We were falling, sinking, spinning, our insides churning outward in a soul-rending process that sank us deep into a horrible miasma of pain and nausea. Just when I thought I was going to pass out or die (I wasn't sure which, and at that point, didn't really care), the horror ended and I dropped to a yielding, warm surface.
"Ow!" grunted the surface.
I pushed myself off, apologizing under my breath to Theo. "Sorry about that. Did I hurt you? What just happened? Who is that horrible man? How did he come through the wall? And just where the blistering inferno are we?"
"Ah. There you are. You may leave, Digan."
I was insanely glad that Theo made me put my bathrobe on. The man who had spoken strolled into view as we got to our feet. My jaw just about hit my feet at the sight of him - he was one of the most beautiful men who'd ever walked the earth. Theo was handsome - almost too handsome, with his dark, brooding looks that seemed to do odd things to my stomach - but this man was astoundingly, breathtakingly beautiful. Dark blond, curly hair framed a face that was almost feminine, with high cheekbones, sculpted honey blond eyebrows, startlingly blue eyes, and full lips that quirked as I gawked.
"You like this form?" the man asked, doing a little twirl for me. The rest of him was just as impressive as his face, but as he came closer, my skin crawled. His hair suddenly turned dark, straightened, and grew about a foot. His brow broadened, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his jaw became more pronounced as his entire face morphed into that of another equally beautiful man. "Or perhaps you like this one better?"
Theo's arm slid around my waist. I leaned into him, pulling comfort from the contact. I didn't know who the morphing man in front of us was, but I didn't like him.
"No? You prefer redheads?"
He changed again, this time into a freckled, red-haired man with an angular jaw and glittering grey eyes.
Theo's arm tightened around me. "You are Bael, I presume?"
My eyes widened. This beautiful man was a demon lord, the first prince of Abaddon?
"I have that honor." The man bowed politely at Theo, then turned to me and laughed at what was probably a horrified expression on my face. "Since you have no preference, my dear, I shall go back to my normal Tuesday form."
He shifted back to the blond Adonis with no visible effort, turning to a large desk that sat behind him. I looked quickly around us. "This is hell?" I asked Theo in a whisper. "I expected something along the lines of pits of fire and a hail of brimstone."
"I detest the smell of brimstone," Bael said, pulling a sheet of paper from his desk and glancing over it. "And pits of fire make the fax machine act up. Ah, yes, the matter of the demon Nefere."
We appeared to be in the office of an affluent businessman, the standard desk with computer, phone, and assorted office-type items behind the demon lord. A comfy suede couch sat on one side of the room, while on the other a glass table held a magnificent floral bouquet. It was everything one did not expect to find as the headquarters of the most powerful being in hell.
Not that I believed in hell...or at least I didn't before I found myself standing before the head honcho.
"It seems that you destroyed the mortal form of my demon, Nefere," Bael said, giving me a smile that raised goose bumps on my arms. I looked away from him, unable to look into his eyes.
He propped himself up on the edge of the desk, waving us to a couple of chairs that sat before it. "Please, be comfortable."
I leaned harder into Theo, not wanting to get anywhere near the beautiful, evil man.
"We prefer to stand," Theo answered. "I admit to destroying the demon's form, but will point out that I did not summon it, and thus I can't be held responsible for the destruction."
"The one who summoned Nefere has nothing to do with this situation." Bael frowned and looked at the paper again before setting it aside. "I understood that the virtue named Portia Harding destroyed my demon's form?"
"I didn't mean to destroy him," I said quickly, earning myself a sharp squeeze from Theo. Obviously he was trying to shift the blame to himself, but I couldn't allow him to do that. "Hang on now! I am new to this whole virtue thing, and didn't know how to control the power. I will do better next time, I'm sure."
"I am Portia's champion. I urged her to destroy the demon, therefore the blame is mine. Although I deny your right to punish either of us, if there is to be punitive action, I must insist that it be dealt according to precedence." Theo held Bael's gaze steadily, not shying away from that dread gaze at all.
"You wish to martyr yourself for the lady, eh? I admit it is tempting to punish a virtue," Bael said, tapping a finger to his chin while he eyed me. I couldn't keep from fidgeting slightly. "It has been many centuries since I have had the opportunity to do so. However, current politics makes me hesitate to strike a blow against a denizen of the Court, thus I will accept your petition and recognize you as champion."
