Mark of the Fallen: A Fallen Novel Read online

  ***

  “Collective." He nodded, leaning easily against the kitchen counter.

  "That was a cute little stunt you pulled in the Quarter. It took me nearly an hour to get away from those people. It turned into a mob scene, the police had to come. I hope you're happy with yourself." She peered at him from over the open pantry door, her eyes twinkling and he knew she was smiling even though he couldn't see her mouth.

  "Extremely. That's what you get for embarrassing me like that. Fat Bottomed Girls? Really?" She closed the cabinet door, a bottle of water in her hand and went to sit on the sofa. He followed, grunting indignantly, his eyes on her ass.

  "You love that song." He laughed. "It was the only song I could think of when you came jogging up looking all hot and tempting. You have a great ass; besides, the only other song that came to mind was "Me So Horny." She nearly sprayed him with the water that came shooting from her lips in surprise. "I thought you would appreciate Queen more. Anyway, let’s go on vacation. Ditch your classes and less go to Tahiti. You and me, drinking fruity drinks and getting massages on the beach. It’s summer, you’re hot, I’m young, let’s go. Why do you need school anyway?"

  "I want to be a doctor. I want to do something meaningful with my life." Celeste was enrolled in Tulane as a third year medical student with hopes of going into genetic research. Both Nicky and Remy had chided her about going to school when she could simply manifest a medical degree. It wasn't like she couldn't obtain the intelligence, but she insisted on being an actual student with her human counterparts. It was what made her unique in her world. She enjoyed her interaction with humans, relished it. She cared for them more than mere play things or curiosities. She loved the human world, she fit there, much better than she did in her own world. It was part of the reason she kept Nicky around, he kept her grounded in reality.

  "You being you is meaningful. You're a goddess, for Christ's sake, how much more meaning do you need? "

  She rolled her eyes and sighed.

  "I want to be more ...” she said knowing he would understand. Nicky always understood.

  "So what did the almighty Collective want?" To him, the work of the Collective always sounded as if it were some shadowy faction like the CIA or MI5. Everything they did was covert, and Celeste was always being summoned, night and day. She would disappear for an hour of a day, sometimes for hours, sometimes days .When she returned she was always a little tense; today she was just about humming with tension. Her run had done nothing to quell her jangled nerves. Something out of the norm had happened.

  "They wanted to introduce us to potential new clans joining the Collective. There were two crossovers from the Dark Fae. Well, one was from the Dark side. The other ... the other I don't know what he wants." She picked at the label on the water bottle, worrying it with her thumbnail until it came free. She kept her eyes down, watching as the paper fell to the rug in a gentle spiral. Nicky's well pedicured, flip flop adorned feet came into view and she took a chance, looking up. He'd perched himself on the edge of the coffee table, those sky blue eyes of his, solemn as he quietly waited for her to speak. She exhaled and debated whether or not she would say anything. Nicky was the one person she had confided in. The one person who knew all of her demons.

  He was silent, his face an expressionless stone wall. He didn't move, didn't breath as he waited. She reached out taking his hand in hers and sighed once more, a deep sigh that pushed out all of the bad, stale air that had collected in her lungs.

  "It was him, Nicky. Karim. He's here," she said, and felt the brief tightening of Nicky's fingers around her own. He was going to speak, then he didn't. Instead, he gave her a quick tug and she was pulled into a steady, gentle hug. They stayed that way for a moment, on their knees in the middle of the living room in a strong and silent embrace. As usual, Nicky always knew just what she needed.

  "So how badly did you kick his ass?" he asked and she laughed. He held her at arm's length and smiled.

  "Not as badly as I wanted too. Remy and Julian pulled me off of him. But ... he came to my room ... afterwards. He is ... there is just something ..." She stood up, turning away from him as she prepared to let this next piece of news fly.

  "He made a move on you."

  She turned to look at him. Nicky had eased onto the sofa and sat with his hands behind his head, staring.

