Absolution (15 page)
Authors: LJ DeLeon
Tags: #urban fantasy romance paranormal fae archangels seraphim druid healer demons fomorii
She gently brushed at few strands of hair by his temple. “I’m glad some of the silver remained.”
Luc held her to his chest and sobbed his gratitude to the Goddess, unable to move, or perhaps unwilling to move from the greatest moment of his life.
Gradually, the atmosphere began to brighten. He sensed the vibration of others in the great room and glanced up. Fritz and Rice stood where the portal had been, both of them quiet, yet scrutinizing him with identical
I told you so
grins.
“How much did you hear?” Luc asked.
Fritz smiled enigmatically. “Enough.” He handed them towels. “Deva thought you might want these.”
“She saw?”
“And Padraig. When you’re ready, they’d like to talk to you.”
CHAPTER 14
Luc pressed a hand on the doorway of his room. The smooth rock face parted. “I know our union hasn’t been formalized, but I don’t want to wait to carry my bride across the threshold into my world.”
Grinning, he scooped Allana up, stepped into his room, and froze. “What the hell?”
“Oh, Luc, it’s beautiful.”
“Yeah.” He stared in wonder at the transformation. It was fit for the queen of his heart, not the morose shit he’d been. “Fritz said the same transformation took place when Moira and Steve bonded. I didn’t believe him.”
He did now. Before him was a large room, much like a living room. Long hidden or forgotten pictures of his family and Nate were scattered on tables. He spotted the bedroom through an open doorway. His narrow cot replaced by a king-size bed, filled with pillows and a stack of fluffy-looking towels.
His gaze drifted back to a picture of Nate and himself. It had been taken just before the war started. With a smile, he tipped his head toward the photo. He carried Allana into the bedroom and eased her down, letting her slid against him. “Would you like a hot bath before I dry you, or...” He waggled his eyebrows, reducing her to girlish giggles.
“Or, you can dry me now and let me dry you.”
Her eyes, swirling shades of gray, pewter, and silver, mesmerized him. hIfreann touched Fae eyes. Exquisite. “Sure you don’t want a bath?”
“Why? The Goddess’ water purified us.”
Goddess above, he loved her. He clasped the back of her head with one hand and tipped her chin up with the other. “Glad you feel that way. I need to feel us joined and alive. And maybe a little less pure.” His lips covered hers.
Her mouth opened beneath his. Sweet spice filled his senses. His tongue stroked hers, twining together. Time stopped. Nothing mattered except Allana. This was their first love making as a bonded couple, and he wanted it to be perfect for her.
Gradually pulling back, he pressed a kiss on her forehead. “We’ve got all night, sweetheart. No need to rush.”
“But Fritz said Deva and—”
“They can wait. You can’t.” He toed off his boots. Then shucked his jeans, shorts, and socks in one move, and jerked his shirt off. Naked and ready, he smiled as she licked her lips and reached for him.
“Not yet, sweetheart. This time is for you.” He slid off her jacket and let it fall to the floor. Grabbing two dry towels, he wrapped one around her shoulders and gently dried her hair.
With trembling fingers, he unfastened her blouse, sliding one mother-of-pearl button through the hole at a time until it spread open before him. Luc swallowed hard at the beautiful picture she presented. No bra. He’d forgotten she didn’t need one.
She shook the blouse to the floor before he could move. Grabbing another towel from the bed, he blotted and kissed her dry. Reaching the waistband of her jeans, he unzipped them and shoved them, along with her thong, to her feet. Then kneeling before her, he removed her shoes, lifted one leg at a time, and pealed her clothing free.
He froze for a second, overcome by how close he’d come to losing this most perfect gift. Her fingers stroked along his cheek until he met her gaze. “Thank you.”
With a tilt of her head and a tiny arch of her brow, she asked the unspoken question.
“For holding on. For believing in our future.”
The smile she gave him was glorious, but the shake of her head confused him. “I held on for you, Luc. Not our future or our children. For the strength and fulfillment only you can bring me. For you.”
Overwhelmed again, he grabbed the last towel and started at her feet to cover the depth of his emotions. Her fingers toyed in his hair as he blotted and kissed along her body. By the time he’d reached the juncture of her thighs, desire consumed his thoughts. “Spread your legs for me, sweetheart.” She shifted her stance, and he nuzzled her curls, separating her folds. “I love your scent and taste. It’s how I’ve always imagined the Goddess’ ambrosia would be.’
He gripped her hips and held them steady as his tongue lapped at her juices. He waited until a tiny groan escaped her lips, and she arched into him.
Her pleasure, the partner he never thought he’d have, consumed him. His hands moved to cup her rear, enticing a second and third orgasm from her when she would have stepped away. He wanted to brand her with pleasure, with sensations that would never let her forget him—forget them.
She clutched his hair. “Luc.” She moaned.
Her legs trembled beneath his touch. Her sensitive clit only needed his breath. He glanced up to her eyes. “I love you,” he breathed against her flesh “I will follow you forever, my Allana.”
Ropes of pleasure accompanied her cry, sparking from her into him like lightning, hot and searing, igniting every nerve in his body. He felt her toes curl, her pussy crème, her nipples—which he hadn’t yet begun to worship—hardened into tight buds.
Vibrations of pleasure and release hit him with the force of an earthquake, every fiber of his being tuned to hers.
Just as his body felt hers, their minds merged. Her mental chant, “I love you, I love you, I love you, my heart and soul.” echoed in his soul.
