Summon Toren (Archangels Creed #3) (18 page)

Ezekiel became aware of his heart beat
as he stared at the dude, never having been filled with so much
holy fucking shit
in his life.

But t
his…
angel
was
one…bad…ass!

** ** **

Skylar gawked at Sam, who gawked at the angel before repeating, “Flash?”

“You know, travel? From here to someplace else really fast?”

“In what?” Sam asked.

“My angel spaceship.” The few seconds of are-you-for-real speculation ended with the angel’s chuckle. “I’m kidding. It’s a technique I couldn’t explain.” He held his hand toward Sam. “You hold on to me, Skylar holds on to you and EZ can hold on to Skylar.”

Sam looked at his outstretched hand seeming hesitant to take it. But she did. “Where are we…flashing to?”

“I need to get all of you out of harm’s way. I was planning to take you to meet the other humans.”

“Other humans?”

The angel didn’t even pay Ezekiel a glance for the man’s curiosity. But he was sure looking mighty hard at Miss Samantha. If Skylar wasn’t mistaken, she was seeing some rather extreme fondness oozing from those mirrored looking eyes.   

“If we don’t leave here now, everybody here will be in jeopardy.
Us leaving is the safest thing. The people remaining here have their angels here to protect them to the extent that they are allowed once the barrier is lifted.”

“What barrier?” Sam reached her hand toward Skylar, still staring at the angel.

“The one we erected to hide my presence from the demons.”

This was insane. All of it. Just nuts. An angel? Demons? Them expecting her to just be with a man she didn’t know
? Do things with him? Things you only did with a man you loved? She didn’t even
know
him. Or
like
him.

She glanced his way and her stomach flipped when she ran right into his gaze. She reached for Sam’s outstretched hand. Insane as it all was, she wasn’t crazy
. She believed what she saw. And she believed in God. This was it. The end of the world. She always wondered if it’d come in her life time. Always had a feeling somehow that it would. She couldn’t deny having daydreamed about her role in it either. She knew she was meant to be something besides cowboy lust fodder.

She was basically being asked to help save the world. Far cry from a stupid rodeo queen. But then there was
the
what
they were asking her to do. She regarded the foreigner out of the corner of her eye, standing there, not nearly so cocky looking as before. Having his heart pulled out of his chest must’ve cooled his jets a little. She chewed her lip at how funny that was and yet so not. Because when an obviously real bad-ass like him looked overwhelmed in a pool of trouble—then things were serious.

Well? It was one thing to marry a stranger under her
stepfather's dictatorship but an entirely other under God’s. And this guy was at least easy on the eyes, even if he was chauvinistic swine dung. Her lips tingled at the vivid memory of his lips on hers. Not the right at first part but at the point when he’d held her head and taken over her sorry attempt to kiss him. She’d done it merely to save their asses when she saw him go all wimpy. She allowed herself to dwell a moment on the way it had felt. She really needed it to light a fire in her heart and soul and body. To carve a path of purpose in her spirit.

Ten seconds of waiting and she threw in the towel on that miracle. Might have something to do with how he’d kissed her. Like a little nervous reptilian. S
urprised she didn’t choke on his tongue. And yet she still couldn’t deny there was something exciting about the aggression he’d shown, even if it lacked expertise. But then it wasn’t like she was an authority, either.

S
he sighed and stuck her hand out toward him. Maybe if she talked to the angel, he could work a few miracles in the how to department.

Ezekiel looked at her hand like it were a deadly asp. Seeming to swallow his lifelong plans of…being a pussy?—he put his hand in hers, not meeting her gaze. She took a breath of courage and squeezed his fingers. “You okay little Soldier?”

He quirked his upper lip while squinting his eyes briefly at her, clearly not liking the little reference. Wasn’t her fault he was little. And sorta feminine.

She smiled sweetly at him then remembered what his body felt like under hers during that demon debacle. Okay, feminine was a tremendously erroneous word. He was rock solid muscle.

“Might be a good idea for you to hold her around the waist,” the angel said.