  "How...?" She stared and Nicky snorted.

  "Of course he made a move. He would be insane if he didn't try something." He patted the cushion beside him and she came to sit with him. He draped an arm around her shoulders and sighed. "He doesn't have a desert or ocean separating him from what he wants. He had to make a move."

  "Nicky, he abandoned me in the desert. That is a pretty clear sign that he's just not into me. Not really anyway. Whenever he gets close, he pulls back like he's ... I don't know. Like he's playing with me. I don't like it. I don't like him. I just want to pluck his eyes out, rip off his head and break him in half."

  "But you didn't and it's not like you didn't have a chance. And believe me, he wants you, Ce." Nicky sighed, kissing the top of her head.

  "We all do," he teased, and she managed a rueful chuckle.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Persia, 466 BC

  Karim packed their things, strapping them carefully to his horse, his eyes on Calie as she put out the fire she'd set when the sun had begun to set and the air turned cool. The material of her tunic was dark, but very sheer, allowing her body to be cooled during the day when the sun blazed across the sand. At night, it gave nearly no protection, the wind cutting through the thin cotton gauze, emphasizing the fullness of her breasts and the gentle curve of her hips. She leaned forward and the neckline pulled away from her body, giving him the full view of bare breasts, her nipples tight from the cold.

  For the better part of a week, he had traveled with her across the desert, sleeping during the grueling day and traveling at night. The more time he spent with the goddess, the more enchanted he became by her. She was sweet and honest to a fault. She asked questions that would make any other woman blush, but her innocence, her gentle nature, was disarming. He had not expected to find such purity in a warrior goddess.

  He had only witnessed her ferocity once. On their second night together two marauding thieves had invaded their camp. The men had arrived just at dusk, just as he was rising from his slumber. He could hear the voices, men barking orders at a delicate woman alone in the desert. By the time Karim had completely risen, ready to charge into the night with his sword drawn, Calie had taken one of the men to his knees. He watched as she fought, barehanded against two brutish men. She was magnificent in battle, agile and graceful with a speed and viciousness that would make the strongest Amazon proud.

  When it was done, she looked back at him, her eyes a steely grey, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. Her long dark hair caught the breeze and flew behind her like a great black cape. She smiled, her delicate fangs dripping with the blood of the fallen men.

  "We now have two horses. There was a third, but he ran off. They are still warm if you need to feed," she said with a blood soaked smile. Karim lost his heart in an instant.

  He watched her shift, and his gaze went from the tops of her perfect breasts down the plain of her stomach to the soft hint of curls at her center. Swallowing, he averted his gaze, cursing himself for looking. He cursed the fact that his body responded even more. He'd promised Nyx that she would not be touched. He was not allowed to touch her. She was his charge and he was to protect her, not lust after her.

  "How much longer do you think it will take?" she asked suddenly, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

  "What?” he asked, his tone much harsher than he'd intended. He was staring again, damn him he couldn't help himself. He was drawn to her, that sweetness pulled at his heart. He'd stay awake until well after the sun had risen in the shade of the tent, listening to her speak of her home with the Amazons and being one of the primordial. He would tell he
r of his home in the desert, answering her questions until well into the afternoon. She was so curious and excited by everything in a world she had lived in for centuries but had barely seen. She was smart and funny, a little too honest and completely beguiling. He was done for and he knew it.

  He avoided eye contact, busying himself by packing the tent. She sighed in exasperation, a sound he had grown accustomed to over time. She did it whenever she felt the slightest bit of frustration.

  "Until we get to Pelusium? How long?" she repeated, wrapping her arms around herself. She was freezing, her lips turning slightly blue. He reached for a bedroll shaking it so that the blanket opened with a flourish. They had traveled together for over week now and he cared for her more and more with each passing day. He'd seen her strip down to bathe, watching her when he should have been asleep. She was always so warm, and he could not stop thinking of her hot, sweaty body writhing beneath him in the sun warmed sand. Shaking off the image, he took two steps closer.

