Her Dark Angel

Felicity Heaton

Copyright © 2010 Felicity Heaton

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The right of Felicity Heaton to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First printed August 2010

First Edition

Layout and design by Felicity Heaton

All characters in this publication are purely fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cover by Felicity Heaton

Her Dark Angel

An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn’t called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it’s to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.

Serenity is shocked when a gorgeous black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He’s no other than the angel of death! When Apollyon offers to obey her and help her have revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can’t resist the temptation, but can she resist him? Can an angel as dark as Apollyon ever fall for a mortal woman like her?

Their charade as lovers quickly becomes reality when one dance leads to another and Apollyon proves that he’s as sinful as he looks. His sensual and hungry touch brings Serenity back to life, freeing her from the hurt of being betrayed and reigniting her passion, but she can’t ignore her growing fear. Lost in their moment together, Apollyon realises that there is a reason he heard her call—he’s in love with her.

But will Serenity see past the wings and believe that Apollyon returns her feelings and won’t hurt her? When her ex-boyfriend asks her to forgive him and be with him again, will she take the easy route or will she find the courage to fly away with her dark angel?

Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Dark Angel is a tale of intense desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to get your heart racing.

Chapter 1

The images in the bright pool flickered past Apollyon’s eyes at lightning speed but he could see them all, could bring each into focus and pause there a moment to understand what was happening in the scene. He had watched over the mortals since eternity began, had watched the world change and forget his kind.

No one believed in angels anymore.

And his master had not called him forth from the bottomless pit in Hell in many long centuries.

Yet Apollyon waited for the call to come, faithful and patient, committed to his duty even as others around him chose to live by their own commands. Many of his fellow warriors had softened and fallen for mortal women, their devotion wavering and their commitment altering to their love. He would do no such thing. He had no interest in mortals.

His dark blue gaze darted around the silvery pool, following the history it was recording, stopping a moment on images that interested him. Wars. Death. Bloodshed. It was something that never changed. One day, his master would call him and Earth would know the true meaning of destruction.

The pool cast pale light on him as he crouched near it with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands dangling in front of him. The intricate gold metalwork on the black greaves protecting his shins and the vambraces around his forearms caught the light and shone.

With a sigh, Apollyon unfurled his mighty black feathered wings and stood. He stretched, causing the chest plate of his armour to rise as he lifted his arms, and then stared up at the endless black above him. The fires of Hell burned at his back. Their smoke filled the cavern, making him long to go to Earth. It had been eternity since he had left the pit and spread his wings, breathing the refreshing air and feeling it beat against him. He ached to soar above the cities again, unseen and unknown, and to speak with the angels that walked on Earth and watched over the mortals.

He longed to be free of the choking fires of Hell.

Apollyon was about to turn away and go to the edge of the pit when his blue gaze caught on something in the pool. He frowned and crouched again. The long strands of his black hair fell forwards as he leaned over the pool and stared at the image he had stopped before him.

A lone female.

He often saw her. She liked to walk in the park alone these days and her expression was sometimes troubled, as though she bore a heavy weight on her heart. What was she thinking when she looked like that? The park wasn’t the only place that he had noticed her. He had seen her indirectly too, picking her out of a crowd or seeing her passing through an image that had interested him, and each time his gaze had followed her until she had disappeared from view.

She stood staring up at the Eiffel Tower, her back to him and the gentle breeze catching her short red dress and tousling her long fair hair. He didn’t need to see her face to know that it was her. No other mortal captivated him as she could.

Roses framed the view, obscuring much of her legs. He cocked his head to one side and ran his gaze over what he could see. He had never seen her dressed like this. She had always worn layers of clothing in the past, her legs covered and a thick black coat encasing her slender frame. The seasons had passed so quickly and he hadn’t noticed that it was almost summer on Earth. The image changed, panning up the height of the Eiffel Tower and he wanted it to go back to her until he saw the stretching blue sky above the top of the tower.

Apollyon reached out to the pool, desperate to touch that sky and feel the sun beating down on his wings as he flew.

The image drifted away, replaced with a succession of others that he had no interest in. It was summer. He stood and imagined flying in that blue sky and how exhilarating it would be. He imagined the whole of Paris stretched out below him. He had never been there but he knew it well from the images he had seen. What would it be like to see such a city?

To see such a female in the flesh?

He shook that thought away and reminded himself that he had no interest in mortal women.

If he didn’t, why did his heart stop whenever he saw her?

Apollyon looked back into the pool and then turned away from it. His duty was to his master. He had to remain here, guardian of the bottomless pit, suffering the acrid fires of Hell, until his master called him.

He laughed.

No one was going to call him. He was going to spend the rest of eternity trapped in his own personal Hell.

A dark curse rolled off his tongue and a noise like thunder rumbled in the distance.

A familiar feeling built inside him, a sense that someone was speaking his name. He listened, trying to hear the voice of his master, knowing he would be the one who called to him. It wasn’t clear.

He felt the call but couldn’t discern where it was coming from.

Apollyon grabbed his sword, buckled the sheath to his waist, and didn’t wait for the call to come again. This was his chance to escape Hell and he would take it. His master was calling him from somewhere. He had a mission again at last.

He spread his wings and with a single strong beat lifted into the air. The wind from them blew the dark smoke back and they raised him higher and higher, until he reached the ceiling of his prison and stretched a hand up to it. The black rock parted before him and he turned and flew upwards, faster now that he could see a crack of blue sky above him. Hundreds of feet of rock passed him at a blurry speed and he finally broke free into the fresh air. He shot upwards, his black wings beating furiously against the warm air, and didn’t stop until he reached the clouds.

Apollyon hovered there, casting his dark blue eyes over the world at his feet, the chill wind blowing through his long black hair. It was as beautiful as he remembered, more so in fact. The cities the mortals had built fascinated him. He swooped lower, searching for his mission and listening for his master’s call. What did he desire him to do? Apollyon would do anything for his master. He had destroyed many cities in his name and cast many sinners into the bottomless pit. He had even fought the Devil and defeated him.

He frowned when he saw the city.

Paris.

The desire to go to the Eiffel Tower and find the mortal female was strong but he resisted it and flew over the city, trying to find his master. The call was quieter now and difficult to locate. It burned within him, relentless and driving him to search, even when he was beginning to wonder if he would be searching forever and if this was just a cruel joke because he had cursed.

The Devil would do such a despicable thing. He had a strong voice and could throw it well. He had always promised Apollyon that he would pay for all the times he had cast him back into Hell.

Apollyon swooped lower, effortlessly cutting through the warmer air, delighting at the feel of it tickling his black feathers and washing over his skin. Turning, he dived down a side street, skimming low above the heads of the mortals, causing a wind to gust against them. He smiled when they shrieked and grabbed their clothes to keep them in place. It was wrong to take such childish pleasure from doing such things, but all angels had a tendency to misuse their invisibility.

A strong beat of his wings and he was soaring upwards again. He landed on the edge of the roof of an old pale stone building and looked across the city towards the Eiffel Tower. It speared the clear sky, surrounded by lush green at the base. He was about to fly there when he felt as though someone was speaking his name again.

Apollyon focused, frowning as he tried to discern the direction it was coming from. His gaze shot back to the Eiffel Tower. There?

He ran to the far edge of the building and leapt off, waiting until he was close to the flagstones of the square below before he unfurled his wings and beat them, shooting straight across the square only a few feet above the ground. He ducked and weaved through the people and came out over a grassy bank. The river was ahead and beyond it the Eiffel Tower. He flew straight for it and then came to an abrupt halt in mid-air when he heard the call again. It was behind him.

He scoured the people below. Was his master down there, amongst them, calling to him?

His master had several guises. Apollyon’s eyes darted over the mortals, stopping for barely a second on each face. None of them matched how he remembered his master.

The call came clearer this time, beating in his heart. His gaze shot in the direction it had come from and his eyes widened.

Her?

A fair-haired mortal female stood beside one of the fountains below, her back to him and the warm breeze playing with the short skirt of her dark red dress. The jets of water from the fountains sprayed high, the droplets catching the wind and settling on his skin when it blew towards him.

Apollyon frowned.

It had to be the Devil’s work.

He had been watching her, had cursed, and then she had called him. It was ridiculous. No mortal had the power to call an angel, and he had not had a different master since eternity began and the angels had made a pact with him.

Cautiously, Apollyon swooped down, closer to her, hovering bare metres above her head. Had she called him?

She raised a hand to her face and it lingered there. He couldn’t see what she was doing. Her shoulders heaved and a wave of sorrow and anger washed over him. She was hurting.

He landed mid-way along the bridge over the river behind her and stepped down off the wall, changing his appearance as he did so. His wings didn’t want to disappear and it took several strides towards her before he was sure the mortals wouldn’t see them and that his glamour was falling into place. He changed his clothes, replacing his armour with a fine black suit, with a black shirt and a dark blue tie, and then swept his long hair back and tied it at the nape of his neck in a ponytail.

Finally, he lifted the force that made him invisible to the mortal eye and walked casually towards her. He took the blue handkerchief from his pocket, stepped up behind her, and hesitated for only a moment before touching her shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he said in French, hoping he had the right language and the right words. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in a long time and although he knew modern languages, he had never used them.

She touched her face again, her long fair hair a curtain which he couldn’t see beyond, and sniffed. When she turned to face him, she was smiling. Her hazel eyes lit on the offered handkerchief at first and then slowly ran up his arm to his chest and then towards his face. She was more beautiful in the flesh, her features soft and her eyes round. She could be an angel herself. He hadn’t realised how much shorter than him she would be. She was at least a head shorter, and petite too.

The moment her gaze met his, her expression changed. Her hand stopped close to taking the handkerchief and horror filled her eyes.

“Get away from me.” Her French held a sharp note of panic and then she stormed towards the bridge.

Apollyon frowned, looked at the handkerchief, and then went after her.

She glanced over her shoulder and her pace increased. It was easy to close the gap between them. His strides were longer than hers and her little heeled sandals were clearly not made for a swift escape.

“Leave me alone.”

Why was she running?

People were staring, murmuring to each other. She was causing a scene and he wasn’t quite sure why.

“Get away from me!” She turned to face him and then backed away, the fear still bright in her eyes. They darkened when she frowned and spoke as though uttering a curse. “Abaddon.”

He hadn’t heard that name in a long time.

She knew he was an angel.

How? Had his glamour failed? It had been millennia since he’d had to cast one. He looked around them at the watching mortals. None of them looked afraid. If they could see an angel before them as she could, they would be reacting the same as she was. People would be screaming that the Apocalypse was nigh and the world was going to end. He would be in serious trouble with his master.

He remembered that she had called him. Could she see through the glamour? Was she different somehow to other mortals?

“I don’t want to die,” she muttered almost beneath her breath and cast a fearful look his way.

This wasn’t going as he had expected. She wasn’t supposed to have been able to see that he was an angel. She was supposed to have accepted his kind offer of a handkerchief to dry her tears and told him why she was crying so he could figure out what he was doing here and whether someone was playing a trick on him.

Tears spilled down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around herself, making herself small and making him want to reach out to her and somehow ease her suffering. Whatever pain had caused her to cry, it was still strong within her heart, tormenting her. He could feel it. There was some sort of connection to her that gave him insight into her feelings, a sense that she needed him and that they were supposed to have met here today.

It was ridiculous.

A mortal could never call him. They didn’t have the voice.

He had been alone too long and was dreaming all of this, seeing things as he wanted them and not with clear eyes.

There was only one way of finding out whether she had called him somehow. He had hoped to discover it through casual conversation but that wasn’t an option now. It was time for a more direct approach.

He stepped towards her and she backed away again, holding both of her hands out as though that gesture alone could stop him if he wanted to get to her.

“Please,” she whispered and shook her head, sending more tears tumbling down her pale cheeks.

“Leave her alone.” A burly man started towards him.

Apollyon lost patience and cast his hand out, waving it across the gathered crowd. “There is nothing interesting to see here.”

Their expressions went slack and they moved as one, drifting off and back into their own lives, moving past him and the mortal woman as though they weren’t even there.

“Oh God, you’re going to kill me.”

He frowned at her. “Why would you say such a thing?”

“It’s what you do.” There was accusation in her tone and a hint of bravery.

Courage in the face of death?

A moment ago, she had been fleeing him and now she looked ready to fight.

“I have not done such a thing in a very long time.” He sighed. It was never going to leave him. Spend a few centuries as the angel of death and no one forgets. Everyone presumes you’re still in charge of taking life’s final breath from mortals. Still, it was better than the other rumour that he was the Devil. “There is a fleet of angels who do it now.”

She didn’t look as though she believed him. Her hands trembled in front of her.

“I didn’t ask for my powers. Please don’t take me there.”

“Where?” His patience was wearing thin again and he seemed to be unable to get his question out into the open. He tracked back over what she had said.

Powers?

“All the fires of Hell are in your wake... I don’t want to go there. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Apollyon looked behind him. All he could see was Paris. The edge of the stone bridge and the murky river, and the city beyond.

“You are gifted.” He looked back at her, deep into her hazel eyes. She nodded. Was this how she had called him? He frowned and looked at the fountains at the other end of the bridge behind him and then at her. “What were you doing there?”

She looked past him, blinked a few times, and then her eyebrows rose. “Nothing really. Contemplating life, I guess, and how shitty it was.”

“You did not ask for anything?” He stepped closer to her and this time she didn’t back away. She kept staring at the fountain with wide eyes. Tears lined her dark lashes. All of her fear disappeared and the pain returned. She clutched her hands to her chest, and he felt the hurt well up inside her, overwhelming her.

“Revenge,” she whispered and her gaze darted to him. “I asked for vengeance against that cheating bastard.”

Cheating? A sinner?

She had called for vengeance and he had heard her, and he had felt compelled to answer and accept her mission. He couldn’t. Contracting with her would break the one between him and his master.

Apollyon looked at her, studying her pale beauty.

She had called him and he had come. She was his master now. He had accepted the mission and the contract the moment he had left Hell.

He was going to get into trouble for this.

It had been a while since he had been on Earth though, and although the angels who watched over mortals now tolerated the old sins and only took them into account at death rather than punished the sinner during their life, he did still hate some of them.

Infidelity in particular.

“Are you really here to kill me?”

Apollyon smiled and a hint of colour touched her cheeks. “You called me and I came to you, not to take your life but to ease your suffering.”

She swallowed and looked as though she was going to deny that she was in pain. Apollyon stepped up to her and touched her face. Her skin was warm, soft, and felt good beneath his fingertips. He caressed her cheek, placed his fingers under her chin, and raised her eyes to his.

“Whatever he did to you, I will make him suffer for it, but no man is worth such tears. Your heart will heal in time and you will love again.”

Her hazel eyes searched his.

Apollyon stared deep into them, feeling a strange warmth travel along his hand from where his fingertips touched her face. It chased through him and finally settled in his chest, burning there, stirring feelings that he had long forgotten existed.

“I will give you the revenge you seek.”

Those words were distant to his ears even though they issued from his lips.

He was lost in her eyes, in the way she was looking at him with so much warmth.

Was it gratitude that made her look that way?

Or was it something else?

“Are you a goddess?” he whispered, trying to keep his thoughts on track and on his mission.

She shook her head, moving his fingers with her, and licked her lips. He made the mistake of looking at them, watching the soft pink tip of her tongue sweep over them. A surge of hunger swept through him and he took his hand away, shocked by the strength of his desire and the suddenness of it.

“I’m a witch,” she said, matter of fact, with a little shrug.

Apollyon stared at her. Was he making a terrible mistake by helping her? A part of him said to leave now before it was too late and he became too deeply involved with her.

He couldn’t though.

She had cast a spell on him.

And he was a slave to her.

Chapter 2

Serenity’s hazel eyes went wide and she stepped back when the hulking mass of man standing before her drew the sword that hung at his waist, afraid that he had changed his mind and was going to kill her after all. She wasn’t sure what to think when he eased himself down onto one knee in front of her, lowered his head, and held his sword out to her, the hilt and tip of the beautiful blade resting on his palms.

