Lost In Time: A Fallen Novel (12 page)

But that had been five hundred years ago, and he was beginning to question his promises and vows. He wondered what else he was expected to do. Give up?

He hadn’t seen Jessica since, but the Angels, when he came into contact with them, never let the chance go to taunt him. They thrilled in the knowledge that he suffered on a day-to-day basis. He was starting to understand the fruitless battle for the love of a woman and a God that had turned from not only him, but their creations, their own flesh and blood. It made him sick to even think about. What more was he expected to do? He wanted to scream it to the heavens, but knew it was useless. His pleas were heard and disregarded.

And then there was Celeste. Just the thought of her made him hard. He stood and started to pace again. What the hell was he going to do with her? She was a contradiction, but in the last four days he had seen more in her to like and care for than in all the time he had spent with Jessica. There was something about her that tickled at his memory and made him want to gather her into his arms and never let her go.

Keys jangled in the door, and he threw it open. Cameron fell in on him. He caught the Tracker and pushed him back to his feet.

“Dammit, Cameron, what are you up to?” Marcus growled.

Cameron gave him a bleary drunk look. “Nothing dude, just want my bed right now.”

Stumbling up the stairs, Marcus looked outside. There was nothing there to see, so he slammed the door and looked at his watch again. Four a.m. How long did it take to get laid? Even Cameron was back for the night.

Then he heard female laughter upstairs… and not just any female. Celeste must have Flashed back into the house. And she was laughing? He took the stairs two at a time when a male voice joined in the laughter.

“Hell no.” Marcus stormed down the hallway and kicked the door in. If she had brought her conquest back here she had another thing coming, there was no way he was going to sit by and let her get laid in a room down the hall from his.

A large man leaned over Celeste pulling off one of her boots. The other boot lay on the floor at the end of the bed. Marcus had never experienced jealousy before, but seeing another man touching Celeste in such an intimate way drove green envy and jealousy straight through his body like a finely honed blade.

Roaring, he charged the man, and they both flew over the bed.

Marcus was lucky enough to land on top and pulled back to plant his fist in the other man’s face when he recognized him.

“Aiden?”

“Marcus? Damn I knew she smelt familiar.” Marcus didn’t like the sound of Aiden smelling Celeste so he let a fist fly with a punch directly into Aiden’s nose.

Aiden bellowed, and then Marcus was flying across the room and into the wall. He had forgotten how powerful Vampires were.

“What the hell is your problem?” Aiden said standing over him now.

Marcus shook his head. “Dammit man, I wish I knew.”

A giggle from the bed had both men looking. “I think you just committed a horrible crime,” she said, rolling over on her side she gave them both a fuzzy look.

“And what would that be?” Marcus demanded.

In the loudest whisper he had ever heard she explained. “I think he might be someone important. You shouldn’t strike someone important.”

She was so drunk Marcus was surprised she was able to finish the sentence. Then her eyes drifted shut, and her head fell onto the mattress.

Finally,” Aiden offered. “I didn’t think she was ever going to pass out. Who knew Demonessess could hold their liquor like that?”

“And you brought her back?”

Aiden gave him a strange look. “Actually, she told me she was too drunk to have sex with me, but she didn’t know how she would feel in the morning. Then grabbed me and Flashed us here. Where she then made a really bawdy joke before thrusting her foot in my face and demanding I remove her boots.”

“Flashing hurt like hell?” Marcus asked hoping the Vampire had felt a little pain. Since he didn’t seem to have been bothered by Marcus’ little hit.

Aiden gave him a sly smile. “You forget, Vampires don’t have the same sensory limitations as others. But it was a different experience. Not one I would jump at again, but not painful.”

“What are you doing here, Aiden?” Marcus asked still leaning against the wall where he had landed.

Aiden crouched down next to him. “City’s been a little different the last month or so, so I thought I would check it out.”

“And what have you found out?” Marcus asked.

“The answer depends on whether or not you are still close acquaintance’s with those uncivilized Trackers or not.” Aiden raised one perfect brow.

“Ryder didn’t mean to insult you, Aiden.”

“Oh, of course not. I never doubted that he did. However, the fact remains that he needs to apologize.”

“Bloody hell, Aiden. That would be like getting the sun not to rise.”

Aiden snorted. “Yes, well if you want information from me, not saying I have anything so it may not even be worth the bother of asking, but if you do want information, the Neanderthal must apologize.”

