me?”
“When we lost all the bonuses of the Mark, did we lose all the restrictions, too?”
“I hope so. I could use a drink right now.”
She gave a shaky exhale and glanced at him. “Tim gave himself away. Why? Pam was the backup Adrian talked about on the phone and she didn’t reveal herself. Tim was the one we were looking for and he walked right up to me at Terri’s party. He said he worked alone. If he’d been one of Adrian’s seraphim, he would have had a lycan or two with him somewhere. Wouldn’t he naturally assume I’d know that.”
“What are you thinking?”
“If he wanted his soul back . . . if he wanted to go back to Heaven after all these years on earth sucking blood, would he make a deal with an angel to earn his way back into God’s good graces?”
Alec inhaled sharply. “Maybe. But what would Raguel or Zaphiel get out of it?”
Stopping suddenly, she faced him head-on. “You and me alone in a house for a month with no Mark standing between us. No restrictions to the normal workings of male and female physiology. What would the natural course of events lead to, God willing?”
As understanding dawned, he grew very still. It took him a moment to find his voice. “Angel . . .”
Eve’s heart was racing. The roaring of blood in her ears was nearly deafening. She felt short of breath, bordering on panic. She was standing on the edge of a very sharp cliff and she was gearing up the courage to jump.
Alec’s sudden slow smile did crazy things to her equilibrium. It was joyous, outrageously sexy, and made her weak in the knees. He was gorgeous, wonderful and in love with her. He was also God’s primary enforcer, he killed demons for a living, and he had an ex-wife from Hell . . . literally. But what man didn’t have his faults? Her mother always said it wasn’t about finding the perfect guy; it was about finding a guy whose faults you could live with.
Then there was the fact that when it came to making babies, he was the only man she’d ever imagined having kids with. If one child was all they could finagle out of this damned mess of Marks, demons and manipulating angels, she’d count herself blessed for the first time in her life.
“We can damn well try,” he said, with a hoarseness that betrayed how the idea affected him. He came to her and pulled her close. His hands weren’t steady.
“Some people are afraid to bring children into the regular, screwed up world.” There was a tremor in her voice she couldn’t hide. “We’re talking about bringing one into Hell on earth. And we’re giving Raguel and Zaphiel what they want,” she warned. “We have no idea what their motives might be, what their intentions are—”
“Bring it on.” He wore an expression that dared all comers. “We’re giving ourselves what we want, angel. We can handle whatever we need to when the time comes.”
The tension left her in a rush, leaving her boneless. She sank into him and held on tight.
Alec pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Who says we can’t have it all?”
They decided to get married in the house, because it was quick and there was a bed nearby. Alec called in Muriel, a mal’akh they both knew and trusted, to perform the ceremony. Eve asked the angel to fetch a simple white crocheted summer dress from her closet at home, but she told Alec to stay just the way he was. He was exactly as she wanted him, no formality necessary.
When he protested, she explained that they’d have to marry again for her family and friends and he could wear a tuxedo then. For now, the need for haste was of paramount importance. She’d finally made up her mind and she was ready to get on with her new way of living – accepting her Marked fate and taking what joy she could from it. Everyone else was enjoying having her in the Marked system, because it benefited them. It was time for her to get something out of it, too. And really, getting married to the man she’d loved her whole life, with
“When we lost all the bonuses of the Mark, did we lose all the restrictions, too?”
“I hope so. I could use a drink right now.”
She gave a shaky exhale and glanced at him. “Tim gave himself away. Why? Pam was the backup Adrian talked about on the phone and she didn’t reveal herself. Tim was the one we were looking for and he walked right up to me at Terri’s party. He said he worked alone. If he’d been one of Adrian’s seraphim, he would have had a lycan or two with him somewhere. Wouldn’t he naturally assume I’d know that.”
“What are you thinking?”
“If he wanted his soul back . . . if he wanted to go back to Heaven after all these years on earth sucking blood, would he make a deal with an angel to earn his way back into God’s good graces?”
Alec inhaled sharply. “Maybe. But what would Raguel or Zaphiel get out of it?”
Stopping suddenly, she faced him head-on. “You and me alone in a house for a month with no Mark standing between us. No restrictions to the normal workings of male and female physiology. What would the natural course of events lead to, God willing?”
As understanding dawned, he grew very still. It took him a moment to find his voice. “Angel . . .”
Eve’s heart was racing. The roaring of blood in her ears was nearly deafening. She felt short of breath, bordering on panic. She was standing on the edge of a very sharp cliff and she was gearing up the courage to jump.
Alec’s sudden slow smile did crazy things to her equilibrium. It was joyous, outrageously sexy, and made her weak in the knees. He was gorgeous, wonderful and in love with her. He was also God’s primary enforcer, he killed demons for a living, and he had an ex-wife from Hell . . . literally. But what man didn’t have his faults? Her mother always said it wasn’t about finding the perfect guy; it was about finding a guy whose faults you could live with.
Then there was the fact that when it came to making babies, he was the only man she’d ever imagined having kids with. If one child was all they could finagle out of this damned mess of Marks, demons and manipulating angels, she’d count herself blessed for the first time in her life.
“We can damn well try,” he said, with a hoarseness that betrayed how the idea affected him. He came to her and pulled her close. His hands weren’t steady.
“Some people are afraid to bring children into the regular, screwed up world.” There was a tremor in her voice she couldn’t hide. “We’re talking about bringing one into Hell on earth. And we’re giving Raguel and Zaphiel what they want,” she warned. “We have no idea what their motives might be, what their intentions are—”
“Bring it on.” He wore an expression that dared all comers. “We’re giving ourselves what we want, angel. We can handle whatever we need to when the time comes.”
The tension left her in a rush, leaving her boneless. She sank into him and held on tight.
Alec pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Who says we can’t have it all?”
They decided to get married in the house, because it was quick and there was a bed nearby. Alec called in Muriel, a mal’akh they both knew and trusted, to perform the ceremony. Eve asked the angel to fetch a simple white crocheted summer dress from her closet at home, but she told Alec to stay just the way he was. He was exactly as she wanted him, no formality necessary.
When he protested, she explained that they’d have to marry again for her family and friends and he could wear a tuxedo then. For now, the need for haste was of paramount importance. She’d finally made up her mind and she was ready to get on with her new way of living – accepting her Marked fate and taking what joy she could from it. Everyone else was enjoying having her in the Marked system, because it benefited them. It was time for her to get something out of it, too. And really, getting married to the man she’d loved her whole life, with
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