Page 36 of Touched By Death

“That you’re still moping around.”

Taken aback, I frown. While I know I’ve spent the last three days fighting back tears and keeping my head down, it feels like a slap to the face to be outright accused of feeling sorry for myself. No one gets to admit my own truth except for me. But here he is, studying the fragmented pieces of my broken heart beneath a microscope and coming to his own conclusions. It makes my skin crawl.

“I’m not moping.” I sound like a whiny toddler.

His lips curve into a smile. “Then prove it to me. Stop hiding.”

The look I give him is anything but impressed, causing his smile to widen even more. Chewing my lip, I stare at his mouth, admiring the sharp points of his fangs. A thought occurs to me. “Wingspan is linked to power. Is it the same for incisor teeth?”

His smile slips as his brows pull together. “Why?”

“Well…” I stare at his mouth, mesmerized by how the hint of teeth seems to speak to something feral and dark inside me. “Your incisors are longer than other male angels.” So are Daemon’s.

“You’re observant.”

“Is it true?”

“I think so.”

I make a mental note to study his father’s next time I see him. Better yet, Lucifer’s.

“I have noticed yours are sharp as fuck,” he says, his voice pitched low as he cups my chin and slides his thumb along my lips, grazing the sensitive tip. It elongates in response, and he draws back.

Acting on instinct, I move in and press my lips to his. I don’t know why the fuck I do it, but I need… something.

His hands fly up to my sides as I nip at his lips, seeking entrance, but he doesn’t touch me. Instead, he kicks his head to the side and puts his hands on my shoulders as if to hold me back. “I’m sorry.”

Confused, I blink. Sorry for what?

“You’re hurt, and I…”

My throat jumps as he looks at me, eyes shining with regret. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

“I’m not thinking clearly?” I echo.

“No…” Breathing in a deep sigh, he releases me to scrub at his face, then focuses back on me. “I have to be honest. My plan at first, when I realized Daemon was into you, was to flirt with you to piss him off. I wanted to steal you from him. Aggravate him enough to make him attack me. Break the treaty.” A sheepish look heats his cheeks, and he clenches his jaw. “But then I got to know you.”

“You got to know me?” I sound like a stupefied parrot. “I thought angels were selfish in Hell. You take what you want. You steal…”

He winces. “I like you, but as a friend.”

My mouth opens to say something but soon snaps shut. Dmitriy rejected me. Heat burns my cheeks when the truth slams into me. I move to climb off the bed, but his fingers curl around my arm to stop me. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

The initial embarrassment turns to anger. I grit my jaw as I pull free and stand up. “Take advantage of me? This is Hell, Dmitriy, unless you’ve failed to notice? Ever since I got here, I’ve been told at every turn that it’s a cruel, vile place filled with selfish people who make bad decisions.” I swallow down the clogged lump in my throat and place my hands on my hips. “How can you take advantage of me? I kissed you.”

Moving with the lethal grace of a panther, he rises to his feet and towers over me. Why does he have to remind me of Daemon? It only pisses me off more. I can’t unsee the similarities. It’s fucked up.

“I’m not him. I’m not my cousin.”

Frowning, I take a step back, but he moves with me, refusing to let me escape until I’ve heard the truth.

“You’re hurting and looking for ways to forget. Trust me when I say I’d love nothing more than piss my cousin off, but it’s not fair to you for me to use you like that.”

“That never stopped you before.”

He draws to a halt, and I hold my breath when his brows furrow with confusion. As he searches my face, I see the question in his eyes, but I refuse to admit that we fucked once—in a different reality.

Silence reigns between us. Thick, heavy, and oppressive. A whirlwind of thoughts flickers in his eyes, countless questions battling it out, before he seems to make his mind up. He grabs my wrist and pulls me closer with a sharp yank. Stumbling forward, I collide with his hard chest and release a surprised yelp.

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