The muscles in Theo's arm, which had been as tight as steel, relaxed. I had no idea why he thought it was a good thing that he be punished in my place, but I wasn't about to debate the point. "You both assume too much. I am wholly responsible for my actions, and if there is to be punishment, I will be the only one to incur it," I said firmly, looking at a spot just beyond Bael's head.
"Don't be ridiculous, Portia," Theo growled in my ear. "You are mortal still. Punishment could kill you. I am immortal. There isn't much he can do to me."
"If his punishment isn't that bad, then I can take it," I argued back in a whisper.
"I didn't say it won't be bad. He can't kill me without violating terms of the peace treaty between the Court and Abaddon. Let me do this - it's part of my job."
I opened my mouth to protest, but Bael interrupted.
"The point is moot, virtue. Your champion has been recognized as your official representative, and to him the punishment will be dealt." Bael walked toward us, sketching a symbol in the air that glowed sickly black. "Now, how shall I punish you? Taking a few years of your life are no use - you will not miss a few years in the several thousand you will live. Physical pain, perhaps? A good old-fashioned medieval torturefest?"
I shuddered and grabbed the hand that held my waist. Next to me, Theo stood silent and still.
"No, I think that would be almost as ineffective, albeit amusing at the time." Bael's eyes narrowed. "Nephilim are notoriously hard to punish, since their very lives are penance for the sins of their fathers. Hmm. Perhaps I could simply wipe away your memory?"
"You do, and you'll have to answer to me," I said, driven to an unreasonable outspokenness by my irritation with my own fear of Bael. I've never been afraid of anything before, and it galled me to find myself almost sick with terror.
He ignored my outburst as if it wasn't worthy of his attention. "You know, really, it's a shame nephilim are protected under the treaty. We have need of your kind in Abaddon."
Theo looked utterly bored. I wanted to cheer at such a brave act in the face of the bad-ass demon lord. "Punish me, if you will, but make it quick. We were pleasantly engaged when your demon fetched us."
"Full points for such eloquent acting," Bael said, laughing, but the amusement didn't reach his eyes. They were flat, glittering, brittle blue lights, absolutely devoid of all emotions. I shivered in response, wanting desperately to be away from him. He didn't make any overtly menacing moves, but there was something around him, an aura of peril that made my flight instincts kick in.
Bael's cold gaze flickered to me. "It would be so much more fun with just the lady...ah, well. Another time, perhaps?"
"I would just about give anything to make sure that doesn't happen," I said, my mouth suddenly dry.
He smiled, but said nothing before turning back to Theo. "As for you - I believe I have a solution to my quandary. It is a bit extreme, but then, I've found that people learn so much better if the punishment is suitably harsh."
Theo's body tensed next to me as Bael put his hand on Theo's forehead, leaning close to say in a voice filled with so much evil portent that I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from vomiting, "I curse thee, Theondre North. As you spend the centuries alone, shunned, and empty, remember me."
A golden light burst forth from Theo, surrounding us until it blinded me. Theo was wrenched from my side with such force that I fell to my knees. The light was all around us, brilliant, warm, and so wonderful, I wanted to weep with joy at it.
"Theo? Are you all - "
A man screamed at that moment, a hoarse, gut-ripping sound that seemed to come from the soul. I knew it was Theo. I thrashed my arms around, desperate to find him in the blinding light. "Stop hurting him!" I shouted into the light, lunging to the side where Theo had stood. The light disappeared, leaving me unable to see.
"You are dismissed," a harsh voice growled behind me. Before I could turn around to see who it was, I was picked up and thrown into a brick wall. At least that's what it felt like, but as I shook the stars from my head and raised myself up off the ground, I realized that the demon who had yanked us from my hotel room through the tear in the wall had evidently returned us the same way.
Vision slowly returned to me. "Theo! Sweet mother of reason, are you all right?" I crawled over to where Theo lay facedown on the floor next to my bed. "Where did he hurt you? Is anything broken? Are you bleeding?"
