Summon Toren (Archangels Creed #3) (23 page)

“Oh!
Quit that,” she gasped.

“You quit it.” He grinned,
sliding his hands down over her sides now. He paused at her waist to relish in her petite build before finally gripping her slim hips. “Your bladder is full.”

He raised his gaze to hers and smiled at her awe, before lowering it back down to where her body met his. “I can feel it. Pressing into me.” His cock
again jerked with the need to take her to that new paradise he’d been blessed to partake in. He answered her delicate moan with a desperate grunt.

“There’s a bathroom in this room.”

She looked around and Toren willed the desire from his cock and helped her off him, pulling her lips to his as he did. “Mmm,” he whispered, tasting the passion lining her blood vessels. “Hurry so I can have you.”

She gave a light
mmm
back and held his face with a gentleness that tugged at his angelic heart. As her fingers glided off his face and she traipsed off in her naked perfection, he noticed it. A painful sensation in his body that grew with every step she took away from him. Amazement filled Toren as he realized what their binding had done to him. She was such a literal part of him, his body felt the physical separation. He guessed she didn’t feel it the same or she’d have said something. He was glad because it wasn’t the nicest feeling to experience as a wedding gift.

When she shut the bathroom door, he cut off the intricate connection he’d formed with her to give her some privacy. That hurt too. Worse than the distance thing. He got up and paced the room, trying to focus on something besides the agony happening in his mind and body. That wasn’t good. He’d have to learn to control that.

Toren heard the shower and growled. Ten minutes would feel like ten years.

She finally came out and he turned.

Her mouth hung open and she widened her eyes, pointing to the living room. “That. Is
my song.”

At seeing her there, wrapped in a towel
with her short hair tousled and drops of water still clinging to her skin, all his frustrations left as if they’d never existed. Toren thought about what she’d said and immediately listened, wanting to etch all her favorite things into his being. A slow smile bloomed on his lips when she dropped the towel and began to dance before him, shamelessly.

Holy Father.

She covered her mouth and laughed at seeing him gawk in open lust.

“Please keep on. I beg you.” He made no pretenses about how badly he wanted her to, hand on his chest, sincere pleading in his tone. And desire.

She gave him a seductive smile. “A wedding dance?” She bit her lip and swung her hips side to side and Toren lost his breath.

“Yes,” he whispered
, suddenly dizzy.

She
moaned seductively at seeing how much he got off to her dancing and thank God it emboldened her.

Toren sat on the bed and watched her become his passion in motion. God, she danced like she made love. Toren couldn’t resist manipulating her metals to remove absolutely all inhibitions. He wanted no shame to stand between them and he especially wanted her to dance for him with all her soul. He mentally found the volume control on the music and turned it up a little more, then adjusted the sound settings so she could feel the music in her body.

Toren had never been so aroused in such a way. The rhythm she displayed was all hers and rather contagious. It flowed into Toren and when she placed both hands on her ass and swung it left to right with a seductive glance over her shoulder, he stood. There was no denying his body’s need to answer her wordless beg.

The second she put her hand in his, they became one. Breathing as one. Dancing as one. Toren molded her body to his and it was as though he’d danced this way with her
before. Then his own rhythm emerged, hard passion mixing with her sweet spirit. He felt the change in her body, what they made together, and Toren forced the music to match their unique tempo. Erotic Ballet to describe it in human terms flavored with the pulsing grind of dirty dancing. But there was nothing dirty about it. Toren was lost in the moment, fusing their metals to the music, creating the perfect wedding dance.

It was more arousing than he could stand and when the opportunity presented itself, he lifted her leg high on his hip and sheathed his cock in her without missing a step.

She cried out and arched her body into him, the explosion of desire so intense the music stopped. The timeless moment echoed with the sound of a hundred swords being drawn as Toren’s wings erupted behind him. He locked his gaze hard to hers, gasping through the breathless passion.

His hunger surged and the music returned, driving Toren to lick up the center of her chest. The taste of her sweat sent him into a feral frenzy of need, his mouth unable to leave the succulent taste of her body.

“Toren,” she moaned. “Make love to me.”

The sweet tone in her voice changed his entire world. Toren’s power swirled to accommodate her need and the music in the air changed to waves of silk gliding over their skin. The hum of a victorious warrior vibrated Toren’s wings and body, clear to his erection buried in her.

