The Demon's Song - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,88
She didn’t just feel good. She felt amazing. It shouldn’t have been possible.
“How did you save me?” she asked again.
He hesitated, appearing to consider his words carefully before he said them. “I had a choice. Let you go, or save you by binding you…to me.”
Sofia tilted her head, confused. “Binding?”
“I didn’t even know it was possible before Uriel told me. I’d never even heard of something like that. I would have asked you,” Phenex rushed out, and she realized that he was genuinely worried she would be upset about this. “But you were almost gone, and I thought…you get to keep every part of your humanity, to stay in the light, to enjoy all the people and things you wanted to keep.”
“But,” Sofia prodded gently, beginning to understand, “there’s always a catch.”
“Your body was beyond healing by normal means. You’d lost a lot of blood, and what was left was contaminated just from being in Hell. The only way to keep you here was to give you vampire blood, which I knew you would hate…or, as it turns out, to give you mine.”
It was the last thing she’d expected to hear, and yet somehow, it all made sense.
“I have angel blood, your blood, in my veins now?” she asked. “I’m not exactly human anymore, am I?”
“No,” Phenex said. “Not exactly. Our lives are tied together now. While I live, so do you. If I die…”
“So do I,” Sofia finished. “And I would imagine it works the other way around as well?”
Phenex nodded. “Bound together. I am honored to be able to tie my life to yours, Sofia. But I understand that you may not feel the same way. It’s sudden, and you had no say. If this isn’t what you want, maybe Uriel knows a way to change what I had to do, I don’t know. I can’t promise anything. But I didn’t do it because I wanted to lock you away in Terra Noctem and keep you all to myself. I did it because I couldn’t stand the thought of living without you. If that was the wrong thing, I hope you can forgive me. All I really want is for you to be happy.” A smile flickered across his somber expression. “Well, okay, that’s basically bull. I would rather have you happy with me, but if happy is all I can get, so be it.”
She let it sink in and found that as strange as this all might be, she couldn’t feel anything but an almost dizzying happiness. Sofia laughed softly, threading her fingers through the silken softness of Phenex’s hair. He had given her a piece of himself to keep her alive, and he expected nothing in return. Which made her all the more certain that he was the one man she could give everything.
“You worry too much. My I’m in love with you is still valid. I don’t want anyone but you, Phenex. You drive me crazy, and I can’t imagine life without you.”
His smile when he realized she wasn’t going anywhere was brilliant.
“Then both of us are going to be happy with the deal I agreed to in return for Uriel’s help.”
Sofia’s eyebrows lifted. “He wouldn’t help you out of the goodness of his heart? He’s an archangel!”
“He’s a hard-ass, and he isn’t above bargaining when it’s important. This was more important to him than I realized. I’m going to be composing again. They never replaced me, and I guess the Angelic Choirs are in dire need of new material. They want me to do what I was made for again. I can’t even tell you how that feels, except to say that pretty damn good doesn’t even start to cover it.” He pressed kisses to her nose, her mouth, while Sofia absorbed this. Phenex would once again be the Angel of Song. Mostly. Apart from the non-angelic things he did, which were legion.
“How does that work, exactly?” she asked.
“I can live on Earth, work from home, all that good stuff,” Phenex said, rubbing his nose against hers and looking happier than she’d ever seen him. Even his skin seemed to shimmer with it. “No more vampire cities, Sofia. We can visit, and I’ll honor my commitment to help Terra Noctem and my brothers if I’m needed, but you were right. I need the light. I need to build a life with you, one we both want. I’m tired of slaying things,” he confessed. “I just want my music, maybe a house on the beach, if you’re game…and most of all, you.”
It was everything she’d wanted, and it still managed to be more wonderful than she could have imagined.
“Amy’s going to be sad when she finds out I haven’t been having an affair with a famous rock star, but my family’s going to love you.”
“They’d better. I’m not going anywhere, and I already let them know we’re coming for dinner this Sunday. And what do you mean I’m not a famous rock star? I’m a legend!”
“Uh-huh.” Sofia laughed. “A legend in your own mind.”
Phenex rolled her beneath him, his eyes drinking her in.
“I’m never going to be perfect, Sofia. But I’ll always be yours. I swear it.”
“I love you, Phenex. I got a good guy and a bad boy all rolled up into one. I’m sure it’ll take me at least a few lifetimes to figure you out.” She rose up to kiss him gently, and found his lips to be as wonderfully sinful as they ever were. “Thank you. For saving me.”
“Sofia,” Phenex said, “you did all the saving. Trust me. I meant it when I said I could never repay you. But I plan to spend forever trying.”
“Hmm,” Sofia said with a wicked smile, “there’s no time like the present.”
Phenex grinned, his fangs glittering.
And he started forever with a kiss.
About the Author
Kendra Leigh Castle is the author of Covet’s exciting new series, Hearts of the Fallen, along with numerous other paranormal romances, including the Dark Dynasties series, the MacInnes Werewolves trilogy, and the RITA-award finalist Renegade Angel. After growing up in snowy northern New York, she married a Navy pilot and has spent the past fifteen years moving everywhere from the desert to the Deep South and points in between. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, three kids, and menagerie of pets, and can be found (usually curled up with yet another cup of coffee, possibly wearing ugly pajama pants) at www.kendraleighcastle.com, as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kendraleighcastle), Twitter (@KendraLCastle), and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/kendralcastle).
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
About the Author
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
About the Author