Page 49 of Found In Destruction

Diana’s anxiety mounted to unprecedented levels as she power-walked on the treadmill she asked me to teleport from the gym. I felt it cloying the air, thick and suffocating like a syrup. Each pound of her feet on the track brought her closer to a panic attack I couldn’t let her go through. I tried not to interfere with Diana’s emotions, especially since we patched things up—she had to experience her emotions and regulate them herself—but I couldn’t let her go through this alone. Every what-if and worry probably got crazier by the minute as she worried about her mother’s revival.

How do you feel?I checked in.

I’m fine, she insisted, pounding away. She was huffing and puffing instead of breathing, and even her mindlink sounded out of breath.

How about you get off the treadmill, and try some breathing techniques? You don’t look good and I can feel your anxiety—it’s palpable, Dollface.

The mill of lies wasn’t helping her. She glared at me, and I bit back the urge to go over there and pull her off myself.

You’re trying so hard to be good. Bless your black demon heart, it’s an honest try,Zaz linked me.I can’t feel others emotions like you, but even I can tell she’s spiraling. Let’s get her off of that thing and into the shower. Then we’ll relax.

“Angel, why don’t you sit with me and we can watch a movie? I’ll make popcorn,” Zaz offered from the couch. He had a big hoodie on that looked perfect for a relaxing movie night, and it had a kangaroo pocket. She loved shoving her cold hands in those things.

“Great idea, that new fantasy movie came out last week. You can shower and relax.” She looked at us both like we were insane and kept running.

Her breathing stuttered, and I got up and lowered her speed to two, forcing her to cool down. If she kept going like this she would trip and fall off this stupid thing again. Immortal or not, that kind of shit hurt, and my girl wasn’t getting hurt again on my watch.

“Talk to us, Angel, what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Zaz asked her. He had a gentleness with her that I never would.

“I just don’t understand why I can’t be there. What if she asks for me? Or for Angie? We should be there.” She wiped the sweat from her brow. She had fought with Lucifer about how he insisted she stay behind, and then put us onDiana Dutyas he called it.

“Remember when you came out of equilibrium?” Zaz gave her a pointed eyebrow raise. I could see the wheels turning in her head, and a wisp of determination mingled with the anxiety rolling off her. She was going to try and argue with him.

“Yes, it was traumatic, which is why she needs all the support she can get.”

“Dollface, you set our furniture on fire, destroyed the Las Vegas house, then stabbed Mal with a candle holder; one he picked out, ironically. That was only after a couple months. Think about how out of whack Marilyn will feel after years of being frozen,” I explained. “Your fathers don’t want you to witness that, because if she says something off, it’ll hurt your feelings.”

Zaz got up and stopped the treadmill, taking her hand as leading her to the couch. He waved his hand and the machine disappeared, which was for the best. Unless someone was chasing her or there were baked goods at the destination, my Dollface didn’t run. Ever. And I didn’t want her to start using exercise as some unhealthy coping mechanism.

“You’re going to shower, then put on your comfiest pajamas. We’ll all watch a movie and snuggle, eat some snacks, and then I’ll send a message to Michael asking how everything went. He’ll give us an update.” Zaz’s firm, yet soft, order resonated with her. She didn’t argue with him.

“What if it doesn’t work, or she comes back and doesn’t remember us, or hates that she missed so much of our lives? She may hate me…” Diana buried her face in his sweatshirt.

“You have zero control over that, so it’s not worth worrying about. I think she’ll just be happy to be back…” I offered.

“Or she’ll hate the compound and want to go back to Brooklyn, and that’s not an option right. What if she doesn’t like my dads and I’m forced to choose between them?” She blurted out, her words muffled by Zaz’s sweatshirt.

He lifted her chin, so he could make eye contact with her. “Angel, no one likes Lucifer. And Michael can’t stand him half the time. Do they make you choose?” After a few seconds of silence, he answered for her. “No. They don’t. You’re a big bad Morningstar. No one can make you do anything, so take Desmond’s advice and stop worrying about things you can’tcontrol. Now go shower, get dressed, and come back to us ready for an early movie night.”

“Okay.” She got up and walked down the hallway that led to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, I heard the sound of running water from the shower head.

“That was great advice you gave her.” His compliment meant a lot, because usually I just made things worse.

“Thanks, but I’ll never have the way you have with her. You’re like a Diana-whisperer,” I admitted.

“I’m not perfect—none of us are. We just do the best we can with her and with each other.” He scooched over, until he was close enough I could wrap my arm around him.

We sat on the couch, snuggling together while we waited for Diana. Az and I had our own issues the first time we dated, and I added to them recently, but we were still working through them together. The fact that he still wanted me despite everything spoke to how forgiving he was. I didn’t deserve it, but I sure as fuck would take it.

I captured his lips in a kiss, drawing it out as long as I could. I enjoyed teasing him, and if the way he met my lips told me anything, it was that he enjoyed being teased. I pulled his hair to expose his neck, kissing all the way down until I hit his collarbone.

“You taste so good,” I breathed into his skin.

“I know.” His masculine laugh spurred me on and I kissed him again, biting his lip until he moaned.

He climbed into my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck as he ground into me. Our cocks slotted together, and my shadows slithered up the back of his legs, over his plump ass.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he rasped. “I wanna feel you inside me.”

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