The Demon and the Succubus (19 page)

Raphael’s lips twitched but he didn’t smile, which was good since it would’ve only ignited Amalya’s temper further.

“I promise I’ll let you fall next time.” His features remained calm, and even if she hadn’t detected the white lie, it was hard to miss the mischief that shone inside his dark eyes.

Stubbornly refusing to be charmed, she held his gaze for several seconds longer, testing out her new immunity to soul gazes. When nothing happened, she smiled. “Let me guess, you got in one last soul gaze right before you gagged me with blood.”

Raphael held his hands out palm up at his sides. “Guilty. I had to calm you down enough for you to allow me to heal you.”

She sighed. “No wonder my insides ache like someone took a blowtorch to all my internal organs.”

“How much do you remember?” He watched her carefully, as if he already knew the answer.

“Snippets really . . .”

Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all
.

Amalya gasped as the chant rang inside her mind again. “Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all.” She raised her gaze to Raphael’s whose expression was stoic. “What does that mean?”

“I think you already know, even if you don’t remember the details.”

Anger snapped through her and she pushed to her feet and stripped off the towel tossing it to the floor. “Just once I’d love to get a straight answer.” She stalked to the closet and pulled it open, hoping to find something to wear because if her few memories of her time with the demon were any indication, her own clothes were a total loss.

“Will this help?”

Amalya turned to find Raphael holding the duffel Jethro had packed for her back at Sinner’s Redemption. They’d left it in the truck when they’d made a run for the farmhouse to escape the shades.

She grabbed the duffel from Raphael and bit out, “Thank you” before setting it on the bed and digging out a fresh set of clothes.

Even with her back to him, she felt his gaze, a heavy weight against her skin. It wasn’t sexual. Raphael’s gaze was more thoughtful and curious.

She sighed. “If you have something to ask me, go ahead. Maybe we can get through two sentences without me snapping at you.”

His rich chuckle flowed over her and she shook her head as she stepped into a pair of lace panties and reached for the matching bra. “Just now you reminded me of Lilith.”

Amalya whirled around to face him with her bra in her hand. “You’ve seen Lilith? Lately?”

He nodded.

Excitement and fear shot through her and she blurted out, “Is she well? My sisters?”

“Lilith is well. Jezebeth is well. I have no knowledge of the other two.”

Amalya wished she couldn’t detect the absolute truth of his statement. She’d like to hold out hope that someone somewhere knew Reba and Galina were well. She sat down hard on the bed as she absorbed the information. “I knew Jezebeth had made it back to the lair. Levi told me. I was hoping for word of Reba or Galina.”

“I wish I had more to tell you.”

Amalya slipped on her bra and then stood to finish dressing. “Me too.”

Four succubi must stop horsemen to save all
.

The chant whispered through her mind again and she breathed a sigh of relief. “They’re alive. They have to be.” She smiled up at Raphael who looked puzzled.

She laughed. “Don’t you see? I can’t remember why I woke chanting that, but if it takes all four of us to stop the horsemen and save all, then I have to believe they are still alive or we’d somehow know by now.”

Raphael shook his head, his stoic expression threatening to dampen her newfound confidence. “I sincerely hope you’re right. You know, any other woman would take the appearance of the shades and the boiling seas as signs of the end.”

She raised her brows. “This is the first I’ve heard of boiling seas, but I’m not surprised. If my understanding of Armageddon is any indication, things have to get a lot worse before they can begin to get better.”

“Besides, I’m not just a woman. I’m a succubus.” She pulled on jeans and a tank top and then dug into the bottom of the duffel for socks and the extra pair of running sneakers Jethro had packed. “What did you mean,” she asked nonchalantly, “when you said if I died, we’d all be in trouble?”

She turned to sit down on the bed and pull on her socks and shoes, careful not to look up at Raphael, although the sudden flux in his powerful energy as it buzzed against her skin told her she’d hit a nerve.

“Did I say that?”

The false question hit her immediately. Raphael knew very well he had said that exactly.

She finished tying her shoes and stood, meeting his gaze, daring him to dissemble again. “You know, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question and it hung between them as tension crackled and built. “You already know what my chant means, and you aren’t going to tell me.”

Raphael met her gaze calmly a long time before answering.

“We’ve all made vows and promises we must keep. Events will play out as they must without my interference.”

“Does it ever make you crazy?”

From the confusion that flashed across his handsome features she’d surprised him. “What do you mean?”

“You know, having to follow all the rules when Lucifer’s side doesn’t. Having to take the high road when you think that maybe sometimes a nudge or two from you could ensure that God’s side comes out on top?”

He grinned, suddenly looking like the mischievous little boy. “Absolutely.” He glanced around the room and Amalya frowned at the sudden change. He’d looked directly at her during the entire conversation, so why was his gaze searching the room now?

“Amalya, have you ever been to Oregon?”

Confused by the sudden switch in topic she frowned trying to figure out where this had come from. “I think so, but I was probably just passing through and it was long ago before modern times. Why?”

He shrugged. “There’s a really beautiful place there called Graveyard Rim Cliff. In ancient times it was a pagan holy place. In more recent times it has become property of the Catholic Church, which has fenced it in and made it more of an outdoor mausoleum to all the people buried there.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.” She resisted the urge to ask him why he’d suddenly chosen to tell her about it.

