Of Consuming Fire (19 page)

Grace felt an answering ripple in her belly, and more moisture pooled between her legs, spilling out onto his erection. His fingers tightened on her skin, and his breath caught. His eyes remained closed.

Oh, this was deliciously wicked, this seduction of a sleeping angel. Very slowly, she rocked her hips, moving back and forth once on his shaft. Spears of pleasure shot up from the friction he created against her clit, and she couldn’t prevent a sound from escaping her lips.

His eyes popped open, full of sleepy un-focus. Slowly his head turned, and those green eyes came to rest upon her. Naked. Straddling him. “Grace?” he asked in a sleep-rough voice.

“You were sleeping,” she said, and then she rocked over him again.

A harsh grunt erupted from his chest. His fingers clenched on her thighs. “Sleeping?” Disbelief dripped from his tone. “Is this a dream?”

He looked so endearingly confused. Grace couldn’t help the bubble of joy that surged up through her. “No, angel, this is not a dream.” She rocked on him again, and all of the sleep vanished from his eyes. They focused on her sharply, quickly raking down her naked body. She felt everywhere his eyes touched like it was a caress.

God, when he looked at her, she felt
pretty
. Something she never thought would happen.

“
Heaven
, you are beautiful.” Sleep now gone, his voice filled with awe. His hands rose from her thighs to cup her breasts. His thumbs swept across her nipples, wrenching a small cry from Grace. She arched into his touch, feeling an urgency to join with him.

He gently squeezed her breasts, but Grace needed more than gentle. She slid forward until the head of his erection was at her entrance. Leaning down and bracing her hands on his chest, she canted her hips and shoved back, taking him inside of her to the hilt with one quick movement.

She slammed her eyes shut and cried out. Loudly. A sound she heard him echo. She felt her core seize on his shaft, and hissed through her clenched teeth as she fought with all of her strength to keep from coming right away.

His hands abandoned her breasts and grabbed her ass. His hold was almost rough, and it was obvious he was preventing her from moving again. She opened her eyes.

His face was inches from hers. His eyes were wide and horrified.

That wasn’t right. “Jayden?” she asked softly, feeling unsure.

“It … f-felt so good,” he stuttered, sounding panicked. “And then you cried out. You clenched your teeth. God, Grace, I
hurt
you. I am so sorry.”

Hurt her?
Grace felt her heart crack right in two and then fuse back together, stronger than ever. Her angel, so wise, so implacable, was nonetheless innocent in what happened between a man and woman. She smiled down at him and stroked his face. “Oh, Jayden, you didn’t hurt me.”

His eyes narrowed skeptically. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his grim lips. “It
did
feel good. That’s why I cried out. You cried out, too, you know.”

“I — I did?”

“Oh, yeah,” she straightened and found his grip on her ass had loosened enough for her to move again. “It was
sexy
,” she purred.

His lips tipped at the corners slightly, and Grace shoved back again, thrusting him inside of her roughly. He gasped. Bit his lip. Every muscle in his body froze, and it was more than obvious that he was afraid to move.

“It doesn’t always have to be soft between us, angel,” Grace said gently, twisting her hips side to side.

“I … never want … to hurt you,” he said haltingly through clenched teeth. “Your past — ”

Her cracked heart fused together again and felt as though it swelled right out of her chest. He was gentle with her on purpose. Because he wanted to show her he was different from Seth. “Is my past,” she finished for him, rising on her knees and slamming back down.

“
Grace!
” he shouted, tipping his head back. Every muscle in his torso flared into sharp relief. “Oh, no,” he breathed.

His hips bucked beneath her, and she felt him shoot hotly inside of her. “Oh, God,” she moaned. She’d made him come. “
Oh, God
,” she said again as his entire body shuddered with the force of his release. She rocked her hips in time to the jerking of his, drawing his orgasm out as long as she could.

It was the most pleasurable moment of her life. And she hadn’t even come herself.

His body finally stilled beneath her. She stroked his chest, licked her lips. She was still so desperate for him. He slowly tipped his chin back down and looked at her with eyes flooded with shame.

