Seal of Destiny (22 page)

“Nonsense.” She glanced at the tomes, setting them right again.

“Your warrior is
involved
with her.” The walls of the cathedral groaned and the tremors increased, shaking the towering, stained glass windows.

Divinity smiled. The chaos stilled. “I know.”

Lucifer’s red eyes blazed with curiosity. “What are you playing at, Divinity?”

“All in good time, Devil.” She rose with a placid smile, turning to face him when she reached the aisle. “All in good time.”

• • •

Mira struggled to free her arm once they arrived at his apartment. Kagan deposited her on the sofa and stalked to the bathroom. She’d barely registered the flash journey this time. She rubbed her sore biceps and yelled across the room, “Stop manhandling me, asshole.”

He leaned out and returned her glare. “Stop running away.”

“Where’s everybody else?”

“Wyck’s, I guess.” He disappeared back into the bathroom. His bloody clothes flew past the door a moment later. “I’m taking a shower.”

She stared. Mira wasn’t proud of how she’d handled the situation this morning, but damn, she was drowning. Again. Things were light years beyond her comfort zone.

Her nose wrinkled at the horrendous odor wafting from her blood-soaked clothes. A million times worse than anything she’d ever gotten in her nightmare. Dirty ass mixed with a healthy dose of skunk.
Yuck!

Kagan emerged several minutes later, a towel secured around his hips. Mira practically tripped over her own feet racing to the shower, shedding her clothes on the way to escape the awful stench. He grasped her wrist when she passed. “We need to talk.”

She shook him off and continued into the bathroom, discarding the rest of her garments before sliding open the frosted glass door and stepping into the spacious granite shower. An abundance of soap and hot water eased the sticky mess from her body, but did little to halt the unease boring into her gut.

Mira had just finished scrubbing the last bit of smelly ooze from her skin and hair when the thud of the shower door diverted her attention. Kagan stood behind her in all his naked glory, his arms crossed as he watched her through the steam. Her first option was to retreat. Attempt to retain what distance she could. He stepped closer, blocking her escape. Option one — FAIL. Option two — babbling. “You said we were going to talk.”

“Later.” He traced the cuts and scratches covering her arms. Took the soap from her hand and washed her back. His warm, slick body beckoned her to relax while his hands massaged the stiff muscles of her neck.

Unable to resist, she leaned into him, her eyes closed. His lips brushed her temple, and she rested against his shoulder. He turned her, cupping her nape as his arms encircled her.

• • •

Mira shivered and Kagan smiled. She lifted her head, and he caught her soft moan with his mouth, his tongue slipping between her lips to play. He dusted kisses from her cheek to her ear then nibbled the sensitive lobe. She tangled her fingers in the short crush of his hair and he captured them, kissing her palm. He settled a hand on her lower back and brought her forward against him. Her heat brushed his cock, and his control slipped. Desire overrode his staunch resolve for communication. His body recognized what his mind had denied for too long. Mira was his
Anim Fidelis
. His fated mate.

He’d had an inkling since the first night, but had resisted. Scion didn’t mate. They fought, they killed, maimed, and conquered. They didn’t settle down for the white picket and two point five children. Kagan had discovered the supposed legend of the
Anim Fidelis
during his training. He’d read the ancient parchment in Divinity’s library and knew it for what it truly was. A curse. Being tied body and soul to another, fates twined until death. Yet here he was, holding the only woman who’d breached his walls, and he knew in his heart he’d die for her.
Merda!

He grazed the area where her neck joined shoulder and bit down gently, marking her. She gasped and he quickly soothed the hurt, tasting the slight metallic tang of her blood before he withdrew. He cupped her cheeks, forced her to meet his gaze. His hips rocked against her. “No more running, Mira. You are mine.”

She bent and kissed his chest before nipping him in return. The brief sting of her bite ignited his arousal. He groaned, thrusting against her. Mira swabbed the tiny wound with her tongue before continuing her downward journey. She suckled his sensitive nipples then lavished attention on the mark below his navel, her fingers tracing the thin trail of hair leading to his manhood. Mira placed a final kiss on his hipbone before encircling his engorged shaft with her fist. All coherent thought fled Kagan’s brain, leaving only one searing need: Claim his mate.