He cradled her body with his wings, freeing him to adore her with his hands and mouth. Her breasts were his beloved and he was all over them, tasting her unique flavor, memorizing her soft yet firm skin with his tongue. He sucked her plump and perfect nipple between his lips then scraped with his teeth. She rewarded him with a throaty moan that turned him into a mindless being. An angel man in an alternate universe where only Samantha existed. His wife. His flesh. His soul.

His reward for being a faithful angel? He wondered. She was definitely the best thing he’d ever experienced. 

“I want you so many ways.” He hardly recognized his own voice, desperate and driven.

“Do it,” she whispered, thrusting her hips.

“I want you on your stomach. On the bed.” He used his wings to get her there and laid her down. He slid himself out of her and adored her breasts with his mouth even as he turned her over. Before he could lament their absence, he was taken with staring at her backside in this position.

She enticed him, lifting her cute butt off the bed and wiggling it sensually as she glanced back at him. Animal mixed with angel as Toren pulled his wings
, ready to be more human.

“Oh, no, with your wings out,” she begged sweetly.

Hers to command, his wings obeyed as eager as the rest of him. 

Toren carefully spread her legs
and angled his head. His breath rushed out of him. “God help me you’re blowing my mind.”

Suddenly
driven with the need to taste her, he slid his hands under the juncture of her legs then hoisted her straight up to his mouth. He buried his tongue inside her with a groan of delight, loving the way her muscles clenched on him.

“Oh Jesus, yes.”

He groaned harder, sliding his mouth to her clit to suck softly. He always felt her guilt when she used that expression. Sex had been such a negative part of her life, she’d grown to think it wasn’t holy.

He couldn’t wait to break that notion.

When she was close to orgasm he stopped and lowered her, sliding her sex slowly down his chest and abs, loving the view the entire way. When he positioned his phallus at her entrance he stared at that too.

“Oh God, do it, please.”

Toren’s eyes rolled shut and he entered her at a snail’s pace, wanting to feel everything. Her muscles embraced him sporadically and he was sure he could orgasm in that first slow thrust if he wanted. Not this time. When he reached bottom, he remained buried deep and worked her hips on him with the perfect pressure and angle. Not too much, not too little. Building an inner fire that would unlock the woman buried in her. She was so sensitive and ready, it didn’t take her long. Soon she was moving on him, fighting his pace, wanting more, harder, faster.

He’d never suffered such temptation.

But he resisted. Resisted her.

He soon found she didn’t like being resisted. She fought him for more pleasure, up on all fours, her moans and grunts filled with a very persuasive aggression. She finally gave up and let her upper body fall to the bed, panting. “Toren please. Please
fuck me.”

The word did something to his mercury and he fell on her
with a flick of his hips, his face next to hers, there to catch the beautiful cry he knew that would earn him.

“Yes, yes
. Do it,” she begged weakly.

He roll
ed his hips again, a demanding and complete stroke against her core.

“Oh God, yes.”

Toren growled next to her mouth as he continued with that perfect roll, tasting her building orgasm in her every cry.

He felt her reach beneath her and began to rub her clit.

Toren nearly orgasmed on the spot. He bit her shoulder and laced his fingers in the hand next to her head, causing their wedding rings to glow. ,

“Oh God, oh God,” she cried, her brows drawn tight.

“
Sam,” he gasped, beginning to lose his angelic control. “Sam, Sam.” He pressed his lips on her cheek, their hot gasps mingling as his pumps became vigorous.

She began that
scream that mind blowing orgasm scream. It started out low then built, into a soul shattering tempo that Toren controlled with his thrusts. He roared when the sound peaked and broke his control, bringing his own earth moving climax. His hips pumped at a frantic pace and he filled her with his angelic passion for nearly thirty seconds, all while her body writhed under his with intense pleasure, making it perfect. Wanting to feel every bit of it, Toren pressed his body entirely into hers, grunting his satisfaction in her ear. “Toren?”

Terror seized him at the tone in her voice. He quickly pulled out of her and turned her. “Oh Father!”

“I can’t see, I can’t see!” she cried, grasping at him.

A sensation that Toren could only guess was panic
launched him off the bed, calling Dorn and Kassern immediately. He held her close to him. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, it’ll be okay. It’ll pass, it’s temporary.”

The words were spok
en in complete and utter faith as he stroked her.

“I can’t see,” she whispered, scared.

The two angels appeared and Toren double checked she was covered. “Can you help me here?” As hard as Toren tried to sound calm, he knew he’d failed by the way her heartbeat sped up.

Thankfully his brothers did a better job as they came closer and
examined the white irises in her eyes. Kassern waved a hand before them. “Can you see anything at all?”

