“I’m going to kiss you now,” he whispered, cupping her cheek and leaning down, his lips hovering over hers.
It would’ve been wise to push him away, but as his breath fanned her lips, Acadia found she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not yet.
And when his lips fused to hers, a flood of emotions surged through her, threatening to drain her supply quickly. She loved how dominant he was, so subtle yet insistent. He knew exactly what to do to turn her on, exactly how to kiss her to make her burn and ache.
Kaj took her wrists, planting her palms flat on his chest. “Take more from me,balisra.”
She felt him open himself up to her again, the surge of power flooding her as she feasted on his energy with her hands. The next thing Acadia knew, she was backed against the tiled wall, and with a quick flex of his muscles, Kaj had lifted her off her feet and held her suspended, back to the wall. His green eyes settled on her face as she felt the thick head of his erection pressing insistently against her sex. The power that moved through him astonished her, the way he could so easily maneuver her as he pushed deep inside. Acadia cried out as pleasure assaulted her once more, her body giving in because there was no denying that yearning she had for him.
When she tried to pull back, both emotionally and physically, Kaj stopped moving, his erection buried deep inside her. She could feel him pulsing, his sexual energy coming off him in waves.
“Tell me you want this,” he urged, tilting her head and forcing her to look at him.
Acadia couldn’t tell him. She wouldn’t. Maybe it was true, but she wasn’t willing to risk having her heart ripped from her chest again.
She saw the disappointment on his face as she felt his body tense. And when he retreated, she almost cried out from the loss as he withdrew from within her. She managed to remain quiet, to keep her disappointment to herself. His warmth disappeared as he set her on her feet once more.
Her heart squeezed in her chest, the ache she’d lived with for so long returning with a vengeance. She loved Kaj, there was no denying it. Even now, after all this time.
But she had her pride. Not to mention, she knew the repercussions. If she were to love him unconditionally, her existence would no longer be necessary. It would defeat the very purpose of her presence here on Earth.
“When you’re ready,” Kaj whispered, “I’ll be here,balisra. I’m not going anywhere. Never again.”
Her breath hitched, but before she could reveal too much, Acadia reached for a towel and fled the room. She had enough sense to grab her dress before evanescing her physical form and returning to the safety of her room.
Two down, Michael thought as he staredat the list ofamsouelotsthe warriors were searching for.
The papyrus paper with its now broken seal was the original document that had been maintained in the vaults by the Fates since the beginning of time. It had once sat alongside countless other scrolls, all depicting the alignments of souls. Once the souls were united, their destinies officially sealed by the Fates, the scrolls were then burned, the ashes scattered over the blessing fountains so the angels within the heavens could continue to watch over them.
Hard to believe someone had bypassed all the safeguards and exposed the names of those belonging to his warriors. Michael still had no idea who had uncovered them or even how they’d been able to. But what bothered him more than the fact someone had done it waswhythey’d opted for those names specifically. Those vaults contained millions of names of destined souls, but they’d purposely targeted the seven who were closest to Michael.
Why?
Oh, he had his suspicions, of course.
Everyone knew there was no love lost between him and Lucifer. No matter how he dissected this, Michael knew his brother was the only one who stood to gain anything out of this. Obsidian, Stygian, Cimmerian, Eclipse, Piceous, Shadow, and Aphotic could’ve continued on as they’d been doing without knowing who theiramsouelotswere. At least not until the time was right.
As for when that might’ve been, Michael didn’t know.
But Lucifer had never been a patient male. Didn’t surprise him that Lucifer had created his own timeline, positioning the humans like chess pieces all in an effort to take what didn’t belong to him: Michael’s warriors.
Back when Michael had dispatched Obsidian and his brothers to Earth, he honestly hadn’t expected them to be needed for this long. Fifteen hundred years was a long time, and from his vantage point, another fifteen hundred was likely in the cards because the humans were having enough problems on their own. They could hardly manage to keep the fragile threads of their existence from unraveling thanks to their own greed and lust. No way could they sufficiently protect themselves against the evil that walked amongst them without intervention.
Which was the very reason Obsidian was brought into existence in the first place. Michael had always been a forward thinker, and Obsidian had been his answer to saving the humans from themselves. The others were an afterthought, but a good one, Michael would admit. The seven of them were a force to be reckoned with. Not exactly invincible, but damn close.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it?
Lucifer wanted them for his own armies. The most powerful beings to have ever graced Earth were vulnerable now, probably Lucifer’s plan all along.
Or perhaps Lucifer had been playing him. With the warriors distracted by their new mission, Lucifer was gaining a stronghold on the humans, and he was getting damned creative in his efforts. The longer he held it, the more of a mess they’d be cleaning up once the warriors were refocused on the real mission. Especially if Lucifer succeeded in eliminating the vampire race. Michael had never cared much for the fanged species his father had created using the mold Michael had created for Obsidian. However, there was no denying the vampires were his warriors’ best option in shoring up their reserves. They would need the numbers in order to defeat what was coming.
Sure, it was still imperative that the warriors locate their destinies, protect them, but Michael wasn’t sure that was the top priority right now.
While he’d thought linking the warriors with theiramsouelotswould solve the issue, keep his warriors out of the hands of the enemy, there was a new problem on the horizon, one he hadn’t anticipated. The risk of what was to come was high, but the more Michael contemplated what it meant, the more he realized … it was time.
Chapter Fifteen
Orianna wasn’t sure how long they’d beenasleep when she woke, this time to a darkened room.
