Crimson Reign (7 page)

All pretense of relaxation faded as Laziel sat up, brow furrowed. “Are you sure that’s wise. Arial’s a loose cannon at best. Too much time spent hunting his demons.”

“Agreed, he’s a hard-ass, but he’s loyal to me.” He arched a questioning brow at Laziel.

The celestial nodded. “Without question.”

“I want him to infiltrate the humans, see what the Vatican is thinking at the moment. Darklon has to be feeding them information. If anyone can ferret it out, Arial can. They’ll trust him, he’s an angel.”

“Arial sees himself as a Fallen, Lachi. A real honest to goodness Fallen Angel. You keep forgetting that about him. It’s what makes him so arbitrarily dangerous.”

Malachi spun around to face Laziel and paced back. “I know what he is, and I refuse to condemn him for it.” Spreading his arms wide, he glanced down at himself. “Here I stand dressed in Armani, designer shoes and more money than I can ever hope to spend. For appearances sake, I am the epitome of a successful trustworthy businessman. The King of a race.” In the blink of an eye, his face changed, fangs punched through his gums and his eyes glowed an unholy black. The savagery of his nature permeated the room. “Yet, we both know, I am as uncivilized as the demons Arial hunts with every waking breath. A monster feared by his own race much the same as Arial.” Another heartbeat and Malachi’s vampiric nature retreated. “I fool them every day. I have every faith Arial can do so as well.”

“You do that shit on purpose, vampire.” Laz stalked toward him. A large palm cupped the back of his head and Malachi found himself caught up in the angel’s embrace. The kiss scorched his lips as their mouths fused together, tongues mating. Just as quickly as they came together they parted as Laziel broke the seal of their lips and solemnly backed away.

“Someone approaches,” he grunted.

A soft knock sounded on the door. “Your Eminence, the Pope has requested an audience. He has twenty minutes now, if you are available.” Kimberly Stroner, his voluptuous and discreet secretary, stepped into his office. Without batting an eye at the close proximity of the two of them, she waited for his reply.

“Please let him know I’ll be there posthaste.”

She bobbed her head once and exited without closing the door.

“She’s the one they chose for you,” Laz snapped, jade colored eyes flicking from the door to Malachi’s face.

“They can all fry in hell while Arial watches, Laziel.” He prowled past the angel trailing his fingers over the exposed abs as he went by. “I’ve chosen the only partner I will ever have. The Elders and the race can fuck off. I refuse to bring a child into a world still situated in the dark ages.” At the door, he turned back to Laziel, a sadistic smile in place. “Anyone who doesn’t like my decision, better have made peace with whatever God they worship if they try to separate us.” He stepped through the door and found Kimberly standing prim and proper just outside, her pretty face solemn.

“Kimberly.”

“Yes, Sire.”

“No offense.”

“None taken, Sire. The Pope is waiting.”

~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

With a raised brow, Laziel watched Lachi’s gorgeous ass make its way out of the door and smiled. The male was a damn fine specimen; one Laziel took great delight in enjoying to his fullest. Ever eager to be at hand, or in hand, the angel chuckled at the spine tingling thrill of excitement the vampire evoked. When a warm glow started to coil in his gut, the angel tempered down the enormous size of his appetite for the male and crossed the deeply carpeted floor to peer down at the glowing screen of Lachi's laptop. The angel smirked.

“Naughty Lachi, leaving such sweet temptation in your angel’s way.” A quick glance and Laziel knew where the last destined email was headed. Pointing the curser, he brought up the history of emails and chuckled. Adding his own few lines to the end of the message, Laziel tapped out.

“Hi, D.D. It’s me, ya sweet blessed little angel…ya know…the one that cleaned up the bullshit after you left. Well guess what, DD, if you don't answer MY male within the next...oh say, forty-eight-hours, ya might find ya’self in need of some prayers when my hot and horny ass descends on ya doorstep. Don’t roll ya eyes at me, D.D. A flick of my fingers and I'll know in a heartbeat exactly where you are. Let him know, just two small words, I'm OK. I'm sure even your vocabulary can stretch to that. See ya, wouldn't want to be ya. Love hugs and ohhh so many kisses. NOT!

Ya sweetie pie, Laz.”

