A Soulless Year Three Read online

  My patience paid off. As soon as we were behind closed doors, he made my clothes evaporate, apparently intent on checking my condition with his own eyes.

  There was nothing sexual about it, but it still aroused me. I did my best to hide it, although I knew he could see right through me.

  As he set me down on the bed and swept his hands over my naked belly, I found the strength to say, “I thought it would take you longer to come back.”

  “It might have, but we received word of Sunrefni’s attack and it became obvious that I had to return.” Michael sighed. “I had hoped that Metatron would have enough sense to not separate you from Azazel, Sariel, and Yeqon, but he’s always done things his own way. I’ll have to speak to him.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want any special treatment. I mean… If I can help, it’s my responsibility. Isn’t it?”

  The turn of the conversation shifted my focus from our intimate position to far more practical concerns. Meeting his eyes, I wondered if he knew anything about this whole business with the kidnapping. If he’d left the academy to talk to the rest of the leaders of The Heavenly Host, he had to have more information, right? I had to ask. “Michael, I…”

  I trailed off, suddenly having trouble expressing my fears. Morrigan had been leery of sharing this with the rest of the Watchers. She must have been worried that they’d turn on me. What if Michael got angry?

  Michael reached for my hand and cupped it gently. “What is it, Delilah?”

  His comforting warmth and solidity anchored me and gave me the strength I needed to say what I’d originally intended. It was stupid to doubt him. He wasn’t just anyone and he wouldn’t decide to hate me because I’d made a mistake. “Morrigan came. She said that I’m truly the one behind Hope Morningstar’s kidnapping. I just don’t understand how that’s possible. I wouldn’t use a child against a parent.” Not on purpose, at least. “I’m so confused.”

  Michael pursed his lips, but didn’t seem shocked at my confession. “Your powers have always been volatile. You’re getting better at controlling them, or you were. But after you fought Alyssa and that whole business with Chernobyl, I’m not surprised that there were consequences. Lucifer should have seen it coming, but he didn’t.

  “My brother has always been reckless. He fixates on a goal, does whatever it takes to accomplish it, and then ends up with an even bigger mess on his hands because he wasn’t careful. It’s why I hoped to keep Mikael from falling in with him, because I had no doubt he’d get in terrible trouble by Lucifer’s side.”

  That was all well and good, but it didn’t change the fact that the incoming war was, for the most part, my fault.

  I must have said that out loud, because Michael squeezed my hand a little more tightly. “Don’t you dare believe that. You never set out to harm Hope. If she disappeared, it’s because Lucifer attacked you. Had he not come after you, you would have never lashed out at him with your power and his daughter would have been safe. Everyone has to pay the price for their actions, Delilah.”

  I couldn’t argue with that, although I got the feeling he wasn’t just talking about Lucifer now. Michael had to pay a price too, and one that would be far too steep. I ached to reassure him, to tell him his son would still be safe and alive after all of this. But I knew that wasn’t what he needed.

  In that sense, he was like me. He didn’t want empty pep talks, just honest support, like Gorgon had given me before the battle with Sunrefni.

  Gorgon wasn’t here now, but that was fine, because this was between me and Michael. Grabbing hold of his shirt, I pulled him closer, on top of me. I didn’t know if this would help, but I had to believe that, in this way, I’d manage to convey everything I couldn’t physically say.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “You’re a good man.”

  “I can be your family.”

  “We’re together now, and that’s what counts.”

  With a mix of desperation and need, I crushed our mouths together. It wasn’t enough. Nothing was good enough. I couldn’t hope to replace the child Michael was at odds with. But I had to try anyway.

  I wished Sariel and the others were here. They were better at this than I was. Even if they didn’t always get along with Michael, they were still close and understood one another in a way I had yet to accomplish.

  Maybe someone out there heard me, because at that exact moment, the door opened. Michael broke away, allowing me to see my Watchers walk in.

  Sariel, Azazel, and Yeqon looked a little worse for the wear. Clearly, they’d come here straight from battle and must have fought a group of demons, because their feathers bore distinct traces of scorch marks which they hadn’t bothered to heal.

