Rage and Redemption (Rebel Angels) (25 page)

She pressed a kiss to one shoulder blade. “I thought I knew all your secrets.”

Tension bunched his muscles and Naomi’s heart plummeted. She had meant the comment in jest but apparently she had struck a nerve.

“I made a deal with Michael,” he said, bringing them back to her original question. “I told him I’d treat you honorably if he would allow me to speak with Gabriel.”

He volunteered this information so there must have been more to it. “If Michael was worried about my honor, would he not have kept you away from me?”

“He could have tried.”

Smiling despite the arrogance in this tone, Naomi moved his hair aside and cuddled up to his back. The fire had warmed his chest and her hands moved across the heated contours eagerly. It was thrilling to know she could touch him whenever she wanted, however she wanted.

“What else did you promise Michael?” She spoke the words against the warm hollow where his shoulder met his neck.

He turned in her arms and framed her face with his hands. “We have wandered far off course here. I promised I would treat you honorably and I am not sure what has gone on tonight qualifies as honorable.”

Slowly licking her lips, Naomi drew his attention to her mouth. “I came to you.”

“And now I must do what is right.”

She rose up on her toes and kissed him. “Tomorrow we can debate what is right. Tonight belongs to me.” She kissed him again. “I want you…” With her mouth moving against his she finished the sentence, “Inside me.”

* * * * *

He needed to feed.

Making love with Naomi had left him drained and weak. She lay curled against his back, her arm looped over his waist and he didn’t want to leave the comfort of her embrace.

Dark hunger clawed at his gut, refusing to subside, so he carefully moved her arm and slipped out of bed. She looked like a child, so peaceful and serene, but Gideon could still feel her writhing beneath him and clawing his back as she found release.

Shaking away the lingering memories, he quietly dressed and walked out into the night. But it was no longer night. Dawn had brushed the sky with the first few shades of morning.

“You better hurry. You waited almost too long to feed.”

Gideon cursed beneath his breath but didn’t bother to turn around. He could smell Domieno’s stench and feel his evil.

“Let me show you something,” Domieno said, a demonic compulsion accompanying the words.

A groan tore from Gideon’s throat as his body obeyed. They moved quickly through the shadows, faster than human eyes could see. Beyond the castle walls and into the forest, Gideon struggled against the demon’s urging to no avail. The crumbling ruins of some ancient structure came into view and Domieno released his hold.

“Here we are,” the demon said. “Human kindness at its finest.”

Gideon didn’t understand until he looked more closely at the shadows surrounding him. Children lay sleeping in every corner of the ruin, seeking what little shelter the broken walls could provide.

Anger and pity wrestled within him until Gideon forgot his hunger. “Why are they here?” he whispered.

Domieno shrugged, leaning one shoulder against a section of wall still standing. “No one wants them. They are castoffs, orphans. Most of the creatures in the village do well to keep their own children fed.”

Awed by their perfect little faces, Gideon moved among the children. He carefully kept his back to Domieno, not wanting the demon to know that his heart was pounding. They were filthy and horribly thin. Some had no shoes and most had no cloaks despite the crisp, early morning air. They clung to each other for warmth, sleeping in small clusters.

“Pathetic, are they not? Most will not last through the winter. There is no help for it.”

Gideon spun to face him, protective instincts surging to the surface. “Why have you brought me here?”

“Do you not see?” His flat, soulless eyes suddenly flashed with malevolent intent. “Take your fill. Feed ’til you burst. No one will miss them. No one cares.”

Fury spun out of control before Gideon could restrain his reaction. He flew at Domieno and pinned him to the wall with his forearm. “Do not touch these children!”

The demon laughed, his fetid breath fanning Gideon’s face. The little girl nearest them tossed restlessly.

“I have no reason to touch them, Gideon.” Domieno shoved him away. “But you do. They are going to die anyway. Why cast suspicion on yourself by feeding in the village?”

Gideon glanced at the little girl, worried that she might awaken. “I will not feed on children,” he whispered, clenching his teeth.

Domieno grinned. “Then you will feed on Naomi?”

“Never!”

“Her scent is all over you, friend. You claimed her tonight. Don’t bother to deny it. Have you told her? Does she know what you really are?”

Gideon turned, meaning to leave the ruin, but Domieno slammed him against the wall, holding him there just as he had done moments before.

“Stop denying what you are. You made a deal with Michael. You promised to demonstrate your honor and before one day passed in Naomi’s presence, you were rutting between her thighs. You defiled a virgin. You are one of us already!”

He shoved against the demon but Domieno didn’t budge. “I promised Michael I would actively seek redemption and that is what I intend to do.”

“What you were doing for the past four hours does not lead to redemption, my friend. It leads to—”

“I will not speak of Naomi with you!”