“I am yours to command.” His French was perfect, making his deep voice so sexy that a shiver tripped over her skin whenever he spoke.

Was she supposed to do something?

People were staring again as they passed. What did they see? They certainly weren’t seeing a man offering a sword to her, that was for sure. To them, did he look as though he was kneeling with his hands raised in supplication?

Was he dressed in black and gold armour that didn’t leave much to the imagination?

Did he have huge black feathered wings?

She imagined that he didn’t. If he did, the people would probably be screaming rather than merely glancing at him as though he had gone insane.

“Erm, okay.” Serenity hesitated before touching the sword. The gleaming steel was cold beneath her fingers. She took her hand away, not liking the feel of it. “Thanks.”

He stood with grace, his muscles shifting beneath his golden skin, and she tried not to stare at his physique. Either he worked out a lot, or angels were naturally endowed with the body of a god. He was pure perfection as he stood close to her, his broad chest rising and falling, moving the beautifully decorated black breastplate. His stomach was bare, taut muscles delighting her hungry eyes, and the smallest black loincloth in the world protected his modesty.

Something that she was lacking. She lowered her gaze, taking in the toned length of his legs. They were as powerful as the rest of him. Her eyes roamed back up, over the black cuffs that covered his forearms, decorated in gold with images of lions, and over his biceps to his strong shoulders. From there, they wanted to go to his face, but his wings were too fascinating. They were large, casting a shadow across both him and her, tucked against his back.

She wanted to walk around him and investigate every delicious inch of him, taking in that he really was an angel and not a man parading as one.

An angel.

Abaddon.

Her mother had taught her gods, goddesses and mythology. She knew all about him and his kind.

Her eyes finally leapt to his face. He had a smile that could stop hearts and vivid blue eyes with icy flecks in them. They held her gaze, unwavering and strong, and her temperature rose when they narrowed slightly and his pupils widened. What was he thinking in there?

Did he like what he saw as much as she did?

The man was a god.

No, an angel.

And he was beautiful.

Breathtaking.

But he wasn’t at all as she had thought an angel would look. Everything about him spoke of darkness, right down to his aura. Whatever power he had, it was strong and it wasn’t the sort that resurrected mortals or healed them. It felt as though the opposite would happen if he unleashed it.

Abaddon. The angel of death. Although he had denied that title. What title did he claim as his then?

“So, Abaddon—”

“Apollyon,” he interjected with a charming smile that teased his sensual lips and made her heart beat a little faster.

He was an angel. No matter how good he looked and how much he was making her forget her pain just by looking at him, she couldn’t think about him like that. It was wrong of her. He had offered his assistance in getting revenge on her bastard ex and she was going to take it. Whatever dark power this gorgeous man had, she was going to let it rip in her ex’s direction.

“Apollyon?” She stopped her gaze from dropping down to take him in again. If she told him to put on something a little less distracting, would he be able to do it? She had seen through whatever spell he had used. Could he ever fool her eyes?

“I prefer my true name.” He cast a quick glance over her. His eyes lingered in all the places a mortal man’s would.

Surely, she was off limits too? Angels were asexual weren’t they?

The voice at the back of her mind said that the tall hunk of handsome standing in front of her definitely didn’t look asexual. He looked like sin incarnate, not like an angel at all.

“Serenity.” She offered her hand to him.

He took it and a jolt ran through her at the feel of his strong warm hand grasping hers. She shook his hand but he didn’t let go when she was done. He held it, his thumb resting lightly against hers.

“My mother thought I could bring peace to a chaotic world.” Her heart sped when his thumb grazed hers and then he took his hand back, his fingers brushing her palm and sending another shiver through her. “I’m not much good at it.”

“At what?” He quirked a dark eyebrow and tilted his head to one side.

Serenity sighed inside. Did he know how good he looked? Could angels be conceited? She supposed they were all beautiful so he probably didn’t realise that the reason all the women were staring as they passed wasn’t because they thought he was apprehending her or anything of the sort.

They were staring for the same reason she was.

The man was six feet plus of godliness.

“Being peaceful... I’m actually quite chaotic.” She shrugged. “Nothing I do comes out right. I mean... I thought I was casting a simple spell for vengeance and suddenly you’re here telling me that you heard me calling you. I wasn’t asking for an angel.”

“You weren’t.” He placed his palm flat against her chest and she jumped. Her pulse rocketed and she blushed from head to toe at the feel of his wrist against her breasts. “Your heart called me, not your words.”

Serenity smiled and nervously took hold of his hand and removed it from her chest before she lost control and threw herself at him.

“So you’re good with revenge?”

“Very good at it.” He stood taller, straightening to his full impressive height, looking even nobler and handsome. “I am Apollyon, the great destroyer, king of the bottomless—”

“Wait.” She cut him off and held her hands up. “Great destroyer? Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I mean, you’re an angel and your boss-on-high would probably be a little upset if you blew up half of Paris to fulfil my wish for revenge, and I don’t want him dead... just in pain... and I can really take care of this myself. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“It is little bother.” He frowned. “I will only do as you command. The choice of revenge will be yours and I will exact it.”

“What about your boss?” She didn’t want to piss God off. She was sure that he was already fairly angry that people like her existed on Earth, those that could use magic and make their own miracles.

Not that she had managed anything like that so far. She was better at lighting candles and the small stuff like love potions.

Serenity glanced up at Apollyon. Would a love potion work on an angel?

She cursed and told herself to get a grip. Angels probably couldn’t enter into relationships with mortals and this attraction to him was probably because she was rebounding.

“You are my master now.” The serious edge to his expression said that he wasn’t joking. “I do as you bid.”

Serenity’s eyebrows rose and she slowly absorbed the fact that she had her own personal angel.

“Then we should...” She wasn’t sure what they should do. Skulk off and plan something horrible to do to her ex because he’d cheated on her? It all felt a little cloak and dagger and not at all like her. She had never sworn revenge on anyone, had always let her anger go and just got on with her life. Not this time though. She wanted him to pay. “Do you drink coffee?”

“I have never tried it.” Apollyon smiled. “But I have been told by others that it tastes strangely bitter and sweet at the same time, and has an interesting effect on the body. I would like to try it.”

“Coffee it is.” Serenity led the way towards the fountains and Apollyon came up to walk beside her.

She really hoped that people weren’t seeing him as she was.

“What do you look like to them?” She looked at a few people to make her point.

“A man dressed in a black suit.”

“No wings?”

He shook his head. “Do not worry. It is only you who are unaffected by the image I project.”

“Can it affect me?”

He stopped and looked at her. The breeze tousled his fine long black hair, teasing the strands of his ponytail.

“You wish not to see me as I am?”

When he said it like that, it made her feel bad. His blue eyes darted between hers, as though he wanted to see the answer in them before she said it.

“No.” She stepped towards him. Her heart beat faster again and her palms sweated. She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. “You’re fine just the way you are.”

The wind blew again, catching her blonde hair and sweeping it across her face. She started when he brushed the strands from her face, smoothing them behind her ear, and his fingertips caressed her cheek as he trailed his hand off her. Did he know what he did to her with that touch? What just looking at him did to her on the inside? She kept telling herself that he was an angel and he was off limits, but her body wasn’t getting the message. It burned to feel his hands on her, to feel his lips against hers and have him hold her close.

It was insane. She had only just met him and she wasn’t usually the sort who threw herself at men. Her ex, Edward, had pursued her for months before she’d finally given in and agreed to a date with him, let alone anything else.

Now she was ready to throw herself into the arms of an angel and pray that he caught her and kissed her just as she wanted him to.

“He really hurt you,” Apollyon whispered.

Serenity blinked and her desire deflated at the thought of what Edward had done to her. She really had to clear her head of whatever ridiculous attraction she felt to Apollyon because it wasn’t going to happen.

She started walking again, not waiting for him to follow. She needed a moment to breathe. Since setting eyes on him, her head and heart had been at war and she had to give them both a reality check. Apollyon was here to help her get revenge and that was all. She couldn’t throw herself at him, or make a move, or do anything that would only end in her getting her heart broken again or winding up as miserable as Edward had made her.

“I said something wrong?” Apollyon strode beside her, his long lithe legs making easy work of her hurried pace.

She was quiet a moment, lost in her thoughts, her gaze drifting over the white stone buildings that lined the narrow street.

“No.” She moved through the crowd at a busy intersection, crossed the road and then walked along another narrow road to the street where her favourite café was. “It just caught me off guard. I mean, I get this sense that you know what you’re talking about... as though you... it’s silly.”

“Can feel it?”

She stopped dead outside the café and looked back at him.

He stood a few paces behind her, his black wings still tucked against his back and the gold decoration on his black armour reflecting the sun.

She nodded.

He walked up to her and looked into her eyes. “I can feel it. It is part of the reason I agreed to help you. You do not deserve such pain. You always seemed so happy until recently.”

“You’ve been spying on me?” It came out louder than she’d meant it to.

A couple of well-dressed dark-haired women sitting at one of the round tables in front of the café looked her way and then started talking in hushed voices.

“I am an ang—” He frowned when she slapped her hand over his mouth. His warm breath bathed her skin, tickling her and sending a shiver dancing up her arm.

Serenity snatched her hand back. “I don’t think that’s a good word to use in public.”

“We all watch. It is what we do.”

She grimaced. That had probably sounded even worse. The two women were deep in conversation now, furtively glancing at her and Apollyon. They probably thought she had a harem of stalkers.

Serenity grabbed Apollyon’s hand and dragged him into the small café. It was quieter inside, only a few people at the small round wooden tables and in the armchairs. She chose a spot away from everyone, near the window, and sat Apollyon down in a low brown armchair next to a small table.

“Wait here,” she said and hoped that he would.

What had she gotten herself into?

Serenity ordered the coffees and looked over at Apollyon while she waited for them to come. He was sitting looking out of the window. Watching the world go by? Did angels really do that? If he said they did, then they probably did all watch over the mortals.

He shifted his shoulders, frowned and then his black wings unfurled, sending a breeze through the room that had people grabbing their papers, napkins and anything else that had tried to escape in the wind.

Serenity stared open-mouthed at the sight of him. He sat with his black feathered wings outstretched behind him, almost reaching back to the other side of the room. How big was his wingspan? Each wing was at least eight feet long.

She grabbed the coffees when they arrived, went back to him, and sat in a daze in the armchair opposite him, staring at his wings.

Apollyon shifted his shoulders and his wings furled again, the longest feathers curling around and grazing his boots.

“I needed to stretch,” he said with an apologetic look and then smiled. “It has been a long time since I have had so much freedom. It feels good to stretch my wings.”

She bet it did. He looked like the cat that got the cream, smiling ear to ear, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

“What does it feel like to fly?” she said before she could even consider what she was asking.

His smile widened. “Bliss. The wind on my face, the feel of it in my feathers, and the way I can see everything and go anywhere. There is no feeling like it.”

“It sounds nice. I’ve flown... in a plane... but it’s still flying, right? Something in common.”

“Would you like to fly?”

Was he offering to take her up? The thought made her stomach feel tight but something inside her made her nod.

“I am sure we can do something about it.”

He picked up the white mug of coffee and raised a dark eyebrow at it. He sniffed it first, peered at the frothy top, and then took a sip.

His feathers quivered and his eyes widened, darting to hers. “What drug is in this?”

Serenity picked up her own mug of latte and sipped. “It’s not really a drug. It’s caffeine, a natural stimulant. Humans are addicted to it.”

He eyed the mug suspiciously. “A stimulant?”

He looked as though he was going to take another sip and then set it back down on the round table between them. His gaze met hers again and his pupils dilated until his irises were almost as black as them. He shifted uncomfortably and crossed his legs, settling his hands in his lap.

“I do not think I should drink any more. It would be unwise.” His voice was tight and the unmistakable spark of desire in his eyes wasn’t going anywhere. “I will be having words with my fellow warriors when we next meet. They did not explain the effects well enough.”

Effects? She looked down at his hands in his lap and then back into his dark eyes.

Viagra for angels?

“I thought you were all asexual,” she blurted and then covered her mouth when he turned horrified eyes on her. She blushed ten shades of crimson and tried to think of a spell that would take back what she’d said. It probably wouldn’t work on him anyway. Magic didn’t affect gods and goddesses, so it was unlikely to affect other supernatural beings.

“I am not asexual.” The way he said it made it clear that he would be happy to prove it to her right now in the coffee shop.

Serenity gulped her drink and kept her focus on it, avoiding the smouldering look he was giving her and wanting to crawl under the table and hide.

“I have not had a woman in many centuries but I am in no way an impotent creature.”

Did he have to say it loud enough for the whole coffee shop to hear? She sunk into her chair, trying to avoid the looks she was getting.

“I take it back,” she whispered into her mug and peered at him over the rim of it.

He glowered, passion no longer reigning in his eyes. A dark malevolence shone there and the sense that he wasn’t exactly a good angel in the way she had imagined them returned.

“Some people say you’re the Devil.”

He leaned back into his chair and sighed. “First I am the angel of death, and now the Devil? The rumours do spread and stick, don’t they?”

“What are you then?” She emerged from her mug, sat forwards on the edge of the armchair seat and looked him over. He was sin made flesh, luscious in every way imaginable, and she was sure that angels weren’t supposed to be so tempting.

“I told you. Apollyon, the great destroyer... angel of the Apocalypse, responsible for raining hell down on Earth when everything comes to an end.”

That wasn’t comforting at all.

“You’re not a good angel then?”

He smiled and there was a sexy sort of darkness in his look. “I am good, if by that you mean I do not work for the Devil, but I can be very bad.”

She could imagine. She shouldn’t be, but she was picturing him in every position possible and he looked wicked from every angle.

“So what does my mistress command?” His smile held. Something about it made her feel as though he was encouraging her to say the things that were raging through her head.

What didn’t she want to command? She couldn’t though. She was sure that it was wrong to order an angel to commit sin. For now, while her conscience was still functioning and she could resist the temptation sitting across from her, she would focus on getting her revenge.

“Nothing involving death. I want him to suffer. I want him to feel jealous and hurt and unloved... as though he doesn’t matter to me.”

Apollyon smiled as though he liked the sound of that.

She held his blue gaze. What she was going to propose was crazy, and would shatter what little restraint she had around him, but she was going to do it.

“I have a plan.”

Chapter 3

Apollyon perfected his image, smoothing his long black hair back into his neat ponytail and tightening the knot of his blue tie. Serenity walked beside him through the dark streets. Her plan was simple, yet likely to be effective. He glanced across at her, taking in how different she looked in her short black sleeveless dress that hugged her breasts and flared out from the waist, and the black high heels. She had tied her blonde hair up into a loose chignon. Dark kohl lined her eyes and her lips were stained red, adding to her allure.

It had been difficult not to look at her before, but now it was impossible. She drew his eyes to her and he didn’t want to look away. He wanted to stare at her forever.

He reminded himself that it was alright now. He was supposed to look at her, to be attentive and charming, to be romantic with her.

“He’ll be here.” The tremble in her voice betrayed the nerves he could easily feel in her.

Was she having second thoughts? Her form of revenge was far more gentle and lenient than his. He could happily cast her unfaithful lover into the bottomless pit to suffer there with the Devil and the other sinners.

Her heartbeat quickened. He looked ahead, following her gaze, and saw the neon sign. She had mentioned the club to him. It was one she had frequented with the man called Edward. Apollyon had yet to get a description of his target but she would do better and point him out if the man was in the club.

“I shouldn’t be asking you to do this.” Serenity stopped and turned to face him. “It’s really not right.”

“You are only asking me to pretend that I am your new lover. It will be an easy charade, and it will not contravene any law of the contract that lies between us.” He smiled at her and she nodded. Nothing could contravene the laws of their contract. He hadn’t invited her to create any or made any of his own. Whatever she desired of him, she would have.

Sin or no sin involved.

And he was fine with that.

