sixteen
The world shifted in a manner that made Lav realize she was wrong. It wasn't a Veil they traveled through because they were still in the realm of the academy. Her dark angel had some serious tricks up his sleeve. The crisp notes of fresh greenery instantly became familiar alongside the sparkling rush of water that fell from overhead. The Falls.
One second Lav was absorbing her new surroundings and the next she was being flung into water. Her surprised shout was quickly silenced by a mouthful of cold liquid. Talk about a chilling switch in temperature. It was pitch black beneath the depths and she splashed to the surface, spitting and cursing, hair plastered to her face and clothes molded to her form.
He'd thrown her into the fucking water. That temper of his was beyond interesting. It made Lav want to play even more. At least I look good wet. Ah, yes, that was definitely working in her favor. He regarded her coldly from the dry side of land but as she stepped out to join him, those lustrous peepers sank down to her torso where hardened nipples beckoned him through her wet and flimsy top. Gotcha.
"You could've just said you wanted to go swimming. Sometimes words speak louder than actions." She kept up that airy persona and his jaw ticked. "Though I don't blame you for wanting to see me wet."
"Not. Another. Word." He bit out. "I'm not sure which is more pathetic — how quickly you give up or that you think you can fool me."
Back to business then. He was referring to her little rendition of the boy who cried wolf. Except she cried about demons and then gave up on convincing the angels of danger in favor of saving herself. Unlike the other Guards, Obsidian hadn't fallen for her act. He didn't believe she had made everything up. How did he always know these things? It was unnerving, really. Even more so that he wanted to know details. If Lav shouted that a cowboy with pink hair was going to materialize from the sea in three minutes, couldn't he just believe her?
Oh, who was she kidding.
At this point, she didn't know why she expected so much from him. Okay, scratch that. She knew exactly why. The instant his eyes had landed on her in Forsaken, finally giving her the long awaited attention she so rightfully deserved, her soul had been claimed. It had ruined her. He had ruined her.
Lav emerged from the shallow bank and sauntered up to him, relishing the fiery glints that sparked within those pretty eyes. "I'm not giving up, I'm just taking matters into my own hands."
Partially true. She didn't know the full details of her plans but if Obsidian wanted to investigate then she was hopping on the same train.
His wariness of her was off the charts at this point. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm borrowing a poncho from the head honcho."
He rubbed his brow as if to ward off a headache. "I thought a cold dive would bring you to your senses. You're still not taking this seriously."
"News flash: I don't take anything seriously. But I could be persuaded if you take off that uniform." She seriously hoped he would do so.
"You've given me no reason to trust you, let alone obey you."
Ugh. The clothes were staying on it seemed. She didn't bother disguising her disappointment and pouted. "Is this because I'm younger than you?"
"What?"
"It's not my fault I'm young and my flesh is supple and firm, if you catch my drift." Her fingers danced over her drenched torso in a sultry manner. Let's see your willpower now, babe.
"This has nothing to do with your age. This is about all the misdemeanors you've committed within a few hours that have been witnessed by a handful of Guards."
Ah, right. His friends. His crew. The cream of society. Whatever. Eero, North, Rhine, and Eli. They probably thought he was arresting her right now. Or executing some type of punishment.
"So?"
That splintering grey gaze narrowed. "So I'm saying there is much worse I could do to you than throw you in a river for your actions."
Ha. So Lav should be on her knees, thanking him for his mercy? Not gonna happen. Sure, she would get on her knees but the only one spouting cries of appreciation would be him. But that's only ever happened in your dreams.
True.
Unlike the eager Guard in the wondrous fantasies her creative mind produced, the real Obsidian wasn't as interested in getting down and dirty with the likes of Lav. Now she was annoyed.
"Do it, then." She dared once they were mere feet apart. "It's not like you harbor affection for me or anyone else so get on with it. Show me your worst."
He glowered. "You don't know me at all, Lavender. You wouldn't survive my worst."
You're right, I don't know you at all because you're a brooding mountain of a jerk that won't let me in.
"Allow me to be the judge of that."
Lav shoved him with enough strength to knock over a car. They weren't precisely matched in strength but that didn't mean she couldn't get in a few hits. Two can play this game, lover.
He flew back into a tree with a grunt but held his ground. Impressive. But this wasn't the time to salivate. Lav had started something and she was going to see it through, even if she did end up with a few battle wounds.
"Keep this up and you have no idea what I'll do to you." His tone was sharp and his hands tightened into fists. It may have been dark but the water illuminated him in a hazy light and there was no mistaking the suggestive hunger of a predator as he drew near.
Lav thought back to the first time she had ever caught sight of him. Sparring. Shirtless. Victorious. Yum. Now she wasn't a spectator, though. She was his opponent. Excitement lit her up like the sun. It was that craziness in her. The unruly fledgling that wanted to swim in fire and swallow the moon. Oh, yes. She would see to it that that remarkable body broke a sweat for her and it would be memorable.
"That sounds promising." She tapped a thoughtful finger over her chin. "Angel in the streets, freak in the sheets. Sign me up."
