His hands closed around my wrists. He thrust into me.
I cried out. It hurt in such a delicious way, like fire against silk. I’d never felt anything so good before. I planted my hands on his hips, pulling him closer. I tilted my hips up toward him, drawing him in deeper.
He thrust into me again and again, fast, forceful, and brutally relentless. Each stroke of his hard flesh against my soft core shot a blinding, searing flash of pleasure through me. My whole body pulsed with hot, hungry vibrations. I surrendered to lust and made peace with the wanton desire taking me over.
My throat was rough, my voice ragged. He was shouting out as loudly as I was. Our cries were in sync, our bodies one. He was mine.
Mine.
The word echoed in my head every time our bodies crashed together.
Mine.
I wasn’t sure if it had come from my mind or Damiel’s.
Mine.
I screamed out. Every muscle in me contracted. A shockwave of hot ecstasy burst inside of me, washing over my body. Damiel expelled a rough growl, then collapsed on top of me. The warmth of his blood and magic pulsed through my body.
Damiel rolled off of me and drew me into his arms. His chest rocked, his breaths uneven.
“Are you all right?” he asked me cautiously. He was looking at me like he thought I might jump up and run away.
“I’m not the one out of breath,” I teased him.
“Sure you are.” He chuckled darkly. “But what can I say? You take my breath away.”
“Charmer.” I felt a tad lightheaded. I told myself it was from the rigorous workout I’d just had, not in response to his smooth tongue.
His finger traced a line down my arm. “I promised myself I would take it slow and easy and not lose myself to my savage desire.”
I smiled at him. “I didn’t mind.”
“I couldn’t take it slow.” He looked upon me with doting eyes. “I was utterly unprepared for the wondrousness that is you.”
“Oh, gods, Damiel. Stop it,” I said, my eyes wet.
He took my hands in his. “It’s the truth.” All arrogance and charm vanished from his face. This was Damiel, raw and unscripted. “I fear I was so lost in the moment that I totally neglected your needs.”
“My needs?” I laughed. “Damiel, you gave me what I’ve been needing my whole life, and I didn’t even know it: someone to truly connect with. Someone to share blood, body, and soul with. You didn’t neglect me. Not at all. You completed me.”
Smiling, he stroked my cheek. “As you complete me.” He drew in a slow, deep breath. A chuckle buzzed on his lips. “And if I’m not mistaken, we’ve just completed each other. Or perhaps I should say conquered.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve marked each other, Princess.”
Angels marked people to claim territory, to brand those under their protection: children, subordinates, lovers. Usually, the magic mark was made by exchanging blood. Intimate connections, however, were forged in other, more intimate ways, generally accompanied by an outburst of feelings.
Sex.
But for two angels to mark each other simultaneously—that had never been done before, at least not as far as I knew. Then again, there had never been two bonded angels before. Well, that certainly explained the possessive urge I’d felt as Damiel and I had made love. Mine. I’d claimed him as mine. And he’d claimed me as his.
I touched his face, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen over his forehead. “Are you certain that we marked each other?”
“Quite certain, Princess. I can smell your mark on me and mine on you.”
“You’re mistaken. That’s just blood and sweat.”
“An angel’s mark is unmistakable. Magical.”
“Yes, it is. But I’m not really smelling it right now. I don’t think it stuck. We might have to…” I lifted my brows and gave my eyelashes a coy flutter. “…try again to make it stick.”
Comprehension flashed in his eyes. He’d finally caught on.
“You’re right, of course. I think our marks are already fading.” He trailed a fiery fury of kisses down my chest, between my breasts. He peeked up from my bellybutton. “We’d better reenforce those marks a few more times.”
I laughed as he grabbed my hips and pulled me on top of him.
19
Angel Marked
I was once more fully dressed, but my mind still lingered inside the depths of our intimate memories. Damiel’s kisses. How he’d touched me. The delightful, burning sensation when he’d sunk his fangs into me. The delicious, heavenly taste of his blood on my tongue.
I looked my angel husband up and down, licking my lips.
He noticed the way I was looking at him. “Perhaps we have a little more time.”
I sighed. “We don’t have any more time, Damiel. The operation is starting soon.”
His eyes undressed me. “When this is over, the two of us have unfinished business.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Damiel picked up the Diamond Tear dagger from the ground and offered it to me.
I shook my head. “You do it this time. The immortal daggers are meant for both of us.”
“You share far too well for an angel.” His brows furrowed in bewilderment.
“So do you.”
“I only share with you.” He set his index finger over his lips, in a shushing gesture. “And don’t tell anyone.”
“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. As far as anyone knows, you are a cold, heartless bastard who never gives up any ground.”
He nodded in approval. “Good. And so are you.”
“Agreed.”
An angel couldn’t show weakness around people, especially not around other angels. If you did, the other angels tasted blood in the water and went in for the kill. I couldn’t afford to be caught up in dominance games any more than Damiel could. We had people to protect. People who were counting on us to be strong and unyielding. For the sake of the Legion. For the sake of the Earth and all its people.
“So let’s show them all what perfect angels we are,” I told Damiel. “The unstoppable duo of Dragonsire and Lightbringer. They won’t know what hit them.”
Peals of laughter followed us through the passage, but Damiel’s laughter cut off before we reached the rebel base on the other end. He’d brought us back to the garage. Jiro sat on an old wooden crate, sipping from a steaming cup. The scent of fresh mint wafted around him. A pile of Magitech devices lay at his feet.
“Report,” Damiel said, his voice sharp.
“I finished calibrating the devices an hour ago.”
“You said it would take until morning.” I felt a tad guilty over how many hours we’d allowed ourselves to get distracted at the Silver Shore while everyone here had been working.
“Jiro always overestimates how long things will take,” Damiel told me. “He thinks it makes him look good when he finishes ahead of schedule. Except I’m on to him by now. I know his game.”
“It’s not a game. And it is nearly morning. You two sure were gone a long time.” His gaze swept across our bodies. “I see your date went well.”