Love Beyond Loyalty

  She made a certain amount of sense. Leonardo leaned back against the counter and contemplated it. "What you're suggesting then is that I not worry about the fact that my soul mate is likely sharing a meal with the demon right now?"

  Marina nodded. "Exactly. Just like I'm not going to wonder where in the world Drew has run off to now. Either he comes back or he doesn't."

  "Just one problem with this scenario…"

  She held up her hand. "Don't talk to me about prophecy, Leonardo, until you manage to decipher the thing."

  He nodded. "Fair enough."

  Marina patted his arm as she walked out of the room. Left by himself, Leonardo banged his head against the refrigerator a few times to jar himself out of his somber mood.

  Part of him wanted to ask Gabriel what Alexa looked like. What type of partner had the universe picked out for him? The other part didn't want to know at all. He shivered at the thought. He couldn't shake the feeling that the first time he saw her would be the death of him.

  * * * *

  Drew boarded the plane to St. Thomas with a heavy heart, which he was doing his very best to ignore. He was lying to himself, which meant things had gotten really askew, especially since he was aware of his self-delusion.

  Sitting in his seat, he opened up his cell phone and looked at the image that was his wallpaper on the display. It was Marina. She'd been staring off in the distance at something when they'd been trapped together on the roof of the mental institution in New Jersey. She didn't know he'd snapped her photo with the phone.

  Her face was in profile, her gaze determined and her long brown hair flowing in the wind. Gods, she was gorgeous and she was his. Even though he would never have her. Distantly, he realized his hands shook and he turned off the phone.

  He wouldn't touch her with his hands. Not after what he'd done. He wouldn't taint her. So he needed to put as much space between them as possible. An ocean wouldn't be far enough but since space travel was out of the question, the sea would have to do. Glancing down at his ticket before he stored it in his carry-on bag, he checked the time for his connecting flight to St. Croix. No planes flew directly to the smaller island. That had been the idea when he'd picked it. He couldn't go anywhere it was easy to get to but he couldn't be cut off completely just in case…

  Shaking his head at the thought, he called himself a hundred different names. Even now he couldn't completely disconnect. What was it going to take for him to give her up?

  * * * *

  Eden sat on her bed, staring up at the cartoon poster she'd affixed on the wall shortly after moving in. It was stupid. She was an adult; she shouldn't have children's decorations on her wall.

  In her own way, it was an act of defiance. Her mother had never let her have those sorts of things when she'd been growing up. They'd been, to quote her mother, the devil's creations and they had no place in her house.

  Eden's first act of independence was to put one on her wall directly in front of her bed. That way she could see it first thing in the morning when she opened her eyes. She would always immediately know where she was upon waking.

  Tonight, however, it brought her no joy. A tear slipped from her eyes. It was one of the sporadic few that had been plaguing her since she'd hidden away in her room earlier. Her head was too clouded to be much use going over books. Besides, the only book she'd ever read was the Bible. Trying to make sense of the strangely stated words was like asking her to read Greek. She'd like to help but she was afraid it was rather fruitless.

  Between her inability to help in their shared history and her complete failure at seeing the future, Eden felt like these days she did very little besides take up space. Even her vision of Gabriel and Loraine being trapped in the demon's office had proved to be wrong. What good was she if she couldn't even get the vision right?

  She was more than a little aware that she took up more space than the other Outsider women. Loraine was at least curvy, but the others—she loved them like sisters, but they were twigs.

  She'd always been grateful for her physique, at least when she'd lived on the farm, before her mother had taken up with the preacher and they'd started following him around the country in their blue van. When she'd worked the land, it had helped to be strong. Now she just felt unfashionable. Big hips and a round rear did not work well for fashionable clothes.

  Not to mention she knew she shouldn't be thinking about trivial things at all. There was a demon to contend with and everyone counted on her to get it together and handle her prophesying. Jason said if Drew hadn't been there for the last episode, she would have died. She couldn't let that happen. Eden had never done anything worth doing, not for herself anyway.

  She wanted to do this. She wanted to control her powers and help her new friends. She wanted to be useful.

  Biting her lower lip, she let herself admit that she also wanted her soul mate and she wanted him to find her attractive, which only made her insecurities that much more difficult to handle.

  Was her soul mate uninterested in her physically? Was that why when he spoke in her head he said they'd never see each other? Rolling over, she pulled the pillow over her head and prayed she'd have no visions tonight.

  * * * *

  Christophe walked the streets of New York fully aware that he was completely drunk. It took a lot of booze for him to reach this level of intoxication and he'd gotten this pathetically sloshed on purpose.

  He'd not answered the phone when Gabriel had called back. He was the worst kind of coward. But what was he supposed to say to him? I appear places with no control over it and, no, I'm sorry I can't help you because I have no idea how I do it. None at all.

  Running his hands through his blond curls, he tried to steady himself. It would really be a perfect dramatic ending if a taxicab struck him because he'd had seven martinis. He would have had more but the bartender kicked him out and he was too lazy to go find another establishment this late at night.

