Angel in Chains (6 page)

She had three days. T
hat was what Vincent had said. Three days to set Aledyan free. After that it would be too late. Inez looked at her watch. Eight hours had already passed since Yorin and his men had left. She and Aledyan had slept them away, and it was night outside the cave.

For some reason
, Aledyan's words hadn't surprised her. She had expected something like that, and it hadn't made her change her mind. She still wanted to set him free. The attraction she felt for him was strong. The more she looked at him the more she wanted to be in his arms, but it was more than that. She wanted to be with him, every day and every night for the rest of her life. She wouldn't give up on him. Somehow they would find an answer. They had less than three days to figure this out.

Inez lowered her head and sighed. Was there even a future for them? She was a human, he an angel. Once he was out of this cave she wouldn't be able to
see him. If she was lucky, she would be able to sense his presence when he was nearby, but that would be all.

Inez turned around and looked at Aledyan. He
sat where she had left him, with a worried expression. She believed him when he said that he was unable to touch any other woman but the one who was meant for him. She still had a hard time believing that she was that one since they couldn't be together once he was set free.

Aledyan
seemed to be a lot stronger now. His wings were finally up and pressed against his back.

“Show me,” she said.

At first he looked confused, as if he didn't understand what she meant, but after a while he nodded and sat down on his knees. Slowly he started to expand his wings. He never took his eyes from her.

His wings were huge, bigger than she had expected, but also majest
ic and strong. The power he radiated when they were fully extended made her knees weak. The wings were dirty, but they must have been white once, and they would be again, once she had set him free.

There was something new in his eyes. Before there had been sorrow
and loneliness. That was still there, but now there was also strength and determination. He seemed to grow in confidence with each passing minute.

Inez approached him
while he stood up with his wings still unfolded.

“You're going to leave,” he said with a l
ow voice.

Inez tilted her head slightly. “I already told you, I will not walk aw
ay again. I just ... needed to collect my thoughts.”

She heard him sigh
as if he was relieved.

She grabbed his hand. This simple touch made her long for him
even more. All she wanted was to throw herself upon him and forget about everything, forget about Yorin and forget about the chains. Her arms closed around his waist, and she leaned her head against his chest. It felt so good. When his strong and muscular arms closed around her, it felt like she was finally home.

Inez knew what would h
appen if she touched his wings, and this time she wanted it to happen. A small and wicked smile graced her lips. Slowly she started to glide her hands upon his back, gently caressing him between his wings. Aledyan gasped and his arms tightened around her.

“What are you doing?” he asked when her hand slipped up
on one of his wings.

“I'm touching you.”

“That's not what I meant.”

“Don't you want me to?”

“More than you can imagine, but we need to talk.”

“We can talk,” she said, but instead started to search
for the place that would set him off.

“You know, touching an angels wings is a very intimate and private act.
It will make it difficult to talk.”

“I know,” she said and giggle
d.

Aledyan took a deep breath. “I see, you're enjoying this.”

“Very much so.”

His wings started to move
, and when they closed around her Inez jumped. She hadn't expected him to do that, but she didn't mind. The wings felt soft and tender against her, but also strong and firm, too strong for her to move. She was stuck.

She closed her eyes and leaned
against his chest again. She didn't mind being stuck. He felt warm and safe. She had never felt safe before. When his arms caressed her hair and back she felt calm. It was strange, but she trusted him, and needed to be with him. It didn't matter that they had just met because it felt as if she had always known him.

His hands found their way
under her t-shirt, his fingers unbuttoned her bra. His wings pulled back a little to make it easier for him. She didn't even try to stop him, she didn't want to. There was so much care behind his every touch. Gently he removed her t-shirt as she lifted her arms up, giving in to him completely. Cold air touched her skin and gave her goose bumps, but his wings were instantly there again, shielding her from the cold when they wrapped around her.

“
I thought we were going to talk,” she said when his hands closed around her breasts, discovering them, making her body heat up and her knees weak.

“Talk ... yes ....” he answered
with a dreamy look in his eyes. “Soon ...”

