1. Diana

Warm lips kissed my cheek, trailing over my jaw, down my neck, and over my collar bone, each kiss becoming more fervent than the one before it. I rolled to my back, still half asleep. My eyes refused to open, even if there was an orgasm waiting for me. I'd been keeping up with my daily training since we left the compound and felt exhausted. Even though we were in Paris during the Victorian era, it had to be done. It was the only way to distract myself from everything.

"Princess…wake up," Mal's smooth voice crooned in my ear.

I groaned my protest at him, settling into a comfortable position with my arms thrown above my head and my cheek buried into the pillow. The hot, wet sensation of a tongue dragging over the valley between my breasts roused me from my semi-conscious state.

"Please wake up for me?" he mischievously asked as he parted my legs, and settled between them. He kissed my breasts tenderly, swirling his tongue around each nipple and sucking on them. It made me feel hot and bothered, like I had run a 5K even though I hadn't moved. His teeth grazed the stiff peak and I opened my eyes.

"There you are. Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning." My voice was raspy with need.

I wanted him inside me, around me. On top of me, beneath me. He'd been the calm to my emotional storm these past few months—a balm to my torn up heart and battered soul. The way he made me feel so loved and cherished was half the reason I hadn't gone insane. The other half was sheer stubbornness.

I'm not going to let them destroy me.

He continued to kiss and nip his way down my stomach at a leisurely pace. His gaze burned into mine with every kiss, as if to tease me. I stretched out, letting my legs fall open for him in invitation. He reverently stared between them as he licked his lips, then kissed my right ankle. His lips moved up my calf, past my thigh, right to my seam. His teeth bared down, biting into the flesh there until I gasped. I moaned as he licked over the bite mark. He did the exact same thing on the other side, and I cried out when his teeth sank in, bucking toward him to get more friction.

"Mal!" I moaned, desperate for something.

"Your sweet cunt is glistening, and I"ve barely started. I'm not going to stop eating you until you're gushing and dripping everywhere, then I'll lick you clean. I want my face soaked in you. Just say the word, and I'll make you scream, princess." He locked eyes with me, the storminess within their blue depths roiling like the ocean.

Mal truly was an ocean–deep, dark, and full of unknown surprises. Sometimes he could be volatile beneath a calm surface. There was a churning force within him, and these past few months of us being alone gave him the room he needed to let it unfurl.

"Yes–" My word faded into a moan as he sucked on my clit and slid his tail inside me.

He wasted no time rubbing my G-spot as he licked and nibbled me, exploring with his tongue. His hands massaged my breasts, thumbs flicking my nipples. The way his eyes bore into me while he gave me such overwhelming pleasure made me tear up. He loved me so much and treated me like the princess he always claimed me to be. Not once since we made up has he ever deceived me. He has always stood by me, even when times were hard. As I writhed in our bed and screamed his name, I felt my magic burst from me.

Mal, I l-love you,I mindlinked him. My body was enveloped in its soft, golden glow as my magic wrapped around him, giving him the same radiance. I felt connected to him on a deep level, like every atom in my being was vibrating, forever linked to him.

Something like this had never happened to us. Before I could think too deeply about it, I erupted, coming on his face so violently my legs quivered.

"Fuck, I love you too," he growled. "I need you." He licked me clean, savoring every drop, then wiped my tears from my eyes. I nodded, unable to speak from the aftershocks of such a powerful orgasm.

Removing his tail, he rolled us onto our sides with him behind me, banding his right arm under me and across my breasts and lifting my leg with his left hand. When he slid his cock inside me in one smooth thrust, our shared glow intensified, illuminating the darkness of our bedroom as if the sun was shining around us. As he fucked me, I cried—not from the sadness and anger that constantly plagues my waking hours—but from the happiness I felt in this man's arms. Mal was my protection from the darkness, my pain, and myself.

I wanna stay here with you forever, I moaned through our mindlink as his thrusts went deeper, harder. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. Fuck, Mal, FUCK!

