Naasir.
He'd done this. Somehow, her sneaky, smart mate had done this.
Across from Alexander, her parents' faces had gone slack. Her mother was the first to recover, her golden brown eyes huge. "You wish our daughter to be one of your courtiers?"
"I do not have courtiers as such." Alexander's tone was cool. "However, I do have warriors and scholars in my inner circle. And I must rebuild my court after so many of them were murdered fighting alongside my son."
A chill filled the room, Alexander's power suddenly an agonizing pressure against Andromeda's eardrums, his wings having taken on a glow no one wanted to witness. Not because it wasn't glorious--oh, it was--but because archangels generally glowed right before they meted out death, vicious and final.
"I am honored," Andromeda said when it appeared her parents had been struck dumb. "A position in an Ancient's court is usually never offered to an angel so young."
Alexander's lips curved, and at that instant, she could see the "beautiful warrior" written of in stories of his reign. But she couldn't see him as a man, for in his eyes, she saw such age that it threatened to crush. She didn't know what woman would ever be able to handle the sheer power of him. Caliane? But Caliane was famously still in love with the mate she'd been forced to execute.
No one else on the planet was Alexander's equal in power and age.
"Ah, but you are not usual, are you, scholar?" Alexander's eyes locked with hers. "Not many people would dare tell a Sleeping Ancient to 'Listen, damn you!'"
As her parents choked on appalled disbelief, Andromeda found herself smiling. "In my defense, I was trying to save your life and you were being terribly arrogant and bad-tempered."
Throwing back his head, Alexander laughed, the sound filling the room in a way that made her understand why he had a friendship with Titus. The Archangel of Southern Africa also laughed with such open and unalloyed delight when amused.
"Yes," Alexander said afterward, "you are not usual, Andromeda." Smile yet on his lips, he turned to her parents. "I'm informed your child is tied by a blood vow, that she cannot accept my offer."
"Oh," her father said in an awed tone. "If you would give us a moment, we will speak to the Archangel Charisemnon. He is the only one who can release her."
Neither Andromeda nor Alexander said a word while her parents were out of the room. For Andromeda, there was too much at stake, and the Ancient likely had other concerns on his mind. Like rebuilding his palace and reclaiming his territory. He didn't have time to come all this way to offer Andromeda a place in his court, no matter what role she'd played in saving his life. Not to mention it was a security risk, given his weakened state.
How had Naasir done this?
Stifling her curiosity and trying not to allow her hope to burn too bright, she waited. When her mother walked back into the room, Lailah said, "Andromeda, your grandfather would like to speak to you in the study."
Andromeda excused herself and went quickly to the room with the large screen that currently hosted Charisemnon's ravaged visage--shadowed in a way to make it seem he bore no scars. Her father left the instant she entered. "Sire," she said on a deep bow. "You have heard?"
"Yes." Charisemnon's eyes gleamed, avaricious and satisfied. "You must accept. To have one of my blood in Alexander's court is an unimaginable coup."
"I am bound by my blood vow."
Charisemnon waved a hand. "I release you from the vow."
Her blood thundered, her head spinning. Tensing her stomach and managing to keep her feet though her knees threatened to crumple, she met her grandfather's gaze. "I believe the Ancient will wish to hear you say so himself. He is of the old guard and apt to be traditional about such matters." She hoped Alexander would back her because she needed him as witness. No one would ever question his word. "Shall I fetch him?"
"Yes. I should like to speak to him."
Walking back into the receiving room on rubbery legs, she made the request. Alexander's eyes held an unexpected amusement as he got up and walked with her. "I thank you for your indulgence," the Ancient said to her grandfather when Charisemnon formally released her from the blood vow. "It is a loss to send such a grandchild to another's court."
"She will always be family," Charisemnon said, once more an archangel pulsing with power. "I hope this will lead to strong ties between our two courts."
Alexander inclined his head slightly and Charisemnon didn't seem to notice the Ancient hadn't actually agreed.
"Do you need to pack?" Alexander asked as soon as the conversation ended, his tone curt and businesslike.
