I was an imposter.
An intruder.
I was a perfectly polished and well-mannered gentleman on the outside, with a hunger for sex on the inside.
A hunger that made me mindless, crazy.
Dangerous.
“Yes,” Sariel whispered. “You are more dangerous than you could possibly imagine, and yet, I want you to reach that full realization, I want you to reach your full potential so you finally understand that it will not rule you, not if you don’t let it.”
Empty, so empty. I stared into my glass and shook my head. “Absolute power isn’t for me, Sariel.”
“You will need an anchor.”
“Am I in the Royal Navy now?” I joked, winking at a woman who passed, her breasts on full display for all to see.
Then again.
I was in a brothel.
It was where I’d set up camp ever since the elves died.
My fault.
All my fault.
“Think.” Sariel thumped me on the head with his hand. “Mary was pregnant with an abomination, with Bannik’s child. She was being consumed by darkness — you may have failed in protecting them, but she failed her race the minute temptation knocked, and she invited it in.”
“I am temptation.” I gulped.
“Temptation is different for every being, and you’re getting off topic. Stop berating yourself for something you could not control. And find your anchor.”
“Hah.” I motioned for more ale. “We aren’t talking about a real anchor, are we?”
“Love.” Sariel’s voice had a raw edge to it. “Love is your anchor.”
“Love isn’t real.”
“One day… very soon… you will be eating those words, my friend. I hope I’m alive to see it.”
I finally looked at him. “Why wouldn’t you be alive? You’re immortal.”
His eyes were grave as he whispered. “We all have our time.”
Alex
Present day
MY FRIENDS.
They were all my friends.
I wouldn’t hurt them.
But I wanted to.
I wanted them to hurt the way I hurt.
I wanted them to burn the way I’d been burning my entire life.
Memories slammed into me.
Past. Present. Future.
Combined into a swirl of uncontrollable rage and chaos. Power surged through my veins as Bannik spoke. And then his hand raised.
It happened too fast.
A trickle of blue blood ran down Hope’s chin.
She was in Mason’s arms.
Mine!
Mine!
Mine!
I jerked her away from Bannik. I just wanted to touch her, to feel her skin, to remember her taste.
One last time.
“I love you.” Hope cupped my face with her hand. And for the first time in my existence, when someone touched me, the thoughts were pure.
She wasn’t thinking about stripping me naked.
She wasn’t thinking about sex.
She was worried.
About me.
Her heart — beat — for me.
With a roar, I set her on her feet and turned toward Bannik. “You will die, today.”
His black eyes filled with hatred. “You touch me, and I snap her neck like a twig.”
“I’m not going to touch you.” I shrugged. “They are.” I shoved Hope toward Mason again and ran toward the men chained to the wall.
It was a race against time.
As Bannik lunged after me.
I reached the first chain and pulled it free, releasing one brother to intercept Bannik.
Two.
Three.
Four.
And with each clink of the chain, a high-pitched scream emitted from Bannik, I didn’t turn around. I didn’t trust myself not to kill him myself, and his brothers deserved the honor.
When I got to the tenth brother, all hell was breaking loose.
I could hear screaming, the sound of swords hitting stone.
“STOP!” Bannik’s hoarse voice sounded out.
Each brother had control of the elements — a gift from the heavens, I just hoped they were strong enough to do what needed to be done — so I wasn’t going to have to finish Bannik off.
When I freed the last brother, the chain fell to the ground with a resounding clank.
All screaming stopped.
Was he dead?
I turned around.
Bannik was in the same chains he’d used to hold them captive. Cassius stood behind him, holding the chains while the brothers stood at attention.
What the hell were they looking at?
A chill washed over me as the last brother touched my shoulder and slowly walked past me.
I felt his power.
I wanted it.
More than Hope’s love.
More than sex.
More than anything.
“Stop!” My voice boomed, and then the being stopped as each brother froze in place. All eyes turned to me.
This.
Their power.
I felt it.
God, I needed it.
It would stop everything, wouldn’t it?
It would stop it all.
Every burning fever of lust.
I would be numb to it all.
I opened my mouth and inhaled.
“Alex, NO!” Cassius shouted.
But his voice fell on deaf ears. My ears. Yes, they were my friends, but they were weak, they had always been weak.
Bannik stared at me in horror, a part of me, maybe the part that still cared, wondered, if a being that evil was afraid of me, what exactly had I become?
But I wanted.
I clenched my fists as I kept inhaling the emotions of the brothers, devouring their power — licking my lips in ecstasy.
And then, a small hand touched me.
I looked down mid-inhale.
“You were not created for this,” the small boy said. “Sirens do not need air.”
I shook my fuzzy head, and stopped the process turning to the boy and mindlessly gaping at his bravery, it was the one from my dreams, the one who had taken Hope all those years ago. “A riddle?”