“Just tell me this; are you aware of Demons attacking and eating mortals in the city?” Marcus watched the vampire closely. He rarely, if ever, showed his cards unless absolutely necessary.

“Yes, Sarafina is behind it.”

Marcus wanted to shout “hurray!” That would be enough to get even Ryder to apologize. Sarafina was one of Lordus’s go to gals. She and her brother wreaked havoc anywhere they went.

“Do you know where Lordus is?” Marcus had to ask.

Aiden laughed quietly. “Now isn’t that the question of the century?”

Rising to his feet Aiden looked at Celeste and then back at Marcus. “Who is she?”

Marcus shrugged. “Can’t say.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Even to a trusted confidant?” When Marcus didn’t answer, Aiden whistled through his teeth.

“Must be someone important. Please remember who brought her back tonight safe and sound, will you?” Damn it, Marcus had fallen right into that one, and they both knew it.

Pushing himself from the wall, Marcus extended his hand to Aiden. “I appreciate it.”

Aiden moved to the window his eyes lingering on Celeste. “It’s a pity though. I think we might have had an amazing time in bed together.” And then he was gone, the sound of his laughter flittering by in the wind.

Marcus growled and turned to Celeste. Although her boots were off she still had on the tiny scraps of clothes she had left in earlier. Marcus knew the gentlemanly thing to do was to cover her up and put her to bed, but when it came to Celeste his ability to maintain his gentleman attitude flew out the window.

Digging through her bags he pulled out a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. He had dressed and seen woman naked hundreds, if not thousands of times, but when he turned back to the bed, he froze. His body reacted to her in a way that was painful in its intensity. Placing the clothes at the foot of the bed he maneuvered her so that she was lying beneath the covers.

A Sex Demon? Who would have thought? And she was in his care. If something bad happened to her, Dante would have his hide, along with all the Reapers, and he just didn’t know if he had that much flesh to offer up to the blood thirsty bastards.

She was tired, overly so and burrowed farther down into the bed. Something wasn’t right. She felt as if her body had been placed in a rack. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she moaned. She wanted her mother. Before Lexi had been sent away, she had often crawled into bed with her daughter. They would just lay there holding each other. Lexi would whisper to her that she would always love her.

Dante never did anything like that. His most affectionate touch would be when he stroked her hair. Right now she wanted the comfort her mother would give her by just being close.

She totally blamed Marcus for the pain she was in. If it wasn’t for him then she would have been able to find someone last night. She would have gotten the sex she needed and they could go on with their investigation. But no, now she was in so much pain she wasn’t going to be able to even find someone to have sex with. It was probably going to kill her. She growled to herself, as her door opened.

“I’ve been reading up on Sex Demons,” Marcus said from somewhere to her left.

“Good for you, now go away.” Her throat was dry, and felt like her tongue had been staked out to dry in the Sahara.

“It says here that physical contact with another being will ease the symptoms of the sexual drive of the female Sex Demon.” The way he said it sounded like he was reading it from a book. Celeste peaked out and, sure enough, he was holding a dirty old tomb of a book.

“You don’t necessarily need sex, just physical contact. That should hold off the symptoms for four to five days to even a month. If the contact is consistent.” He said it with a note of pleasure. He actually thought he was offering her a better alternative.

He looked down from the book and smiled. “So we have this issue solved. You need physical contact with another hot blooded individual, and you won’t go lust crazed.”

“If that is all you have to offer, Fallen, I would appreciate it if you would get the hell out of my room so I can die in peace.” He didn’t know the first thing about Sex Demons and whatever book he was reading looked older than she was. She would rather beat him with it than have him try to treat her with anything that actually came out of it.

She heard the thump of the book as he put it down. “Yes, but that is the problem. We have a job to complete, and until then I need you at full Celeste princesses’ warrior status.”

Celeste nearly jumped from the bed when it dipped as Marcus sat down. She peaked out just in time to watch him pull his shirt off.

“Oh god, Marcus, please get out,” she begged.

He smiled at her. “You used my name.” Then he gathered her into his arms, pressing against her chest and face.

Celeste couldn’t help it. She moved as close as she could get to him. He was amazing and filled the places that were empty both inside and out. After several minutes, her tight muscles started to relax, and the tingling in her back reseeded to a dull ache.

“How do you feel?”

