Summon Dorn (Archangels Creed) (12 page)

With a small cry, Jessie wound her arms around his neck and opened to him. The eager way her tongue sought his set fire to his blood and body. She felt and tasted amazing and his hands roamed over her, wanting her entirely, all at once.

The only thing he heard was the mingle of their gasps and moans as they fought to taste more, faster, their hunger becoming more lethal with every second. He slid his hand eagerly over her side and hip and she gasped when he pressed her into his arousal. She slid her leg up along his and he curled his fingers around it and pulled it up higher, trying to get her as close as he could.

"I guess you figured out I'm not gay?" His breath stirred the hair by her ear and made it tickle his nose, inspiring him to let his lips glide over the sweet shell of her ear.

She pressed closer, rising against his erection with another sharp intake of breath. "I sorta guessed." She rained little kisses along his jawbone and sighed with satisfaction as she let her teeth gently scrape over his skin.

Lucian turned to meet her kiss-swollen mouth, ready to ravage it with his desire. For the first time in his life, real passion flamed through his blood and made love-making a pleasure rather than a chore to be endured.

He suddenly froze at the sound of hissed whispering but then it stopped almost the second he'd picked it up. Jessie clawed at his neck, her need seeming to rage higher. He paused, realizing he wanted to go slower with her. No regrets. He gradually pulled up until his kisses were feather soft. "Not fast. Not with you," he whispered against her lips, "never with you."

A throat cleared and Lucian spun with Jessie in his arms and went rigid. He stared. He blinked. Jessie
's gasp and her nails digging into his back confirmed that he was not hallucinating.

"
Now?" A beautiful man in brilliant light blue clothing snapped the question to a giant man in red clothing who rolled his eyes. Eyes that appeared to sparkle like gems. Red gems.

Jessie and Lucian stood frozen while the two strange men from nowhere discussed something in hushed whispers. Finally the red giant spoke.
"I know this must be very, very strange for the two of you. I'm going to try and make this the least insane sounding as possible, but, be prepared for it to likely not work." He touched the blue man with a hand. "This is Dorn, and I'm Kassern. We're both angels."

"
Archangels," the blue man corrected.

Lucian was suddenly spellbound by the man
's ice blue eyes and spectacular features. The surreal apparition had him reaching into his pocket for the scapulars, the only weapon he had that might do him any good. But Lucian only experienced shock and maybe awe, no fear.

"Can't we use the
animus imperium
to just get them to cooperate?" The blue man regarded the Lucian and Jessie like they had sprouted a few extra heads.

"
Not until after phase two," the red one said quietly.

"
May I speak plainly, human?" the blue man asked.

Lucian
's mouth felt cemented. The blue stranger was addressing him. Speak plainly? Human? What was one to say for such a thing? Lucian nodded.

"
We're here on an important mission and what I need from the two of you is—"

"
Dorn," the red one cut in, clearly annoyed. "How many times do I have to say it? This can
not
be rushed, or you will compromise the triumvirate before you ever form it."

Enormous wings erupted behind the blue man and Lucian jumped back with Jessie.
"Holy shit," Lucian whispered over Jessie's
oh my God, oh my God
mantra. Light tinkling filled the air as the massive icy blue jeweled wings fluttered above and behind the man.

The red man shook his head.
"Traumatizing them could cost you time."

"
I don't have a lot of time."

"
Exactly, so, don't waste it by doing something foolish. Their psyches aren't made of steel, and you need them intact, so do what you have to but no more."

   Lucian finally found his voice, not liking what he was hearing.
"What…what are you talking about? If this is about penance for sin, use me, but leave her out of it, please."

"
I need the two of you," the blue giant began again. "Satan has found a deviation, an opening of sorts, in the human genome. He is exploiting it to build an army of mutated beings, using human and animal DNA, and demonic spirits. And the only way we can fight them is here on earth, but in order to do that we have to create a warrior that can fight in this realm, on their turf."

The enormous men just stared at them now, as though holding their breath, waiting.

Lucian for some reason believed them, one-hundred percent. He looked down at Jessie to see how she was faring through this freak breach of sanity.

She cleared her throat a little.
"What do we do?" The worry in her voice gave Lucian his answer. She believed him too.

Was this a dream?

"You're not dreaming," the blue man said.

"
Shi-shoot." He'd read his mind? Lucian was as close as he could get to terror but still on the totally blown away side.

"
The passionate kiss you just shared allowed me to appear to you and now I need—"

The ruby man held up a hand in front of the blue one.
"Slooooow," he reminded. "This part…needs to be very slow."

"
How can a kiss…do that?" Jessie said with a quivery voice.

"
We've chosen to form our warriors using two humans in love. The spiritual energy in love and all its counterparts—including passionate kissing—possesses the keys to the most potent power on Earth. We are using the union of two people in love by which to form the warrior."

"
Love?" Lucian frowned and glanced at Jessie. "But…how?" What he felt for her… That might be love.

The blue man regarded the red guy briefly, looking a bit bereft.
"Can't your humans explain it to them?"

"
If your humans agree before understanding, yes."

The red man
's tone said that would be highly unlikely and he was correct. How could they agree to anything without knowing?