At his pathetic hesitation, Skylar sighed and put her arm around his hips. “Am I going to have to do everything in this relationship?”

She smiled up into his frown, seeing he only had maybe four inches on her five foot two. “There is no relationship,” he muttered.

“Aw. I promise not to break your heart.” She raised her brows. “Much.”

He put his finger on her chest and slowly pushed until her breasts weren’t touching him. What an odd man. Almost like he didn’t like women. Now why did that make her want to…be one all over him?

He snaked his arm around her waist and jerked her tight to his lower body. Skylar stifled a gasp and a giggle. Calling his little manly bluff, she lowered her hand to his butt and pressed his groin even tighter to her. She whispered in her sultriest voice, “I knew there was a man underneath that little girl act.”

Before she could enjoy the pissed off shock in that cute face of his, her world blurred. Skylar was a little surprised and relieved that he’d had the ballsy reflex to protectively press her head to his chest. At least at his core, there was something there. She’d have to figure how to dig it out if they were going to work together in this endeavor. She was all for helping mankind, but she wasn’t going to do it with a little bitch for a partner.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

What a disgusting woman. Typical American whore. She didn’t fool him. He remembered quite clearly how terrified she was when she dove on him and kissed him. More like hammered him with lips.

He still couldn’t believe this was all happening. Nor that he’d actually managed to kiss a woman. He’d done pretty damn
good too. Which was likely why she had her claws all over him, he’d turned on all those hormones. The idea this…angel wanted him to consummate with her was just…preposterous. Surely he had meant that in some metaphorical sense. There was no way he could keep an erection with a woman like that. She was everything he despised and she stood for everything people like him died for.

The American
Way.

Ezekiel didn’t even let himself dwell on the God issue. If he’d been wrong about God, then fine, he could deal with that. But this woman? He’d be burned alive before defiling himself with her. Since he met her he knew the expanse between her ears was wider than that Montana sky.

All that beauty was supposed to impress him, no doubt. But little Miss America would have to learn that he was far out of her league in so many ways. If he was ever supposed to truly give himself to a woman, it’d be the bride of his destiny, chosen since childhood. But he’d been called to more. Something exactly like what the angel had brought to him. Minus that woman.

Metaphorical. Had to be.

He ignored the little voice that whispered how very un-metaphorical that kiss was.

He’d draw the line there. If they wanted him to cooperate, then he had a few requirements as well. They
would meet them or find somebody else. Amana—the end.

The world stopped spinning finally. He thought.

Where were they? In a field of lilacs?

“You can open your eyes now.”

At the angel’s deep voice, Ezekiel cracked his lids and was met with the interior of...a hotel?

“Suffocating here.”

He realized that woman’s head was mashed against his chest. He released her, instantly figuring where the field of flowers came from. Ugh.

She gave him a little smug smile. “Passionate. That’ll come in handy, I’m sure.”

What an insolent woman. She was being that way purposely, he had no doubt. Enjoying his chaste disposition on intimacy like the filthy slut she was. He needed to have words with that…angel.

“I called the other angels, they’ll be here
in…” A group of people suddenly appeared in the room out of thin air. “…now.”

“Hi!” An average looking girl came forward toward the Skylar girl, hand extended and dark brown eyes dancing with excitement. “Welcome, you must be sooooo confused right now?”

Skylar shook her hand. “Eh, it ain’t that bad.” She chucked a glance at Ezekiel. “Except for getting paired with Mr. Chauvinistic, it’s actually kinda exciting.”

The girl seemed genuinely impressed. Another clueless female. At least she had the decency to appear uncomfortable about the insult directed at him. Ezekiel eyed the second blonde female joining the first girl in their spritely plastic greetings. He met the forest green gaze
of the guy with the tat along his neck who merely nodded his greeting. It was far more genuine than the theatrics before him.

“Have they mated?”

Ezekiel’s gaze swiveled to the towering man with the god-like body, and held his breath. Not just at his words but the eyes leveled on him. They appeared to be literal gems of clear aqua.

The man’s
question was clearly intended for Toren, who shook his head.

