Her Dark Angel (10 page)

She looked away from the women pole dancing there, her cheeks blazing, and looked at Apollyon. She had expected to find him looking at the women, but his focus was on her, his blue gaze intent and instantly meeting hers.

“Do you want to leave?” He frowned and touched her cheek with his free hand, caressing it softly and soothing her nerves.

Shaking her head, she searched for her courage and a place where they would be noticed by Edward but not everyone else. She didn’t want Apollyon looking at the other women. It was childish of her, but she wanted him all to herself.

“We should leave.” He went to but she stopped him, holding his hand in both of hers. He looked back at her. “You are not happy here.”

“Just... I...” She bit her lip, looked deep into his eyes and tried to find the words she wanted to say to him. “Don’t look at the women.”

It was easier than she had thought it would be.

He smiled and cocked his head. “Afraid you will corrupt me or get me into trouble?”

“No.” She looked down at his hand where she held it. “It’s not that at all.”

Apollyon stepped back to her and cupped her cheek with his free hand, and then raised it so she was looking into his eyes. There was so much understanding in them. She hadn’t wanted him to know her fear, that she was afraid he might leave her for one of the beautiful women in the room, that she might lose him. She didn’t even know what her feelings for him were, but the thought of him with another woman had cut her deep, right down into her heart, and she had needed to ask him. Being here had made her realise something though. Whatever she felt for him, she wanted him to stick around when all of this was over.

She didn’t want him to leave.

She closed her eyes when he kissed her, a soft one full of reassurance and tenderness. His hand shifted in hers and he held it tightly. She followed him across the room, towards the booths that lined the wall opposite the area where Edward was sitting, directly in his line of sight.

Apollyon held his other hand out and smiled, and she slid into the dark leather horseshoe seat. He settled himself beside her, his attention wholly on her, and she thanked him with a kiss.

She hadn’t meant it to be anything more than a brief meeting of lips, but he kissed her back, his tongue tracing a line along the seam of her lips. She opened for him, inviting his tongue into her mouth with her own, stroking his and drawing a moan from him. He moved closer to her on the seat, until they were hip to hip. It still wasn’t close enough.

He grinned when she pushed the round table away to make room and then sat on his lap, so her bottom rested on his thighs, her knees tucked up near his left hip, and her arms were around his neck. Their tongues tangled and he moaned when she ran hers lightly over his lower lip, teasing him with it. He slid his hands around her waist and she moved hers down to his arms, loving the feel of his rock hard biceps beneath her wandering fingers.

The club disappeared until it felt as though they were the only two in the world, kissing and touching each other, reigniting the flames of their passion and need.

Serenity had never felt so alive, so full of desire. Apollyon pulled her closer and pushed his hand up over her stomach to her breasts. He cupped one, earning a moan from her, and kissed her deep and slow, gently stoking the fire burning within her, steadily building it into an inferno that she was going to beg him to quench.

Someone stopped near them and she stared wide-eyed up at the barely-dressed dark-haired woman. Apollyon frowned and waved his hand. The woman nodded and walked away.

“What did you do?” Serenity avoided his kisses. He uttered a dark sound of frustration and tried to kiss her again. When she evaded him the second time, he sighed and leaned back into the leather chair.

The bright lights of the club flashed across his face, leaving the right side of his profile in darkness. The music was louder than she had noticed on first entering and there seemed to be more people now, some of which were staring in their direction. She was probably giving them a free show. Kissing was as far as it went though. She wasn’t about to publicly expose herself and ride Apollyon, no matter how much she wanted it.

“I compelled her to get us some drinks.”

Satisfied with his answer, she let him kiss her again and snuck a glance in Edward’s direction. One of the men at his table was watching them. She closed her eyes and lost herself in Apollyon’s hungry kisses again, wrapping her arms around his neck and stroking his feathers. He groaned and she did it again. She had realised back on her balcony that he liked it when she touched his wings, and whenever they had been out since then, she had found herself wanting to caress them. The black feathers were softest near his shoulders, like silk beneath her fingers, and each sweep of her hands elicited another moan from him and turned his kisses hotter, until he was devouring her mouth with each one. His left hand settled on her breast, thumbing her nipple through the thin material of her dress.

