Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
R eturning from my rather unsuccessful investigation into whoever dropped off the gift for Kinley, I hadn’t expected the disastrous state of her house. I know we had given her housekeeping staff time off, but this? This seemed excessive for such a short time.
Appearing near the garage door entrance to the kitchen, I observed the floor covered in the remnants of an unpotted plant and spilled wine. Initially, my worst fear was that my twisted fallen angel had gotten caught in the undertow of her insanity.
Carefully stepping around the debris scattered on the floor, I pulled out my cane from the sleeve of my army green cargo jacket like I was Mary Poppins. Using the end of the cane, I nudged the empty wine bottle and watched it roll harmlessly away from me.
Continuing through the kitchen, I followed the trail of chaos. Throw pillows had been discarded from the sofa in the living room, paintings were barely clinging to the walls, and various decorations were left scattered and out of place. One of the shelves on the wall? Entirely gone, the only evidence of its existence was the holes in the wall where it had once been mounted.
Taking a deep breath into my lungs, there was a scent that I was all too familiar with. The smell of sex hung in the air like a cloud lazily floating across a summer sky. It wasn’t just the smell of dopamine mingling with oxytocin and endorphins, but Kinley’s erotic scent layered between it all. Fuck, if only I could make a candle out of that.
Allowing myself to come down from the initial state of concern for Kinley’s state of mind, I ventured down the hall into the foyer. Whistling a quiet tune to myself, I twirled my cane between my fingers. Rounding the corner, I was greeted by the most delicious of sights. Two gorgeous specimens were laid out on the stairs, both seemingly lifeless except for the occasional groans confirming that they were both clinging to this plane of existence.
Recognizing that striking combination of blonde and black hair anywhere, the scene laid out before me drew my lips up into a delighted smile. Kinley was sprawled across several of the steps in a state of utter bliss. A couple steps down from where she lay was a vaguely familiar fellow. I tipped my head to the side, trying to rack my brain for where I had seen that dark blonde mop before. Surely, I would have known if he had been a victim of one of my trickster illusions.
Ceasing the rotations of my cane, I used the top of it to stroke the tip of my chin in deep thought. The man rolled over, nearly on top of Kinley’s legs, and roughly groaned. One hand cupped himself between the legs and the other caressed her shin. “Fuck, my dick is broken after all that.”
Those words were most definitely not meant for my ears, but I barked out a laugh nonetheless. “Oh, mate. Now, that would be quite the achievement after a fucker of a romping, but bravo!” I tucked my cane under my arm and gave him several congratulatory claps.
When the man lifted his head, startled by my sudden presence, he went wide-eyed. Protectively, he scrambled to station himself between me and the weary goddess behind him who didn’t even bother shifting her position.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asked in a demanding tone that may have come off as threatening had he not been buck naked.
Now seeing his face fully, it all came together, and I felt a bubbling sense of excitement in me. “My goodness, do I finally have the honor to meet the legendary Atlassian?!” I walked over to the stairs and sat myself down next to him on the step where he perched. With my elbows resting on my knees, I set my cane between my legs with both hands gently wrapped around its center.
“The name’s Rook. I must say you are quite the celebrity in my social circles.” Hearing my name, he seemed to ease up, but he still maintained an edge of suspicion as he stared at me.
The barely conscious angel behind us muttered with the slightest edge of sass, “Rook, your social circles only involve you and your illusions.”
She wasn’t wrong, but he was still a celebrity in my conjurings nonetheless. Patting Kinley’s foot gingerly, I glanced back over my shoulder at her. “Oh, you’re sounding rather spritely back there. Huh, love? Your long-awaited reunion went off without murder and mayhem then?”
All I got from my playmate was a light grunt and a shooing motion of her hand at me. I grinned from ear to ear as I looked at Atlas. I slapped a hand to his back. “Well done, chap, well done!” Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who could fuck her senseless. Though, after seeing the wreckage of their sinful delights, I made a note that I would need to pull out a few of my wild cards for her next time around.
Leaning over, I took an uninvited peek at the situation between Atlas’s legs. Pointing at his well-spent cock, I gave him my professional opinion. “Eh, it will perk right back up by morning and all will be well. If you need any help…”
Clearing his throat, he repositioned himself on the stairs to obstruct my view of him. “I can manage,” he said bluntly.
I frowned, hurt by the lost opportunity to get in on some At-At action. No matter, I still had my fallen angel to care for, whenever she needed my services.
Atlas shook his head, looking unsure of what to make of my arrival. “I’m going to go get some clothes,” he said as he rose to his feet.
Before he got out of arm’s length, I lifted my cane and tapped that delectable ass with it before flashing a shit-eating grin. “Hurry up now, I want to hear everything about your tallywacker tinsel. Has it remained black, or are you shooting pearly white now? Inquiring minds must know.”
Atlas opened his mouth to say something but shut it after reconsideration. He shook his head and wandered toward the kitchen, out of sight.
I shouted after him, “Oh, and I left some sandwiches in the fridge if you worked up an appetite!”
Kinley snickered. “Rook, behave.”