“Well there’s a perfectly private room in the suite they can use,” the man continued not at all quiet enough. “We’re going to West Vi
rginia…” Ezekiel couldn’t make out the rest because the boisterous look-at-me woman was busy yelling her conversation to the other two females.

“Imagine my surprise.”

“Oh we can.” The barely contained you-have-no-clue made Ezekiel wonder what the rest of this crew had been through.

“Now all that’s left is figuring out how to get
ol’ Moses here to be a gentleman.”

** ** **

Skylar couldn't help the satisfaction that broadened her smile when Ezeliel's cheeks flamed with anger and humiliation. If she had to endure this, she'd make damn sure he was as uncomfortable as she was.

“If you two don’t mind, the bedroom is through that door. There’s a lock on it. We’ll be a few rooms down babysitting.”
The big angel with the startling blue eyes gestured toward a carved double door visible to one side.

“Babysitting?” Toren muttered the question, eyeing the man.

“Peggy’s brood. They’re toddler-sized and a handful to keep quiet.”

Toren’s brows shot up. “Really? Wow. She still…”

“Viciously protective? Yes.”

“
Now I wonder why Peggy came to me recently, why would she leave them?”

“Is that where she went?”

What could they be talking about? A dog, maybe?

Ezekiel cleared his throat and spoke. "
Do all of you seriously not realize how very bizarre you are?" Ezekiel held out both arms. “Think I can get some answers about a few things?”

The question seemed directed at Toren. She'd have thought Ezekiel would have had his fill of being an asshole with the archangel.
Toren spoke low to the guy called Kassern, who rolled eyes she could have sworn were red before nodding.

“Let’s go.” The
slim woman with dark blonde hair who'd been introduced as Karly hurried to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Eze
kiel glared at the unashamed PDAs all around and she could easily imagine his thoughts. Far too intimate. These surely weren't angels. He watched with a heavy scowl as they grouped together and disappeared with an aqua colored flash.

“Don’t think I’ll ever get used of seeing that.” The words slipped from Skylar as she lowered to sit on one of the small abstract colored sofas. These people had money
, judging by the presidential looking suite.

The large Toren seemed to become aware that it wasn’t customary to stand around in only jeans. He looked down at his naked torso and his skin began to shimmer until the shimmering thickened into a fitted silver material. Seeming satisfied with the apparently thought
-on shirt, he sauntered toward the second couch. “Ask your questions human.” This as he sat with an arm draped over the top and reached for Miss Samantha. There was no mistaking the look of a desperate lover written plain as day on his perfect face even as he waited for Ezekiel's questions.

Ezekiel
scowled and appeared to consider how to word the question.

Unable to resist, Skylar jumped in and asked for him.
“I think he wants to know if this is all real, will he be waking up any second, and whether or not he really has to have sex with the slutty American whore.”

Ezekiel
stared at Skylar his thoughts excruciatingly clear on his face. She reminded him of the iconic American woman, a plastic Barbie doll, shallow personality glossed into her pores. He looked at the angel while pointing at her. “You were joking I hope, about having to…” He closed his eyes and bared his teeth. “…consummate with her? I’d like to assume you know who I am and what I’m about.”

“Pfffft!” Skylar slapped her leg and cackled like a sick chicken. She tucked her chin down and raised her brows, staring at him. “I know just what you’re about Mr. Jerusalem
.” She flicked a finger toward him, “But don’t worry, I won’t hurt you, I promise.” She winked.

His face went even redder with his fury.
He looked at Toren. “We’re not even married.”

When the angel spoke to him, his voice was smooth and cold.
“You’re about to be. You, of all people, know what constitutes a marriage. Two willing humans, and a consummation. Now, put your differences aside. This is a war. Not a game. And I won’t. Be bothered. With babying you. Soldier.”

Ezekiel's mouth tightened and his shoulders squared. He clearly understood a direct order when he heard it. He forced his fingers to relax from his fists, breathing carefully.

"Brace yourselves! They're headed your way!" The male voice warned from one of the hallways.

