Curse of the Fallen by Eve Archer
Chapter Forty
Dominick
Ella’s arm was tucked in mine as we descended the staircase, lush, floral garland wrapped around the stone bannister. The shimmery skirt of her dress swished around her legs, but I couldn’t hear it over the buzz of voices that was layered over the thumping beat of the music. The French doors to the courtyard were thrown open, and string lights illuminated the outside, guests already drifting out to where waiters circulated with silver trays. The lights were dim in the main hall, flickering candles casting a glow across the ancient stone and woven wall tapestries and shadows over the faces that turned to peer up at us.
Ella’s step faltered as so many eyes swept over us, but I tightened my grip over her hand and lifted my chin higher, propelling us both down the final steps into the crowd. I could still detect her sweet scent on me, my celestial senses attuned to the aroma of her arousal. Even though I’d just fucked her, my cock twitched at the thought of her thighs slick beneath her dress.
“I thought I fucked all the nervousness from you,” I whispered so only she could hear me.
She jerked her gaze to me, eyes widening. “Dominick.”
“What?” I cast a languid gaze around the assembled guests. “They all know that I’ve claimed you—all of you.”
Despite the pink hue of her cheeks, I could tell my possessive words excited her. She might not be used to them, but she loved them. I gave her hand a squeeze and propelled her forward. Even though I would have been glad to march her right back up to our room and take her again, I knew we should enjoy the party. Especially since it was in her honor.
As I’d expected, the space was filled with fallen angels who’d arrived from all over the world—Turiel from Marbella, Chazaqiel from New York, Bezaliel from Bali—and many of them had brought guests with them. I’d specified no demons, and that included succubi and incubi, but that hadn’t stopped some of my brethren from bringing particularly striking humans with them. I couldn’t fault any of the Fallen for their fondness for desirable humans, since I had one on my own arm.
“Wow,” Ella said as she took in the crowd and the set-up.
A woman in an elaborate, pink wing and a metal hoop skirt glided by us, flutes of champagne secured in the metal loops of her skirt.
I plucked two glasses from her and handed one to Ella. “Cheers, my love.”
Her mouth fell open as her gaze followed the walking champagne display, but she finally returned my smile. “Please tell me that woman is part of the decor, or I’m going to feel severely underdressed.”
I curled my arm around her waist. “She is. I believe she’s from Epicurus LA.”
“Los Angeles.” Ella took a sip of champagne. “That makes sense.”
Gadriel slid past us with a beautiful woman hanging off each arm, winking as he glanced at Ella’s dress. “Just as I imagined.”
I scowled at him, but he merely gave me a crooked grin and melted into the crowd. I didn’t like the idea of anyone imagining what Ella would look like in various garments, but I also knew that Gad was loyal, and that he preferred his women with more of an edge.
I glanced down at Ella. In the iridescent silver chiffon and with her auburn waves spilling over her shoulders, she looked almost like a real angel. No, there was nothing edgy about her, which might have been one of the things I loved most. Her angelic appearance belied her sexual desire, which she revealed only to me. I thought about her pretty, pink lips wrapped around my cock only minutes earlier and tightened my grip on her waist. It was going to be more difficult than I’d thought to resist secreting her off to some dark corner and partaking of the pleasure of her body again.
“Are all your parties like this?” she asked as the Fallen parted for us, many of them bowing their heads at me.
There had only been a couple of days to prepare for the celebration, but our most loyal staff had been flown in to assist, which had freed up me and the rest of the Fallen to concentrate on the island’s security. A towering, tiered table in the middle of the hall groaned with food, lobster claws and crab legs cascading down to a ring of crushed ice that glittered like diamonds. In the courtyard, a tree with branches dotted with pink blossoms held glass balls filled with colorfully iced petit fours that guests pulled down at will.
The one feature of the party that wasn’t standard for fallen angels was the towering, multi-tiered birthday cake to one side of the doors leading to the garden. It was iced in pale pink with colorful swags circling each layer and flowers made from spun sugar clustered on the top. Instead of candles around the flowers, thirty sparklers waited to be lit later in the evening.
“The Fallen enjoy excess,” I said, watching her eyes light up when she spotted the cake. “Without life’s luxuries, immortality can be very long.”
She nodded, but I suspected the extravagant decor and overabundance of delicacies were a surprise, even though she’d been to our clubs and lived on my yacht. She’d never witnessed so many fallen angels gathered without being assembled for a battle or mission.
The human phrase “work hard, play hard” had always seemed particularly fitting for the Fallen, although our working and playing had more often than not melded into one over the centuries. But tonight, we celebrated the defeat of the demons and of the Solanos.
I was under no illusion that Mastema had been repelled for good, but I did feel confident that the Solanos wouldn’t give me any more trouble. Anthony and Mateo been delivered into Don Solano’s care with a warning—and the Vicario crest branded to the backs of their necks. If they crossed me again, I’d take their necks.
