Aequitas II Punishment

By A.C. Mason

Will the battle for aequitas freedom cost the balance between good and evil?

Aequitas—part angel and demon, fight for their freedom and march to heaven's doorstep.

Rebel leader Etienne Grant kidnaps his wife and vows to punish her disobedience. Once retribution is paid, Auria will command his army in a most ambitious venture—defeating all the angels in heaven.

Auria can do nothing but surrender for the safety of her sons. Once in Grant's clutches, she realizes he wields an even greater whip as he fights for her heart and loyalty.

Enemy alliances are forged as they prepare to bring down the Kingdom of God. But the archangels won't let victory slip from their grasp so easily.

The battle for freedom might cost the balance between good and evil, but will it damn their souls for eternity?

38,110 Words

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lyrical Press
• Release date: Jan 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781616502263

Book preview

AEQUITAS II PUNISHMENT

A.C. MASON

LYRICAL PRESS

http://lyricalpress.com/

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

To Marianne Harden, a guiding light on a path filled with darkness.

Chapter 1

You might capture my body and garner my obedience, but you shall never win my heart. Auria lifted her chin and met Grant’s icy stare as the portal sphere enveloped them. Her sons’ Onyx and Jet’s cries became heartwrenching echoes. The small room faded. Acoustic waves vibrated through her body. Space and time folded around them.

I hope for our sons’ sakes you are wrong, my dear sweet wife. The corner of his mouth curled up mockingly.

Given her disappearing act in another man’s arms, she didn’t know where he would take her.

Anger pulsed from him.

Seems he wasn’t too keen on her thinking of other men. She’d suggest he stay out of her mind. However, he was probably no less capable of that than she was of shutting his thoughts out.

What hell would she meet with him?

"One of your own making." Grant cradled her body closer to his hard chest. Though she’d married Etienne, his true identity was Grant. He’d created the persona to infiltrate the Aequitas. Tucked around her were his huge brilliant white wings. Now dark pools of tar, his eyes stared into the depths of hers.

Spread out like a tapestry, the universe cocooned them. The night sky studded with stars held an infinite vacancy, much like the path she descended into.

Once she’d been a general, but she’d been seduced by a very clever man pretending to be a very caring man. Now she was mother to his young, and unable to protect them from the one person who could hurt them the most. Their father, Grant.

Every thought or feeling she allowed would be known by him, which meant each sensation betrayed her.

"Such dramatics from you, lamb. He skimmed her chin with his knuckles. Did I not warn you of the consequences when you vanished in another man’s arms?"

"Oh, you mean when you said, ‘I will hunt you down, my lamb,’?" Power radiated from his form in waves, pulsating.

"Have I not kept my word?" The ridges of his sculpted abdomen brushed along her skin, flickering flames in her body. Since she’d taken her leave from him, he’d spent his time strengthening his abilities.

How far-reaching were his powers? What was he? Aequitas were part humanoid, angel and demon. However, born from a human mother and an aequitas father, he contained those in his very genetics. What did that make him?

"An abomination."

Chapter 2

Arriving in his bedchamber, Grant lifted Auria’s face, then brushed her plump lips with a kiss. The blue mist around them dissolved, the vibrating slowed as he stopped shifting through space. His feet met the floor. Light from hanging torches flickered in her black eyes. The curves of her form melted to his body, awakening the monster inside, hungry to feed.

Even without him entering her psyche, her every thought, every feeling and action revealed her displeasure at their souls’ connection. He eased into her mind, and her golden cheeks flushed pink.

For far too many nights, he’d tried to quench the hunger for her with women who could never measure up. No more. She would be his.

The redness of her lips called to him, but he refused to surrender to his desire just yet. He dragged his hand along her rib cage, stopping at her breast, strummed her hard nipple with his thumb.

Her onyx eyes lowered, the plea in them unmistakable. She was unhappy with the longing swirling inside. The scent of her arousal rose, familiar and scintillating, teasing him. Smirking, he coiled his fingers around the neckline of her shimmering beige nightgown. How dare she lie with another man dressed this way? She belonged to him, yet Deimos’s musk soiled her once more.

In a swift motion, he ripped the fabric from her body, exposing her bronze flesh.

She gasped. Her abundant breasts bounced from the movement.

The lean cut of her body made her intentions clear. She’d been training to return to the battlefield to bring forth all her fury to bear. The corner of his mouth turned up. Oh, how he’d missed his warrior princess.

She covered the mounds of her breasts with one hand and forearm, the light dusting of hair between her legs with the other.

Do not, he scolded, shaking a finger at her.

She lifted her eyes to meet his. Their begging would elicit no reprieve from him. Not tonight, or for many to come. No mercy for his disobedient wife.

She lowered her hands to her sides. The look of a huntress gleamed in her eyes as she examined her surroundings.

He’d been fooled by her once. Never again. When you’ve made retribution for your betrayal, you shall lead my army. I will tolerate no less than complete loyalty from you, lamb.

This time he’d break her. She’d give him the complete surrender he sought. He cradled her rib cage, pulled her to his chest. Understood?

