Her Black Heart (The Dark Amulet Series Book 2) (15 page)

CHAPTER

FORTY-ONE

Julia

Julia pulled at the clawed hand holding her jaw. The fingers wouldn’t budge. They were like a vise. The more she fought to break free, the tighter the grip and the further the nails dug into the flesh of her cheeks.

“You will kill the angel, Ra’zael. And my master may let you keep the amulet.” His gray-yellow eyes bored into hers. Something hid beneath the surface of this beast’s demonic appearance. Of the three demons she’d met, all of them possessed eyes that didn’t match their exterior, even Abaddon’s. She wondered if there were any actual natives of Hell. Julia conjured a wad of spit and let it fly. The demon flinched and his other hand came up and grabbed her throat.

Tears welled in her eyes. “P-Please,” she begged with only a whisper. Her arms slackened as her energy dwindled. Julia knew she was technically dead, but somehow this didn’t matter. Was it possible to die again? What exactly
was
she?

The goat snorted. “Are you afraid of me now?” He eased his hold on her windpipe. She gasped and tried to shake her head, except he only readjusted his grip. Julia could feel the bruises which had already formed around her neck.

Her focus wavered in and out.

“Are you afraid? Or should I teach you a lesson?” Saliva splattered her face while he spoke. She nodded, hating herself for being weak. “Good. Pretty things in Netherworld tarnish—”

“Jeremiah!” Raz shouted.

Julia dropped to her knees then onto her side, one wing trapped under her shoulder. She wheezed and coughed, writhing on the floor. Her blurred vision made it impossible to see anything further away than a few inches, but she heard the clamor of cloven hooves scrapping across the rubber tile loudly in her ears.

Julia screamed as the ram-goat’s head tumbled past her field of vision. A trail of blood streaked the floor. The horned head settled with a wet sounding stomach-churning thud against the far wall. The body fish-flopped next to her. She bolted upright and scooted backward away from the flailing hooves. Her back leaned against the inside of the bathroom door. Red bodily fluid spray-painted the walls. The scent of pennies flooded her nose and Julia gagged. “Raz…what the…”

He faced her, fire flared in his eyes, his hands curled into tight balls. The angel retrieved the head and snapped the horns off.
Crunch. Crunch.

Julia gagged again.

“Come on. Quit dry heaving,” Raz said and turned on the faucet. He took his shirt off, tossing it on the rubber floor. Under normal circumstances she would be checking out his six pack, but nothing about
any
of this had been normal. The angel washed his hands, chest, and face. He checked his slightly bruised cheeks in the mirror then went into a stall. His urine splashed inside the toilet.

“Seriously? You’re peeing right now? You’re actually peeing? Figures.” She shimmied up the door and stepped toward the sinks.

He emerged from the stall with a clean shirt and without another word, he exited the bathroom. Julia wasn’t sure she wanted to know where the new shirt came from. Standing at the sinks washing her hands and face, she avoided looking at the headless demon. She pivoted to leave. Her shoes slipped on the blood with each stride. Clutching the door handle, she exited the bathroom and wiped her sneakers on the dark carpet outside.

“Uhhh, yuk,” she breathed
.
Raz was waiting for her at the door between cars.

“You’re just going to leave the body for someone to find?” she asked, jogging to catch up to him in the narrow passageway. He grunted. “What’s with the horns?”

“They’re not horns.”

She snort-laughed. “Okaaay. Look like horns to me.”

“They’re not.”

“Oh. Then what are they?”

“Jeremiah’s wings.”

“That thing had a name?”

“Has. He’s not dead.”

“Huh? You…”

Took his head off.

They headed to the opposite end of the train from where they originally sat. The Quiet car was deserted. They took a seat in the last row at the back of the train. Julia had so many questions her mind was spinning in circles. Raz folded his arms and leaned his head back against the headrest. She gaped at his profile. She couldn’t believe he’d left that goat demon for anyone to find.

“We should get off this train.”

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Why?”

“
Duh.
Because you left a goat demon headless in the bathroom.”

“It’s fine. It’s taken care of.”

“By who, some magical force I don’t know about?”

“Yep. Forget about it, all right?”

“Where did you get the clean shirt?”

“I had it,” he grumbled.

“Where? In your magical back pocket?”

He glared at her out of the corners of his eye.

Julia wanted to slap him. It never occurred to her until this moment that he could possibly be hiding things from her. What else had he been less than forthcoming about?

“Who was that white-haired angel and how did he get on and off the train?”

Raz shrugged.

“Don’t give me that I-dunno shoulder shrug. Who was he?”

“An angel.”

“No shit. What was that fight all about?”

Raz sighed and looked at the ceiling. “If you must know, I dishonored him, and that was payback. I’m not discussing this any further.”

She sneered as she mocked him. “I’m not discussing this any further.”

“Knock it off.”

Julia plucked one of his feathers. He grabbed her wrist and removed the plume from her hand. “Believe it or not, that hurts.” He pulled out one of her black feathers.

“Ooouch. You asshole!” She punched his thigh.

“See?”

“Ooooo, I hate you.”

“That makes two of us.”

She twisted in her seat to face him. “What?”

“Never mind.” He flopped his head back again.

Her head cocked to the side while she regarded him. “What happened to you?”

“Don’t psychoanalyze me.”

