His fingers tightened around mine, sending a little wave of warmth up my arm.
"This woman is my Beloved," Sebastian told the demon, his body language screaming that he was not about to take anything from anyone. "You will leave now."
"Beloved?" The demon's gaze turned to me. My skin crawled as it examined me, leaving me feeling tainted and foul.
A wave of imps washed up and over the demon's feet, collecting in a pool on the hallway floor before him. They yip-yipped aggressively, hopping up and down and shaking their little fists at us until Sebastian cast a glance at them. One look from him had them scampering back to the safety of the doorway.
"Imps," said William's remains. "I could go for a nice imp fry right about now."
You're a handy guy to have around, I told Sebastian.
In more ways than you can imagine, he answered, and for one brilliant moment, my head was flooded with the most erotic images, thoughts and desires and urges that all involved me. My knees almost buckled at the things Sebastian wanted to do to me. The images were gone in a second, leaving me to wish we were alone so I could investigate further some of the arousing thoughts he'd had. A snarl from the demon returned my attention to the moment at hand.
"The tattu is not your Beloved," the demon sneered at Sebastian. "You have not Joined. She belongs to my master. I will take her now, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."
"Can I have my leg back, please?"
Beloved, we must Join now. It is the only way I can protect you.
" Vous et ce qui army?" Sally floated over to stand in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest (she'd given William's leg to Tim). My heart warmed at her brave—but completely useless—attempt to protect me.
Ysabelle, we do not have a choice. We must Join before the demon attacks. Without help, I can disable it only for a short time. It will no doubt return with minions and other demons. Sebastian's voice was rich with regret that he was forcing a decision on me, but there was a faint echo of satisfaction that had me wondering again.
The demon walked right through Sally and stopped a few feet in front of Sebastian. It smiled. The lights in the chandelier near the stairs exploded, tiny bits of glass raining down on the floor behind us.
"Here now! Broken glass can be very dangerous!" Tim protested, taking a firm grip on William's leg as he started forward. He immediately beat a retreat when the demon turned its eyes on him. "Er… sorry for interrupting. Continue."
"Do not delude yourselves," the demon said. "You cannot stop me. I will have the tattu. Will you be destroyed as well, Dark One?"
Sebastian snarled something that was anatomically impossible (even for a demon), his muscles bunched as he was about to strike. A movement behind the demon, a dark shape faintly visible in the streetlight, caught my attention. Sebastian must have seen it as well, for his fingers loosened their painful grip on mine.
Ysabelle, this does not change anything. The demon will return, with reinforcements. We must Join!
"Just the foot would do. Surely you could spare me one little foot?" William pleaded with Tim.
I heaved yet another sigh, knowing in my heart that what Sebastian said was true. Now that the demon had found me, there was no way it was going to let me go. I knew even without asking that anywhere I went, it would find me, just as it found me in the middle of London.
"A couple of toes? Just tide me over?"
I had no choice. I could either save myself and Sebastian, or I could damn us both by trying to avoid the inevitable. Sebastian's thumb stroked over my hand for two heartbeats while I wrestled with my thoughts.
What about Adrian and Damian?
Pain lashed through him, mingling with his anger and regret and need for justice. I held my breath, knowing if he made a choice I could not condone, we were both doomed. I will do as you demand, he said at last, the agreement costing him much. I will forfeit my right to revenge myself on them if you will Join with me.
Relief filled me. I am not going to make love to you. Especially not right here in front of everyone! I thought at him indignantly.
That is the preferred method, but not the only one. Another exchange of body fluids would do.
Body fluids?
Blood. I wish things were different, Beloved.
I know. I smiled at him as the demon whirled around, finding itself face-to-face with a short, red-haired Guardian barely visible through the doorway.
"What—" The demon was cut off in midquestion.
Now, Beloved.
"Belle?" Sally asked, her brow puckered as Sebastian pulled me into an embrace. "What are you— mon Dieu! Not that!"
