Fallen Angel: Mythic Series, Book 2 (13 page)

As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, David Corrigan had sacrificed himself.
For her
.

It made no sense. Why would he do that?  How did he even
know
to do that?  Only Jax knew her deepest secrets, and even then, he didn’t know all of them. Besides, Jax would never betray her by revealing any of that, just as she would never betray him. They’d vowed their loyalty to one another years earlier, sealed into silence by a sharing of their immortal blood.

One thing was for sure, though. She
would
find out, and when she did she was going to rip whoever was responsible a new one. As happy as she was to be free, too many things might have gone wrong. She’d never be able to live with herself if David had...

No, she pulled a wall down on those thoughts. They were moot. David was going to be fine. He was going to rise soon, and he was going to give her answers, damn it.

“Is he awake yet?” Jax asked from the doorway.

“No, not yet.” She turned hopeful gray eyes to her longtime friend. “Will he be okay, Jax?” Despite the mental pep talk she’d just given herself, she had to hear it from Jax. He would never lie to her.

“Better than okay. He’s got a master vamp as a sire, and an angel for a soul mate.”

She sighed. “I’m not so sure about this soul mate stuff, Jax.”

He grinned at her. “Really?  He gave up his mortal life so you could be free, Ryss. And what you wanted most was for him to rise and spend eternity with you. Sounds like soul-mate material to me.”

Ryssa ignored the part about her wish and concentrated on David’s bizarre behavior. “Explain that to me, will you?  Because last I checked, he wasn’t my biggest fan.”

“Apparently he had a change of heart. He was looking for you, Ryss. Hired a private investigator and everything. When Gunther refused to let him into
Seven Circles
again, he went back to our old place. Lenny told him to find me.”

“Lenny?” Ryssa asked, bemused. “The weasel shifter?”

“Yeah. No surprise there,” Jax smirked. “Lenny isn’t happy that you moved out. That’s weasel-puppy love for you.”

Ryssa knew that Lenny had a crush on her, but chalked that up to the fact that she was one of the few who were actually kind to him. Once things got settled here, she was going to have to pay him a visit and bring him some of those fast-food burgers he loved so much. In the meantime, she waved her hand in a circular motion to get Jax to move on.

“Corrigan tracked me here and requested a meeting with Vlane.” He smirked. “Imagine my surprise when I was summoned into the Master’s office and saw him sitting there.”

The corners of Ryssa’s mouth quirked, knowing how Jax felt about David Corrigan. “I’m surprised you didn’t take a bite out of him right then and there.”

Jax had the good sense to look sheepish. “I almost did. Vlane stopped me.”

“And now?”

Jax shrugged with the elegance of a vampire. “He gave his life for yours. That’s earned him a second chance in my book.”

But
why
did he do that, Ryssa wanted to know. And how would he feel about her asking Masterson to make him vampire?  Or binding him to her in the process?  Unfortunately, David was the only person who could answer those questions, and he was still out cold.

“What if he doesn’t like being a vamp?  What if he resents me for making that choice for him?”

“What’s not to like?  He’ll be stronger and faster. He’ll never have to worry about sickness or disease or aging. And,” he said, flashing a gleaming fang and winking, “he’ll have unmatched sexual stamina and a powerful angel to make good use of it.”

“Shut up, Jax.” A rosy blush bloomed on her cheek as her gaze roamed over David’s transformed body. He had been attractive and fit before, but now he had the physical perfection of a vampire. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he’d risked not just his life but his
soul
for hers; she certainly couldn’t assume that when he did rise, he would be happy to find himself bound to her.

“Hey, you’re the one who said you’d take responsibility for him. Last I heard, an angel’s vow is unbreakable.” Jax winked. “He’s going to be very hungry – and very, very horny – when he wakes, Ryss. I hope you’re ready.”

The blush deepened as Jax stepped back toward the door and pulled in a small cart loaded with sweets and pastries. In the center was a family-sized box of Count Chocula. “You might want to pound the sugar and do some carb loading while you can.”

Despite her worries, Ryssa laughed. It felt like the first time in forever. She eagerly snatched up a glazed pastry and took a big bite, closing her eyes in the bliss of the sugar rush.