Inez silently agreed. First she wanted to feel him, touch him, make him come apart in her arms. When she reached out and started
to unbutton his pants he moaned as if in anticipation. She looked straight at him. She saw excitement and nervousness there. A thought crossed her mind.

“This is new to you, isn't it?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “But please, don't stop.”

Inez had no intention
of stopping. With every breath her passion increased and became like a raging fire. She was already too lost in her passion to turn back now. Her head was spinning, her breathing came hard, and with each touch or kiss, she sank deeper and deeper into her desire.

S
econds later he stood naked in front of her, his body on fire, ready. She didn't hesitate. She reached out and closed her fingers around his hardened shaft. Aledyan jerked and gasped. It made her happy that she was the one who made him feel in ways he had never felt before.

“Oh my ...” he said between two harsh breaths
, and leaned his head against her shoulder as she started to move her hand. She did it slowly and gently, with a teasing touch. His body trembled, his hips moved instinctively on their own. It felt much better when he did that. His moves told her that she was doing it the right way.

“More?” she asked.

He nodded, but didn't give her the chance to decide the next step. Instead, he quickly peeled of her pants and underwear. Within seconds she stood naked in front of him. Aledyan didn't wait. His hands were suddenly everywhere, touching and playing with every inch of her body. She had wanted to make him come apart in her arms. Instead, it was she who came apart in his. He was as lost in the sensation as she was. Kissing, touching, pulling her closer and closer to the edge.

Aledyan turned them around so that she
stood with her back against the cave wall. With his wings still around her, he pressed her against the wall, shielding her from the cold rock. His mouth was on hers, never letting go while his hands lifted her from the ground and placed her legs around his waist. He was stronger than she had expected him to be, lifting her as if she weighed nothing.

His hand
sank down between her legs. Inez could barely believe this was happening, but then his hand was on her. He felt if she was ready, and she knew she was. He moved closer, and his shaft pressed against her.

The anticipation grew.

Oh, God. This was it.

With one determined stroke
, he entered her, making them both cry out with pleasure.

Aledyan had never experienced anything like this.
He didn’t believe that there could be anything better than being in the arms of Inez or inside the deepest part of her. All thought fled, and only emotion remained. His body took what it needed. Faster, harder, searching for release. Her whimpers made him crave it even more. He never wanted it to end.

H
e almost didn't notice when the chains around his wrists became warm. It was only for a split second, when his mind registered the difference that he noticed that something was going on. The closer to the edge he came the warmer the chains became. They never burned him, it was only the magic in them working.

Working
to set him free ...

“Oh, G
od, no!“ he shouted with force. That wonderful feeling he aimed for grabbed ahold of him the same moment that she arched her back and tightened around him, screaming with pleasure.
He felt the energy start uncoiling in his spine until it shot right through his entire being and then into his ready shaft. In the last second, he drew back from her and exploded outside of her with a roar that echoed within the cave.

“Damn it,” he moaned as he san
k quivering to his knees, dragging her tenderly down with him when it was over.

Inez put her hands on his cheeks with concern in her eyes. “What's wrong?”

He was still panting and felt warm all over.

“If I
had come inside you ...”

He raised his hands and showed her the chains. At first she lo
oked confused, then she gasped.

“You would have been free now,” she said.
“Why didn't you take the chance?”

He shook his head. “Not like this, not without your approval. I wasn't thinking when we started
, and the last thing I want is to hurt you.”

Inez
stared at him, with awe in her eyes.

“You didn't take the chance,” she
said and looked surprised. “After being in here for over two hundred years you didn't take the chance when it was offered to you.”

“Should I have?” he wondered.

“I guess anyone else would have.”

“I'm not anyone else.”

“No, you're not,” she said and smiled.

It was as if she looked at him with new eyes
, and Aledyan liked it.

He
placed his hand against her cheeks. “We really need to talk now.”

“I agree,”
she said.

They got up and reluctantly put
their clothes back on.

