Aflame (Apotheosis) (14 page)

“Fuck, Grayce,” Zander unleashed a guttural heartfelt cry. As he reached his climax, his eyes glowed a steady purple and for a brief moment, his very thoughts and emotions became hers.

Love. Pure fierce love. He would die for her. As they shared the intense and deeply personal moment, her body found its own release. She screamed his name as the orgasm shook her with painful, soul cleansing tremors, lifting their bodies off the ground. A brilliant burst of energy blasted around them, dissipated into the trees and over the valley below.

Zander collapsed at her side, pulled her to his heaving chest and cursed under his breath. Sated and weary, she closed her eyes and dreamed of a vast house and a giant man.

* * * *

“Zander, what are we?” Grayce examined her fingers. They were so small and delicate intertwined with Zander’s beefy digits. The size difference was laughable. How was it possible her petite frame held so much power?

“You sure you’re you ready to hear this? You have to promise you won’t freak, okay?”

“Why, is it that bad?” Her mind reeled with the possibilities. Aliens? Chemical spill? Scientific experiment gone wrong? Radioactive exposure, perhaps? She propped herself on her elbows to give him full attention.

“You’ve heard of fallen angels, right? Angels cast from heaven because they believed they could place themselves on a throne higher than God? Chose darkness over the light?”

“Zander, please don’t tell me you’re a fucking angel.” Angels? Definitely not on her list of possible explanations. She’d been to church once or twice as a child. Mommy dearest dragged her there after a mad binge or two, prayed and wept, hoping to free herself of the sins she’d committed. Grayce had seen statues and art depicting the divine creatures, but never gave them much thought. Matter of fact, they creeped her out.

“No. Grayce, I’m not...I mean, we’re not angels. Hear me out. The dark ones were cast from heaven. In a final act to spite God, they spread their seeds on the earth. Planted their evil in the wombs of humans.”

“So they made more angels?”

“No.” Zander shook his head. Rays of sun caught in his blond locks and mimicked a halo. Grayce couldn’t stop herself. She had to touch, needed to run her fingers through his silky strands. Zander’s breath hitched before he continued.

“Angels can’t create angels. Only God can create angels. The fallen took human form and mated with humans. They bred warriors so that over the millennia their darkness would spread through humanity and turn against God. However, they hadn’t considered free will. Many of our ancestors chose light over the darkness, good over evil. It’s a constant battle. We fight the darkness on a daily basis.”

Grayce knew the darkness all too well. It had beckoned for as long as she could remember. Hell, with the life she’d been cursed with, it was nothing short of a miracle that she wasn’t queen of the fucking underworld by now. It was often her hiding place, especially when Tyr had his fun. It had protected her on countless occasions.

Zander inhaled, deep and slow, then continued. “We were assigned mates to insure a strong, pure lineage. Problem with that was again, free will. Human nature had us so caught up in ourselves, our own desires, that we pursued earthly pleasures—lust, greed, pride. You get the picture. We didn’t wait to be with our true mates but followed our own paths and started marrying, mating with whomever we wanted. So, for most of us, our powers lay dormant. We live our lives never knowing what we are, never realizing our true potential. So we’re human, we do know that much. We’re just more than human. Beauty of it is...”

He cleared his throat and looked down at her. Fire spread through her veins as he ran a finger up and down her back. “After we connect with our soul mate, our powers or gifts, or whatever you want to call them, are amplified. Sometimes, they even change completely.”

“How did you know what you were?”

“What we are,” he corrected.

“We,” Grayce snapped back and rolled her eyes.

He shifted onto his back with a sigh. “It’s rare for males to realize their powers unless they’ve bonded with their true mate. Some develop with puberty. Mine have been evident since I was a small child.” Zander’s face drooped, overtaken by sadness. “I had a hard time...well, um, not breaking everything I touched. Toys, doors, glasses. You name it, I broke it. I hurt my parents more than once—not on purpose. They tried to hide their fear, but I saw it in their eyes. They tried to teach me to be gentle, but it’s difficult for a small child to master control over his body.” He threw an arm over his face attempting to hide his emotion.

“When I hit puberty, the dreams and the voices started. They tried to tell me what I was. I thought I had lost my mind. I ignored them. Eventually, they went away.”

“Your parents, were they like us? Where are they now?” Grayce sat up straight and caressed his chest, partly because she wanted to offer comfort, but mostly because she craved the contact.

“They were killed in a car accident when I was seventeen. I’ve been on my own since. Far as I know, neither one of them had any special talents. They weren’t true mates.” A half smile peeked out from under his arm. “So, I’ve been on my own since then. Until I met Nikolas.”

“Tell me.” Grayce pulled Zander’s arm away from his face. “How did you meet?”

Zander sat up and stretched, naked and beautiful, arms spread wide. Grayce inhaled sharply at the view.

“I call it an accident. Nikolas will tell you otherwise. He calls it destiny. Long story short, I was full of pent up anger, started a bar room brawl and didn’t restrain myself. Fucked a guy up real bad. Left him for dead in the alleyway. I left him there for quite some time. Guilt got the best of me so I went back. Took him to the emergency room. Nikolas was on his way out when I carried the guy to the entrance. My intention was to leave him there on the sidewalk and disappear. Nikolas saw it the moment we made eye contact. He knew we were alike and persuaded me to come inside while he patched up the asshole I’d brought in. I don’t know why I agreed, but I did. There was something innately familiar about him. Not long after that, he told me what I was. We’ve been working together ever since.”

“But how did he know?”

“Nikolas listened to the voices in his head. Paid attention to the dreams. He’s researched our kind for most of his life. We have a network of people working for us with resources that reach around the globe.”