“I am sorry,” he mumbled, his eyes canting to the side. “I tried to stop it. You felt … too good.” His eyes returned to hers, his brows drawn together. “I left you behind, love.”

She shrugged one shoulder. He had. But it had been
so
worth it. “I
loved
it,” she whispered, leaning down to press her breasts against his damp chest. She couldn’t resist kissing him. Thrusting her tongue within his mouth.

He was quick to wrap his arms around her back. To return her thrusting tongue with his own. She moaned into his mouth, her need rising even higher. Her core clenched, and she gasped in surprise, wrenching from their kiss to stare into his eyes. “You’re hard!” she breathed.

How was that possible? Thank
God
it was possible!

“Always for you, Grace,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of her nose.

And then her world blurred as Jayden flipped them. Grace was suddenly on her back, the angel still hard and filling her, his hips between her upraised thighs. “So,” he said with a sexy smile. “You like it harder, hmm?” He withdrew from her until only the tip of him remained. Grace sucked in a breath. “I find I like it as well.” He slammed forward, his hips slapping against her. He ground himself against her sex, wringing bolts of pleasure from her clit.

“
Jayden!”

He stilled and stroked her face. She opened her eyes again to find him looking deeply at her. “You swear this is okay — ”

In answer, Grace tilted her hips away and slammed onto
him
. He groaned, tossing his head back. His arms seemed to collapse, and he landed on her, crushing her breasts, slamming his lips onto hers, thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

Between her knees, she felt him withdraw again and then thrust hard. Withdraw. Thrust. He picked up a fast, brutal rhythm that Grace’s body was helpless to resist. She wrapped her legs around his waist and met him thrust for thrust. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and then moved south to where his wings sprouted from his back. She brushed her palms over them, and Jayden cried out, tearing his lips from hers and burying his face in her neck. He bit down on her collarbone and thrust even faster into her.

Wings … sensitive
, her passion-addled mind determined. She stroked them again, and his entire body jolted. He made a loud sound of distress and worked his hand between their bodies. “Cannot do this …
again
,” he groaned into her damp skin.

His thumb found her clit, and as he thrust harder, he circled her firmly.

Grace flew apart. She screamed his name. Digging her heels into his ass, she bucked against him. Waves of pleasure hit her again and again.

He bellowed into her neck, slammed into her one last time, and she felt his ejaculation pour into her. “Oh, Grace,” he groaned. “Oh,
love
.” His thrusts slowed and finally stopped.

He didn’t raise his head, and their breaths were so loud and fast they echoed through the room. Grace’s knees fell, and she wrapped her arms around him fully, stroking his back and wings. “I love you,” she whispered.

He lifted his head slowly and met her eyes. The honey-green she adored darted back and forth as he looked from one of her eyes to the other.

“I love you,” she repeated.

His entire face lit up. A wide grin spread. “I am so glad,” he said hoarsely. He buried his face in her neck once again, heaving a shuddering sigh. “I am so
happy
,” he breathed.

Grace smiled, hugged him close, and slipped back into sleep.

Grace jerked awake. Her eyes flew open. She was immediately aware of three things: she was cold, naked, and alone in the bed; Jayden was dressed and standing before her; and his sword was pressed to her throat.

She could feel the heat of the metal. The licking flames. The blade so sharp she was afraid to breathe lest it cut her.

Her eyes jerked from the weapon to the angel wielding it. He was still breathtakingly beautiful. He stood before her, robe cascading down the body she had thoroughly loved. His wings flared behind his back. His hair flowed around his face and shoulders. His face was a blank mask. “Jayden,” she breathed, moving as little as possible.

“Do not say my name, defiler,” the angel growled.

Terror rushed through Grace’s body. She looked closely at Jayden’s eyes. The warm, honey green was gone. In their place was black. All black, from corner to corner, lid to lid.

Jayden her lover was no longer here. In his place was an avenging angel.

With utter clarity, Grace realized she was about to die. That the precipice she had sensed the angel had been poised upon over the last week had finally been breached.