Serenity moved closer to him. He had forgotten how good females smelt. Her light perfume teased his senses with its floral notes, and lured him to her as much as her appearance. She had never looked this beautiful in the pool.

She went to move away but he caught her wrist and she stopped.

“You are nervous.” He grazed his fingertips over her skin, enjoying the silky warm feel of her. Whenever he touched her, he didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to run his hands over every inch of her and feel the subtle differences across her body, studying her and memorising every supple plane and curve.

“You would be too if you were about to walk into a club with an angel on your arm.” There was a hint of a joke about her tone but he knew that she was being serious. His appearance to her disconcerted her.

“I do not look like an angel to them.” He took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face the dark window of the shop behind her.

Her eyes widened. Whatever ability she had, she evidently couldn’t see through an illusion he cast on something else. He was projecting his image onto his reflection, so she would see what other mortals did when they looked at him.

“You look like that?”

He nodded and leaned forwards until his chest was close to her shoulders, and looked down at her face.

“Does my reflection satisfy you?”

She looked at him over her shoulder, her face close to his. “I think I prefer to see you as you are.”

The honesty in those words touched his heart. His gaze fell to her lips and he stepped back, away from the temptation they presented.

“You have taste though,” she said and he looked back at her. “In suits and in armour.”

Apollyon smiled. “If you are satisfied, then let us begin your revenge.”

He held his hand out to her, only meaning for her to take it as a hint to go to the club rather than for her to hold it but she slipped hers into it. Her hand was small in his, delicate. He held it and walked with her to the club, trying to remember if he had ever held someone’s hand before. If he had, it was too long ago to recall and it couldn’t have felt this good. He wouldn’t have forgotten it if it had.

The man on the door stepped aside the moment they neared. Serenity looked at him. He shrugged. Some mortals were easier to use compulsion on than others. The bouncer had been an easy target. A message sent straight into the man’s head saying that he wanted to let the beautiful woman pass had been enough to make him lift the red velvet rope for them.

Apollyon led her down into the dark interior of the basement club and then she moved in front of him when they reached the crowded space at the foot of the stairs. Blue neon lit the black bar, white spotlights casting pale light over the bartenders and the patrons gathered there.

Serenity walked further into the club and Apollyon put his surroundings to memory. The dance floor was small and busy with mortals performing what he could only interpret as clothed sex. Blue strobes and lasers made their movements stuttered and broken. Clusters of tall round black tables surrounded by stools lined the edges of the room. Most of them were full. The music was too loud, a fast and hard beat that made him miss the relative peace of Hell.

Serenity stopped again and he bumped into the back of her. The feel of her warm body against his stirred him as badly as the coffee had done and he backed off a step so she wouldn’t notice. She looked over her shoulder at him and motioned with her eyes towards the dance floor.

If she expected him to be able to pick out Edward from a crowd, she was overestimating his abilities.

She took hold of his arm and he felt her fingers against his skin rather than the jacket of his suit. She could reach through his glamour too. He burned where she touched, growing hungry for more, for her to touch other parts of him.

He was starting to see why his fellow warriors had pledged themselves to mortal women.

She tiptoed, her breasts pressing against his arm and his chest, and he lowered his ear to her mouth when he finally clawed back enough sense to realise that she wanted to say something to him.

“The mousy haired man, white shirt, exposing far too much chest,” she shouted into his ear and he grimaced. He should have told her that he had sensitive hearing.

He looked for his target, gaze scanning the dancers, and zeroed in when he spotted him. He was showing far too much chest, his white shirt had at least the top three buttons undone, and he was dancing with a slender dark-haired woman in a revealing tight pale dress.

“Is that the female he betrayed you with?” He frowned. The woman was nothing compared with Serenity. His gaze shifted to her and she shook her head.

What sort of womaniser had Serenity been involved with? The thought of her with such a man made him desire to change plans and send the man to Hell after all.

“Do you want a drink?” she shouted over the noise of the music.

Apollyon shook his head. “I do not think alcohol would be wise. I have not tasted it before and I am not sure whether it is still forbidden.”

Serenity looked past him to the bar. “Well, I need a drink.”

“Then a drink you will have.” He released her hand. “I will be just a moment.”

He heard her gasp when he disappeared. A woman looked right at him when he appeared in a space next to her, accidently knocking against her, and he smiled his apology. The anger that had been in her dark eyes disappeared in an instant.

“Can I buy you a drink, Handsome?” She fluttered her long lashes at him and smiled.

He had never been in the game but he knew when a woman was flirting. He looked over towards Serenity where she stood by the dance floor, staring over the heads of the crowd at him, the shock still on her face.

“I am here with someone.” He sensed the woman’s gaze leave him.

She snorted. “Really, you ought to trade up.”

Was she insinuating that Serenity wasn’t good enough for him and that perhaps she was?

He laughed. He had never heard something so ridiculous. Why would he want to leave Serenity for the woman before him? Serenity was kind, warm, he looked back at her and his smile slowly fell as it began to dawn on him, and beautiful.

She really was beautiful.

And he wanted her.

He had never wanted a mortal woman before.

But he wanted her.

He flagged down the bartender and compelled him to make the same brightly coloured drink as the flirtatious woman had in front of her. The man made it and slid it across the bar to him. Apollyon took it and left, disappearing and reappearing beside Serenity.

She gasped again and then smiled when he held the drink out to her.

“I am not sure what it is.”

“Did your new friend recommend it?” She was still smiling but there was something different about her.

Something darker that came with a strong sense of power.

Jealous?

“She recommended something else and I refused.” He offered the drink again and Serenity took it this time, moved the small black straws around and then sucked on them.

Apollyon stared at her mouth, mesmerised as she removed the straws and licked her lips.

“Good?” he said and she nodded.

The power that had radiated from her disappeared and she smiled. He had never dealt with a witch before. Could she curse him? He wasn’t sure if his own powers would stand against hers and he didn’t want to find out.

The table nearest them became free and he placed his hand against her elbow, guiding her over to it. She slid into the tall black stool and placed her drink down on the round black table. Apollyon sat opposite her, watching her sip her drink and waiting.

The music continued to pound but soon changed to a new song. Some of the dancers left the floor and walked past them towards the bar. Apollyon reached across the table and placed his hand over Serenity’s when Edward walked past.

He smiled at Serenity when he felt Edward’s gaze light on them and then he moved on. Her eyes widened and then she looked at Apollyon.

“Did he see?” She leaned towards him, affording him a glorious view down her black dress to her breasts.

Was she trying to tempt him?

“He saw.” Apollyon looked over his shoulder, tracking Edward’s progress across the room.

Edward was shorter than him, and his build was slighter. He seemed plain in the face but it was difficult to tell in such poor light. He must have some good qualities to draw Serenity to him and make her care for him. Right now though, Apollyon couldn’t see anything good in him. He saw only a sinner, a man to be punished and made to suffer, just as his mistress desired.

Edward reached the bar and looked back at him.

No, at them. He was looking at them. He would have seen that Serenity was with him and that they were more than just friends.

Serenity sipped her drink again and Apollyon grazed his thumb lightly over the back of her hand, staring at them. She didn’t seem to mind him touching her, or was it all part of the act? His blue gaze rose to her face, studying her as she sucked on the two small black straws. Her blonde hair shone blue in the lights. The colour of them washed out her skin and made her make-up even darker.

She looked up from her drink and released the straws. Her smile teased him, curving her dark lips and tempting him to take this charade further just to see how she would react.

“What sort of spells can you cast?” he said over the noise of the music.

She slowly stirred her drink with the straws, staring into his eyes the whole time. Did she have to think that hard about it? Could she cast spells on men that made them her willing slave? If she could, he would swear that she had cast one on him.

“My mother told me only to do magic that benefitted others, and I had until today.” She lifted the glass to her lips, pushed the straws aside, and took a long gulp of the drink. She set the empty glass down. “I’ve done minor curses for people, spells to aid maternity and conception, and love spells of course.”

Love spells.

Perhaps she had cast that spell on him.

She had never used magic to benefit herself before today.

He had seen enough of the world to know that she was unusual in that respect. Her warmth, her selflessness and kindness, spoke to his heart, making her more beautiful. She thought only of helping others when most who possessed her powers would use them to profit from other humans. Power was a drug to mortals. He had seen the effect it had on them. Another person with her abilities would have used it to make them rich, important and popular, lured in by the promises of false happiness it gave, addicted to it.

Serenity seemed immune to it, and when she had finally succumbed to using it for herself, it had been to heal the pain in her heart and have vengeance. The hurt her ex-lover had caused her had driven her to use her power.

And Apollyon had heard her call and responded.

Perhaps he was the result of her spell after all. Her magic could have amplified her voice and he could have heard it because his focus had been on her at the time.

“You are never tempted to use them?”

She shook her head and then glanced away. “Perhaps sometimes.”

Sometimes.

Her gaze snuck back to him, meeting his, and her cheeks darkened. It would have been impossible to see it if he hadn’t been watching for it. She had considered a spell. On who? On Edward or on him? Revenge or love?

Serenity’s other hand settled over their joined ones. It was cold from holding the glass but soon warmed on contact with his skin. She turned the hand beneath his, trapping his between hers.

“Do you think we should dance?” There was a nervous edge to her expression and her gaze flickered past him, over his shoulder.

“Is he still watching?” Apollyon could already feel the man’s gaze on his back.

She nodded.

“Then we should definitely dance.”

She hesitated. “Is it okay to dance... to do any of this?”

How many times was she going to ask him the same question? His answer wasn’t going to change. Whatever she wanted, he would do it.

Apollyon took hold of her hand, stood and walked around the table to her. His smile seemed to give her the answer that she was looking for, bringing another dark blush to her cheeks, and she slipped from her stool and followed his lead towards the dance floor.

The music was heavier now, harder, and slower. The people on the dance floor were bordering on clothed sex again and, for a moment, he wondered if it really was a good idea. He wasn’t sure where a dance would lead, but the look in Serenity’s eyes said that wherever it took them, it wasn’t pretend.

He pulled her into his arms, so her hands were against his chest, and stood there with her, looking down into her wide eyes. Her pupils dilated, darkening her irises, full of passion and hunger that he could feel beating in her heart.

Whenever she let go of her nerves and of the fact that he was an angel, she was more confident, sensual in her movements and almost flirtatious in her air around him. He wanted her like that now, and not because it would make Edward jealous to see it.

Apollyon slid his hands down to her waist from her ribs, and over her hips. She felt too good beneath his touch. Her eyelids slipped to half-mast and her palms pressed against his chest, not on his suit but on his armour. Did she like the feel of his hands on her?

He tightened his grip on her hips and drew her against him, starting to move slowly to the heavy beat. Her hands slid up over his breastplate and then over his collarbones towards his neck. He shivered when she lightly swept her fingers across his shoulders, and stepped into him, her body moving against his. Each time they brushed, each step that had them rubbing against each other, drove him a little farther towards the edge of control.

Serenity slipped her hands around the back of his head, twirled the dark hair of his ponytail around her slender fingers, and then settled them against the nape of his neck. He shifted his hands, easing them around her back, until they met in the small of it, feeling the way her hips moved as she danced with him. Her leg slid between his and his between hers, and her eyes half-closed again when he brushed the apex of her thighs. He groaned and moved closer to her, eager to feel the whole of her body against his, his thoughts diving down routes they hadn’t traversed in a long time. How good would she look naked? He wanted to explore every supple inch of her with his mouth and hands, wanted to worship her body until she cried his name and collapsed into his arms.

Apollyon stepped back a little, unable to bear the torture and needing a moment to breathe. He was too close to letting go.

Serenity stared into his eyes, hers full of invite, asking him to give in to her. He would do so willingly if he could be sure that this wasn’t an act. It was a charade, nothing more than pretend so they would make Edward jealous. That was all it was.

So why did it feel so good to have her in his arms?

She ran her hands down over his biceps, slowly, her gaze following her right hand as it traced the curves of his muscles, and her heart beating faster, as though exploring his body excited her. Her eyes darkened and he could feel the hunger in her, could sense the growing need.

Why did his body burn wherever she touched?

His gaze flickered to her mouth.

And why couldn’t he keep his eyes off her cherry red lips and his mind off how good it would feel to dip his head and kiss her?

It had been a long time since he had desired a woman, but he knew it had never felt like this—so strong and irresistible. He loved how she moved against him, her body brushing his, teasing him into submission, sending shiver after shiver over his skin and sending his temperature soaring. He loved the way she looked into his eyes and smiled at him, so full of honest emotions and desire. It didn’t feel like an act.

It felt so real and he was sure that she would welcome a kiss from him.

It couldn’t be the glamour because it didn’t work on her. She had to be attracted to him.

She smiled up at him, her hands resting lightly by his elbows, burning him with her touch. He wanted to feel her hands on his chest but this time without his armour in the way. He needed her to touch him, to feel what she did to him and how hard she made his heart beat.

He moved against her, satisfying himself as much as he could in public and without overstepping the mark. She didn’t seem to care. Her eyes slipped shut again when he ran his hands down to her backside and he groaned under his breath at the way the twin peachy globes moved beneath his fingers. He slid his hands lower, until he cupped her bottom, and drew her against him, so her hips were close to his.

He wanted her.

Her wide eyes met his, pupils swallowing her irises, and her lips parted.

He wanted to kiss her.

It couldn’t be pretend.

He wanted to wrap her in his arms and his wings and never let her go.

What had she done to him?

What spell had she cast to make him like this?

Her fingertips caressed his arms, working back up to his shoulders, and she traced the line of the leather straps that held his armour in place. She toyed with the buckles, making his body tremble with the thought that he might get his wish and she might remove his breastplate and touch his bare chest.

He wanted that so much.

Her chest rose and fell with her hard breathing, luring his eyes there. Deep hunger bolted through him at the sight of her breasts pressing against her small black dress. He lost track of what they were doing, until they were only holding each other, staring into each other’s eyes, both of their hearts racing.

His gaze drifted back to her mouth and he couldn’t fight the temptation.

Apollyon lowered his head towards hers, wrapped her in his arms, and tilted his head to kiss her.

She giggled.

He pulled back, frowning. She laughed then and wriggled against him. He groaned when her hip pressed against his aching erection.

She was beautiful when she laughed though. She brushed her shoulder and then down her arm, and he realised that it was his wings. He lifted one and swept the black feathers over her shoulder. She laughed in his arms, genuine and full of happiness.

She seemed to have forgotten her heartache.

They both seemed to have forgotten this was make believe.

Chapter 4

Serenity stared up into Apollyon’s dark eyes, seeing the passion and desire that burned deep within her reflected in them. She had to be imagining it. This was all just an act and it was working as far as she could tell, but then she’d lost track of what Edward was doing the moment Apollyon had placed his hands on her.

The past few minutes had felt real.

They couldn’t be.

His wings were a constant reminder of that and she had needed to feel them touch her and bring her back to her senses. It didn’t matter that he’d looked as though he’d been about to kiss her. He was an angel and he was definitely off limits.

Even if he did kiss her, she had to convince herself that it was only acting.

She couldn’t fall for an angel, no matter how sexy the angel in question was. There was no hope of it becoming anything more than a mission to him. She wasn’t naïve enough not to see that.

An angel couldn’t fall in love with a mortal.

The song ended and Serenity looked over in the direction of Edward. He was gone. She looked around, tiptoeing to see over the heads of the crowd, and couldn’t find him anywhere.

“He left.” She took a step back from Apollyon.

He looked disappointed when her hands slipped from him. She turned away so she didn’t see it and could pretend that she had only imagined it.

Apollyon led her from the dance floor and went to sit down again at the table. She caught his hand and headed for the exit. There was no point in staying when Edward was gone. The music was giving her a headache and she had played pretend enough for a lifetime. When she had suggested it as a plan to get revenge on Edward, she hadn’t considered the consequences or how it might affect her.

“We are leaving too?” Apollyon’s deep voice did funny things to her insides and she wanted to be back in his arms, held close to him while he murmured sweet words into her ear.

