Forbidden (The Preternaturals) (23 page)

“So we won’t be meeting here again?” Hadrian said. “Fantastic.
After this is over, I’m moving back to my church.” He’d grown
to hate everything
Our Lady of Mercy
stood for, but once the
link between Heaven and Earth was severed, it would just be a
building with a great basement for rest during the day.

Chapter Eleven

Angeline kept close to Hadrian as the meeting dispersed, careful to skirt
around Anthony. There had been a time the vampire king and Linus had
been thick as thieves. She’d shared a bed with both vampires.
Seeing Anthony again was as awkward as she’d feared it would be.

She was grateful Cain got them out of there and to the demon dimension,
electing not to linger after the meeting. Cain’s dimension was
street after street of tents and an open-air marketplace. Brilliant
stars twinkled overhead as they walked over the cobblestones.

“You can stay here. It’s private and out of the way. We’ll come get
you when it’s time for the ritual.” Cain held open a large tent
flap on a green and gold tent. He gave Angeline a heated look that
made her shudder. “I know you won’t be needing food during your
stay, is there anything else you need?”

“She needs moonlight to feed,” Hadrian said.

Cain nodded. “Whenever she’s hungry, she can ask one of my demons to
escort her somewhere where it’s night. They’ll take her someplace
safe. There is no Moon here.”

“Do you know anyone who makes corsets?” Hadrian asked.

Cain smirked as Hadrian spun Angeline around and pulled the top down to
reveal the low-backed bodice.

“Hey, whatever you two are into. I’ll send Daria your way. She loves her
fabrics and sewing. She makes almost everything she wears. I’m sure
she can handle it.”

“Thanks.”

Angeline went into the tent, not wanting to blush in front of the demon
leader. He was an incubus; of course he thought everything was about
sex. Whatever nudge nudge wink wink went on with the vampire and
demon in conversation outside the tent, she wanted to remain ignorant
of it.

She’d never seen, nor been in the demon dimension. As an angel, she
wouldn’t have had access to Cain’s dimension, or as they called
it in Heaven: The Forbidden Realm. The angels had a flair for
over-dramatizing.

They couldn’t even look into the demon dimension on their screens. It
was totally shut off. This knowledge filled Angeline with the first
real peace and sense of quiet and privacy she’d had in decades.
She’d forgotten what it was like to have a truly private moment
where she knew without doubt that no one was watching.

Though she’d felt inexplicably safe inside Hadrian’s church basement, in
the back of her mind she’d known if she got on their radar, they
could watch her.

Hadrian entered the tent and went to a gilded cart with a lot of very
expensive alcohol and crystal glassware. He poured himself a drink
and tossed it back, then raised the brandy in the air. “Drink?”

Angeline shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Inside the tent was an overstuffed sofa, rugs on the sand, and an
uncountable number of large pillows. A large round bed stood in one
corner with four posts spaced evenly around it and a canopy of sheer
gold fabric.

Hadrian’s expression was intense, trained on her like a cat hunting prey.

“A-are you hungry?” she asked, pulling her hair away from her throat.

He put the alcohol down and gave her an intense once-over. Then he
dragged his gaze over her again as if the first time hadn’t been
quite enough. “You might say that,” he said. “What are you
doing to me, Angeline?”

She took a step back, not sure what to do with this new version of the
vampire. He seemed out of control. It wasn’t like him.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t you? Since the first time you stepped inside my church, you’ve been
inside my head, inside my blood. You’re pounding through my pulse
right now. Do you know that?”

She stood in the middle of the tent, staring at him. She wasn’t sure
what she’d expected, but not this. The idea that there could be any
reciprocation to her desire—any unenthralled reciprocation—hadn’t
occurred to her. There was always so much anger around him when she
was near.

“Is that why you hate me?”

He laughed. “Oh, I don’t hate you, little angel. But I want to throw
you down on that bed and fuck the hell out of you. Does that scare
you?”

She shook her head. “No.” It thrilled her. It excited her. And yet
she was sure she must be dreaming. But hadn’t this almost happened
earlier? Before she’d had an attack of guilt and ruined the moment
with her tears?

