Lucca (33 page)

“So who’s the perp?” She nodded toward the
demon, falling into her detective routine as if they’d question
demons a million times together.

“Werdn is a Hashasheen demon,” Blaize
volunteered to bring her up to speed.

“A Hashasheen demon.” Her gaze slid over
him. “I’d thought they’d be bigger.”

Blaize burst out with a chortle. “You gotta
love her.”

The demon hissed baring his serrated
teeth.

“Watch it, Hashasheen,” Lucca warned.

“I’m done talking,” Werdn sneered.

“I can make him talk,” Zaiden growled,
moving forward, but Juliet stepped in his way, her hand slapping
into his chest to hold him back.

“Slow down. Let’s ask questions before we
beat the crap out him, shall we?” Her gaze shifted to Lana with a
quick once over. “I’m Juliet by the way and you must be Lana… the
witch, I presume.”

“Yes, and you must be Lucca’s mate.”

Juliet shifted her gaze lazily at Lucca as
she answered. “So it would seem.”

“Just wait a minute, let’s not—” Lucca
choked on the rest of the sentence. “What did you say?” He met
Juliet’s gaze.

She waved her hand at him as if it was no
big deal. “A little sex, a little love bite… you do the math.” She
didn’t wait for Lucca to respond, but walked over to the demon. “So
do you want to tell us why you’re nosing around or do I need to
shoot you?” She pulled out her gun. “Because I’m in a mood to hurt
someone.”

Zaiden’s lips curved into a grin. “Thought
you wanted to play nice.”

“I am. Guns won’t kill a demon.”

Werdn’s eyes darted to the cold metal in her
hand. “No, but it hurts like hell.”

“I know.” Juliet’s lips curved. “I’d thought
I’d start by shooting off your toes first.” She pointed the Glock
at the demon’s foot. He wore black boots, but the bullet would
penetrate through the leather. “I’ll start with the big toe
first.”

Werdn looked at Lucca. “Call your mate off,
will you.”

Lucca crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell
me something I want to know and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Fine,” Werdn spat. His gaze wavered to Lana
before he leveled his gaze on Lucca. “Kordon wants Ryden to study
her to see if she’s the one.”

“The one?” Lucca’s brows furrowed. “The one
what?”

“The prophecy says there will be a human who
can carry both angel and demon children without the pregnancy
killing her. Many Hashasheens would be born instead of the few that
have made it full term. Most Hashasheen women are barren. We need
new blood.” His beady eyes shifted to Ryden. “It is considered a
great honor for the Prince of the Hashasheens to want you.”

Ryden recoiled in horror. “I would never
sleep with your prince. Eli is my mate, and he wouldn’t take kindly
to sharing me either.”

“Maybe you’re not the one we seek.” Werdn
shook his head. “Kordon is only guessing.” He turned his gaze on
Lucca then. “If we had the Tomes of Nasarm, we would be able to
pinpoint when the human would be born. All Kordon recalls of the
prophecy is the Fallen will once again take mates among the humans
chosen and there will be one who will be able to carry a child with
demon blood running through its veins.”

Lucca lifted one brow. This is why the Tomes
of Nasarm was so important to Kordon. He wished to play prophet,
securing a human bride to carry his child. “The Preternatural
Council will not allow Kordon to kidnap humans for his
pleasure.”

Werdn shrugged. “We have our charms.” His
eyes glowed redder as he grinned. “Who’s to say the human won’t
want to be with Kordon?”

Lucca glanced at Ryden. “Eli’s mate isn’t
waving her hand to be picked. I suggest your Prince look elsewhere.
Try online dating, I hear they can match anyone up with the perfect
date.”

Werdn snarled and centered his gaze on
Juliet. “Maybe I’ll take her back to Kordon. She’s feisty, just the
way Kordon likes his women.”

Lucca didn’t think. He just reacted, his
fist slamming into Werdn’s jaw. “No one touches what is mine.”

With no way to move or defend himself,
Werdn’s head jerked back, hitting the wall behind him. “Come on,”
the demon wailed.

The room became deathly quiet and he chanced
a look at Juliet, wondering how she took his declaration. Damn his
mouth for not knowing when to shut up.

If her eyes could spit fire, he’d be
sporting a nice tan right about now. The weapon she held was the
true threat though. He swallowed the lump that lodged in his
esophagus. “Juliet…” his words trailed off.

