Reap & Repent (24 page)

“What?” Deacon asked, walking over to close the door while Nate prepped in the living room.

“What happened after I left, Deacon? How were you able to come back to me instead of ending up like Kylen?”

“I knew my only chance was with Rashnu. I went to Purgatory, hoping he could either save me or kill me. Something
did
happen to me, but certainly not what I expected. I managed to destroy the demon, and then somehow got a promotion. I’ve ascended to an order of angels called the
Powers,
and I’ll be in charge of protecting humans from demons. I’ll be a demon border guard essentially.”

“Deacon, that’s wonderful! And an angel? But what does it mean? You look the same.”

“Good question. For now, we’ll keep on doing our work like usual, but a battle is coming. The
Powers
aren’t activated unless they’re needed. If a demon border guard has been activated, then you can bet there is or
will be
a need for it. Grim seems to think that this cadre of demons that’s been popping up is the test
group. The calm before the storm. All the more reason to save Kylen so that he can fight for us instead of against us.”

“And you think you can do that? Save him?”

“Yes. With Nate’s help and the demon’s name, I think we really have a chance.”

He leaned in to kiss her again but she pulled away. “Morning breath,” she said. “I think I need a shower and definitely a toothbrush before any more kisses. But then? I’m totally game.”

Deacon laughed and scooped her up out of bed. “I think both of those things can be arranged.”

He carried her to the bathroom, and while she brushed her teeth, Deacon started the shower. The bathroom steamed up almost immediately. He walked up behind her and burrowed his face under her hair and against the back of her neck.

“I don’t know…you smell pretty good to me already.”

She leaned into him and felt him reach for the hem of her nightgown, and then draw it up and over her head, leaving her bare against him. He cupped her breasts and pushed up against her, closing the distance between them.

“Too many clothes,” she said, turning in his arms.

Leaning down to kiss her, he unfastened his jeans and Ruth pushed them to the floor so that he could step out of them. She pulled his shirt up his torso and over his head, breaking off the kiss. Palming his chest, she glided her hands over his smooth, hard muscles as his breathing got hard and frantic.

He reached over and opened the shower door, and then pulled her in with him. She leaned her head back under the water, letting it wash everything away from her. As the water soaked her long hair and plastered it against her back, she tried to push all of her worries away and relax.

He snugged up against her under the hot stream of water, pulling her to him in an embrace and pushing his erection between her legs. After a long moment, he sat on the shower bench, pulling her astraddle him. Reaching behind her, he grabbed the bottle of shampoo, squirting some into his palm. He smoothed it over her hair and massaged in through her tangled locks, the smell of strawberries filling the shower.

“You smell good enough to eat,” he whispered against her neck, brushing his lips across her skin.

She leaned her head back into the water and let the soap rinse down her body. He stood, and pulled her up, gently angling her so that she faced the back of the shower. He raised her hands above her head and held them pressed against the shower wall. The water beat down her back as he washed her with shower gel, his hands sliding up and down her body in long, slow strokes.

Her legs trembled, weak and shaky, as he slid his hand down and parted her thighs, washing her gently. His erection slid between her legs from behind as he leaned into her. One arm snaked around her stomach and held her upright, as he nuzzled her neck. His hot, electric tongue licked up the side of her throat, sending a shiver down her spine.

Her legs shook with anticipation, causing her to tremble beneath his touch. Pulling her back out of the direct stream of the shower, he eased her back onto the corner bench again, going to his knees in front of her. She leaned against the shower wall, thankful for the support. Caressing the top of her thighs, he slid his hands behind her buttocks and pulled her to the edge of the seat as he licked the water rivulets from the inside of her thighs.

Her heart beat briskly, and she hitched in a breath as he slid his white-hot tongue into her core. She grasped his head and pulled him into her, trying to impale herself on his tongue. He laved at her core and sucked at her nub, now painful for release.

“Mmm, see, I knew you were good enough to eat. Let’s move this to the bedroom.”

