Angel's Blade (10 page)

“What are we making?” Nathaniel
asked.

“A sword for Gabriel. Right now,
only Suriel has an angelic weapon. He has the old sorcerer’s sword. It can
channel his and Ariel’s energy. Our Alpha needs a weapon that won’t fail him,”
Zeke explained, putting the blank into the coils.

“We have our daggers, too, don’t
forget,” Nathaniel murmured, thinking of the blade he’d left in his quarters.
He hadn’t wanted to leave it behind, but he had no sheath for it yet. He couldn’t
walk around the castle with a naked weapon in his hands. He put the problem
aside and focused his will. Energy leaped through him, easier this time, and he
fed it to Zeke. It merged with Zeke’s energy and flew down their arms to the
cherry-hot steel.

“Think about the Alpha’s duties as
our leader. He’s strong and honorable, but also a strategist. We need to put
that into our work,” Zeke said.

Nathaniel nodded, using his sense
of the Alpha to hone his energy. As soon as Zeke did the same, the blade flared
white and Zeke pulled it out of the coils. A bolt of heat buzzed through
Nathaniel, making his cock ache. Making weapons with Zeke had a strangely
sexual element to it.
Maybe it’s because I can feel Zeke’s energy sliding
through mine?
he wondered. It felt like making love. He took a slow breath,
wondering if Zeke felt as heated as he did. He looked at the blade they’d just
made. It had cooled rapidly into the silvery sheen of an angelic weapon,
blessed with properties that would aid Gabriel in his work.

“Beautiful,” Nathaniel breathed. He
didn’t remove his hand. He didn’t want to stop touching Zeke. “Now we need one
for Raphael.”

Zeke nodded and carefully set aside
the new weapon. Using the tongs, he picked up another blank. Nathaniel moved
with him, trying not to think about how much he wanted to rip off Zeke’s
clothes right now. The new blank was a touch longer and thinner than the other,
but Nathaniel already sensed how it would serve Raphael. He concentrated,
thinking about the Omega’s kindness and open heart, then he merged his energy
with Zeke’s. The flash this time burned even hotter. He gasped, clenching his
fingers on Zeke’s neck.

“God,” Zeke said, panting as he
carefully extracted the blade from the forge. It cooled, the metal glittering
like silver water. He set it aside, then tossed the tongs to the floor. They
clattered against the stone. They hadn’t even needed the anvil for these
blades. They were getting better at this.

Nathaniel’s hand slipped as Zeke
moved, but his arousal didn’t fade. Instead, it flamed hotter. Zeke roughly
jerked at his apron, flinging it down, then he grabbed Nathaniel and brought
the shorter man up against him, fists in his apron. “I’m sorry,” he said, just
before he took Nathaniel’s mouth.

Nathaniel moaned as Zeke kissed
him. Energy flared between them, worse than before. He trembled, then began
frantically undoing Zeke’s pants.

“Oh no you don’t,” Zeke growled,
yanking at Nathaniel’s apron. He got it off, then pulled off the sweater.

Nathaniel barely felt the cool air
on his skin. He was too busy trying to undo the buttons of Zeke’s shirt. He
fumbled, then lost patience and just yanked the sides apart. Buttons went
flying.

“Fuck,” Zeke said, kissing him
again.

Nathaniel scrabbled at Zeke’s
jeans, getting the button undone, but then Zeke pushed him backwards. When his
back hit the glass divider between the bedroom and workshop, he shuddered. Zeke
roughly yanked at his pants, then went to his knees. Nathaniel almost fell, but
Zeke grabbed him around his hips.

“Stay there,” he said, then pulled
down Nathaniel’s jeans and underwear all in one quick motion.

Nathaniel’s dick sprang out and
Zeke swallowed him down.

“Jesus Christ,” Nathaniel said,
hands going to Zeke’s hair. Watching his cock disappear into Zeke’s mouth was
the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

Zeke didn’t fool around. He sucked almost
hard enough to hurt. Nathaniel was at the edge immediately. He gasped, knees
trembling, then Zeke pulled off. “No, not yet.”

“Are you kidding me?” Nathaniel
panted. His dick hurt.