Domieno stepped back, folding his arms across his chest. “You’re running out of time. That was true before, but your new agreement makes it doubly so. What were you thinking?”

Gideon resented the amusement in Domieno’s tone. Still, this was neither the time nor the place for a confrontation. “I was thinking of a permanent solution to my unrest.”

“We can offer you that and more, but you have to stop pretending. That is all you have been doing—pretending.”

The demon dissolved into a cloud of rancid mist.

Covering his nose and mouth with his hand, Gideon fought down the bile rising into his throat.

Why did Domieno persist in tormenting him? And why did his arguments ring true? He didn’t regret making love to Naomi, but he should have resolved his future before he—

A distressed cry drew his attention to the little girl. He took an unconscious step back and started to release his corporeal body but the child didn’t scream. She stared back at him with huge, frightened eyes yet she made no sound or movement.

“Fear not,” he said softly. “I mean you no harm.”

“Something smells bad,” she whispered, holding her nose with her finger and thumb.

“Aye, but the air will clear. Go back to sleep.”

Scrambling up from her leafy bed, the girl walked toward him. Her head tilted a little more with each step. “You are very tall.”

Lazy rays of sunlight sank through the tree limbs and touched the ground near Gideon’s foot. He needed to leave. He needed to feed! But the child fascinated him. Her long hair had been braided in a thick plait. Twigs and leaves now adorned the braid. Even through the dirt, Gideon could see the purity of her oval face and the innocence in her wide blue eyes.

His soul ached for all he had lost.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Gideon. I’m the night watchman and I stopped by to see that all is well.”

Her mouth gaped for a second and then she snapped it shut. “Jack won’t like this at all.”

“Who is Jack and why will this displease him?”

“Jack be my brother and now you know our secret.”

She seemed genuinely distressed so Gideon bent to one knee and took one of her hands. “What’s your name, little one?”

“My name’s not little one.” She smiled prettily, assuring him that she had intentionally twisted his words. “Midge be my name.”

“Very well, Midge. Will Jack be cross with you or will he be cross with me?”

“Jack grumbles and grumps at everyone, but this here is our hideout. No one’s supposed to know but us.”

“I see.” Gideon stood and brushed the dirt from his hose. “I do not intend to tell anyone. Your secret is safe.”

“Can I tell Jack you were here? I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”

“Aye, tell him. I would like to talk with Jack, but I’m the night watchman and ’tis nearly day.”

“Will you come back tomorrow night?”

“I don’t know. I must leave now, but I will see you again.”

Her eyes followed him as he slipped farther into the trees. He must speak with Roderick about these children. Why would orphans feel it necessary to hide in the forest? Someone should be seeing to their care.

He was exhausted and famished and he had to seek shelter from the sun. Concentrating on the image of a falcon, he spread his arms and launched himself upward. Flapping his wings in strong, even strokes, he held his hunger at bay a moment longer for one precious glimpse of the morning sky.

Naomi spent the morning with Roderick and Kruthers. The bailiff offered information with an economy of words that made Naomi smile. He was knowledgeable and Roderick obviously trusted him, but the man appeared to have been fashioned without a personality.

She retreated to her tower room late in the afternoon, hoping to finish her sketch of Brother Gabriel before the light faded. The desk was surprisingly comfortable. A pad had been attached to the bench and being able to adjust the angle of the workspace was a luxury she had never before experienced.

With careful strokes of the pen and gentle sweeps of the brush, Naomi added the finishing touches to her guardian’s beloved features. Tapping the end of the brush against the edge of the workspace, she studied the drawing.

Sadness crept over her for a moment but tenderness chased it away. She missed him terribly. Her childhood had been filled with warmth and security because of Brother Gabriel. He had been a truer father to her than many children knew.

But more importantly, he had helped shape her character. He had helped her develop attitudes and perspectives that would serve her well as she took her place in the world.

“He knows you love him. You never need to worry about that.”

Naomi glanced at the door. Gideon stood there but she hadn’t heard him enter.

“Sometimes I get impatient,” he told her with a sardonic smile.

He had bound his hair, accenting the harsh angles of his face and his sword was strapped to his side. Naomi pushed back the bench and stood. He always looked fierce. Right now he looked dangerous.

“You were gone when I woke,” she said softly. “I was disappointed.”

“I’ll try harder tonight.”

She smiled at his brash response. With slow, calculated steps he approached her. Immediately her breathing sped up and her pulse raced. “You look ready for battle. Has someone displeased you?”

He cupped her cheek in his palm and stroked her lips with his thumb. “Were your guards at their posts today?”

“Aye. They have followed me around like puppies all day. You do realize if you had arranged the rotation last night…”