Salem Moon (30 page)

My God, being with her was like a drug, one he could never get enough of
, he thought.
  She lay still, allowing him to seduce her
. His
touches
ignited
her entire being
.
Tiny kisses all over her breasts, his tongue and lips, moved leisurely down her belly, stopping just short of her womanhood.

The warmth of his breath excited her. She moaned, as he parted her legs and kissed her inner thighs. Her hands worked their way through his thick, lustrous hair, marveling at the sensuality of it, of
him
.

She wanted him to take her, now, but this slow agonizing passion was so very wonderful
. She refrained
from pulling him up
to her
. S
he waited for him.

“
Surrender to me, Lily,
”
he murmured.

Yes, she would surrender to him just as he
’
d done with her that very first time they
’
d made love.

Finally, he
laid his body on top of hers
and guided
his manhood inside
her.
He slid his hands under her buttocks and brought her up to him
. She wrapped her
legs around him, all the way up to the small of his back. He sank the rest of his body down onto her, and they moved together
in a
deliciously slow
dance of passion. As
their desire mounted, their lovemaking grew rough and tumble
; both
throwing
caution to the wind, allowing their
hunger for one another
to consume them. He
devoured
her mouth with his,
kissed
her breasts even as he could feel her fingers digging deep into his back as she moved under him, kissing his shoulders, nibbling at his ear, her hips moving faster as his thrusts became harder
.

When
he
reached the peak of ecstasy, he
cried
out her name.

She continued to moan, still in the throes of her own orgasm and he kept
moving inside her
, wanting her to have all the pleasure she could stand, all the pleasure he could possibly give her.

Her face was flushed with passion, the sweat glistened between her breasts and at last, she cried out,
“
Gabriel
…
I love you…
”

Just as their passion subsided
, Lily saw something flash in Gabriel
’
s eyes.
She watched as his face changed, eyes glittering, like tiny speckles of ice, the violet gray of them now downright cold. An expression of pure unadulterated hatred enveloped his face; his mouth formed a vicious smile.
He looked…violent.
The horror of what was happening dawned on Lily
.
This was not Gabriel! It was
Lucien
!

“
Get off me!
”
She squirmed, struggling under his weight to push him away.
She was at least able to push his manhood out of her. The
sound of his laugh was sinister and evil as it echoed all around her. She slapped him in the face with all her might. It hurt her to do so, because it was still Gabriel
’
s face
.

“
Gabriel, for the love of God
! C
ome back to me. Do not let him take me from you
.
I love you, I want only you!
”
She screamed and slapped him again. His eyes flickered. He trembled as a cold sweat broke out all over his body.

Her eyes widened in fear as she watched his eyes change color, deep blue, and back to violet gray, his hair changing to a long, golden blonde and back to its deep brown. His skin became paler, glistening with a spectral light, before turning back to his own lightly tanned hue.
And again, back to Lucien.

For
what seemed like a very long time
, the
vivid,
crystalline blue of Lucien
’
s eyes
w
as
magnet
ic
a
nd Lily felt a pull, as if she were
being
hypnotized
. T
hose eyes
were
luring her in. My God, she was becoming
aroused
by him
.
The golden hair completely covered his head and his smile,
was
Gabriel
’
s
innocent and pure smile,
mingled with the unadulterated seductiveness of Lucien. The ethereal vision of an angel
, coupled
with the substance of a flesh and blood man
.
Monstrous, and
tantalizingly sensual
, she
could
n
’
t
deny him, no matter how hard she tried
. S
he wanted him.

He put an index finger to her lips.
“
Be still, my love.
”

And she was at once silent, gazing into his eyes
,
literally craving him. She touched the fine golden hair on his head and with her eyes half closed, she received his kiss. She could feel his manhood
. It was
different than Gabriel
’
s.
It was the same as it had been when he
’
d come to her in the dream that wasn
’
t a dream at all.

“
No!
”

The loud scream abruptly jerked Lily out of her trance, and she opened her eyes wide.

“
You will never have her.
Never
do you hear me? I will die first!
”

Lily felt sick. Gabriel had left her embrace and now stood by the side of the bed and there, materializing out of thin air, was the other
,
Lucien. They stood facing one another.

Gabriel was visibly shaking with rage. Lily had never seen him angry, not like this
.
Even when he
’
d confronted Nick and Trevor on the street corner that day
,
the very day she
’
d met him.

