Ivory Guard (24 page)

When his jaw clenched, she let her hands move down to cup his ass, silently urging him on to move like he wanted to
and telling him she needed it as well. His thrusts became harder and faster, their breathing heavier as their fire consumed them and her body grew closer and closer to the blissful edge.

They locked gazes, veiled with lust, as her body tensed. Lillian couldn’t breathe, could only cry out his name, when flames of pleasure shot through her veins and her climax hit, her muscles gripping him tight.
Raz groaned and plunged as deep as he could go as his own release shot into her.

Collapsing on top of her she listened to his galloping heartbeat that matched her own.

TWENTY-FIVE

Raz woke to the most wonderful sensation. Lillian was curled
up against him, her bare back to his chest with his arm draped around her middle while tangled sheets wound around them offering delicious glimpses of bare skin - and he decided on the spot that there was nothing better in the world than waking up next to her like this. Well, except for one other thing that was. God, sex had been more than he ever imagined it would be. Now he had to wonder why angels weren’t falling out of the sky every day.

Pulling Lillian
even closer he buried his nose into the spot between her neck and shoulder and inhaled her vanilla scent before kissing her there. She moaned softly, her voice sexy from sleep, and he couldn’t have stopped the big smile that pulled at his lips even if his life depended on it.

She wiggled around
in order to turn to face him, a motion that had him stifling a groan. He had to admit the happy sparkle in her green eyes did funny things to him and for one embarrassing moment he understood why males would want to go around thumping their chests.

“Morning.”

“Morning.”

They smiled at each other like, well, like fools in love and for the first time in his life Raz actually felt young.
Apparently his own happiness shone as brightly in his eyes as it did in hers, since she said, rather smugly, “See. Heaven up there…doesn’t even come close.”

Raz chuckled. “Nope, it sure doesn’t. Not even if they decided to add some colors and loosened up on the dress code.”

“What, no naked cherubs in heaven? Then what does it look like?”

Groaning Raz
rolled onto his back. “You’re kidding, right? You telling me you had no idea what you gave up last night?”

Leaning over him to drape
her upper body deliciously over his chest, she regarded him with a look that was reserved for children or the mentally challenged. “I didn’t give up anything last night.”

He wound his arm around her waist and squeezed.
“You gave up heaven.”

“
No. I already told you that being with you is the only heaven I want to know. Now tell me more about the heaven you know since I want to know more about the battlefield we’ll soon be standing upon.”

“Okay.” It
really wasn’t the kind of start into the day he’d intended for them, but he knew she was right.

“Heaven is…an office.”

The face Lillian made had him bursting with laughter. “Well, then I’d really much rather go to hell.”

“Don’t say that. For
me
it’s an endless office building, mostly white. For human souls is whatever place or environment they find peace in.” He shrugged. “Sitting on the swing looking out over their back yard, a day at the beach. Simple,
innocent
stuff like that, you know.”

“
I get it and I think it sounds nice but…wouldn’t that become rather boring after a while?”

Only Lillian would see it like that.
“Maybe.”

After she was quiet for a while he began stroking the soft curve where waist and hip met. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed his touch.

Almost as a whisper her voice came to him. “Raz? How can you be sure that heaven won’t want my ass on a platter after Micah?”

“
Do you trust me?”

Her eyes opened again
, clear and honest. “I do.”

God, he could drown in those eyes.
In a swift move he rolled on top of her and made her laugh as his hands trailed along her ticklish places.

“
It’s incredible.”

“What?” He dropped a trail of kisses along her jaw, moving to the spot of her neck that was sure to make her gasp in his ear.

“Sometimes you seemed so…unattainable.” She swallowed as she moved her head to the side to give him even better access. “In an all powerful kind of way, though it’s not the right word since it strokes your ego too much but…I can’t think of a better one at the moment.” She shuddered beneath him. “And now you’re so…” Her breath caught as he bit her lightly and then a husky laugh escaped her, sexy as hell. “Playful and… well, young, as if just discovering the world.”

Raz paused to look at her
as he thought it over. “Angels are supposed to only ever feel a fraction, if at all, of what you feel, so I guess that could make us come across as unattainable. Life is rather bland without emotion, but I never realized it before I met you. Only now do I see it.”

She reached up to cup his
face but he caught her hands in his, kissing the inside of her palms before gently pinning them above her head.

Her voice was breathless with anticipation.
“What are you doing?”

His head dropped
so he could play with her mouth, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips before he dove deep. As he broke away so they could get some air into their lungs, he moved down her body, kissing his way down her stomach and then licking that spot right above her hipbone. Grinning wickedly up at her as she gasped, he replied, “Exploring my world.”

A short chuckle was all she managed before it turned into a
throaty moan.

They were back to grinning at each other like fools while they ate
a rather late breakfast together. Their hands kept reaching out, touching each other, seemingly eager on making good on two years lost.

The fact that her body was sore but sated and totally satisfied and that she felt relaxed all over in a way she hadn’t in years should have been enough of a reminder that she hadn’t imagined last night – or this morning. But e
ven after taking a shower with him and then almost drooling over Raz while watching him get dressed, Lillian still had to fight the urge to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

Bright sunlight was flooding in through the windows whenever the rays fought their way through the big puffy white and gray clouds reigning over the sky
and painting the lazy slopes of green in all their hues. Still the beautiful picture and clouds promised rain.

“So what’s the plan for today?”

His eyes glinted wickedly, and then darkened as they both remembered, and her pulse began to tap dance. “Seeing how we did our work-out last night, I thought we’d skip the jog and do some basic warming-up before torturing your wings some more.”

