Bound by Sin: The Beginning of a Prophecy (Prophecy #3) (24 page)

Wrapping both her arms
around me, she clung to me tightly. “I love you,” she said through tears.

I didn’t try to hide the desperation in my voice as I said,
“I love you. God, I
love
you. You are my grace and if something happens to you I’ll long for death. I’d rather die a thousand deaths; know that I will never find redemption than be forced to live without you.”

Brooke pulled away and stared at me. Her eyes searched me.

The sound of clapping echoed through the hall. “I couldn’t pay for better entertainment than watching you fall to your knees and grovel in front of a woman,” Azaal said. “The creature who brought death to man, the creator of sin, bowing – on his knees in front of a woman!”

Glancing back in his direction
, I found Azaal walking toward us with a sword outstretched. Before I had a chance to react, he had pinned the sharp point of it against the side of Brooke’s neck.

“One wrong move,” he said, “a
nd this blade will slice right through her! Better get that control you obsessed over back quickly before your anger causes this thing to slip.”

My eyes followed the long, glistening metal of the blade up to
Azaal’s hand. I knew if I tried to swat it away or tried to move him, it would cut her. One of the most powerful beings in existence stripped of his strength by love, by a mortal emotion. I was bound by my need to preserve her life.

“
Azaal, do what you will with me. Just let her go. This is not her fault.”

“Oh, if only it were that easy
, my friend. You see, she
is
what I’ve waited on for eternity. She is
my
redemption.”

Rubbing my palm
across Brooke’s knee, I narrowed my gaze at him. “Azaal, move the blade away from her.”

He shook his head. “This is going to happen the way I’ve wanted it to happen.” His tongue ran across his lips as he thought about his plan. “You see, this is my Kingdom Come. This is a ceremony for me
, and I’ll be damned if it won’t be the most pleasurable moment of my life! I’ve planned it down to the very dress she has on right now!”

He laughed and abruptly
fell silent. “Although, looking at you… I think I may change one small detail. I was going to make you watch me fuck her, but since you know that I’ve already known the way she feels inside, that I’ve already made her moan in pleasure. Now that she knows what it’s like to really be fucked by a ‘man’…”

I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes. Red. All I could see w
as the red from my eyelids as blood coursed through them. I wanted nothing more than to beat him until I had no more strength to raise my fist, but I couldn’t endanger Brooke just to satisfy the anger I felt.

Brooke’s knee dre
w in toward her chest. Moving my eyes from Azaal to Brooke, I saw hurt veiled across her face. Her eyes closed tightly and her lips drew in just as she bowed her head to her chest.

“You,
Semyeza, you took what was mine!
You
lead the Fallen, your weakness that day made the others follow you.
You
have been the seducer of mankind, the definition of lust, the god of desire. You overshadowed me. That woman in the Garden was meant for me. The pain you caused mankind by that union – that was to be mine. I was to revel in the delight of knowing my decision is what caused that perfect creation to know the darkness of sin. I’ve been demonized as a serpent, as a grotesque creature that inhabits the depths of the abyss – Satan – while you have been glorified.”

Azaal
had lost his mind. Envy – his weakness had overtaken him and drove him mad. “Azaal, you are the reason man fell, you are the reason they know death.”

“Yes, but you stole their gift. You stole the affection of woman
, and did you not just utter the words that you would welcome death over losing the woman you feel belongs to you? That feeling you just had pulse through you when you realized I stole what was yours. That feeling… that’s what I wanted to cause to ripple through the heart of man. What you stole was meant only for him. I wanted that title. It was to be mine, and you stole that from me.”

I was in shock. His reasoning was ludicrous.
Peering back at the point of the sword, I watched Brooke’s skin pit around the point.

“Back to my change of plans. I think I’d rather watch you fuck her. Watch you enjoy her one last time, so that the memory of her will be fresh.
How painful would that be, to know you were loving her for the last time while the person responsible for tearing her from you watches?” He let out a maniacal chuckle before finishing. “Yes, I think that would serve you well. Shatter your heart and your pride at the same time.”