  But they didn’t seem to care about that. As soon as they saw me, they all relaxed. “Oh,” Sariel said. “It looks like we shouldn’t have worried so much.”

  Michael snorted. “You should have worried more than you did, but you know how Delilah is. She always wants to protect other people more than she protects herself.”

  Azazel nodded, but kept his eyes strictly on my face. “Raphael told us she’d be fine, but we had to see for ourselves. Sunrefni, huh?”

  “She was pretty mad with me,” I replied.

  My voice came out husky and raw. And really, there were so many things I should have talked to them about, so many questions I had. But I didn’t want to focus on that, not right now, not when there were other, far better options I had at my disposal.

  Lust surged through me, bright, fierce, and almost angry. “They’re yours,” that strange voice whispered. “Show them. They can never leave your side, not again.”

  Maybe that was what bothered me most, not the dragon, not my involvement in this war, but the fact that we’d been separated. I might have pretended to accept the situation and Metatron’s decisions, but it was just another lie, like the countless other ones I shielded myself with. The truth was that their absence grated on me. Not having them close induced a feeling of wrongness that had frightened me more than Sunrefni ever could.

  But we were back together again, and I wanted to imprint our reunion in my skin, to taste it in my mouth, to feel it in my blood. “Sunrefni doesn’t matter,” I told them. “Come to me.”

  My lovers’ eyes flashed with undisguised passion. Their concern melted away into desire as they were drawn into my bed like moths to the flame.

  It was almost too easy and before I knew it, we were together on the mattress, clawing at one another, making the material that still stood between us dissipate.

  As always, my lovers moved perfectly in sync, used to one another, reaching for me with the same single-minded determination they displayed in every other part of their lives. Their feathers flashed in all the colors of the rainbow, but their beauty was a little wasted on me.

  Laughter bubbled in my throat, although I felt no amusement. It was a savage satisfaction, the knowledge that I could win this battle, no matter what.

  And then Michael kissed me again, and the emotion died into something far warmer and kinder. I melted against his chest, forgetting about everything that wasn’t the here and now.

  In the end, this wasn’t a battle or a competition. I trusted my lovers. They believed in me and wanted to protect me. They wanted me, and what we had together was the most natural thing in the world.

  I didn’t need to overthink it or stress over it, because this had always been meant to happen. From the moment we’d met, we’d been set on this path.

  The fire between us burned so bright, but it didn’t scare me. There were so many sensations to take in. As I lost myself in Michael’s kiss, Sariel brushed his fingers over my spine, making me shiver in delight. Azazel explored the outer edges of my wings, his magic blending with mine. Yeqon’s hands traveled over my legs, leaving trails of fire in his wake.

  I surrendered to their domination, no longer having any desire to prove a point. The only thing I wanted was to feel them, to have them. Fortunately for me,
they wanted the same thing.

  Michael was already as hard as a rock. When he pulled me into his arms, his erection nudged my hole, rubbing against my clit. It was the work of seconds to glide in the right position and impale myself on his cock. We both groaned into our kiss, but had no intention of stopping there.

  Sariel pushed me down and Michael allowed it, letting himself fall onto his back. I knew what he intended even before he did it and I did my best to relax my body.

  As Sariel’s cock slid inside me next to Michael’s, my flesh easily parted for him, accommodating his intrusion. Yes, it was a tight fit, but I didn’t mind. The mild burn made everything better, sweeter, fiercer. I wanted more. I wanted them to fuck me like they meant it, to shower me with their unrestrained desire, to tear me to pieces and put me back together like only they could.

  From his position, Michael couldn’t do much, not physically at least. But he was an archangel and our bond went beyond the physical. Even when he broke our kiss, he was still connected to me and his magic surged through me, joining Azazel in his exploration of my core.

  I whimpered, but couldn’t have pulled away to save my life. Sariel’s strong hand pinned me down and he started thrusting in and out of me, so violently I thought my atoms were going to be ripped apart. Since I’d become an angel, my body wasn’t as anchored to the material world as it had once been, so anything was possible.

