nephilim survivors in time of Noah, after the flood. They went into hiding to escape the Creator’s notice.”