A tear clung to his thick bottom lashes. It slipped free. He swiped angrily at it, then stared at his glistening finger with something akin to horror.
Another tear fel . He whispered brokenly in a language she didn’t understand. When his gaze met hers, Lindsay saw shock. And fear.
She wondered if he knew that he’d cried the first time they’d made love.
“Neshama,” she breathed, hugging him tightly. “It’s okay. Let it out.”
“I—” He swal owed hard.
“You miss them. I know. You miss them and it hurts.”
“I failed her.”
“No. Shit. No, you didn’t. The system failed. The stupid rules and laws. And your Creator, who’s left you al on your own down here for too long without any guidance or reinforcements.”
A drop of hot rain splattered on her cheek, another sign of his breaking control.
He pressed his face into her throat. “Hold on to me, Lindsay.”
“Always,” she vowed. “Forever.”
Adrian’s wings snapped open and they surged into the air, his powerful body flexing against hers as he forced their combined weight into a steep vertical ascent. The effort was nothing for him, no strain at al for muscles he religiously honed for battle. From the cloudless sky, fat drops of sizzling rain struck her like tiny needles, drenching her in seconds.
Terrified of heights, she buried her face in his chest and hung on, clinging to him so tightly she couldn’t miss that he was sobbing silently. Her heart broke for him, even though she knew he needed to purge in this way. His grief had been pent up inside him, festering, weakening him. She twined her legs with his, clutching at his back beneath his wings and licking the raindrops from his throat and jaw. She murmured nonsensical words of comfort, soothing him as best she could.
“Lindsay.” His mouth sought hers; his lips sealed firmly over hers. His taste was salty from grief, the faint tinge of tears blended with the wet of the rain. The wind whipped through their hair and her heavy, soaked robe.
They lifted higher and higher.
Her returning kiss was meant to console, but he wanted more. Needed it. Took it. He ravaged her mouth, his tongue thrusting swift and deep. The clothes between them disappeared, wil ed away by his incredible power. She should have been cold, but he was feverishly hot. And when his hand cupped her breast, her hunger rose to match his, perversely spurred by her terror of heights and her pain over his torment.
They spun as they rose, twirling in the air. Adrian’s chest heaved from the surfeit of emotion pouring out of him; his lips across her throat were desperate and greedy. He shifted her, positioned her, slid inside her. She cried out, the pleasure so sharp and unexpected. The rain stopped instantly. His head fel back, their ascent slowed until they hovered for a moment, gently turning in the soft light of dawn.
“She’s mine!” he roared to heavens, his gaze trained skyward. “My heart. My soul.”
Her eyes stung, her vision blurred. Then he twisted and turned, aiming them downward.
They plummeted.
She screamed and locked her legs around his waist. They fel with dizzying speed, spiraling madly, his wings tucked against his back to give no resistance. Her torso was plastered to his, his steely embrace keeping her immobile. But he wasn’t. His hips were circling, grinding, screwing his c**k into her. Fucking her.
The orgasm slammed into her, the shock of it rippling through her body from head to toe. “Adrian!”
He groaned, coming hard and deep. Purging his pain and sorrow with hot, wrenching spurts.
He’s mine, she thought fiercely, as they plunged to the earth in the most intimate of embraces. My heart. My soul. I won’t let you break him.
Adrian spread his wings and they soared.
“Grace. It’s good to hear from you.” Syre leaned back in the motel’s vastly uncomfortable desk chair and managed a smile at his iPad, which was streaming a live feed of the doctor and her report. He was sorry to see that she looked haggard and weary, a rare feat for a vampire.
“That may actual y be true this time,” she said with a quick flashing smile and a hand shoved through her poorly hacked blond hair. Syre suspected it was a haircut accomplished without the aid of a mirror, just to get it out of her face while she worked.
Through her camera’s lens, he saw the rows of hospital beds behind her. “I’m always appreciative of good news.”
“Wel , how’s this? The blood you sent is a breakthrough.” Her amber eyes brightened. Haircut aside, she was an attractive woman, petite and delicate in feature. “I blended it with samples of wraith-tainted blood and there was a short period of reversal.”
“Reversal?” From Lindsay’s blood. No, he corrected himself. Adrian’s blood, filtered through Lindsay.