“I feel like I fell asleep and woke in some crazy comic book story.” More like fucked up fairy tale. Oh, what a bedtime story that would be. Psycho princess rescued by ginormous prince. Yeah, right.

“I know. It’s a hard pill to swallow and takes more than a few days to digest. If I’d found you sooner, it would’ve been easier. You have no idea how much it kills me that I wasn’t there for you.”

“How long did you search?”

“My whole life, I think. I always felt you, just didn’t know what it was. It frustrated the hell out of me. I’m convinced that’s where my rage stemmed from. It wasn’t until I met Nikolas that I learned it was your pull. That’s when I started to focus my energy. I had a mission, a purpose, and it was you.”

* * * *

After a casual lasagna dinner, Grayce helped Chelsea clean up. Zander and Nikolas excused themselves to the lab.

“Please go.” Chelsea scooted them off and shot Grayce a wink. “We need some girl time.” Chelsea grabbed her hand and pulled her into the common room. In the center sat two oversized cream colored sofas that overflowed with pillows of various colors. Bright happy colors. Reds, greens and vibrant blues. A flat screen television occupied the center wall. Inset speakers were strategically placed around the room for optimum sound.

Over the course of a few hours, Chelsea talked, Grayce listened. She learned the circumstances that brought Chelsea and Nikolas together as well as how Chelsea’s powers developed.

“I don’t like to use them, though,” she confessed. “I always felt like an outcast until Nikolas found me.”

Chelsea shared her life story but Grayce struggled to focus. She’d only been away from Zander for a short time and already found herself crippled with need for his presence and starving for his scent and touch.

“Would you please show me to the lab?” Embarrassed by her desperate craving, she hung her head.

Chelsea’s motherly smile was a soothing balm. She grabbed Grayce’s hand. “That’s an incredibly strong bond you two have. Most of us can go at least twenty-four hours before we start to feel the effects of being separated. You’ve only lasted a couple.”

With a weary sigh, Grayce squeezed Chelsea back. “This is all so strange.”

“I know dear. You’re handling it like a champ.” She giggled and captured Grayce in a warm embrace. “Before we head downstairs, I have something to show you.”

“What’s that?” Grayce had the feeling she’d never be able to say no to Chelsea. Despite the screaming need for Zander, she grabbed the proffered hand and followed behind.

The Compton’s had their own wing on the east side of the home. Grayce was grateful when Chelsea didn’t stop to give a tour. They headed straight through one of the guest bedrooms into a walk-in closet.

Chelsea turned on an overhead light. “I know you left your things behind in your apartment, so I took the liberty of buying some new clothes for you.”

Grayce’s jaw dropped. The closet burst with brand new clothing. Shoes were stacked against the far wall. Handbags and belts were organized by color in the corner.

“But how?” Covering her mouth with her hands, Grayce shook her head. She was surrounded by her favorite styles and fabrics.

“I can read people. I know things about them without having to ask. That’s one of my special skills.” She winked. “I hope it’s okay that I did this.” She placed a hand on Grayce’s shoulder. “If there’s anything you don’t like, we’ll donate it.”

Grayce nodded, already sure she’d love every piece. As she glanced around the closet, which was larger than her former bedroom, she was overwhelmed with a sense of belonging. With a thud, she dropped to her knees and cried.

“What’s wrong?” A soft, warm arm embraced her shoulder.

What’s wrong? Well, where to begin?

“Grayce. Don’t worry. If it’s too much, we’ll get rid of it. I promise I won’t take offense. We’ll go shopping, and you can pick whatever you want.”

Did she want to explain? Did she want to go there right now? Painfully aware of heartbreak in her new friend’s voice, Grayce decided to share a bit of her past.

“No, no. That’s not it. Everything is perfect. I just—” She choked back a sob. “I wasn’t allowed to wear anything I liked. You know...before. I was dressed in designer gowns and designer lingerie. I hated it.” She pulled at her hair. “I couldn’t even brush my own hair. He brushed it. He styled it. I was his fucking life-size doll. If I fidgeted or fussed, I’d be punished.” As she wiped tears with the back of her hand, Grayce felt a sense of relief. She’d never said these things out loud before. Sharing wasn’t so bad. Felt kind of good.

“I’m so sorry.” A tissue was produced out of thin air. “Thank you for telling me.” Chelsea waited while Grayce blew her nose. “Come. Let’s go see what our boys are up to.”

* * * *

“Ladies!” Nikolas beamed when the women entered. Grayce took a moment to adjust to the bright light. They were surrounded by white, stainless steel and glass. The only color in the room came from the four people standing within.

Zander wrapped an arm around Grayce the moment she crossed the threshold. The edginess that had grated her nerves melted away like a sugar cube in a steamy cup of coffee. He bent to press a kiss to her cheek. “I’m happy to see you.”

Shit, she was happy too, although agitated by the dependency for this man.

Nikolas pulled a remote from his pocket and pointed it toward one of the stark white walls. A panel opened to expose a large flat screen. “This is so exciting.” Staring raptly at Grayce, he asked, “Do you have any idea how powerful you are?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Watch this.”

A video played on the screen. It was from her last visit to the lab. The day her power erupted. Watching herself come undone was excruciating. She looked pure evil, crazy, insane. Oh fuck.

Grayce had to look away.

“This is where it gets real interesting.” Nikolas paused the playback. Grayce stood naked from the waist up. All of her scars, every hideous reminder of her own personal hell on earth, were on display for everyone to see. The image on the screen expanded as he pointed his remote. “Look, look at this.”

Grayce ignored Nikolas. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the image of Zander’s face. He was devastated. Pain seethed from his beautiful blue eyes. It chilled her to the bone.