Serenity nodded and quickly took the stairs up to the exit. The night air was cooling now but was still warm enough without a jacket. She looked up, wishing she could see the stars. The sky was clear but the city lights caused a haze that blocked all but the brightest from view.

“You want to fly?” Those words were temptation, said in a low voice close to her ear. She ached to nod and throw caution to the wind. He moved closer to her, until she could feel his heat and she wanted to turn and kiss him until the fire he’d ignited inside her burned out. His breath tickled her neck and he lightly placed his hands on her shoulders, making her body warm and quake where he touched. “I can fly you home.”

“I’m afraid of falling,” she whispered.

Apollyon moved around her, sensual and like a predator, his gaze boring into hers, as though he wanted to see right down into her heart and know the real meaning behind those words.

She was afraid.

She couldn’t fall for an angel.

“I will not let you go.” He claimed her waist and then stepped into her, sliding his hands around to settle in the arch of her back. His blue eyes held hers, the pale flecks of lightning in them mesmerising her. She could look into his eyes and never be bored. They shifted somehow. Each time the markings were slightly different, as though they were constantly changing. He smiled. “Would you prefer to face me or face away?”

Her pulse raced at the fiery heat in his look. Was she the only one masking the true meaning of their words or was he doing it too?

Serenity chided herself. An angel was hardly going to be asking her about her sexual position preferences. She dragged her courage up from her toes, told herself that it was just a short flight to her apartment in the arms of a gorgeous dark angel, and that it was nothing more than that.

He raised an eyebrow when she looped her arms around his neck.

“I have a better idea.” He scooped her up into his strong arms, cradling her there. A breeze blew up her dress, chilling her bottom, and she raised her backside, grabbed the skirt of her black summer dress and tucked it in between her thighs. She didn’t want to expose her bottom to the entirety of Paris.

Her eyebrows rose. “Will people see us?”

Apollyon shook his head and looked up at the sky, his expression pensive. “They cannot see you now.”

“You’re hiding us?” She looked around and then at him.

He nodded and she grabbed his shoulders when he beat his huge black feathered wings and they glided upwards. Her eyes widened when she looked down, instantly regretting it when her stomach swirled.

Serenity curled up against him, hiding her face against his neck, and thought about telling him to set her back down again. She really didn’t want to fall and she hadn’t thought it through well enough. What if he dropped her? What if she was too heavy?

Her eyes shot wide again and she pulled back, staring into his. “Can you carry both of us?”

He laughed, the timbre of it deep and warm, full of amusement that made her scowl.

“You weigh practically nothing.” He squeezed her side and her knees where he held her. “Now which way?”

It took Serenity a moment to stop staring at the rooftops of Paris and to locate the direction of her apartment. She pointed when she thought she had it and Apollyon swooped that way, his wings beating the cooler air, causing a breeze to tickle her skin.

She looked at the city for a moment, amazed by the sight of it stretching out before her, a myriad of twinkling lights in the darkness, and then at Apollyon. He was incredible. She wished that she could fly like this. His focus stayed in the direction she had pointed, his grip on her sure, giving her comfort and confidence. She trusted him.

It had been a long time since she had trusted someone so openly, so implicitly. She hadn’t even trusted Edward this much. She barely knew Apollyon, but something about him felt right to her, as though they were made for each other. It was ridiculous for her to feel that way.

Apollyon looked at her, his eyes almost black in the low light, and she stilled in his arms, her heart beating steadily and slowly. He was so beautiful and dark.

He looked past her and then changed course with a hard beat of his wings. She curled up in his arms when he gained speed, plummeting towards the city, and was close to screaming until she saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance ahead, beautifully illuminated with white lights. It was incredible, sending a shiver over her skin.

“Are you cold?” Apollyon slowed again, their pace becoming more leisurely.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, taking in the sight of the Eiffel Tower and the world below.

“I should get you home.”

“No.” She grabbed his black and gold breastplate and he looked at her. She smiled shyly. “Just once around the tower?”

His smile was brilliant and her heart fluttered, her body responding to the feel of his hands on her again, growing aware of how close he was to her and the way he was looking at her with intense dark eyes.

“Just one time.” He soared lower, until they were barely metres above the ground when they passed over the river. She looked down at her reflection but couldn’t find one. They really were invisible. She laughed and none of the tourists snapping pictures of the tower noticed her.

They all ducked and grabbed at their clothes when Apollyon beat his wings again, the wind they caused gusting through the crowds. Serenity stared at the tower, taking in a rare chance to see it so close but not from the inside. She would probably never see it like this again. It was incredible to think that Apollyon could do this all he wanted. He could fly around it until he got bored and then he could fly off somewhere else.

Apollyon held her close as they spiralled upwards, towards the bright top of the tower, and she gasped when he landed on the spike, one foot holding both of their weight and not affecting the tower at all.

“It’s beautiful up here.” She nestled in his arms to keep warm. She didn’t want him to leave because she was cold. She wanted to stay here a while with him, pretending.

He wrapped his wings around her, the black feathers warm against her arms and legs, covering her completely.

Serenity looked up and found him staring at her, his head tilted to one side and his eyes full of warmth. What was he thinking? He had looked like that when she’d thought he was going to kiss her. Did he want to kiss her now? She wanted it more than anything and it couldn’t be just an act now because Edward wasn’t around to see them.

It couldn’t be an act.

His eyes dropped to her mouth.

Serenity forced herself to look at the city, away from Apollyon. She didn’t want to get hurt again by getting her hopes up about him.

“You are getting cold,” he said and she heard a different meaning to those words.

They cut her so deep that she felt as though she was bleeding inside. She wanted to tell him that she didn’t mean to be distant, and that she wanted him, but she couldn’t find her voice.

He unfurled his wings and dived from the building, rocketing towards the ground so fast that she clung to his neck, afraid that he was going to drop her. He pulled up at the last minute with a mighty beat of his wings and then they were soaring over the rooftops again, heading towards her home.

Serenity directed him once they were close, her heart heavy and her head aching. She wasn’t sure what she was doing. Was she imagining it all and just seeing what she wanted to see? Did she really feel something for Apollyon other than lust? She had never been the sort to flirt with a man or look for a quick fling. Was she serious about him?

He landed on the roof balcony of her apartment, touching down so gently that she didn’t even feel it, and his wings folded against his back. He set her down and she stood looking up at him, trying to figure out her feelings and what she was doing. She barely knew him.

It was probably best this way.

“Thank you.” She straightened out her black dress and fidgeted.

“For flying you home?”

“No... for helping me. It was very kind of you.” Could she have sounded more stilted? She wasn’t sure how to act around him when she wanted to throw herself into his arms, and seize both the moment and him.

Apollyon smiled. “We have not had your vengeance yet.”

Hadn’t they? Edward had been jealous. Just how far was Apollyon willing to go in order to make him suffer? There was darkness in Apollyon’s eyes that said he hadn’t been lying to her today, and that he would do terrible things to Edward if she commanded it. It was all getting out of control, and if they continued their charade, she was certain that she would only end up hurt again. She wasn’t sure if she could take it this time. The thought of Apollyon hurting her made her want to tell him it was over and to leave.

“Is it really okay for you to be doing this?” she said instead.

His smile widened, handsome and charming, devastating in its effect. Her heart beat faster, racing at the thoughts that crowded her mind, a continuation of the way they had been dancing together. She had never been so bold with Edward when they had danced. Pretending it was all a charade had made her feel free and she’d thrown herself into it, using making Edward jealous as an excuse to do as she wanted with Apollyon.

She wanted to dance like that with him again, right now on the rooftop under the moon.

“I can do as I please. Angels are not God’s to command. We merely work for him, and a number work for the Devil.”

“But you’re definitely a good guy?” she whispered, sometimes not quite sure. The things he told her about his duty left her feeling as though there was a very wicked streak in him. Why else would they have chosen him to rain destruction down on Earth?

“I am.” He stepped towards her, his tall broad build making her feel small. “You have that look again, the one that makes me feel as though you are about to say I am death.”

“You’re not.” She sounded confident even when she wasn’t. It surprised her. She stepped closer to him, tilting her head back to see into his eyes. Her heart hammered. “You’re just a bad boy.”

He grinned. “So I have been told.”

She frowned. “By women?”

He shook his head, his expression gaining an amused edge. “No, by my fellow warriors. That was a long time ago, and we have not seen each other in many centuries.”

“What happened?” Serenity studied his face, trying to read his feelings on it. He didn’t seem sad that he hadn’t spoken to his friends in all that time.

“They changed.” He walked to the edge of the small balcony on her grey slate roof and stared off into the distance. The breeze caught the strands of his dark ponytail and ruffled his feathers. He sighed and looked over his shoulder at her. “They chose to pass their years on Earth, in the arms of the mortal women they loved. We have a habit of watching humans, and celibacy in modern times is very difficult. Women dress so provocatively.”

His gaze fell to her dress, slowly running over it from her breasts to her thighs. She kept still, feeling awkward from the heat in his eyes but not wanting them to leave her. She liked the feel of them on her and how confident his hungry looks made her.

“They’re allowed to do that?” she whispered, not quite able to find her voice, and his blue eyes jumped to hers. She walked over to him, leaned her bottom against the black metal railing beside him, and looked across into his eyes.

He laughed again but it didn’t quell the fire in his eyes. It burned brighter now, flames that threatened to set her on fire too if she took the leap into his arms.

“We are angels.” He cleared her fair hair from her face, tucking it back into her chignon. “Not saints.”

“Oh.” Her wide eyes fell to his mouth and she imagined how good it would feel to kiss him, to have his lips playing over her flesh, teasing her until she shattered and he had to put her back together again.

“Some fall and choose to become mortal... others remain as they are but serve from Earth. It is a great sacrifice on both accounts.” He stroked her cheek, held her gaze for long seconds, and then stepped away from her. “Today has been a lot for you to take in. I will let you rest and return tomorrow.”

Serenity caught his wrist before he could move away. He looked down at it and then into her eyes.

She swallowed.

“Where will you go?” She released him and looked out across the rooftops. “Do you have friends here?”

“No.” He moved closer to her again, until he was almost touching her and she could feel his power radiating against hers.

He was strong. His power was far more potent than hers was and she didn’t doubt that he could be a deadly destructive force if he put his mind to it, but for some reason that didn’t scare her. He hadn’t given her a reason to fear him, only to trust him and feel safe around him, and the closer he was to her, the more she felt that way.

Serenity turned and plastered a smile on her face to cover her nerves. “You can stay here.”

A single dark eyebrow rose at the suggestion.

“I have a couch you could sleep on, and some blankets, and it’s better than being alone, right?”

His gaze raked over her again, giving her the impression that he was thinking of sleeping somewhere other than the couch, and then the passion that had been surfacing in his eyes melted away to reveal a feeling that surprised her. It looked a lot like relief or perhaps loneliness. She reached out and touched his forearm, placing her hand on the black leather cuff that protected it, and tried to pinpoint the emotion using her power.

Apollyon frowned and took her hand. The sudden skin-on-skin contact boosted her senses and the feeling came through loud and clear. She stared at him as he toyed with her fingers, his attention fixed on them.

Loneliness.

“The couch sounds good.” He lowered her hand. “I have not slept in a long time.”

“You don’t sleep?” She lifted the latch on the French windows of her balcony and walked into the dark room. When she bumped into the old wooden kitchen table, she snapped her fingers and the lights came on. She looked back at Apollyon where he stood near the door, his gaze scanning her kitchen and dining room. It wasn’t much. The white walls needed a new coat to make them vibrant again and there was a stack of washing in the sink of the compact kitchen.

“Not when I am on duty, unless I am given leave to.” Apollyon stepped forwards into the dining room and Serenity mulled over what he had said as she crossed the room to the open wooden door and went through into the living room. “I only sleep when on Earth. It has been centuries since I was last here.”

“And I called you.” She hadn’t forgotten that. He had been surprised, and so had she. She snapped her fingers again, using her power to turn on the lamp in the corner of the living room behind the television. She pointed to the cream couch. “I’ll get some blankets.”

Serenity felt his gaze on her as she walked away, into her bedroom. The door was to the right of the television, directly in front of the couch. If she left it open, she would be able to see him while he slept. She grabbed one of the pillows from her double bed and then took a thick dark red blanket from the bottom of her wooden wardrobe to the right of the door.

Apollyon was sitting on the couch when she walked back out. He smiled when she handed him the blanket.

“I tend to wake early. I’ll try to be quiet if you’re sleeping.” She lingered near the low coffee table in front of the couch.

“Thank you.” Apollyon nodded. “Goodnight, Serenity.”

She smiled at the sound of her name on his tongue, spoken with warmth.

“Goodnight, Apollyon.”

He smiled back at her.

Serenity took herself into her room and shut the door, pressing her back to it and closing her eyes.

How was she supposed to sleep with him in the next room?

It was going to be impossible.

Chapter 5

Serenity opened the bedroom door a crack and peered through. The lights in the living room were off but the moon had moved around, shining through the windows to her right beyond the television. She slowly swept her eyes over to Apollyon.

They widened when she saw that his wings were gone. She opened the door, convinced that she was dreaming it, and took a good look at him.

They were gone. He hadn’t tucked them away. They just weren’t there.

He lay on the couch, his head at the end nearest the door to the kitchen, and his feet dangling over the end beside the windows. She stifled her giggle at the sight of him sprawled out so uncomfortably. He was far too tall for her small couch. She probably should have given him the bed and slept on the couch herself.

Serenity snuck into the room, tiptoeing and grimacing with each step in case it made a noise. She wanted to look at him for a while and she didn’t want to wake him. If he thought her black dress had been provocative, she could well imagine what he’d think of the small dark red slip she was wearing.

She stopped a few feet from him, on the other side of the coffee table. He was beautiful bathed in moonlight and looked so normal without his wings. She could easily fool herself into thinking he was mortal just like her.

He was sleeping soundly, his bare chest rising and falling steadily. Her mouth turned dry when she slowly looked him over. He was naked. Clearly, he wasn’t used to sharing with female company. The red blanket rode low, barely covering his hips, and in danger of falling off completely. Her eyes wandered over him to her heart’s content. He had one arm tucked behind his head and the other rested on his hip, drawing her gaze back there. It traced the curve of his muscles and then the dark line of hair that led her eyes downwards.

Looking at him now, it was hard to believe that he was a real angel. Yet she was a witch. Her mother had always taught her to believe in everything, because you never knew what might just turn out to be real. She had always believed in angels but had never thought she would end up with one sleeping naked on her couch.

It just seemed so incredible to look at him and know that he had lived for eternity already.

He was immortal.

A very handsome immortal.

His face was a mask of peace and his dark hair was falling out of his ponytail and spread over his forearm where it disappeared under his head. Were all angels as beautiful as him?

He stirred and she ran back into her bedroom and dived under the covers, hiding there and pretending to be asleep. Her heart thundered, blood rushing through her head, and she listened hard for a sign that she had woken him.

For a moment, Serenity was convinced that she hadn’t disturbed him, and then she had the strangest feeling of being watched.

The light burst on.

Serenity shot up in bed, clutching the dark pink covers to her chest, and her eyes flew wide.

She covered them, her cheeks blazing over what she had just seen. “Cover yourself!”

Prickly heat chased over her skin at the flash of him stood naked in her doorway.

“You seemed rather interested in seeing it a moment ago.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Her whole body burned with her blush. “I am not... was not.”

“You can come out now,” he said and she peeked through her fingers to make sure he wasn’t tricking her.

It was cruel of him to stand before her like that when she wanted him. He had said that other angels had mortal women, but she still couldn’t get past the fact that he was an angel and what she had been brought up to believe. Angels didn’t do that sort of thing. They were good. They were saints.

Apollyon was bad. Apollyon was built for sin.

She knew it in her heart whenever she looked at him. He exuded power and sensuality, a lithe beautiful creature with the body of a god and the smile of a devil. She wanted him and if he hadn’t put himself away then she was likely to reach out and take for once in her life.

Serenity’s gaze slowly lowered to his hips. His small black loincloth was covering him.

