Summon Toren (Archangels Creed #3) (11 page)

Kassern spun to meet the new threat, reluctant to turn his back on Karly and whatever was going on with her. His ruby armor
gave him his current favorite automatic handgun modeled after the .50 caliber. He panned the gun's muzzle across the visible area, searching for the threat.

Nothing.

The tightly packed spiritual power in the ammo wouldn't do much good without a target to blast. Frustration formed a knot in his gut. He didn't have time to search out the enemy and fight his determined wife when he should be getting the hell out of Dodge.

As t
he thought passed through his head, he saw it. A low demon grinned, displaying a mouth full of nastily serrated teeth, brilliant white enough for a toothpaste commercial. A Soul Eater. The thing didn't have much spiritual or physical strength, but psychically, it was formidable.

It moved a little, revealing its vaguely canine body. Bipedal and human sized, with a chameleon-like ability to blend into the background
, the Soul Eater looked like an over-sized collie/shepherd type dog with misshapen hind legs that allowed it to walk upright.

The
beast raised its head to sniff the air, flaring too-large nostrils to reveal crusty yellow and green tissue. Large ears flicked front to back. "What's this?" The long narrow mouth and lolling tongue, unintended for human speech, mangled the words. The demon pulled black leathery lips back to reveal the magnificent teeth again. "Angel and human. Sex. And something dark and new."

Kassern refused to rise to the demon's bait. He grabbed Karly's hand to flash them away, the mist of ruby particles swirling around him
.

S
uddenly his hand was empty. He spun within the rising cloud and found Karly outside the red haze of his long-distance translocation power.

The grin on his wife's face froze Kassern's blood in his veins. Cold anger and hatred turned her natural beauty into an ugly mask of evil. Holy Father. Could the demon exert some kind of power o
ver her? Of course it could, through the taint of her previous sins of prostitution.

Kassern stepped out of the mist ready for battle. He would not forfeit his beloved at any cost.

The demon's grin broadened. "Ah, I knew you couldn't resist the challenge."

Suspicions confirmed, Kassern switched weapons
. His handgun morphed into a weapon of his own design, patterned after a fishing net. He cast it without warning, allowing the ruby filaments of power to expand. A second net immediately followed.

The strands of the first net stretched, glistening and pulsing with supernatural energy, to surround and encompass the demon.

The thing screeched and shook furiously, but the net held fast then began to contract as the demon struggled against the restraint. At the same time, the second net surrounded Karly and pulled snug to fit her like a glove. As the net came into contact with her skin, it glowed, radiating the power of Kassern's love for her.

Karly's face changed again, the evil rolling back to reveal her normal visage as she looked around in surprise.

The demon's net continued to shrink, pulling the thing into ever tighter contortions while it shrieked and howled, a sound of fury, until it was finally just a bit larger than a softball. Kassern snatched it up and exhaled a ruby mist to cover every pore of the demon's skin. The moisture soaked in, then hardened into a gemstone-infused lump of dark material.

He sliced through the fabric of the dimension with a fingernail and tossed the thing through. The slit closed with a liquid melding that left no trace. The demon would join the several thousand others being safely contained in the inter-dimensional space until Kassern had time to deliver them safely to the Gates of Hell.

He turned back to Karly who once more looked like the woman he'd fallen in love with, the shadow of evil gone from her face.

His demon radar was screeching again, the wonderful sensation of nails raking a chalkboard. With no time for the niceties, he grabbed Karly's hand and flashed them away with the barest thought.

** ** **

Lucian paced, annoyed with the thick carpeting. The outer room of the plush hotel suite where he'd been left to cool his heels aggravated him to no end. Why did they have to go to meet the Pope's representative anyway? Surely the priest could have come to them.

He wasn't sure how Dorn had convinced the Vatican Envoy that Jessie had something valuable to offer in the birth control debate, but somehow he'd managed. And now the Pope seemed to be considering granting her a private audience. If she convinced the representative.

What she might have to do to convince the sleazeball was the problem.
Already he could hear her, her voice soft and intimate, coaxing. And when the priest replied, his voice rumbled with very unpriestly arousal.

Damn his head hurt.