“The truth.” He grinned. “Sirens inhale for pleasure. They take, but the real gift…” He shrugged. “Is never in receiving, but giving.” He nodded to the rest of the immortals now frozen as if time had stopped. “You have the power to transform matter, you have the ability to take power, but my friend, you have the supreme power to give to those who have not.”
“I don’t understand.” My rigid body remained paralyzed in place.
“You can empathize, when someone has no one, you can love those who are not loveable. You are able to give rest to those who are weary, strength and humor to those who have only tears to offer. You have the ability to change the world — or to destroy it with your selfishness, and because you have always been loved… you have the ability to choose.”
“Only Hope…” My voice shook. “…has loved me.”
“Your friends, what about them?” He pointed at their terror filled expressions, still frozen on their faces. “And what of Sariel? Did he not love you enough to save you from your parents?”
The memory slammed into me.
“He saved me because I was powerful.” I scowled as the sting of rejection washed over me.
“No.” He shook his head. “Sariel saved you because you were weak.”
“But—”
“You came into your powers slowly, don’t you remember? Yes, you had a magnetism, but only today have you reached your full potential. He saved you because he saw potential because he loved you for who you were and what he believed you’d become.”
“This?” I spread my arms wide. “He wanted a monster?”
The boy’s smile was genuine. “No. I think, at the time, he merely wanted a friend.”
Archangels didn’t have friends. I knew that more than a
nyone, but I couldn’t fight the memories of all the times Sariel had come to my rescue, or the many instances when he’d tried to pull me free from the brothels.
He never gave up on me.
And it made me wonder if he was still trying, from whatever plane he was on.
“You were created for more than this. But you must choose.” The boy squeezed my hand then released it. “Give? Or take?”
He disappeared into thin air. Had he ever really been there? Or just another figment of my imagination? Or Sariel reaching from above, and showing me the truth when I needed it the most?
The room continued its madness of screams. Hope’s cries were the only ones that reached my ears.
“I love you.”
I loved her more than myself.
Love.
All along I thought it was impossible — and yet, I had friends, I had Hope again. When I didn’t deserve her, Sariel had put her in a deep sleep until it was time. The truth of what he did was staggering, making my chest hurt with its honesty. Sariel had sent her away, not for her, but for me. Because I wasn’t ready. Because I couldn’t love her the way she deserved to be loved.
Sariel had sacrificed — for me.
And that was love, wasn’t it?
Self sacrifice. Putting others before yourself.
All those years he’d believed in me — when I didn’t believe in myself.
And all those years I’d had Sariel. A friend.
I exhaled.
Again… and again.
Righting the room, giving back what I’d taken. With each exhale, I felt more in control, more whole, while still trying to come to grips with the power that I had and the responsibility that came with it.
“Thank you.” The last brother who’d touched me shuddered and joined the rest of his family.
Cassius’s feathers went from purple to black, his normally gold armor changed to the same color.
What in the hell?
The brothers formed a semicircle around Bannik, parting when the final brother walked through.
“No.” Bannik shook his head. “If you send me to Hell, you know what happens.”
The man tilted his head. “I know you will stay there for an eternity, and I know that I will have to follow.”
The room felt free.
The man was dark, his demeanor continued to grow darker as he stared down Bannik.
Bannik glared at me. “You had so much potential.”
“Yes,” I snapped. “Thank you for allowing me to find it.” I wanted to kill him so bad my fingers itched.
Bannik’s nostrils flared. “We could rule this world! The people are weak! We could be their gods!”
“Oh, dear brother.” The man interrupted, shaking his head slowly. “We already did rule this world… and there is only one God.” With a jerk of his hand, he pulled his black sword from his waist and held it over Bannik’s head. “I curse you to Hell… may the One have mercy on your soul.”
He stabbed Bannik in the chest, directly through the heart.
With a piercing scream, Bannik fell forward. The man pressed a hand to Bannik’s chest. The room shook like an earthquake, and then black wings sprouted from the man’s back as, with a roar, he grabbed Bannik and dove.
Directly into the ground.
And disappeared.
A grave expression crossed Cassius’s face.
“What the hell was that?” I asked a quiet room. Even the demons were silent.
“The Angel of Death.” Cassius sighed. “And once again, good and evil are at war with each other.”
“So nothing changes?” I said.
All brothers looked in my direction.
“The Angel of Death has returned to his home.” One of them spoke up. “Everything. Has changed.”
“Why is that bad… exactly?” Hope approached one of the brothers and dripped blood from her wrist onto his wound. He breathed out a sigh of relief and hung his head.
“Thank you, little one.” The bastard touched her and then flashed me an apologetic look before speaking. “Darkness breeds more darkness…” He nodded to Cassius. “But as long as there is light…”
“There will always be light.” Cassius’s booming voice might as well have been a gauntlet being dropped. “Now, allow our little elf to heal you, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Hope,” one whispered and then fell to his knees. “You are Hope!”