“I want you to fuck me,” Zeke said.

Nathaniel blinked, trying to think.
His arousal made it difficult, but Zeke looked up at him, eyes steady.

“That’s a big step,” Nathaniel
finally said.

Zeke smiled. “Yeah.”

Fuck. That smile alone was almost
enough to make Nathaniel cum. He took a shaky breath. “Get on the bed.”

Zeke stood up and walked into the
bedroom, shoving down his jeans as he went. He toed off his boots then
stretched out on his rumpled covers. He looked like everything Nathaniel had
ever wanted. For a moment, he just stood and stared. Zeke was impressively
muscled from all of his time working in the forge. His erection jutted out
thick and hot. Nathaniel wasn’t sure what he wanted to do to him first. All his
doubts about making love and committing to Zeke seemed to have fled out the
door. He couldn’t think about anything except how much he needed to touch him.

“Come on,” Zeke said. He trailed
his fingers from his thigh up his chest teasingly.

Nathaniel stared at the trail of
hair leading down to Zeke’s groin. As if he were dreaming, he cupped himself,
slowly feeling the throb of his dick against his palm. “Are you sure?”

“Come on, Nathaniel. I’m getting
bored,” Zeke taunted.

Nathaniel kicked off his shoes and
pants, then strode over to the bed. “Lube?”

Zeke pointed to the nightstand.
Nathaniel fumbled with the drawer, careful not to touch Zeke. The moment their
skin touched, all bets were off. The energy that flared between them would make
him lose all his control. He grabbed the bottle and clicked it open. He
drizzled a generous amount on his cock, spreading it around. He dripped more on
Zeke, watching as the glistening fluid slid down around his balls.

Zeke panted, hips jerking. “God,
touch me, Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel nodded and moved in, lips
going right to Zeke’s prick. Energy flared between them. He sucked on the tip,
careful not to touch anything else, then he brought a lube slick finger to Zeke’s
hole.

“Yeah, come on,” Zeke said, shoving
down on Nathaniel’s finger. “Fuck me.”

Nathaniel closed his eyes and
prayed for control. The energy flying through their bodies had him shivering.
He added another finger, unable to be as gentle as he’d like. In apology, he
licked Zeke’s cock, then sucked on it as he played with his ass. Zeke grabbed
his hair and pushed himself into Nathaniel’s mouth, then back onto his hand. It
was the hottest thing Nathaniel had ever seen. Zeke was completely abandoned as
he moved with head thrown back and hips arched. When Nathaniel added another
finger, Zeke groaned, his thighs moving faster.

“Fuck,” Nathaniel muttered, going
to his knees. He couldn’t get enough air.

Zeke spread his legs, holding
himself open. “Yeah, Nathaniel. Come on.”

His intention to take it slow
evaporated the moment he lined his cock up with Zeke’s asshole. He pushed
gently, but then Zeke wrapped his legs around Nathaniel’s hips and shoved
himself down.

“Zeke, God.” Nathaniel’s breath
whooshed out of him as he watched Zeke work himself down onto his dick: spine
bowed, hands behind him. Nathaniel’s thighs burned as he held himself steady in
this position so that Zeke could do all the work. When Zeke lifted himself up,
Nathaniel caught him, hands going to his ass. “Jesus, you’re a pushy bottom,”
he gasped. Zeke was so tight and hot he worried he was going to spill his load
right the fuck now. He bit the inside of his cheek, hoping the pain would help
him calm down.

Zeke huffed out a laugh as his
thighs worked. “Fuck me, Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel groaned, then began to
move. His cock was on fire as the energy danced between them, and then Zeke met
him halfway. They rocked together, so close that Zeke’s dick rubbed up against
Nathaniel’s abdomen.

He’d been so close to climax, for
so long, it felt like hell. Or maybe heaven. When Zeke’s ass clenched,
Nathaniel couldn’t hold on any longer. He thrust up hard, cock jerking inside
Zeke, and then Zeke went over the edge, too. Heat spread between them as they
held onto each other for a long time. When Nathaniel’s thighs finally gave out,
they toppled to the bed. He tucked his head into Zeke’s neck, unwilling to move
away. He didn’t care about the mess. He didn’t care about his fear or his vows
to take it slow. He just knew he never wanted to leave Zeke’s side.

