Chapter 17

Sometimes you just can't deny it...

It was seven on a week night; there was no one in Temptation except the most hardcore of patrons, the regulars- the type that knew Devlyn and Katia on sight. Dev was helping out, scrubbing the tables down. Katia was in the back doing paperwork; they were looking at opening another club, Desire maybe.

Merrick was on the stage, playing around with the house band; currently there was some unholy truce between The Muse and the God of Revenge. Dev would have said she didn't trust it, but it had created this new thing called peace in her world, and call her crazy, but she didn't really want to poke at it.

“Hey, Eyes," Merrick called, strumming out what sounded suspiciously like Stairway to Heaven on his guitar. He was actually sitting on the stage, one leg propped against an amplifier. From this angle, Devlyn couldn’t see how Katerina managed to resist him. He looked primitive, yet rock-hard sexy. Gruff but definitely sensual. Then again, she smiled, maybe he had this look because they were on one of their temporary reprieves. Yeah, she decided, he did have that look of the recently-laid.

Devlyn turned with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron. She knew that tone. And while a part of her was groaning at the thought, another part of her danced with excitement at what he might say.  "Yeah?"

Merrick grinned, and kicked the mic stand down into his out stretched hand. "C'mere,” he said, wagging his eyebrows at her slightly, mischievously.

He saw her hesitate for a moment. He hated seeing this dejection in her lately. Something was wrong, he didn’t know exactly the cause, but he suspected his brother had more than a little to do with it, and he wanted to do anything he could to ease some of the tension in her eyes.  "Oh, come on, Eyes, what? Scared?" he goaded, swinging the microphone by its cord and grinning in that lopsided manner of his.

She pursed her lips into a smirk, and his golden eyes glittered in challenge. Who was she to deny it? She wanted a good night of fun after the past several weeks of the various stages of denial, anger, and finally dejection that had consumed her lately. "You're on, old man."

Before he could fully congratulate himself on getting her to agree, Devlyn's smooth, husky voice was dripping across the club's dim interior before she even hit the stage.

 

If I could have just a moment of you

Would I be wanting more?

If I could have just a taste of you

Would I be addicted?

If I could have just a touch of you

Could I tear myself away?

 

She purred, sauntering up the steps to the stage, and taking the mic from Merrick's stunned hands. She clicked it back in to the stand and planted her feet firmly before she threw herself in. Gods, she had missed singing for so long. The song had that longing in it that she loved. Emotionally charged, a bit sexy, and full of truth was how she liked her music. The band followed her lead, Merrick creating her counter harmony in both voice and rhythmic guitar.

 

I would pray to be the rain that runs over and in your skin

With no consequence

To be the liquid in your glass that falls around your lips and mouth

Swallow me

 

In her office, Katia smiled, humming along as she signed this, checked that, and sent a wave of her power curling down the link she shared with Merrick. It flowed out of his fingertips as he played, possessing the music, and rolling in wave after wave to fill the club with Katia's own personal flavor of scorching passion. It wrapped around one like the first stirrings of a bone deep desire, hot and sensual. This was one of her favorite ways to feed her power, emotionally charging the club.

Bane wandered into the bar. It was one of the few places in this bloody city that a god could actually go into expecting to get sloshed, and actually come out the other side in just that condition. The girls' kept a steady supply of "cognac"-- which in all actuality, was really just a form of ambrosia known to his pantheon as kasysis. 

There were a few other bars in this city, and numerous others around the country and the world, that housed such liquids, but most of those were seedy, and in his present mindset, seedy would probably result in self-destructive violence. Temptation had always been his preferred bar here, and not just because it allowed him an easy way to observe Devlyn unnoticed. Like all of the establishments the girls owned, it was nice, clean, with plenty of eye candy and great service. Not to mention the talent in here was always great on the ears.

He smiled as he sat down at the long gleaming bar. Katerina had done a wonderful job restoring this place years ago, he thought. That muse really was starting to grow on him as something more than just a sexual parasite. He nodded to Gabe, the bartender and resident lycanthrope, and the wolf handed him a bottle of cognac in exchange. The music certainly had an edge to it tonight that wasn't found in here all too often. It was a voice that sounded familiar but he couldn't place. He didn't think he'd heard this band before. Katerina frequently sought out new talent, so the new band was not any kind of surprise.