Azaal
bent down and wrapped his fingers around Brooke’s arm. “Stand up, doll.” He repositioned the blade flat against her throat. “Stand up,” he demanded, jerking her arm.

Brooke rose slowly. Her eyes remained shut as she stood.

“Let’s go outside, shall we?” Azaal said. He pushed her forward, keeping the sword pressed to her throat.

His eyes shot back at me. “
Well. Come on. You’ve always been a show-off. I’d have thought you would be delighted at this offer.”

Lowering my head,
I followed them down the stairs, through the large chamber of the great hall, and out onto a stone balcony. I didn’t know what else to do. For the first time, I had given into defeat.

Brooke

Chapter
Thirty-two

The chill of the breeze caused my skin to tighten. I began to swallow
, but stopped from the fear that if I did, the blade of the knife would slice through my skin.

“This should do nicely,”
Azaal said as he stared out over the ocean.

Peeking
back over my shoulder, I saw Gavin emerge from the doorway. His head was bowed and his eyes were fixed on the ground. The pride he had always carried had vanished. I loved him, and the look of defeat that had conquered his demeanor pierced my heart like a jagged shard of glass.

Azaal’s
eyes gleamed and focused on Gavin. “I thought you’d be happy with my offer to let you have her one last time?”

Gavin stared at the ground. His shoulders rose and fell from the hard sigh he let
out.

“Well,”
Azaal said. “Go ahead and get undressed – leave her dress on, though. I’ll need her to be wearing that later.”

My heart
hammered relentlessly, fighting to keep a decent rhythm. Azaal swatted my braid to the side and placed the tip of the blade on the back of my neck. “Go ahead, Gavin. This sword’s sharp enough to sever her neck with one swift movement.”

I watched as Gavin
lifted his shirt over his head. He shot a heated stare at Azaal as he tossed it to the side. Gavin’s fingers nervously rubbed across his pendant. His gaze fell on me and his eyes were full of pain. Just looking at him made me want to fall to my knees and sob.

A short laugh flew from
Azaal. “You, the beautiful seducer of women – you’re not ashamed to undress in front of another man, are you?”

Gavin’s gaze on me remained
unfaltering. He reached down and unfastened the buckle of his belt and then undid the fly to his jeans. Pushing them down from his hips, he immediately removed his boxers. Gavin stood completely nude and the shame that fell over him was indescribable. I had never seen shame cross his face. I had made him completely vulnerable, he had become vulnerable to protect me. I knew he was well aware that nothing he did would keep Azaal from killing me, but I think he just couldn’t bear the idea of watching me die. He had fallen to his knees, given up control, and become submissive, all to avoid my death. How could I let Azaal hurt him?

“Now
go to her. Go claim your love.” Azaal said, his voice thick with condescension.

Gavin approached me. He stood in front of me and glanced ov
er at Azaal.

“Well, this isn’t your first time. May I suggest you be gentle
? Too much movement and you may push her neck into the blade.” Azaal’s eyes flickered and he ran the metal of his tongue ring across his lips.

Closing his eyes, Gavin
reached for me. A strong gust of wind howled around the corner of the walls and blew ash through the air. His hair whipped across his face and he squinted. The brilliant green color of his irises stood out against the dark tendrils wavering across the bridge of his nose. His fingers gently rubbed up my arms, up my neck, and rested at the base of my head. They wove themselves into my hair and he pressed his forehead to mine. His eyes cut into me, forcing me to close my eyes because I couldn’t stand the pain his held.

“I
love you. I’m so sorry I failed you. I should have left you alone. I never should’ve pursued you, love,” Gavin’s voice shook as he spoke.

Opening my eyes, I
stared into his. My heart pounded in my chest and my throat stung from the cries I was holding back. “Don’t say that, Gavin. Don’t – I don’t regret anything that led me to you. Because of you I know what passion is. Nothing could’ve kept me from you, if you had told me that I would seal my own death with your kiss I still would have sought out your lips. You gave me something no one else has ever had. You gave me yourself and for that I am…” my voice caught as the tears I’d been fighting back tightened my throat. Bowing my head, I stared at Gavin’s bare chest, my fingers tracing along the indention between his muscles.