I'll always be wherever you are, princess. I'll follow you into Hell itself.

He dragged his tongue up my neck, over my jaw, and right up to my ear before he bit down on my lobe. I loved when he marked me, giving me a physical reminder that I was his. His tail snaked over my leg, then brushed against my oversensitive clit. Each snap of his hips brought me closer to the edge, until my vision went white and I came again. He pulled out, turning me onto my hands and knees.

He pushed my head into the sheets and roped my long hair around his fist, holding tight. My cheek felt so hot against the cool sheets as he pushed inside me again, filling my throbbing pussy to the brim, owning me with every drive inside me.

The way that ass jiggles is everything, princess. Do you know what happens to girls with big, beautiful asses? Mal's voice was hoarse, and his tail ran up and down the back of my thighs.

They get spanked?I asked, hoping to heaven and back that I'd feel the warmth of his hand on my flesh. Something about the burn of each spank and the heat it left behind was cathartic.

Yes–spank–they–spank–do–spank. Each slap of Mal's hand against my ass cheeks made me feel like I was on fire. Wet tears rolled down my cheeks, and I reveled in how it felt to let go of all my chaotic emotions. To feel better for a change. He knew exactly what I needed and provided it. Every time.

Mal's thrusts became erratic, more punishing. He spanked me a few more times before he unleashed himself inside me. He paused for several moments before he pulled out and laid on his back. I snuggled into him, shoving my face into the crook of his neck. His strong arms wrapped around me, giving me shelter from the maelstrom that plagued me when everything got to be too much. In his arms was my favorite place to be.

We laid in satiated silence for several moments. Our breathing and him turning the ring on my finger were our only movements.

"You know we have to go back, right?" he asked me cautiously.

"I know. It doesn't mean I want to or that I'm happy about it, though," I recognized the petulance in my voice and hated it. It betrayed how hurt I still felt, despite almost four months apart from them.

He kissed my forehead, then my cheek. Bringing my left hand to his lips, he kissed and nipped at each of my knuckles, except my ring finger. His lips lightly brushed against the glimmering jeweled gold band he gave me.

"You miss them just as much as I do, even if you won't admit it. We have every right to be angry…but at some point we need to assume our responsibilities again. Whether we do that with them while being romantically involved or not is your decision."

"Wait, you would seriously let me choose that for us? I can't make that decision for you." Mal had been involved with Desmond, Ares, and Bash since he became a hellbound almost 300 years ago… How could he be so blasé about leaving them?

"Yes, you can. I love you so much, princess, that love isn't a big enough word for it anymore. You consume me, heart and soul. I'll always love them, but I can't be with them if they don't respect you and treat you right. I told you before, I'll always choose you over everything."

My heart burst with his confession. I cried like a blubbering idiot as Mal held me tighter, letting me wind down until I could breathe again. Between the mind blowing sex and my emotional breakdown, I felt exhausted.

"I love you, Malcolm. But your relationship with them is your choice."

"Either way, just know I have your back. Always."

That was the last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep again.

An uncomfortable,scorching heat razed through my body, waking me up from my slumber.

It's happening again.

I confirmed that Mal was still sleeping, thank the stars. Getting out of bed, I wrapped a robe around myself and pulled the shutters back a smidge. The sun was just rising, and merchants were already lining the streets below. Slipping into what this time period considered a bathroom, I looked in the mirror, frowning at my body's harsh red glow, and my bloody nose. My magic was chaotically thrashing under my skin, just like it had the last time this happened.

Since we left the compound, Michael and I had bonded. He'd taken care of me since I left and listened to all my hurt-fueled rants and crying sessions. It turned out a lot of his issues were with my father, not me. I was unfortunate enough to get caught in the crosshairs. He made me promise that if I had another reaction, I'd tell him.

"Time traveling for too long, regardless of how long you stay in one period, can damage you mentally and physically, Diana. You know this," he lectured as his healing magic worked its way through me, neutralizing my pain. "You need to tell me right away if this happens again."

