Her Dark Angel (11 page)

Yes. All she had wanted.

This bloody mess born of violence was what Apollyon had wanted. He had avenged her.

Her eyes roamed back to Edward where he lay unconscious on the floor. They had both had their vengeance on Edward. She couldn’t be angry with Apollyon. He had only fought Edward because he felt something for her and had wanted to protect her, to make sure that Edward left her alone.

He was braver than she was. In her heart, she had wanted to hurt Edward and punish him, and Apollyon had done that for her and she was glad that he had. It had given her the closure she needed and made his feelings for her clear.

Edward’s friends surrounded him and she turned away and walked towards the door.

The night was still warm when she stepped out of the club. Apollyon stood on the pavement, pacing a short distance from the three men guarding the club door. She could sense his agitation and desire. He wasn’t satisfied. He had wanted the fight between him and Edward to last longer.

He looked up as she approached and then turned away. The moment her hand came to rest on his shoulder, sliding over it, and she rounded him, he looked across at her. Her brow furrowed when she saw the cuts on his face. He hadn’t lied to her. Heaven had stripped him of his power when he had decided to attack an innocent mortal, leaving him with only human strength. That power was back now, flowing into her body through her hand where it rested on his warm bare skin.

Serenity raised her other hand, cupped his cheek, and met his dark eyes. The low light stole the colour from his eyes but something told her they were still lighter, full of burning energy as they had been in the club. She held his gaze and focused on him, on feeling his pain and where he had been hurt so she could fix it all. The cuts on his face slowly healed, leaving only blood behind.

“Thank you.” Apollyon’s hand caught hers and he interlocked their fingers, holding them tightly. He walked a short distance and then stopped at the start of the square at the end of the Champs Elysees.

“Do you want to talk to Edward?” he said in a low voice, so quiet that she thought she was hearing things until he looked at her, right into her eyes.

“No.” She could see that it was a reach for reassurance and she faced him, taking hold of his other hand, trying to give him what he needed. It was strange to have to reassure such a strong man but it was touching too. She realised that she wasn’t alone in her feelings. They were both afraid but knowing that they were in this together made her feel less scared. “I’ve had enough of revenge. It’s over. I just want to go home now.”

He looked down at his feet, his expression distant. “Home.”

Serenity looked there too. She knew what he was thinking and she didn’t want him to leave her. She trembled on the brink of asking him to stay, to remain with her on Earth just as the other angels had done for the women they loved. He had proven himself loyal to his duty though and asking him to remain with her would probably be asking him to commit a great sacrifice.

And what if he said no?

She started when soft fingers touched her cheek, caressing the curve of her jaw.

“I will come home with you tonight... if that is acceptable?” he whispered and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Serenity closed her eyes and nodded. She drew back and her eyes met his. And tomorrow? She couldn’t bring herself to say it. The thought of him leaving weighed her down inside. How could she convince him to stay when she couldn’t find her voice to say the words? She wasn’t brave enough to admit her feelings, not after what had happened with Edward.

Apollyon scooped her up into his arms, cradling her, and smiled. “It is a nice night for a flight.”

Serenity looked up at the dark sky. It was still clear. It was a nice night for flying, but she felt as though she was falling. She leaned her head against Apollyon’s shoulder, holding his neck with one hand and his breastplate with the other, not wanting to let him go.

She was afraid that this would be the last time that she flew with him.

She was afraid that he would leave.

A
pollyon beat his black feathered wings and took off with Serenity, carrying her high above the roofs of the old buildings that lined the Champs Elysees. The Louvre shone in the distance, the pyramid golden and the windows of the older classical stone building still full of warm light.

He turned with Serenity and flew towards the Eiffel Tower at a slow pace, enjoying the feel of her in his arms and the warm summer breeze against his face.

She was quiet, nestled in his arms, deep in thought. He didn’t want to disturb her, so he carried her, cradling her close, careful with his precious cargo. He wasn’t sure what to do. The city passed below him, a stream of lights and noises, and he kept his focus on the distant tower, considering everything that Serenity had said. She had relieved him of his duty, even if she didn’t know it. He could only remain with her for so long now. His position protecting the bottomless pit in Hell would call him back there whether he liked it or not. Without a reason to remain on Earth, a duty to fulfil there, he would have to return.

Even though he didn’t want to go back.

Apollyon glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, wishing he could see her properly and that she would speak to him. The air felt heavy, hard to fly through, and he ached inside. He wanted to stay with her.

She looped her arms around his neck and he realised that neither of them knew what to say.

Not even flying past the Eiffel Tower drew a reaction from her tonight. She didn’t smile. She remained with her head on his shoulder, her breathing slow and soft, and her fingers still against his neck.

He wanted her to smile again.

He wanted things to be as they had before Edward had spoken to her.

Apollyon flew higher, leaving the world behind and seeking the silence he could only find when he was looking down on Earth from the skies far above.

Serenity held him tighter and curled up in his arms.

“I will never let you go,” he whispered close to her forehead and held her safe in his arms. He stopped his ascent and hovered above Paris, his broad wings beating slowly, just fast enough to keep him stationary. “You do not need to fear, Serenity. I would catch you if you fell.”

She pulled away from him and he adjusted his grip on her, holding her side so she didn’t slip from his arms. Her hazel eyes were wide but he knew it wasn’t because she was trying to see him in the low light. It was because she was surprised that one of them had found the courage to say what needed to be said.

“Would you?”

He knew what she was asking. He nodded. “I would. If you took the leap, I would catch you.”

He drew her closer to him, so she was safer, and looked deep into her eyes.

“My duty is done... I will have to return. I wish it did not have to be this way though.”

She shook her head. “No. Can’t you stay a little longer?”

“How long?”

She smiled. “How about forever?”

