Fallen Embers (Fallen Guardians #9)

Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

A low, ferocious growl had Nia jerking awake. Groggy from sleep, she took in the gloomy but warm room lit by the small flames crackling softly in the hearth. Dull daylight filtered into the room. All appeared quiet, and Lore was asleep next to her?—

Another growl erupted.

Before she could turn to Lore, his body slammed on top of hers, squishing the air out of her lungs. “What did you do to me?”

“Lore!” she squeaked. But his eyes remained unfocused, caught in whatever nightmare trapped him. “It’s me, Nia. I didn’t do anything!” She tried to push him off before she suffocated under his weight, but that didn’t work. She bucked her hips?—

A dark groan tore free.

Did he sustain internal injuries? Dammit, she was so stupid, only looking for surface wounds.

“What is it?” she asked, the flickering flames giving her a little light. His eyes remained half-mast, his hair a sexy tangle.

“You smell so good.” He nuzzled her neck and braced himself on his arms, giving her a chance to breathe again.

Nia rubbed his back. “Are you all right?—”

His mouth came down on hers. He kissed her like he was starving. His tongue slid inside, licking and sucking, tasting every facet of her.

God, this angel can kiss.

He fumbled at her chest, and a ripping sound echoed in the quiet room. She gasped as she looked down at herself. He’d torn through her new nightshirt—one she’d taken the time to change into before crawling into bed—right down the middle. He parted the layers, revealing her bare breasts.

His breathing grew raspier. “You are so beautiful?—”

“You ruined my nightwear.”

“Don’t wear any when you’re with me.”

Nia huffed, then moaned as his mouth grasped her nipple. He suckled with slow pulls, tasting and stirring her into a need that scorched her body. His hand came into play, plumping and squeezing her other breast.

She hooked her legs around his hips, and his cock, a hard bar, rubbed against her achy core. A whimper escaped her, arousal coiling in her body. “Lore…”

His brow furrowed. Another growl as he fumbled and unzipped his pants.

Why didn’t he just vanish them?

She kissed his chin, his mouth, and his cock sprang free. Thick, hard, and warm against her stomach. He shoved her panties aside, and his dick slid along her slick, aching core. A whimper caught in her throat at the connection of flesh to flesh. Nia moved her feet to rest near his hips, dropping her thighs open.

There was no finesse, no seduction, just pure need as he rubbed his length along her slit again, his cock grazing her clit—God! Then he was pushing, breaching her. The thick head slipped through, and she gasped despite being prepared for the stretching.

He grunted, shutting his eyes. She gripped his biceps, fingernails digging into his straining muscles, delicious tingles quivering through her. With a hard thrust, he sank deeper into her, and she panted at the tightness of his invasion, stroking her in all her erogenous zones. Pleasure soared, and her core clamped around him in response.

His groan was one of pure masculine need. “This…”

He grasped her knees, shoving them up to her chest, and then he was moving, shuttling in and out of her…

Everything faded except for this angel who wanted her.

Nia shifted her hips, and his cock grazed her clit.

“More,” she breathed.

Lore let go of her legs, and she braced her feet on the mattress again. His heated gaze on hers, he grasped her wrists with his hands, locking them above her head, and moved harder and faster, his shaft rubbing against her pleasure-heightened nub with every thrust. The erotic wet sounds of flesh slapping against flesh echoing. He brought one hand into play, sliding his thumb over her clit?—

God! Her moans turned into whimpers.

“Like that?” he rasped, eyes flaring to pure silver.

“Yesss…”

“Good,” he growled and angled his hips, his cock amping up the draggy sensation, his thumb working her clit, hauling her up, up, and up to the precipice. Nia moved her hips, chasing after her orgasm. Tingles cascaded through her, and Lore’s eyes blazed like white flame.

Both his hands held hers locked above her head now, and her body bowed, chest up. He sucked her nipple, tugging at the bud. Another grind against her clit, and her orgasm crashed through her in a tidal wave. She cried out, her thoughts scattering?—

A door crashed open in some far place. A voice roared, “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Get out!” Lore snarled.