“In ancient times people would go there when they wanted to travel to see the gods. They would slit their wrists, and as their blood drained out into the earth, it was thought that a portal to the other side would open and the gods could choose to let that person enter the otherworld if they were worthy. I think the church took pity on all those they considered godless sinners and buried them there where they would always be remembered.”

A chill trickled down Amalya’s spine. It sounded like a horrible, creepy place. “I take it you’ve been there. Does it have some special significance I’m missing?”

Raphael smiled a bit too brightly. “I’ve been there quite a bit. It’s very peaceful for the most part.”

She laughed. “Except when people are bleeding out and calling for help from the other side?”

“Exactly.” He shrugged. “The interesting part is that all those pagans thought they were calling out to gods, but it was usually one of the Archangels who heard them. It’s pretty loud lately with all the shades there. Apparently, it also sits on a natural energy vortex, so thousands of them have congregated there.”

Amalya shuddered. “Thanks for the tip. No upcoming trips to Oregon in my future. Nearly dying twice is my quota for a lifetime if I can help it.”

Raphael smiled down at her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad I was here to prevent the second and also glad Levi and Jethro were able to bring you back from the first.”

She cocked her head to the side as she studied him. “Wasn’t saving me the kind of interference you’re not supposed to engage in?”

“I am the healer among my kind. It’s what I do. How could I see a woman in so much pain without rendering aid?”

“Even when that woman is a succubus?” she countered.

He smiled. “Especially in that case.”

Amalya pulled the
blanket Jethro had kicked off back over him before she climbed the stairs to an office on the opposite side of the house from the master bedroom. She’d hidden inside the guest bedroom like a coward until Raphael had come to tell her that both men were asleep.

After that it had taken another several hours for her to convince Raphael to leave. He’d helped her to the extent he was able but had promised to keep an eye out for Reba or Galina. Then just before he left, he’d fortified the house against further demon attacks and gave her some unasked-for personal advice.

She smiled to herself and shook her head. Men, no matter what species, always thought they knew best. Unfortunately, this one might actually be right.

Amalya quietly opened the door to the office and, thanks to succubi having excellent night vision, immediately made out Levi’s large form on an oversized couch that sat against the back wall.

She padded across the floor to where he lay facing her. The blanket had slipped down around his waist to reveal a broad expanse of bare chest that she remembered well from their meeting at Sinner’s Redemption. His dark hair fell over his brow and she smiled at the urge to brush it back or to trace his long sideburns with her finger.

Instead, she crossed her arms as she studied him with a quiet sigh.

Since she’d met him he’d lied to her by omission, manipulated her, and even talked over her straight to Jethro.

He’d also protected her and saved her life. Although, to be fair, she’d known immediately about the lie of omission and hadn’t called him on it. So some of the blame fell on her own shoulders.

From everything she could tell, he was a good man, loyal, honorable, and determined.

He still intrigued her. Despite the world falling apart around them, she found herself wanting to know more about him.

Raphael’s advice had been about appreciating the small things. The small perfect moments in time that made all the others worthwhile. She’d never thought about life in quite those terms, which surprised her with as long as she’d lived. But succubi, just like humans, often became creatures of habit.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she kicked off her shoes and stripped off the rest of her clothes, dropping them on the floor in a pile. With a smile, she lifted the blanket that covered him and slid in front of Levi, tucking herself back against him spoon-style.

He murmured in his sleep as one strong arm slid around her middle pulling her tight against him before he stilled. The musky male scent of him surrounded her and the heat of his body radiated against her back making her sigh against the comfortable sensation.

Amalya smiled and let herself relax.

It had been a long time since she’d fallen asleep in someone’s arms. In her profession, distance was something to be kept at all costs. Especially when she needed sexual energy to thrive and survive, she couldn’t remain too dependent on just one person to provide it.

Or so she’d always thought.

But the idea of letting herself open up and care for someone fully besides her sisters was both terrifying and tantalizing. She’d befriended Jethro, but he’d been right, she’d never let him close. There had always been a wall of distance that she’d kept between them, and no amount of time would’ve changed that.

But somehow Levi had skirted all her protections and he’d gotten too close before she was able to erect a strong enough wall between them. She grinned into the dark. The lack of barriers between them probably explained why the man could make her so crazy.

She took Levi’s hand and tucked it more securely around her middle as she let her eyes slip closed.

No matter what happened tomorrow, she’d face it. It was worth it for this one perfect moment.

Damned if Raphael wasn’t right.

As
soon as Raphael left the farmhouse, he made his way to Uriel’s property. He’d felt the repeated telepathic nudges that told him first Uriel and then Gabriel had been looking for him. But he wasn’t sure how much of what he’d told Amalya was true. Would Michael and even their Father consider healing Amalya interference?

He hadn’t yet been summoned by Michael, and he hadn’t spoken directly to his Father in some time. So he had to assume that he’d skirted any standing orders Michael had given them, however vague they had been.

Sometimes Archangels had to function blindly, just like humans.

He materialized on Uriel’s porch and rang the bell.

Seconds later, Uriel pulled open the door. “Are you well?”

The concern that laced Uriel’s voice threatened to send guilt slicing through Raphael, but he reminded himself how many times both Uriel and even Gabriel had gone off on their own. “I’m well. I was doing some healing.”