The Three Fates of Ryan Love (22 page)

Leaning back on his knees, he pulled off her jeans and panties at the same time. In an instant, he'd stripped, too, and shifted until his hips slid between her thighs, his mouth on her breasts, his fingers finding the places she wanted him to touch. But it felt important that this time she take control in some way.

She rolled, using her body to push him back against the cool sheets, and then she kissed her way down, loving every hard angle that made up the flesh and bone of Ryan Love. She slid to her knees at the edge of the bed, his knees bent on either side of her, his feet flat on the floor. He sat up and looked down at her as she spread her hands over his bare thighs.

He smelled of soap and Ryan and she pressed her nose into the silken skin of his belly before she took him in her mouth. The sound he made sent a liquid wave of heat through her. He tasted salty and male as she ran her tongue over the length of him, circled the ridge beneath the head, sucked as he'd done to her. Ryan's hands were in her hair, his gaze so hot that it made her bold.

She didn't really know what to do, so she tuned in to the sound of his breath as it rasped, the feel of his body as it moved, the gentle pressure of his hands as she brought him to the very edge.

“Wait,” he breathed, trying to pull back.

Sabelle had waited long enough. She didn't let him go until she had all of him.

He cried her name. She would remember that forever.

She looked up from where she knelt at his feet and Ryan leaned down and kissed her like nothing would ever drive them apart. Her arms went around his neck and he pulled her up to the bed and turned her beneath him. He held his weight on his arms, his fingers cupping her head as he stared into her eyes. Then he pressed his lips against her throat, her shoulder, behind her ears, against her mouth as his fingers slipped down low. His touch was rough but not careless as it slid against her wetness and circled, building the tension in her until she moaned with the power of it. She pushed against his fingers and came with a cry.

“Jesus,” he muttered.

He held her gaze as he entered her with a hard thrust that set the pace for his sensuous assault. The part of her that could still think realized he hadn't stopped to sheath himself. Not because he'd forgotten—she saw that in his eyes—and hers filled with tears over what that meant, the trust and forgiveness that he hadn't voiced but showed her with this gift.

He knew that she didn't want his baby to enslave, to boost her power. But the thought of his child inside her made her heart swell with love. Did he know that, too?

He met her eyes. “We'll ride this out together,” he said softly. “Whatever comes next. Together.”

She tightened around him, his body a piston hitting all the right places with all the right pressure. Orgasm ripped through her again, a flash of hot lightning, the roll of thunder echoing through every cell in her body. His climax powered through them both, a hard, hot burst of feeling and sensation that wiped her mind and forged her into something new.

Ryan rolled over, pulling her on top of him, still deep inside, already hard again. She straddled his hips, bending to kiss him. She couldn't seem to stop. She could have done it for hours, for days, and he answered her need with his tongue, teasing the roof of her mouth, her lips, her heart. He moved inside her, insatiable as she. Every thrust spoke of some deep desire to possess her, as if anything less would push her away.

She'd wanted this man forever and now here he was, inside her, changing everything she'd considered herself to be. She was no longer on the outside looking in. Now she was the center of a life she'd never expected to have.

“Don't let me go,” she whispered against his mouth.

“Don't you fucking try to leave,” he answered.

His hands slid around, cupped her behind as he lifted her a few inches, then let her come down at her own speed—slowly burying him to the hilt in her heat. He lifted again and this time he thrust as she came down, driving himself into her with a dark, erotic purpose.

His steady rhythm touched her tender flesh and she wanted him all over again. He brought his chest to hers, shifting his angle, finding a spot within her, triggering a rush of liquid fire that made him curse in her ear. His breath was hot, his words hotter.

The feeling inside became an echo, doubling back and growing as it settled in her womb. Then he reached between their bodies and touched her just so, just there. She cried out, her voice tight in her throat, her breath strangling the sound as both tried to emerge at once. A second later Ryan thrust hard and held, deep inside her, so hot that she clenched around him and simply surrendered.

T
he sound of Sabelle's voice woke Ryan up. They lay nestled together under the thick down comforter, his body curled around her from behind, his arms holding tight. Possessive even in sleep. Morning light spilled through the open curtains in the kitchen, but here it was cool and dim.

His thoughts traveled back over the night before. Joel. Elijah. Sabelle . . .

He believed her. If that made him a horse's ass, so be it. But he'd seen too much good inside her to assign devious ploys and murderous intentions to her. And he'd told her in the most basic human way he'd known how. No holding back, no barriers. She'd understood what it took for him to give; she'd understood the rules that came with it.

Their fates were bound now.

He smiled wryly.

She'd probably say they always had been.

Beside him, Sabelle shifted restlessly. She murmured again. It sounded like she said, “I'll kill him,” or “Until then.” With Sabelle, either one was an option.

He eased up on his elbow, looking down at her. Her beauty had always taken his breath away, even from the first moment when he'd found her huddled against the side of Love's, proclaiming herself his savior. Now that he knew what she was, the effect should have waned. Hers was an otherworldly glamor that mere humans could only aspire to and therefore it should seem fake to him, now that he knew.