Aledyan felt that his strength was returning fast. He felt really good
now, standing strong on his legs. His wings didn't feel heavy anymore, and they were finally pressed against his back. It was a good feeling. He would make sure that they stayed there this time. His head was also clear. He no longer felt as if he was on something, no longer wondered if the things he saw were real or part of a dream. No more dizziness, no more weakness. Whatever energy kick Yorin had given him, Aledyan clearly felt that it worked. He was back, and there would be hell to pay now.

Inez noticed that
Aledyan looked different. His legs didn't shake anymore when he walked. He seemed more clear in his head and his eyes had a determined look. The change in him made her see what kind of angel he was. He was a strong and dangerous warrior, a warrior that knew how to hold a sword and how to take down his enemies.

For a second
, she wondered if he was ashamed that she had seen him in his weakest state, but it didn't look like it. Instead, he smiled, and the determination in his eyes made her feel weak instead, but in a good way. It made her feel weak for him. She didn't want to stop looking at him. The raw power he was radiating now made her long for him again, and again, and again.

He never walked far away from her.
Instead, he stayed close to her, always holding her hand or touching her. Aledyan made a satisfied sigh.

“You are so beautiful,” he said and caressed her face with the back of his hand.
“I want to take you for a flight.”

Inez
stared at him. She knew exactly what he meant. “I'm not sure that's such a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I'm not fond of heights.”

He pu
t on a wry smile and looked up. He seemed to measure how high it was to the ceiling. Inez looked up too and thought that it appeared to be about forty feet high.

“How about a short one
?” he asked and pulled her closer.

“I don't know
...”

“Don't worry. I won't drop you.”

She hesitated when he wanted to lift her up. “Are you strong enough for this?”

“I'm strong enough for much more than this, and I intend to show you that soon enough.”

Inez cleared her throat and blushed. She knew what he meant. Aledyan seemed to have quite an attitude when he was himself, and she liked it.

When he lifted her up
in his arms she felt the adrenaline kick in. She laughed and gasped at the same time, not really knowing what to expect. Aledyan never took his eyes from her while he stretched out his wings. Her gaze immediately fell on them. She wanted to reach out and touch his wings again, but she knew what that would do to him, and Aledyan needed to focus now. She trusted him when he said that he was strong enough for this. It seemed like it. She saw no traces of the weakened state that she had found him in. That energy kick Yorin had given him seemed to be working.

Aledyan
began to flap with his wings, sending a cold wind around them and making the pebbles on the ground scatter. Inez grabbed him tightly by his shoulders and tensed. They were only going to go a few feet upwards, and still she was more nervous than she had expected to be. This would definitely take some time to get used to.

A feeling of sorrow struck her in her chest.

Would she ever even get the chance to get used to this?

No, she was not going to think about that right now. She was not going to destroy these few wonderful minutes
with thinking about the future they didn't have.

He seemed to notice her change and gave her a worried gaze.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she said. “It's nothing. Are you going to
lift off soon?”

His smile, that she thought couldn't get any wider,
became even wider. That made her look down and gasp.

“Oh my
God!” she shouted and clenched herself to him. Aledyan laughed.

The ground seemed awfully
far down, and the last thing she wanted to do was to fall. She held on to him as if her very life depended on it.

“
Mmm, this feels good,” he said and closed his eyes. He had a dreamy look on his face. “It's been a while since I felt the wind underneath my wings.”

“What did yo
u do every time Yorin came back?”

He opened his eyes and looked at her for a while before he answered. “T
he first time I tried to escape even if I knew it was impossible. I attacked Yorin and his men in pure rage, but it only led to my getting beaten pretty badly
and .... after a while I just stopped fighting.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “But you have given me something to live for, a reason to exist again. Thanks to you I feel alive again.”

“I won't let him hurt you again. There has to be a way to get us both out of here.”

“If I can't find one, then I won't let you take my place. I will not put you through this. I'm not even sure you would survive it. You're human and would starve to death, if Yorin didn't deal with you first.”

“But you don't need to eat,” she said.

“Yes, but that's me. This cave is build for me. If you took my place ...” He didn't finish the sentence.

