“Give me all of you,” I whispered in his ear. “Go wild with me, Death Angel.”
Azrael moaned and pulsed inside me as he lifted his head to grin wickedly down at me. “My daredevil wife, always flirting with death.”
“This isn't flirting, Az, we're far past that. Now, show me the stars. I want to see the Universe in your eyes.”
Azrael sped up, his hips pumping faster and faster against me as his wings folded over his head into the shape of a hood. Within the shadow of that hood, Azrael's face went transparent and his skull showed through the flesh like a holographic image. Diamonds burst across a velvet blackness—stars gleaming in the sky of Death's eyes—and acid tears dripped down his invisible cheeks to drip over my chest. But even without my dragon scales covering me fully, I was immune to Azrael's tears. They simply slid off to sizzle through the clouds. Without limitations, I had become immune to everything. The Great Magic of Protection was at my beck and call.
Just as death was.
I smiled up at Az as I ran my hands over the translucent flesh of his cheeks; still there, still solid and warm beneath the Reaper illusion. Even though Azrael was naked, misty darkness cloaked his body—the extension of his wings that had turned into Death's mantle. I gloried in it; the darkness, the grinning skull, the acid tears, and the invisible cock piercing through it all to unite us. Making love to Death in the sky of Heaven; it seemed an appropriate way to commence my campaign. My inauguration.
I screamed out in ecstasy and clutched my husband tighter but as soon as the tremors faded away, Azrael pulled out of my embrace. I looked up at him in shock; he hadn't found his satisfaction yet. Stars spun in the endless space of Azrael's eyes as he lowered himself between my thighs.
“Death has only just begun to love you,” the hollow voice rumbled against my skin just before a warm, wet tongue stroked me.
I sighed and laid back into the cloud, one hand trailing between my thighs to urge my husband's head closer. The skull opened its jaws wider and consumed me. Yes; this was indeed the best way to begin my reign.
Chapter Fifteen
I woke in a real bed, beneath a blanket of feathers, and snuggled happily into my husband's embrace. Azrael sighed awake and angled his head to look at me. Gentle eyes, full of love and wonder. Full of excitement for what our adventure would bring. But in a moment, it shifted. Everything changed. His stare went from soft and warm to diamond-hard and frigid.
“What did you do to me, Vervain?!” Azrael roared as he sat up.
“What do you mean?” I sat up more slowly.
I warned you, Star said. My magic doesn't work as well on Gods, especially not on their free will. You only got as far as you did with Azrael because he loves you so much. He trusted you.
“I felt the magic in my mind.” Azrael climbed off the bed and tucked his wings away. “You tried to manipulate me!”
“I was just giving you a little push.”
“Liar!” Azrael spun around, hands to his head. “I don't know what to do. I thought that if I stood by you, you might remember who you were but instead, you nearly made me forget who I am.”
“Azrael, I wasn't changing you, just showing you another perspective.”
“I can't be around you,” he whispered in horror as he slowly turned to face me again. “You're a threat to me. To me! Holy hellfrost; my wife is trying to hurt me. I can barely believe this is happening.”
“I did not try to hurt you,” I scoffed. “Stop being so dramatic.”
“You made love to me and used it as a chance to slip your magic into my mind, Vervain! What if you had tainted me?”
“And you lied to me,” I shot back. “You agreed to come here and rule the world with me, but you had no intentions of supporting me. You never meant to stand beside me, you only wanted the chance to change me back into the woman you want me to be.”
“The woman you want to be, Vervain,” he growled. “The woman you are. This is not you.”
I got out of bed and strode over to him sensually, running my hands down my body and staring at him with bedroom eyes full of every dark desire I could fulfill. Then I set my hands on Azrael's chest and slid them downward.
“Why don't you come back to bed, and we can work this out together?” I purred.
Azrael closed his eyes on a moan but as soon as my hand wrapped around his hardening shaft, he flinched, opened his eyes, and clutched at my wrist.
“No!” Azrael growled and pushed me away. “I'm leaving, Carus, but I'll come back for you. I promise. As soon as I figure out how to help you, I'll return.”
“Don't bother,” I snarled as I shoved him away.
Then I yanked off my wedding ring and tossed it at him. Az caught it deftly then starred at it in horror. The diamond glittered in his palm.
“Take that mockery of commitment back with you; all it is now is a tracking device.”
“I'll hold onto this for you until you remember what it means to you,” Azrael whispered sadly. As he traced away, he added, “And we don't need the ring to find you; we're all bound to you through blood and magic, Carus. You can't be free of us that easily.”
As soon as Az was gone, I said, “Star, break those bonds.”
Vervain—
“Please, just do it.”
I can't. He's right; blood magic is powerful stuff. Combined with the will of gods, it becomes nearly invincible. You will have to live