"No. I can go now." She had her sword; everything else, she and Naasir would figure out later.
"Good. I must return to my territory." Striding back to farewell her still somewhat-bewildered parents, he gave her a minute to grab a small bag of high-energy dried food for the journey, then ordered her to follow him out.
Andromeda said a quick good-bye to Lailah and Cato, was startled when her mother hugged her close and whispered, "Fly free, my daughter. Be what I could never be and leave the cage forever."
Andromeda stared, the haunting words echoing inside her skull, but in front of her, Lailah was once more the cruel, beautiful mother she'd always known, and Alexander was in the air.
She lifted off.
51
There was no way Andromeda could keep up with Alexander, no matter if he wasn't at full strength. It was a physical impossibility for any young angel. However, the Ancient stayed with her to the border. The instant they reached the sea, he told her to find her way to his territory at her own pace, then flew high and fast, heading home to a people who needed him.
Andromeda didn't linger, beating her own wings as hard as she could to get to safe harbor. Unlike Alexander, she couldn't do the trip in one go. She had to rest and when she did, she chose isolated places. It took her more than thirty-six hours to reach Alexander's territory; the sun was beginning to set in the west, its golden rays lighting up the sky. Not sure where to go, she made her way to the Brotherhood village.
It remained in ruins.
The wing brothers must've all moved to the palace, she realized. About to turn that way, she saw that the home in which she and Naasir had stayed was upright and in good repair.
Andromeda was too relieved to question why that one building had been repaired. She needed a safe place to rest and to find her bearings, and this small home with its memories of Naasir would do. It was a pale substitute for the man she loved, but it was better than anything she'd had before Alexander's offer. Tomorrow morning, she'd locate the steward of his court, find out her duties.
And surely Alexander wouldn't mind if Naasir visited her.
Hope a flame in her heart, she pushed through the door of the house, went into the bathroom and found that the plumbing worked. Grateful, she stripped and washed away the dust and grit of her journey. When she turned off the water and got out after wringing her hair dry, her eyes went instinctively to the back of the bathroom door. The silky black robe hanging there looked new . . . and it had the Grimoire in one pocket.
Andromeda had given it to Naasir to take to Jessamy.
Shoving her arms into the sleeves, she tied it haphazardly and burst out into the room. Her grin cracked her face as she ran to jump on the bed and on the man who was lying nonchalantly on it. "How did you get in?"
Silver eyes glinted at her in mock insult. "Did you just ask me that question?" He took the Grimoire and threw it on a small table. "Stupid Grimoire book."
Laughing, she smothered his face in kisses. Naasir opened her robe and slipped his hands inside to lie against her wet skin as he held her close and turned his face so she could cover all of him with her kisses. "I missed you," she said between each kiss. "I missed you. I missed you."
His chest rumbled under her, his skin bearing tiger stripes. "You should miss me. I'm your mate."
He sounded so smug that she kissed him again. "Why didn't you come? I waited and waited!" Slapping her han
d on his chest, she sat up on her knees. "I looked for you every night."
Scowling at her, he said, "I had to think of a way to get you out of Charisemnon's clutches." He bared his teeth. "Then I had to hunt down Alexander and point out that he owed you and me a very big favor."
Her mouth fell open. "Did you really say that to him?" It came out a squeaked whisper.
"Why not?" Hands behind his head, he shrugged. "Alexander was always known for his honor, and he likes you."
Still astonished that he'd brazenly gone up to an Ancient and demanded repayment, she shivered. "He could've killed you in anger." And she could've lost him forever.
"No. He likes me, too." Grinning, he pulled her down and flipped positions so that she was pinned under him. "He tried to steal me from Raphael but I can't be stolen."
Stroking his cheek and feeling that fine, near-invisible fur that sometimes appeared with the stripes, she felt her eyes burn. "I was so scared." A ragged confession.
Thunder in his expression. "Did anyone hurt you?"
"No." Her wild chimera had no need to know how close it had come--that one thing, she'd keep from him, because it would cause him pain for no reason. "I knew you'd come."