I reached her side in record time, pulling her in my arms. “She’s mine.”
Really? Was that the only word I knew?
“I was so sorry for your family.” He smiled. “Do you know who I am?”
“No.” Her voice trembled. “Should I?”
“A gift,” He kissed her forehead and winked. “To say thank you.” She smiled as a flash of humor crossed her face, and then she knelt down and touched his face. He closed his eyes.
“You watched over me… when I was…” She frowned. “Somewhere, not here.”
“That’s a way of explaining it.” He winked. “Let’s just say, that’s not the only game of chess you and I ever played. You were quite popular.”
I suppressed a growl, just barely, and nearly bit off my own tongue in an effort not to attack the guy.
“Sirens.” He shook his head. “So emotional.”
“This siren saved your ass,” I pointed out.
“And here you thought your only job was to look pretty.” Another one of the brothers stepped forward. “I remember when there were hundreds of you in existence. It makes my heart glad to see you with a mate who will produce more.”
My heart thudded and then picked up speed. Kids? With Hope?
And suddenly all I wanted was her mouth, her skin, her body.
“We have to go.” I picked her up and started walking toward the exit, to the laughter of everyone except Timber and the rest of the demons. Then again, they rarely had a reason to smile.
We made it as far as the door before Timber caught up to us. “I’m not going to stop you, but—” His eyes flashed red. “You hurt her, and I will rip your tongue out, heal it, and do it again.”
“Vivid imagery.” I swore. “Thanks.”
“She is our Queen.” His eyes pleaded.
“And she is my mate.”
“Not yet.”
“I love her.” It was the first time I said it out loud, the first time I allowed myself to admit it.
I loved her.
Loved her more than anything.
And in that moment, Timber, man of steel, smiled a radiant smile. “Then you better show her just how much.”
I exhaled in relief.
While Hope laughed against my neck.
“I hate your new bodyguard.”
“He grows on you.”
“Doubt it.” I glared back at Timber and weaved through the restraint where demons with blue eyes looked at me with hesitation.
“It’s fine.” Timber called behind us. “They are… mates.”
A cheer rose out from the demons making Hope’s cheeks blush.
“That, I can get on board with.” I set her down on her feet once we were outside. “Demons cheering for sex.”
Her blush just deepened.
“You’re beautiful.” I kissed her plump lips, swiping my tongue across the bottom one, it tasted so good like home, like my past, present, and future, I needed her, I needed her so bad. “Come on,”
“Aren’t we going back to Ethan’s?”
“Hotel.” My eyes greedily searched down the street. “See? Hotel Monaco, perfect. Sex, room service — no werewolves or demons cock blocking me.”
“Alex,” She tugged my arm forcing me to stop mid-stride. “Why? Why did you stop?”
I hung my head. “I stopped for love.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Do you remember… everything?”
I didn’t want to go there. Not now. Not when I needed her so bad. The old Alex would have seduced the hell out of her and forced her to have a heart-to-hea
rt later.
But the new Alex, well he was really enjoying the way her hand felt pressed against his palm.
With a sigh, I pressed a kiss to her open palm and led her down the street to a small café. I pushed open the door, a bell above rang announcing our arrival.
Hope said nothing as I went to the front of the café and ordered two black coffees with room for cream. It didn’t even occur to me to hide what I looked like, the woman behind the counter gaped for a few seconds before swaying on her feet, giving her head a shake and then blinking up at me. “Are you… I mean…” Her cheeks went bright red. “Sorry, long day.”
“You and me both.” I offered a smile that I hoped wouldn’t have her leaping across the counter in an effort to tackle me to the floor and rip my clothes off.
A slow smile curled around her lips. “As much as I’d love to give you free coffee, I’d probably get fired, so unless you have money…”
“Huh?”
“You’re pretty, but pretty doesn’t pay my rent.” She smiled again. “That will be three fifty-two.”
With a laugh, I handed her my card and shook my head. “Wow, I must be losing my touch.”
Hope’s hand found mine.
And that was when I realized.
I wasn’t reading the human’s thoughts.
I wasn’t trying to get attention.
I wasn’t seducing.
I wasn’t even thinking about it.
“Love.” Hope reached up, tucked my orange and black hair behind my ears, and shrugged. “Does some crazy things, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I whispered, tilting her chin toward me.
The barista coughed. “Here’s your card… Alexander.”
“I like your full name.” Hope grinned. “I used to call you Alexander.”
“You did.” I recalled the memory of our first meeting and shook my head. Red dress. She’d been in a red dress, her lips matched, all I could focus on was how they looked like an apple, and I was starving for a taste.
“Thanks,” Hope said to the barista and held my hand as we grabbed our drinks and went to a dark corner to sit. “Tell me everything.”
Hope