  He couldn't get the vision of Isabelle chained on top of that box out of his mind and what had happened to Leonardo and the other man? He shook his head, laughing aloud and earning the glares of some people passing by on the street. What? Hadn't they ever seen a drunk, pathetic fool before?

  Fumbling for his keys in his pocket, he hiccupped. He really hoped he could make it home without throwing up on the street.

  * * * *

  Isabelle stroked Kal's head gently.

  When he spoke, his voice sounded rougher than normal, which made her wince because she knew he was still in pain. "I'm going to be okay."

  "Yes, I know. Jason is a miracle worker. Still, you scared the heck out of me."

  He grabbed her hand mid-stroke and brought it to his mouth. Leaning up against the pillows on his bed, she had to admit that his color was better and some of his natural strength reappeared in his gaze. When he'd first awoken, he looked frail and paler than normal.

  "I'm sorry you had to go through that with me completely unconscious."

  She could smack him when he said stupid things like that. "I'm sorry the demon pummeled you so hard with his powers that he nearly killed you. I think that was a lot worse than my going through it alone."

  He rubbed his knuckles against her cheek and she shivered. Where Kal was concerned, she knew she was a huge bunch of hormones she couldn't turn off and, truthfully, she was fine with that.

  "Get that look out of your eyes, Kal. You're hurt, we're not having sex tonight."

  He arched an eyebrow. "Maybe not here we're not, but I seem to recall that you and I have been gifted with a shared dream space where we can do all kinds of things together."

  She loved how his mind worked. Standing, she pushed the chair she'd sat on away from the bed and returned it to its spot near the desk in the corner of the room.

  "Are you suggesting we go to bed? It's early."

  He shrugged. "More time to be alone together on the green hill."

  "Are you going to remember we're supposed to have sex when we get
there or will it be one of those nights where you have no clue who you are or where you are."

  She walked to the side of the bed and sat down, already pulling off her shoes. Stripping off her clothes, she slipped into bed next to him and was rewarded with the knowledge that even in his injured state, he got instantly hard.

  "Isabelle, if I forget, I'm sure you'll remind me."

  Curling up next to him in their bed, she breathed in the heady smell that was Kal. "I always do, my darling. I always do."

  * * * *

  Sebastian limped into the house. He had two things to do. First, he was going to manipulate the hell out of Alexa and then he was going to contact Hell and get them to send him some friends. If that dog could help the Outsiders, he'd get his own people involved.

  "Lexie?" He called from the bottom of the stairs. This time he didn't have to exaggerate how hurt he was. The Outsider with the shifter abilities had knocked him for a loop.

  There was going to be a major change of plans. He was going to bed Alexa as soon as he was physically able and infuse her with his negative energy. Then she'd work for him without question.

  After that, he was going to hunt down the Outsiders who didn't have control of their powers yet and kill each and every one of them. Within days, Alexa should be able to find them without much aid.

  "Sebastian?" Alexa ran down the stairs. "Oh, my God, what happened to you?"

  "Gabriel beat me up." He coughed, and groaned as he grabbed his stomach. Curse his human body. Maybe he should let them kill it… then he could travel around in his real form and annihilate everyone in his path. It was worth contemplation at the very least.

  She gasped and pulled him against her. "He beat you up?"

  He nodded, leaning on her as he let her lead him to the couch. "He did. Listen, I know he's your friend and for a long time he was mine too, I even considered him a brother, but I can't have him in the house anymore. I'm sorry."

  She stroked his cheeks with her hands. "Oh, Bastian, don't worry about that. I don't want to see Gabe anymore either. We've had a falling out—a big one. Even if we hadn't, after this I wouldn't want to see him anymore. He's gone over. We've lost him completely to evil."

  He nodded even as he wished that were actually the case. How and when he'd lost Gabriel's loyalty was still a mystery to him. Still, having Alexa was enough. The only reason to know the particulars of how he lost Gabriel was so he would know how to not have it happen again with Alexa.

  That was one of the reasons she needed to fancy herself in love with him.

  Running his hands through her dark hair, he admired her large breasts for a moment before he found her eyes again. It would be no hardship to fuck Alexa. He might actually enjoy it.

  "Lexie," he lowered his voice. He needed to be the nice southern gentlemen. He needed to be the image he'd created for her. "I don't know what I'd do without you. Beautiful lady, you have become everything to me."

  "You'll never lose me, Sebastian. I promise you that."

  He pulled her even closer, kissing her gently on her lips. God, he wanted to gag. It was so hard not to take her soul. Still, his cock got hard, painfully so. His human body needed sex, badly, and he tried to have sex at least a few times a month. When he'd been younger it had been more.

  Letting go of her lips, he kept her close as he pushed some of his energy into her. Doing so probably shortened his human life. By the time his body tired out, it wouldn't matter. He'd be so powerful he wouldn't need his feeble shell.

  "Sebastian, I feel sort of strange. Kind of tingly."