Gavin’s hand rubbed down my jawline and rested on my chin. His fingers curled around it and he lifted my face to his. “I’ve always belonged to you. Always!”
he whispered. His lips met mine and I melted, just as I had the first time he’d kissed me.

This kiss was so tender, so soft. His lips rubbed against mine and his tongue softly felt inside my mouth.
Pulling the base of my neck closer to him, his hand fell from my chin and his arm wrapped around my back. For a brief moment the prick of the sword went away, but Azaal quickly placed the cold metal back on my skin, reminding me that this was a farewell.

Gavin
tore away from me. Tears filled his eyes and gathered in their rounded corners. “Thank you for loving me so perfectly.”

Those words completely broke me.
Grabbing his shoulders, I pulled him to me, clinging to him as tightly as I could. My body trembled as I held onto him. His arms enveloped me so tightly I could barely draw in a breath, but I would have gladly died in that moment with him. There would have been no better way to fade from this earth than in his arms.

“You’ve
said your goodbyes – now show me what was so irresistible about yourself,” Azaal hissed and leaned toward me. His finger grazed along the length of the blade. “That is, unless you’re not ‘man’ enough. I’ll gladly step in.”

“No!” Gavin roared.

His hand grazed down my chest and along my sides. Gathering the satin material in his hands, Gavin pulled my dress up to the top of my thighs. He hesitated and then pressed his body against mine. I knew he was trying to keep me hidden from Azaal’s view.

“I’m so sorry
, love,” he whispered against my lips.

Feeling
along the crease of my thigh, his fingers inched over between my legs. His finger rubbed along my cleft and slowly, he slid his finger inside me.

Gavin’s
face leaned against my neck and his breath echoed in my ear. His mouth felt along my flesh and he nipped his way up toward my ear. Wrapping his warm tongue around the edge of my earlobe, his teeth bit down gently. “I love you more than any mortal ever could. The love I have for you is immortal. I will carry it with me into eternity. I promise you that!”

His finger pressed harder into me and the wind screamed around the corner again. The fine particles of earth
caught in the gust stuck to my bare skin.

Gavin’s thumb pressed against my clit and rubb
ed in quick, circular motions. “Let me have you. I swear to you, you will be the last woman I ever feel. If I die, if I live for ten thousand years... you will be the last woman I touch, I love – and I am completely satisfied with that. I would have it no other way.”

I caved. My knees bent and his lips found my neck. His teeth bit down
, and I silently begged that he’d kill me. Gavin’s hand tangled itself in my hair and he pulled me toward him, away from the blade of Azaal’s sword, tugging my head to the side. “Remember, you’re mine!” he said, a possessive tone overtaking his voice.

Without warning, h
e pushed himself into me. The material of my dress bunched up between our abdomens and I wanted nothing more than to feel his entire body pressed hard against me.

He held himself in me and didn’t move. He pushed as hard as he could and I opened my eyes
to find Gavin’s face had turned on Azaal, His eyes glared at him. “Move the damn sword away from her. I’m doing as you asked. Just move it the fuck away from her. I’m not going anywhere.”

Gavin
reached out and lowered the sword away from my body.

One of
Azaal’s eyebrows pointed sharply down, and he swung the sword at Gavin. “If you try to leave with her, they’ll kill her.”

Ignoring him, Gavin
placed both hands around my back. He lifted me up onto him and I wrapped my legs around him. He turned around, his eyes locked on mine, and he slowly lowered me to the cold stone that covered the balcony. Gavin’s body hovered over mine for a moment before he pushed himself into me.

Gavin moved slowly, methodically
, and with a passion I had never felt before. Each movement sent a heat across my body and caused my chest to tighten. Positioning his hand next to my head, he bent down to kiss me. His full lips crushed against mine in a long, hard kiss. My hands gripped his shoulders and my fingers dug into his flesh. I violently pulled him into me and his face came to rest on my shoulder. His hips moved slowly, fluidly as he showed me the way he loved me: passionately, deeply, and desperately.

The way he made me feel forced the thought of death away. In that moment I felt that not even de
ath could touch me. Each muscle tensed up simultaneously and I felt myself succumbing to his pleasure. My head leaned back against the rough stone and I let out a low moan.