Chapter Seven

Zeke watched Gabriel and Raphael
handle their new weapons in the back courtyard. It had been two weeks since
Nathaniel had arrived, and in that time, they’d forged several more blades in
between bouts of lovemaking. Two of them had gone to the young students
studying with Raphael: Haniel and Jeremiel. A short knife had gone to Ariel.
The two swords they’d forged were for the Alpha and Omega. They practiced with
them fluidly, moving through the forms Zeke had taught them with grace and
power, despite the cold weather. He nodded to himself as he watched, pleased
that they’d already mastered the new moves he’d shown them earlier that week.

Despite Nathaniel’s worries, when Zeke
had given them their new weapons, he hadn’t had to lie. Gabriel had asked
nothing. He’d simply said
thanks.
Raphael had accepted his sword and
given Zeke a penetrating look, but hadn’t pressed for any details, either. Zeke
understood that they suspected what was happening, but appreciated their
restraint. He needed time to convince Nathaniel to stay, and it had only been a
short while since he’d come to Castle Archangel, after all. Since they both
had.

Gabriel and Raphael didn’t have a
simple bonding, from what I’ve heard. The first homosexual Alpha in history?
That has to have given them some perspective,
Zeke mused. He let the curtain fall
shut, blocking the view. He headed for the door, crossing the library swiftly.
It was nearing dusk and he wanted to shower and change before dinner. Nathaniel
had already gone back to his room to clean up and change. They’d spent a lot of
time together, forging weapons, making love, and just talking. The desperation
to bond with Nathaniel made his desire sharper every time they touched. He knew
it was because Nathaniel hadn’t quite accepted what was happening and the bond
was straining. Angels weren’t meant to go so long before claiming their mates.

Even more frustrating, Nathaniel
hadn’t even attempted to fly yet. It was as if the marks on his arms weren’t
quite real to him. As if they were simply decoration, when in reality, they
were much, much more. Every time Zeke mentioned taking him for a quick flight,
Nathaniel ran from the room. If he put it off much longer, physiology would
take the choice from him. Angels had to shift every few weeks or suffer through
an unwanted change. He’d hate it if Nathaniel had to go through that.
Increasingly more unpleasant scenarios ran through his head as he tried to
figure out how to convince his lover to fly. Why was it so difficult for
Nathaniel to do something so utterly natural?

Maybe he’s afraid that you’re going
to turn on him,
Zeke pondered as he walked down the hall.
There’s been too much change in
his life, too fast.
He stopped and leaned back against the wall near the
kitchen, rolling that thought around in his mind. Nathaniel had always been
nervous about Zeke’s supposed straightness. His lack of experience with other
men made him an unknown. A risk. Someone who could really hurt Nathaniel if he
let himself fall too deep.

The thing was, after all the years
he’d spent traveling, Zeke knew himself better than most men, and he knew there
was no going back for him now. He held no regrets about falling in love with
Nathaniel, but the only thing that would convince his mate of his commitment
was time. “And there’s nothing I can do about that except hang onto my patience
and hope he realizes what’s right in front of him,” he murmured, rubbing his
face.

A sudden noise had him whirling, hand
going to the blade strapped to his thigh. Voices drifted down the hall, angry
and sharp. Zeke shoved off and began walking again, moving closer to the castle’s
foyer. The voices grew louder. When he reached the stairs, he realized the
sounds were coming from just outside. A cold draft of air wafted past him. The
front door was slightly ajar. He frowned and opened it wider, then slipped into
the deepening dark.

****

Nathaniel stretched on the bed,
massaging the muscles of his pecs. He was sore from helping Zeke in the forge.
Sore from all the mind-blowing sex. And sore from the martial art forms Zeke
had talked him into practicing this past week. He’d learned them as a boy, but
hadn’t done any serious work with them for years. He was paying for it now.

“We’ll be leaving in the next few
days,” his father said from the chair near the window.

Nathaniel went still, his heart
giving a sick, slow thump. The thought of leaving made him feel ill. “Oh?” he
said mildly, trying not to show how upset he was.

His father gave him a look.