She flipped her hair behind her back and
inhaled deeply as if doing so would keep her temper in check. “Just
so you know, you do not own me. If you think a little love bite,
gives you the right, you have another thing coming.”

Lucca’s jaw worked as he ground his teeth.
Had he truly marked her? Even if it was true, he couldn’t solely
belong to her without his wings. She could walk away. His back
blazed like a torch had been set to it. He grimaced and inhaled
sharply. Obviously his wings didn’t like the idea of Juliet giving
herself to someone else.

“You have nothing to say?” She threw up her
hands.

“I…” his gaze wavered to the others in the
room. “We need to discuss this in private.”

“Looks like your woman, doesn’t fancy you.”
Werdn snorted.

“Shut up,” Lucca and Juliet said in
unison.

Lucca glared at Werdn. “She is mine and no
Hashasheen better try to take her and expect to live.”

Juliet opened her mouth intent on saying
something, but Zaiden’s hands gripped her shoulders, warning her to
be quiet. Thank God she took the warning, but Lucca wasn’t fooled
by her silence. He better come up with a good argument why they
belonged together.

Blaize slapped Lucca on the back, making him
wince. “Let me know if congratulations are in order, Bro.”

Lucca shrugged away, giving Blaize the
shut-the f-up look
. Blaize lifted his hands and backed away.
Smart move.

Lucca caught Zaiden’s eye then and knew
Juliet wasn’t the only one he would have to answer to. It may not
be forbidden for the Nephilim to take human mates now, but it
didn’t mean they could mark any female they saw fit to bed. His
gaze wavered to Juliet. He wanted nothing more than to pull her
into his arms and kiss her. Those lips of hers presented a
temptation that made him edgy. As if she knew where his thoughts
had wavered, she moistened her mouth with a sweep of her tongue.
Her scent enveloped him, causing his wings to respond again. At
this rate, his wings would burn their way free, the bounding ritual
be damned.

No, Juliet wasn’t just some girl he fancied
for a good tumble. He wanted her by his side. Dammit, he… needed
her.

Her body betrayed her attraction for him,
but her mind had yet to accept it. Too much had happened in a short
time.

Her first encounter with making love to a
male left her mated, bonded to a Nephilim who’d been banished from
his brethren. Not exactly something to brag about and she had to
hear about if from someone other than him. No wonder her body
hummed with fury. He took a step toward her then stopped.

Her hand gripped the Glock tighter, turning
her knuckles white. Making a move when her body language shouted
touch me and you’ll die,
would only end in bloodshed, his to
be exact.

“There will be time later to kiss and make
up.” Lana drew their attention. “What are we going to do with our
lovely guest? I can’t keep him wind-bound for much longer.”

“Release him,” Lucca said. “Let him go back
to Kordon to warn him we’ll not let our… any women be taken who is
not willing to go. It’ll be war if he insists.”

Lana nodded. She began to chant under her
breath. The wind blew again around them, but not as strong, more
like a gentle breeze before dissipating into nothing. The sudden
release sent Werdn to his knees, but he was quick to jump back to
his feet again.

“Go,” Lucca said and the Hashasheen
shimmered back to where his kind dwelled.

“Witch,” Zaiden looked at Lana. “Are you
able to cast a protection spell to keep demons out of your
shop?”

“I suppose I’ll need to learn fast.” She
inhaled, revealing how nervous she’d been or was it relief? Lucca
wasn’t sure which. He still found it odd the demons showed up here.
Werdn claimed they were after Ryden, but he had the feeling the
demon came up with the story at the last moment. How did they know
Ryden would be here? He should have questioned Werdn further, but
he let Juliet’s arrival distract him.

Lana looked at Blaize with a half smile.
“I’ll make sure the protection spell doesn’t ban Darklins.”

“Most appreciated.” Blaize grinned back.

“I have another request,” Lucca stepped in
front of Lana’s line of vision, putting a stop to the flirting. He
ignored Blaize’s annoyed huff. “Barachiel cast a bonding spell on
me so he can find me at will. If there is anything you can do, I
would appreciate it.” He lifted his arm, showing her the tattoo
embedded in his skin.

“You’re asking a lot of me,” Lana told him.
“But I will see what I can find out about removing it.” She looked
at her cousin. “You sure have a needy crowd you hang out with.”