"How do you like the evening's entertainment?" Gabriel asked. "Not what you'd expect out of her, is it?" he said with a smirk. Bane raised a questioning brow, but turned around on the bar stool to see what the bartender was talking about.

His brain did not register the site at first. Devlyn. On stage. Singing. With his brother.

At first, he tried to deny it; Devlyn didn't sing, not in public. EVER. Right?

In all the years that he had known her, or even known her vicariously through his sister, never once had the topic of her singing ever come up. And yet, here she was, crooning away. Wrapping that rich alto around every person in the room, forcing them to hear the passion in her voice, daring them to respond to it. He was fair drunk on it. What the hell?

As he listened to the sultry lyrics of her chosen song, it was all he could do not to walk over there, take her from stage, kiss her thoroughly...and dear gods his thoughts couldn't continue this way for long without doing something about it. She was going to be the death of him, he decided. Tonight confirmed it. He took another long swig from his bottle, enjoying the welcomed relief of numbness liquid would create.

He watched her from afar as she sang, moving seamlessly from one song to the next.

 She must be in an angry lesbian chick music kind of mood. She moved on to Melissa Etheridge's "I'm the Only One." Was she trying to tell him something? And with the way the power singed the room with electric passion, he praised the fates that he was immortal. His own powers could not save him from feeling the powerful sensation in the room.

He felt the soft brush of power near to him as The Muse appeared, sashaying to the stage. She tossed a playful wink over her shoulder and joined his betrothed on stage for the second verse. Back to back they sang, all the feeling still there, but now there was an undercurrent of something he couldn't place, Devlyn was the star, but Katia was the perfect second. Adding melody, and together they played it up for the growing and adoring crowd. Where the hell had all the people come from?

He looked around, and the crowd visibly sizzled with excitement and something else...lust? Passion? Something that they were craving, that the girls were giving them, feeding them. It was dripping from the very soul of the bar. Bane opened his god's eye, the one that allowed him to see what was there and what wasn't in the same breath. Shining threads of pure power wreathed any and everything. He looked down at himself and shuddered, even he was covered in it. It was artfully done, he had to admit. He couldn't tell who was the source or even read out its intent, but it pulsed and writhed like a living, dancing thing�" absolutely golden and pure.

He watched it, and sure enough, it weaved along with the music, building and growing the sirens' song, the guitar played by his brother, the beat of the music. S**t, he cursed under his breath. How could he have been so careless not to notice? Of course, what else could he expect? Damn if Devlyn didn't occupy his entire attention when she did anything within his radar. She was turning him into a blithering fool.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Bane turned, and his eyes widened. He was face to chest with something he hadn't seen in eons. The Being was blindingly bright, sending out shards of silver rays, if one could see beyond the third dimension. With his immortal’s vision, he could see the being for what it was. An angel, he was talking to a bloody angel. Somehow, seeing Christian immortals just didn’t sit well with him.

"I didn't know The Great I Am, let his minions come down here anymore," he drawled, closing his power's eye, and taking in the human glamour the angel was wearing. He was tall, muscular in a wiry sort of way, and of all things looked like he belonged down the street at The Dungeon- his hair was matte black, and there was a sliver ring through his generous lower lip, black pants and a Mindless Self-Indulgence band tee. Was he serious? But the eyes, his eyes were the purest green he'd ever seen, and seem to hold an eternity of kindness and warmth.

Yep. Angel.

The punker-angel shrugged and grinned, shoving his hands in this pockets and turned to the stage "Well, there are the few of us that still sneak Earth-side. Besides, who'd want to miss this?"

Bane sighed. "Can't imagine anyone. Do they do this often then?" 

Bane could merely nod. He didn't know what to make of this creature. Angels were a peculiar breed--lethal and devoted. To gods who were consistently on a power tightrope, having underlings that were completely devoted to one god was a hard concept to grasp.  That angels were known to kill other celestials such as himself for the dare thought of breaking a commandment...well, it just didn't sit right with him.