Maybe it was because his little brother and sister had been called ugly names like
half human
that kept Ryan from harboring prejudice now. Maybe it went deeper. Ryan had wiped both Reece's and Roxanne's tears over the cruelty. It had always been a mystery why the twins had defied death so many times. For all Ryan knew, there was a reason why a reaper had fallen in love with Roxanne and the demons had come to claim Reece. A reason that might be flowing in his own veins, too.

Ryan never claimed to be in touch with his feelings or aware of those deeper currents that flowed through him, but last night Sabelle had cracked a shell he'd protectively denied his entire life. She'd exposed a fear that ran so deep it owned him. Now, he felt a little raw, a bit vulnerable, and a whole lot relieved. Harboring something so detrimental had been like carrying an anchor that kept him moored to a past he'd never really understood.

When he looked in the mirror, he saw a big, tough guy who'd take on anyone who dared to challenge him. Sabelle skipped the reflection and looked straight to his soul and saw that kid who was scared to death of being left behind. Jesus, how had he never known that about himself?

Gently, he brushed a lock of silky hair from her fine brow and let his thumb trace the line of her elegant nose. Goddess. He believed it. But what was she doing with a troll like him?

She frowned in her sleep and her legs thrashed beneath the covers. A soft whimper broke from her lips.

“Sabelle,” he said softly.

“Don't wake her.”

The voice came from the open door of the bedroom. Ryan's head whipped around, his body already tensing for a fight. Brandy yipped in the corner where she'd slept and jumped to her feet.

A woman stood just inside the room, dressed in gray wool trousers and a pale pink sweater. Japanese, by the shape of her face and eyes. In her fifties, by the fine lines that mapped her features. Her black hair fell in a curled mess to her shoulders, shot with silver and white, somehow managing to look styled for all the waving mess. She smiled and it had such genuine warmth that Ryan almost answered it with a smile of his own.

Brandy growled and scanned the room just like she'd done before on the porch. She was looking right through the woman without seeing her. Ryan blinked and suddenly realized who she must be.

He'd expected Aisa to come with designer heels and bloodred lipstick to match her dagger claws, or perhaps glittering gowns with a bejeweled beehive. This woman was petite, with sensible shoes and a scrubbed, wholesome face. Still, he didn't doubt her identity. The air around her crackled with something he couldn't identify but sure as hell didn't like.

“She's having a vision,” Aisa said. “It's dangerous to wake her now.”

He glanced at Sabelle. Her face was flushed, her mouth drawn in a tight line. He didn't know whether to believe Aisa or not.

“I suppose introductions would be redundant,” she said. “You know who I am. I know who you are. The only thing we're not clear on is motives.”

“I'm pretty clear on that,” Ryan spoke at last.

“Your opinions come from misinformation, though.”

“I've seen some of your handiwork firsthand. Explosions. Scorpions. I know all I need to know.”

She stood very still, never looking away from him. “I was trying to warn you.”

“I've been hearing that a lot lately. Consider me warned.”

“Then why are you still here? Why are you trusting
her
?”

“Maybe because she doesn't pretend to be my dead dad.”

“I didn't have a choice.”

“There's always a choice.”

“You trusted your father. There aren't too many people you can say that about, and I thought if my warning came from him, you'd listen.”

Ryan said nothing. Beside him, Sabelle tossed her head and muttered again. Aisa took a step closer. Brandy jumped on the bed—something she never did. Still searching the room for the threat she couldn't see, she moved to the end and lay down, nose resting on Sabelle's foot, canines flashing soundlessly.

“I thought about coming as your brother,” Aisa went on, frowning at the dog. “But I didn't think he'd be as effective.”

Before his eyes, she changed, morphing into something unrecognizable before solidifying again. His brother, Reece, stood in her place. Dressed in blue jeans and an ancient Eagles T-shirt, he looked like he had the last time Ryan had seen him, a few days before he died. Fair and beach-bum beautiful, Reece had carried the same height and bulk that Ryan did, but had a few less scars to show for it.

With Reece, the scars had always been on the inside.

“Would you have listened to me?” Aisa asked in ­Reece's voice.

“No,” Ryan said, but it took some effort.

She transformed back into the Japanese soccer mom and smiled again. “I'm coming to you now in my true self. No glamour to blind you, no lies to distract you.”

As if she'd plucked the thoughts right out of his head.

“I've done what I can to help you, Ryan. Now it's up to you to help yourself. They've told you their sad little tales. They've said I'm evil. I'm here to destroy humanity. The pictures they've painted of me don't fit the image, though, do they?”

“Who's to say?” Ryan answered. “You could be anything.”

Her laugh had a happy, tinkling sound that unsettled him. He managed to keep his expression bland.

“You're smarter than you look, Ryan Love.”

“I have my moments.”

“How about I give you something no one else ever can or will.”

“How about you get the hell out of my bedroom.”

He was tired of looking up at her, but he was naked beneath the covers. Deciding he didn't give a damn, he climbed out of bed. She didn't turn away or blush. In fact, she eyed him like he was dessert. He grabbed his pants and pulled them on. Aisa sighed. In the bed, Sabelle's legs scissored, then stilled. Brandy positioned herself across Sabelle's legs.