His lips drew back in a snarl of frustration. Then he lunged. She found herself on her back, dewy blades of grass flattened underneath her weight. Obsidian was on top of her. Just like that night on the roof in Forsaken. Except history was so not repeating itself. Not on Lav's watch.
He tried to capture her hands but she bucked and squirmed like the wild fledgling she was. He hissed as her nails raked his face, drawing blood. Oops. Then she was free, wriggling out from under him and scrambling to her feet. She ran. Not very far, though.
He matched her in speed and was suddenly in front of her but she didn't slow. Full speed ahead. His eyes widened. Lav plowed right into solid muscle and snatched at his wings as they fell, yanking at the feathers and eliciting a growl. No one said she couldn't play dirty.
What a lovely view, she thought as she straddled him. Too bad it only lasted a measly second. Those ruthless hands conquered the span of her waist and tossed her like a grenade.
Rather than hit a tree, Lav fell in the midst of the river. Murky depths enveloped her and the temperature was no longer unwelcoming. Second time's the charm. Soaked to the bone once more, she resurfaced with a vengeance.
"You want to see me wet so badly, lover?" She sang as she swam to the edge. Reaching behind her, she tugged on the strings at her back, untying the knot and shrugging off her top. The minute she stood, his pupils flared. "Ask and you shall receive."
Ooo, yes. Who's the winner now?
Raising her hands to smooth her hair back, Lav gave him a marvelous view of her breasts and arched her back in enticement.
"I'm still waiting for you to show me your worst." Her voice came out breathy now and she inwardly criticized herself. She was supposed to be in control here. But the way he looked at her, gaze darkening by the second...it was a whole new form of unraveling.
Anyone to witness the spectacle would truly think her to be insane. Despite that, she wished there were other souls to be found, spying on them. But there weren't any. It was just the two of them. How convenient for the Guard who became a little less restrained when left on his own. Obsidian prowled at the edge of the water like a sinister reaper ready to end her. It was a little unclear what kind of ending she would have. What went through his mind?
"Come here now." He ordered, voice devoid of emotion.
I don't think so. Lav shook her head. "You want me, come get me."
His head tilted in a challenging manner, a tendril of hair moving with the motion to sit over his cheek. "So be it."
Nothing in the entire universe could have prepared her for him to comply. The black leather that formed the top half of his uniform was peeled away. Just like that. There one moment and gone the next. Pale, carved flesh greeted her eyes in the darkness. Her jaw went slack. A thick scar ran from his collarbone all the way down to his navel. She had seen that same scar eight years ago but didn't have any details aside from the fact that it had to have hurt like a bitch when he received it.
"Are you drunk?" Lav parroted the same question he had asked her earlier.
A thin smile, there and gone in a flash. "Sober as an acrobat."
Lav was too stunned to process the words he threw right back at her. He was shirtless. Fucking shirtless. Voluntarily. She hadn't forcibly removed anything. This was one hundred percent the doing of her broody raven. No one's going to believe this, she realized. No one's going to believe any of this.
She wasn't even sure she believed it herself. I definitely died on those sandman pills four nights ago.
Obsidian marched forward and into the water with such zealous hostility, Lav should have backed away and booked it. Instead, she froze. Fuck. She ached to lick every rope of muscle on his stomach down to the defined V of his hips. The water lived out her dreams, caressing and splashing about as he entered, enveloping his form. Envy swarmed her. Envy towards a freaking river.
When the water around her waist began to ripple from his movement, it snapped Lav back into focus. Right. Trying to win a battle here. A thrilling sensation uncurled in her stomach. She spun around and dove further in, leading the chase.
There were two cliffs that perpetually spilled water down into the river and both were magnificent, soaring well over a hundred feet. Unsurprisingly, Lav didn't have a plan in mind as she swam in their direction.
Somewhere in the middle of the journey, a hand wrapped around her boot beneath the water and hauled her down. She shrieked almost gleefully, trying to stay above but it was useless. He had her. The noisy rush of the Falls became muted. Tugged below the dark depths, Lav laughed. Bubbles obscured her vision but there was no mistaking the dominant mass of sensual black wings.
A powerful arm curled around her waist and crushed her to a solid chest. Holy hell. The list of things Lav was unprepared for continued to grow. This time it was the vigorous molding of their torsos. Hard and hot skin rubbed against her bare nipples. She gasped, momentarily forgetting she was underwater. Shit. There went her air. She tried to pull away but he held her firmly, an indication that this incursion of his was just beginning.
Those striking silver orbs met her at eye level, glowing bright. Ebony hair bloomed around his ravishing face and beyond that, his wings stole the show. Such a dark, otherworldly being. His mouth slanted over hers, his lips forcing her own apart to blow air into her lungs.
She almost laughed again. If she were to ever come came across an actual underwater creature that looked as tempting as Obsidian, it would rob her of any breath and of all life. Viciously and without remorse. So Lav accepted the air greedily and pretended she had won the heart of an evil underwater beast. There was no helping her fantasies.
Obsidian's other hand snaked between them to palm her breast and her entire body jolted in surprise. At least she hadn't gasped again. Was he trying to steal her breath away after all? Yes. That was it. Their battle still hadn't produced a victor.