Pearly white teeth glimmered as she bit her lower lip and lifted her gaze. Yes.

Spooning her face, he stroked her mouth with his finger. Kiss me.

She pressed up on the tips of her toes, then blanketed his lips with hers. The thrill of her kiss rushed straight to his groin, making him hard, the hunger he met satisfied him. Her quick obedience only solidified his belief that she needed the right set of motivations to flip sides. And he’d give her exactly what she needed. Oh yes, she’d succumb to his will.

He grabbed a handful of her curls, forcing his lips to her mouth to deepen the embrace, then glided his other hand down between her folds, over her slick nub.

She stiffened, angry with her body for desiring him. Her gasps lingered in the room between their kisses.

The feel of her made something protective flutter in him. Unable to stop the effect she commanded over him, he chuckled, loosened his grip and wrenched his lips from hers. The yearning inside him protested, but he wouldn’t let physical need dominate him.

To draw her attention, Grant glanced upward. Iron shackles dangled by chains above her.

Fear weighed upon her chest. Jet and Onyx’s smiles flashed in her mind. Would he allow her to see their sons again this evening?

"No."

She lowered her gaze.

A sharp pain shot to his heart, but he wouldn’t yield to the cunning Mrs. Grant.

He reached up for the first restraint above, lifted her small wrist into the iron shackle and tightly clasped the mechanism closed. Her body’s warmth reached out over his flesh, wreaking havoc on his will. Snatching her other wrist, he raised the limb above her head, rested the soft flesh against the metal, and secured her.

This isn’t all my sweet. Grant lowered to his left knee, pulled a shackle to her ankle and tightened it, then did the same with the other.

The chains rattled in the iron loops, reverberating in the hollow room.

Now at eye level with her labia, he leaned closer. He inhaled her scent, moved forward, and caressing her nub with his mouth, slipped his tongue back and forth. She thrust her hips, searching out his gentle laps, and he rested his cheek on her silky thigh, rolling her flavor around. Not yet.

His lamb was stretched out helpless, naked and wanton just for him. How magnificent.

He entered her psyche, searched through every event she’d experienced since her escape.

Many tears she’d shed over her beloved Etienne, and lived through many sleepless nights. Eventually, comfort for her was found in the mind of another. Deimos. Rage cycloned through every inch of him, warming the surface of his skin to a pulsating amber glow. He closed his eyes, inhaled, then exhaled a misty breath, purging the anger from his body.

You do love to play games, don’t you? He stood.

She shook her head. You know, each time I did, I hated myself a little more.

If only her guilt was enough to subdue the rage inside him. But another male had known the pleasure of her. You will be mine. He gestured to the wall. By any means necessary.

She followed with a look, examined the row of hanging instruments of discipline.

I’ve had a long time to consider your punishment, lamb. It will be sweet agony. He leaned in. I’ll take my time, just like you’ve fantasized about. In the early stages after her disappearing act, fury would have guided his hand. However, time had provided him reflection. The man who’d tamed his lioness gave him insight on how he too would break through her pain- encased heart.

He strolled over to the wall. How her presence weakened him. His desire to touch her tenderly arose from nowhere, even as he prepared to punish her. An easy choice, he lifted the leather crop, and moved his fingers up the smooth length of the handle as he walked back to her.

* * * *

Auria hated how Grant’s desires became her own. Why couldn’t this inner hunger cease?

Orange light from the torches sharpened the angles of his masculine face, made her yearn for the darkness she’d despised a few months ago. Her body ached for his touch. All she wanted was to satisfy his hunger, and the man before her wore his rage like armor, making her seek him even more. Her fingers tingled with an urge to disarm his protective layer. His almond-shaped, dark blue eyes were narrowed, yet his long lashes kept him beautiful.

She didn’t want to see him as anything more than a cruel monster. Definitely not as her beloved Etienne Grant. Though they shared the same body, these two men were very different faces of the same coin. One she loved. The other she loathed.

You and I are more alike than different. He slipped behind her, imposing with his towering frame. Neither of us likes to be dominated or to need anyone. We both must be in complete control.

The smooth leather loop of the crop moved down her spine, then stopped at the top of her ass.

As his need burned through her like a back draft, she gasped. The withdrawal of the sensation chilled her, forcing her to grip the chains holding her up. She exhaled softly, awaiting the sting of his wrath.

A subtle tap to her left, then her right buttock, and tenderness quivered in her heart.

Grant grabbed her chin with his large, rough hand and turned her face to meet his stare. Expecting something else, lamb? As he smirked a full, dark eyebrow arched.

With narrowed eyes, she issued a challenge. Obviously, your bark is bigger than your bite. His fury she could handle, but the restraint he displayed inched dangerously close to how her beloved disarmed her–capturing her heart.

He clenched his strong jaw, moved in and pressed his lips to her skin. Into biting? Mmm, sounds delicious. Anywhere in particular you’d like me to start?

Everything about this thrilled her. She wanted to hide from her own wishes. He perused her flesh with his lips, learning every detail beneath until he made