Heat pooled at the apex of her thighs and she wriggled on his lap, shifting her legs together to make the most of the feeling there.

She wished they were back at her apartment right now, on her couch, or anywhere that she could take it beyond kissing and groping. Apollyon’s hands wandered down, his right kneading her bottom and his left creeping up her thigh, drawing the flared skirt of her dress back. She moaned and tackled his tongue with hers, kissing him with desperate need and encouraging him to go as far as they could in public.

Someone was standing near them again.

She broke the kiss, expecting to find the waitress there, and her eyes flew wide when she saw Edward.

Apollyon casually leaned back and stroked her thigh in lazy lengths, running his fingertips back and forth along it.

“Serenity?” Edward said with an air of disbelief that matched the shock on his face.

“Pig?” She stared at him. He didn’t leave. “Can I help you with something?”

“Yes... you could.” Edward grabbed her wrist and tugged but Apollyon wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her in place on his lap. Edward smiled thinly. “I just want to talk.”

“Talk?” She snatched her arm back and rubbed her wrist. “It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?”

Edward still stared at her, his gaze dropping to her exposed thigh every so often. She smoothed her dress over her thighs and was surprised when Apollyon set her down on the couch beside him.

He stood and faced Edward. Edward glared at him.

Serenity sat very still, afraid of moving and breaking whatever battle of wills was happening between them. When neither looked as though they were going to back down or say anything, she rose from the seat and stepped between them.

“We have nothing to talk about, Edward.” The confident edge to her voice pleased her. She had thought that it would shake and give away her rising nerves.

She wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. Here was her big chance to look Edward in the eye and tell him what a bastard he had been to her by cheating on her and how she wanted him to suffer but she couldn’t find the strength to confront him, not even with Apollyon at her back.

Edward stepped towards her, his dark look shifting to reveal a charming smile. She had fallen for that smile before and it wasn’t going to happen again. He had broken her heart and she would never forgive him for it, and she would never believe a word he said because of it.

“I’ve never seen you like this, Serenity... so passionate... sensual... just talk to me. I was a fool, I made a mistake... I never realised just how good you were for me.” Edward reached out to her and she stared at his hand, her heart beating painfully against her ribs. She shook all over, afraid of making the wrong move and confused. “I want you back.”

Serenity looked into his eyes. He was being honest. She didn’t need a spell to see that. Why though? Why was he suddenly interested in her again when he hadn’t even looked back when she had dumped him for cheating on her?

“Just talk to me.” Edward smiled. “I want you back... I’ll do anything.”

Cold crept through her when she sensed Apollyon step back, away from her, as though he thought she had already made her decision and was going to leave. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Edward had cheated on her. He had betrayed her trust. He had hurt her so badly that she had asked for revenge and Apollyon had given it to her and so much more.

He had fixed her heart.

He had brought her smile back and made her feel alive again.

Was that what Edward was seeing now? Were the feelings Apollyon brought to life in her, the happiness and the passion, what he wanted from her? She couldn’t give that to him. He had never made her feel as Apollyon did.

Serenity looked over her shoulder at Apollyon, right into his blue eyes, and saw his feelings in them. The same look shone in their depths that had been there earlier when they had been in the kitchen and he had said that he had been alone for too long. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

He wanted to be with her.

It all seemed so impossible, so ridiculous, but she wanted to be with him too and she knew in her heart the reason why.

She was falling for him.

She was falling in love with an angel.

Serenity looked at Edward and stepped back, until Apollyon’s body was against hers again. He wrapped his strong arms around her from behind, linking his hands over her chest, holding her flush against his, so close that she felt he wouldn’t let her go. She didn’t want him to. She wanted him to hold on to her forever.

