(Thanks to my amazing editor cannd for working with me on this chapter. Again, thanks for the faves and comments. Don't forget to rate!
~Blue)
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They landed for the night on a rooftop in the Bronx. Ryder paced the perimeter for a long time, looking for what, Angel didn't know. She stayed huddled on the roof, her arms wrapped around her knees, trying to stay warm. A cold wind whipped her hair around her face, stinging her eyes and chilling her to the bone. She'd been wearing a pair of jeans and a sequined tank-top when Hornet and Reaper had attacked her and Jordan. She hadn't been planning to stay outside all night.
Ryder watched the streets below, searching for any sign that they'd been followed. He'd prepared the rooftop for occasions such as this, so he doubted they could have been followed even if someone was trying. Still, he wasn't willing to take chances. Not where Angel was concerned.
It was a good twenty minutes before Ryder realized his charge was shivering uncontrollably. With a curse at himself he sprinted to her side, picking her up and carrying her to a corner of the roof without a word. In the pre-dawn dusk, she could see the angular cut of his features against the sky. As he set her down on a pile of blankets, she felt the corded muscles in his arms move underneath her.
He went to tuck the blankets in around her, but held on to him. "I'm c-c-cold-d," she said, her lips blue. "P-please, Ry-d-der."
He smiled at her, though the smile looked sad. "Of course, love," he said, lying next to her and pulling the blankets over both of them. She curled to his chest, seeking his warmth. His arms enveloped her and held her close. He turned his head down to kiss her, but she held her head away.
"First you explain about Shakespeare," she said firmly. The wind licked around her bare neck and she pressed against him again. He only grinned wider. She'd said "first," implying that something came after it.
"I'll tell you what I know, but I'm warning you, it isn't that much." Ryder propped himself up on his elbow. Angel let out a small mewing cry and pressed her head into his shoulder, still trying to warm herself. "When I saved your mother's life, it created a Bond between you and me. That Bond has made us incredibly attracted to one another, but it's also given you some things that you shouldn't have."
Angel arched an eyebrow. "Like?"
"Your looks, for one. You call yourself Angel, and angelic you look indeed. That isn't genetics. Second, you have an uncanny ability to make people trust you, no?"
Angel nodded.
Ryder continued. "You know there are angels, but you must also know that there is a yin for every yang. A pro for every con, so to speak. Our counterparts are the daemons, and they want you very badly, Jenna."
Angel tensed. "Why? Why me? I don't know anything."
Ryder stroked her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "They believe you have a dormant power of telepathy or predetermination." At her confused look, he explained. "They think you can tell the future, and/or read minds."
She laughed. "Well, that's really too bad for them. I can't."
He huffed against her neck. "Yet. You'll be coming into your powers fairly soon. The more time you spend with me, the faster it will happen. They will come for you eventually."
Angel closed her eyes. "And what am I supposed to do? You're going to leave me. There's no way I'm going to be able to stand up against an army of... of..."
"Daemons," Ryder finished. "I know. I'm staying with you, don't worry. This was an unplanned situation."
"Daemons," Angel repeated. "What are they like?"
Ryder frowned as he thought. "They look like us, for the most part. Like I do. They change on will. Except Lucifer. Part of being thrown out of Heaven was the he became stuck in daemon form. He's not a pretty thing to look at."
He sensed her next question. "Your friend Shakespeare was turned. It wasn't his fault, although that hardly matters right now. He'll be after you as well. You have to remember that he's not the man you know anymore. His mind has been corrupted."
Angel nodded. Ryder leaned down and kissed her cheek, feeling her slight trembling. It was from fear this time, not from the cold. "Anything else?" Ryder asked with a quirk of his mouth.
She thought for a moment. "If you're an angel, why aren't your wings, well, white?"
He laughed. "Do you know how impractical white feathers are? It's a myth that we all have these ivory wings like some overgrown swan. There's only one of us I know of that does. That's the problem with the human race," he said. "You see one, and you assume the rest of us are the same.
"Now," he continued, "I'd get some sleep if I were you. We have a long day coming up."
Angel turned to look at him, her delicate mouth drawn into a smirk. "Telepath? Maybe not. But sleep isn't what's on your mind, love." She emphasized the last word, making fun of his constant endearments.
He chuckled quietly, but sucked in a breath when she touched the spot on his neck that made his wings pop out. They slipped through the slits in his shirt and unfolded elegantly behind him. Never breaking eye contact, she reached out and stroked them, smiling when his bright eyes rolled with pleasure.
"Jenna, are you sure you..."
She pressed her mouth against his, their tongues meeting halfway. Ryder shifted, and Angel moved so that he straddled her, his hands on either side of her head. She held his neck in a death-grip, afraid he would leave before they could finish.
He broke the mad connection, breathing hard, his eyes dark. "I take that as a yes, love."
She looked beautiful, laid out on her back, her hair spread around her like a halo. "I've been told it can feel good," she said softly. "Is it true?"
Ryder scooped her up into his arms, holding her slim frame to his. He placed a kiss on her neck, sucking slightly, before he nibbled on her ear. "Oh, darling, yes, yes it can."
Without another word, he lay her back down kissed under her jaw, one hand going to her breast. He massaged it gently, teasing her nipple until it hardened under her shirt. Finding the fabric got in the way, he slipped it over her head and tossed it away. He did the same with her bra, taking a moment to admire her body before he kissed and licked his way down her neck and across her collarbone, pausing at the hollow of her throat to stroke the sensitive skin there.
She shuddered under his touch as he moved down her chest. His soft caresses were so different from Whit's. She moaned as he took one of her nipples in his mouth, teasing the nub with his tongue and teeth, biting enough to bring pleasure instead of pain. She felt her arousal start pooling between her legs. Ryder smiled to himself as she arched her hips, longing for his touch.
He teased the skin of her hip with his fingertip, brushing it lightly across the waistband of her jeans. She wiggled her lower body, trying to get him to put his hand where she wanted it.
Leaving her hips, he cupped both her breasts in his hands and leaned in. He captured her mouth with his, tugging on her lips with his teeth. Angel took his face in her hands, pulling him into her, moaning as he squeezed and massaged her pert breasts. Suddenly, her jeans felt too restrictive, and Angel's hands flew to the button, her fingers fumbling.
Ryder tugged them away from her body, drinking in the sight of her exposed skin. He fell upon her stomach, kissing every inch of her, probing with his tongue into her belly button. He ran his teeth along her hip bones, nipping gently. Almost regretfully, he pulled his hands away from her breasts and down her sides.