 Snorting in disgust, Laziel hit send, went back into the history and deleted all knowledge that the e-mail, or its address ever existed. When all that was left was a blank screen, Laziel closed the device and took off for the door. On passing Ms. Stroner, Lachi's loyal assistant, Laziel’s eyes flared a bright flash of red. Never going to happen female, that there male belongs to me! The usually undetectable feathers layered across his back ruffled as angelic ire flashed in his face.

As much as Laziel disagreed with the Elders over Lachi being mated and needing to breed, the angel saw why they'd chosen the bountiful Miss Stroner. If she were a mere mortal, it would not have been surprising to see her on the cover of Vogue or some other high fashion magazine. She was beautiful, more so than most of the females living within the cavernous maze seated deep below ground. With hair the color of spun gold that hung just below her jaw line, and large liquid brown eyes set into a soft featured heart shaped face, Ms. Stroner would have been a very pleasant accompaniment on Lachi's arm. Eyeing her as he passed, Laziel slowed when Ms. Stroner began to speak. The words were whispered as she nervously craned her neck to look up at Laziel.

“Umm, it is the Pope Sire Denali is meeting, perhaps...” When her eyes widened and drifted over Laziel’s broad bare chest, and then lowered to take in the tattered remnants of the low waisted jeans that lay open at the waist and lower again to his bare feet, the angel laughed nonchalantly and made his way further down the ornate walkway.

“Lachi prefers me in a state of undress, little lady.” The heat of her stare followed him. Joining Lachi at the base of the stairwell leading up into the human sector, he turned and gave Ms. Stroner a full on glare. The vampire King was spoken for, and as far as Laziel was concerned, already had a mate. The Elders could suck a dead dog’s dick for all he cared. With lustful intent, Laziel leaned in and seduced Lachi's mouth. A low rumbling growl from deep within the vampire’s chest erupted. As fast as he’d invaded the succulence of Lachi's lush mouth, the angel pulled away. Point made.

With a gratifying smirk written plainly across his face, the angel glided up the stairs. Purposely, he trailed his fingers down the rigid swell that had formed in Lachi's designer pants, and then rolled his hips on ascending the stairs giving a bewildered looking Lachi a really great view of his hot tight ass.

“Motherfucker, you did that deliberately. How the fuck am I supposed to address the Pope like this?” Lachi growled as he came up behind Laziel and slapped his hand across the angel's ass. Laziel trembled from the thrill as the sting traversed its way down toward parts of his anatomy that involuntary clenched from the joyous infliction of pain. Turning molten eyes to meet the vampire’s dark and deadly glare, Laziel ground his jaw and leaned into his male. He grasped Lachi’s hand as he did and brought it down to the girth of hot throbbing sex lying heavy and needful against his jeans.

“Let’s get this done, and you can punish me all you damn well like. How's that for a deal maker, sexy?” Laziel smirked at Lachi's grimace. Alike in so many ways, Laziel couldn't think of anything better than whiling away any second of spare time fused to the male waiting impatiently at his side. Even after all these years, Laziel still hungered for the simplest touch from the hands or mouth of the male he loved.

“Hmmm, you might be sorry you said that, Laziel, but here's a reminder of what you just agreed to, just in case you weren’t clear. Let’s call it pay back for the little show downstairs, shall we?” Lachi growled against the flesh of Laziel’s neck. The angel's breath hitched as the solid weight of Lachi's hand bore down hard across the rounded mounds of the angel's ass. The resounding whack echoed through the walkway as Lachi disappeared through the secret archway leading them into the Pope's most private anti-chambers.

Within seconds, Laziel swallowed the lust to join Lachi's side. All manner of playful connotations were left at the door. Upon entering, Lachi and Laziel stood silently in wait as the elderly male prayed at his own private alter. Laziel’s eyes roamed the scarcely furnished chamber and assessed each entrance as a possible means of attack. Keeping Lachi close, the angel heightened his senses to take in their surroundings should anyone with a mind to assassination attempt an approach. Something was off. An underlying scent lingered in the room, one that was not associated with the male they’d come to meet.

Dressed in only the simplest of white robes, the Pope prayed in hushed whispered words. Laziel listened tentatively as he asked for guidance and strength in the harsh times ahead. The angel knew instinctively of the hard times the holy man prayed against. For years, he and Lachi had borne witness to the destruction of the vampires’ enclaves and the loss of vampire and Nephilim lives. The bitter, secret war that raged between them, knew no end, regardless of the treaty.

