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I shiver. “I will be. His soul was just...so tormented. He traded his soul for the health of someone close to him. Someone like a brother. I couldn’t remain focused long enough to read further. I’m sorry. He is healed as best as I could manage though. Hopefully it’ll buy you time. The demon with his contract hid a stipulation which transferred the lung cancer to him.”
She blinks her eyes, working through the swelling emotions inside her. “That bastard demon. He must’ve learned from Lucian personally on crappy deals.”
I sigh and scrub my hand over my face. Shedding the darkness of Elias’s soul is harder than I expected. “Perhaps. I—” A strange wave of dizziness washes over me. “I’m sorry. His soul—”
Warm fingers sink into my cheeks, and I narrow my attention on Raven’s glorious soul shining before me. She cradles my face between her palms, saying my name, and I manage to use her light to destroy the lingering darkness. Electricity zings through us, and she gasps, falling into me. I automatically engulf her in my arms and pull her up, not letting her slide to the ground.
“Healing Elias had a worse impact on me than I expected. It’s one of the reasons we tend to leave Hell-bound souls be,” I murmur, adjusting my legs until I sit on the ground with her on my lap.
Raven surprises me by hugging me tighter, burying her face into the crook of my neck. “Thank you for helping us despite it. I owe you.”
The pressure of her body sinking onto my erection sets me off with a deep-seated ache that forces me to tighten my hands on her hips to adjust her. I can’t stop the breath of a moan escaping my lips, my body reacting so intensely to Raven. I consider abandoning her to do what she recommended, despite my promise.
“You owe me nothing, little hellion,” I manage to murmur, my thoughts whirling with a dozen scenarios of what I desire to happen next. “But if you’d like to help me in return, I’d gladly appreciate it. The brilliance of your soul brings me great relief.”
She tilts her head. “Even though Lucian taints me with his evilness?”
I smile and touch her cheek. “Your soul happens to be the one exception, it seems.”
“Then do what you need. I don’t mind.” Her stunning blue-green eyes capture mine, the deep navy rings around her irises a dark contrast to the mixture of emerald and turquoise.
Drawing my eyes lower, I memorize her slender nose and full ruby lips, painted with makeup. I suddenly crave to taste her mouth, wondering if her lips are as sweet as their cherry color. And then her pink tongue glides along the seam of her mouth like she anticipates me leaning in and recreating our moment alone in her dream world.
“Raven, I desire to kiss you,” I say, running my thumb across her pout.
“Are you sure that’s what you want? I wasn’t joking about wanting to corrupt you. It’s my mission,” she says, her honesty the purest thing in the moment. I appreciate it more than she could know. As long as we’re both aware of our desires and the grim possibilities that can occur, I can navigate my mission without losing sight.
I offer her an assuring smile. “You can try your best, but that’s an impossible task, Raven. The only bad thing about you is Lucian’s chain, and even then, it does nothing to me. So to answer your question, yes, I’m most certain. I yearn to know what it’s like to kiss you on this physical plane.”
With a small nod, Raven tilts her head and caresses her lips to mine, the feather-softness of her caress prodding at something warm inside me. Goosebumps prickle over my body, and I deepen our kiss, tasting the sweet sugar flavor of her tongue. Just the simple gliding of her tongue across mine ignites an undeniable desperation inside me, and I slide my hand down the length of her back and pull her into me, needing the pressure and weight of her body against mine to stop me from floating away on this ride of excitement.
She combs her fingers through my hair, rocking her hips like she wants to feel my desire for her. I moan and dig my fingers into the soft skin of her waist. The pleasure she brings with such a simple gesture sets my body off, each touch, each shift, even just the sensation of her breath on my mouth as she pulls away makes me feel as if I’m ascending to the point where I’ll have nowhere to go except back down.
She gasps and eases away, clutching onto my shoulders like I’m the only thing keeping her grounded as our essences try to soar away together. “I have to stop,” she mumbles, her heaving chest grazing her breasts against me—breasts I imagine are as perfect as the parts of her I see now. “If I don’t...” She shivers. “You’re not ready for that.”
I try to keep her in place. “I’m ready for anything, my little hellion.”
“Then maybe I’m not.” Raven shifts out of my arms and gets to her feet, kicking our private world back into motion. “Thank you, Andre. For everything.”
I frown and use my wings to launch me up. Towering over her, I look into her eyes, trying to get a read on her soul, but she steps away. “Have I done something wrong? I apologize if—”
I shudder, my words cutting off as I sense the quivering darkness of Hell rising from my right. Without finishing my thought, I launch into the air, leaving Raven standing over Elias in the grass. Dante stalks in their direction, his body soaked in the filth of demon guts. I only watch for a second as Raven throws her hands up at Dante, her shouts lost on the whistling wind.
I can’t bear to witness the most breathtaking soul I’ve ever seen lose itself to a devil’s darkness, especially after reminding me of Heaven. My body still buzzes and aches, and I fly to a rooftop and bow against an access door, clinging onto Raven’s light and the memory of her closeness. Unzipping my pants, I pull out my erection and stroke my fingers along the length of my shaft, taking care to massage myself in the fast, exciting strokes I get from my thoughts of Raven.
My body tenses, and I moan, staring at my release splattering on the door. My vision turns white, the pleasure and relief from a simple act helping to clear my mind. I inhale a few long breaths and slow my racing heart. It feels as if it wants to escape my chest to chase the soul that calls to me, wanting nothing more than to feel my light and love and grace but a soul so afraid of unleashing darkness that Raven will deny what could be something glorious and pure between us. She doesn’t see it, but I’m good for her and her soul. She can’t corrupt me.
It makes me more determined to prove it.
I will show her that there is hope beyond her binds to Lucifer. She can experience good grace and Heaven with me.
“Andre, I’ve been calling to you. What has kept you from responding?” Cassius’s deep voice cuts through the air behind me.
I stiffen and adjust my pants, not allowing him to see he caught me in an act intended for humanity. “Raven.” I cannot lie to Cassius despite knowing he’ll be displeased. “Her soul keepers are up to something.”
“You are not to be around her.” Cassius scowls and gives me a once over, trying to figure out what I hide from him. “She—”
“She could be useful.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I know you worry, Cass, but I know my purpose, and I will not allow a single soul to ruin that. Yet, I also can’t seem to get the thought of gaining her trust out of my mind. My instincts believe she can do what we have been incapable of accomplishing. She can keep us informed about Hell’s plans. Kindness goes a long way. So does mercy. Have you thought about that? Instead of disregarding her, we should see what she is willing to do to help the Higher Power.”