In that moment, he realized neither of them would ever be alone. This was what she’d meant.
They truly were one soul.
***
Luc smiled down at the sleeping Allana. Good thing Deva and Padraig were the understanding sort. No way were they having their meeting before tomorrow morning. Not if he had anything to say about it.
Leaving his exhausted bride, he wandered into the front room and scanned the framed photos. Some he’d never seen before, some had been old friends. He wandered over the last photo of Nate and him. Lifting it, he ran his finger over Nate’s face. “Forgive me. May we meet in the next life.”
At a vibration beneath his finger, he started. A scene unfolded before him. Nate stood beside a Paladin with pure white wings, wearing a silver armored breastplate, inscribed with golden symbols of the Goddess and different DNA helixes.
“It isn’t that I’m not grateful to be rejoined with my family, but I’m worried about Luc.”
“You needn’t fear.”
“You don’t understand. Luc will blame himself, and I’m worried he’ll—”
“When the time is right, he will hear this conversation from the hIfreann archives. He’ll understand your love and your truth. Speak freely.” The Paladin stepped aside and waved Nate before a golden scroll.
Nate slowly unclenched his fists and brushed his fingers over the scroll. Head bent, he laid his palm on the surface. “I love you, brother. As I was, I was a danger to the mission. You did the right thing. I’m proud of you. Stop beating yourself up about my death. Drop the rock. See you in my next life because our journey goes on.”
Tears rolled down Luc’s face. For the first time in months, he took take a full breath no longer burdened by the guilt he’d borne. A sense of relief and wellbeing permeated every cell of his body.
***
Allana clutched Luc’s hand. A wave of reassuring warmth filled her.
Stop worrying. They’re family.
But he’s my brother, and his mate is the Cáidh Arm.
Yeah, but I’ve known Deva since she was a teenager filled with self doubt and—
What would the Cáidh Arm have to fear?
She was six feet, a half-breed, and terrified she wouldn’t fit into either world, Earth’s or Otherworld. She had zits, no boyfriends because Steve or his buddies—Jamie and Mark— ran them off. Don’t worry. This time the Goddess chose well for the position
.
Right, that just made her more worried. If the all-powerful Grace had been the wrong choice and Deva was the right one, she who had been raised in the Abyss was—
A flood of confidence surged through her. Luc. His strength remained shadowed always in a small corner of her mind. She’d heard other hIfreann-bonded couples speak of this. The continuous, gentle, reassuring touch of one’s mate. The lingering mental kiss of love. She wasn’t alone. The Goddess had blessed her with a mated bond few others experienced, including the woman she was about to meet.
Squaring her shoulders, she entered the conference room with Luc’s hand caressing the small of her back. She glanced at his grinning face and marveled. The smiling man beside her bore no resemblance to the sullen Luc she had challenged to live and survive seven months ago. He still retained a banner of his struggle against the demands of war and hardship, a smattering of silver at the temples, but his face was no longer lined with grief, and his eyes glowed with love and life.
A beaming tall, red-haired woman stepped forward. Her bearing and stature, spoke of training and hard decisions. Deva. Her concerned assessment of Luc confirmed for Allana that this woman considered him one of her precious flock.
“Welcome home.” Deva wrapped her arms around Luc. “It’s good to have you back, big brother.”
Allana sensed his relaxed joy at Deva’s acceptance, and the tension finally bled from her as she realized she’d been as worried as Luc at their reception. Though her focus had been on the greeting they would receive.
As she turned toward her, Allana nodded and moved closer to Luc.
With a smile, Deva touched her face. “Thank you for saving him and returning him to us.”
Her touch, filled with love and compassion, startled Allana yet reassured her. She stepped free of Luc and met the Cáidh Arm’s steady gaze. “What have you learned of my daughters?”
“Mark and Jamie have that well in hand.”
Allana stiffened.
A slight twitch at one corner of Deva mouth, the only indication her question wasn’t a surprise, then she laid a gentle hand on her. “Your daughters could not have better warriors to find them. I would trust none more.”
So, she also wasn’t going to learn anything more. Just a week ago, she would have raged and teleported to where she sensed their presence. Now she understood. Luc was right. She needed to stand aside and let their mates find and protect them. When they were ready, she would meet them.
Deva stepped back and a tall Fae male moved forward. Familiarity bore itself in his posture, bearing, and looks. Perhaps she would have known him in a crowd. She’d like to think so.
Luc motioned to the man. “This is your brother, Padraig.”
“Good to see you whole and at peace, Luc.” The man with steel gray eyes so much like hers held her gaze with a warm smile. He tipped her chin up, and tenderly kissed both her cheeks and forehead, his touch a promise of protection and hope. When he stepped back and released her, she still felt the sweet thread of home.
Padraig met Luc’s gaze and then held hers. “Welcome back to the family, little sister.”
***
About the Author
LJ DeLeon is an Army brat and a world-traveled former CIA Intelligence Analyst who has seen enough of this world to appreciate other worlds. Working for the CIA was great training for writing fantasy, paranormal, and futuristic fiction—and understanding the warrior mentality. Amazing how real life and fiction overlap.
Discover other titles by LJ DeLeon
WARRIORS FOR LIGHT SERIES, Urban Fantasy Romance
DEFIANCE, Short Novella, July 2011
SOPHIE’S CHALLENGE, December 2011
KATE’S ARMY, December 2011
THE TURNER CHRONICLES, Futuristice