Gabe set the drink down in front of his new acquaintance, and Bane watched as he swirled it around, then knocked the whole tumbler back with nary a shudder.

"I don't envy you gods. Damned near impossible to get obliterated when you want to," he said, grinning. "Name’s Paz, by the way." He said with a nod, "Anyway, I came in looking for you. I have a message." Paz's words were beginning to slur. Great, a cheap-drunk angel. Here's hoping he wasn't hiding a flaming sword anywhere. That was all this bar needed. A rogue angel on a drinking binge.

Combined with the potency the muse was apparently weaving on the crowd, a massive deadly orgy seemed the only likely conclusion.

"Go on," Bane prompted, eyebrows raised.

Even through the buzzed haze of Paz's green eyes, the severity of his words cut straight to the bone. "Time is running out, War Lord. Hurry."

"Excuse me?" Bane demanded gruffly.

"Time is running out," the angel repeated.

"You've got to me shitting me."

The angel's brows furrowed. "Defecation… is not necessary."

 Bane rolled his eyes. "This is bullshit." He paused. Clearly all mention of fecal matter was going straight over this pretty angel's head. "I am handling it."

Paz leaned forward and quirked a finely arched onyx brow, "Not very well," he said with gin-soaked breath. "Word on the street is that she isn't even talking to you. Won't even see you."

Before the angel could duck, Bane had already swung his fist back, and it landed with a deep crack to Paz's jaw, staggering the angel back several feet, and knocking him clean off his barstool.

“She is pregnant with my child. Go back to your 'holy' god and send him my message. My entire message,” he growled, glowering at the blitzed messenger. "And remind all you encounter along the way who I am, what I am capable of, and we will conquer. She and I. Together. I have not forgotten all that is at stake."

Paz wiped at the trail of blood trailing down his chin. He really hated that pantheon. They were entirely too aggressive, in his opinion. Always had to prove themselves with their brute strength. Brawn only took one so far...and brains had to take one the rest of the way. Clearly. Which was why Christianity dominated and their pantheon only thrived because of the mystical creatures�"nymphs, sprites, and elves�"who still worshiped them.

Bane looked back up at the girls on stage. His little Devlyn�"so small and seemingly frail. But she wasn’t frail in the least. Strong, smart, stubborn…and enough courage of conviction to make him melt. She confused, baffled, and angered him by turns, but he always hungered for her. He might be her bane, but he knew she would always be his weakness.

And his weakness was currently singing on stage, looking sultry and too sexy by half. The songs drifted, and he noticed suddenly that not only was Merrick on guitar, but damn if Errie wasn’t on drums! So of course the transitions between songs was abnormally  seamless. The music slowed down, the bass picked up, and Devlyn had taken center stage. Katerina had faded somewhere in the background after taking the lead in the girls’ version of Black Velvet.

 

In the day, in the night

Say it right, say it all

You either got it, or you don’t

You either stand, or you fall

   Her voice echoed in the suddenly quiet club, carrying all the emotion she felt in her voice. The original version of the Nelly Furtado song was faster-paced, but when Devlyn slowed it down a bit, more of the passion behind the words became clear and filled the air. Who needed a jukebox when these girls got on stage?

 

Oh, you don’t mean nothing at all to me

But you’ve got what it takes to set me free

Oh, you could mean everything to me

 

As the song continued, Bane could merely stare. She captivated, she really did. And then it slowed back down, and the words sent a wave of fire through him.

 

From my hands I could give you

Something that I made

From my mouth I could sing you another brick that I laid

From my body I could show you a place God knows

You should know the space is holy

Do you really want to go?

 

Yes, d****t, he wanted to go, and he wanted to go now! Before he even fully realized what he was doing, Bane was already halfway up the stage, his entire attention solely focused on her. The band�"his damn brothers�"continued to perform, despite Devlyn being speechless as he crossed the stage towards her.