His eyes told her he saw her secrets anyway. "I knew you'd be strong, that you'd stay alive no matter what."
Eyes hot and wet, she held on to him, was held, for a long time.
When Naasir moved, it was to pull something out of his pocket. "This is for you."
Surprised by the way he'd ducked his head, as if shy, she looked down. Her hands flew to her mouth. "For me?"
"Mates wear amber." Tugging one hand away from her mouth, Naasir slipped on the ring of gold that bore the patina of great age.
Its heart was darkest amber.
"Oh," she whispered, staring at it and sniffing and smiling. "You gave me amber." She touched the ring with the fingers of her other hand, made incoherent noises of naked joy. "It's so beautiful."
"It has a story, a history," Naasir told her, openly smug at her delight. "I thought you'd like it better than a new ring."
"I do. So much." She smothered his face in kisses again. "I designed a ring for you," she admitted shyly afterward. "I couldn't have it made yet." Too much risk her grandfather would hear, would learn she'd bonded that deeply with another. "It's going to have my name written on the inside," she added, daring him to argue.
Naasir's eyes glowed. "Because I'm your territory." A clawed hand caressed her cheek. "Possessive mate."
"Yes. Very." She snapped her teeth at him.
Laughing, he snapped back, and they tussled in the bed like two big cats. She was breathless by the time she ended up under him again. Blowing her hair off her face, she said, "Tell me everything about how exactly you got Alexander to agree." Brazen and courageous, her mate astonished her.
Naasir sighed. "Can we rut first?" Grinding his sizable erection against her, he closed his hand over her bare breast. "I want you."
Andromeda shivered. Spreading her thighs, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He sank into her kiss as his fingers stroked and petted her between her thighs. When he thrust his fingers inside her, she arched her back, lifted herself for his claiming, but he wasn't done. Kissing his way down her body, he licked and sucked at her with a feline playfulness that had her writhing on the bed, the robe she still wore twisting around her.
Hauling her lower body closer to his mouth with a powerful grip under her thighs, he licked her between those thighs and straight into a wrenching orgasm, then kept going. The graze of fangs made her moan and grow even wetter, but he was only playing. Playing with her like she was his favorite and most delicious toy.
"Naasir."
A rumbling growl against her, a wet suck of her clitoris. Her stomach tensed, her spine snapped into a hard curve and she came all over again. Boneless, she moaned as he scraped his fangs lightly at her inner thigh, then went back to his licking and tasting and sucking. Her breathing was so harsh it almost hurt, and the pleasure, it was the blood in her veins.
When he scraped his fangs over her inner thigh a second time, she shivered.
And he bit.
Crying out, she clenched her hand in his hair and surrendered to the blood kiss of her mate.
*
Naasir drank his fill; there was no battle to fight this night and he'd brought in a pack of food for his mate. Afterward, he'd feed her, and pet her and talk with her. Now he drank from her and she was intoxication. Her warm, musky, sated scent surrounded him, her blood hot on his tongue and her free leg hooking around his back as he tugged strongly on her.
Shivering, she whispered his name again and it made his cock throb. He stroked her thigh as he fed, enjoying the silken feel of her. She was so soft and yet there was such strength in her. He wanted to spar with her, wanted to cross blades with her, wanted to lie naked in bed with her and tease her.
Licking the tiny wounds closed after he was finally full, he rose up over her. She was heavy lidded, her lips plump and her breasts flushed. Raising her hand, she pulled him down to her as he lifted up her thigh and pushed his cock into her tight, slick channel. He kissed her as they rocked together and she held him throughout.
It wasn't how he'd imagined this act when he'd thought about being with his mate. He'd always thought it'd be hard and raw. This was hot and tender and he liked it. Stroking her thigh again as he moved, he kept on kissing her. Their tongues played with each other and when she pretended to bite his, he growled and she laughed.
Nipping at her nose, he squeezed her thigh.
Her smile deepened and she held him even more tightly, her legs locked around him. "I love you."
"I know."