She emerged from her hiding place.

“Better?” He walked across the room and sat down beside her on the bed, one leg up on mattress so he was almost facing her and the wall. “Were you having trouble sleeping?”

Was she ever? Did he know how impossible it was to resist him? To sit here in a big bed alone while he laid just a few metres away, nude?

Their dance still had her fired up.

“A little.” She brought her knees up under the covers. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Revenge really isn’t my style.”

“Let it be my revenge then.”

Serenity looked at him and frowned. “Why?”

Apollyon sighed and brushed his fingers across her cheek and then through the long wild strands of her hair.

“Because I saw your pain and felt your suffering, even before we met, and I want him to feel that too. I want to repay him for hurting you so deeply.”

He really had been watching her. Her own guardian angel. He had seen her pain and then he had heard her call, and he had come to her, to ease her suffering and make her feel better.

Serenity didn’t know what to say. It touched her that he clearly cared about her, enough that he would take the burden of revenge on his shoulders, lifting the weight from hers. It would still feel as though this was her revenge, even though he had said it was his, but she was thankful to have his support and to hear him say that he was in this with her.

“Thank you.” She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

She hesitated there, her mouth close to his and her heart beating wildly, awaiting his reaction. She hadn’t thought about what she was doing. It had been instinct to kiss him.

He was still a moment, as though she had shocked him, and then he turned and kissed her.

It felt better than she had imagined it would. His lips crushed hers in a passionate kiss, their tongues tangling, and she lost herself in the hard demanding feel of it. His mouth was warm, inviting, and she didn’t pause to think. She kissed him back, sliding her hands over his shoulders as his claimed her waist, and she moaned as ripples of pleasure ran through her. His tongue delved into her mouth again, stealing her breath away, and he moved on the bed, kneeling and leaning into her. She relaxed back into the pillows and his chest pressed against hers, the feel of him divine and delicious.

He groaned, a low guttural sound that sent a tremble through her, and her eyes slipped shut. When he broke for air, sense got the better of her and she considered what she was doing.

She was kissing an angel.

“Wait.” She pressed her hands against his chest.

“No,” he breathed and kissed her again, sweeping his tongue across her lips and teasing her. “I do not want to stop.”

Serenity caved for a moment, melting under the feel of his hands gliding up her sides, lifting her satin slip with them, heading towards her breasts. Reality kicked in again when they neared her chest and she pushed harder against his.

“Stop.”

Apollyon pulled back, leaning over her, his warm breath washing her face.

“Is something wrong?” His blue eyes questioned hers.

“What are you doing?”

He frowned. “Exactly what I want to do for once.”

He dipped his head to kiss her again and she almost relented. Almost. She braced her hands against his chest and leaned back so he couldn’t reach her.

“You want this,” he whispered and stroked her sides, getting closer to her breasts. She shivered, tiny jolts of bliss skittering across her skin. He was right, she did want it, but she just couldn’t get past the fact that he was an angel.

“Won’t you get into trouble?” She searched his eyes. “I don’t want to get you into trouble.”

He smiled and her resistance melted a little. “I won’t. You drive me crazy. I need you, Serenity. Being close to you tonight, seeing you laughing, smiling, happy because of me... I want to make you feel that way again, and I know you want it too. Somewhere along the line tonight, it stopped being an act for me. It became real.”

He smoothed her hair across the dark pink pillow, his eyes warm and honest, backing up his words. He wasn’t lying, and she couldn’t deny her attraction to him and the way he made her feel.

“Is it the same for you?” He looked hopeful.

Serenity didn’t hesitate. She nodded. “It is... I just... with the wings gone it’s so much easier to fool myself, but I know that you’re an angel... it—”

Apollyon pressed a lone finger to her lips. “Forget everything everyone ever told you about us. We can be with mortals and we are free to do as we please. Besides, you are my master right now. Whatever you want of me, you will have, but resisting you is becoming impossible.”

She felt the same way. She had tried her hardest but she didn’t want to resist him now. She wanted to give herself to him, and to fulfil the deep craving to have his body on hers, to drown in his kisses and lose herself in the moment.

Apollyon had made her happy tonight. She had felt as though Edward had never happened and that being in Apollyon’s arms was enough to bring a smile back to her face. He had made her laugh for the first time in weeks.

But none of that erased the fear in her heart that he was going to disappear when he’d had his vengeance and she would be alone again.

She shut out the voices that warned her against going through with it and ran her hands over Apollyon’s strong shoulders, caressing his bronze skin and feeling his warmth.

“Where did the wings go?”

“Away.” He looked at her left hand where it stroked his right shoulder and then back into her eyes. “I can keep them like this if I concentrate, but it only works for a short time. It was uncomfortable to sleep on them. Would you like me to bring them back?”

“Not right now.” Serenity ran her hands up his neck to his jaw and stroked the square line of it, her gaze drifting over his face and putting it to memory. She would never forget it, and she wasn’t likely to find a man as handsome as him again. “Right now, I like you just the way you are.”

“Naked?” he said and she couldn’t help smiling at his innocent expression.

“Naked,” she whispered, not needing to look to know that what little he had been wearing was now gone. She slid her hand around the nape of his neck and drew him down to her. With a wicked smile, she clicked her fingers, making her satin slip disappear and leaving her naked beneath the dark covers.

Apollyon groaned, his gaze running over her chest with blatant desire even though her nipples were still hidden. What would he look like when she was naked before him? She couldn’t wait to find out.

She pressed her lips to his and he immediately tilted his head and fused their mouths in another hungry kiss. She let go this time, not thinking about tomorrow, only thinking about now and how good it felt to be in Apollyon’s arms.

She wouldn’t give this up for anything.

If he was brave enough to take what he wanted, then she would too. She would live with the consequences and pay whatever price she had to in order to have this moment with him.

His tongue brushed hers and she moaned and clutched his shoulder, drawing him closer until his chest was covering hers again, his hands caressing her upper arms. His mouth left hers and he pressed long kisses down her jaw and her neck. She reached up above her head and closed her eyes when he kissed over her collarbone and then down her chest. Her breath left her in a sigh and she smiled, twisting her hair around her fingers.

“You taste good,” Apollyon murmured against her skin and she looked at him, meeting his gaze. He drew the dark covers down, revealing the swell of her breasts, and his eyes left hers. He moaned, the sound of it making her shiver with anticipation, and lowered his head to her right breast. He kissed and licked her nipple, sending sparks shooting outwards from its centre and rekindling the embers of the fire he’d lit in her when they had danced. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, off the way he was slowly worshipping her breast. His thumb grazed the underside of her other one and his fingers curled around to cup it. He moved across to it, swirling his tongue around the dusky peak and sending another shower of sparks across her skin. “So good.”

Serenity arched against him, pressing her nipple into his mouth, and he groaned and sucked it. Her groin throbbed, hot with need, aching to have his attention. He thumbed her other nipple, teasing it so it remained aroused and making her burn for him.

She wanted to touch him too, to kiss him and taste his skin. She wanted to lick every inch of him until he moaned her name and begged for more.

She ran her hands over his biceps, delighting in tracing the lines of his strong muscles. Just the sight of him made her hot and bothered, but the feel of him took her beyond that, filling her with a desperate urge to push him onto his back and make love to him.

Not quite make love.

What was going around her head at ten positions a second was definitely raw and animalistic, a hard coupling that would leave her knees weak and make every part of her tremble.

She moaned at the thought and the feel of Apollyon at her breasts, taking her out of her mind with his constant torture of her nipples. Her breasts were tight, aching from the feel of his attention, and she raked her nails down his arms when he sucked harder and thrust her chest up. He slid a hand beneath her and held her to him, groaning. She wanted more.

Serenity pushed at the covers, needing to feel his hot body against the whole of hers, wanting his delicious weight on her.

Wanting to be at his mercy.

Apollyon stepped off the bed and her gaze was immediately on him, shamelessly drinking her fill of his body. He whipped the covers off her and stood there, long hard cock twitching and bobbing, his gaze hungry and dark.

Serenity rubbed her thighs together, drawing his attention there, wanting to feel it on her and see the passion in his eyes when he looked. There was so much desire in his expression. It made her feel powerful, sexy, and brave.

Apollyon groaned when she ran her hands over her breasts, teasing her own nipples, and then frowned when she skimmed them down her sides and dipped them in at the apex of her thighs, touching her pussy.

“Devil,” he whispered and walked around the bed, his gaze never leaving her. His chest heaved, muscles straining and taut. He looked incredible. She didn’t stop. Each time she swept her hands over the curly triangle of fair hair at the apex of her thighs, he moaned and his cock bobbed.

Serenity licked her lips. She wanted to taste that too. She wanted to wrap her lips around every hard inch of him and take him deep into her mouth, and suck him until he was crying her name to the heavens and clutching her to him.

Apollyon frowned when she got onto her knees and crawled towards him where he stood at the foot of the bed.

She kneeled before him and held his dark gaze as she lightly wrapped her fingers around his hard length. His eyelids slipped to half-mast when she moved her hand down, exposing the crown of his cock, and he shuddered.

“How long has it been since you’ve had a woman?” she whispered up at him, intent on getting answers while he was at her mercy. She wanted to hear him say it again, to know that he was telling the truth.

“Too long,” he muttered and then opened his eyes and looked at her when she didn’t continue. “Many centuries. I would not lie to you, Serenity. I have been in Hell for millennia and the only woman I have truly looked at in that time is you.”

Her heart gave a hard beat against her chest.

Right answer.

Serenity returned her gaze to his hard length and ran her hand down it again, drawing another breathy moan from Apollyon.

She leaned forwards and he gasped when she licked the head of his cock. His hands were instantly on her shoulders, his grip tight and bordering on painful. She didn’t stop. She ran her tongue around the crown and tasted him. Heat pooled at the apex of her thighs at the thought of him inside her, taking her, being with her. She wanted that. It was torture to wait but she would. She wanted to know him all over and then she wanted him to know her from the inside.

Apollyon groaned again when she wrapped her mouth around his cock and sucked him, moving back and forth, her eyes closed in concentration. He tangled one hand in her hair. She held his cock tightly with her right hand and flicked her tongue over the sensitive head, eliciting another deep moan from him. The tight feeling inside her increased with each moan that left his lips, the feeling of power increasing with them too and making her hunger rise. She sucked him harder, holding him still with her hand so he couldn’t thrust. He tried, desperate short movements accompanied by rumbling groans. She was in control now.

Or so she thought.

Before she could figure out what was happening, he was gone from her hand and her mouth and she was on her back on the bed. She gasped when he buried his face between her thighs and licked the length of her pussy, sending a shockwave through her. He grabbed her ankles, hooking them over his broad shoulders, and then raised her bottom off the bed, so only her shoulders and head were touching it.

Serenity moaned and writhed under the heated caress of his tongue, clutching the sheets into her tight fights and silently begging him for more. She wanted to come. She wanted to explode into a thousand tiny pieces in his arms and under the blissful ministrations of his tongue. He flicked her clit with it, sending prickly hot tingles sweeping over her belly and thighs, and hooked his hands over her thighs, anchoring her to the world.

She wriggled, rubbing her pussy against his face, desperate for the one flick of his tongue that would send her over the edge.

She was so close.

Apollyon released her before it happened, lowering her legs from his shoulders and breathing hard. She panted along with him, trying to gather her scattered senses, and piecing herself back together.

Her eyes opened and she met his dark hungry gaze, shivering under the intensity of it, and feeling hot all over when he ran it down her body, lingering on her breasts and thighs. He grabbed her hips and dragged her to the edge of the bed. His hard cock pressed against her clit and she groaned at the feel of it, and at the thought of him thrusting into her. She rubbed herself against it, desperate to climax, too hot to wait.

He pressed her hips into the bed, stopping her, and her gaze met his again. The passion in them, the raw need, spoke to her. It made her feel alive, made her burn hotter. She freed her legs from beside his hips and ran her feet over the pronounced muscles of his stomach to his pectorals. He kissed her ankle, holding it lightly in one hand, and took hold of her other one, bringing it to rest on his shoulder.

Serenity waited, her eyes on his, her body calling him.

She sighed when he ran the head of his cock over her pussy, teasing her clit with it, driving her to the edge again, and then closed her eyes and moaned as he slowly filled her. Inch after inch. She quivered at the feel of him stretching her, going deep into her body, until his balls tickled her backside. It was divine.

Her legs slipped, catching on his arms and resting there with her knees at his elbows. He grasped her hips and she opened her eyes again, intent on seeing his as he took her. Another sighing moan escaped her when he eased his length almost fully out and his groan joined it when he slid back in, deep and slow, until his pelvic bone brushed her pert clit.

He withdrew again, quicker this time, and thrust back in, gradually building the pace until it was hard to keep her focus on him and not close her eyes. She placed her hands over his and held them. He groaned and thrust harder, until his whole body was tense and his grip on her thighs began to hurt. She didn’t care. She wanted to feel his power, needed to feel him inside her. He pumped hard and deep, his pelvic bone slamming against her clit each time their hips met, sending her breasts wobbling. She tensed her muscles around his cock, groaning with him, low and deep, desperate in her search for release.

It came in a blinding flash, sending a wave of scorching heat over her body. Her thighs tingled. He didn’t stop. He drove harder, longer strokes that built the fire inside her again, until she was moaning and clutching his hands, uttering quiet pleas for more.

Apollyon groaned each time he entered her, filling the bedroom with the sound. It was guttural and almost animalistic as he thrust faster and faster, until she was on the verge of crumbling into pieces again.

Serenity arched her back, choking his cock in her warm depths, and drawing a deep hard thrust from him as a response. She did it again, teasing him, trying to draw him to the edge with her. He raised her bottom from the bed and tore a moan from her throat when he plunged deeper, taking all of her. He gave a groan that she could only think of as a low growl and slammed into her core, his cock throbbing and spilling his warm seed. She clenched her muscles around him, aching to climax too. His hand delved between them and she groaned when the feeling of him coming inside her and the sweep of his thumb over her clit made her come, her body milking his. He held her there, moaning quietly as her muscles squeezed his softening cock.

She ran her gaze up over his body. A fine sheen of sweat covered it now, his bronzed skin shining with it and radiating power and beauty. It took her a moment to find the courage to look him in the eye. When she did, she found that he was smiling at her, his eyes a vivid shade of blue now as though his climax had affected them.

He held her still, remaining inside her, with her legs hooked over his arms.

His cock twitched and her eyes widened when he raked his gaze over her body and she felt him growing hard again.

He gave her a wicked smile and pulled out of her, only to lean over her and suck her nipples.

Serenity stared at the ceiling, lost in the hazy warmth of two orgasms and feeling as though she was shortly going to add a third.

And maybe a fourth.

And he said she was a devil.

Chapter 6

Apollyon stretched out in the bed, the dark pink duvet covering him from the waist down, and smiled from ear to ear. He had never felt so relaxed. Serenity slept beside him, curled up on her side with her hands around his right arm and her cheek pressed against it. Her breathing was soft and slow. He stroked the rogue strands of blonde hair from her face so he could see it better and felt how content she was. They had both enjoyed themselves last night.

When she had started showing signs of tiredness, he had stopped and contented himself with watching her sleep instead, enjoying the smile that had remained on her lips long after she had started dreaming. She was beautiful when she slept, beautiful when she was awake, beautiful when she screamed his name during her climax.

She had done that a few times.

Any immortal within at least two miles and any mortal in her building would have heard her. He smiled, feeling proud that he had managed to make her shriek at the top of her lungs. She had blushed violently afterwards and then burst into giggles. He loved the way she laughed. He loved that it had been because of him.

The sun had long since risen, casting warm light across the room through the white muslin curtains. He hadn’t slept much in the end. She had fascinated him too much and he had watched her the whole time. It had been dawn before he had realised it and he had dozed for a while, resting in her arms. He had never slept with someone like that before—held close by them, feeling protected in their embrace and content. Now he was wide awake while his angel slept. He wanted to wake her, to have her look at him and see her smile, but she needed to rest. She had been through so much recently and he had seen how it had affected her. Her smile had disappeared but he had brought it back and it felt as though he had made the sun shine again.

