The Bound Angel (Sacrilege Rising: Book 1)

Chapter Twenty Three

The walk home was long and, thankfully, lonely. Mike avoided any areas that might have crowds, taking hidden paths across campus, and then side streets and alleys once he entered the city proper.

So these were the consequences Liliana warned him about. He could hear her voice in his head. Those you desire will desire you. The more aroused you become, the more aroused they become.Your satisfaction will be their satisfaction.

Women were throwing themselves at him left and right, and it was all he could do to keep from unravelling into a drooling, mindless animal. Regardless of what Liliana said, this wasn’t happening before she became bonded to him. He’d had girlfriends and flings, but nothing like this. This was crazy. If he gave in, he’d be taking advantage of these women who weren’t in their right minds. He knew that like a shipwreck survivor on a deserted island knew he shouldn’t drink ocean water. But as the days passed and he remained stranded on that island, with the water gleaming in the sunlight and shimmering under the moonlight, it was getting harder and harder to resist. He would break eventually.

Mike took his apartment steps two at a time, eager to feel his blood pumping for reasons unrelated to women. When he entered his apartment, Liliana was waiting for him in the living room.

“You are being childish,” she snapped as soon as the door opened.

He shouldn’t have been surprised she was there. He’d done exactly what she’d told him not to. She was pacing back and forth across the room, seeming agitated. But Mike noticed something else. With each turn, she winced slightly and touched her side.

He ignored her comment and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she growled.

Mike nodded to the side she was holding. “What’s that?”

Liliana paused. He assumed she was considering what lie to tell, before she sighed. “Nothing serious. Do not distract from the issue at hand.”

“Come here.” He said it much more confidently than he felt. He’d held her before, back when she was still Lana. But this demon version of her was something else entirely, and his heart started pounding as soon as the words came out. Then her collar caught his eye and he felt… curious.

“How did you get this?” He bent for a closer look. There was a neat slice in the black shirt on her side, underneath the leather jacket. The fabric around it was stained with blood. Underneath was a straight line of red on pale skin. It wasn’t a simple scratch. The puncture wound went deep and it was still bleeding. He didn’t know how demon physiology worked, but on a human it would need stitches.

“It is fine,” she said softly.

“No, it’s not. Take this off,” he gently tugged on the jacket.

“Michael-”

“And sit down. There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom.” He returned a moment later with the kit. “We should clean it before…”

Mike froze. Then he swallowed. Her leather jacket was discarded on the couch. The tight black shirt clung to her body like a second skin. It was the same thing she was wearing when she’d stopped traffic in the halls. He’d seen her in much more revealing clothes, and he’d been there when she turned the supernatural seduction up to eleven. But having her here in his apartment, sitting on the armrest of his couch and looking downright human, made the moment feel intimate. It caught him off guard.

“Do I want to know how you got this?” He knelt at her side.

Liliana just shrugged. For all her power, all her allure and charm, right now she reminded him of a teenager that had just been caught sneaking home after curfew.

Mike reached for her shirt, then hesitated. “I just need to lift this to get to it. I promise I’m not trying anything.”

Liliana rolled her eyes and lifted the hem of her shirt enough to reveal the wound. She was an impossible combination of soft flesh and light muscle, and he couldn’t help his body’s reaction to the sight of her bare stomach.

Mike swallowed. “I’ll rinse it first, then clean it.” He touched the mouth of the water bottle to her skin just above the wound and tilted, pouring a stream over the gash. Underneath, he caught the water with a dry cloth, which was quickly turning pink. He glanced up for a reaction, but Liliana was simply watching him, looking more curious than angry or hurt. Afraid he’d get lost in her eyes, he went back to work. He warned, “This might sting a little.” Then he went about cleaning the wound with antibacterial soap. It was a single neat puncture and only took a few minutes.

“You used to tell me things, you know,” he said quietly as he worked. It was probably clean enough, but he didn’t want this intimacy to end. It was the closest they’d been since she revealed her true self.

“I am…” Liliana hesitated. “I am truly sorry for deceiving you, Michael. I did not think you would take me in, had you known the truth.”

He nodded. She was probably right.

“But it was… nice.” She looked around his little apartment. “Here. With you. Honestly. You are more pleasant company than most I have known. I wish we had more time.”

The wound was as clean as it was going to get. He dried the edges and patted the gash once to remove any excess moisture.

“Now the bandage,” he said softly, still kneeling at her side and afraid to look up. Mike held the bandage up to the wound. It was a perfect fit. Careful not to let the sticky part touch the gash, he gently pressed it to her side, then applied pressure to make sure it stuck.

His fingertips brushed the edge of lacy black underwear. After the day he’d had, even that simple touch caused a reaction. His hand lingered. His fingertips softly caressed her skin at the edge of her panties. This time, he did look up.

Liliana’s eyes were closed. Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths, and each exhale looked like she was blowing out a candle. When she opened her eyes, they were like sapphires glittering in the sun.

“Michael,” she began.

“Sorry,” he interrupted, and pulled his hand away. At least, he tried to pull his hand away. She caught him by the wrist and tugged it back to her waist.

“Do not be sorry.” Her voice held quiet intensity. “I can feel you, you know. I know what you are going through. It is why I am here. You must stop this.”