  "Another week or two. It depends on how often I get to feed." He wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, coming close enough that he could smell the vanilla of her hair and the lavender of her skin. She looked up at him with those magnificent blue eyes and he could no longer breathe.

  She hadn't really seen him this closely before, but now she openly inspected him, his ice green eyes, long dark hair that fell forward as he wrapped her in the warmth of the blanket. He smelled of sand and though there was none within miles, the ocean. He had a trace of stubble that gave him a rugged look, his angular face was tense, his jaw clenched and unclenched as he stood looking down at her.

  "Do you need to feed now?" she asked, trying to read his expression. "You can take from me, if it will help." She brushed her long braid over her shoulder and tilted her head. He stared at the delicate curve of her neck, watching the gentle pulse of her heartbeat in the throbbing vein there. He wanted to taste her, to have her in every possible way.

  "No.” His voice was low, a strained whisper. He looked down, his hair falling forward, masking his eyes. She reached up, gently brushing his thick tresses off of his forehead so that she could see those amazing eyes.

  "You have the most glorious eyes. They are the most beautiful and kindest eyes I have ever seen. When you pulled me from the sea, they were the first thing I saw and I knew that you would protect me," she said.

  He grasped her wrist, the movement so swift that she was left breathless; she felt her heart hammering in her chest.

  "Did I say the wrong thing again?" she asked.

  He met her gaze, his body coiled tighter at the slightest touch of her silken skin. He ran a thumb over the pulse point that matched her erratic heartbeat, his fangs extending. She moistened her lips, her pink tongue darting out to caress her full top lip. He held in a groan as his body went hard and hot, he wanted to kiss her mouth. Everything about her made him want her. The haughty tilt of her chin, the way she flipped her mane of dark hair over her shoulders. Her constant prattle as she asked question after question and her brutal, but completely innocent honesty. Standing so close, her smell was intoxicating and he could only imagine that she tasted like fresh peaches and berries.

  "If you don't need to feed, why are your fangs getting longer?" Her voice was a croak, pushed through the tightness in her throat. He moved closer, his body nearly pressed into her, those eyes lightened, if that were possible, until they were the color of moonlight and her breath caught, "Do you mean to have me now?" she asked on an exhale.

  'Do you want me to have you, Calie?" he asked, his lips close to her cheek.

  "I see the way you watch me when you think I'm not looking. I see your body react to my gaze. You want to take me, lay with me in the sand, brand me as yours. Yet you do not. Why is that? Do you not find me pleasing?" She asked, her own voice a warm whisper against his ear.

  "You are very pleasing, Calie." Every hair on his body stood on end and he could feel his arousal throbbing against his trousers. How had someone so innocent made him so hard without even trying? He closed his eyes and fought the urge to lift her tunic and drive himself into the moist folds of her sex, feel her heat around him welcoming him.

  Against his better judgment, he stroked her cheek; the feel of soft smooth skin beneath his fingertips was like a shock to his system. His fingers sank into jet colored hair that was softer than silk and darker than moonless midnight.

  "Oh hell.” He pulled her close, his lips covering hers and all of the air left her lungs. Her lips were softer than he imagined, her mouth tasted of honey and something so sweet he had no name for it. His tongue slipped into that sweet honey, his body pressing into her. He could feel the heat from her core through the thin tunic, the moisture as she went wet and limp against him. She gripped his shoulders, her mouth pliant, and her body willing to accept him.

  He pulled away, taking a step back before turning his back on her, his body shaking from the need for more. He could still smell her arousal strong and delicious, vanilla and sugar wafted around her like an aphrodisiac. Her body was so soft and willing and he cursed his weakness.

  "Why did you stop? Did I not do it properly?" she asked, confusion in her tone.

  Karim could not look at her without his body enacting a revolt. He had made a promise not to do this and here he was ready to have her in the moonlight. He groaned, his body aching for the need of her.