  Yep, that was his power pushing against hers. If she'd had any Outsider training, she'd know that. It was to his ultimate benefit that she hadn't.

  "You and I have feelings for each other. Let's not deny it any longer."

  He would take her virginity, one way or the other. Smiling, he ran his hands through her hair again. She was so easy to manipulate.

  "I told you I never feel anything, except now I do."

  He grinned, kissing her nose. "That's because it's you and me."

  She belonged to him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gabriel stared at Loraine's profile in the morning light. They'd been up all night. He held her hand as they walked into the empty room.

  "I was thinking this room, at least for right now, gives us some privacy."

  He nodded taking in the look of the room. It had been the empty bedroom they'd set down on when he'd moved them through space earlier. It was a good room, lots of windows, lots of lights. Even so, he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of disappointment with it.

  His dream had been to build his own house on his own property. Sebastian had taken that away from him. He'd never been able to show it to Loraine. Now, he would have a wing in, granted, a mansion on a beautiful private island. But it wasn't going to be his.

  Maybe it was the fact that he'd never had anything of his own as a child but he didn't share well. Still, he supposed he'd get used to it. The important thing was that he had Loraine and he never had to share her.

  Except, he amended, sometimes with the dog. Fortunately, at the moment, Futon was making himself scarce.

  "You're so quiet. Do you like the rooms or not?"

  Letting go of her hand, he put his arm around her shoulder. "Yes, it's great. Thanks for finding it."

  Loraine had spent a huge portion of the night looking for rooms for them. He didn't want to seem ungrateful. He wasn't—just the opposite actually.

  "Your heart's not in it." She walked away from him and stood in front of one of the windows with her hands on her hips. "What is this about Gabriel? I don't have Charma or Marina's mind reading abilities."

  This being in a relationship thing was not going to be easy for him since he'd never talked about his feelings in his life. "All right, I'll be honest. I'm thinking about my house that Sebastian destroyed. I miss it. I always wanted a home of my own."

  She walked forward grabbing onto his shirt. "This will be our home…"

  He nodded, interrupting. "I know, you're right, I'll get used to it."

  "Let me finish." She tugged harder on his shirt. "This will be our home for now."

  His heart beat hard in his chest. What was she saying? "For now?"

  "You still own that property. When we rid the world of that demon, we're going down there and building us a house, damn it."

  He smiled at her attempt at profanity. It just sounded wrong on her lips.

  For her, he'd handle anything. "If you want to stay here, we'll stay here."

  Pulling Loraine into his arms, he couldn't believe how much had happened since he'd almost drowned and Futon had dragged him out of the canal.

  Loraine smiled. "I just want to be with you."

  She always said the perfect thing. Leaning down, he kissed her squarely on the mouth. She tasted like… candy.

  "What have you been eating?"

  Grinning, she punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I raided the refrigerator." But then her face fell. She hadn't even said anything but he knew she thought about Sebastian and the events in Louisiana.

  "Now it's my turn, what's wrong?"

  She sighed. "There will be an end to this, right? Futon isn't sure we're going to win."

  Gabriel wished they had a bed in the room because he would stick her in it and hold her until she knew she'd be safe in the world. Instead, all he could do was offer her some words that he hoped would help.

  "Here's the deal, Loraine. When I woke up in Alexa's bedroom," at her raised eyebrows he laughed. "No, nothing terrible. I was unconscious and she dragged me upstairs."

  "It had better be innocent."

  "Look, even if I didn't love you more than anything in the universe I have seen you literally turn into a wolf when you get angry. Lady, I'm not ever messing with you."

  Her violet eyes sparkled and he felt like he could breathe better again. It amazed him how quickly his total happiness had become connected to how happy or unhappy Loraine
was.

  She snuggled up against his chest, embracing him in a hug. "Go on."

  "So I was saying, when I woke up in Alexa's bedroom, I felt opened up. It was as if the overuse of my powers broke down some barrier I had erected around myself. Suddenly I knew things I'd never known, only it felt like I'd always known them."

  Her hair smelled like cherries and he couldn't help but lean down to kiss her on top of her head.

  "And what did you learn, Gabriel?"

  "That an Outsider never quits. Sometimes we fuck up but we get back up and try again. The group of us, we're pretty badly prepared for this fight, and if we win, it might be just luck. But we won't quit until we've won."

  "As long as I can have you, I'm willing to endure anything."

  He felt the same way.

  She was his woman.

  But he wasn't concerned about winning. He always landed on his feet and now he had Loraine to take care of. He would fight to his last breath to destroy this demon. No way would Sebastian win.

  Looking out the window over Loraine's head, he could see the moon as it nearly disappeared in the morning sky. Closing his eyes, he made a promise to the universe. They had given him Loraine; he would give them a win against this demon.

  He was a man who knew how to say thank you.

  * * The End * *

  About the Author

  As a teenager, Rebecca would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was worth it.

  She is the mother of three adorable boys, and she is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.

  She is in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She's been told she's a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. She loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time, and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.