Sacrifice (Revelations Book 1) (34 page)

Jack nodded. “Far be it for me to interfere in Gabe’s work.”

Abby turned to Jack and whispered, “Who is that? How can you just trust him, he just came out of nowhere?”

“You can trust me, he’s here to help. We go way back.”

“Way back? Or like way-way back?”

“The latter.” The man interrupted and Abby felt a chill go down her spine.

Without another word he walked back toward the door engulfed by the same shadows that swallowed him up when he arrived. In another blink of an eye the figure in shadows was gone.

Nico approached the mic. “That… Person is going after our prophet. Lobo is tracking Famine. We still need groups to go after Pestilence, War, and Death. We need people to be on the hunt for Chloe, the Beast, and Rosa. And most importantly we need to find the other Seals before they are broken. The Gate opening broke Seals one through four. That leaves us with three left. Their prophet, the second Beast, is dead. Now they are down one very important player.” He scanned the crowd. “We have to stay strong and not lose any more of our friends.”

Sabina stepped forward. “Mother Superior has charged Draven and me with finding and protecting the fifth seal.”

Nico nodded. “Okay. Dusk is our base of operations from this point on. It’s the home of the Gate and needs to be protected, not to mention the town is now safe from Rosa. She’s banished so it’s the safest place for us to meet. If you run into any problems or need to lay low, you come here so we can protect you.”

Jack took on the duty of doling out tasks to groups who volunteered. Most of the healers were to stay in Dusk. The vampires and Alex agreed to use Hex as a meeting place for anyone seeking aid. The night’s politics were almost as draining as the battle. Abby felt the tiredness of the night finally settling in. Nico slipped his arm around her waist and leaned his forehead against hers. “We did it.”

“It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like this fight will just go on and on.”

He placed a kiss against her temple. “I know, but we won this battle.”

She nodded and let her body start to relax. She could melt into him and he would wrap her up and hold her close. And now they had eternity to enjoy it. He wasn’t going anywhere, he was immortal like her. Jack was saying something to the crowd when she finally realized what was going on.

A Virtue said they would go after Death. Jack shook his head. “I’m taking Death, it’s my duty.”

Arveda argued. “You need to go after Chloe. That’s your duty, or are you going to screw it up again?”

Jack’s eyes turned cold. “I will go after my brother and I will find Chloe, but for now she needs space. Let her figure herself out, god knows you’ve stripped every ounce of who she was away from her.” He addressed the crowd again. “Chloe is the lowest priority. If you see her you are only to observe and report, you do not engage. She needs time to make her decision.” He cast a glare at Arveda. “She has free will and it won’t be taken from her again.”

Surprisingly Arveda didn’t argue she simply turned to the crowd. “You all have your orders. Don’t fail.” As she left the stage she stopped in front of Abby and Nico. “I expect to see you two for breakfast, we have plans of our own to make. Eight o’clock sharp at the bar. And I will expect nothing less than the best for my meal, which means some of my daughters will be working in your newly acquired establishment.”

Abby grimaced. “But I can’t go out in the sunlight.”

“Oh yes, that.” Arveda removed a simple gold band from her pinky finger and placed it Abby’s hand. “There, that’s better. We can’t have a protector who is afraid of a little sunburn, now can we?”

She strode off casually with a trail of Striga following after her. Abby slipped the ring on her finger and frowned. “I’m just supposed to believe this little thing is going to stop me from turning into a pile of ash once the sun comes up?”

Nico nodded. “She was telling the truth.”

Abby swept her arms out. “Then why the hell didn’t she give it to me from day one?”

He shrugged. “Maybe she wanted to see how strong you were before cutting your strings and letting you take on the world.”

She remembered the pain of the burns from the sun touching her that first day and cursed. “What a bitch.”

“Well, that bitch is apparently expecting us to play host and hostess to her first thing in the morning.”

Abby’s lip twitched into a small smile. “Does that mean we get to go home now?”

“I think we’ve earned it.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief and slumped against him. “Thank god, I’m so over this night.”

He laughed and tilted her chin up to kiss her softly. “Let’s go home.”

Abby smiled and patted her side. “Come on, Moose.”

Nico stilled. “That thing is coming with us?”

“He’s my dog and yes.”

“Abby, he’s a
hellhound
.”

She patted Moose’s head and grinned up at Nico. “He saved me.”

“You have a point.” He reached down and scratched the Beast behind the ear. “Alright, he can come. But he sleeps on the floor.”

Morning came a little too quickly for Abby’s liking. She was lying naked and curled up against Nico, her back pressed against his front. She reveled in the way his body fit around her. She could still feel the aches and pains from last night’s battle. As much as she and Nico wanted some alone time both of them had fallen asleep as soon as they stripped down and crawled into bed.