Dorn cleared his throat, drawing Lucian's attention. The angel sat at one end of the sofa with Sally tucked under his arm. Where anyone else would have sprawled, Mr. Perfection kept his spine straight and feet flat on the floor.

When Lucian failed to acknowledge him the angel cleared his throat again and spoke. "What's wrong, Lucian?"

He froze. "Why would you think something's wrong?"

Dorn shook his head and pointed to the gilt-framed mirror over the bus-sized fireplace. "Look."

Scowling, Lucian followed directions. The right side of his face was sickly gray instead of his normal tan. Darker splotches within the gray swirled, looking ready to erupt with some sort of poison.

He lifted his hand to touch the skin and found it icy cold, almost painful to touch. His fingers against it felt like white hot brands and he jerked away. Panic struck and his heart nearly pounded its way through his ribs. "The mark?" His voice cracked and became a weak whisper, unable to hold his usual timbre.

Dorn rose and stood beside him. "Whatever is going through your head, you need to get a handle on it. I can guess what it is, and I have to remind you to trust your wife. She won't do anything to betray you."

A few lucid seconds and
Lucian sighed. God. Of course she wouldn't. His sweet Jessie didn't have a traitorous fiber in her being. His mind filled with the sound of her soft cries as he made love to her. No, he had nothing to worry about.

He started to turn from the mirror but his image caught his attention again. The gray had faded and the dark splotches had disappeared entirely. He gasped. If he hadn't seen it, he would never have believed the mark held such power.

"Remember, you have to keep those lies out of your head. Doubt is the weapon the enemy will use against you because it's your natural reaction. You have to fight it."

Apparently.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Something’s wrong.” Toren hovered next to Kassern in the air. He’d had to leave his body that was supposed to be incapacitated due to his injuries, to go talk to the
other angel.

“What’s up?
Short version please. Karly's at the Grotto of Aesculapius for a bunch of tests.”

"Sorry, but I didn't know what else to do and I'm afraid the mission is going off track."
Toren shook his head. “I think I want her too much.”

Kassern quirked a brow.

“I mean I…” Toren wasn’t sure how to put it in human terms. “My mercury is going insane around her it wants…it wants to bind to her. It’s extremely aggressive about it.”

Both his brows raised at that. “How aggressive.”

“As in I have to fight myself to keep from…”

“Tearing into her.”

Toren gasped at his accuracy. “Yes. Exactly.”

Kassern whistled long. “That’s supposed to happen
after
your humans connect.”

“That was my thought. If it gets worse than it is, I’m concerned I’ll…”

“Hurt her.”

Again he was relieved with his understanding. “Yes.”

“I’ll talk to Uriel and Dorn, see what they think.”

“What am I supposed to do meanwhile? I mean does it matter in which order the quadrumvirates are formed?”

“You mean can you and her join first?”

“Yes.”

“What’s going on here?”

They turned at Dorn’s sudden appearance in the air next to them.

“Hurry, I can’t stay gone long.” He looked at Toren. “Where is your body?”

“Injured. Not really,” Toren said at seeing Dorn’s confusion. “If I’m human I would be. Got trampled by a horse.”

“Oh for crying out loud,” Dorn muttered. "What are you doing on that farm? We do not have time for this. Have your humans mated?” 

Toren decided to ignore the angel’s useless attitude. “Haven’t found them yet.”

“Haven’t
found
them? It’s been three days! So what are you doing here? Now?”

“He’s experiencing the symptoms of his
human couple’s joining before they actually join, before he's even found them,” Kassern said.

Dorn’s perfect brows narrowed. “What? How? He hasn’t even
found
them.”

Kassern sighed. “I’ll need to contact Uriel and talk to him about it. See if there is a necessary order in the formation of the quads.”

“Order is always necessary,” Dorn said. “We can’t keep hodge-podging this operation. Not if we want to ensure our success. No, we keep the balance in the order that it is. Human joining, then angel joining. We don’t know enough about this to dilly dally with the formula.”

Kassern nodded slightly. “I think he’s right Toren.”

“I have to return. She’s coming.”

“Keep your body parts away from her,
” Dorn ordered. “Keep your distance. The closer you are to her, the harder it is. Make an excuse to spend a few days away.”