“I’m not. I…never mind, you’re right. I’m totally not in a position to judge. You ever feel like a monster?”

He lifted his head and looked at her. “Every day.”

She sighed. “Me too.”

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

Ra’zael

Julia yawned then shut her eyes, reclining the seat. They were a pair, weren’t they? Two monsters side-by-side. On a train. Headed for disaster. Or redemption. Whichever came first. Raz still didn’t trust her. Jeremiah hadn’t entered this realm without help from Abaddon, the Supreme Demon’s little bitch-boy. The reason why wasn’t hard to figure out. Julia had summoned his master. But why? Raz needed to find out.

Julia exhaled softly, the sound so feminine and sexy, he hardened instantly. Her long, more strawberry than blonde hair was fanned over her breasts. He studied her features. She had a light sprinkle of freckles across her cheeks and nose. Her eyebrows were a couple of shades darker than her hair.

So beautiful.

The seats in front of them were rear facing, allowing him and his wings enough room to kneel at her feet. He placed his hands on her thighs.

She gasped, “Hey.”

“Shh, it’s just me.”

What am I doing?

Rationally, he knew this was the worst idea, but he’d never been the rational type. Why start now? Impulsive was how Deus described him. The tension in her body eased. She’d changed clothes and now wore dark gray leggings of some sort, and a sweatshirt the back had been cut out of for her wings. He wondered if Abaddon had paid for the clothes as well. He slid his hand up the inside of her thigh, cupping the center of her through the thin layers.

Julia moaned. She placed a hand over the back of his. He let her. He massaged the bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. Her lips parted, another gasp escaping her mouth. The urge to yank her pants down overtook his mind.

He wanted at her sensitive flesh. She must have been thinking the same thing, because when he curled his fingers around the waistband of her pants, she lifted her bottom. He pushed her leggings and panties down to her ankles and split her knees far apart. His hands reached behind her and scooted her forward. “Keep your hands on the armrests.” He dipped his head down. The first taste of honey made his whole body shudder.

Oh, Deus.
He pressed two fingers inside her.

“Oh, yes,” she whispered. Her teeth clamped down on her lower lip.

“You like that?”

“Hmm mmm…don’t stop.” She trembled with each flick of his tongue, each suckling kiss. The warm, slippery walls pulsed around his fingers, drenching him. He undid the fly of his jeans and released his erection.

Her eyes popped open. “What are you doing?”

Her voice sounded edgy. If he wasn’t so wrapped up in the moment, he might have listened for the underlying meaning in her tone.

“What’s it look like?” he drawled breathlessly.

“Sex? I’m ready.”

“We’ll have to be quiet,” he told her. Raz pulled her hips off the cushion while he stooped over her. He guided himself into her channel with one hand and held her hips up with the other. There was a slight resistance and she was even tighter than he had fantasized. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pushed in all the way with a groan. A surge of pleasure washed through him like a tidal wave. There was no stopping the tropical storm. With both hands holding her hips, he glided in and out, the strokes becoming harder and faster with the growing intensity of his ragged breaths.

Julia white-knuckled the armrests, her face strained. “Ohgod. Ohgod,” she said in short bursts. He briefly wondered if he was hurting her, but then again, she told him she was ready for him. The intercourse was consensual. So why did he feel like a monster?

What are you doing
?
echoed inside his brain.

He should stop, pull out. Yes. He slowed his pace and she pleaded, “Don’t stop. Finish.” Those three words were all it took. An orgasm blasted through him.

Raz rested his forehead on the top of the seat. They remained joined until he was able to control his breathing. He eased back and stood fully to fasten his pants. She suddenly looked so small to him. He outweighed her by at least seventy-five pounds or more in muscle. And he had a suspicion he’d just taken her virginity. Even though their previous sexual encounters led him to believe she was otherwise
not
a virgin.

Wonderful
.

He shook his head.

“What’s the matter, did I do something wrong?” Julia asked tentatively.

“No,” he said and sat down across from her.

“Are you sure?” She pulled her pants up.

A long sigh pushed past his lips. “Was that your first time…I mean, going all the way?”

“Will I get pregnant?”

“Female angels have to be formally mated and gone through the ritual or be sanctioned for procreation.”

“You told me earlier that that was the reason you didn’t want sex. You lied, didn’t you?”

“To be honest—”

“Are you?”

“Let me finish. To be honest, I’m not sure if you’re an angel or not. If you’re an Ephemeral Spirit, like I think, you can’t get pregnant. Or you were an ES until you grew wings. Maybe still are. In any case, you can’t conceive.”

“What’s an ES?”

“A soul that temporarily exists as neither alive nor dead. It’s like a form of purgatory. Except on Earth.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I don’t know all that much about it,” Raz explained. “Basically you exist but you haven’t completely earned a place in Netherworld or Arcadia.”

“So you mean I’m stuck. That sucks. What about my wings?”

“Manifestation of Abaddon’s poison. The feathers are a good sign though.”

“Who would know more about my
condition
?”

“An angel named Virgil. We already ran into him at Bryant’s apartment building.” Her brows knitted together like she wanted to ask more questions. “You never answered my question. Were you a virgin?”

She blushed for the first time. “Yeah, sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” he smirked. “I am surprised, you were all…”

Julia smiled. “All talk?”

He leaned forward and ran his hands through his dark hair. “Oh, Julia, what am I going to do with you? You’re killing me.”