However, thinking back, she hadn
’
t seen his face during the encounter. He
’
d been so secretive about what had scared the two boys. Was it a possibility that they
’
d caught a glimpse of Lucien?

Gabriel
’
s nature was one of love and kindness and he treated her with all the respect a woman could want, and yet when he was in her arms, he ravaged her with his desire, with all the demanding passion of a man. He was all she
’
d every hoped for and more
, was
what any woman would want in a man
.
How could she ever think of betraying him with this…this abomination?

“
I
’
m…sorry, Gabriel, I didn
’
t want to
…
, I…
”
She stammered, ashamed of herself.

“
You have nothing to be sorry for, it is
he
who tried, to take something that he has no right to take,
”
Gabriel interrupted.
“
Lily, please leave us, now. You are in danger here. Leave him to me.
”
Gabriel did not even look upon her, he held his gaze steady on Lucien, every part of his being ready to fight him.

“
So, Gabriel, you are willing to lay down your life for her? Why? She is but a mortal woman
.
You
can find another just like her. Why, I
’
ve met many a woman such as she in this time, they flood the streets with their revealing, seductive clothing
.
They
are the very ruin of men. Use them if you will, but throw them aside when you are done, for they will bring you nothing but heartache.
”

“
You will not bait me with your false words, Lucien. I have the strength that comes from knowing true love. You cannot take
that
from me.
”

Lily still stood at the front door, hesitating, not wanting to leave Gabriel alone with Lucien. She was afraid for him and for herself, because if he perished here, in this room, her life would be lost
along with his
. She couldn
’
t live without him
. Hesitantly
, she abided by his wishes and left the room.

G
abriel
’
s mind was a whirlwind
. He
tried to remember all Lucien had told him since he
’
d
first come into his life. Surely, there were hints
,
useful bits and pieces of conversations that he could use against Lucien. And then it came to him like a bolt of lightning! A revelation that was as shocking as it was obvious
.
Gabriel
did
in fact have power over Lucien, and this was the reason why Lucien continued to play with him, rather than just outright take possession of his soul. He could not take it for the very simple reason that Gabriel
’
s soul was
different
and untarnished by prideful hatred, deceit or wrath. He
’
d never intentionally hurt another human being just for the sake of it. Somehow, his soul was…unique. Lily had called him
“
pure.
”

Lucien
wanted
to make him angry, hateful, and vengeful
.
The sins of man would make him vulnerable and thereby his soul would be easy to take. He needed him to display those human faults
, those which were
considered sins and impure in the very eyes of God
.

The knowledge of Lucien
’
s true purpose toward him, made Gabriel stronger. He must rid the world of this…thing. Lily was not safe. And what of others that crossed his path? Gabriel had seen the power of the white wolf
,
an animal that did not normally travel alone, but in packs. Lucien defied the very laws of nature and he could kill,
had
killed. Would he not slay the innocent as well as the guilty? The risk of staying here was too great.

Gabriel closed his eyes and did something he had not done in a long while
. H
e prayed to God for help. The last time he
’
d done so, he had been bitterly disappointed, but he was not then aware of what had been right in front of him all along, that his was a virtuous, untainted soul. Surely, God in his infinite knowledge knew this.

“
You pray to
him
in my presence?
”
Lucien
spat out
the words venomously.

No answer. Gabriel would not respond to him in any way, for he recognized Lucien
’
s words and actions for what they truly were: a form of trickery. His words were just as much a guise as
his
shape shifting abilities were
. He
was not what he seemed and that was
the
key to understanding how to fight him.

“
He will not answer your prayers, Gabriel
.
Have you not learned this by now? Only I have been there
.
I have struck down your enemies right where they stood. If it were not for me, you never would have met Lily at all. I brought you here. You waste time with this…this…drivel, I tell you!
”
Lucien was in a rage.

Still, Gabriel did not take the bait. He would not become angry
. He closed his eyes and allowed
a feeling of peace to come over him
. The sensation was calm, and
warm and benevolent
.
It swirled
around his mind and throughout his body
. He felt
it everywhere
, a
loving presence.

“
I know exactly where Abigail is buried
.
That is what you want, isn
’
t it? To see her buried in consecrated ground? I can give you everything you ever wanted if you will turn yourself toward me and away from
him
!
”
Lucien
’
s voice sounded utterly different
now
than he
’
d ever heard it before. He sounded
…
desperate. He spread his massive wings, blocking the sun from the window, creating small pockets of darkness in the room.