“I understand,” she said.

He started to fly around, his wings beating a steady rhythm. She liked the sound of it. It was hypnotic and soothing. It sounded good enough to fall asleep to.

With each passing minute
, she felt more and more comfortable in his arms, and after a while it didn't bother her anymore that she was in the arms of an angel, flying within the cave. Heights had always been a problem for her, even if it meant just a few feet, but he had somehow managed to wash all that away. Now she only had eyes for him, and she couldn't stop looking at him. It was as if her gaze pulled itself to him, devouring him with her eyes over and over again.

Then it hit her.

She trusted him now, completely.

Aledyan bent down and
placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, but Inez turned her head and found his lips. She heard him gasp from surprise before she felt him smile.

“
Mmm, I like the taste of you,” she said.

“You know, if you
continue doing this I will take you right here,” he said and moaned when she nipped his ear with her lips. She felt him shiver.

“Is that
even possible?”

“Keep
this up and you'll find out.”

Aledyan landed softly on the ground again and stretched his back and wings.
If she released him, Yorin would be in for a surprise. The hatred in Aledyan's eyes was so clear that it almost frightened her, but she didn't pity the warlock. After what he had done to Aledyan he deserved to be dealt with harshly. She just hoped that Aledyan would know when to stop. She didn't want someone's death on her conscience, not even Yorin's.

“Come,” Ale
dyan said and grabbed her hand.

She followed him to his
bedroom and watched him walk toward the huge bag that lay on the bed. She had already looked inside it. Apart from the two blankets there was clean clothing there, fresh white linens, a few books, cosmetics and even candy.

“Isn't this nice,” Aledy
an said with a sarcastic voice while he looked through the books.

“Do you always get a bag filled with stuff from Yorin when the cave opens?”

“No. If I struggled he wouldn't leave me anything. Even if I don't need to eat I still need fresh linens and so on. They age. They sure aren't nice to lie on after ten years. Imagine twenty or thirty.”

“How about cleaning yourself?”she asked. “Do you have to do that?”

He nodded. “I have a small pool on the other side of the cave.” He turned toward her with a teasing smile. “I thought you'd like to try it out.”

Inez jumped
slightly and gave him a surprised look.

“
Actually I thought
we
could try it out,” he went on and came closer her. “We could talk, enjoy each other's company, maybe even kiss ...”

Inez lowered her
head and blushed. Even if they had already made love once, his gaze made her feel as if he were touching her for the first time. She felt like a giggling, teenaged schoolgirl who had just got asked out on her first date. She longed to touch him again, to feel his warm skin against her body, to give him pleasure again. Her mind was already going through all the things she wanted to do to him.

She had
always denied herself what she needed and wanted, focusing on her work. This time things would be the other way around. He even had her complete trust now. He could have set himself free the first time, but he hadn't. That proved to her that he wouldn't leave her here. Somehow, they would find a way.

But first, the pool.

Aledyan laid the bag on the ground before he ripped the old linens from the bed. He gave her a grin and started to make the bed with the new linens. They smelled fresh, and Inez quickly understood why he did this now. He intended to bring her here after the bath in the pool.

Inez watched him for a while. It felt nice to watch this
huge warrior with the majestic wings on his back changing the linens. It was not something you saw every day. For some reason, she found it cute, and it made her wonder if he did the dishes as well.

She stood behind him, as clo
se as his wings allowed. Aledyan turned his head and pressed his wings against his back so that she could come closer. What happened next made her gasp and stare at his back. The wings started to fade, and it almost looked as if they somehow disappeared into his back.

She hadn't expected that.

Aledyan had a wicked little smile on his face.

“Where did they go?”

“They are still there, just not visible or touchable.” He came closer. “It will be easier this way.”

“Why didn't
you make them disappear when you were weak? Wouldn't that have spared you a lot of pain?”

“I have to concentrate to keep them away. It's not really a natural state for me, but it's useful, whenever it's neede
d.”

“I see.”

He put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. “I'm ready if you are.”