“So how is Karthik taking it?”

Jax’s grin grew. “He’s pretty pissed, as you can imagine. He made a nominal attempt to petition Masterson, arguing that what David did amounted to suicide – a mortal sin – and therefore should have belonged to him as the local Demon Lord, but even he knows it is pointless. David didn’t do it for selfish reasons, and we both know there’s nothing more powerful than a sacrifice for one you love.” He pinned her with a knowing glare.

David began to stir as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. “Well, that’s my cue. Good luck, Ryss.”

Jax disappeared, closing the door behind him. Ryssa turned her full attention back to the man lying on the bed.

His eyes popped open. No longer that frosty green, they now gleamed the deep, dark shade of the vampire he was.  

“It’s okay, David. I’m here.”

He blinked several times before he focused on her face. “Ryssa?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Am I dead?”

She smiled at that. “Been there, done that. No more dying for you.”

He frowned, trying to put the pieces together, then searched her eyes. “It worked?  You’re free?”

“Well, not exactly.”

David’s face fell, but before he could say anything, she continued. “See, this amazing guy decided to sacrifice himself for me, so I’m kind of soul-bound to him now.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but then doubled in on himself when his body cramped. “David?  What is it?  Should I call Vlane?”

“No, just... hungry, I think,” he managed through clenched teeth.

Of course he was. Ryssa had lived with a vamp for over seven decades. She climbed up on the bed beside him and guided his head to her neck. “I can help you with that.”

“Are you sure?” he asked doubtfully, licking his lips as his eyes fixed on the pulse beneath her jaw. “Vlane said he’s got donors...”

“I’m sure,” she said firmly. What she didn’t tell him was the thought of him feeding from anyone else resulted in an ugly clawing sensation deep in her chest. She would analyze that later, after she got a few answers. “Besides, better you cut your baby fangs on me than one of Vlane’s willing humans.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

She gave him a reassuring smile. Vampires were powerful creatures, but they were no match for an angel, fallen or otherwise. “You won’t.”

He groaned and nuzzled her neck. “You smell delicious, Ryssa.” He licked her skin, sending shivers up and down her spine. “Do you want this?”

Yes, she really did. In fact, it was a little scary how much she wanted him to bite her. All of those sparks she’d wished for with Jax so long ago were suddenly bursting all around them like a huge, multi-colored fireworks display. Or maybe that was just some of her power seeping out in anticipation.

What she said aloud was, “Least I can do.” She tipped her head back to give him better access.

She had fed Jax for years, but it had never felt like this. David’s inexperienced rooting, searching out the vein, had an effect on her entire body. Her skin grew heated, her pulse raced. A sudden ache rose in her lower core.

“Ryssa,” he moaned before his fangs sunk deep. He instinctively latched onto her neck and sucked, sending white-hot blades of need and want through her. She arched into him and pulled him closer, cradling his head, willing him to take all that he needed.

When he’d had enough, he licked the wounds in her neck, and sat back. His face was flushed from the blood he’d just ingested; his eyes glittered. Some of that could be attributed to the magick of her angel’s blood, but not all of it. She had felt the hard proof of his arousal against her thigh, knew that he had been just as turned on by the act as she had been.

Ryssa had been around enough vampires to know that feeding could be a very sensual experience, but there was some part of her that wanted to believe David’s reaction was more than just a purely physical response.

“Better?”

“Much. Do all humans taste as good as you?”

“No. And I’m not human.”

He nodded. “You’re an angel.”

“A fallen one, yes,” she confirmed. There was no sense hiding it now. “And you are a vampire.”

David exhaled, running his tongue over a glistening, sharp fang, wincing when he pierced his tongue. “So I am.”

“You’re okay with that?” she asked warily.

He chuckled, looking pointedly at her neck. “No complaints so far.”

“Why, David?”

His smile faded; his expression grew more serious. “Because it was the only way to release you from the demon.”

“But why did
you
do it?  You despise me.”

