Falling Hard Ch. 15

She just looked at him, confused.

"You signed your soul over to me."

"What?"

"You made yourself my slave."

"That's impossible."

"Everything is possible, right? Just don't go around signing things when you have no idea what they are."

"What does this mean? Can't I get it back?"

"You can never do that. I can... but not right now. I'd have to make a special trip to Hell in person to get it."

"What's going to happen to me? Am I going to be put in handcuffs and dragged into Hell?"

His expression was unreadable. "I told you, don't worry about it. They know I don't use those contracts anymore. It's archaic. They're gonna think it was a joke or something."

"But it's still legally binding."

He leaned over and began kissing her neck. "For all intents and purposes, you're my slave forever," he murmured.

She could hardly process this. She felt so stupid. Ashamed.

His kisses blurred her vision and sent tingles straight down her body. She was his slave? That didn't sound so bad.

"I'm your slave? Do you promise?" she said, hoping it sounded sexy and brave.

Again, she was aware that he was fully clothed, and she had only a sheet covering her body.

"What happens if I don't obey?"

"Oh, you have to obey," he said, putting more weight on her body, causing her to lie flat on her back. His body was pressed against hers. and his lips were crushing her mouth.

She felt feverish underneath him. Her nerve endings were already crying for more of his touch.

"Well," she gasped when his lips moved to her throat, "what's in it for me?"

"For you?"

He rolled over to the side.

"You said it's a contract. What's in it for me?"

"Oh, that." He cleared his throat gently. "You get to live."

----

"You asked, and I told you," Athan explained after Virta punched his arm out of frustration. She only succeeded in hurting herself. Pouting, she rubbed her sore hand.

He took her hand in his and caressed it, healing it while still talking: "Those were used for prisoners of war. They got to live..."

"I told you, I'll get it and destroy it just as soon as all this is over. You're just going to have to live with your mistake for a little longer."

Virta thought about it. In a way, she was already his slave. His love slave. There was no place else she'd rather be than in his bed with him, giving and receiving pleasure.

"I don't really get this. I mean, why did you have a contract anyway? You can make anyone do what you want."

"That's not true. Not that easy with the older, stronger angels," he said.

He went to the file cabinet and pulled out more of the documents like Virta had signed.

"We used to make the captives sign these and then they had to do whatever I wanted. It gave me complete control over their minds."

He stopped waving the documents around and put them back in the file.

"Even the strongest of them couldn't resist. And it was quite useful that, whenever I willed it, they would be dragged down into Hell."

Virta shivered despite the warmth in the room.

Athan came back to the bed and sat down. He rubbed his hand up and down her arms as he spoke.

"I don't mean any disrespect, but it wasn't intended for the light-weights such as yourself."

"Because you could make me do whatever you want anyway?"

He nodded. "It's like having too much insurance in your case."

He pulled her against his side. She liked the way Athan's chuckle moved his body against hers, shaking her gently.

She had to ask. "So what's gonna happen to me now?"

He smiled down at her. "Nothing. You're going to be safe."

"It's just the idea of it. I don't know, it's so... creepy. And I'm just ashamed at myself for being so stupid."

He pulled her against his broad chest, his fingers stroking her messy hair.

"There's something else you should know."

"Oh no. What?"

He took her hands in his, peering down into her face.

"It's the thought-blocking device you've been wearing... It's not working anymore."

"What? Since when?"

"Since I came into the room."

"Oh. Shit." Virta's mind was reeling from all this. "Maybe the sex did it. You weren't able to read my mind before, were you... during the sex? Because it seemed like you were reading my mind... you knew just what I wanted..."

"No, I couldn't read your mind. It was more like... reading your body."

She felt the warmth creeping over her skin, tingling between her legs.

"It was the contract that disabled the device," he said.

She was embarrassed that he was reading her thoughts. Knowing... everything.

"So you've been reading my thoughts all this time?" she squeaked.

"At first, your thoughts all came rushing in. But when I realized what was happening, I shut them out." He pushed a lock of hair off her face. "Do you believe me?"

"Yes," she said. She was a little surprised to realize that she did truly believe him.

Athan sighed.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," he said. "You never had much going for you in this assignment. No real weapons, nobody here working with you."

"I was given a plan," she insisted.

"I'm betting there wasn't much to it, other than the basics." He gritted his teeth. "Just when I think they can't get any worse..."

"You can take a look if you want. You know... in my brain."

"No."

"Oh, go ahead. That would satisfy both our curiosities."

"No."

"Please, Athan," she said, seeing his hesitation. "Look into my mind. Do it."

He hesitated further and then finally took her face in both hands, tilting her chin up and looking into her eyes.

She was immediately caught in the net of those ebony eyes and gave a little gasp. She never knew she was trapped until it was too late. Gazing back, she saw the concentration as he probed her mind. Then, seeming to have no success, he looked further. She felt lost in the deepness of his fierce gaze.

Finally, he broke away, a strange look on his face.

"Just as I thought," he said. "Nothing there."

"Hey, I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but still..." She was trying for humor.

"No; I'm talking about the mission profile... yours is just a shell of a plan. There should be tons of details. You were sent here on a suicide mission."

His hands were curling into fists.

"Banner will pay. For everything that's happened to you."

She shivered at the tone of his voice, the hardness and determination.

"I don't know what to do," Virta said. "Rose will be coming by my place later, expecting me to have you relic'd and ready to haul off to the General, and... I just don't know what to do."

"We'll talk about that when I get back," he said, pulling her into his arms.

Athan kissed the top of her head.

"I have those calls to make; some things I need to take care of."

She started to protest his leaving.

But he was already gone.