“Sabelle was called here because she and your two new friends have a plan. You, luscious Ryan, are the critical element to that plan. Through you, they hope to return to the Beyond and destroy me.”

Nothing he didn't know already. “I don't have a problem with that.”

“But you will. I know you don't believe in fate. You don't understand its purpose in your world. But I have guided humanity since its conception. I have cared for it like a mother. Our holy Creator made me your guardian.”

“Just you? What about your sisters?”

“They probably told you I killed them.”

They hadn't, but he asked, “Did you?”

“No. Did they also accuse me of killing my own children?”

“Let me guess. It's a vicious rumor?”

“They wouldn't have fared well here. Sons of the gods rarely do.”

“Joel seems pretty well-adjusted.”

“Does he? Perhaps to you. After all, you share a common denominator.”

Ryan frowned. “Meaning?”

“Tell me, how do you explain your youngest brother and sister? The deaths. The revivals.”

“I don't explain them,” he said coldly. “Especially not to you.”

“Really? You've never wondered? What makes them so special? Are you special, too? Tell me you're not curious about your origins.”

Sabelle moaned and kicked her feet again. He heard his name on her lips. Clearly. Sweat dampened the skin at her temples and made tiny wisps of her hair cling.

“What would you give for answers, Ryan?”

He looked back at Aisa. “From you? Nothing. I don't want your answers or explanations or anything else you might be peddling.”

“I wouldn't be so certain of that. I don't think you fully grasp what it means to control fate, to wield the power I have. What would you say if I told you I could give you your brother back?”

“I'd say go fuck yourself. In fact, I'll say it anyway.”

“So fierce.” She laughed, the sound young and carefree and as engaging as tinfoil on fillings. She moved closer and Ryan sidestepped, putting himself between her and Sabelle. Brandy growled and bared her teeth again.

Ryan watched Aisa. Her hair gleamed like black silk and he realized he no longer saw the streaks of silver and white. Even her face looked younger. He glanced at Sabelle. A frown puckered the skin between her brows and her face was so pale it looked gray.

“What are you doing to her?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. You're taking something from her. Draining her. I can see it.”

Aisa raised her hands. “It's not me, Ryan. It's
here
. She won't survive if she stays. This is what I'm trying to tell you. Joel never left, but Sabelle is a delicate flower that needs proper tending. You want to keep her. I do understand. Human men always want what they can't have. It's a failing that has fascinated and disarmed me over the centuries.”

Her dark gaze made a lazy trail over his bare chest down to his groin, where it lingered boldly before returning to his face. He knew she wanted a reaction, maybe a blush or a show of anger.

He smiled mockingly. “Must get pretty lonely up there with no one to scratch your itch.”

Aisa's eyes grew hard.

“You're dead wrong when it comes to Sabelle,” he went on. “She's no daisy, and your kind of special care is the last thing she needs.”

“What about you, Ryan? What do you need? You've tried to care for your family, but you just keep failing again and again. Poor, poor Reece. I saw his sacrifice.”

Her voice was low, steady. It punched through Ryan's defenses effortlessly and demolished any sense of victory.

“I still see his suffering,” she said. “Even now.”

“There's no
now
where my brother is concerned,” Ryan said, leaning forward, blatantly using his size to menace the petite woman. “Reece is dead.”

Aisa's gaze never wavered. “Is he? Humans are more than flesh and bone, Ryan.”

She spoke softly, succinctly, knowing that each word was a spike tearing through him, ripping open fears he'd pretended didn't exist.

“The soul is not a corporeal thing. You're a smart man. You should know that.”

Obviously, he wasn't smart enough. He asked the next question when he knew he he'd been led to it. He couldn't help it. He couldn't keep quiet, not about Reece. “You're saying his soul is stuck somewhere, suffering?”

“Yes.”

“What's happening to him?”

“Don't ask me, Ryan,” she murmured, as if she cared. “Not when you already know the answer.”

Her response hurt him in ways he could barely fathom. He'd never understood Reece, but that didn't mean he hadn't loved his little brother. The image that filled his head made him want to shout. Hit something. He clenched his fists.

“And your sister Roxanne has promised herself to the bringer of death,” Aisa went on relentlessly. “How do you live with yourself, knowing you let that happen?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Do you just pretend it's not true the same way you pretend that Reece died a normal death and is now with his maker? Your denials trap Reece in a place so horrible you can't imagine.”

“How?” Ryan asked hoarsely when he knew he shouldn't.

“Admit what it is, ask for my help, and I can save him.”

Ryan forced himself to stand his ground. “I know what it is
.
Bullshit.”

“So stoic. So certain. Fate is mine to change. Just as I can whisper in the ear of a distracted driver, make him turn right instead of left, make him plow into the happy young woman stepping out of the movie theater, I can bargain with the demons who hold your brother's soul. They're torturing him, you know. I think sometimes before you fall asleep, you hear his screams.”