He turned off the water and grabbed a towel from the little cabinet. Pulling her to her feet, he toweled her off gently, kissing her while he fisted the towel around her hair, absorbing most of the water. Grabbing a dry towel, he wrapped it around her body. She wanted to return the favor, but he lifted her onto the counter to wait as he dried himself.

He was a miracle in motion, and she loved watching him. His muscles rippled as he bent to dry the water from his smooth, taut legs. She would much rather have licked all the water from him with her tongue, and if her legs had worked correctly, she would have done it.

Scooping her up into his arms once again, he carried her back to the bed and gently set her down, the towel falling loose around her. He pulled the damp
towel from under her and tossed it aside. The bedroom was chilly after the steaminess of the shower, and her skin prickled once again. He lowered himself down and covered her with his big, warm body—the best comforter ever.

He held her face in his hands and lowered his warm, wet mouth to hers. She released a moan into his kiss.

Her nails raked his back as their kisses became more frantic, and he spread her thighs with his knee, readjusting himself so that his erection lined up between her legs. Reaching down, he pushed her legs together again so that he could pump down into the space between her thighs and still rub against her nub.

The friction was exquisite, but she couldn’t keep her thighs pressed together for him. They parted of their own accord in invitation. He growled a moan and slid back down her body to taste her once again.

“So damned good,” he said, rubbing his stubble-covered cheek against her thighs. “Turn over.”

She rolled over onto her stomach, and he pushed her long, damp hair aside, nibbling at the back of her neck as he snaked an arm under her stomach and pulled her hips up off the bed. Reaching down with one hand, he worked her nub as he slid two fingers into her core.

“Deacon!” she cried out.

“Mmm.”

“Please!” she begged.

He pulled her hips higher off the bed and brought her onto her knees, his hands gripping her thighs as she felt the head of his erection push against her opening.

“Yes!” she pleaded.

He thrust into her in one long, wet stroke, and stars exploded behind her eyes as the air huffed out of her. It felt so good. He retreated and repositioned himself to thrust again. She arched back into him, wanting to take all he had into her body. He pounded into her over and over, until a green light began to glow around them both, and she heard herself begging him for more. He accommodated her obediently. His rhythm grew hard and fast, not like the first time but better, so much more. The light increased with each thrust, growing brighter and sharper around them.

He reached around and brushed her nub again as he thrust into her. She exploded in wave after wave of pleasure. Pausing, he thrust one last time before releasing into her, filling her with his energy. Collapsing onto her, he pinned her to the bed with his spent body, pushing the air out of her lungs. Finally, he rolled them both over onto their sides, spooning her into his body so that his erection didn’t have to leave her.

Flipping the comforter up to cover them both, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the back of her neck as he cupped a breast in each hand.

Ruth couldn’t speak. She was so satiated, and her already trembling limbs had somehow been rendered even more useless. She couldn’t imagine feeling any more loved than she did at this moment.

* * *

An hour or so later Ruth woke Deacon with a kiss.

“I’m not complaining, but I’m not sure we have time for this,” he teased. “You’re supposed to be resting. Why do I have the feeling that this foreplay will lead to hours and hours of sex?”

“Past experience?” she asked, flipping the covers off him. “Hmm, looks like you’re up for it.” She reached between his legs to cup his balls and stroke her hand up his shaft.

“I guess I can’t fool you. I’ll have to make sure I live up to your expectations.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” She giggled as Deacon rolled onto her, lowering his mouth to her breast and tracing his tongue around her taut nipple.

Ruth pulled him into her and sunlight streamed through her bedroom window, illuminating Deacon. She gasped. He looked like an angel. The sunlight cast a soft yellowish-white glow around his entire body. His skin began to grow warmer under her touch, which told her that something else was happening… It almost looked like a halo.

Something was
wrong.
She could see it in his eyes, but he couldn’t seem to talk. His eyes closed for a split second, and when they opened again, they were the icy gray of a soul carrier. Deacon fisted the comforter on either side of her head and tried to speak. His jaws clenched as his body tensed and strained. Ruth
watched in horror as he faded away before her eyes. One minute her hands were on his magnificent hips, and the next, he was gone.