The last thing she wanted to admit was that he was right, so she lied. “I hurt like hell,” she muttered.

Marcus grunted and pulled her closer turning her over so her back pressed against his chest one arm wrapped around her stomach and the other above her chest. She relaxed her head against his forearm, and he threw a leg over her, moving so they were spooning.

Celeste was in Heaven as the last bits of the unbearable lust eased from her body. She breathed in a relaxed breathe. The last person who had held her had been her mother, and she couldn’t help but just enjoy having another person’s arms around her.

“Celeste?” Marcus asked his voice rumbling against her back.

“Shut up,” she growled, not wanting to talk. She just wanted to enjoy his touch.

He didn’t say anything for several long minutes, and Celeste soaked up his warmth, but she knew he was gearing up for something because he grew tense as the minutes ticked by.

“Do you remember how you got home last night?” he finally asked.

Celeste thought back to the night before. She remembered drinking with a great looking guy…and drinking and drinking. But no matter how much she drank, she couldn’t make the beautiful man look more like Marcus.

“No.”

“No idea how you got home last night?” Celeste had a sick feeling he was fishing for information.

She rolled over slightly so she could look into his green eyes. “No Fallen, I have no idea how I got home last night?”

“How much did you drink?”

Celeste pulled out of his arms and scooted to the other side of the bed feeling the loss of his touch as a physical blow to her stomach. She sucked it up and turned to him.

“First of all, if I don’t remember how I got home last night what makes you think I have any idea how much alcohol I ingested? What’s with all the questions? Your fishing for something so spit it out already.” The warmth and kindness from just moments before were totally gone, and she had the urge to slap him just so he could get to the point.

“I thought you might have found it interesting that Aiden, the King of the Vampires, brought you home. Or more to the point you Flashed the two of you back here.”

Celeste had the sudden urge to throw up. Of all the people in the world she had run into the King of the Vampires? What were the odds of that? And how pissed would her father be?

Celeste looked under the covers. Her clothes were a little askew, but thank the gods she was still wearing them. “Well, he was a gentleman, unless he dressed me after.”

Marcus snorted. “If you had had sex with the King of the Vampires don’t you think you would have remembered it?”

He had a point.

“What’s going to happen next time? What if someone working with Lordus or Calliope were to find you? They would have a way into the Infernos. Do you want to put yourself and the Infernos in that type of danger?”

“Okay, Fallen let’s get to the point.” She waved a hand.

“You are not allowed to go out alone. If something were to happen to you, then your father and brothers would kill me.”

Celeste climbed from the bed, irritated. “Oh yes, and all you want is to feel alive, sorry, I forgot.”

Marcus launched from the bed and grabbed her by the shoulders painfully. “What did you just say?”

Celeste wanted to slam her head into the wall. She hadn’t meant to say that. She didn’t have an answer. If she told him that she took care of him while he healed from his punishments, he would hate her for seeing him weak and out of control. If she knew anything from growing up with brothers, men did not like to feel vulnerable.

She put as much sarcasm as she could into her words as she spoke. “Isn’t that what all Fallen want? To feel alive? You envy the life and love of mortals. Having been blessed with the love of the true light.” She rolled her eyes. “But finding happiness can only be done from within.” She stabbed him in his bare chest with her index finger.

Marcus released her... “Why can we not have a single conversation without it turning into an argument?”

At the moment Celeste was wondering the same damn thing, but wasn’t about to admit it to him. She must be more like her brothers than she wanted to admit. The very last thing she wanted was for Marcus to see her vulnerable. Anyone else she might be able to get past, but Marcus seeing her helpless, that might just do her in.

“I guess we just rub each other the wrong way, Fallen,” she said quietly. “Unless necessary, we should just stay away from each other.”

“We are partners, Celeste, and your father and brothers entrusted you with me. I do not take that lightly.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “So gallant of you, but I can take care of myself.”

She moved to the door and opened it. “If you don’t mind, I would like to take a shower and change my clothes. Thank you for helping me this morning.”

Marcus walked to the door and hesitated. “If you need help again, Celeste, I don’t mind helping you out.” But it will mean nothing and be physical without feeling, was left unsaid and burned like acid in her stomach.

It took everything she had to plaster a fake smile on her face and thank him, and not slam the door on him as he moved through it.