Carefully, I pushed over Theo's unresisting body until he lay on his back. I quickly checked him over for injuries, but found none. "Theo? I can't find anything wrong with you. What did the demon lord do?"
"I'm all right." His eyes opened slowly.
I sucked in my breath, unable to believe what I was seeing. "Your eyes...they're grey."
Theo frowned. "Pardon?"
"Your eyes are grey. They aren't black anymore. Here, I'll show you." I helped him to his feet and opened the door to the wardrobe so he could see. He stared at himself for a moment, then turned back to me, despair and anguish welling up inside him.
"Salus invenitur," he swore.
"Latin was never my strong point. What exactly does that mean?"
"Salvation is found."
I raised my eyebrows in question.
A mirthless smile graced his lips. "It's the nephilim's equivalent to a self-depreciating 'fuck me!'"
"Ah. I like your version better. Why did Bael change your eyes?"
His jaw tightened. "That is merely a side effect of the curse."
"I heard him say he was cursing you," I said slowly, watching him carefully. So far he seemed perfectly normal, except for the profound sadness that seemed to leach from within him. "But I don't quite understand what happened. What exactly are you cursed with?"
To my amazement, Theo's eyes grew brighter until they were almost white. "He took my soul."
"He what?"
"That light you saw - that was my soul being ripped from my body," Theo said, his face flushed with fury. "The bastard took my soul and left me an empty shell."
"Sweet mother," I whispered, wrapping my arms around him, holding him tight against the sorrow and anger and frustration that filled him. The pain eased a little. I poured into him every molecule of comfort I possessed. "I'm so sorry. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that you got involved in this. I will feel guilty for the rest of my life."
"It's not your fault, sweetling," he murmured, nuzzling my neck. His anger and anguish melted away even more, and something hot and potent filled him instead. "I knew the risk when I offered myself as your champion. Di immortales, you smell good."
A little shiver of excitement skittered down my back as he kissed the hollow behind my ear. "Yes, but if I hadn't been so stupid about believing you, none of this would have happened. I would have been paying attention rather than fighting you every step of the way."
"Mmm. You smell sweet and spicy, like a woman waiting to be satisfied." He pulled back enough to look into my eyes, which were brimming with tears of guilt. "Portia, I forbid you to feel guilt at what happened. There was no avoiding this. Bael cannot punish you without bringing the wrath of the Court down upon your head, and he would not risk such an action."
"Your eyes are almost black again. That doesn't make any sense. How can eye color change? Never mind, it's not important. What is important is the fact that you've lost your soul because of me."
He laughed and nipped my earlobe, his hands roaming over my back and behind. "You never cease to amaze me. I'm surprised that given your skeptical nature and scientific training, you believe in souls."
"I'm agnostic, not a solipsist," I said, a familiar tension building within me at every nibble of his teeth, every touch of his hands. "Logic dictates that if there is a way for your soul to be taken from you, there must be a way to return it. I swear to you now that if it's the last thing I do, I will get you back your soul."
"Smart, sexy, and so delicious," he murmured against my shoulder as my bathrobe parted and slipped down my arms. "I hunger for you, sweetling. Tell me you still want me."
He was hungry. It was growing in him, an unnamed hunger for me, for something that only I could give him. It swelled and spilled out until I shared the hunger, shared the need for physical relief. I ripped his shirt off, heedless of the fact that I was destroying an otherwise nice shirt, rubbing my hands on his chest as he sucked the spot behind my ear that made me see stars.
"Theo, I hate to bring reality into...oh, yes, right there...but I don't have any condoms. I'm all right as far as birth control goes, but do you have any health issues I should be aware of?"
"No. So good," he said against my skin, his breath ragged. As if I wasn't aroused enough, the sound of his harsh breathing pushed me higher. "You taste so damned good, I want to...I don't know what I want. More. I want more."
"You can have all of me," I said in between kisses to his bare shoulder, my hands busy on his belt buckle and zipper even as his hands slid down my behind to the crotch of my teddy. His fingers brushed heat-soaked, sensitive flesh as he undid the snaps. I writhed against him as he peeled the silky teddy off, tormented not just by his burning touch, but by an overwhelming need so foreign, so different, that it shocked me.
I wanted to bite him.
