Christmas Magic

Hey guys, sorry this update took a while- I was away on holiday and I didn't have a computer or laptop or a stable Internet connection. I know I suggested smut last chapter but I'm really not that comfortable writing really explicit smut and someone helped me realise that I don't have to do something I'm not comfortable with to please my readers. However, this chapter does contain some passion so hopefully you guys won't be too disappointed. I'm sincerely sorry cos I'm desperately trying to keep these stories entertaining and engaging for as wide an audience as possible. Let me know if you have any ideas or criticisms at all in a review or comment.

Enjoy!

Love M xxx

Chapter 3

Angel stepped back hesitantly, wary of the intense look in Soryu's eyes. He'd been jealous over Charles and now he was determined to show her who she belonged to. Bounding easily down the sweeping mahogany stairway, he pulled her into a fiercely passionate kiss, pushing her up against the wall in urge for dominance. Angel froze in surprise- Soryu only ever acted this out of control when he was really feeling lustful. She grinned at his fervour.

'If I knew all it took to get you like this was to make you jealous, then I would have flirted with other guys a bit sooner.' He growled at her smirk.

'Don't even think about it. I will slit the throat of any man who tries to lay a hand on you.' She could see the seriousness in his eyes. 'But you must definitely be punished for your brazenness, woman.' He commanded, trailing hungry kisses down the side of her neck. She gasped as he began to suckle on the sensitive flesh at the side of her throat, her heart racing at his proximity.

'What are you going to do to me?' She asked timidly.

'You're going to find out.' He pressed another hot kiss on to her mouth, pulling her with him as they stumbled into the large living room of the mansion, yanking his immaculate suit jacket off as he went. Angel reached up to undo the buttons on his shirt and found her hands slapped away for her efforts.

'What-'

'Shhh. You're being punished, remember? I'm in charge here.' She watched, slightly wary as he roughly yanked off her shirt and skirt, leaving her barely clad in her tantalizing red lingerie. 'Mmmm. That red suits your skin to perfection.' Soryu whispered hungrily, running his tongue along the ridge of her collar bone. She tried to put her arms around him and pull him closer, but suddenly he was gone. Before she could react in her lusty haze, Soryu pinned her arms up above her head, leaving her dangling vulnerable and exposed in front of him. She struggled futilely against his strong grip. With a wicked grin he continued his teasing kisses before pulling her onto the massive sofa where they made love in front of the roaring fire.

Angel smiled lovingly down at the muscly, lightly sweating man below her.

'If that's what getting punished feels like, then I should be naughty more often.' She giggled, running her thumb across his lower lips and along his strong jaw. Soryu sighed contentedly, idly playing with her silky black curtain of hair that cascaded over the both of them.

'I'm sorry about the way I reacted when I met Charles- I was… jealous and I promise I won't let it happen again.' Soryu whispered embarrassedly.

'That's alright sweetheart.' She smiled warmly at him, enjoying their pillow talk. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy. She was back in her own home, the love of her life in her arms, looking at her like she was one of the 7 wonders of the world. She rejoiced in the fact that they were warm and toasty by the roaring fire, while snow flakes swirled down in sparkling flurries outside the window.

'Who is he anyway?'

'Who? Charles?' Soryu nodded. 'He's my best friend. I met him and Thomas in uni- we were all in the same college at Cambridge. Then… I don't know. We hit it off immediately- we three were inseparable and when Tom and I started dating Charles was nothing but supportive. We all had the same ambition: to serve Her Royal Majesty's Secret Service so then we became colleagues.'

She faltered there, remembering sadly how they used to laugh and all the fun they used to have together. They were the most immature boys in all of England, but she loved them both regardless. After Tom's death, it felt like a shadow had fallen over her life- a seemingly eternal darkness, which was miraculously lifted by the unexpected arrival of Soryu in her life.

'Anyway… after Tom's death… Charles showed me so much support. You have no idea what it's like to have your marriage broken off a week before, because you received your fiancé's head in a box.' She broke off, a choking sob overcoming her. Soryu sat up, gently cradling her in his arms as she tried to stop herself from crying.

'It's ok- you don't have to talk about it.' He patted her awkwardly. He wasn't used to dealing with crying women- in fact he wasn't used to women in general and he was terrified.

'No it's ok. I want you to know about it because you're such an important part of my life. How can our future go on if I let my past drag me down?' She wiped a few stray tears, recomposing herself, before continuing.