• • •

“
Mio amore
.” His words were husky, thick, inciting a swell of pride and power inside Mira. He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her lips before pressing inside. She sucked greedily, her eyes locked with his. His head tilted back, and she released his digit to rain hot kisses over his powerful thighs. She urged him against the tile wall and moved between his spread legs to lift his swollen manhood. She pumped slowly, fondling his balls. His fingers trailed absently through her wet hair, and his hips thrust forward in invitation. She’d never done this before. Never wanted to. Now, she’d never wanted anything so bad in her life.

Her thumb slid across the soft, blunt head and he moaned. She leaned in, giving a lick to the sensitive crown before taking him between her lips. The tip pulsed against her tongue and she groaned, allowing more of his shaft inside. His hand drifted to the back of her head and she eased away to caress the throbbing vein on the underside, the tender area behind the crown. His deep groan increased the moisture pooling in her core. Her tongue dipped into the slit on the tip of his cock before she took him in her mouth again. This time, when his length brushed the rear of her throat, she relaxed, drawing him in deeper. He guided her, praised her, made her feel like the sexiest woman alive. His thrusts grew urgent and she caressed his balls, feeling his sac tighten, signaling his impending orgasm.

Mira grasped his buttocks, locking herself in place. He moaned her name, attempted to ease her away. She refused to be moved and met and held his midnight-blue gaze while taking him deep inside once more. His husky voice snagged on a groan. “Ah,
Dio mio amore, sono verrò
.”

His seed hit the roof of her mouth, and she eased up and swallowed, not wanting to lose a drop. His cries of pleasure echoed around her, his thighs quivering with the force of his climax. Her lips continued to caress his sensitive shaft until the waves subsided. Mira eased away and pressed a kiss to his mark. Spent, Kagan fell to his knees and gathered her close. “
Grazia, carissima
. I love your mouth.”

Mira smiled, her face buried in his chest. “Only my mouth?”

Kagan grinned. “Let me take a look.”

He picked her up and set her on the tile bench near the shower door. Kagan drew her knees apart and lowered his head between her legs. His tongue dipped inside her folds and her hands gripped his hair, holding him in place. He stroked her molten core before exploring her tight walls and lapping at her wetness.

She moaned. Watching him was the most erotic sight she’d ever encountered. His fingers joined his tongue in the delicious torture as he thrust first one then two digits inside her, rotating against her slick passage while his thumb caressed her swollen nub. Mira arched, her desire raging. His eyes caught hers and held. His lips circled her clit and he suckled, driving her to the brink and beyond. She climaxed hard. He continued to stroke her, his tongue and his fingers prolonging her ecstasy. After her body finally quieted, Kagan slipped free, pressing a final, soft kiss to her tender folds before pulling her to him beneath the cooling shower spray.

“Found another part to love.” He grinned.

“Hmmm.” Her love-sated brain registered his words, and she moved to get up. “Sorry, I’m a package deal.”

His arm locked tight around her middle. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“The prune look doesn’t suit me.”

“It’s time we talked.” He shut off the water. Kagan grasped her chin and tilted her face up to his. “What are we going to do about us?”

Mira shrugged. “There isn’t any us, is there?”

“After this, you must ask,
carissima
?” He pulled her closer. “You are my
Anim Fidelis
.”

“
Anim Fidelis
?” She ran her fingers over the sensitive spot where he’d bitten her.

“It means you and I are fated.” He placed his hand over hers.

The Seal’s mark flared, and hope sprang anew.
Shit.
Mira pushed off his chest. “Hang on a minute, Big Hoss.”

He stood up and helped her to her feet. She wrapped a towel around her body and stepped out of the shower. He followed suit. “This is not how I normally behave on missions,
piccola
.”

“Great. Now we’re back to the whole mission thing again?” She stalked to the living room and sat on the sofa, ignoring her still damp state. “Look. We were both lonely and horny and available. End of story.”

“Mira, this is a lot for you to handle,
si
?” He sat beside her and frowned. “But our relationship, it’s real. It means something … to me.”

She glanced at him. “Yeah? What exactly does our relationship mean to you, Kagan?”