Apollyon pressed a light kiss to her forehead and gently removed her hands from his arm. She murmured a quiet protest, wrinkled her nose, and huddled down into the covers. He left the bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders, tucking her in.

He waved his hand over himself, putting his black loincloth back in place, and padded quietly from the bedroom and through the living room to the kitchen. It was darker in the small kitchen and dining room. The sun didn’t reach around this side of the building. His shoulders itched and he rolled them, trying to ease the tension building there. His wings wanted to come out. He hadn’t confined them for this long in millennia. He hadn’t needed to. Sleeping on them had been painful and it had taken a lot of effort to get them to disappear. Serenity seemed to like him without wings. It had made whatever reservations she had about him disappear anyway.

She thought angels were saints.

He had definitely disproven that theory last night.

He smiled, lifted the latch on the French doors, and walked out onto the balcony.

The sun was high and shone down on his back when he reached the black railings around the balcony, warming his skin until his tension melted away. He sighed and his wings unfurled with a strong flap, spreading out to stretch across the length of the balcony. It felt good to release them for a while. He would put them away again before Serenity woke. He didn’t want to scare her off now that he was making progress with her. He wasn’t sure if the sight of his wings would do that but he didn’t want to risk it.

Did his fellow warriors have this problem?

He wished there was one nearby so he could speak to them about it.

Apollyon stared out over the grey slate roofs of the Paris suburb. There was a leafy avenue below, hidden in the shade. The quiet sound of cars passing cut the silence, adding a background noise to it that made the whole world feel peaceful.

His fellow warriors probably hadn’t fallen for a witch.

A smile tugged at his lips again. A witch. She worried about what people would make of him if they could see his black wings. What would they make of her if they knew that she possessed powers that were only real in most humans’ imaginations?

“Mmm, there you are.” Her voice was hushed, lazy and full of happiness that he could feel in her. He closed his eyes when she ran her hands up his back to his shoulders and stroked the start of his wings.

Damn, that felt good.

Apollyon kept still, enjoying the feel of her hands running over his feathers and not wanting to scare her away. She giggled when he folded his wings, the sound light in the air. His smile widened. She skimmed her hands down the outside of his wings, teasing his flight feathers, her touch light and soothing.

“I wish I had wings,” she whispered.

He turned slowly to face her. “You do?”

She nodded and cast a glance over them. “They’re beautiful. If I had wings, I’d never stop flying.”

“You are beginning to sound like an angel. We love nothing more than to fly.”

“Really? Nothing more than flying?” Her lips curved into a smile and a hint of colour touched her cheeks. “Could have fooled me.”

He grinned at her insinuation. He loved that too, but flying had a special place in his heart, as it did with all angels. Taking her up last night, standing atop the Eiffel Tower with her, had been magical and had made him realise just how deeply he had missed flying when he had been stuck in Hell. He hadn’t wanted to leave, could have stayed there all night with her in his arms, tucked safely in his wings, but she had been cold and kissing her had become too tempting.

“Come inside and I’ll find us some breakfast.” She walked towards the doors.

His gaze fell to her body and he held his groan inside. The sight of her in the small dark red slip threatened to get him going again. He stared at her long slender legs and how her backside shifted as she walked. Divine.

He was staring at her so much that he forgot about his wings. They banged against the doorframe. He grimaced and focused, trying to make them disappear.

“You could just duck like you did last night.”

Apollyon stopped and looked at her. Was she approving of his wings now? That thought and the affectionate shine in her hazel eyes made him smile. She was growing more comfortable with him.

He ducked and kept his wings tucked up so he didn’t knock anything over in the dining room.

Serenity walked into the small pale kitchen, opened a tall white box that he recognised as a refrigerator, and looked inside. He saw milk and cheese, and other food he couldn’t identify. Studying the mortal world from a distance did have its drawbacks. Most of the time, people didn’t mention what things were called so he couldn’t hear their names. Sometimes, he would receive briefing documents that kept him up to date with the latest inventions so he was prepared for being called to Earth, or other angels would tell him of things they had experienced if they had a reason to come down to the bottomless pit.

His stomach growled. He had forgotten how much energy he used when on Earth. He didn’t need to eat when he was in Hell. Time passed strangely there and he was truly immortal on that plane. On Earth, things were different. In order to fit in, certain parts of him changed or switched off, and other parts switched on. Hunger was one of them.

Serenity bent over, revealing the curve of her bare bottom.

His body ached at the sight.

Lust seemed to be another.

But he was beginning to feel that this was something other than lust.

She took a pot from the refrigerator and pulled a black machine away from the back of the kitchen counter. He studied her movements, learning and curious. She filled a large glass jug with water and poured it into the machine. What was she doing?

“Do you want some coffee?” Her breezy smile turned shy. “Maybe not.”

She had figured out what effect coffee had on him. He walked into the kitchen, until he was close to her.

“I could go for a cup, if you are.” He raked his gaze over her, memorising the subtle curves hidden beneath her red satin slip.

Her cheeks matched the colour of it when his eyes met hers again.

“Are you hungry?”

“Starved.” He pulled her against him and kissed her, sliding his hands over her hips. She placed her hands on his chest and he thought she was going to stop him again, but instead she moaned and kissed him, her lips dancing softly over his, stirring fire in his veins.

Apollyon pressed her against the kitchen counter and gathered her into his arms, his tongue tangling with hers and stealing her breathy moans. He groaned and kissed her deeper, unleashing his passion and hunger, letting it build inside him. His body responded to the feel of the kiss and her hands wandering over his chest, warm against his skin, setting him aflame wherever she touched.

She pulled back, breathing hard, and smiled.

He stared at her mouth, hungry to kiss her again, finding it hard to give her a moment to catch her breath. She twirled under his arm and out of his reach, going back to the black machine and pressing a button. It began to make noises.

“Do you want a shower?” She turned back to him.

“With you?”

She blushed again. “I was thinking alone.”

“I have been alone long enough.” He smiled but it faltered and he frowned at the sudden feeling of emptiness inside him. He had been happy a moment ago. Before that, he had been content. And before meeting her he had been fine.

He had been lonely.

Meeting her had made him realise that. He had watched her so much that he had lost awareness of the feeling. It had drifted to the back of his mind, put there by how often he saw her in the pool. She had chased away his loneliness even back then, making him feel as though he wouldn’t be waiting forever and he wasn’t alone. He had known her, studied her, stalked her as she put it, and he had never realised.

Not until he had met her.

He had watched her in the pool, had watched her smile and laugh, each of them touching his heart without him knowing it, and had felt her pain when she had been sad and hurt. He had responded to it, desired to assist her and make her feel better so she would be happy again.

She had called.

He had responded because he had feelings for her.

Apollyon tensed when her fingers lightly brushed his cheek. She stood before him, smiling up into his eyes. A smile for him. He had brought it back and now she smiled even when she was confused. Her feelings travelled through her touch and into him, deep into his heart. She was concerned and he knew what she was going to ask.

“Where did the serious look come from?” she whispered with a small frown, searching his eyes as though they held the answer.

He caught her hand, kissed her palm and smiled. He had feelings for her. Could she love him? Was it really possible for a mortal to love an angel? He wished more than ever that some of his fellow warriors were in Paris so he could ask them and ease the strange tight sensation in his chest. Fear. He shook it away. He had never felt fear, not even when he had faced the Devil and cast him into the bottomless pit for millennia. He wasn’t going to start now. He wasn’t going to be afraid of Serenity. He would make her fall for him.

He would make her love him.

“It’s nothing.” He kissed her hand again and then her wrist, working his way up to her elbow. “What about that shower?”

“What about the coffee?”

Apollyon grinned, lifted her onto the kitchen counter, and settled himself between her thighs. He ground his erection against her crotch.

“I do not need the coffee.” He rubbed himself against her. Kitchen counters were a good height, perfect in fact.

“I can see that.” She ran her hands around his hips. “We can shower later.”

He liked the sound of that. Later they could pick up where they left off last night. Right now though, he was going to make love with her and make her see that this wasn’t lust that he was feeling.

Serenity stroked his shoulders and touched his feathers again. He wasn’t going to make them go away. She had to be his like this, while he looked like himself, not like a mortal. He didn’t want to hide any part of him from her. He needed her to accept him as a whole.

Apollyon skimmed his hands up her thighs, slipping them under the hem of her red satin slip and raising it. He ached at the sight of her bare pussy and clutched her backside, bringing her right to the edge of the counter. She dragged her fingertips down his chest, over his stomach, and to his hips again. They stopped there, running along the waist of his black loincloth. He could feel her hesitation.

He smiled. She didn’t know how to undo it.

He went to remove it for her but she snapped her fingers and it was gone, and so was her slip. Where did she send things when she did that? He pushed his curiosity away and moulded his hands over her breasts, eliciting a moan from her, and then ran them down her body, tracing her curves. She sighed when he stroked her thighs and then delved between them, teasing the lips of her pussy.

Apollyon lowered his head to her breasts when she leaned back, planting her hands against the counter behind her, and sucked her right nipple into his mouth. He slid one hand around her back, settling it on her bottom, and slid the middle finger of his other into her folds. She was slick for him, warm and wet, enticing. He dipped down to her warm core and eased his finger deep into her, gaining another long moan from her. His cock ached and bobbed, hungry to be inside her.

She moaned again and threaded her fingers into his hair, loosening it from its ponytail and clutching him to her breast. He licked her nipple, swirling his tongue around the hard bead, and slowly pumped her with his finger, loving the feel of her warm velvet depths around it. He stroked the soft spot inside her, running his finger around it, applying enough pressure to make her gasp and cling to him.

The moment she tightened around him, he pulled his finger out and stopped touching her. She whined and ran her hands down his neck and over his wings. A shiver bolted through him when she took hold of them, holding him to her with them, her grip so tight it felt as though she wasn’t going to let him go.

He kissed up from her breasts to her neck, licking and sucking it, drawing a mixture of giggles and moans from her. She stilled when he took hold of his cock and ran it down the length of her pussy, and then sighed when he eased himself into her, stretching her tight body.

“Apollyon.” She kissed him, still holding his wings, clinging to him. Her kiss was slow but passionate, dominant in a way that he hadn’t expected from her, and it thrilled him.

He took hold of her hips and held her steady as he slowly thrust into her, long strokes that would have him coming undone before long, but the sound of her moaning into his mouth was worth it. She kissed him deeper, her tongue tangling with his, her grip on his wings tight and unrelenting.

“Apollyon,” she whispered against his lips between kisses, saying it with such hunger that he drove deeper into her, struggling to keep his pace slow. He gathered her into his arms, kissing her, moving deep within her, feeling the intensity of their bodies fusing as one. He could sense her feelings, could experience the pleasure that radiated through her, throbbing in waves that crashed over him and threatened to carry him away with her.

It felt different to last night, almost overwhelming in the strength of emotion it evoked in him. He held her close, plunging his body into hers, seeking a stronger connection between them so he could know that this meant something to her too.

Her hands left his wings and she gripped his shoulders, drawing him closer to her and wrapping her legs around his waist, until he could barely move inside her. He thrust shallow and slow, drawing the moment out, wanting it to last forever. Her lips played over his, as gentle as their lovemaking, and he was lost.

He searched her feelings, trying to discover how she felt, needing to know what this meant to her. It had to be more than lust. She had to want him too.

He sensed the moment he broke through whatever barrier Serenity had kept him at bay with, and her feelings flooded him, warm and full of affection, heating his heart until it felt as though it would melt. He felt her confusion too, her growing feelings and how they frightened her. They filled him, wrapped him in their embrace, until they joined with his. Could she feel him too now? He wanted her to. He opened himself to her so she wouldn’t be afraid and would feel his emotions and know that she wasn’t alone. He felt something for her too. This was more than lust and hunger. This was something magical.

She buried her face into his neck and her fingers into his hair, holding him, clinging as though she wanted this to never end too.

Apollyon thrust deeper into her again, longer strokes that elicited breathy moans from her that washed over his skin. Her body tensed around his and he brought her right to the edge of the counter, clutching her backside to support her so she wouldn’t fall, and drove harder into her. Her moans grew louder, and he groaned with her each time he thrust his cock into her warm depths, searching for release, wanting to feel her climax.

She threw her head back and uttered his name when she came, her body quivering and clenching him, drawing him into joining her. He plunged his cock deep into her and uttered her name as he came, throbbing as he spilled himself, breathing hard as his heart thundered and his body trembled.

He was still a moment, catching his breath, clinging to her, not wanting to leave her warm body, and then opened his eyes and looked into hers.

She smiled shyly. “I think we could use that shower now.”

He nodded, withdrew his cock from her, and set her down. She scurried off into the living room.

Apollyon went to follow her and then paused. He looked back at the coffee machine. The black contents of the glass jug called to him.

He smiled.

Perhaps he could use a lift before the shower.

He found a cup and poured some of the coffee into it. It was hot but it didn’t stop him. He blew on it a few times and then sipped it. The effect was instantaneous. His cock twitched and he groaned at the thought of showering with Serenity. He took a mouthful of coffee, grimaced as he swallowed down the hot liquid, and then went after her, his erection growing harder with each step.

She wasn’t difficult to find. The shower was already running by the time he found the bathroom off the bedroom. He pushed the door open and stood there a moment, cock hard and aching at the sight of her under the jet of water, her hands running over her body.

He wanted to do that for her.

He focused and forced his wings away, until they shrank and disappeared into his back. It wasn’t good to get them wet. They took hours to dry.

Serenity smiled and pushed her wet blonde hair back, slicking it against her head, when he stepped into the small shower cubicle beside her. There wasn’t much room, but then he didn’t need it for what he was planning.

He took the soap from her, lathered it onto his hands, and ran them over her slender body. The slippery supple feel of her beneath his touch was incredible. He washed her sides and then continued down to her pussy, the soap rinsing off his hands under the warm spray of water. She moaned when he slipped his fingers into her folds and found her clitoris, teasing it with his fingers. He wanted her.

She opened her lips in what looked like was going to be a protest when he lifted her and he silenced her with a kiss, his tongue plundering her mouth. Their teeth clashed as she started to return the kiss, her movements as choppy and desperate as his own. He couldn’t do slow and sexy this time. He needed to be inside her again and the way she was moaning into his mouth, her tongue tangling with his, and how aroused she still was said that he wasn’t the only one in need.

Apollyon pinned her to the white tiles with his body, the shower spraying against his back. Water ran over his bare bottom and his thighs. Serenity opened her legs and wrapped them around his hips and he groaned, kissing her harder, pouring out the frantic hunger pounding in his veins into the kiss.

He held her with one hand, his strength making it easy for him to keep her there, and reached for his cock with his other. She moaned when he guided it to her opening and then thrust into her, deep and hard. She clutched his shoulders, her fingernails digging in, and he grabbed her hips.

Her tongue duelled with his, fighting for dominance that he wasn’t going to give her this time. He held her hips, lifted her off his cock as he withdrew and then brought her down when he slammed back into her hot depths, claiming her body as his. He thrust fast and furious, plundering her body, driven by the raw hunger and the dark need spiralling inside him. He had to have her. She would be his. He wouldn’t let her go now, not ever.

She groaned with each deep thrust of his cock, each time he brought her down hard onto it, and clung to him, kissing him with a passion that matched his own.

It was rough and frantic, a chaotic meeting of their desire and passion, a raw primal fulfilling of their hunger for one another.

It was bliss.

She cried out when she came, her body shivering against him and her warm silken core milking his cock. He buried his face in her neck, grunting with each deep plunge of his cock into her, wanting to draw out each stroke until he couldn’t take any more. She clenched her muscles around him, moaning hotly into his ear, and it was too much. He groaned and held her on his hard length as he came, his heart pounding and his head spinning with it.

Heaven.

He had been in Hell for millennia, and now he had found Heaven.