Pressing his
body heavily against mine, Gavin placed his lips next to me ear. A low groan pushed through them, followed quickly by, “I’ll find you in death if I must. I can’t live without you, my love.”

I clung to him in the hope
that when I opened my eyes, this would all disappear.

The thud of
Azaal’s footsteps resonated through the stone floor. “I’ve no idea what women saw in
that
,” Azaal said, yanking Gavin from me.

The edge of the sword pointed down to the indention between my collar bones. I tried to scoot myself away from it, but had nowhere to go.

Azaal smiled and placed the toe of his boot between my legs. The end of his shoe scraped against me, removing the wetness Gavin had created. “Is that what you mortals like? Tenderness and vulnerability? Weakness?” Pausing, his head twisted in Gavin’s direction. “Put your clothes back on,” he snarled.

Extending his hand,
Azaal said, “Take it. Take my hand.”

I reluctantly placed my hand in his and he pulled me to my feet.
Azaal led me back to the edge of the balcony. I watched as Gavin fastened his jeans and pulled his shirt over his head. As he smoothed the fabric of his shirt over his firm mid-section, Gavin straightened up and the pride I had come to know returned. His shoulders pressed back, his chin raised, and he stared at Azaal with deep hatred. Gavin’s pupils had overtaken his eyes, the whites of his eyes had been blotted out, and black orbs were all that showed.

Azaal
wrapped his fingers around my throat and jerked my neck up. The sword met the middle of my throat and his stare focused on me as he spoke to Gavin, his eyes flickering as he said, “Would watching Brooke die be the worst imaginable thing possible? Could you fathom something worse?”

Azaal’s
eyes crinkled from the large smile that danced across his lips.

“Watching her die would be the death of my soul,” Gavin quietly said.

I watched Gavin’s eyes shift to the floor and his shoulders fall once again.

A huff of air flew from
Azaal’s nose. “Would you rather live for eternity without her, or know death?”

Gavin’s eyes met mine. “Living without her would be death.”

Azaal’s stare was still intently set on me and his eyebrows rose. “So, the question is, my dear Brooke… how much do
you
love him?”

I knew what
Azaal was asking me. He was cornering me, making me feel guilt for allowing Gavin to exist. My heart was heavy with regret, my stomach tangled up in itself at the thought of causing him pain. Azaal pushed me in the direction of the winding staircase that led down to the shore. “Go on,” he ordered. The sword moved from my throat to the back of my neck and he followed me down the steps.

As we descended,
Azaal shouted over the crashing waves, “You’re not going to stand up here like a coward while I slaughter the one thing you’ve ever loved, are you, Gavin?”

Walking down the steps,
my heart beat faster than it ever had. Every few minutes it would skip several beats, sending fear surging in me, and making my breath catch. The adrenaline had set my flesh on fire with anxiety and terror and I had to force my feet to take each step, cursing them for trying to cement me in place. I felt the soft, powdery sand underneath my bare feet. That feeling once brought such comfort to me because it reminded me of home, of comfort, but now the sand bleeding between my toes sent shivers throughout my body. I knew that I had only moments left to breathe in the air, moments to feel, moments until death closed my eyes.

The sound of the
tide rumbling onto shore drowned out Azaal’s voice. He glared at me, and then his face lurched toward me. “Did you make your decision? Are you going to grant him peace or misery?”

Peering up
to the stairwell, I watched Gavin trudge down the last few steps. His entire demeanor was defeated and saddened. Helpless. He looked so helpless and as though he were in so much pain that the only thing that could remotely grant him peace would be death.

Azaal
drug the tip of the sword underneath my throat. The edge scraped my skin and the burn from the superficial cut hollowed through me. One of Azaal’s slender fingers wiped my blood from the blade. He lifted his finger in front of his face; a small red trickle ran down its side and he brought his finger to his mouth to lick the ruby colored liquid from his flesh. A sated moan came from him and he panted out, “No wonder!” Twisting his neck toward Gavin, he groaned, “That’s even better tasting than the wetness I forced from between her legs.”