Lav bit his lip. Harshly.
In retaliation, he began to kiss her.
Warmly, deeply, and languidly. His tongue traced over hers in an erotic perusal that rivaled the belligerent passion they had shared earlier in her room.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as her brain reeled. What is this? It was so foreign, so...intimate. Unlike the frantic sexual endeavors she was familiar with.
It's all part of the battle, she tried to tell herself as fire began to unfurl low in her abdomen.
His hold on her tightened as he redirected the angle of the kiss, somehow intensifying the situation, plundering her mouth in a more fervid manner. His skin was equivalent to fire beneath the chilled water. Burn me, lover.
Pressure was building again in her lungs all too soon, the desire for air beginning to work in tandem with her desire for him. Request denied, she screamed at her body. Oxygen wasn't important. She would allow him do his worst, eager to see how far he would go. He continued to knead her breast, his thumb and forefinger pinching at her nipple, and she shuddered. Why hadn't they both done away with their pants?
For a teeny second, her brain went a little fuzzy from lack of air. Survival skills jolted to the forefront. Senses seemed to flicker to life. This was too good to be true. The Obsidian she knew wouldn't grasp at her like the world was ending. I'm being bamboozled. Shit.
He's got amazing battle tactics, Lav thought. Using her own lust against her. Brilliant. Truly. He was going to hold her underwater until she passed out. Distracting her with what she craved most: him.
Talk about a full proof plan. She loved it. No, wait. Then he would win. Making her the loser. In a lot of ways. He's not going to fuck me. That's why those stupid leather pants were still on. Cruel, devious angel. He would pay for that.
Much as she enjoyed her current lip-locked situation, Lav bested males at games all the time. There was no way she was losing this one.
❁❁❁❁
I've been waiting for such a very, very long time.
If it weren't for the water silencing him, Obsidian was certain he would have uttered the words aloud.
Lavender's body squirmed and it almost tore a growl from his throat. He didn't relent on his captive. No. He couldn't. The delicious friction she created by struggling was all part of her tactics.
He thought back to all those games she played, besting males and claiming sexual items as mementos. How many others had she enraptured before him with that enticing body? Too many when he pictured that gold bulletin that decorated her wall. He wanted to hunt them down. End each and every one for desiring and challenging what was his. Their blood would ease the sizzling in his chest.
Or would it? Lavender was unpredictable. Untamed. Untrustworthy. The list was endless and yet he still thought her to be spectacular. Breathtaking. Sexy. There was something to be found in those wide, dark eyes. How many times had he felt that sad, longing stare over the years and willed himself to ignore her? Too many to count.
He wasn't even entirely sure when Lavender had begun to fixate on him in return. It was a heady notion that filled him with depraved satisfaction. She desired him. But what games did she play at? What tumbled through her mind? The thought was nearly as provoking as the sight of her bare breasts. The feel of that very flesh filling his palm made him greedy for more. So much more. The things he dreamed to do were wicked. Until she was boneless from his touch, begging him to stop.
He didn't dare to pry their mouths apart. Dueling her sharp tongue into compliance was a million times better than any battle he had ever partook in. Even as air began to escape her, she latched on to him, determined to devour his heart.
Deviant little fledgling. He hadn't been thinking when he brought her to the Falls. Of course she would win.
❁❁❁❁
Abandoning her sensual exploration wasn't something Lav looked forward to. But it had to be done. Tis the way of the cruel fate I refer to as my reality. Her hands raced into Obsidian's hair, grabbing fistfuls and tearing his mouth from hers with a violent yank. Sorry, not sorry, babe.
Their gazes clashed but she couldn't allow herself to combust, to lust, to fall deeper. She needed air. Pronto. She shoved her knee between his legs and this time he was the one to gasp. The grip of steel around her waist fell away and she quickly swam up, up, and away.
No sooner did her head break the surface of the river, Lav sucked in deep lungfuls. Noise washed over her from the Falls, drowning out any sounds of mortifying heaving. She wanted nothing more than to dive back down to finish what she started but oxygen had never felt so good. Night continued to reign the skies and she glanced up into the heavy fog, reevaluating the situation.
How embarrassing. What did that say about her that she couldn't hold her breath for nearly a fraction as long as he could? Her sexual repertoire was at stake.
Obsidian surfaced a few feet to her left and spotted her without delay. Lav wondered if he could see the way her cheeks were aflame. It was dark out so maybe it wasn't too visible. Fingers crossed.
Fortunately, she didn't dwell on that as another thought popped in her head: he looked great wet. Droplets of water glittered like diamond shards in his dark hair, which was much longer when wet, tendrils curling over his shoulders. Those liquid diamonds clung to his lashes and some slid over his nose and lips. The tips of his wings peeked out of the water and she wished the sun was out just to stare at the mesmerizing mix of blue black feathers.
Don't get distracted. Right. He wasn't the only one that made drenched look sexy. There was no mistaking the heat that flooded his gaze even as animosity lingered over his features. Dragonflies zipped through her.
If that was a taste of your worst, you can sign me up for the real thing. The words died in her throat as lightning flashed and her sight transitioned for the third time that night.