She shook her head, frantic. “Wait. I see…”
She turned her head and Kassern waved his hand on the opposite side of where she looked. Her head snapped toward it. “Red. I see something red.” She moved her head a little. “And…blue. There.” She pointed at Dorn.

Toren felt like he’d be sick. She suddenly turned and looked at Toren and gasped. “I see your colors. You’re…silver. Like mercury.”

She laughed a little, seeming grateful while Toren eyed the two angels with a
what the fuck is going on
glare, as if they were somehow responsible.

“Oh wait, wait, I see more. Oh my God, I see a
lot
more!” She turned and looked at Toren and gasped. “I see you.”

“You can see again?”

“Yes! Yes, oh my
God
can I ever see.” She clenched her eyes shut then opened them again. “Oh shit shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Toren stroked her hair, panicking all over again.

“I’m seeing…too much, I’m seeing
inside
you. Toren, what’s happening?”

“She’s gained angelic sight?” Dorn asked aloud.

“Are you seeing beneath my skin baby, like how far?”

Toren’s voice was a soft coo.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him, hesitantly then shut them back with a troubled, “Ohhhh too much too much! I see your
brain!
”

“Holy Father,” Toren muttered.

“If she’s gained angelic sight, then you can teach her how to control it.” Kassern’s voice was stern and reassuring.

“Yes,” Dorn agreed. “That’s all this is, she’s gained part of your powers, they all do,
it’s always a little different for each of them.”

She sniffed then and leaned toward Toren. “Oh
my
gosh
you…smell amazing.”

“Scent too?” Dorn wondered
, amazed.

“I hope so,” Toren said. “The more power she has the better I feel.” He looked at Kassern. “That’s one trade I’ll never regret.”

“I feel you brother.”

She looked around and gasped. “I can see through the
wall!
Oh my God.” She covered her eyes. “I don’t like this, you gotta help me stop it, control it. I don’t want to see all of this, I feel like a voyeur!”

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Ezekiel sat reeling from his first encounter with Peggy’s brood. And with
Peggy.
When they’d told him to brace himself, he was expecting strange looking dogs or something, not strange looking monster children. And Peggy. The name was a laugh for such a freaky ass being!

Lucian sat on the other side of the coffee table, scowling while tapping furiously on his computer. Wonder what had the librarian so worked up? Besides the fact he was bent over in an impossible position with his laptop on the coffee table and elbows on his knees.

Ezekiel was getting tired of the inactivity. He'd expected non-stop action after Troy and Lucian explained a little more about the mission. They'd left out the part about sitting and waiting for the bad guys to make a move. At least he hadn't been totally vegetating, though. Dorn, the blue angel, had turned the
en suite
fitness center over to Ezekiel with orders to provide martial arts training to all the humans.

At least he'd gained a new appreciation for the females on the team. They might be American, but there was nothing superficial about any of them. Especially not the ferociousness they brought to their training. The bruised ribs Devyn inflicted on him still ached, and he could have sworn Sally'd broken his tibia with her bare foot.

"Uh, Ezekiel?" Lucian sat back from his laptop for a moment. "Do you happen to know anything about buying or selling big weapons? At least I'm assuming it's big. You were a soldier, right?"

Ezekiel's hackles rose. He'd told none of them about the situation that had led him to the small town in Montana. So why was the librarian asking him about weapons dealing?

"Sorry, man. Forget I asked." Lucian bent over the laptop again. "Didn't mean to offend you."

The heavy frown tightening Ezekiel's brow relaxed a little. Shit, he'd better be careful or he'd give too much away. "No offense. Didn't mean to react that way. What do you need to know?"

Lucian looked up and flashed a quick grin, transforming his usually serious face into what women must find devastatingly handsome. "Okay, part of my job for the mission is to monitor online stuff that might be related to enemy plans. With the data given to me from the angels' reconnaissance reports on the spiritual side of things, it seems there’s a demon overlord for every large scale operation of evil. And our job is to locate as many as we can and disrupt them in some legitimate way.”

“Large scale?”

“Weapons, drugs, sex, at the traffic ring level.” He pointed wide green eyes at his screen and whispered. “And guess what
I
just found. Encrypted conversations about a special event not far from here. Something they're calling the 'ultimate weapon' is to be demonstrated, which likely means it will also be sold, which likely means they’re trying to start a world war with it. Of course, all that assumes I've decoded the conversations correctly." He shrugged shirtless shoulders, lifting the broken angel tattoo that sprawled across his torso.