Vampires were still being hunted and slain which in turn provoked a large rise in vampire vigilantes’ hell bent on revenge. The circle of violence and hatred was never ending. Many a night, he witnessed as Lachi vented the flood of his anger over another of his race being brought home in a shroud, leaving behind loved ones and families to grieve for their lost. Such was life. If truth be known, every race was the same, none more so than the human race that saw fit to slaughter, rape and maim. They fought wars against each other in the name of religion and to them that made it justified.

Through it all, the heavens cried with the futile waste of life they'd been granted. Humans were a fickle sort at best, but their breeding habits saw to it that their numbers stayed obscene. It also kept them at the top of the so called food chain, while they caged or destroyed anything remotely threatening to them whether it was animal or man. Humans, they were barbaric at best, murderous and self-loathing at worst. Thank the Creator Lachi was not one of them. Laziel fidgeted as the Pope stood and made his way toward them.

With the arc of his wings on full display, Laziel stood tall as the elderly male approached them. His eyes watery blue with age, yet still sharp, widened. He'd seen Laziel many times before, but every time they met, the Pope still regarded him with awe as though the angel were proof of his Lord’s existence.

Per protocol when meeting the Pope, most humans took to their left knee and bowed before kissing his ring. But for Laziel, a celestial known to have graced the right hand side of the Creator, there was no such conformity. Only two beings bore the power to bring Laziel to his knees. One of them stood right alongside him with an expectant hard line painted across his slightly perplexed face. Laziel did, however, take the offered ring and kiss the cold emblem in a mark of true respect to his Creator and the God this male believed in.

On touching the human’s hand, Laziel slipped into the male's open thoughts and warmly smiled at the Pope’s look of awareness. A quick glimpse and Laziel calmed. The soul, heart and mind of the male were in no way ill-advised or corrupt. In fact, the astonishing thing was he knew of the problems and corruption in his ranks and was doing his upmost to weed them out. Laziel took a step back in announcement of the vampire King and turned his sights on the one other male occupying the room.

Gabriel.

~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

While Laziel paid tribute to the highest ranking individual in the humans’ religious faiths, Malachi scanned the room. He counted four cameras aimed in various directions and heard the faint buzz of at least as many listening devices. He had little doubt other less noticeable equipment surveyed the room. Obviously human plants, he thought as vampires knew such endeavors wasted valuable time and resources simply because they were ineffective when faced with their race’s superior skill set. Willing one of the cameras to turn in his direction, he stared straight into the black eye of its camera and with a thought jammed it and all other spyware in the room. Somewhere, the watchers scrambled to figure out what the fuck had just happened.

“Your Excellency, Malachi Azarian Denali, King of the Vampire race.” The deep intonations of the man at the Pope’s side subsided into nothing at the casual wave of the papal hand.

“We’ve been introduced, Gabriel. Numerous times.” Before the affronted man could object, Pope Gregori XVII stepped forward and clasped Lachi’s hand warmly. “Sorry, for such short notice, Malachi. Can we walk just a moment?”

Malachi nodded once, and met the angel’s piercing gaze. He swept a pointed glance at Gabriel. Laziel smirked and stepped between the hovering secretary and the Pope.

“What the…” Gabriel sputtered. “I have to go with him.”

“What you have to do is stay where you are, unless you want to try a little one on one time with this celestial.” The quiet menace in Laziel’s voice and the mental image of his own personal time with the angel sent a tingle of awareness down Malachi’s spine. He tamped down his body’s eager response when Gregori's low whisper caught his ear. “I’m not sure it is safe to talk here. The very walls have ears, as the saying goes.”

 “Not anymore, they don’t.”

The Pope chuckled. “Wish I could do that.”

“We’ve had this discussion before Gregori.”

Another quick laugh spilled forth. “I thank you for the offer yet again, my friend, but the answer is still no.” Out of earshot of the human, but still within Laziel’s range, his face grew serious and he sighed. “The Vatican and the church are rife with venality. I’m not sure who around me I can trust with the exception of my God, you and Laziel.” He stopped at the window and gazed out into the night sky. “I’ll be blunt. You have a traitor in your midst, vampire. A high ranking one, if I guess correctly.”