I limited myself to little nipping love bites, nibbling his delectable ear as I pushed his pants and underwear down over his hips.
"Di immortales," he groaned when I wrapped my fingers around his incredibly hot penis, sucking on his earlobe and wishing I could just consume all of him.
He stood still for a moment while I explored the velvety hot hardness, then I was on the bed, Theo crawling up the length of my body, his eyes as black as night. "I hope you're ready for me, Portia, because I don't think I'm going to be able to last much longer."
"Ready, oh-so-willing, and as able as humanly possible," I answered, pulling him down so I could taste his delicious mouth again.
"Salus invenitur," he whispered into my mouth. I sucked his lower lip, sliding my legs around his hips, cushioning his weight and glorying in the sensation of his bare flesh on mine.
"Oh, yes," I cooed, my back arching as he sucked a hard, aching nipple into his mouth, his tongue swirling around it with velvety heat. I'd never felt any pain so exquisite as that, and almost cried out with joy as he guided himself into my body. My mind shut down at the sensation of him parting my waiting flesh, of the feel of his chest against mine, of his mouth on my shoulders, licking the spot where my neck joined my shoulder.
"Portia, I have to...I have to..." Theo groaned as his body stroked into mine, a sudden white hot pain flaring outward from the spot he was kissing. I was flooded with emotions and sensations that didn't make any sense, but were so profound in nature that I just accepted them.
Theo reared back, his eyes shocked, his lips crimson with blood. "Per imperium, what have I done?"
As he spoke, long canine teeth flashed white against the blood.
"I don't know, and right now, I don't give a damn! Just don't stop!"
"This isn't right. I can't...not like this..." His eyes closed, pain written on his face, so intense that it spilled out onto me. "You'll hate me."
I tried to pull him down so I could kiss him, but he resisted. "I don't hate you, Theo. For Pete's sake, I'm damned close to falling in love with you! Don't stop or you'll kill me!"
"You don't understand," he said, turning his head away. "You don't understand what I am now, what Bael has made me."
Vampire. The word echoed in my mind. I ignored it.
"I know that you need me." I turned his face so that I could look into his beautiful black eyes. "I know that there's something I can give you which will ease the pain inside. And I know that we are meant to be together, Theo."
Regret, sorrow, and sadness swamped me as he started to pull away, but I wouldn't let him. I wrapped my arms around him, yanking him back down onto me, kissing him with a passion so deep I was left shaking.
Theo resisted, hard and unyielding...until my tongue invaded his mouth. The taste of my blood was in our mouths, and at it, Theo went wild. He pulled my hips up, pounding into me with a force that knocked pillows from the bed. His mouth was hot on my flesh, pain sharp and hot fading quickly into a sensation so intense, I could swear I felt the pleasure it gave him. I closed my mind to the knowledge of what he was doing, and gave in to the tension that wound tighter and tighter within me.
Theo exploded into an orgasm that pushed me over the edge, his body racking with the need to pour life into me, at the same time he took it. I gave him everything I had, gave him my pleasure, gave him my warmth, filled the empty dark spots where his soul used to be, and accepted from him pleasure that lifted me from the mortal plane and sent me flying.
I was vaguely aware of Theo's weight lifting off me as I floated down, but a great, languid sense of peace and well-being washed over me, leaving me unable to move despite the desire to comfort what I could feel was a profound sense of unease in Theo.
"Portia!"
"Mmm." I stretched a little, relishing the sensation of having been well-loved.
"Portia, you're bleeding."
"Not possible. My period isn't due for another week or so."
"Your neck is bleeding. Where I...where I bit you." Theo's breath was warm on my face as he leaned over me.
"It'll be all right," I said, growing increasingly drowsy. My eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each, impossible to keep open.
The bed lurched. I didn't bother to open my eyes when I heard the door open, followed by the sound of bare feet padding down the hallway. I just lay there and relived the wonderful memories of our lovemaking.
Theo returned with a cloth that he pressed to my neck. "You must make an effort to stay awake, Portia. I think I took too much of your blood."
"You're not hungry anymore," I said slowly, each word seeming to take an inordinate amount of energy to speak. I decided it wasn't worth the energy to try to talk more. I gave you great pleasure. I liked giving you pleasure.