“Stop what?”

“This idea that you are being noble by denying yourself. It cannot go on. And,” she paused to draw a slow breath. “You know there is something else you can do to heal me much faster than this.”

He did, in fact, know what would heal her. Lana had told him, once upon a time, that she was fueled by his good deeds and healed when he helped people. He later found out it was really just the sex that nourished her. But Mike had lost count of how many times he’d been pushed to the edge today only to pull himself back by his fingertips. His patience was gone.

“It isn’t right.” His voice had an edge to it that wasn’t there before. “If I do this, if I take advantage of them, it makes me a monster.”

Liliana matched his edge. “I am not telling you to force yourself on them. You must simply allow them to have some agency over their own decisions. Do they not deserve that much? Your friends suffer while you hold back the cure to their agony. How is that noble?”

His eyes narrowed. “How much agency can they possibly have? Random classmates weren’t throwing themselves at me before that night. Sorority sisters weren’t offering to jump into bed with me at the drop of a hat before. Women weren’t double teaming me in the library without even telling me their names before. So, what’s changed? You.”

Her voice became as cold as her eyes. “I am getting tired of telling you this. I cannot take away free will.”

“Says you,” he shot back. “And you’ve been so truthful.”

Liliana stood and backed away, breaking their contact. “You thrash and chafe against your own interests like a toddler whining about eating vegetables. You push against boundaries in a futile attempt to display independence, while the adults shake their heads and sigh at how trivial the whole demonstration is. Enough of this.”

“And what would you know of it?” Mike snapped back. “You talk about free will like it’s this unimpeachable ideal, and as soon as I start using some of my own you get all pissy. But for now, at least, I have some. So I’m going to use it while I still can. Why do you even care?”

He finally figured out the look in her eyes. They held a shadow of the fervor he’d been seeing so often recently. A single bead of sweat on her forehead caught the light. Had he ever seen her sweat before? She was shifting her weight ever so slightly, and her eyes were flicking down to his mouth, his chest, his groin. The tone in her voice wasn’t annoyance. It was pent up frustration.

“You feel it too,” he said with dawning awareness.

“Of course I feel it,” she snarled. “We are bound together, Michael. How could I not? Your thoughts and emotions pour through the bond like a raging river. And after all this time, after countless hours spent teaching you to control it, you are still unwilling to put forth the effort.”

Then something shifted. Her icy blue eyes seemed to shine in the evening’s fading light. Somehow, without any tangible change, the illusion of an exceedingly attractive woman melted away.

The Dark Lady took a single, unremarkable step toward him, and the air became charged. The glint in her eye turned razor sharp. The dynamic between them became predator and prey once again.

“You speak of free will, master,” she purred. That word again. Her voice took on a soothing tone, and she took another step forward. “It is indeed a precious thing. I envy you. Do not take such a gift for granted. Use it.”

Her hips rolled as she took another step closer, but Mike couldn’t look away from her eyes. “And what better use of free will is there than to help those you care for? To assist those who cannot endure alone?” Another step, and the full weight of her irresistible allure pressed on him. The light in the room dimmed until there was nothing but her bright eyes, her sultry smile, her perfect body. “You need not fight it. There is no glory to be won here, master. If there was, I would shower you in it and lavish you with just reward.”

Her presence was all-consuming. She made his heart pound and dried his mouth. But he’d experienced it before. Mike was still caught like a leaf in a hurricane, but he was able to hold on to a scrap of sanity this time. By a fingernail. Just enough to notice the occasional hitch in her voice, and the slight falter in her step. When he caught the scent of her sex, he became rock hard.

Liliana shook her head slightly, just the barest twitch, like she had to clear it of the smallest distraction. She touched her palms to his chest. “Do not use such a precious gift for something so frivolous. Trust me, for you hold my will in the palm of your hand.”

Gently, hesitantly, he reached for her waist, brushing against the bandage he’d just applied. The shirt was still lifted, and his hands rested on bare skin. She didn’t push him away. He wasn’t sure she even noticed. But that simple touch was electrifying.

“Use it for something good,” she purred. “Be generous with it. For all are heartened more by gifts given than gifts received.”

Emboldened by that smallest of acts, Mike pulled her closer. She looked up at him while she touched his chest and he held her waist.

“And right now, the greatest gift you can give is the one you wish for yourself. Allow them in, master, for…” her breath caught as she pressed against his rigid length. Her eyes fluttered. She licked her lips and swallowed, before continuing. “For they crave to be with you. Love them, for…” she faltered again as he throbbed against her. “For they wish to be loved.”

Liliana looked up into his eyes and leaned in. Mike met her halfway, and their lips met with the faintest touch. It wasn’t quite a kiss, but that gentlest of contact made his mind go blank. “Usethem, master,” when she spoke, her lips brushed against his, light as a feather. At the same time, her hand reached down between them to cup his length. It made his eyes roll back and a groan escape his throat. She stroked him with the perfect amount of pressure before whispering, “for they are begging to be used.”

Them? That word snagged on something. “But you’re,” he swallowed. “I mean, they’re not here.”

Liliana gave his cock one last, loving squeeze, before letting go. “I have made arrangements,” she whispered against his lips. Then she gave him a perfect, terrifying smile.