* * *

V
lane Masterson had given him a crash course in Vamp 101 prior to the turning, so he knew that his heightened senses were probably a direct result of his transformation. But he had never expected her to look quite so beautiful; her pale skin literally glowed with magick. Her gray eyes glistened like multi-faceted smoky diamonds; her hair was ebony silk. And her scent, dear God, her scent made him want to rip off her clothes and taste every exquisite inch.

Yet all of that paled in comparison to the way he
felt
. He had never been so aware, so
connected
to another person in his life. When they had talked about invoking a soul-bond, he’d never imagined this. It was as if there were a thousand invisible threads between them, urging him closer. It was attraction, magnified a hundred fold. It was glorious! Warmth and light flowed into him, through him, connecting him to this exquisite creature.

At least that’s what
he
felt. He had no idea if she was experiencing the same thing.

Was this what Ana Masterson had been trying to tell him? Dare he hope that this was more than a typical reaction to feeding from an angel, that Ryssa actually was his fated soul mate?

He took her hand in his, letting the warmth of her skin flow into him like molten honey. “No, Ryssa, I don’t despise you. Far from it, in fact.”

She eyed him doubtfully. He couldn’t blame her. He had treated her poorly from the very beginning, and she had no idea how drastically he had changed since then. Well, besides the obvious.

He shook his head, wishing there was an easier way to explain it to her without sounding ingenuous. “I didn’t understand, Ryssa. I thought you were like all the others trying to profit on my misery. I’m so sorry.”

She smiled a little. “I guess I can’t blame you. The truth is a little hard to swallow.”

“Yeah.” Truth. He’d learned a lot of truths over the past few weeks. The scruffy girl with the Goth fetish was really an angel in disguise. Demons existed and ran BDSM clubs. Vampires were real. And oh yeah, according to a thousand year old monk-turned-bloodsucker, he was the fated soul mate of a fallen angel, one whose blood now ran through his veins, making him feel like a freaking god. Happy didn’t begin to describe the way that last “truth” made him feel.

Complete. Wanted. Loved.

He didn’t pretend to understand it, but what he did know was that now that he had her, he had no intentions of letting her go. Dark, feral possessive instincts rose up within him. He would eviscerate anything that tried to take her away from him. It was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

Was she experiencing the same thing? Could she sense the rightness? He had no idea if Ryssa knew about the whole soul-mate thing, and he didn’t quite know how to ask.

“So what happens now?” he exhaled folding his hands in his lap, wishing his erection wasn’t quite so prominent. It was embarrassing.

Her lips quirked, as if she had read his thoughts. Maybe she had. According to Masterson, vampires had the ability to enthrall humans. Mind-reading might be an angel thing. If it was, she was getting a headful.

“As a new progeny of Vlane Masterson, you will have to remain here for a while until you can learn to control your new powers.”

He nodded. Yes, he knew about that. But in all honesty, he felt perfectly fine and in total control. A lot of that probably had to do with Ryssa – her blood, her calming presence. As long as she stayed close, he was good to go.

“I meant... what
else
?”

“You sacrificed yourself for me, David. And I took responsibility for your soul. What do you think? 

She took responsibility for his soul?  What the hell did that mean? That sounded more like a duty than the heady rightness he was feeling.

“It means, David, that you belong to me, and I belong to you. And yes, I feel it, too.”

Well, that answered the mind-reading question. And sent another heated wave through him at the same time.
She belonged to him.
Only to him. Now and forever.

Ryssa laughed softly. With his new and improved hearing, he picked up all the subtle undertones he couldn’t before, a lovely harmony of wind-chimes and harps.  

“I can hear your thoughts because of our soul-bond, David. Not because I’m an angel.”

Soul-bond, yes, that was more like it. “Why can’t I hear yours?”

“Because you haven’t opened up that part of you yet.” Ryssa took his large hands into hers and looked deep into his eyes. “To gain power, you must relinquish control. You must trust in me, David.”

He wanted to, oh, how he wanted to. But what if she still harbored resentment?  What if she hated him for tying them together this way?  What if she didn’t want to be bound to him?  Wouldn’t this be the perfect karmic payback?

“David,” she urged softly. “Trust me. Let go, and see the answers for yourself.”