She screamed.

* * *

Nate ran through the house, nearly breaking down the door to get to Ruth. If Deacon had hurt her, so help him, Nate would tear him limb from limb—friend or not. Ruth lay naked on the bed. She scrambled for the comforter to cover herself, but not before Nate got an eyeful.

He was momentarily flummoxed as he tried to figure out what had happened. She didn’t appear injured. Nothing was broken. No one was in the room with her.

No one was in the room? He looked around and peered into the bathroom.

“Where’s Deacon?” he asked, glancing inside the closet, and then out the closed windows.

“He vanished. We were about to make love. He was in my arms, and then an angelic glow appeared around him, and he…faded away. Just disappeared.”

“You mean he flashed?”

“No, he didn’t want to leave. I think that’s why it took so long for him to vanish. He was trying to stay here. I think someone took him!”

“What the hell? Can they do that? Can they yank you out of your life like that?”

“All I know is that one minute he was here, and the next he was gone, against his will.”

“Fuck.”

“Sadly, no.”

“Jesus.”

“Maybe that’s closer.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ruth had no idea where Deacon had been taken, but after their conversation about his promotion, she thought she knew someone who might: Rashnu. He was the best place to start. The problem was that she couldn’t get into Purgatory alone to search for him without a reaped soul to carry. As Deacon had explained, even Kylen needed to be carrying a reaped soul to visit Purgatory. She was fairly certain the same rules applied to her. She needed to talk to Rashnu. And she couldn’t talk to Rashnu without getting into Purgatory. She’d been once with Deacon and once alone, but she’d had a soul then, one Deacon had spoon-fed to her. She still hadn’t harvested one herself.

The prospect was terrifying.

But leaving Deacon to whatever fate awaited him on the other end of that cosmic pull was even more terrifying. She’d failed him twice now. She wouldn’t do it again. Collecting herself, she wrapped the comforter around her body and walked over to the dresser to grab some clothes.

“What are you doing?” Nate asked.

“I’m going after Deacon.”

“How do you plan to do that? You don’t even know where he is.”

“No, but I know where to start. And I only have to do the impossible to get there.”

“What do you mean?
Where
are you going?”

Ruth hip-checked him out of the way and opened a drawer, gathering jeans, a T-shirt, underwear and socks before stomping off to the bathroom. This was not how she’d planned to spend the day. She’d have to fill her pack with snacks and hope she wasn’t too depleted to finish what she was about to start.

“Ruth, answer me! Where are you going?” Nate asked, grabbing her elbow as she passed.

“Purgatory.”

“I’m going with you.”

“Nate, we don’t even know if you
can
go, or if you’re able to travel through the consecrated subway. Have you? Ever? Besides, you can’t go to Purgatory unless you’re with another reaper carrying a soul or are carrying a soul yourself. I don’t even know how I’m going to accomplish this, let alone try to take you with me.”

Nate tightened his grip to the point of pain. Ruth cried out, “Nate!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Jesus, I hate this. Every time we all split up, more bad things happen. Ruth, I’m going.”

“I don’t think it will work.”

“We’re going to try. If you go… I go.”

Ruth studied him hard for a silent moment.

“Well at least imps aren’t pinging off the circle of protection,” she finally said.

“Yet,” he said, releasing her arm.

Ruth continued to the bathroom and closed the door to change. She leaned back against it, shutting her eyes. An hour past sunrise and this day was already shit.

* * *

Ruth headed to the kitchen to stock her backpack. Food, salt, more food. She noticed Deacon’s backpack leaning up against the end of the couch where he’d left it. On second thought, she took the provisions out of her pack and stuffed them into his instead.

After she was finished, she ran her hand over the scabbard at the back of the pack, and pulled out the scythe. It was heavier than it looked. As she gripped the ornately engraved steel handle, the metal warmed in her hand. She gave the scythe a hard swift flick with her wrist and elbow and jumped when it opened up into a deadly weapon capable of beheading man or beast. Holding it felt good.