If that moment had been allowed to continue, it would have been sweet
and soft and safe. Tender. This moment was everything that one hadn’t
been. This moment was somehow even better.

He moved closer. He was so far into her personal bubble now that she had
to fight the urge to bring her wings out—even though she had no
desire to protect herself from him.

Angeline turned, not allowing Hadrian out of her sight as he prowled around
her.

“No. Stay very still.”

She froze as he made a second trip around her. She felt the prickle along
her spine—her wings asking to come out, the instinct to protect
herself so strong. Hadrian placed light kisses down her spine, and
the tingling feeling dissipated.

“I’m going to claim you,” he said.

Angeline spun to face him, ignoring his earlier demand. “What? No!”

“No? You know, I can just do it. I don’t need your permission. Wasn’t
it your original intention for us to spend eternity together? Second
thoughts?”

“I don’t know why you would claim me given our history…”

“To protect you. To keep you with me. What if they can’t sever the link
between Heaven and the earthly plane? What if one of them tries to
hurt you? What if they try to destroy you?”

Angeline shut her eyes against the dream that of Rodolfo coming at her, his
hand glowing with a light that had the power to burn through her soul
and extinguish it forever.

“H-how do you know a claim would protect me?” She was still confused over
why it mattered so much to him that she be protected. He couldn’t
want to actually spend eternity with her. He didn’t love her.
They’d only been on speaking terms for a few days now. She
represented everything he hated… someone with the gall to try to
control him.

“Cain said it would. I believe him. He’s old enough to know.”

Angeline shook her head. “No. Tam’s magic will work. Everything will be
fine. You can’t claim me. Claims… they mean something. They’re
supposed to be for two vampires who love each other. It’s a mating link. It’s not a joke
or a tool to use for convenience.”

“Anthony claimed a human, and he didn’t get her permission. He just did it.
He linked them, and they sorted it out later.”

“You don’t want to spend eternity with me!”

Hadrian growled, his eyes glowing dangerously red, his fangs pushing through
the gums. “Don’t tell me what I want! You are
mine
.”

He rushed her and bit into her throat, drinking fast, with purpose.
Angeline closed her eyes and focused. Her wings came out, and she put up her shields, shoving Hadrian to the other end of the tent. He
looked up at her from the ground, wounded, as if she’d viciously
kicked him instead of using self-defense.

“I never had to let you drink from me,” she said. “You aren’t
stronger than me! You can’t make me do anything!”

“Then why did you?” Hadrian stood, dusting the sand off his pants, still
prowling closer, even though her shields remained up. He bounced off
the barrier when he reached the edge.

“I wanted to. I’ll give you anything you want, but not that. I
couldn’t bear it.”

“You saw too much of me with your angel surveillance? Did you decide I
wasn’t good enough for eternity? You made me. Don’t judge the monster you created.”

“I couldn’t bear being tied to you forever knowing you didn’t feel
for me the way a vampire is supposed to feel with a mate.” She wouldn’t say
the way I feel for you
. The words wouldn’t
come. And he might only scoff at them if they did.

“And why will you give me anything I want?” he asked. He stood as close
as he could physically get without touching the barrier.

She shrugged.

“Is it guilt?”

“Maybe in part,” she said.

“What if I forgave you right now, for everything and meant it? What would
you do then?”

“Whatever you wanted,” she whispered. She didn’t know how to explain it to
him. She couldn’t even explain it to herself. All she knew was that she wanted to be where he was, and there were precious few things he
could ask for that she wouldn’t happily deliver.

“Except the claim,” he said.

The tent flap opened and they turned, startled to find a woman—probably
demon—with wavy black hair and bright violet eyes standing in the
doorway of the tent. She wore a long, slinky gold gown as if she was
about to walk the runway for a high-fashion lingerie show, and she
carried a red drawstring bag.

“Oh, this looks like I’m interrupting something,” she said. “I have
a special knack for that. And it’s the bad thing about tents. You
can’t exactly knock.”

“What do you want?” Hadrian snapped.