'Slightly over 5 years ago, I was, obviously, engaged to Tom. Two months before our wedding, he accepted a mission in Dubai- I think there was something shady going on with the ruler of Dubai or whatever. Anyway, even though I begged him not to go because we had so many wedding preparations to do and it was cutting it a bit too fine to the wedding date, he still decided to go. I think, a month before our wedding something went wrong and he was caught. I shudder to remember, all that time I was so happy and engrossed in wedding preparations while he was being tortured in the dungeons, by the Sheikh. I had no way of calling or finding out cos it was a security risk so I didn't think too much of it, until one week before- the time when I was receiving wedding gifts from relatives and friends who wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding, I received a huge, beautifully wrapped box. That box is burned into my mind forever.' She made a noise of disgust, furiously rubbing her eyes as if trying to erase the vision of that horrendous thing from her mind. 'It was heavy and white, with a beautiful golden ribbon and a fancy bow. Naturally, I assumed it was a wedding gift only inside…' Angel got up and began agitatedly pacing across the room. 'What kind of sick person even does something like that?' She spat in disgust.

'I am so, so sorry.' Soryu said in a low voice, shock written across his face. She was even stronger than he'd thought before, to have gone through something like that and come out of it as well as she did. How she coped, he did not know, but she hadn't let it affect her work. Despite the cruelty shown to her, she kept fighting to save innocent people and keep the world safe from criminals… like him. Soryu glanced down in shame, despising himself for how cowardly and weak his cushy yakuza's life seemed in comparison to the righteousness with which Angel fought.

'Anyway, after that it was all shock horror. My family went mental. I know they were only trying to protect me but I felt suffocated under all the pity and attention. I hated the way everyone looked at me. The only person who understood in the slightest was Charles. Tom was more like a brother to him so he understood what it felt like for me. He could see that I didn't want the pity that my parent were showering on me and he protected me from the abusive insults from ignorant relatives who didn't know the truth of what had happened and thought that I'd been ditched. People can be quite harsh on a girl when she's been left at the altar- especially Indians. For some reason, it's always blamed on the girl. So I upped and fled, blind in my thirst for revenge, but Charles saved me. He brought me back and protected me from all the pity from my friends and other agents who knew the truth of what had happened. I threw myself into my work, getting harder, stronger and perhaps more merciless in a desperate attempt to block out the past.' Angel stopped her pacing and turned to look at Soryu, her piercing gaze travelling to the very core of his soul. 'Until I met you, that is.'

'Wow…' Soryu was speechless, head reeling with the amount of information she'd just given him. He couldn't believe how lucky he was that after all these years, he'd been the one to unlock her heart.

'yeah… Sorry, I know that was a bit of information overload, but you're the only person I've ever talked to about this and once I started it all just sort of gushed out. I couldn't hold back. That was nearly 6 years of repressed anger and emotions in there. Well, I'm glad I got that out of my system.' She grinned at him, coming to sit back down on the sofa beside him.

'Yeah, well, I'm glad you told me. Angel, you know I'll always be there for you no matter what, right?' Soryu said, being unusually sincere. 'I love you.' He whispered in Chinese, pulling her close to him as if she was a little child in need of comforting. He placed a light kiss on the top of her head. Suddenly, something occurred to him.

'Hang on a minute. Does that mean you haven't seen your family in 5 years?' He asked incredulously. Angel nodded sheepishly.

'I haven't even spoken to them since. All I've done is watch them from afar, from time to time.'

'I think that's rather cruel of you.'

'What? How is it cruel?' She frowned.

'It wasn't their fault that this happened to you and I'm sure they are yearning to see you again and you clearly want to see them too. I think it's about time you paid them a visit.'

'Soryu, I really don't think-'

'No excuses.' He gazed at her sternly and she knew with a sinking feeling that he was right.

'Fine, but you're coming with me.'

'What?! But-'

'No buts. I really don't want to face them alone. Besides, you're my new boyfriend, it'll be good for you to meet the fam-' She broke off, looking suddenly thoughtful.

'What? What is it?'

'Hmmm… I can't promise you you'll come out unscathed though. My family… they can be a bit much. And my parents are really overprotective. Oh dear… do I have to?'

'Yes, you do. I don't though.' He said looking slightly alarmed, trying to get out of this thing she'd roped him into doing.

'Nu uh, Mister. If I'm going down, you're going down with me. Fair warning though: my dad's an ex naval officer and I'm his little princess, so try not to get shot tomorrow.' She smiled innocently at him before flouncing out of the living room, leaving Soryu staring aghast at her retreating figure. What had he got himself into now?

AN: Love it? Hate it? Suggestions or thoughts? Please leave a review!

Love M xxx