What were the odds that Ezekiel would be chosen in this mission? A man with direct links to such things? How much should he reveal? "I might be able to help a little. You know I'm originally from the Middle East?" At Lucian's nod, he continued. "My mother was Israeli, and I lived there a while, and in Jordan, but I ended up in South Africa mainly, and now here. Spending the last couple years in the private security business was a real education."

"I imagine it was." Lucian's noncommittal tone implied he might realize private security was just a euphemism for mercenary.

No matter. He'd made no secret of being a gun for hire. "Anyway, over the last year and half, I heard a little about a guy working on a weapon that would crush anything. Supposedly, not even the US military could field anything as powerful, even with their drones and nuclear warheads."

Something, a whisper of sound or a shift in the air, drew his attention to the other side of the room. Toren strolled in with a lazy grin. "What are you old women plotting now?"

Right behind him, Samantha caught his remark. "Excuse me? Are you implying old women are more likely to plot than old men?" She came up alongside him and caught his arm, hugging it to her chest.

Toren dropped a kiss to the top of her short cropped hair. "No, only that feminine plots are more intelligent." He grinned and she swiped a hand at him playfully. One glance at Lucian and Ezekiel and the grin disappeared. "So what are you two up to?"

Lucian shrugged and looked to Ezekiel to explain.

Reluctant as the new guy, Ezekiel gave his own shrug and waded in, filling Toren and Samantha in on what he and Lucian had just discussed.

Toren whistled long and low as Ezekiel finished telling of the supposed power of the weapon. "That's exactly the kind of info we need. The demon over lords would give their eye teeth for something like that. Find out all you can. I'll contact Kassern and Dorn." He turned toward the kitchen, holding Samantha's hand. "And you need to eat."

Lucian rose and went to a built in cabinet near the big screen TV and pulled out another laptop. "Here you go." He handed it to Ezekiel. "We'll figure it out faster if we work together."

Ezekiel looked at the computer a long moment before taking it. "I have no idea how to do what you're talking about." He was no slouch with a computer, but the kind of stuff Lucian was doing sounded far beyond his skills.

"No worries." Lucian shrugged again in what Ezekiel realized was a habitual expression. "It's a program I use. It crawls all over the web and filters out strings of text containing specific words. Then I check and see if any of them are relevant to our mission. When I find something, I follow it back to the source and dig deeper."

Well, that didn't sound too complicated. Ezekiel followed Lucian's instructions and they quickly zeroed in on the information they needed. Adrenaline surged when Ezekiel realized the event being spoken of would take place in only a few hours, and not even a hundred miles from where they sat at the moment.

And one of the men taking part spoke in a unique manner astonishingly similar to that of the man he'd pursued for nearly a year. An unfamiliar heat soared through his blood and seemed to magnify his senses and everything about him.

Troy and his wife, Devyn, came in and took possession of two more computers and the other sofa. Four laptops? The magnificent suite with separate bedroom suites for each of the six couples, the mysterious Peggy, and still three to spare. Add in the gourmet kitchen, living and entertainment area, fitness center and pool, and he figured the place must run several grand a day.

Who the hell was financing the operation? Those kinds of accommodations usually went along with criminal activity or the extremely rich. So far, he'd seen no evidence of either. He realized in that moment how foolish his hypothesis was with archangels in the equation. He’d had his heart ripped out and patted back into place, surely these guys would have no problems getting all the money they needed.

"Can I ask you guys a serious question?" He glanced at both Lucian and Troy, trying to gauge their reactions. "Who's behind all this?"

Troy and Lucian exchanged meaningful looks, then Troy arched one quizzical brow. "What do you mean?"

Great. He had to spell it out. That made him nervous as hell. "Who's paying for it? This place is one of the most opulent hotels I've ever seen, and I admit to having been in a
lot
of hotels. And besides all the luxuries, there's state of the art electronics and enough weapons to start a revolution. So I'm curious."

Lucian shrugged and turned his attention back to his screen, unconcerned. "Man, have you not noticed our bosses are archangels? I haven't asked where the bucks come from, but there never seems to be a shortage and I’m certainly not thinking they’re stealing it."

Ezekiel let himself relax a little. After some of the shit he'd seen, coming up with money didn't seem all that big a miracle. But hadn’t he just told himself that very thing before making a fool of himself by verbalizing the question? Having confirmation for his logic comforted him anyway.

Devyn looked up from her computer. "Ezekiel, what's the name of Sam's ranch? The C-Bar?"