On instinct, Grace scrambled back away from the sword’s blade, dragging the sheet over her nakedness. The blade followed her movement, and she froze when her back hit the wall.

Nowhere to go.

The flat of the blade touched her chin, forcing her to raise her face to his and stare into those heartless black eyes.

“You have eaten from the Tree of Eternal Life,” the angel said in a stranger’s voice. “The punishment for such an offense is death. Prepare your soul.”

Intense sadness leaked into her heart. Sadness for herself, yes — for the first time in thirteen years, she wanted to live. But also, sadness for Jayden, who would snap from his stupor upon her death and see that he had killed her.

Her agony would be short-lived. His would last forever.

Compassion she did not know she could ever possess for an attacker filled her soul.
Her
Jayden would never do this. He was having something taken from him by force as well. She felt her terror lessen. Her eyes softened. She looked at the angel she loved with all of her heart. “Angel,” she whispered to him, “it will be okay.”

Those cold, black eyes narrowed. The blade beneath her chin wavered. A tendril of green honey swirled over black. “Grace?” the angel asked in Jayden’s voice. Green flooded the black, and suddenly, Grace was looking into her Jayden’s eyes once again.

They widened with horror. The sword shook even more. “Grace,” he whispered desperately. “
Run!
”

• • •

Jayden watched as her face blanched. He held onto this moment, this rare moment of control, with every fiber of his being. He had to give her the chance to get away. If he could just hold the Compulsion off for a few precious moments.

The human launched herself from the bed, dragging the sheet with her. She flew to the door of the cell and pounded on the metal. The booms echoed through the room. “Help me,” she screamed. “Somebody, help!”

The Compulsion pressed. Jayden pressed back.

And lost.

The world shifted into shadows and light. His gaze narrowed. Focused on his prey. The defiler continued to bang on the door as he stalked forward. He raised his sword, zeroing in on the space between her neck and shoulder where he would strike.

The place where he loved to kiss.

His steps stumbled. He shook his head, dislodging the errant thought.

The defiler spun from her pounding and looked upon him with wide, gray eyes. One lone tear escaped and trailed down her cheek.

He raised his sword higher, braced his feet, and prepared to swing.

Like a gasp of air, Jayden broke through the Compulsion. “
Kill me!
” he commanded her before losing himself again.

His arms bunched.

He struck.

Air whistled past his blade as it closed in on the defiler’s neck. The job was almost done.

Her arms shot up. They caught him at his wrists mid-swing.

With a final shove, Jayden pushed aside the Compulsion at this vital moment, and tempered his strength enough to allow her to redirect his blade. He dropped it even before she elbowed him to the chest just like he had shown her to do.

It clattered on the floor.

She lunged for it, picking it up by the hilt and turning toward him. She pointed the sword at his chest.

The Compulsion beat against his brain, urged him to give in and allow it to complete the job.

“Do it,” Jayden hissed through gritted teeth.

The sword wavered. Her eyes flooded with more tears. “I love you,” she whispered.

Not more than I love you
. The pain in his skull became unbearable. He had no time left. Without another word, Jayden lunged forward, grabbing her hands and directing the blade. It slid into Jayden’s chest and pierced his heart without a sound.

Grace screamed and jerked away.

The Compulsion finally faded, its absence causing Jayden to slump with relief.
Or is that pain?
Jayden looked down at his chest. Blood spilled from around the sword’s blade. His fingers spread through the warmth that gave him life. He brought his hand away and stared at the crimson dripping from his fingers.

He was dying.

He looked from his hand to the face of the woman he loved. The one he would gladly have Fallen for, if only he still had the chance. Tears streamed down her lovely face. Wounded animal noises fell from her lips. He tried to smile for her, but doubted he succeeded. He closed his eyes.

I will never harm Grace
. The thought brought him comfort.

I will no longer be able to protect her.
Unimaginable sorrow.

His legs crumpled beneath him at the same time that the cell door burst open.

Shouts pinged off of the concrete walls as soldiers flooded the room, Eli and Jericho at the forefront. Dahlia ran to Grace and wrapped her in a hug, questions flying from her mouth at the speed of light.