He didn’t mind helping out? Her temper flared so strong she thought she would set the house on fire. He wouldn’t mind helping out? Like she couldn’t take care of herself? Just the thought of asking him for the time of day made her want to grind her teeth together.

She stormed into the bathroom and turned the shower on, climbing under the hot spray; she relaxed and let herself cry. She never cried in front of people, never allowed anyone to see her weaknesses. But here, Celeste looked around at the cool marble shower stall, she was alone, completely and utterly alone, and admitting that hurt like hell.

****

“So the bastard will give me some information. Information that may or may not get me what I need, only if I apologize?” Celeste heard Ryder’s voice and almost turned back down the hall. But she was too damn hungry to let that ill-tempered Tracker persuade her out of food.

“It could be very valuable to have Aiden on our side, Ryder.” Celeste almost burst out laughing at the forced calm in Marcus’s voice. She was sure the Fallen wanted to shake Ryder, and to be honest, she would have paid to watch it.

She walked into the kitchen, and the conversation came to an abrupt halt. “Don’t let me interrupt. I’m just looking for something to eat.”

“There’s meat in the fridge,” Marcus said turning back to Ryder and Kyra.

Celeste opened up the fridge and sure enough, there was a package of raw steak at least an inch thick. The Demon side of her really wanted to just pick it up and throw it in her mouth like a crazy person. But she was civilized, and she reached past it for the gallon of milk.

“Is there cereal?” she asked turning back to the group.

“You don’t want the meat?” Marcus asked, surprised.

“I might like it for lunch, but not for breakfast.” Kyra pointed to a cupboard by the stove. Opening it up, she let out a little yelp of pleasure. They had Fruit Loops, her favorite. Grabbing the box she turned and searched for a bowl and spoon. Her inhabitations of the other people in the room temporarily forgotten. Once she had everything she went to the table and sat down. She was now as far away from the group as she could get.

“You should ask Celeste. She became quiet friendly with Aiden last night,” Marcus accused. Celeste just rolled her eyes as she spooned some of the tasty flavored cereal into her mouth.

“How do you know, Aiden?” Kyra asked. Celeste couldn’t help but notice the Element had a little irritation in her voice.

“Met him at a bar last night. Had no idea who he was, until Marcus told me this morning,” she said around a mouth full. “You might want to ask Marcus how the hell he seems to know everyone ‘cause that’s just freaky.”

“How exactly do we get in contact with him?” Ryder practically snarled.

Kyra laughed. “It’s not going to kill you.”

“Yes it is. Damn blood suckers think they are better than the rest of us, but they are just like as weird and freaky as us Others,” Ryder snapped

“I will make some calls and should be able to get ahold of him by nightfall. But meanwhile Celeste, and I need to continue to look for the Touched.” Marcus pulled a phone out of his pocket.

Celeste did the same she and pushed the saved number she had been given the night before and wasn’t surprised when Aiden picked up on the first ring.

“Good morning my beautiful Demon. I hope you slept well,” he purred through the phone.

“Like the dead, but you should know all about that,” she said, making Aiden laugh which had her smiling.

“So who should I thank for having the pleasure of speaking with you this morning?” She loved the way he spoke so proper, enunciating each word perfectly.

“Well, first I wanted to say thank you for making sure I made it home safe.” Celeste looked up at Marcus who glared at her. He put his phone down. “Second, Ryder is here, and he is way excited to speak with you.”

Aiden laughed again. “First of all, it was my pleasure to ensure you made it home unharmed, although I am withholding judgment on your mood of transportation. And second, if Ryder is so very excited to speak with me, I would be happy to take his call.”

“You want me to give him the phone?” Ryder started waving his hands around like a crazy person while Kyra nodded.

“Hmm, interesting dilemma,” Aiden said and paused for a moment. “Why don’t you let him know when he is truly ready to speak with me, you are permitted to give him my number, but until it is his idea, then I shall keep my distance as well as my information?”

“What exactly did he do?” Celeste asked looking at Ryder as she asked the question. He looked like a biker and acted like a Neanderthal half the time, but whenever he looked at Kyra everything about his visage changed and softened. Celeste wasn’t really surprised he had upset Aiden.

“Ah, Little Red, that is a story for another time.”

“Okay, but I’ll get it out of you,” Celeste promised.

Aiden laughed again. “I’m sure you will, and we shall both enjoy the games, wins and losses, it takes to procure said information,” he said suggestively making Celeste smile.