A disgusted "Ew!" drifted down the stairs as Sebastian's mouth descended upon mine, his lips starting a desire inside me that I doubted would ever be extinguished.
"Here, you, little boy. Fetch me that thigh I see peeking out from under the chair."
"You're gross," Damian told the remains of William.
Despite the confusion of everyone surrounding us, the demon who was now hanging upside down in the doorway screaming curses, the revenants, the imps, and Noelle dimly visible outside as she began banishing the demon, I kissed Sebastian back with every tangled, confused emotion I had, and prayed I was making the right choice.
His mouth trailed heat as he kissed a path to the base of my neck. I wish this were different, Ysabelle. But it is right we do it.
I said nothing as his teeth pierced my flesh, my body quivering with both the sensation of him taking life from me, and the images he was sharing with me, feelings of arousal and need, of a bone-deep satisfaction, and surprisingly, a strong sense of rightness that resonated within me. My body went up in flames as his mouth moved on my neck while he drank deeply, my breasts aching and straining against him, my hips rubbing in a suggestive manner, heat deep within my core flaring outward in a rush of ecstacy.
Every inch of my flesh was sensitized to the point where I thought I would climax right then and there.
The demon screamed, causing the windows near the door to shatter. Sebastian pulled his mouth from my neck, his eyes almost ebony as he looked down at me. Without a word he kissed me again, his tongue painting the inside of my mouth with a familiar, sweet, spicy taste.
Drink, Beloved.
He'd nipped his tongue. As I suckled it, drunk on the heady sensation of taking from him what he'd taken from me, I merged with him, almost crying out at the dark emptiness where his soul should have been.
I filled him with as much light as I could give, dimly aware of Noelle as she yelled the words of banishment above the clamor of the revenants and imps. Sally sputtered around us helplessly, trying to gain my attention, but that was focused solely on the man I held in my arms, the man to whom I had just bound myself body and soul.
"Well, that's done." Noelle's perky voice drifted across the hallway to us as she dusted off her hands and entered the house.
"Nasty fellow. We're going to have some trouble there, Belle, now that he's seen you. Hello, Tim, nice to see you again. Did one of you explode? I found a knee out on the walkway. We'll have to… oh my God. Sebastian?"
I pulled away from Sebastian. His eyes were clouded as he turned to face my roommate.
"Good evening, Noelle. You look well."
"You know each other?" I asked, looking from her to the man who still held me close to his side.
"I should say so," Noelle said, giving me an unreadable look. "I'm his Beloved."
Chapter Five
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"You lied to me!"
"I do not lie."
"You told me I was your Beloved!" It's difficult to put indignation, betrayal, hurt feelings, and a healthy dollop of menace into a whisper, but I gave it my best shot.
I'd quickly discovered that Sebastian's eyes were a barometer to his mood. Dark midnight gray indicated sexual arousal. The lighter his eyes turned, the less happy he was. Right now they were a pale bluish granite. "You
are my Beloved."
"Don't you dare lighten your eyes at me," I warned. "You have no right to be angry here. I'm the victim. I'm the one you used."
Noelle, who had been standing in the middle of the hall, moved over to join our whispered conversation. The revenants were busily blockading the gaping hole where the door used to be, while Sally had been sent to double-check that all the windows on the ground floor had been warded against possible imp or demon infiltration. Damian sat on the stairs, his chin in his hands, watching everything with bright, interested eyes. The remains of William were propped up against the wall next to him, alternating between offering the revenants advice on how to use the couch to block the doorway, and pleading for just a bit of flesh to appease his hunger.
"I'm not quite sure I understand this," Noelle said slowly as she looked from me to Sebastian. "He told you that you were his Beloved?"
"Yes," I said, glaring at the man in question. He crossed his arms and tightened his jaw, as if he were going to stand there until doomsday before he spoke another word. "I believed him. I Joined with him—oh, I can't believe I fell for that old 'You're my Beloved, save my soul' line! What a fool I've been."