Lillian absently rubbed the muscles at her neck which were still sore.
“Right.”

Raz came up behind her, kissing her neck and making her shiver. God, she was putty in his hands.
“You’ll forget the aches once you really fly.”

She was already forgetting them
. “When do you think I’ll be able to?”

“Depends.
Tomorrow, or the day after at the latest. Then we’ll go to heaven, straight into Micah’s office.”

“Can you still?” she asked softly.

He would be officially Fallen if heaven was barred to him.

“Yes.” Relief flooded her and she relaxed back against his chest. God hadn’t decided yet. “We’ll go up there and then what?”

“You’ll engage him, hopefully taking him by surprise, while I’ll distract him whenever I can.”

Raz nodded
. “That’s the plan. And together we’ll…”

When Raz suddenly stopped
in midsentence and simply froze, Lillian straightened in alarm and turned in his arms to face him. “What’s wrong?”

“Talk about the devil.”

Dread became a heavy churning mess in the pit of her stomach when his face darkened. “Raz?”

“It’s Micah. He’s asking
for permission to come inside.”

“What? Why?”

“I have no idea, but I have a bad feeling about this. How the hell did he find us?”

“
There has to be a reason.” Lillian paced the length of the room before coming to a stop in front of Raz. “Maybe he wants to talk. You said, no violence is allowed, right? We’ve got home-turf advantage.”

“That’
s what worries me. He knows that and is still coming.” Raz looked at her, granite eyes dark, hard and fierce and ready for anything. “It’s your call, Lillian.”

Her next words made her heart flutter with nerves and a good dose of fear which she hoped like hell didn’t show. “Let’s listen to what he has to say.”

Raz nodded and in the next blink of an eye Micah stood in the kitchen, facing them.

Lillian had no idea what she had expected but an angel in a suit
definitely wasn’t it. He looked perfectly handsome and…ridiculously uptight. In a way that made you wonder whether the guy could actually sit. But then she looked into his dark eyes, and the controlled power blazing there made her forget all laughter.

One
eyebrow lifted subtly, mockingly, as he took them in. “I see you’ve finally made your decision, Raziel. Not that I can say I’m surprised, or that I mind. Heaven will be better off without you.”

Raz didn’t flinch, didn’t move at all, and yet Lillian could feel he was ready to pounce. “What do you want?”

“I want the girl to come with me.”

The bastard really thought he could talk as if she wasn
’t right there in front of him? “Why should I?”

The smile he gave her
was the appropriate width and offered the right dose of politeness, but it was a hundred percent fake. “Because I have something you might want back – in one piece. Is that enough of a motivation?”

Raz almost buzzed with barely controlled anger.
“What are you talking about?”

“Y
ou shouldn’t have left Maion to protect her guard. He was easy to take care of.” Hands in his pocket Micah strolled about the kitchen and then proceeded to pour himself a coffee as if he were a regular guest here. “Maybe because it was the first time I’ve seen him sober in ages. Who knows.”

“What did you do with him? Is he…” Lillian couldn’t bring herself to voice her fear.

“Still alive. Well, as soon as he finds himself again, that is.” He leaned back against the counter, all calm and relaxed power, as he sipped his coffee before going on, “Anyway, as I was saying I’ve got your guard and if you want them to live, I suggest you do as I say and come with me. Alone, naturally.”

“So you can kill me?”

“Of course.”

Right.
Lillian had known the answer and still the carelessness with which he spoke took her by surprise and made her gut clench.

She couldn’t believe
it and had to fight the urge to shake her head like a stubborn child and to scream her frustration up to the sky. Here she was after over two years of fighting, of doing her work and doing what she had been told…and what did she have to show for it?

Not only did an angel want to kill her – the angel who
, by a mistake of his own doing, made her being born possible in the first place – but now he even threatened innocent lives. Other Ivorys who had put their lives on the line every minute of every goddamn day and had been prepared to give their lives for him, for heaven. For what? All the blood, the death, fear, the guilt and the sweat, for what?

So heaven could play around and move them around their age-old battlefield as if it was nothing but a game? Like they were nothing but pawns?
Even hurting their own, as if their lives meant nothing?

Who was Micah, who was God for that matter, to treat life so carelessly? How could they believe for a second that they were good?

Lillian, and her guard, had been drifting for some time now. Doubt had taken a hold of them and had slowly opened their eyes. Now she was glad they had spared the demons they had, and she would make sure she and her guard would all live to continue doing so. Heaven and hell were so focused on each other they had lost sight of any form of goal. She would remedy that. Pawns were always underestimated - until they marched across the board and changed into queens.

In a sudden clarity of mind and heart Lillian remembered
Raz’s words about Micah. The angel wasn’t replaceable.

Raz had never worried about the rest of heaven going after her because once Micah was out of the way, things would change. Once God was without the divine plan
, he would have no plan for
her
. The board would be swiped clean, new players and rules could be arranged.

Things
would change, and Lillian just had to make sure they changed to their favor.

Raz tensed beside her, probably sensing her change in demeanor, sensing her determination.
Grabbing his hand she squeezed it.

“Do you trust me?” she whispered as her eyes said,
I can do this
.

“I do.” His eyes flamed with pride and fear for her.
I know.
Come back to me
.

She kissed him on the cheek, not his mouth since this wasn’t a goodbye, and smiled softly at him,
drinking up all the strength and love she saw in those piercing granite eyes, cherishing it.
I will
.