"Michael is right, Di. Maybe we should go home," Oisín agreed, his grimace more telling than his words.

"I can't go home…"

"If this keeps happening, you'll have to. You may need treatment, Diana. This is serious. Judas' compound has some of the best healers outside of Heaven and I'll drag you there myself if I think you're in danger."

Michael's words filtered through my head as I clutched the basin, staring at my reflection. The room spun like a Tilt-O-Whirl, as if I had lost control of it. My magic bubbled over, shooting around the room as it bounced off the walls. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, willing it to calm down. I wasn't ready to go home yet. I couldn't face them, even if I needed treatment.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

After a minute, I felt my magic winding down and my heartbeat returning to normal speed. The room wasn't spinning anymore, nor was my magic going haywire. When I opened my eyes, my reflection wasn't a glowing red, thank fuck. Cleaning the blood off my face was gross, but I had sustained much worse injuries before.

Staring at my own reflection, I grappled with the decision to keep running, or go home. Had I licked my wounds enough to face them again? Could I really sit there with them in meetings and be around them during training after what they did to me? How did you fight beside men you couldn't trust?

There was a soft knock before the door opened behind me, which startled me out of my staring contest with myself.

"Diana?" Michael's voice was worried. Maybe he doesn't know…

"Come in." I whispered. Why the fuck would I whisper? Is that normal sounding?

Michael opened the door slowly, then stepped inside. His light blond hair stuck out everywhere, like he had just gotten out of bed. He knew something was up—I could tell from the concerned set of his brows and the way his jaw tensed when he looked at me. That was his signature Dad look, how I knew he was concerned. He had proven to be a really great father since we left the compound. As much as it hurt my Leo pride to say it, my first impression of him was wrong. He really did care about me and Oisín, but heaven's red tape had kept him away from us.

Unfortunately for me, he was in full Dad-mode right now, asking a million questions I didn"t want to answer.

"What was that?" he asked, choosing not to beat around the bush. The man may have taken a break from being second in command of upstairs, but he still had a no-nonsense attitude.

"Um, I'm not sure what you're referring to." I kept a neutral face, hoping that playing dumb would help.

"That burst of magic a few minutes ago. It was so strong that it woke me up. It felt like your signature."

"I woke up with a nose bleed. The air here is so dry and stuffy. I used my magic to clean it off, and I think I overdid it." Not a lie, but not the complete truth either. I felt awful lying to my father, but it had to be done.

I could try to be brave, but I knew deep in my heart, I didn't have the capacity for it. My heart hadn't healed yet. Going back right now wasn't an option.

"Okay…" We were locked in a staring contest, and his Dad-stare was creepy sometimes, because it was like staring into a mirror—our eyes were identical. And he didn't look old enough to be my dad.

He knew I was lying, but didn't have the heart to call me on it. "If you feel any symptoms, tell me. You need serious medical attention if you have another incident like before, and I'll need Zaz's help at the compound."

"Of course. We should be getting home sooner or later anyway. Can we go back to the 80s today, Dad?" Sometimes I called Michael by his name, and other times I called him Dad.

Right now, I needed to soften him up so he didn't make me go home. He was a sucker for daughterly affection and although mine was genuine, I had to use it to manipulate him right now. Going to another time period would hopefully fix whatever was happening to me. It would give me enough time to pull my big girl panties up and prepare myself for what was sure to be a dramatic reunion.

"Of course we can. That's my favorite time period. How about 1985 again?"

"Yes!" I said excitedly. "Sounds like a plan. I'll let Mal know when he's up and we can get ready."

I gave him a kiss on the cheek and rushed back to my room before he had another chance to question me. He wasn't stupid. He was one of the most renowned angels in the world and knew something more was going on.

I'll go home in a week. Seven days to get myself emotionally ready, and then I'll face them,I promised myself.

That would hopefully be enough time to set myself right.