The aquamarine looking man sighed deeply, clearly unhappy, and his friend raised both hands.
"I can't either, you have to. It's your triumvirate."

****

Dorn never imagined in all his angelic years that he would shy away from any task. If ever there were a
perfect
exception, this was it.  Discussing the particulars of
coitus
with humans was bad enough, but being forced to use fluffy ambiguity instead of unembellished communications went against a deeply grooved grain in his approach to tactical combat. It was sinister enough to be forced to flit around like a delicate butterfly on this cesspool of a planet and using dysfunctional parts to build a twelve man army for taking down a numberless mass of anonymous evil.

He took another deep breath, organizing his speech to accommodate his indirect approach.
"The…your… kiss provided the power I needed to appear to you, to take physical from. But to form or create the warrior, I'll need…something greater than a kiss."

He watched to see if
they might understand what was necessary from that information. Perhaps they were mentally inadequate? He studied the male, trying to read his thought processes from his expression. Of course he could just listen to his mind but sifting through the detritus of human supposition was more than he could handle at the moment.

The male
's expression said he was trying to reason out what
more than a kiss
might be, and doubting his conclusion. He didn't want to guess aloud, in case he was wrong. His glance at the female showed his concern over whether she thought the same thing, and if she found the prospect distasteful. Or if she were as eager to proceed as he was.

Chapter Twelve

Lucian was shocked to hear Jessie speak so calmly. "Can we talk? In private?" she asked the angels.

"
Of course." The red giant spoke while the blue angel looked like she'd uttered words in an unknown language. "We'll be right outside."

They watched the men walk out the door like normal people would. When it was shut, Jessie pulled on his shoulders frantically.
"Oh my God, Lucian, is this really happening?"

He stared down into her face and immediately her lips reminded him of that kiss.
"It seems like it."

She peered around him then whispered,
"Is he saying he needs us to…you know…"

"
Have sex?"

"
Yes!" she cried.

Lucian couldn
't help but cringe a little at her
we're doomed
tone while his heart raced in contemplation of such a thing. 

"
And you can feel it too can't you? How they're not lying? And I should totally be freaking out but like my body just isn't? Are you—is that what you're feeling?"

He released an astonished breath at exactly how right that was.
"Yes."

Then it happened. The locked stare that said what they couldn
't verbalize but both wondered.
Do you want to?
It was followed by a deafening silence in her eyes at first. Then Lucian recognized what he was seeing. Her fear. Of rejection.

Lucian didn
't know what the hell to think. This was insane. "For scenario's sake Jessie.
If
what he's saying is what we
think
he's saying and the fate of the world rests on our shoulders, then…yes. I would do this with you, of course."

Her brows drew together.
"And if there wasn't a gun to your head? Would you?"

Oh shit.
"I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry." He stroked her cheek with a thumb wanting to erase the hurt from her face.

She stared at his mouth and swallowed.
"Well…just so you know…" she nodded her head. "So would I."

Her words were like an electrical zap to his insides.
"And if…there wasn't a gun pointed at your head?"

She chewed her bottom lip then bravely met his gaze.
"Most definitely."

He laughed with the excitement/relief/sickness that overcame him while pulling her into his embrace. He gave in to the urge to taste her lips again with absolute reverence and tenderness.
"Me too," he whispered against her lips.

Her hand found his and she laced their fingers tight while she kissed him back with a promising sweet passion.

"Have we gone nuts?" she whispered.

"
Maybe," he whispered back, lost in the feel of her silky lips sliding against his.

"
I hope not." Her words nearly croaked with emotion.

"
Why?"

She suddenly captured his face with both hands and devoured his mouth with a thrilling hunger, giving her answer between breaths.
"Because I want this to be real."

****

Sally battled the butterflies in her stomach that kept insisting she run instead of sit there calmly on the couch, waiting, with her little black canvas duffle bag of white cotton underwear. Was she really doing this? Joining a convent?

It meant a big change. Could she actually go through with it? If it meant being able to sleep a whole night through without waking up
crying from nightmares of her father's hands where they didn't belong, then yes. Yes, she could do anything to escape that hell.

Jessie had surprised her as they said their goodbyes before she
'd left for work, hugging Sally tight and wishing her well. Something was different about Jessie, something good. Curiosity urged Sally to ask about the new glow in her sister's cheeks, but she'd lost the privilege of sharing such things long ago. Just one more regret to carry with her, and hopefully make atonement for.

An unfamiliar vehicle pulled into the driveway. Sally stood and grabbed her bag when the horn sounded. One last look around at the room that was still almost exactly as when her Aunt May lived there. One last moment of regret for the little sister she hadn
't treated as well as she should have. A quick glance confirmed the house keys lying where she'd told Jessie she would leave them, atop the heavy walnut TV cabinet. Careful to lock the door behind her, she left her sister's house.

***
*

From the time she got in the small Honda with Sister Mary
Evangela, until they stopped at the highway rest area an hour later, Jessie tried sporadically to make conversation. The bulky nun, scowling furiously in a very good imitation of a female Olympic athlete from an Eastern Bloc nation, refused to answer in more than monosyllabic grunts. She drove them into the rest area and pulled in to park beside another car.