Turning sideways so I could get a better view of her gorgeous post-sex glow, I smiled innocently. “Where is the fun in that? Behaving is for the flock, not for the fox.”
She fought the grin that tugged at her face as she lay there, her cheeks still rosy from her exertions. Even with half-lidded eyes, I could tell more was going on behind those deep blues.
Softening my voice, I tread carefully with my choice of words. “I’m proud of you, love.”
Both of her eyebrows drew up. “What for?”
My hand patted her bare hip. “Having your fun with your old beau. Of course, I wish I would have been invited to the party. But alas, I was on a mission of a less carnal nature.” Dropping my gaze between her legs, what I found there captured my attention.
It seemed that my question regarding whether a cambion could lose his inky black seed was answered. All I saw smeared between Kinley’s thighs was a milky white substance. It prompted a surge of pride in me, knowing that there was still one thing that I could give her that even the great Atlassian could not.
Pulling me from my thoughts, Kinley responded, “Maybe next time.” She winked playfully.
I leaned over and laid a soft kiss on the outside of her thigh. “In that case, I will be waiting.” I gave a light nip to her flesh before pulling away.
“Waiting for what?” Atlas asked as he returned wearing a pair of dark grey boxer briefs and carrying a blanket.
Standing, I walked down the last few steps. I gave my cane a spin in my palm before slipping it up my sleeve for safekeeping. “To catch the latest episode of my favorite baking competition show. It is one of my many guilty pleasures.”
Given the look I received, I don’t think he was fully convinced. I dramatically humphed while Atlas approached Kinley, draping the blanket around her to keep her warm. I shoved my hands into my pockets and leaned back against the wall wondering if Shelly Maclean would take home the title of Picasso of Pastries.
Kinley sat up, holding the blanket around her. Her weary eyes came to meet mine. “Did you find out who sent the package?”
I had hoped to avoid the question a little longer. I watched as Atlas sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her back and tugging her in close to his side. Instead of leaning into his embrace, she stiffened under his touch. The reaction was peculiar given how I had found the two lovebirds when I first arrived.
Atlas may not have noticed, but I sure as hell did. I noticed everything there was to her every mood, movement, and words. Instead, Atlas was looking at me intently, expecting me to have good news.
Keeping my tone gentle, I did my best to place a positive spin on my lack of findings, “It was not as easy as I had hoped, love. Based on the consistency and chemistry, I was only able to determine that this particular demon is quite ancient. In fact, he’s much older than I. Demons that old are not easily traced.”
Kinley closed her eyes, remaining silent for a minute. Then, she pulled away from Atlas’s side, leaned forward, and placed her face in her hands. She muttered, “He'll never fucking understand, will he? Just like the others."
Placing a hand on Kinley’s upper back, Atlas leaned in closer to her. “Kinley? Who won’t understand?” The concern etched over his face before he looked to me for translation.
Shrugging my shoulders, I was as lost about her statement as he was and glad to see I wasn’t alone. When she didn’t answer Atlas’s question, I tried prompting her, “Love?”
Dropping her hands from her face, she yanked the blanket tighter around herself. “You tried, that’s all that matters.” Standing, she began her ascent up to the second floor.
What in the bloody hell was going on with her? If she thought I was giving up on finding out who was behind the delivery, she was sorely mistaken. I would turn over every rock, unearth every skeleton, and shake every last coconut from all the trees if it meant keeping her mind at peace.
A light breeze swirled through the air, and soon his royal grumpiness graced us. Perhaps he would be able to shed light on the situation at hand. Those halo-wearing do-gooders always seemed to know a lot more than they let on.
Instead of the typically pristinely styled light brown hair, it looked like Sylas had been trying to pull it out for hours. If I didn’t know better, I would have considered the possibility that a woman had been running her fingers through it. However, it was painfully obvious that the one woman who could cure his ill temperament was otherwise preoccupied with one of his subordinates this evening.
“You’re all here.” He stated the obvious as he appeared, standing in the middle of the foyer. “I have bad news.”
His voice prompted Kinley to pause partly up the stairs, halfway turning to look down at the three of us. “I’m tired, it can wait. Bad news doesn’t get any better with time.”
I looked at Sy, and he may as well have been wearing a stone wall for an expression. His eyes locked on Kinley without any shits given about what she had just said.
“The lass has a point, Sylas.” I spoke up, trying to play mediator as I stepped toward him.
The archangel’s pale turquoise eyes flicked over at me, annoyance flashing through them before he looked at Atlas. It seemed the cambion-turned-angel was as smart as I had always imagined, and his fingers ran over the scruff outlining his mouth while he considered his words.
“Sy, fill me in and let Kinley get some rest,” he offered as an alternative.
Sylas tilted his head slightly, appearing to now notice that the lad was in nothing but his underwear. He shook his head, his jaw visibly clenching and hands balling up in fists at his sides.
Kinley picked up on the silent pissing match and grumbled. “Jesus, where is Christina when you need a fucking aspirin? The days can’t go by quickly enough until she’s back here.”
“Kin, she’s not coming back,” Sylas said. “She’s dead.”
Happy Trails, Christina number sixteen.