Nia blinked at the intrusion, then she didn’t care. She hooked her legs around his hips. All her senses were focused on the angel above her, on his cock filling her, held in a torrent of unadulterated pleasure.

With a grunt, Lore released her hands. His forearms braced next to her, he thrust harder and faster, then stiffened as his own orgasm broke, flooding her with warmth and seed. His mouth came back on hers, and he kissed her deeply.

Soft laughter echoed as a door shut.

She tangled her fingers in his silky hair, holding onto him, caught in a tidal wave of sensual gratification as he licked inside her mouth and sucked her tongue. Her burning lungs needing air, she dragged her mouth free, inhaling copious amounts of oxygen.

His shuddering body finally stilled, and he buried his face in her neck.

She wrapped her arms around him, loving the feel of his weight on her, wishing this moment could last forever.

God, that kind of thinking wasn’t good at all. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to fall hard for him. Nia doubted she’d be able to find herself again. So she just shut her eyes and stroked his back.

After several minutes, when his ragged breathing eased, he lifted his head. His eyes were a warm silver, his hair a tangled red mess. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to take you so roughly.”

She snorted. “Are you kidding me? That was the best sex ever. All raw and wild.”

A spark of amusement shone in his eyes. He looked at the messy bed and frowned. “How did I end up on the bed?”

“Yeah, about that?—”

Stars, genuine freaking stars, exploded inside her skull in a kaleidoscope of color, cracking through her contentment.

“Ouch!” She grabbed her head and squeezed her eyes shut, so sure her brain was fragmenting. The voices grew in noisy dissonance?—

“Nia, look at me.” Lore gently moved her hands away. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Tears brimmed at the pounding inside her skull. “I feel as if my mind’s fracturing. I can’t control my-my?—”

“Thoughts?” he said.

She nodded. “I’m going mad.”

“You’re not going mad…” His brow furrowed. He shook his head. “Something’s amiss.” He flexed his fingers. “I feel nothing…”

“What?” Her heart sank at his words.

He moved off her and sat, his thigh muscles bunching under the stretched black fabric of his pants as he rubbed his face.

Nia shot upright. “What do you mean you feel nothing ?”

Lore glanced at her, his features strained and a little pale. He shook his head again as if to clear it. “Something has happened to my powers.”

“What?” She searched his eyes, his face, as if she could find a clue there. “How? Did those angels you killed do something to you?”

“I don’t think so.” He moved off the bed, fumbled off his unzipped pants in movements so unlike his normal grace, and his cock bobbed at her.

Oh, man. While this was a worrying situation, and her head ached as if the devil’s band partied inside her skull, she could still appreciate her uber-hot angel with his hard, muscled body, lean hips, powerful thighs, and impressive, beautiful dick that gave her such incredible pleasure. Heck, she was mind-impaired, not blind.

Nia crawled off the bed and grimaced, her soaking panties a tad uncomfortable. The pressure inside her skull accelerated, and the clamor grew, cracking through her brittle mind shields.

“Lore,” she whimpered, reaching for him. “Something’s wrong with me. I can’t concentrate. My mind’s in chaos, leaping through everything and everywhere all at once.”

“Come.” He scooped her up, headed for the bathroom, and stepped into the stall. Icy water tumbled down on her, and she yelped, startled back to awareness.

She half groaned and half grimaced as he let her slide down his body to stand. “If that was a way to get me back on track, consider yourself successful…”

His jaw set, he removed her ruined, drenched nightshirt and underwear, dropping them.

Ugh. She rubbed her hurting temples, the water turning warm as the turmoil of noise and colors slid right back into her head. “It worked for a second.”

“Then tighten your mind shields, Nia. It will shut off the turmoil. You can do it.”

“I’m trying, but it’s all still in there.” She jabbed a finger to her skull. At his encouraging nod, Nia shut her eyes and, with a shuddering breath, she managed to pull up her mind shields…and it all subsided to a dull roar.

“Let’s get this cleansing over and then figure out what’s happening.”

A familiar burst of scent—green apple and jasmine from her shower gel—fragranced the air. His warm palms gently lathered her skin with the foamy bubbles, his touch soothing.