To my surprise, Noelle exploded in anger… at me. "How could you do this to me, Belle? How could you betray me like that? I thought you were a friend! I never thought you would stab me in the back!"
"Wait a second," I answered, holding up a pacifying hand. "How could I do what? I had no idea that you were anyone's Beloved, let alone his!"
She gaped at me in disbelief. "I cannot believe you can deny that just this morning I was baring my broken heart to you."
It took a second for me to put the pieces together. I blamed my sorry mental state on Sebastian. "The man who dumped you was Sebastian?"
"Of course it was!"
I turned my attention to him. "You dated my roommate?"
His jaw tightened. "I refuse to be drawn into this argument. You are my Beloved. We are Joined. You belong to me now, and nothing and no one can sunder that."
"She is not your Beloved, I am," Noelle said, socking Sebastian on the arm. I knew just how she felt. "You admitted as much the last time we went out."
"You have two Beloveds?" I asked. "Is such a thing possible?"
"I have only one. You are she," he answered, with a particularly obstinate set to his jaw.
"You can say that as much as you like—it won't change the facts," Noelle whispered fiercely. "I know the truth."
Sebastian had evidently had enough. He grabbed me by the wrist and started pulling me toward the door. "It is a waste of time to stand here and argue. We must leave this house immediately. I must move Ysabelle to a safe area before I contact the demon who is no doubt rallying an army to take her."
My heart felt like a lead weight, thumping painfully in my chest. My mind was numb with disbelief and confusion. I'd felt the emotions inside Sebastian—he truly believed we belonged together. But how could that be if Noelle was his Beloved? And how could I stay with him when I knew how heartbroken she was over his refusal? "I'm sorry, Sebastian, but I'm not going anywhere with you until we get this sorted out."
"There's nothing to sort out!" he bellowed, causing everyone in the hall to stop what they were doing. "You are my Beloved!
You hold the key to my salvation. We are Joined! Previous relationships are not relevant here!"
" Qu'est-ce fiche he say?" Sally stopped in the center of the hall. "Noelle is his Beloved, aussi?"
"Please, Sally, not now," I said absently, trying to make sense of the confusion.
"Evidently the Dark One used to date the Guardian," William's remains said with a sickening cheerfulness. "This is as good as a telly show, eh, lad? Wish I had a little something to eat while we watch. Do you… eh… need all ten of those fingers?"
Damian scooted down to a different stair.
" La la," Sally said, looking at Sebastian. " Il doit être Mr. Sexy Pants to have deux Beloveds."
"Prove it," Noelle said to Sebastian, ignoring everyone else as she confronted him. She straightened her jacket and gave him a quelling look.
"Prove what?" I asked, torn by the conviction that Sebastian spoke the truth.
"If she's your Beloved," she said, "and you Joined, then where's your soul?"
I looked at him, remembering the dark, tormented emptiness inside him. You didn't get your soul back?
He hesitated a few moments before answering. It may take some time before I have it.
I closed my eyes against the pain that swamped me at the unspoken acknowledgement. She's your real Beloved, isn't she?
No. She is a Beloved, but not mine. In all senses of the word but one, you are my Beloved. Can you not feel how we complete each other? You bring me light, Ysabelle. You stir feelings in me I never imagined existed. I want to protect you, to keep you safe. I wish to spend the remainder of my life discovering all there is to know about you. I have known you less than an hour, but already you have become vital to me. Only a Beloved could bind me to her in such a way. You complete me. We are one now, and nothing Noelle or anyone else says can change that.
I stood with my arms wrapped around myself, sorrow stinging behind my eyelids. Sebastian didn't try to touch me, just stood watching me, his mind open to mine, willing me to merge with him to read the truth for myself. I allowed my mind to fuse with his, rocked by the powerful emotions he held in check. He didn't lie—he was thoroughly convinced that we were meant to be together, that my very presence brought him immeasurable pleasure.