“Cain sent me.” She wasn’t ruffled at all by the vampire’s demeanor.
But then why would she be? “He said you had a clothing project for
me.” She extended her hand in greeting. “I’m Daria.”

Hadrian looked at the offered hand as if it were on fire and might immolate
him, so Angeline stepped forward and shook her hand.

The demon smiled then sized up Hadrian until he stalked to the door.
“I’ll leave you two alone. I’m going for a walk.”

When they were alone, Daria let out a low whistle. “Mate trouble?” she
asked.

“Oh, no. He’s not my mate,” Angeline said.

“Mmmhmm. Whatever you say. Between just us girls, if you want to keep it that
way, I suggest you keep him away from your neck. So what are we
doing?”

“What?” Angeline asked, confused by the midstream topic change.

“The project Cain said you had for me.”

“Oh.” Angeline closed her eyes and focused to make her wings shrink back
out of sight, then she slipped the slinky red top off and spun in a
slow circle. “I need more of these.”

“Oh, that’s practical. Support plus wing access. I never paused to
wonder about a lady angel or guardian’s undergarments.”

“Can you do it?” Angeline asked. “I mean, corsets are complicated, I’d
understand if you didn’t…”

The demon laughed. “I’m old. Trust me, I’ve both made and worn
them. I’m out of practice, but I’ll remember and find my way. Don’t you worry.”

Daria began unlacing her. “Do you mind if I borrow this so I have
something to work from? I’ll also need to take your measurements.”

Angeline nodded, not sure how she’d feel being without it. Maybe she should
learn to live without them. There was something sick about holding onto the constriction placed upon her by Linus and the angels as if
it were some mystical safety and not a wearable cage.

“Do you tight lace?” Daria asked.

“Sometimes,” Angeline said, “but not regularly. I can’t do it by myself.”
Not that Hadrian wouldn’t be happy to tight lace her. He’d probably get a perverse thrill from it.

“So you aren’t going for any particular waist reduction?”

“Oh, no. It’s not about that for me,” she said, hoping they wouldn’t get into a discussion about what it
was
about.

The demon helped her out of the undergarment then took a tape measure from her bag. “Arms up.” She took multiple measurements and
jotted them down on a notepad.

When Daria finished measuring, Angeline went to her bag and pulled out a red brocade corset from her previous secret stash.

“How many do you need and what colors?” Daria asked.

“A-are you sure it’s not too much trouble?” Angeline undid the busk and slipped the red corset on and fastened the stays in the front.

The demon laughed. “Don’t be silly. I live for two things: kicking
asses and making clothing. This will keep me busy for weeks, and when
you’ve got eternity, you take all the side projects you can find.
Now how many and what colors?”

The demon seemed determined to be the fairy godmother of corsets.

“I-I don’t know what’s reasonable to ask for.”

“I can start with five, and if you need more later, you can come back to
me.”

“Two black, two red, and maybe another ivory one?”

“Done,” the demon said.

“Would you mind lacing me up?” Angeline turned and pulled her long hair
out of the way.

Daria pulled the laces snug and tied them.

Angeline watched their reflections in the full-length mirror. “Do you think
I can get away with wearing just this with the pants? My tops are all
low-backs. They won’t look right with this.”

“Oh yeah. I’d wear it,” Daria said. From the looks of it, Daria would
wear a lot of things.

“What if you need your wings?”

Angeline shrugged. “I’ll worry about that bridge when I get to it.”

Chapter Twelve

Hadrian stalked down the cobblestone paths, the nervous energy rolling off of
him in waves.
Who cares what she wants? Claim her!
His demon
side insisted. It was one more reason to let go of any residual anger
he’d held toward his dark angel.

He knew first hand what it was like to live with a demon side hijacking
half or more of his brain… depending on the issue at hand. With the
potential claiming, the demon had staked a good eighty percent mental
real estate, constantly chanting and chattering away in there that
Angeline must be claimed, and she must be claimed
now
.

The vampire knew now what Angeline must have felt when she’d determined
Hadrian should be her mate, the need she’d had to turn him, to keep
him with her always. If he did this, he was no different.