Laughing again, her sparkly eyes full of sunshine, she claimed another kiss. And they kept on playing their sexy little game that made him happy deep inside. When she clamped down on him in a startled orgasm, he rode her through it before leaning down to suck and lick at her breasts until she moaned and tugged up his head.
He loved kissing her, so he cooperated with her silent demand. And when he orgasmed, he made her all sticky, until no part of her didn't smell of him. Rubbing his cheek against her at the end, he lay on her for a long time, making sure to keep his weight on one arm so as not to crush her. When he turned over onto his back at last, she made a sleepy, complaining sound.
He cuddled her onto his chest, her wings spreading out over the bed and across his chest. Yawning, he stroked her wing and said, "I negotiated for you to return to the Refuge."
"Hmm." She put her hand over his heart, her touch possessive--as a mate's should be. "Is Alexander setting up a stronghold there?"
"Yes. Technically, you'll be attached to that, but you're free to do your work in the Archives with Jessamy."
Rising up on her elbow, her hair all tumbled, she blinked several times as if to clear her head. "I can't believe you just asked Alexander for this and he gave it to you." A sudden, deep worry creased her brow. "Did you lose something in the bargain?"
Naasir used his thumb to rub away her frown. "We saved his life." Now that the Ancient had been in the world, he understood just how bad things had become with Lijuan and the Cascade. "He's grateful he's not locked in Sleep while his people need him. What I asked was little enough."
He played with Andromeda's hair. "Alexander offered to free you from his court altogether, but that could cause problems with the other archangels. So you'll remain an official part of his court, but you don't have to take up any duties within unless you want to."
"My grandfather won't be pleased that I'm not feeding him information."
"Do you care?"
"No. He repudiated the blood vow in front of Alexander--it doesn't matter what he wants." Her smile was gleeful. "It just matters what we want. Are you going to take me to your secret aerie?"
"We leave tomorrow for home."
"Home." Tears rolled down Andromeda's face. "Home." For the first time in her life, home would be a safe place where she was
loved and cherished, and where she could be herself without any secrets or fears. "Home," she whispered again.
Turning them over so that he was braced over her, Naasir kissed away her tears, then began to playfully kiss her "spots" one by one. "Home," he rumbled when she started to smile and count along with him. "For me and my mate and our cubs."
"Yes," she whispered, her mind filling with tiny, wild children who'd drive her crazy and who she would love as fiercely as she loved their wonderful, beautiful chimera father. "Yes."
Epilogue
Raphael ended his conversation with Alexander and turned off the communications screen. The Ancient had done one of Raphael's Seven a great favor, and though Alexander had said there was no debt, Raphael had reached out to thank him regardless.
"Why make the call?" Elena asked. "Wouldn't it have been better to just let things lie?" she added as they walked out onto the cliffs behind their home. In front and below them, the Hudson was sluggish and dull under the cloud-laden sky, Manhattan shadowed enough by the ponderous weather that a number of the high-rises had switched on their lights, though it was only early afternoon.
"You must remember that though Alexander appears little older than me, he is hundreds of thousands of years older."
"He's like your mother--he expects certain courteous behavior?"
"You are becoming an ever-more-elegant and knowledgeable consort." His tone might have been a tease, but the words were truth; Elena had been forced to absorb an incredible depth of knowledge in a highly condensed span of time. "Soon you'll be hosting angelic balls with regularity."
"Hey, watch the insults." She pointed a knife at him before sliding it away. "It's a delicate thing though, isn't it? When you talk to Alexander, it's not like when you talk to Elijah or even Titus."
Raphael watched the distinctive figures of Legion fighters fly in and out of their home in the distance. "Come. We'll talk as we fly. You have to be at the Guild soon."
Spreading her wings, Elena took off in a low sweep over the Hudson before using the air currents to rise up. Raphael didn't need to do the same, but he did so they could fly wing to wing toward the city. Titus helped train me when I was a stripling, he said after they were both in position, but once I ascended, he accepted that I was an archangel and his equal on the Cadre.