How on earth could I resist a man who so completely believed the sun rose and set on my word?
How could I betray the one friend who had stood by my side for so many years?
"What you're saying is that she's your Beloved in name, but I'm your Beloved in fact? Is such a thing possible?"
"Yes." With infinite gentleness, his thumb brushed away a tiny little tear that had crept from my eye. Forgive me, Belle. I would have saved you this pain if I could.
"So touching," Tim said quietly to another of the revenants. "Just like a chick flick."
"That it is," the revenant named Jack agreed. "Romantic."
"Romantic, my arse. I'm sitting here starving to death, and all you can do is yammer on about this drivel? Someone give me a bite to eat!" William's remains demanded.
Damian stood, picked up William's discarded leg, and walloped the half-a-revenant over the head with it.
You don't believe me? Sebastian asked.
Yes, I believe you. I couldn't disbelieve him—the regret he felt was so strong I didn't need to merge with him to feel it.
"Noelle?" Her stormy green eyes turned to me. "I have known you your entire life. Your mother gave you into my care when you became a Guardian, but I think we've become more than just roommates—you are my friend, and I love you. I would never hurt you. I know you and Sebastian had a less than amicable parting, but what I want to know now—what I need to know is what your feelings are for him. Are you… are you in love with him?"
"Well, it doesn't matter now what I feel, does it? You've gone and Joined with him. There's nothing left for me," she snapped, the words hurting me almost as much as the anger in her eyes.
"Noelle—"
" Zut. Elle est tres pissed," Sally said in a clearly audible undertone.
"Very," Tim said, nodding.
"I'm leaving now," Noelle said with icy dignity, gathering her bag of tools. She marched to the door, ruthlessly pulling down the barricade the revenants were building from bits of the door and part of the couch. "I am bound by the laws governing the Guardian's Guild to answer any summons you may make for help with a demon, but I would advise you to think twice before you call. I fear I would be quite, quite delayed in answering."
"Noelle, please, we can talk about this—"
She ignored my outstretched hand and marched out of the house, her back rigid.
I dropped my hand, pained by her actions but aware that I had hurt her deeply.
"She will understand in time," Sebastian told me, his fingers whispering across my cheek. "Do not feel guilty, Belle. You are innocent of any wrongdoing."
" Où the imps sont allées?" Sally asked, peering out into the darkness as the revenants rebuilt their barricade.
"They probably went back to Abaddon." With reluctance, I took a step back from Sebastian. I needed time to think things out, and I couldn't do that with him touching me, stirring feelings that had lain dormant for so long.
"That should hold it," Tim said as the men moved the last bit of hall furniture across the doorway. "We should be safe from those little yellow devils now."
"I could eat them, you know," the remains of William answered. "I'd be happy to do it. That would solve a big part of the problem, wouldn't it? I could probably put away a couple dozen braces of imps with no difficulty."
Sally frowned, looking up and down the street before coming back into the hall. " Non. Les imps don't just disappear, hein?
They doivent être banished properly by le Guardian. Ils ont disparu somewhere else."
I frowned at her words, glancing through the part of the doorway visible around edges of the barricades. "They don't go off on their own? Then where did they go?"
A muffled crashing noise drifted up from beneath the floor. We all looked down.
"You checked the windows?" I asked Sally. "They were all warded?"
"Well… oui. So far as I know. Je ne quite sure what a ward looks like…"
Sebastian swore.
"What's down in the basement?" I looked at Damian.
"It matters not. Beloved, we must leave now." Sebastian grabbed my hand and tried to haul me toward the door.
"Nothing is down there," Damian answered, shrugging. "A few broken crates, the furnace, a wine rack with no wine in it, and one of those big old-fashioned radios that Papa says everyone used to listen to."
Sebastian's gaze met mine. "Furnace?" I asked him.