  "You did nothing wrong." He moaned.

  "Then why?" She was coming closer. He could feel her, smell her scent getting stronger though her feet made no sound on the sand.

  "Because I cannot." He choked, his erection straining, his body aching for the release that would never come.

  "I do not understand." She stood before him, those luminous eyes staring up at him, and his erection twitched, pulling, straining against his trousers. His fangs were extended and his pale eyes cold, hard as he stared at her, his brow furrowed in agony and need.

  "If we continue, I will not be able to stop myself from taking you Calie." She was puzzled by that statement.

  She pulled the blanket tighter around her body, a new chill running through her.

  "I want you to,” she said and he looked as if he were going to explode. His jaw tightened and his body just about vibrated at her words.

  "I cannot have you," he said through clenched teeth, "Do you not understand? The reason I was sent to find you is because I owe your grandmother a debt. That is the only reason." She looked at him, her face stony.

  "You are a task, Calie, a task that I intend to complete. Once I deliver you to Pelusium you will never see me again. Do you understand? You are a duty to me, nothing more."

  "I see." She nodded, her eyes cool. "I see that your mouth says one thing, but your body tells a different story." She mounted her horse, ignoring his hand of assistance. He swung himself onto his own stallion, his straining arousal making him uncomfortable. She glanced back a knowing smile on her kiss swollen lips. Just a duty indeed, he thought again hating his body for betraying him.

  ***

  He could hear the wind picking up as he climbed the stone staircase out of the compound. His hands were always cold but with the added chill in the air, his fingers were downright icy. He pulled up his collar as he exited, moving slowly across the crumbling remains of the stone bridge. He stood looking over the precipice, his brow furrowed as he contemplated his next move. Below there was nothing but darkness, ahead a thick fog. He knew what lay ahead, if he continued into the thick haze. He would return to his point of entry, an abandoned warehouse in Miami. If he went down, well, if he went down he could get to his destination a lot faster. Karim looked back over his shoulder at the remains of what was once the keep of a castle. Now it was a ruin that acted as camouflage.

  And she was in there. Or she had been.

  Exhaling, he knew that he had no choice. He had to seek help from the only person he could ask. He closed his eyes and silently called out, his mind searching for his target. When he felt the calm roll
over him, he said a silent prayer then stepped over the edge falling silently into the abyss.

  ***

  He materialized on the steps of the temple, hidden deeply in the aromatic darkness beyond Olympus. His skin was immediately warmed by the summery air that always surrounded the place. He mounted the steps quickly, before he lost his nerve and ran like the coward he was. Before he reached the large marble doors, they swung open, welcoming him inside, with the heavy perfume of the ever-blooming garden within. He stepped inside and his senses were overloaded by the fragrance of flowers blooming in the sanctuary. The cloying scent of the large white moonflowers that crept up the stone walls and across the ceiling wafted down to him. The honey and almond scent from Night Phlox swept in reminding him of the taste of Celeste's mouth, and the smell of lavender lingered as it had in her hair and on her skin. There were other things in there as well, creatures that lurked in the night. He could see yellow eyes peering at him from the shadows created by the greenery. The leaves would rustle every once in a while letting him know that they were in there, watching him, lurking in the shadows. He could see yellow eyes peering at him from the shadows created by the greenery.

  The deep green foliage made the hall even darker, blocking out the pale light that managed to creep in, but the colors, the colors of the flowers were amazing. It was as if he'd stepped into the Garden of Eden. He walked along the narrow path that led to a room drenched in light, passing a fountain filled with water lilies in every beautiful color of the rainbow. He hadn't seen the need to come here for nearly a millennium, and nothing had truly changed since his last visit.

  He made his way into the open, airy room that she occupied, her back to him as she sat on a lounger reading silently. She wore capri pants in a shade of deep green and a white polo shirt. Her thick dark hair was in a ponytail, her feet bare. If he didn't know better, he would think she was nothing more than your average soccer mom. He knew better than that.