Lucca (28 page)

“I have to get Owen.” Juliet was at the
door, but he was quicker. His hand slammed the door shut again.

“Where do you think you’re going to run to?
Raziel isn’t here to transport the two of you and, last I heard,
humans lost the ability to time travel. Running will only make
Barachiel suspicious.”

She whirled on him, anger sparking her green
eyes to a darker green. “What do you suggest?” She threw up her
hands. “Just sit around until he figures it out?”

“I’m saying you stay put for now. Do what
you’ve been doing. If Barachiel knew where you were, he wouldn’t
want the
Book of Magic
.” Lucca hesitated to tell her the
other half of his plan.

Zaiden hunted for a living. He would know
how to stay off the radar. He would know how to keep Barachiel off
their track—at least for a little while anyway. Eli, romantic as he
was, would protect Juliet if he revealed she was his mate. Heck,
even Gideon would have his back if he asked it of him.

He pressed his lips together. When had his
transformation happened? When had he started worrying about humans
and thinking his brethren were males he could depend on. “I’m
turning into a right sap,” he murmured.

“What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. Let me talk to
a few of the Watchers to boost up security. Trust me, Archangels
aren’t exactly high on the Nephilim friends’ list. They wouldn’t
mind pissing off a few of them boys up top.”

Juliet didn’t look like she was ready to
trust him completely, which surprised him. She trusted him enough
to be her first, which led him to believe she didn’t take sex
lightly.

Juliet’s gaze traveled over the length of
him. If she kept up the hungry appraisal, they would end up in bed
again, accomplishing nothing. “Let me put on my clothes,” he
offered. “And I’ll fix us a cup of coffee so we can talk.” He
turned away from her before his body betrayed what he’d rather
do.

“Why are your wings bound?” She asked him
point blank.

Good question. Did he tell her the truth?
Hey, it’s no big deal. I tried to kill Eli, but since it didn’t
work my punishment was banishment to the human realm.
He turned
to look at her, hoping his shame didn’t show blatant on his face.
“I had a disagreement with the elders.”

She moved closer, her gaze meeting his. “May
I?” She pointed to his back.

He nodded, not trusting his voice. He turned
to give her full access. Her fingers caressed the winged tattoo,
setting his blood hammering in his head among other areas.

“It’s like the wings are alive beneath your
skin, the feathers changing colors and rippling as if they want to
spread to their full length.”

She guessed right. His wings rebelled
against the binding powers used to keep him earth bound. Her scent
and her touch clouded his judgment until he longed to wrap his
wings around her, caress her with their sultry heat. Each brush of
his feathers would bind her to him. His eyes closed as he tried to
keep it together.

“Am I hurting you?” Her torturous caress
ceased, her hand hovering over his flesh as she waited for him to
answer.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “The
wings are the core of our being, as sensual as an intimate
touch.”

She frowned then her eyes widened as she
realized what he revealed. She pulled her hand away, bringing it to
her side, backing away as if a few steps would be enough to keep
him from her.

He didn’t look at her as he picked up his
discarded T-shirt and jeans. He headed to the bedroom to dress, not
for modesty sake, but to put distance between them until his desire
cooled.

He noticed Tiger Lilly had made herself at
home on his dresser, curling her legs beneath her body as she
perched. She looked toward him and meowed as if to tell him she
wasn’t moving so don’t even think of trying to shoo me away.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” he told the
feline. “You already adopted a family. Leave me out of it.”
Dressed, he turned to find Juliet standing in the doorway. His
wings throbbed like a son of a—.

“The elders are like your boss, right?”

“Yes, you could say that.”

“Binding your wings seems a bit harsh.” She
folded her arms across her chest. “How about you tell me the real
story.”

He let out a tired breath, knowing if he
didn’t come clean she would walk out that door and disappear for
good. “I didn’t believe the Nephilim should take human mates. Our
fathers were condemned for doing so and for us to follow suit
seemed unforgiveable. We do not have souls, Juliet. How does that
make you feel? You gave yourself to a soulless creature.” The
bitterness seeped into his words, making them sound harsher than he
had intended.