And he wouldn’t give her up.

He needed her too much.

Chapter 7

Serenity felt sore in all the good places and all the right ways. She walked beside Apollyon on the wide pavement of the Champs Elysees, holding his hand and smiling from ear to ear. How did he make her smile so easily? It wasn’t the sex. That was fantastic but it wasn’t the reason she was grinning. It was just him. She only had to look at him and she smiled again, even against her will.

He was looking ahead, watching the people coming towards them, the traffic, everything. It all seemed to interest him. When she had been looking up at his handsome profile for a minute, he turned his head and looked down at her. He smiled and her heart fluttered in her throat. He needed a licence for that smile. The effect it had on her was definitely illegal.

She turned her gaze away from him, looking up at the dark sky. It was a beautiful night and even though the stars were faint, she felt as though she was seeing them shining above her.

They were almost at the end of the long shopping avenue, near the Louvre, and she sighed. She didn’t want to go and confront Edward again but Apollyon had insisted on doing his duty to her and they were searching for him. He hadn’t been in the first bar they had tried, or the second. There was a club Edward had mentioned to her more than once so they were heading there.

Serenity snuck a glance at Apollyon. She was glad that she could see through his glamour. He assured her that he was wearing a dark suit again, although she could only see his beautiful black and gold armour. The sight of him in so little did have its drawbacks now that she had gotten over her reserve about him.

It made her want to take him into a dark alley and have her very wicked way with him.

He grinned, as though he knew what she was thinking, and cast his blue gaze over her. The hunger in it told her that he was thinking the same thing that she was. She had picked out her best small dark blue summer dress and coupled it with the bra that gave her the most cleavage. She wanted Apollyon’s eyes on her tonight. She needed to have him looking at her, boosting her confidence with the way his attention seemed to gravitate towards her all of the time, and the way he looked as though he wanted to eat her up.

Something about him had brought her to life, freeing her inhibitions. She had never been so adventurous with a man, and had never felt so beautiful or adored. Being with Apollyon was Heaven.

She guessed that it was probably the angel effect.

She swung his hand back and forth as they turned and walked down a road that led away from the Louvre and the river, and deeper into the city.

The club was around here somewhere.

It took them a while to find it and she could only stare at the pink neon sign above the door when they did.

It wasn’t the sort of club that she had imagined it would be.

She had never been to an exotic dance club before. She presumed it meant exactly what her mind conjured up. Lap dancing. Erotic acts on stage. All manner of sordid things.

All of which felt like a very bad thing to expose an angel to, even one who had probably done worse with her over the past twenty four hours.

“Problem?” Apollyon’s deep voice was music to her ears, warming her body through as quickly as the images of them together that had been popping into her head.

“It’s a strip club.” She pointed to the sign.

“How about we go in and just see if he’s there?” He led her towards the doors and the man let them through again without even blinking, and without making them pay.

Apollyon had some powers and he wasn’t afraid to use them. She wished she felt so confident about her own powers. Her mother had always told her that she had great power and could do anything she desired if she trained hard enough. She had never felt confident enough to face her powers and accept them. Now she was though. Being with Apollyon gave her the strength to stop hiding and to take the leap. She wanted to be a better witch and master them and she would.

He ducked as they passed under a low beam and she smiled. His head would have cleared it but his folded wings would have clipped it. She couldn’t imagine how strange he had looked to everyone else, ducking when he didn’t need to.

A few women immediately closed in on him, dressed in skimpy underwear and wide smiles.

Apollyon pulled her up level with him and she felt awkward when the women noticed her and the grip he had on her hand and moved away again, heading towards other men who were alone. It was a relief though that he had made it clear that he wasn’t alone. Did he want everyone to know that they were together? Did he want to be with her? Being with him last night and today had been incredible and had only made her want him even more, but she still wasn’t sure where this was all going to lead and whether it would end up the way she wanted it to in her heart.

Her pleasant dream about them staying together disappeared when she saw Edward was right in front of her with a group of people, half of which were pretty young women. They were all laughing, drinking, and stuffing money into the thongs of the dancers on the stage.

She looked away from the women pole dancing there, her cheeks blazing, and looked at Apollyon. She had expected to find him looking at the women, but his focus was on her, his blue gaze intent and instantly meeting hers.

“Do you want to leave?” He frowned and touched her cheek with his free hand, caressing it softly and soothing her nerves.

Shaking her head, she searched for her courage and a place where they would be noticed by Edward but not everyone else. She didn’t want Apollyon looking at the other women. It was childish of her, but she wanted him all to herself.

“We should leave.” He went to but she stopped him, holding his hand in both of hers. He looked back at her. “You are not happy here.”

“Just... I...” She bit her lip, looked deep into his eyes and tried to find the words she wanted to say to him. “Don’t look at the women.”

It was easier than she had thought it would be.

He smiled and cocked his head. “Afraid you will corrupt me or get me into trouble?”

“No.” She looked down at his hand where she held it. “It’s not that at all.”

Apollyon stepped back to her and cupped her cheek with his free hand, and then raised it so she was looking into his eyes. There was so much understanding in them. She hadn’t wanted him to know her fear, that she was afraid he might leave her for one of the beautiful women in the room, that she might lose him. She didn’t even know what her feelings for him were, but the thought of him with another woman had cut her deep, right down into her heart, and she had needed to ask him. Being here had made her realise something though. Whatever she felt for him, she wanted him to stick around when all of this was over.

She didn’t want him to leave.

She closed her eyes when he kissed her, a soft one full of reassurance and tenderness. His hand shifted in hers and he held it tightly. She followed him across the room, towards the booths that lined the wall opposite the area where Edward was sitting, directly in his line of sight.

Apollyon held his other hand out and smiled, and she slid into the dark leather horseshoe seat. He settled himself beside her, his attention wholly on her, and she thanked him with a kiss.

She hadn’t meant it to be anything more than a brief meeting of lips, but he kissed her back, his tongue tracing a line along the seam of her lips. She opened for him, inviting his tongue into her mouth with her own, stroking his and drawing a moan from him. He moved closer to her on the seat, until they were hip to hip. It still wasn’t close enough.

He grinned when she pushed the round table away to make room and then sat on his lap, so her bottom rested on his thighs, her knees tucked up near his left hip, and her arms were around his neck. Their tongues tangled and he moaned when she ran hers lightly over his lower lip, teasing him with it. He slid his hands around her waist and she moved hers down to his arms, loving the feel of his rock hard biceps beneath her wandering fingers.

The club disappeared until it felt as though they were the only two in the world, kissing and touching each other, reigniting the flames of their passion and need.

Serenity had never felt so alive, so full of desire. Apollyon pulled her closer and pushed his hand up over her stomach to her breasts. He cupped one, earning a moan from her, and kissed her deep and slow, gently stoking the fire burning within her, steadily building it into an inferno that she was going to beg him to quench.

Someone stopped near them and she stared wide-eyed up at the barely-dressed dark-haired woman. Apollyon frowned and waved his hand. The woman nodded and walked away.

“What did you do?” Serenity avoided his kisses. He uttered a dark sound of frustration and tried to kiss her again. When she evaded him the second time, he sighed and leaned back into the leather chair.

The bright lights of the club flashed across his face, leaving the right side of his profile in darkness. The music was louder than she had noticed on first entering and there seemed to be more people now, some of which were staring in their direction. She was probably giving them a free show. Kissing was as far as it went though. She wasn’t about to publicly expose herself and ride Apollyon, no matter how much she wanted it.

“I compelled her to get us some drinks.”

Satisfied with his answer, she let him kiss her again and snuck a glance in Edward’s direction. One of the men at his table was watching them. She closed her eyes and lost herself in Apollyon’s hungry kisses again, wrapping her arms around his neck and stroking his feathers. He groaned and she did it again. She had realised back on her balcony that he liked it when she touched his wings, and whenever they had been out since then, she had found herself wanting to caress them. The black feathers were softest near his shoulders, like silk beneath her fingers, and each sweep of her hands elicited another moan from him and turned his kisses hotter, until he was devouring her mouth with each one. His left hand settled on her breast, thumbing her nipple through the thin material of her dress.

Heat pooled at the apex of her thighs and she wriggled on his lap, shifting her legs together to make the most of the feeling there.

She wished they were back at her apartment right now, on her couch, or anywhere that she could take it beyond kissing and groping. Apollyon’s hands wandered down, his right kneading her bottom and his left creeping up her thigh, drawing the flared skirt of her dress back. She moaned and tackled his tongue with hers, kissing him with desperate need and encouraging him to go as far as they could in public.

Someone was standing near them again.

She broke the kiss, expecting to find the waitress there, and her eyes flew wide when she saw Edward.

Apollyon casually leaned back and stroked her thigh in lazy lengths, running his fingertips back and forth along it.

“Serenity?” Edward said with an air of disbelief that matched the shock on his face.

“Pig?” She stared at him. He didn’t leave. “Can I help you with something?”

“Yes... you could.” He grabbed her wrist and tugged but Apollyon wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her in place on his lap. Edward smiled. “I just want to talk.”

“Talk?” She snatched her arm back and rubbed her wrist. “It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?”

Edward still stared at her, his gaze dropping to her exposed thigh every so often. She smoothed her dress over her thighs and was surprised when Apollyon set her down on the couch beside him.

He stood and faced Edward. Edward glared at him.

Serenity sat very still, afraid of moving and breaking whatever battle of wills was happening between them. When neither looked as though they were going to back down or say anything, she stood.

“We have nothing to talk about, Edward.” The confident edge to her voice pleased her. She had thought that it would shake and give away her rising nerves.

She wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. Here was her big chance to look Edward in the eye and tell him what a bastard he had been to her, and how she wanted him to suffer, and she couldn’t find the strength to confront him, not even with Apollyon at her back.

Edward stepped towards her, his dark look shifting to reveal a charming smile. She had fallen for that smile before.

“I’ve never seen you like this, Serenity... so passionate... sensual... just talk to me. I was a fool, I made a mistake... I never realised just how good you were for me.” Edward reached out to her and she stared at his hand, her heart beating painfully against her ribs. She shook all over, afraid of making the wrong move and confused. “I want you back.”

Serenity looked into his eyes. He was being honest. She didn’t need a spell to see that. Why though? Why was he suddenly interested in her again when he hadn’t even looked back when she had dumped him for cheating on her?

“Just talk to me.” Edward smiled. “I want you back... I’ll do anything.”

She felt cold when she sensed Apollyon step back, away from her, as though he thought she had already made her decision and was going to leave. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Edward had cheated on her. He had broken her heart and she had wanted revenge for that, and Apollyon had given it to her and so much more.

He had fixed her heart.

He had brought her smile back and made her feel alive again.

Was that what Edward was seeing now? Were the feelings Apollyon brought to life in her, the happiness and the passion, what he wanted from her? She couldn’t give that to him. He had never made her feel as Apollyon did.

Serenity looked over her shoulder at Apollyon, right into his blue eyes, and saw his feelings in them. The same look shone in their depths that had been there earlier when they had been in the kitchen and he had said that he had been alone for too long. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

He wanted to be with her.

It all seemed so impossible, so ridiculous, but she wanted to be with him too, and she knew in her heart the reason why.

She was falling for him.

She was falling in love with an angel.

Serenity looked at Edward and stepped back, until Apollyon’s body was against hers again. He wrapped his strong arms around her from behind, linking his hands over her chest, holding her flush against his, so close that she felt he wouldn’t let her go. She didn’t want him to. She wanted him to hold on to her forever.

“I don’t love you anymore,” she said to Edward and shook her head. “I hope you feel as lousy as I did.”

She closed her eyes when Apollyon pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder.

Edward cursed at her. Apollyon held her closer. She sought the comfort of his embrace and how safe it made her feel. She opened her eyes and looked at Edward, and cursed back at him in her head and with all of her heart. She wasn’t brave enough to curse him properly, condemning him as Apollyon would, but she did manage to work her way through several sexually transmitted diseases before she got the better of herself and stopped.

She coolly held Edward’s gaze. He glared at her, and then at Apollyon.

“You did this to her,” he spat the words at Apollyon, his eyes dark with accusation. “You changed her.”

“I only made her happy.” Apollyon pressed another kiss to her shoulder. “It is all I want for her.”

Edward’s eyes met hers again. “You think he loves you? I know his type, Serenity, and as soon as he’s bored with you, he’ll move on to someone better.”

Serenity frowned and stepped out of Apollyon’s arms and up to Edward. She glared.

“He is nothing like you.” She held his gaze, unafraid of the darkness in his eyes, feeling safe and strong with Apollyon so close to her. It was spiteful of Edward to say such things about Apollyon and to try to turn her against him and plant seeds of doubt into her head. Apollyon would never betray her. He had seen how much it had hurt her and had come to take her pain away, and at the same time had made her feel more loved than she ever had.

Edward looked as though he was going to say something and then stormed away.

Serenity turned and stepped into Apollyon’s waiting embrace and looked up at him. He placed his hands on her upper arms and then slid them around her, holding her close. She smiled into his eyes. “I think I hurt him enough. Let’s go home.”

There was a look in Apollyon’s eyes that unsettled her. They were bluer than usual and the pale flecks seemed to brighten as she stared at them, until his eyes were almost glowing. His jaw tensed and he looked over her head towards Edward’s table.

“Not yet,” he muttered and moved her aside.

She placed herself in front of him again. “What are you doing?”

“Having my vengeance.” He looked down at her. “Do not worry. I will settle this in a mortal way and with mortal strength.”

She still didn’t like the sound of that. He walked past her, heading straight for Edward on the other side of the low-lit club. Edward stood as Apollyon approached and Serenity hurried to keep up with him, darting through the waitresses and patrons.

Before Edward could even finishing standing, Apollyon launched his right fist at him, caught him hard across the jaw, and sent him crashing to the ground.

Serenity gasped and hid behind Apollyon, looking down at Edward where he lay sprawled out on the dirty dark floor. His friends immediately surrounded him, pushing Apollyon back. He took her hand and started for the door. Serenity looked back at Edward. He was out cold. A thrill chased through her. Apollyon had avenged her, just as she had asked him to, and he had done it in the most masculine way imaginable. No one had ever punched someone for her before.

The night was still warm when they stepped out of the club.

Apollyon’s hand caught hers and he interlocked their fingers, holding her tightly. He walked a short distance and then stopped at the start of the square at the end of the Champs Elysees.

“Do you want to talk to Edward?” he said in a low voice, so quiet that she thought she was hearing things until he looked at her, right into her eyes.

“No.” She could see that it was a reach for reassurance and she faced him, taking hold of his other hand, trying to give him what he needed. It was strange to have to reassure such a strong man, but it was touching too. She realised that she wasn’t alone in her feelings. They were both afraid and for some reason that made her feel less scared, knowing that they were in this together. “I’ve had enough of revenge. It’s over. I just want to go home now.”

He looked down at his feet, his expression distant. “Home.”

Serenity looked there too. She knew what he was thinking and she didn’t want him to leave her. She trembled on the brink of asking him to stay, to remain with her on Earth just as the other angels had done for the women they loved. He had proven himself loyal to his duty though, and asking him to remain with her would probably be asking him to commit a great sacrifice.

And what if he said no?

She started when soft fingers touched her cheek, caressing the curve of her jaw.

“I will come home with you tonight... if that is acceptable?” he whispered and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Serenity closed her eyes and nodded. She drew back and her eyes met his. And tomorrow? She couldn’t bring herself to say it. The thought of him leaving made her heavy inside. How could she convince him to stay when she couldn’t find her voice to say the words? She wasn’t brave enough to admit her feelings, not after what had happened with Edward.

Apollyon scooped her up into his arms, cradling her, and smiled. “It is a nice night for a flight.”

Serenity looked up at the dark sky. It was still clear. It was a nice night for flying, but she felt as though she was falling. She leaned her head against Apollyon’s shoulder, holding his neck with one hand and his breastplate with the other, not wanting to let him go.

She was afraid that this would be the last time that she flew with him.

She was afraid that he would leave.