Somewhere out of sight, a flurry of nails clicked on tile accompanied by a cacophony of hisses and grunts with an occasional yelp thrown in. So, dogs. Skylar let herself relax. She loved dogs.
From the sound of it, they were very large.

The first blur skidded around the corner, followed hard by several more. Skylar had an impression of strange-looking dogs with thick dark fur before the first one tucked into a ball and hurled itself at Ezekiel's chest.

He grunted hard and tried to push it away, but the thing clung to his arm and shoulder, growling ferociously. An avalanche of a half dozen more struck his midsection, bearing him to the floor under their combined weight and momentum.

Well, they certainly weren't dogs. Some kind of cat? Skylar made out enough details to get a better impression. Chimps. Why in the world did they have nearly a dozen young chimps?

Ezekiel managed to push one free and it sat back, poised to launch into the fray once more.

Definitely not chimps. What then? Bears? That must be it.

A bigger one lumbered into the room and paused to glare around, lifting its massive head to sniff the air.

Holy. Cow. It was something like a cross between a grizzly, a chimp and… human?
It was terrifyingly similar to the monkey men things from back at the ranch.

No. That wasn't possible.
Surely.

The big one rose to stand on hind legs and made a chuffing noise. The smaller ones immediately abandoned Ezekiel and crowded behind what was obviously their mother.

She dropped back to all fours and glared around the room, then strolled toward Ezekiel. The young watched with mouths gaping in awe. The smallest whimpered a little and stuck a thumb in its mouth.

Ezekiel stayed prone, wide eyes watching the creature's progress. That he remained perfectly still and heart-poundingly silent as the thing planted a huge hand on either side of his knees and dropped its head to sniff him seriously impressed Skylar. He might be a jerk but he had nerve, for sure.

Skylar looked to Toren, waiting for him to stop whatever was happening. He acknowledged her unspoken question with a surreptitiously raised hand signaling silence and nodded for her to watch.

Even when the beast curled back her lips
to show insanely huge teeth, Ezekiel didn't make a sound. It head-butted his leg roughly then pressed its broad muzzle against his groin and inhaled deeply with a sort of whuffling whistle.

And still he didn't move.

Apparently satisfied, the big creature moved on up his body to pause at his throat. After a quick inspection there, it switched to his head, sniffling, poking with long claws, even licking. Tilting its head as if curious, it opened its mouth wide.

With a suddenly snap it had Ezekiel's entire head in its mouth.

"Toren!" Skylar hissed. She wouldn't stand by and watch even Ezekiel mauled to death by something straight from hell.

But Toren was already in action.

He touched the big beast's shoulder gently. "Hey, Peggy. Come on now. Let go. He's a good guy."

The beast dropped Ezekiel and turned toward Toren. With another huff, it turned and strolled out of the room, the young ones following.

Ezekiel levered himself to his feet in a graceful movement. "What the
fuck
?"

"That was Peggy and her brood." Toren shrugged as if no further explanation were needed.

Ezekiel leaned down to look at his pants. "Huh. Guess I was too scared to piss my pants."

Toren grinned. "Man, there for a while I thought
she had plans for you." He clapped Ezekiel on the shoulder. "Gotta give it to you, you handled that like a pro."

Skylar couldn't prevent the little spark of admiration, though she refused to mention it.

"Okay, I hate to rush things, but it's really important that you go ahead and get business taken care of."

Skylar closed her eyes wishing the little delay could have gone on.

** ** **

I
t was a language Ezekiel understood perfectly. A direct order. Suddenly he realized how petty his disposition actually was. Wait a minute. What was this angel doing to him when he spoke?

“I
t’s a spiritual Truth power,” the angel said. “When I speak the truth, your mind cannot deny it or tweak it to fit your desires. You must submit to it. And yes, it’s force. A force I have the right to use on you at this time.”

Ezekiel again could not argue with his words. Guess those were
truth
too. War training kicked in and the angel’s words became simply an order, something he followed in action. That didn’t mean he had to put his heart and soul into it.