Ryden touched her arm. “Thank you, for
helping us.”

Lana nodded, giving into a hug. “You be
safe.”

“You do the same,” she returned the
sentiment.

Zaiden sidled up to Lucca, pulling him away
from the others. “You do know you must take care of matters with
Juliet. I saw the mark.”

Lucca’s blood pressure rose at the mere
thought of him seeing any part of her anatomy. “You better have a
damn good reason for checking her out.”

“Relax. I’m not after your mate.”

He noticed he didn’t actually answer him.
“What are you after?”

Zaiden met his gaze. “What we’re all
after—finding the one to share our lives together.”

Lucca narrowed his eyes. “Do you think your
time with Sarice will bring you happiness?”

Zaiden’s irises almost disappeared as his
eyes blazed with anger. “Sarice is none of your concern.”

Lucca used the same tactic Zaiden used on
him. “Relax. Sarice is a proven warrior, but the blooding is
clouding both of your judgments. Look at yourself in a mirror, will
you? The dark shadows under your eyes are the first sign of
addiction. I bet if I look at your fingernails, I’ll see the
bruising there as well.”

Zaiden grunted, but didn’t deny the fact.
“Sarice is… very difficult to resist.”

“Be the warrior you’re trained to be and
show some self control.”

Zaiden chuckled and shook his head. “Looks
who’s talking? The Watcher who acts on impulse first.”

Lucca lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Let’s
just say, loosing my wings has given me a knew perspective on
situations.”

Zaiden’s brows drew together as he digested
this information then his gaze shifted over to Juliet. “Maybe
finding one’s mate does that to a Nephilim, makes us more…”

“Human,” Lucca offered. He shrugged again as
he looked at Juliet. “It’s not so bad.”

Chapter Forty

Lucca and Juliet didn’t go back to Gideon’s.
They headed to his apartment. They had very little time to be alone
before everything came down.

Juliet drove in silence and he let her have
her space for now. They were going up against an Archangel. There
was a good chance not all of them would come out of this alive. If
things didn’t go as planned, Juliet and Owen would be forced to run
again. He needed to say his peace and Juliet needed to hear it.

She parked the car and flew out of the door
as if she needed to be somewhere in a hurry. Her strides were long,
but he kept up with her easily.

They entered the courtyard and walked past
the fountain. The cherub perched on top, resembling the human’s
version of Cupid, stared at them with mocking humor.

Lucca slipped his key into the lock and
opened the door. He glanced at Juliet as she swept past him. She
was tense like a finely wound top, ready to spin out of control at
the slightest touch, but he still had the advantage, she agreed to
come here with him.

She whirled on him then, her gaze sliding
over him in contempt. “You marked me. You didn’t say anything to
me. I had to hear it from Zaiden.”

So she wanted to get right to the heart of
it. So be it. “I know.”

“Why did you do it?”

Why? He’d been asking himself the same
question since it happened. He’d been overwhelmed by her scent. He
let passion rule his actions. He wanted her. Heck, all of the
above. He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m drawn to you. I have
been from the beginning. Oh hell. I forget myself when I’m around
you. It’s like I’ve become another person, who only lives to please
you.” He felt his face grow hot over the admission. He sounded like
a female with this talk about feelings.

Juliet lost her hostile stance. Her
shoulders relaxed and her lips twitched as though she wanted to
smile. Did she find his behavior humorous?

“What does it mean that you marked me?”

His gazed slid over her. “Will you show me
the mark?”

Her fingers gingerly slipped the strap over
her shoulder to reveal where the top of her breast swelled.

He moved closer, his gaze latching onto the
raised skin in the shape of a wing. His hand moved to touch the
mark, but he pulled back. He looked at her, asking for
permission.

She nodded.

His thumb caressed the tender skin, making
Juliet inhale deeply. At first he thought he hurt her, but then he
realized it was just the opposite. Her skin flushed and her scent
filled him as he breathed her in.

His touch excited her. He leaned down and
brushed his lips across the mark,
his mark
. Her fingers
feathered through his hair, drawing him closer. Her scent
increased, slamming into him and nearly driving him to rip her
clothes off to have all of her. He pulled back, meeting her gaze.
He felt her tremble and, by God, he wasn’t standing so steady now
either.