Chapter 8

Apollyon beat his black feathered wings and took off with Serenity, carrying her high above the roofs of the old buildings that lined the Champs Elysees. The Louvre shone in the distance, the pyramid golden and the windows of the older classical stone building still full of warm light.

He turned with Serenity and flew towards the Eiffel Tower at a slow pace, enjoying the feel of her in his arms and the warm summer breeze against his face.

She was quiet, nestled in his arms, deep in thought. He didn’t want to disturb her, so he carried her, cradling her close, careful with his precious cargo. He wasn’t sure what to do. The city passed below him, a stream of lights and noises, and he kept his focus on the distant tower, considering everything that Serenity had said. She had relieved him of his duty, even if she didn’t know it. He could only remain with her for so long now. His position protecting the bottomless pit in Hell would call him back there whether he liked it or not. Without a reason to remain on Earth, a duty to fulfil there, he would have to return.

Even though he didn’t want to go back.

Apollyon glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, wishing he could see her properly and that she would speak to him. The air felt heavy, hard to fly through, and he ached inside. He wanted to stay with her.

She looped her arms around his neck and he realised that neither of them knew what to say.

Not even flying past the Eiffel Tower drew a reaction from her tonight. She didn’t smile. She remained with her head on his shoulder, her breathing slow and soft, and her fingers still against his neck.

He wanted her to smile again.

He wanted things to be as they had before Edward had spoken to her.

Apollyon flew higher, leaving the world behind and seeking the silence he could only find when he was looking down on Earth from the skies far above.

Serenity held him tighter and curled up in his arms.

“I will never let you go,” he whispered close to her forehead and held her safe in his arms. He stopped his ascent and hovered above Paris, his broad wings beating slowly, just fast enough to keep him stationary. “You do not need to fear, Serenity. I would catch you if you fell.”

She pulled away from him and he adjusted his grip on her, holding her side so she didn’t slip from his arms. Her hazel eyes were wide but he knew it wasn’t because she was trying to see him in the low light. It was because she was surprised that one of them had found the courage to say what needed to be said.

“Would you?”

He knew what she was asking. He nodded. “I would. If you took the leap, I would catch you.”

He drew her closer to him, so she was safer, and looked deep into her eyes.

“My duty is done... I will have to return. I wish it did not have to be this way though.”

She shook her head. “No. Can’t you stay a little longer?”

“How long?”

She smiled. “How about forever?”

“It sounds wonderful.” He pressed a kiss to her lips and then sighed as he pulled away from her again, his eyes meeting hers. “But it is not that easy for me to leave Hell.”

“I take it back then.” Her grip on his shoulders tightened. “My vengeance isn’t done.”

Apollyon shook his head. “It does not work that way. The contract is broken.”

Paris stretched out before them over one hundred foot below, the lights twinkling and bright, all of it on display for Serenity. He would bring her here every night if she asked that of him. He would do anything for her. His eyes gradually widened.

He looked at her. “Call to me.”

“Apollyon?” she said, looking confused.

“No. Call to me...” His eyes darted between hers and his pulse quickened. It could work. His fellow warriors had to have done something similar to change their allegiance from God to the object of their love. They couldn’t have just quit. Angels didn’t get that sort of choice. His life was servitude, spent as his master commanded. Serenity had commanded him to help her gain revenge. She could command him to be hers. “Like you did before at the fountain when we met. Wish for me or whatever you did. Tell me to be with you forever, until you no longer need my services.”

Serenity closed her eyes and held her hands over her heart. A pale light began to glow there, steadily growing in strength until it lit her hands and her face, and shone on him too. Magic. It was how he had heard her call. Her power had amplified her voice and his feelings for her had made him be the one to respond.

Apollyon watched her, listening to everything, desperate to hear her call again and to answer it. It was quiet at first, as it had been when he had been in Hell, but then he felt it within him, beating in his heart, compelling him to obey. He accepted the call, responded to it and bound them by contract.

“Look at me,” he whispered.

The light in her hands faded and then winked out of existence.

“Did it work?” There was such a beautiful look of hope in her eyes. He smiled to see how much this meant to her and how much she wanted it.

He nodded. “What is your command?”

“To stay with me until the end of time.” A smile curved her lips and he was glad to see it.

“I can do that.” He didn’t even stop to consider the implications of what he was doing. His old master would find someone else to guard the bottomless pit. There were at least a dozen angels who wanted the position more than he did now. He was tired of being in Hell. He wanted to stay here in Heaven with Serenity.

Apollyon kissed her, slowly and lightly, a bare meeting of lips that warmed him through from his heart outwards. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders and she kissed him back, her lips soft against his, and then she slid her arms around his neck. He beat his wings and dived with her, spiralling down towards Earth and smiling while he kissed her.

She clung to him in a way that he would never grow tired of, and would always adore. It wasn’t fear that made her hold him so tightly. It was love. They were both falling.

Spreading his wings, he carried them upwards again, over the rooftops of Paris. Serenity looked out over the city and he looked at her. She was smiling again, her eyes twinkling with the happiness that he could feel in her, and he couldn’t help smiling too. He didn’t need to look to find the way back to her place now. He watched her instead, using his senses to guide him to her apartment. It was so much easier to find things from above and once he had flown somewhere, he rarely forgot the way.

When they were close, he looked for her apartment and swooped down to land gently on the black metal railing around the balcony. He stepped onto the tiles with her and set her down on her feet.

With a lot of effort, Apollyon folded his wings and then forced them away, until they disappeared into his shoulders.

Serenity stroked his arms, looking at his chest, and then into his eyes. There was a note of sadness in their hazel depths.

“Will you have to lose your wings?” she said and he smiled at how concerned she was.

When she had first met him only two days ago, she had been afraid of his wings and what they represented. Now she looked as though she wanted them back this instant.

“No.” He ran his fingers through her long blonde hair, enjoying the silky feel of it. “If I did that, I would not be able to take you flying.”

She pressed her hands against his chest, tiptoed, and kissed him.

“You make me feel as though I’m flying when my feet are firmly on the ground,” she whispered against his lips and he kissed her again, harder this time, stirring the passion that burned so fiercely between them.

“If you are flying now, then how will you feel in a minute?” He swept her back into his arms, carrying her into the apartment.

She giggled and kissed him, her mouth warm and sweet against his, pushing at his control. He wanted to lay her down right there in the kitchen and make love with her.

“Wait.” She wriggled out of his arms and pulled him back to the balcony.

She grinned and kissed him again. He frowned, wondering what she was up to, and then raised an eyebrow when she started to unbuckle his breastplate.

“Here?” He cast a glance around at the small balcony and then to the ones either side. They were all dark, with a small solid wall between them, but it didn’t mean that someone wasn’t going to walk out and see them.

“No one will see us.” Serenity undid the first of the buckles and smiled wickedly at him. “If you won’t hide us, then I can.”

He hadn’t thought of that. He could easily mask them from mortal eyes as long as he was concentrating.

Serenity swept her hands across his collarbones to his other shoulder and he closed his eyes at the light, sensual caress.

If he could concentrate anyway.

Serenity snapped her fingers and a thick padded blanket covered the balcony tiles beneath their feet. Apollyon made candles appear along the line of the walls and gathered in clusters in the corners of the balcony. Their flames burst into life, lighting the darkness with a warm glow. Serenity looked at them all and then back at him. She clicked her fingers again and his clothes disappeared.

Two could play this game.

Her dress was gone in an instant, shortly followed by her high heels and then her underwear.

She gasped and covered herself.

Apollyon covered them both, masking them from mortal eyes, and pulled her flush against his bare body. He kissed her and ran his hands down her sides to her hips. Her skin was warm beneath his fingers and she shivered when he stroked her waist and then skimmed his hands around to her bottom. The feel of her belly against his hips stirred his cock.

He was about to kiss her again when she dropped to her knees in front of him and took his still-hardening length into her hot mouth. Blood surged through him and his cock twitched as she sucked it to hardness. It ached and he ached with it, wanting to sheath himself in her again, knowing this time that he didn’t have to leave her and that they would never be alone again because now they had each other.

When it became too much, he pushed her back so she released him and knelt in front of her. He kissed her again and leaned into her, forcing her to lie down and covering her with his body. She moaned softly into his mouth and then rolled with him, so she was on top, and straddled his hips.

He groaned and ran his hands up her thighs. She looked beautiful sitting on him, confidence sparkling in her eyes, her body bare and open to him.

Serenity smiled and traced patterns on his chest with her fingertips, teasing his nipples. She ran them down towards his hips, drawing his attention there. Her warm heat covered his cock, trapping it between their bodies. He rubbed against her, thrusting slowly, enjoying the feel of her astride him. Her eyes slipped shut and she leaned her head back. She moaned and it was too much. He had to be inside her again when she did that, wanted her to ride him just as he had been aching for her to in the exotic club.

Her fingertips grazed the lines of his hips, ran around his navel and then up the valley between his abdominals. His gaze remained fixed on her face, absorbing the way she watched her fingers with hungry eyes. She splayed her hands out and swept them over his chest, her teeth tugging her lower lip at the same time, and then leaned over him.

Apollyon closed his eyes when her bare breasts brushed his stomach and slid his hands down her sides to her bottom. She ran her fingers into his long dark hair and brought her elbows to rest either side of his head. Her warm mouth found his, tongue sliding between his lips, and he moaned as she kissed him. It was slow and sweet, calming his urge to be inside her. When she kissed him like this, he could wait forever. It stole his attention and his heart.

He frowned when she moved away, kissing down his jaw and then his neck, over his chest. Her tongue swirled around his left nipple and then she sat back on him again, running her fingers over his body, her gaze following them.

She smiled wickedly and wriggled, tearing a groan from his throat as her warm heat enveloped his cock again. He had to be inside her now.

Taking hold of her hips, he raised her. His erection sprang up, hard and eager, and he positioned it beneath her. He moaned when she sank down onto his length, easing back onto it, drawing it out. An exquisite torture. He held his hips steady, resisting the temptation to thrust himself deep into her welcoming body.

When he was all the way in, she wriggled on him, tearing another low groan from his throat, and then raised herself again.

Apollyon grasped her hips, guiding her on his cock and helping her as she slowly sank back onto him and rose again. He thrust up into her as she came down again, meeting her halfway, and steadily built the pace between them, until she was moaning with him each time their bodies met, his hard aching cock delving deep into her hot core.

He kept his eyes locked on her, raising her up and bringing her down, watching the myriad of emotions that crossed her face each time. She gasped when he plunged into her, moaned when he withdrew, her lips parted in ecstasy and her breasts bouncing. She was divine and Edward was wrong about him. He would never tire of her. He would never leave her.

No matter how she felt about him, he knew that he was falling for her, and he had been for a long time.

Her eyes met his and the world fell away. He lost track of their movements until he was just looking into her eyes and feeling everything that she was, filled with the way it felt to be as one with her, inside her, together. It awed him. Her beauty and how it felt to be with her awed him. Not just like this either. He had made her happy and eased her suffering, but she had done the same for him too. He was happy again at last, content and no longer alone, and he knew that she would never leave him.

He could feel her love pounding through her veins and through him, could sense the affection she held for him and that she wanted this to go on forever too. It was more than just being intimate with him, more than just lust. It was about being one with him, and sharing their love. He loved her.

And she loved him.

Her heart beat with his, her hands pressing into his stomach as she moved on him, taking him deep into her body, joining them as one. She was beautiful.

The stars behind her brightened, until they shone through the veil of light from the city, and twinkled. He sensed her power rising, calling to his own, entwining with it just as their bodies were. The night became a beautiful backdrop for Serenity as she rode him, her eyes still locked with his. He took hold of her hands and pressed his palms to hers. The magic flowed into him, warming his fingers, and he let his power join with it.

A shooting star arced across the night sky above her, quickly followed by another.

She was making the night as beautiful as it should be—magical.

Apollyon stared deep into her hazel eyes. Under her spell. Forever and always.

Whether she knew it or not, she had cast a spell on him and he was powerless to break it. He didn’t want to anyway. He wanted to be under her command when they were like this and just in life too. He wanted to be there to protect her, to make her smile, to give her happiness and everything that his angel deserved.

She writhed on him, taking him higher until he was in Heaven and flying with her.

Serenity leaned forwards, so her long blonde waves curled around her breasts, hiding them from his hungry eyes. Her hands left his and she planted them against his chest. He took hold of her hips, raised her almost all the way off his cock and plunged into her again, bringing her down harder now. She cried out and dug her fingernails into his chest. He did it again, and again, pushing her higher, until he felt her body tensing. He wanted to be one with her completely, wanted to fall into bliss with her and hold her close until they had both come down. He moved her again, bringing her down onto his cock, and she flung her head back and shouted his name, her body convulsing around his.

Apollyon didn’t stop. He moved her on his cock, delving deeper into her, his body tightening with each long thrust, bringing him closer to the edge. He closed his eyes, groaning each time he buried himself in her and her body clenched him, quivering against him, luring him towards bliss. He wanted it. With a deep, growling groan, he quickened his pace until it bordered on frantic, searching for release, his whole body coiled tight and ready to explode.

“Apollyon,” Serenity moaned and tensed her body around his, tipping him over the edge.

He plunged hard into her and came, his thrusts slowing until he was barely moving, his whole body shaking from his orgasm and the hazy bliss that ran through his veins.

Serenity collapsed onto him, breathing fast, her heart thundering against his. He wrapped his arms around her and held her, and smiled when a blanket appeared and covered them. It wasn’t his doing. It was his witch’s.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, savouring the feeling of her in his arms and her body against his.

Bliss.

Serenity raised herself, her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him. He lazily returned the kiss, lost in her and thoughts of their future. He would fly with her every night like this, would sleep with her tucked safely in his arms, and would watch over her so she was never alone. He would be with her forever, just as she had commanded him to be, and he would never let her go. He would do anything to make her smile, no matter how foolish it made him look or how silly her request.

For once in long millennia, he was happy and he wasn’t alone.

His mission had changed the moment he had met her. He had changed and his allegiance was to her now, his new master. And what a divine creature she was.

Apollyon kissed her, slowing the tempo until they were drawing each one out, and held her close to him. He had waited for the call, for a new mission, for many long centuries and when it had finally come, it had given him more than just a task to fulfil. It had given him Serenity.

His little witch.

His goddess.

And he would worship her forever.

The End

About the Author:

Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances.

Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She’s just honoured to write down their adventures.

To see her other novels, visit: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk

If you have enjoyed this story, please take a moment to contact the author at author@felicityheaton.co.uk or to post a review of the book online

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The next story in the Her Angel series is available from mid-October 2010:

Her Fallen Angel

Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her pub three years ago. He's stunning, his vivid green eyes lending to his otherworldly beauty, and he's seriously out of her league. When he tells her that she's beautiful and confesses that he wants her, she can't resist him and his passionate kiss. She unleashes her desire and seizes the moment and Lukas with both hands. But Lukas has a secret, one that will test Annelie's love for him and threaten to tear them apart.

He's an angel.

Lukas's bliss with Annelie is shattered when his control slips and his wings appear, knocking her flying. Annelie can't believe her eyes or Lukas when he says that their feelings for each other aren't a sin, but she can believe his pain when he tells her the reason he's on Earth. He is fallen, cast out of Heaven as punishment for a crime he didn't commit, and he's as determined to prove his innocence as he is to prove his love for Annelie and that the intense passion they share is real.

When Lukas realises that there might be a way to do both of those things, he convinces Annelie to go with him to Paris, city of love and romance, to meet another angel, Apollyon. There, Annelie meets Apollyon's lover, Serenity, a mortal witch, and realises that Lukas is telling the truth—they can be together. It gives her the strength in her heart to face her feelings, but will she find the courage to admit her love for Lukas is unchanged and embrace her passion and her fallen angel?

When Lukas discovers who framed him, will he be able to stop the angel from going after Serenity and Annelie? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?

Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Fallen Angel is a tale of intense desire and love that knows no bounds guaranteed to get your heart racing.