  Ironically, I didn’t think I would have minded. Surrendering to the pleasure felt normal and right. They owned me, but they always had, even at a time when I hadn’t been ready to accept it. It went both ways and they couldn’t resist me any more than I could resist them.

  Michael and Sariel’s need for me fed my own lust, which in turn, echoed into Azazel and Yeqon. Together, we became a perfect circle of desire and carnal intensity.

  Azazel buried his hand in my hair and forced my head upright. His cock nudged my lips and I obediently opened my mouth, welcoming him. As he thrust his dick into my wet cavern, the flavor of his precum exploded on my taste buds. I moaned, wordlessly encouraging him to take what he wanted. He happily complied, tightening his hold on me.

  Because of the angle, I had to bend my spine and stretch uncomfortably, but I didn’t mind. It was worth it, when it meant I could embrace the pleasure my lovers gave me, to bring it even closer to my center, absorb it into my very soul.

  But Azazel wasn’t about to let me get away with doing whatever I wanted and neither was Yeqon. Azazel pulled out of my mouth and Yeqon forced me to turn, taking Azazel’s place. In this form, I didn’t need to breathe and had next to no gag reflex, but still, I teared up, overwhelmed.

  If my lovers were put off by my discomfort, they didn’t show it. Maybe they realized this was also something I craved. Their loss of control felt so real, and it allowed me to retaliate, to abandon everything that had been holding me back.

  My power surged through me, just as vicious as they were. My need transformed into an all-consuming blaze, drawing them even closer. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t resist me.

  A dam inside me broke and my explosive power swallowed us whole. I crawled into them, a chant of desperate desire dragging them into the vicious circle of my lust.

  “You can’t escape. You belong to me.”

  For a brief instant, I actually felt resistance. It was a little funny. They’d never tried to resist me before, and they should have known better than to change their approach.

  I didn’t mind it that much. It was always nice to feel your prey struggling in your grasp before you devoured it.

  Grunting, I started sucking a little harder on Yeqon’s cock. Because of the punishing pace of Sariel’s thrusts, I had trouble finding my balance. He was trying to slow down now, to control himself a little more, but I didn’t want that to happen either. I held onto them with everything in my power. I dug my fingers into Michael’s arms and made my wings glide over his skin and Sariel’s. The scent of divine blood filled the air. Fire burned at my fingertips, bright and fierce. When I touched my lovers, it was to brand them.

  “Fuck, Lila,” Yeqon croaked out.

  Fuck indeed. That was exactly what I’d wanted, to fuck, to take, claim, and devour, and to crack their sanity like they’d cracked mine. It worked beautifully. Our bond tightened, glowing brighter than ever before. I used it and exploited it without fear. I felt their desire for me rising, but I still needed more, always more.

  My magic responded automatically, without me having to think about it. A pulse of power erupted from me, echoing into my lovers. Sariel and Michael let out startled cries. With two final thrusts, they fell over the edge, filling me with their seed.

  There was something sinfully delicious about the sensation of their warmth bathing my insides. Between that and the echoes of Sariel and Michael’s orgasms, I found my pleasure spiking, almost unbearable and suffocating.

  If I didn’t come, it was only because Yeqon and Azazel decided they had other plans for me.

  As Sariel and Michael slid out of my body, Yeqon pulled me into his arms. In one single, vicious thrust, he buried his penis into my ass. Spreading my wings, Azazel took up position behind me and forced his way right next to Yeqon.

  It was my turn to cry out. I’d thought two dicks had been a tight fit in my pussy, but in my ass, it was on a whole different level. And when they actually started to thrust in and out of me, my mind went blank.

  “You want this, don’t you?” Yeqon hissed in my ear. “Come on. Scream for us. Beg. You’re always prettiest when you cry.”

  I could do nothing but obey. “Please. Please. Fuck me. Fuck me hard—”

  After that, I couldn’t speak any longer. Sariel decided to contribute to both my pleasure and my misery. Jerking my head to the side, he shoved his cock into my mouth, ruthlessly fucking my throat. Azazel and Yeqon kept going without being in any way disturbed by Sariel’s hard motions.