Her eyes widened and her mouth pressed
together in a fine line, but to her credit she remained rooted
where she stood. “But others… the Watchers,” she tested the word.
“They didn’t share your belief?”

He shook his head. “Eli proved he found his
soul mate.”

Her lips twitched. “A soulless being finds
his soul mate?”

Even she recognized how ludicrous it
sounded. “Yes, you met her at Doug’s Downtown Grill. Ryden
O’Sullivan or rather Ryden Grigori now. They’re married in the
conventional human way.”

She nodded. “I remember her. What does Eli
finding his soul mate prove?”

“The elders believe we do possess souls,
that we can love a human without the use of our glamour. Everything
has changed. The Watchers no longer have to live on the sideline to
record history. We’re allowed a
real
life on the human realm
if we want it.”

“You said the Nephilim could use glamour?
You mean you can make us fall in love with you?” Her voice was
laced with anger.

“We could, but it wouldn’t be sincere. It’s
forbidden for us to use our glamour to seduce. The relationship
would be false and a grave sin among the brethren. Punishable by
death if the elders deem it.”

Juliet turned away from him. Her limbs ready
to spring into a full run. Then he realized why she asked. She
doubted his motives, what they had together. Hell, he didn’t know
what it was, but he did know magic hadn’t laced their time
together.

“Juliet, my glamour is bound with my wings.
I have only the ability to heal my wounds, making me stronger than
a mere human, but not as a true Nephilim should be.” He ran his
hand through his hair.

She chuckled without mirth as her gaze raked
him, wariness evident in their depths. “At least you didn’t say
better
than a mere human.”

He wondered why she was angry with him. He
didn’t use glamour on her or maybe she’s angry he hadn’t. If he had
she could pretend what happened moments before meant nothing. His
gaze wavered to the king-size bed with the rumpled sheets. She came
willingly to his bed, the air still heavy with their lovemaking.
From having sex, he corrected himself. It was obvious she regretted
the union now.

His brows furrowed. He couldn’t remember the
last time he let himself fully enjoy being with a preternatural
female. He never experienced the act with a human… until now. He
thought a female human would be fragile, that he would… His gaze
riveted to hers. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Juliet frowned. She thought maybe Lucca had
compelled her to fall into bed with him, but there he stood:
strong, warrior stance and all, but the emotions flittering across
his face told her how vulnerable he truly was.

She shook her head. “You didn’t hurt
me.”

He let out a sigh of relief she couldn’t
ignore.

“Why would you believe you had?”

His broad shoulders lifted in a shrug and
his hand smoothed back his long, golden, wheat colored hair away
from his face. His strands were way too beautiful to belong to a
warrior looking man. His gaze met hers. Heck, he spoke of beauty
even with his strong jaw line, straight nose, and his gorgeous blue
eyes.

“Why did you think you would have hurt me?”
She repeated the question when he hadn’t answered her.

His voice lowered, a far cry from the
over-confident man Lucca appeared to be. “I’ve never been with a
human female.”

Surprised swept through her. His lovemaking
had been thoroughly erotic, his touch, his kisses lighting a fire
in her veins until she thought it would consume her. No, his
caresses weren’t from an untried youth.

Then his word sunk in.
I’ve never been
with a human female.
Human female, being the telling words. He
wasn’t claiming to be a virgin. He’d been with females, but they
hadn’t been human. The thought perturbed her more than she would
have liked. “What? Did you think I would break?” She chuckled,
thinking it a joke, but Lucca swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple
bobbing up and down with the abrupt swallow. His gaze looked her
over as if trying to find a telltale sign that he harmed her in
some way. “You’re kidding me?” she blurted.

His eyes focused on hers.

“You didn’t hurt me, Lucca.” She put her
hands on her hips. “I’m not made of glass and I’ll have you know, I
held back. I didn’t want to appear too aggressive.” His eyebrows
shot up and this time she did laugh. “Sorry to have shocked
you.”