Toren shook his head.
“Well, I’m unconscious at the moment and she’s about to walk through the door to doctor me.”

Kassern made a painful sound while Dorn shook his head. “Our prayers are with you, brother.” Kassern patted his shoulder.

“Whatever good that will do,” Dorn added. "My God, he hasn’t even gained humanity yet and…” Dorn’s rambling faded with their spiritual particles. Thankfully. He was a good soldier but a fucking annoying brother.

Toren hurried back to his body and slipped inside it even while Samantha was examining him. She was in the process of panicking because she couldn’t find any vital signs.

“Oh shit oh shit.” She approached his mouth and opened it with her hands then put hers right over it.

So much for the power of prayer.

Toren put his hand on her head and held her still while he kissed her. His moans not at all matching her startled ones.

She pulled up with a gasp and stared at him in shock. “Thank you,” he said. “Your lips have the power of life in them.”

She slapped his arm. “What are you
doing?
I just…” she looked up and down his body, confused. “You seemed…”

“I sleep hard.”

“You’ve been unconscious!”

Toren tried to block out her scent. Her sex
y smell intoxicated him every time she came near. He’d relived that moment in the bathroom repeatedly until his mercury became desperately restless for more data. The way she’d touched him. The look in her eyes. She was ready for him in that second, her desire so rich it pained him, filled him with the need to devour. And if they hadn’t been disturbed he would’ve ripped her jeans down and put her on the sink and finally drank from her delicious fountain.

And she would’ve let him.

Toren focused on keeping his own sex member from growing. He braced for her touch, concern overriding her anger now. On his forehead first. Her cool fingers. He wanted to taste those too, bite on them lightly. “I’m using my face to check your temperature so don’t…do anything crazy.” Toren froze as she lowered and pressed her cheek to his. He turned into the feeling as she pulled up and slid the covers down to gently press on those bandages they’d wrapped him in. It’d only been two days since the accident, not long enough to heal. Not that he was in a hurry with her as his doctor.

“You look good.”

She looked at him with a worried brow and he smiled. “Thank you.”

“I can’t believe you’re awake, thank God.”

He studied her face, loving how beautiful she looked in worry and concern for him. She seemed to remember his head and leaned to probe it softly. She finally drew back and leveled a narrowed gaze at him. “You big
idiot.
What were you
thinking
to go in there like that? You could’ve been killed.”

Triumph surged through him. She cared whether he lived or died. With her, such an admission was a major victory.
“You’re welcome. How’s the foal?”

“The foal is fine. Thank
s to you. It was tiny and weak and hadn't nursed yet, so it didn't have long.” Tone softer. "He's doing good now, growing strong, and Glory is finally being a good mother."

Toren suddenly felt like he’d explode if he didn’t have her touch right now. “I’m cold.”

She quickly looked around. “I’ll put more wood—”

He caught her arm before she could get up. “Just…” he swallowed, knowing he shouldn’t. “…lay with me.”

She stared at him and every conceivable emotion flashed in her eyes.

“I promise not to touch you.” Though Toren meant the
words, his mercury was vehemently opposed and let him know with a wave of pain that caused him to wince and catch his breath hard.

She seemed to regain that feigned composure she was so good at using with him. “Alright. I guess I do owe you.” She looked at the bed and he went to make room. “Don’t you dare try to
move! I’ll manage.”

“Okay.” He needed to remember he was supposed to be injured.

She took her boots off and lay next to him, half on his body half on the bed, but outside the covers. “Am I hurting you?”

“God no.” He put his arm down next to her then pressed his palm into her back and pulled her closer. “Feels like you’re falling off the bed.”

“I’m fine!”

A few seconds of silence passed
during which he relished the feel of her nearness and wished for more. “My legs are cold.”

She lifted her head
to look then covered his legs with one of hers.

“Mmm. They almost feel numb.”

She sat up abruptly. “Numb? How numb?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Hard to tell.”

She removed the covers. “Oh my
God,”
she gasped, throwing them back over his groin.

“Sorry, I don’t remember getting undressed.”

“No, no, it’s…it’s not your fault. I had them undress you. I just forgot.” She began rubbing on his legs. “Do you feel this?”