The sun was going to rise soon, Abby could feel it. Her body was tensing, urging her to find shelter for the day and protect herself from the harmful rays. Instead, she fought against every instinct and pulled a sheet to wrap around herself as she slid out of bed. Padding lightly over to the window she took a deep breath. The heavy blankets still draped over the grimy glass. She reached out, hand shaking, and gripped the blanket.

“Abby, don’t!”

She turned to see Nico sitting up in bed, eyes wild with fear. She glanced at the ring Arveda had given her. “You said she wasn’t lying about the ring.”

“She wasn’t.” He ran his hand through his hair, tousling it a bit. Crossing the room, he came up behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and leaning his chin on her shoulder. “The idea of you being in the sun still makes me nervous.”

“Me too, but I have to try.” He was nodding, the scruff of his whiskers scratching at her soft skin. She still had her hand on the blankets but found she couldn’t bring herself to pull it back. “I’m scared.”

“I know.” His hand traveled up and rested on hers. “We’ll do it together.”

She wordlessly nodded. Nico’s hand gripped hers and slowly pulled the blanket back. Abby sucked in a breath and waited. The sky was still black, silvery outlines of passing clouds were the only color she could make out. Seconds ticked by and she kept her eyes fixed on the horizon. Just before the dawn crested over the top of the far-away mesa her breathing increased. Her whole body shook and a wave of nausea had her head spinning. Pink and orange painted the sky, slowly encroaching on the darkness. Driving away the night and welcoming in a new day.

“Daylight,” she whispered. Nico pressed his lips to the back of her neck and she felt her nerves calm. “I never thought I’d see it again.”

They stood in silence until the sky was filled with light. She marveled at the way the early morning sun warmed her skin. Every passing minute she grew calmer and Nico kept his arms locked around her. When she turned around to face him, she couldn’t help but smile. He cupped her cheek and then slid his hand back to grip the back of her neck. His light green eyes were blazing with an intensity she hadn’t seen before. Licking her lips, she managed to whisper, “Nico?”

He captured her mouth with his, his tongue claiming her. Abby’s fangs elongated, scraping against his lips, his body went stiff. She was afraid he was going to stop, that her fangs had once again scared him off, but instead he growled appreciatively. His other hand on her waist slid down to her thigh and raised her leg up to his hip. She moaned.

His touch was heaven and the way her body responded to him made her forget about the open window, people, or any sort of decency. The warm light poured in as Nico braced her against the wall, his body was made for her and without questioning she welcomed him.

His slow thrusts had her muscles coiling, his soft growls sent shivers down her spine. Her teeth snapped an inch from his neck and he thrust harder. “Do it.”

She didn’t think twice about his command, latching her mouth on his inviting vein and puncturing his flesh. The rush of blood filled her as Nico’s muscles rippled. His rhythm increased, pumping faster, harder, and yet this was the most intimate they’d been. His cock swelled, stretching her walls further. Abby finally released him and threw her head back in a cry. Her petite body shook as pleasure cascaded over her.

Nico gave another deep thrust, burying himself to the hilt and shuddered as his hot seed filled her. He was panting and breathless as he leaned his forehead against her. She gave a little laugh and kissed him softly. “That was…” Her words trailed off, she couldn’t finish her sentence as she panted to catch her breath.

He nodded in agreement, seemingly knowing what she was going to say. “You’re never feeding from a blood bag again. I can tell you that much.”

She grinned. “Oh? Liked that, did you?”

“Loved it.” He lifted his head to meet her eyes. He gently set her feet on the floor and cupped her face in his hand, caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I love you, Abby. I always have, even when I tried to fight it.” He leaned in closer, his lips barely touching hers. “I always will, until the end of time.”

If she had a heart capable of pounding it would be beating to the drum right now, instead she felt a calm wash over herself. A reassurance that she’d found her home, here with him. “Forever?” she whispered.

“Death can’t keep me away from you. I think I’ve already proven that.”

Abby leaned in and pressed her mouth to his, warming again at the feel of his touch and the sunlight pouring in through the window. “I love you too, Nico. Always.”

The End

Thank you for reading Sacrifice!

Dear Reader,

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for reading Abby and Nico’s story and getting to know the world and various characters of the Revelations series. I hope you enjoyed your time in Dusk. Abby and Nico will return at a later date so we can check in on how they are doing but up next will be a whole new adventure with new characters (and a few familiar ones as well).

If you want to keep up on what is happening in the Revelations universe you can subscribe to my monthly
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If you are so inclined, I’d love a review of Sacrifice (on
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, or your favorite book site) or send me an email letting me know what you thought of it. I would love to read your feedback.

Thank you, again, for spending time with Abby and Nico in the New Mexico desert.

-Mia

Other Books by Mia

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Smashwords:
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