“It sounds wonderful.” He pressed a kiss to her lips and then sighed as he pulled away from her again, his eyes meeting hers. “But it is not that easy for me to leave Hell.”

“I take it back then.” Her grip on his shoulders tightened. “My vengeance isn’t done.”

Apollyon shook his head. “It does not work that way. The contract is broken.”

Paris stretched out before them over one hundred foot below, the lights twinkling and bright, all of it on display for Serenity. He would bring her here every night if she asked that of him. He would do anything for her. His eyes gradually widened.

He looked at her. “Call to me.”

“Apollyon?” she said, looking confused.

“No. Call to me...” His eyes darted between hers and his pulse quickened. It could work. His fellow warriors had to have done something similar to change their allegiance from God to the object of their love. They couldn’t have just quit. Angels didn’t get that sort of choice. His life was servitude, spent as his master commanded. Serenity had commanded him to help her gain revenge. She could command him to be hers. “Like you did before at the fountain when we met. Wish for me or whatever you did. Tell me to be with you forever, until you no longer need my services.”

Serenity closed her eyes and held her hands over her heart. A pale light began to glow there, steadily growing in strength until it lit her hands and her face, and shone on him too. Magic. It was how he had heard her call. Her power had amplified her voice and his feelings for her had made him be the one to respond.

Apollyon watched her, listening to everything, desperate to hear her call again and to answer it. It was quiet at first, as it had been when he had been in Hell, but then he felt it within him, beating in his heart, compelling him to obey. He accepted the call, responded to it and bound them by contract.

“Look at me,” he whispered.

The light in her hands faded and then winked out of existence.

“Did it work?” There was such a beautiful look of hope in her eyes. He smiled to see how much this meant to her and how much she wanted it.

He nodded. “What is your command?”

“To stay with me until the end of time.” A smile curved her lips and he was glad to see it.

“I can do that.” He didn’t even stop to consider the implications of what he was doing. His old master would find someone else to guard the bottomless pit. There were at least a dozen angels who wanted the position more than he did now. He was tired of being in Hell. He wanted to stay here in Heaven with Serenity.

Apollyon kissed her, slowly and lightly, a bare meeting of lips that warmed him through from his heart outwards. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders and she kissed him back, her lips soft against his, and then she slid her arms around his neck. He beat his wings and dived with her, spiralling down towards Earth and smiling while he kissed her.

She clung to him in a way that he would never grow tired of, and would always adore. It wasn’t fear that made her hold him so tightly. It was love. They were both falling.

Spreading his wings, he carried them upwards again, over the rooftops of Paris. Serenity looked out over the city and he looked at her. She was smiling again, her eyes twinkling with the happiness that he could feel in her, and he couldn’t help smiling too. He didn’t need to look to find the way back to her place now. He watched her instead, using his senses to guide him to her apartment. It was so much easier to find things from above and once he had flown somewhere, he rarely forgot the way.

When they were close, he looked for her apartment and swooped down to land gently on the black metal railing around the balcony. He stepped onto the tiles with her and set her down on her feet.

With a lot of effort, Apollyon folded his wings and then forced them away, until they disappeared into his shoulders.

Serenity stroked his arms, looking at his chest, and then into his eyes. There was a note of sadness in their hazel depths.

“Will you have to lose your wings?” she said and he smiled at how concerned she was.

When she had first met him only two days ago, she had been afraid of his wings and what they represented. Now she looked as though she wanted them back this instant.

“No.” He ran his fingers through her long blonde hair, enjoying the silky feel of it. “If I did that, I would not be able to take you flying.”

She pressed her hands against his chest, tiptoed, and kissed him.

“You make me feel as though I’m flying when my feet are firmly on the ground,” she whispered against his lips and he kissed her again, harder this time, stirring the passion that burned so fiercely between them.

“If you are flying now, then how will you feel in a minute?” He swept her back into his arms, carrying her into the apartment.

She giggled and kissed him, her mouth warm and sweet against his, pushing at his control. He wanted to lay her down right there in the kitchen and make love with her.

“Wait.” She wriggled out of his arms and pulled him back to the balcony.

She grinned and kissed him again. He frowned, wondering what she was up to, and then raised an eyebrow when she started to unbuckle his breastplate.

“Here?” He cast a glance around at the small balcony and then to the ones either side. They were all dark, with a small solid wall between them, but it didn’t mean that someone wasn’t going to walk out and see them.

“No one will see us.” Serenity undid the first of the buckles and smiled wickedly at him. “If you won’t hide us, then I can.”

He hadn’t thought of that. He could easily mask them from mortal eyes as long as he was concentrating.

Serenity swept her hands across his collarbones to his other shoulder and he closed his eyes at the light, sensual caress.

If he could concentrate anyway.

Serenity snapped her fingers and a thick padded blanket covered the balcony tiles beneath their feet. Apollyon made candles appear along the line of the walls and gathered in clusters in the corners of the balcony. Their flames burst into life, lighting the darkness with a warm glow. Serenity looked at them all and then back at him. She clicked her fingers again and his clothes disappeared.

Two could play this game.

Her dress was gone in an instant, shortly followed by her high heels and then her underwear.

She gasped and covered herself.

Apollyon covered them both, masking them from mortal eyes, and pulled her flush against his bare body. He kissed her and ran his hands down her sides to her hips. Her skin was warm beneath his fingers and she shivered when he stroked her waist and then skimmed his hands around to her bottom. The feel of her belly against his hips stirred his cock.

He was about to kiss her again when she dropped to her knees in front of him and took his still-hardening length into her hot mouth. Blood surged through him and his cock twitched as she sucked it to hardness. It ached and he ached with it, wanting to sheath himself in her again, knowing this time that he didn’t have to leave her and that they would never be alone again because now they had each other.