His lips curved in a semblance of a smile.
“Held back? Maybe it is I who should be worried.”

The silence between them lengthened. It
wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but they came to terms with what
happened between them, accepting the ramifications and the unspoken
promise of it leading to more. This time Juliet swallowed hard.

“What century are you from?” Lucca asked
again.

“I was born in the year 1574.” She hadn’t
told a soul her true birth year in so long. It felt… liberating to
do so now, as if a weight had been lifted. She could be her true
self with Lucca without fearing he’d think she was crazy. Raziel
may have given her the knowledge of what happened through the
centuries, but deep down she was still the young woman from the
sixteenth century.

“It explains your passion for Shakespeare.”
His lips curved fully this time.

“And yours?” She didn’t fool herself into
thinking he was born during her time. He was a Fallen Angel. He had
to be ancient. Her gaze traveled the length of his body so full of
life. His body was firm with muscles born from years of training,
arms that looked like they yielded a sword on a daily basis. He
didn’t look a day over thirty.

“I’ve been alive a long time, Juliet, lived
many lifetimes.”

“That’s not really an answer.”

His lips curved. “I was a child when the
Archangels came down to earth to rid it of the Angels who disobeyed
God and took human women to their bed. I’m one of the children, the
abominations Enoch spoke of in his books.”

“You were only a child.” His gaze met hers.
She always thought his stormy colored eyes were beautiful, but she
hadn’t realized until now the deeply shadowed depths were the scars
from what he endured.

“I can’t remember ever truly being a child.
I lived a time in the sixteenth century, London for a while. I knew
Kit Marlowe well, and Will Shakespeare, too.”

“You knew both men?” God, how she wished
she’d met them. “I saw Romeo and Juliet performed on stage. I
sneaked into the theatre to see the play.” She shoved her hands
into her pockets as she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. She
expelled a long tired breath. The weight of her secrets lifted, but
it didn’t change the fact that Owen’s life hung in the balance.
“I’m scared, Lucca.” She met his gaze again. “I’m trained to fight
criminals. I know how to use a gun and am not afraid to do so, but
I don’t know how to fight Archangels. The thought is frightening,
but I can’t let them harm Owen. I promised my sister I would
protect him. And as much as I want to hate Raziel for putting us in
this situation, I know he loves the boy. He risked everything to
keep him safe. I can’t let it be for nothing.”

Lucca walked over to her and pulled her
against him, his arms going around her as he did so. His warmth
seeped into her like a warm caress making her feel…
safe
.

“Juliet, you’re not alone anymore.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Lucca held the door open for Juliet as they
entered Doug’s Downtown Grill. Lucca half expected to find no one
showed, but there they were seated at the long table set for them.
Zaiden wore a dour expression. No surprise there. Being summoned
went against his nature. Gideon sat next to him, slouched in the
seat wearing the leather jacket Lucca had yet to see him without.
On the other side of the table Eli and Ryden sat next to each
other, their arms touching. He’d bet they held hands underneath the
table.

Juliet pressed close to him. “Are you sure
they’ll help?”

“Yes,” he said. They were here. That had to
count for something. He showed her to the table and pulled out a
chair for Juliet, trying to ignore the heated gazes directed at
them.

Fresh bread sat in a basket in the middle of
the table and butter servings wrapped in foil lay in a bowl beside
it. If he didn’t known better, it looked like they were all friends
meeting for lunch. He glanced at each Watcher and knew a friendly
banter over bread and butter didn’t look promising with the
testosterone levels rising at an alarming rate. “We need your
help,” he blurted before he threw the first punch himself and ended
the meeting before it began.

Zaiden held the butter knife in his palm
poised over his bread with consideration. The utensil wasn’t sharp,
but it could still cause damage with just the right force. “We? As
in you and her.” His dark brow lifted at the end as he eyed both
Lucca and Juliet with open curiosity. At least his hostile stance
had lessoned, but Lucca wasn’t sure the
bug-under-the-microscope
look proved much better.