"Yeah why?"

"Shit, there's something here she needs to see." She rose and headed into the kitchen in search of Samantha and Toren. A moment later, she returned in a rush, Samantha following close
behind. Devyn held the laptop out to Samantha, who quickly scanned whatever was on the screen.

"Oh God, no.” She looked at Toren, face deathly pale. “What has Joe done? I need to call home, see if Kassie is okay."

Lucian and Troy looked up with concerned expressions. "That might be a problem," Troy said in a careful voice. "The demons know who we are, who our families are, and monitor communications so they can track us. We can't just call home to check on things."

Samantha's stunned expression warned of a coming storm. "What?"

"Hold on." Ezekiel couldn't help stepping in. "Samantha, by 'fake mystic' you mean the cowboy called Joe?" At her nod he continued. "What did he do?"

She began pacing, her eyes looking eerily whiter. He had a hard time looking at her since the freaky eye change. And since she frequently shut them, he guessed she was still seeing too much. That was one fucked up angelic trait to inherit. Although in a war like this, he could certainly see the advantages of such a thing.

He and Skylar had gained a bit of strength and speed. For Skylar, it was impressive, for him even more so since what he gained was added to what he already possessed. And if he wasn’t mistaken, whatever change happened in him wasn’t done happening. Unless the hot flashes he was having were merely an annoying side effect. 

Sam paused and shut her eyes, holding on to the back of a chair. "That article says he had a psychotic break after his long-term fiancé, the ranch owner's daughter, eloped with a drifter." She paused to put a shaking hand over her mouth and take a deep breath. "He… He—" Toren appeared at her side, silent, and took her into his arms. Ezekiel had to strain to hear the rest. "He strangled my father then poisoned all the men, including himself, with something he put in the
woodstove. Kassie came back from her evening church service and found them all." She clung to Toren while tears rolled down her cheeks.

Holy shit.

Devyn laid a sympathetic hand on Samantha's shoulder. "I'm sorry." She drew back, looking uncomfortable.

Samantha took a deep breath and swiped at the tears. "Toren, I have to be sure Kassie is okay."

The angel nodded. "Of course." He led his distraught wife from the room, pausing at the door. "Lucian, Ezekiel, I checked with Dorn and Kassern about the next step in our plans. Dig up everything you can. We'll talk in a couple hours. Just in case, find a way to get us into that auction." He turned back to the hall, half-carrying his now-sobbing wife.

Devyn returned to her seat beside Troy and took up her laptop again. "That kind of thing makes me
really
glad I don't have any family. I don't think I could deal with something like that happening back home and not be able to at least call."

Ezekiel shook his head. "Toren will make sure she can call, or take her there. He won't deny her anything." He should know. He'd never be able to turn Skylar down, even if it put them all in danger. Thoughts of her drifted into his mind, and heat flashed through his body. Hope he wasn’t just coming down with something. Besides that, he was a little too young and too male to be having hot flashes. 

He forced his attention back to the illegal arms business and finding a way to get into the auction. Come hell or high water, as the Americans were fond of saying, he intended to be there.

** ** ** **

Toren was tempted to just flash Samantha back to the C-Bar without bothering to let Dorn and Kassern know what had happened. Contradictory to his usual impulsive nature, common sense and caution won out and he buzzed the other two archangels telepathically and convinced them to meet with him about it.

"Toren, I have to call Kassie right away. She's all I have left." Samantha had calmed considerably but her voice still wavered.

"I know. As bad as I hate it, I have to ask you to wait a little. Kassern and Dorn will be here in a few minutes and we can decide the best way to handle it."

Her eyes widened. "It's a phone call. What is there to handle?"

Toren lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "I'm sorry, baby. We're in a complicated situation. Remember those things in the field? And back at the cabin?" At her reluctant nod, he continued. "Those are best case scenario. We can't take a chance of their creators monitoring communications and using a phone call to follow us back here. It would put us all at risk. And we don't want to put Kassie in danger either. They can use a phone call to find her as easily as they can us."

The remaining anger faded from her face. "I never thought of it that way."

"We also have to consider that it could be a trap. The enemy may have engineered the situation to draw us out."

"So what do we do? How do we make sure to keep Kassie safe? We can't leave her there to face those things alone."

Before Toren could remind her about Kassie’s guardian, a flurry of mist rose in the room and Dorn and Kassern materialized side by side. "What's going on?" Dark hollows rimmed Kassern's eyes, as if he'd been under an usually vast amount of strain.