Mastema and Lilith were another matter, and my stomach clenched at the thought of their joined forces. The prince of demons united with the mother of all demons would not make the dark demons easier to manage, but it wasn’t something I wished to dwell on tonight.
I spotted Rami by the bar across the hall, with Sara next to him. Although he didn’t have an arm around her, his attention was focused fully on the raven-haired beauty, even as she bobbed up and down on her toes in an attempt to see over the heads of the other guests, mostly tall, broad-shouldered fallen angels.
“Ella!” Sara’s loud voice was audible even over the din of laughter and music, causing people to turn and stare as she pushed through the crowd.
Ella was pulled into a hug when Sara reached us, then the woman stood back and gave her a once-over. “That Gadriel knows how to shop for women, right?” She waved a hand at the crimson gown she wore, the satin clinging to her curves like it was poured over her. “I’ve never worn something that fits me so perfectly.”
Despite finding Ella’s friend grating, even I could admit that she looked stunning, with her dark hair piled on top of her head and her almond-shaped eyes smokey. One glance at Rami, who’d followed her through the crowd and now stood behind her like a sentry, told me he wholeheartedly agreed.
He held out a glass, the amber liquid swirling in the bottom and the cuts in the heavy crystal catching the light. I took it, knowing it was my favorite, even before I lifted the glass to my lips. Rami lifted an identical glass in salute, and we both took eager gulps. The champagne being served was excellent, but there was nothing like the fire of eighteen-year-old scotch.
“I hope you don’t mind if I steal your girl,” Sara said, hooking her arm through Ella’s. “I’m dying to try the dessert tree, and I’m afraid you two don’t look like you eat a lot of cake.”
Ella gave me an apologetic grin as Sara tugged her toward the French doors, but I didn’t protest. She was surrounded by fallen angels, and there were more patrolling the sky above us, ducking behind clouds as they flew in formation around the island. We’d increased the security of our fortress by improving both the technology—more sensors and alarms—and the guards—well-armed patrols circling the castle on land, and in the air.
“No word?” I asked Rami, once the women weren’t in earshot.
He shook his head. “Before I gathered Sara, I was in the war room. Both Mastema and Lilith have gone quiet. Not even a murmur among the succubi and incubi in our clubs, and they’re very attuned to Lilith’s appearances.”
I growled and took another drink of my scotch. It still rankled me that the ancient demon had disguised herself for so long to get access to me. Had it just been about sex? Had she really wanted to fuck the leader of the Fallen so badly she’d assumed a different identity for years? I would have thought it insane if I hadn’t known of all the other identities Lilith had assumed over the course of human history, including the infamously beautiful Helen of Troy. In that case, she’d started a war that had destroyed a kingdom. Had that been her goal with me as well?
“Mastema said something when we were fighting,” I told Rami. “He implied that he had not come because of his own interests, or even because of Lilith.”
“Then what? No one rules the prince of demons.”
I shook my head as if I couldn’t even utter the words without scoffing at them. “The archangels.”
Rami cocked an eyebrow. “He wishes us to believe that he is taking orders from the archangels?”
“I agree it makes no sense, but neither does his interest in this matter at all. He has never sullied himself with the dealings of humans, or even of the Fallen.”
“Even if I thought Mastema would take orders from the archangels, I cannot imagine them giving those orders.” I peered over the crowd and found Ella and Sara standing beneath the tree, plucking off clear orbs. “They would have to be desperate to reach out to the prince of demons.”
“Agreed.” Rami followed my gaze, and we both watched the women sampling tiny cakes and laughing. “Then he lied.”
“He lied,” I said, even though the pronouncement sounded false on my lips.
As we stood holding our glasses and peering into the courtyard, the night lit up as if the sun had burst over the horizon. Winged beings swooped down from above, and the flash of white wings had me tearing through the crowd and into the courtyard, Rami close on my heels. More Fallen poured from the fortress as the flying sentries dove at the intruders.
When I reached Ella and Sara, I pushed both of them behind me and unfurled my wings, Rami flanking me and doing the same, our wings creating a wall of protection around them. The white light from above was almost blinding, and I shielded my eyes as three creatures descended fast, landing with a resounding thud that made the earth tremble.
Crouching in a battle stance, I blinked hard as I focused on the three angels who’d landed in the courtyard. It had been millennia since I’d laid eyes on them, but they looked the same.
“Gabriel?”
The angel in the middle straightened, although he didn’t tuck in his wings. His brown hair was wavy and curled up at the nape of his neck, and his muscular chest was bare. He inclined his head at me in acknowledgment. “Semyaza.”
The air crackled with tension as the Fallen eyed the three archangels who’d just crashed our party. These angels had once been our brethren, but they’d been the enforcers of our banishment for so long that any connection we’d once felt was long severed.
“What do you want?” I asked, as more Fallen assumed battle stances, their expressions unforgiving.
“I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” the angel Gabriel said.
Ella pushed through my wings, gaping at the angels. “Gabe?”
Her godfather smiled at her, then turned his gaze to me, his jaw tightening. “I’ve come for my daughter.”