“Yes. But they ache.” To be touched by you.

She began rubbing them roughly and Toren winced.

“Too hard?”

He nodded.

She softened her touch.

“Now I can’t feel it.”

She paused thinking then grabbed the blankets at his feet and slid them up to his groin. She began softly massaging his legs again. “Better?”

“Much,” he sighed.

She worked her fingers up and down his legs and Toren lost the power to will the heat from his phallus, grateful for the bunched up blanket on his hips. “Thank you…by the way,” she said.

Toren clenched his eyes shut as her hands slowed and softened even more, driving him to desperation with every millimeter of movement.

“Thought you were going to die,” she whispered.

Father. His heart pounded furiously with need as her fingers lingered on his upper thigh, thoughtful and silky. He slid the opposite leg to the left, making room for her. Then he remembered she’d spoke. “You told him to shoot her.”

He shuddered as her fingers dipped between his thighs and stroked up toward his straining desire. “I…was scared.”

“For me,” he whispered.

She pressed her entire palms against his inner and outer thigh, back to a more professional touch. But Toren could feel it was just a façade. He could feel how much she loved touching him. And that knowledge made him insanely aroused. “Stupid
Joe nearly got you killed.”

“Keep touching me.”

She paused. “I am.”

Her tone was timid. So different from what she usually was. Much more pliable. His mercury loved that, made it eager to dominate. “Like you were. Before.”

She glided her fingers softly over him, slowly.

“Yes. That.”

She didn’t say a word as she focused on her job, reaching down to his ankles and slowly sliding her soft fingers over his legs. When she got to his upper thigh, she slowed but ventured higher. Toren couldn’t stop his hips from moving, reaching for her touch. Nor could he keep the sound of his hunger from escaping in labored breaths.

She stroked slowly back down his leg but began the journey back up much sooner and again went extremely slow on the slide up. He was near delirious with need. “Touch me.” He pushed his hips, knowing he was being too forward with her but he couldn’t help it. His need for her was reflexive and undeniable. He moved the blanket aside, wanting her see how much she affected him. His phallus stood tall and hard and she stared at it. Not wide eyed, but with a hooded gaze.

He opened his legs more and thrust his hips. “Please,” he begged, shamelessly.

She hesitantly reached for him and his shaft nearly jumped in
to her hand when she got close enough. She wrapped a warm hand around him, soft, like she were afraid to hurt him.

“Squeeze it harder.” The words came on his ragged breaths as he instructed her.

She did as he said then began to move her hand up and down the length, oh so slow. Toren’s head fell back with a loud groan. “Yes.” He pushed his hips into her hand, amazed that she knew to do that.

Toren hadn’t looked into the man’s part
of the sexual process, only what he should do for the woman, not dreaming he’d need to know how to manage the power she created in him with such simple touches. He’d figured he’d play that part by ear, like he did with everything else. Not knowing what to do in this one thing, he realized was foolish.

Toren’s hips undulated in coordination to her delicate strokes. He strained on the pleasure, his body hardening with it. She suddenly looked at his abs and placed her other hand on
his belly, stroking his muscles. Her full lips parted with a passionate hunger she’d buried so well inside her. His back arched under her hand stroking along his chest. He moved his hips faster and he watched her gaze lock onto his cock.

He gasped when he saw what she considered. She wanted to
take him into her mouth but wasn’t sure if she should.

The idea that she co
nsidered it hit him hard in his groin. Of course, just like he wanted to do to her. “Do it,” he whispered, wrapping his hand around hers at the base of his shaft. “Please.”

She slowly leaned and kissed the very top of him and Toren gasped at the amazing sensation. Her excited breaths on him intensified the feeling. He watched in hazed astonishment as hunger took hold of her, much like it seemed to do to him.

Then she devastated him, taking his whole length into her hot mouth with sounds that said it was the best thing she’d ever tasted. Toren got up on his elbows and opened his legs wider, eternally shocked with how heavenly good it felt.

She caressed his balls and her nails scraped the skin lightly and Toren growled with need putting his hand on her head and pumping his hips instinctually faster. His mind and body knew how this all worked, he just had
no clue
how it
felt.