She opened one eye and looked up at him. The cascading water plastered his hair to his skull and rivulets ran down the hard lines of his gorgeous face. Much as she wanted to linger, the absence of his powers was worrying.

“I can do this.” Nia hurried through her shower and washed her hair, but Lore remained there, watching her as she rinsed off the conditioner, his expression troubled.

“What?” she asked.

“I can’t sense you like I normally do. I mean, I can…” He rubbed his chest.

“What is it?” She hastily wiped the water from her eyes, anxiety digging its claws into her.

“I’m not sure…” He went motionless, staring at her like he’d never seen her before as water continued to stream down his face.

“Lore?”

He grasped both her hands, a sense of urgency to him. “What do you see, Nia?”

“I told you. Colors, a buzz like electricity, constant noise, voices. Why?”

“Tell me again exactly what you see. Describe them.”

She winced, the clamor bouncing against her fragile mental shields, trying to break free. Eyes shut, she said, “The moon. Stars. The universe, so clear…” Images filtered through. “Young angels practicing their instruments, a rather discordant sound. Sunny meadows. More angels, a little like you, but they feel older somehow… One’s looking directly at me—shit!” She reared back, eyes snapping open, heart pounding. “I think he saw me!”

Lore’s features morphed to granite, but a nerve pulsed on his jaw.

“Keep your mind bolted. Do not let your thoughts jump. Imagine a metal shield. Secure it. Don’t let anyone into your head!”

“For Christ’s sake, Lore, you’re scaring me. Am I dying? Is that why I can see Heaven?” she panted, feeling as if all the air had rushed out of her lungs as she struggled to lock down her mind again.

“You’re not dying. I think I know what happened…” He looked at her almost in disbelief, then shook his head. “I should have suspected something like that.”

“What?”

“Let’s get out of here.” He shut off the faucet and stepped out of the stall. A low growl rumbled free. “I can’t dry myself or summon clothes.”

“Use this for now.” She snatched three towels from the shelf and handed one to him.

He stared at it for a second, then rubbed his face and wet hair and tossed the towel over his shoulder. Nia wanted to smile as she wrapped the terry fabric around herself and used the other to swathe her dripping mane.

“That would explain why I passed out,” he said, raking back his damp hair. “To do that to someone of my age and caliber, you are incredibly gifted. And dangerous.”

“Do what?” She frowned, a chill sweeping over her. “Please, just tell me.”

“When you slammed your palms on me down at the river, you absorbed my powers.”

She froze, eyes wide. “Oh, shit! Oh, no?—”

“Yes. You are the descendant of a Watcher, Nia.” With a hand on her back, he ushered her into the bedroom. “I’ve seen this before.”

Harsh breaths sawed in and out of her throat. Raw fear surged through her veins to pound in her head. If they were attacked, and right now Lore had no powers, they would be easy targets. God!

“What do we do?”

“For now? Nothing.” He slid the towel off his shoulder and draped it around his lean hips.

“How can you be so calm?” she demanded. “When I have your abilities and no control over anything! We could be ambushed again!”

“I can still fight, Nia, powers or not.” He leaned against the desk near the window, rubbing his washboard abs, appearing calm as all heck.

“I’m not questioning your fighting capability. It’s me . I’m the liability!” Dread warred with frustration, she grabbed a change of clothes from the closet and tossed her things on the bed.

“You aren’t a liability.” He watched her discard her towel, his gaze skimming over her as she yanked on panties and fumbled with her bra. “Yes, your humanity makes you weaker, but it doesn’t mean you are weak. Need help?”

“I got it.” She cast him a frustrated look as she fastened the hooks of her bra, then yanked on jeans, a long-sleeved tee, and the sweater she wore the night before, trying hard not to crumble from the reality of this scary-as-hell ability.

“The best thing to do would be to remain here in the abbey until we figure out a way for me to retrieve my powers. If demons sense the sway in you, they will come after you, and that cannot happen. I don’t want you hurt. Besides, those abilities tie me to the Celestial Realm.”

And will make it easier for demons to enter and unleash their evilness in a place of purity if they get hold of me.

The enormity of that possibility hit her like a physical blow, leaving her breathless with dread.