“I don’t love you anymore,” she said to Edward and shook her head. “I hope you feel as lousy as I did.”

She closed her eyes when Apollyon pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder.

Edward cursed at her and Apollyon held her closer. She sought the comfort of his embrace and how safe it made her feel, and opened her eyes and cursed back at Edward in her head and with all of her heart. She wasn’t brave enough to curse him properly, condemning him as Apollyon would, but she did manage to work her way through several sexually transmitted diseases before she got the better of herself and stopped.

Serenity coolly held Edward’s gaze. He glared at her, and then at Apollyon.

“You did this to her,” he spat the words at Apollyon, his eyes dark with accusation. “You changed her.”

“I only made her happy.” Apollyon pressed another light kiss to her shoulder. “It is all I want for her.”

Edward’s eyes met hers again. “You think he loves you? I know his type, Serenity, and as soon as he’s bored with you, he’ll move on to someone better.”

Serenity stepped out of Apollyon’s arms and up to Edward.

“He is nothing like you.” She held his gaze, unafraid of the darkness in his eyes, feeling safe and strong with Apollyon so close to her. It was spiteful of Edward to say such things about Apollyon and to try to turn her against him and plant seeds of doubt into her head. Apollyon would never betray her. He had seen how much Edward had hurt her and had come to take her pain away, and at the same time had made her feel more loved than she ever had.

Edward looked as though he was going to say something and then stormed away.

Serenity turned and stepped into Apollyon’s waiting embrace and looked up at him. He placed his hands on her upper arms and then slid them around her, holding her close.

“I think I hurt him enough. Let’s go home,” she said.

There was a look in Apollyon’s eyes that unsettled her. They were bluer than usual and the pale flecks seemed to brighten as she stared at them, until his eyes were almost glowing. His jaw tensed and he looked over her head towards Edward’s table.

“Not yet,” he muttered and moved her aside.

She placed herself in front of him again, arms outstretched to block his path. “What are you doing?”

“Having my vengeance.” He looked down at her. “Do not worry. I will settle this in a mortal way and with mortal strength. My powers were limited the moment I decided to fight a human.”

She still didn’t like the sound of that and she wasn’t about to let him get into a fight because of her. She had no doubt that he could best Edward but she didn’t want it to come down to violence. Edward knew to leave her alone and he knew the pain she had gone through because of him. It didn’t have to come down to a fist fight.

Apollyon evaded her when she tried to grab his arms and walked past her, heading straight for Edward on the other side of the low-lit club. Edward stood as Apollyon approached and Serenity hurried to keep up with him, darting through the waitresses and patrons.

Before Edward could even finishing standing, Apollyon launched his right fist at him, caught him hard across the jaw, and sent him crashing to the ground.

Serenity gasped and stared at Edward, afraid that Apollyon was wrong about his powers being limited and would have seriously injured him. Edward groaned, rubbed his cheek and got to his feet.

The fight erupted before she could intervene. Edward launched himself at Apollyon, who ducked out of reach of the punch and came back with a solid left of his own. Edward stumbled backwards and Apollyon advanced, his larger build making Edward look tiny in comparison.

Apollyon’s wings blocked her view of his next attack. She didn’t want to watch but couldn’t tear her eyes away as they fought, both landing punches and grabbing at each other. Edward’s friends didn’t seem to know what to do either. They all stood to one side, crowded around the table, and the women who had been entertaining them were gone.

Serenity turned towards the doors of the club when she sensed danger. Three burly men dressed in smart black clothing were coming at them fast. Security. She turned back in time to see Apollyon slam his right fist into Edward’s stomach, causing him to double up, and then strike him hard across the jaw with a left hook.

Edward hit the dirty club floor and sprawled out, his face covered in gashes.

The security team grabbed Apollyon before she could reach him and dragged him towards the club’s entrance. Her gaze followed him and widened when she saw the blood and cuts on his face. Why? She’d had her revenge. Edward had suffered enough and he knew how much he had hurt her too. That was all she had wanted.