Angel's Redemption (The Fallen Warriors Series Book 6) (11 page)

She clasped his face in her hands, locking her gaze with his. “Now.”

Gritting his teeth, he drove into her hard. She cried out and rose up to meet him, their flesh slapping together with the most erotic of sounds.

“More,” she gasped.

Lost in sensation, he gripped her hips and pulled most of the way out, then back in. Then again and again, setting a driving rhythm that prompted a roaring in his ears and black spots in his vision.

This was Lily. His Lily. She was all he’d ever needed. How had he ever thought otherwise?

“Seth,” she cried out, arching her back. She tightened around him, her womb pulsing with the intensity of her climax.

His self-control broke. He pumped into her hard, driving her down into the ground. In and out. Faster. Harder. Until fireworks exploded in his vision and his ears rang loudly.

He yelled his release into the air, holding on for all he was worth as one of the most intense orgasms he’d ever experienced shot through him with the force of a speeding train.

She held him tightly to her, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her legs clasping his waist, until their breathing tempered out.

Seth slid onto his side, turning her so they faced each other. Her face was flushed with satisfaction, her gaze dreamy. She was utterly and undeniably beautiful.

“I love you, Lily.” He tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear.

“I know.” She grinned and lay there for a moment before propping herself up on her elbow. Resting her head in her hand, she said, “I think I finally understand. About Isabelle.”

The name had the effect of sending him crashing back to Earth. He frowned. “Lily—”

“No. It’s okay.” She gave him a quick smile, but then her brows furrowed. “I know you never meant to hurt me. That you never stopped loving me.”

“That’s true,” he said warily. Where was she going with this?

“I also know you felt things for her you never did for me.”

When he opened his mouth to protest, she held out her other hand. “Please. Let me finish.”

He took a breath, but in the end he only nodded. She deserved to say whatever was on her mind. It was the least he owed her.

“I got a sense of that. With Adam.”

Seth’s heart clenched, but he did his best to ignore it. He had no right to complain about what she’d felt for Adam, not when he hadn’t been able to control his own feelings.

“It was a sense that… that it
could
work between us. That he, I don’t know, needed me. It made me feel good because that was the one thing I never got from you.”

Seth slid his bent arm beneath his ear, resting his head on it. Maybe she did understand.

Lily licked her lips, clearly working out what she wanted to say. “I guess it made me realize that love isn’t perfect. It isn’t absolute.”

“But Lily, I do love you.”

“I know.” She nodded her head. “That’s just it, don’t you see?”

When he cocked his brow, she continued.

“I’ve come to realize that when you love someone, that love is worth fighting for, no matter what difficulties you might go through.” Her eyelids fluttered, and then she looked him straight-on. “Maybe I asked too much of you, to love me to the exclusion of all others. Maybe what I should have asked instead was that you
choose
me.”

“I did,” he told her. “I always would have. I always will. ”

Yet, even as he said it, he knew talk was cheap. There was no way he could prove his words to her. Isabelle was already dead.

“Lily, I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.”

Her hand slid onto his chest, her fingers gliding along his skin. “I forgive you, Seth.”

There was no mistaking the veracity of her words. She meant them.

His chest lightened, and he slid forward to press a kiss against Lily’s lips. “I love you. And I’ll spend all of eternity proving that to you.”

Lily pressed back on his chest, and a glimmer of nervousness flicked through her.

Frowning, he pulled back to meet her gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s something else.” She took a deep breath, then grabbed his hand and pressed it to her stomach.

For a moment he simply stared at her, not understanding. But then her joy and astonishment broke through, and his mouth dropped open. “You... you’re…. you’re—”

“Pregnant,” she supplied helpfully.

He went stiff with shock. “Bu-but… how? When?”

“I think you know how,” she said dryly. “As to when, since before the battle at the tower. I think it was that night at the stream.”

Since
before
the battle?

He frowned as concern overshadowed his joy. She’d already been pregnant when she’d been captured and tortured?

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Her hand wrapped around his. “I’m
fine
. Perfectly healthy.”

“
I
didn’t hurt you, did I? Just now, I mean?”

“No, of course not. Nothing we do when it comes to lovemaking could hurt our baby.”

A relieved breath tore out of him and he crushed her to him. “Heavens, Lily. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I didn’t know,” she murmured into his chest. “Didn’t realize. After so long… I didn’t think that would ever happen for us.”

Neither had he. Conception was so difficult for angels it was practically impossible. The fact that, after all these years, she had become pregnant… well, it was nothing short of a miracle.

He broke free and scooted down to press a kiss to Lily’s stomach. Now that she’d told him, he recognized the signs: the fullness in her stomach, how her breasts had grown. But never in a million years would he have guessed the cause.

“I am the luckiest angel on this Earth,” he murmured, lifting his gaze to his beloved, the mother of his child, for heaven’s sake.

Grinning, she pressed her palms against his cheeks. “No. We both are.”

As Seth pulled Lily in for another hug, he couldn’t help but be thankful for second chances. He would never again take their love for granted. It was worth more than anything in this world.

Seth sat back and searched for her clothes, wringing them out. “Come on. Get dressed.”

Laughing, she took the pants from him. “What’s the hurry?”

“I want to tell everyone else.”

A rush of breath escaped her. “They’re going to be so excited.”

“Rightfully so.” He grinned. “A new baby in the family.”

Her gaze drifted down, and she pressed her hand to her stomach. “He or she is going to be very lucky. So many aunts and uncles.”

“Spoiled rotten, more like it,” he said dryly.

“Yes.” She gave him a trembling smile. “But our baby will know love and peace.”

“Yes he will,” Seth murmured.

And that, indeed, was something to be grateful for.

THE END

Dear Reader:

You’ve just read the sixth and final book in the Fallen Warriors series. Thank you so much for following along on this journey. Your support and words of encouragement over these past few years have meant the world to me. I’m so very glad that, like me, you found enjoyment in the world of the Fallen!

All the best!

Love,

Rosalie Lario

Books by Rosalie Lario

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

The Everly Brothers

Wild Girls Rule

Good Girls Don’t

Bad Girls Do

Stand Alone

The Boys Next Door

PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Demons of Infernum

Blood of the Demon

Mark of the Sylph

Touch of the Angel

Heart of the Incubus

Call of the Siren

Fallen Warriors Series

For Love of an Angel

Angel’s Desire

For Want of an Angel

Angel’s Kiss

Heart of an Angel

Angel’s Redemption

Stand Alone

Spellbound in Sleepy Hollow: A Von Tassel Sisters Anthology

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosalie Lario is the author of the contemporary romance series, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, as well as the paranormal romance series, DEMONS OF INFERNUM and THE FALLEN WARRIORS. Rosalie double majored in Anthropology and Classics as an undergraduate student, and briefly considered becoming an archaeologist before realizing they don’t actually live the life of Indiana Jones. So what was a classical geek armed with a lot of useless knowledge to do? Become a lawyer, of course!

After attending law school in Florida, she practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. When not writing, you can find her on a boat somewhere along South Florida’s waterways, chasing down a rainbow or pretending to be a pirate.

You can learn more about Rosalie Lario at her website,
www.rosalielario.com
. Sign up for her
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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

(Untitled)

Chapter Two

(Untitled)

Chapter Three

(Untitled)

Chapter Four

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

Chapter Five

(Untitled)

Chapter Six

(Untitled)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

Chapter Nine

(Untitled)

Chapter Ten

(Untitled)

Chapter Eleven

(Untitled)

Epilogue