He reached out a hand, traced his thumb across her lips. “You belong to me now,
tesoro
, and I to you.”

Her pulse skipped. She blinked several times and fought the urge to burrow into his arms. Too fast. This was all too fast and too much for her abused heart. She rose from the sofa and his hand fell away. “I need some time.”

She moved to the bedroom and dug a clean set of clothes from her bag. “I think it would be best if I stay somewhere else tonight.”

“You can’t run from this,
carissima
.” He grabbed her hands, pulled her in front of him. “It’s fate.”

“I’m not running, Kagan. Not again.” She looked away, tossed her stuff on the bed. “I just want time to think. Alone.”

Kagan grabbed clean clothes of his own, and they dressed in silence. When Mira finished, she turned to find him watching her, his expression unreadable as he spoke. “Fine. I’ll take you to Wyck’s.”

Xander listened to Wyck’s voicemail again. Dammit, what the hell did Wyck think he was doing, going off on his own? And where was blasted Zoe?
A migraine had persisted since he’d returned from the minion realm.
Christos.
The last thing he needed right now was for his “special talents” to manifest again. His throbbing headache raged, accompanied by a flash of terrified dark eyes and a room full of equipment.
Shit!

He glanced at Chago lounging on the sofa, engrossed in the latest video game. Despite the situation, Xander’s stomach rumbled. He’d not eaten all day. Maybe food was the solution. Of course, Wyck’s fridge was barren except for the requisite abundance of beer, soda, and energy drinks and the ever-present hunk of moldy cheese. Xander slammed the insulated door. “Hey, Chay, you hungry?”

Chago nodded, his attention riveted on the TV while the buttons on the game console clicked beneath his speedy thumbs.

Xander shook his head and smiled. “I’ll order a pizza.”

After placing the call, he walked to the living room and cracked open a window, inhaling the crisp air. His phone vibrated and he pulled it out, expecting a response from Wyck. What he got was a message confirming his pizza order.
Fuck.

He checked his watch — nine-thirty. Where the hell was Zoe? He hadn’t failed to notice the conspiratorial looks she’d exchanged with Wyck. If those two had run off and done something stupid, he’d … what?

He thumped a fist hard on the brick wall beside the window. He had no claim on Zoe. Hell, she didn’t even like him. Yet he felt oddly protective of her. He’d told himself keeping his charges safe was simply his duty as commander. Now, in light of his recent discovery of her abilities and the developments with Wyck, his own radar was triggered. Foreboding slung low in the pit of his stomach, a feeling he was too familiar with to deny — the feeling of approaching death. Once more, Zoe’s pale face and haunted eyes called to him.
Christ Almighty!

“Hey, Xan!” Chago thumped him on the shoulder, breaking his concentration. “It’s your turn. You okay?”

Xander took a minute to gather his wits and shake off his fatigue. The shadows of his psychic abilities disappeared, leaving him to stare into Chago’s quizzical face. What the hell was wrong with him? Zoe wasn’t connected to this mission. His responsibility was the Seal. He glanced down at the game controller and smiled. Maybe blowing off some steam was what he needed to help him focus.

With a sigh, Xander grabbed the black remote from Chago’s hand and flopped down on the sofa. “I’m fine. Prepare to have your ass drawn and quartered, my friend. Watch and learn, loser.”

• • •

Kagan flashed Mira into Wyck’s apartment shortly after ten. They found Chago and Xander in a heated battle involving virtual poultry and pigs.

“You’re going down, porker!” Chago launched his assault on the pig’s makeshift castle with a bloated, bright red, petulant chicken.

Xander glanced at the new arrivals and grinned. “Want to play?”

“
Grazie
, no.” Kagan deposited Mira’s duffle bag next to the bed and took a deep breath, anticipating the questions he knew were coming. “Mira’s going to stay here tonight.”

Xander turned to study him, his expression shuttered. “Everything all right?”

“
Si.
She needs some time.”

Xander’s focus narrowed on the bruise visible above the collar of Mira’s shirt. Kagan caught his commander’s questioning look and fought to contain the sweep of anger coursing through his blood. How dare Xander judge him and his relationship with Mira?
Merda!

“Wyck’s out right now, so we’ve got room,” Xander said, handing the game remote to Chago.