"Wake up, Portia!"
My body lightened and floated upward, drifting around as if I was a mote of light. I drifted higher, no more substantial than a thought. You gave me pleasure, too. More than I'd ever had before. You are a very good lover.
Sweetling, you must fight this. The bleeding won't stop, and you've lost too much already. You have to help me, Portia.
I really think I'm falling for you, Theo. Which is very unlike me, but there it is.
A stinging slap on my right cheek suddenly brought me back to earth. I opened my eyes, shocked that Theo would strike me.
And that's when I realized two things: Theo and I had been speaking into each other's minds, and the word he spoke earlier was an important one.
"Vampire? You're a vampire? You can't be a vampire! You're a nephilim!"
"Don't move," he said, pushing me back onto the bed. "Put your hand here and press down hard."
"Oh, sweet sensibility. I'm bleeding? I'm hemorrhaging? Call the paramedics!"
"It's going to be a bit difficult explaining to the authorities why you're missing so much blood," he said, grabbing the phone off the tiny nightstand.
"You're calling someone? While I'm lying here bleeding to death? Oh my stars, you bit me! You drank my blood! And...and...good gravy, I enjoyed it! It was so...what have you done to me?"
The last few words came out as a wail of self-pity that made me flinch even as I spoke them.
"Calm down, Portia. Panic will make your blood pressure go up," he said, sitting beside me on the bed. He punched a few numbers on the phone, holding it between his shoulder and ear as he edged up the towel I pressed to my neck. "I'm calling someone I met a few years ago. A Dark One."
"A dark what? Not another demon lord! Is it still bleeding?"
"Yes," he replied as I goggled at him. "Not yes, I'm calling a demon lord, but yes, it's still bleeding. Dark Ones are vampires. Or they have been called such - they aren't as evil as legend has painted them. Hello? Christian Dante? I doubt you'll remember me, but we met in 1879 in Paris. My name is Theo North...that's right. Only I don't seem to be a nephilim any longer. Or perhaps I am, but I've - it's a long story. Can I meet with you?"
"I feel woozy. I think I'm going to pass out. Oh my god, I had sex with a vampire! I'm falling in love with a vampire! I fed a vampire!"
Theo covered up the bottom part of the phone. "I'll give you fifty pounds if you don't say 'vampire' again."
"VAMPIRE!" I screamed, snatching a pillow off the floor and hitting him with it. "You drank my blood!"
"You liked it," he said to me, before listening at the phone again, giving whoever was on the other end the name and direction of the pub.
I bit back an oath. He was right, damn him. I did enjoy it. I enjoyed it so much, I suddenly wanted to do it again.
"One more thing, Christian, my...er...she's bleeding. It doesn't seem to be stopping."
"I'm going to die. I'm going to bleed to death because you're a blood-crazed fiend. A sexy, seductive, completely gorgeous blood-crazed fiend." I whacked him again with the pillow. "If I die, I'm never going to forgive you!"
"Hush!" Theo commanded, frowning as he listened into the phone. "You're kidding. All right, I'll try that. Thank you."
"How dare you tell me to hush when I'm having an emotional breakdown," I said, as indignant as someone can be who is lying naked on a bed, next to an also-naked man who was so incredibly fabulous that, despite his blood-drinking frenzy, it made me want to wrestle him to the floor and have my wanton way with him.
"Lie still. You can have your wanton way as soon as I'm done here."
"Done what? What are you doing? What are you...oh, sweet mother of reason!"
Theo's tongue swirled over the spot on my neck that seemed to tingle in a not-unpleasant manner. His entire body froze. Mine went up in flames at his touch. He looked at me. I looked at him.
His fangs were back.
"Did it stop the bleeding?" I asked, clutching big handfuls of the bedding to keep from grabbing him.
"Yes." He seemed to have lost his breath again, his eyes ebony pools of desire, need, and passion.
"Do it again!" I demanded, pulling him down onto me.
He resisted for all of three seconds, then gave in to both our desires. I arched back against the bed as his teeth pierced my breast, his pleasure and satisfaction mingling with my own rapture as he drank.
Now I know why the ladies at work love those vampire books. Holy moly!