Never in her life had she felt like she was sharing such a private moment publically. Not only was she pretty much singing to him with her last song, but here he was, coming on stage, walking determinedly to her. She never knew if he was going to kiss her, or wring her neck. Possibly because until the moment approached, he was never quite certain either. But her eyes locked on him, devouring as much as she could through a space of twenty, fifteen, ten…feet.

He wasn’t exactly sure what he was planning, he never knew anything for certain with her, but he was almost at arm’s length when he caught site of that look on her face, and exactly what it meant.  She wanted this to happen just as much as he did. Sure, she looked confused, but after a couple of centuries in his arms, he hoped that she never doubted for an instant that what they had between them was real and ever-lasting.

The entire crowd watched them with a curious silence. They wanted to see the couple unite almost as much as the deities in the room did. Between their killer performance, the magical webbing that Katerina stirred to life in the room, and the very real way the audience could see the two beautiful people telling a magical story before them, it was no wonder they all wanted to see a happy ending.

He pulled her into his arms. He didn’t kiss her though. “You shouldn’t sing like that,” he told her softly.

She arched a confused brow. “Like what?”she asked somewhat breathlessly.

“Like you’re waiting for me to do this.” And then his lips came down to capture hers as his hands found the soft skin of her lower back. All he did was kiss her heatedly, then use the softest of caresses along her back. It created friction, an itch that needed scratching. When the crowd started cheering and cat calling, he pulled back from her slightly. “Because this is what happens when you tempt me beyond reason.”

She fully expected him to pick her up in his arms at this point, sweep her off her feet, and do something terribly romantic. For those few seconds when the entire world seemed to pause she imaged something akin to the last scene of An Officer and a Gentleman. So when he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder, she had every right to be outraged. “What in the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!” she screeched at him.

By this point the audience was both charmed by him and curious. He had actually forgotten that they had people watching them expectantly. Amazing how she blocked out everyone else. He walked up to the microphone. “Please excuse this miss. I have business to take care of with her. Meanwhile, the lovely Katerina will steal your attention just as well.”

He turned around with Devlyn pounding her fists against his back to leave his brothers and the muse to deal with the crowd. If anyone could handle that, it would be them.

            He heard the crowd cheer and the rest of their make-shift family start up what sounded to be Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” That must have been it, or another song equally as full of sexual innuendo, judging by Devlyn screaming back at Katerina. “F**k you, Kat! This is not funny!” but he was already carting her off, so he doubted that Katerina heard her, and if she had, he really doubted that she cared enough to be bothered or threatened by it.

Once he had reached the edge of the stage and walked back behind it where he was sure they wouldn’t be seen, he finally put her down. Judging by the outraged look on her face, he guessed she didn’t see what he had done to her out there as any form of romantic or gallant.

“When did I become cargo?” she demanded, hands on her hips.

He arched a brow. “I beg your pardon?”

“Well obviously I’m nothing more than chattel to you if you can just sling me across your shoulder like that. You’re not a fireman, this is not a burning building, and how dare you!”

She looked so mutinous it was all he could not to laugh. When he stayed silent and she let out a sharp “Well?” he lost control and let out a deep laugh. He started towards her before she could think to back away. “Forgive me, my dear. What can I say? When I get around you I just can’t think straight.”

He stepped closer to her, effectively backing her into the wall. She felt completely surrounded by him. She wanted him to kiss her, to do something that would make up for that huge let-down he’d just given her. She wanted him to prove it all wrong. She had to strain her neck to look up at him when he was this close, he was just so damn tall. Her lips parted on their own. She didn’t realize she’d started breathing heavily.

He watched her reaction and knew that he would win this. “You can’t stay mad about everything, Aria. You sing to me, you dip and swerve that tight little body of yours and drive me to the edge. So when I jump, don’t expect perfect results after you’ve driven me mad with it.”

Devlyn couldn’t breathe, not that she had to, but her heart hitched in her throat and it felt like her entire body had stopped, was on the edge of a great precipice, just waiting for him to say the right words and let her jump too. She wet her lips. “With what?”

He buried his hand in her hair, just to feel how soft and silky it was. No mortal woman could get hair this soft, this lustrous. “Oh gods, Devlyn, if you don’t know by now, there’s really no help for you.”