  It was hard, rough, carnal, and vicious. If I hadn’t had the body of a celestial creature, they would have broken me. But even my divine nature came with disadvantages, because Michael decided it was a great idea to tug on my wings.

  As it turned out, he was right. White-hot pleasure-pain exploded through me as he forced me to my limits. I came, my world turning into a blur of almost agonizing ecstasy.

  I was so lost in my orgasm that when Sariel fell over the edge too, I choked and spluttered, unable to swallow down his semen. And then, Azazel and Yeqon pumped my ass fill of spunk and I was lost, lost in them, in their scent, their presence, and their virility.

  Azazel and Yeqon pulled out of my anus, and I was so limp I almost fell over. Michael caught me. He forced my legs open and slid back inside me, fucking me in hard, deep thrusts.

  By now, I could barely process what he was doing to me. I was simply a vessel of his passion, a hole for him to use. And I loved every second of it.

  Even after Michael came, my lovers didn’t stop their sensual assault on me. They took turns on my pussy, my ass, and my mouth at least three more times. At one point, I lost consciousness, and they fucked me straight out of my daze and into another orgasm.

  I didn’t know how long it lasted, but by the time they stopped, I didn’t feel like an angel at all. Every inch of me was covered in semen. They hadn’t bothered to clean me up, not until now, at least, so I probably looked more like a porn star than a celestial being.

  I couldn’t help myself. As we collapsed on the pillows, exhausted, I started to giggle.

  “What’s so funny?” Yeqon asked, sounding a little affronted.

  “We’ve clearly failed in our duties as your lovers if you’re laughing,” Sariel drawled.

  “That’s not it,” I replied, still chuckling. “It’s just that… Well, this isn’t the sort of thing you’d expect an angel to do, you know?”

  “Well, you’re not just any angel,” Azazel said softly. He pressed his hand to my side, and the lingering traces of our love-making began to vanish. “You’re our Delilah.”


  “Yes, I am,” I answered with a tiny smile. “But still… It’s a little crazy, isn’t it? Sometimes, the way I feel about it… It’s kind of… devilish.”

  I didn’t know where the words came from, but they felt right. Still, my lovers froze, and I realized I’d said something I shouldn’t have.

  Right. They didn’t want to be reminded of The Infernal Realm right now. Open mouth, insert foot, Delilah.

  “But I don’t mean that in a bad way,” I finished lamely.

  “No, we get it,” Yeqon said, kissing my temple. “We understand. What we feel for one another… It’s not a simple emotion.”

  That was exactly it, but I still wished he hadn’t sounded so worried. I wanted to reassure them again, to tell them that my love for them went beyond such labels. But my fatigue finally got to me, and I found myself falling asleep.

  “Nothing is simple when it comes to you, Lila,” I heard Sariel say. “I wish it were. But we’ll love you anyway, no matter what happens.”

  His words should have been comforting, but they were also ominous. Still, when I was in my lovers’ arms, I felt safe. I surrendered to the darkness knowing that tomorrow was another day. I’d find my answers then, and they would be by my side, every step of the way.

  The High Seraph’s Challenge

  Over the next couple of days, patrols continued to leave the academy, hunting for demons. Michael must have spoken to Metatron, because I was reassigned to a different team and allowed to stay with my lovers. Michael himself wasn’t included, but Sariel, Azazel, and Yeqon were.

  Even if I’d told Michael I didn’t want special treatment, I was glad he had seen through that particular lie. I was far more comfortable with my lovers by my side and less tense.

  That didn’t mean I was completely happy with the way things were going. We didn’t run into a dragon again, or any significant demon for that matter. The largest threat we had to deal with was a group of mutated hell spawn that had somehow managed to corrode the foundation of a bridge in Spain. We had to cooperate with another team to avoid disaster, but it all worked out in the end. The only downside was that we were forced to prioritize the humans, so the demons escaped.