Page 35 of Light

Gabriel’s brows rose as his lips parted. The slightest tint of golden blood still stained his bottom lip, and her cheeks flamed. She had done that. She had made him bleed.

He held out a hand. She took it, letting him lead her from the foyer—where they hadn’t made it ten steps from the door—to the sitting room and pulled her down beside him on a low-backed sofa.

His wings draped over the top, curling under their feet. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Being human is about having human experiences, desires, and thoughts. Never be afraid of what I think of you. To me, you’re perfect.”

She would have laughed at the absurdity of his words if their truth didn’t taste so sweet on her tongue. He meant it with every fiber of his being. Even the strange carnal desires she had that would have made her an outcast in her community hadn’t scared him off.

She swallowed, taking in the open expression on his face. “But you’re an angel. Isn’t it wrong to want to do… those sorts of things… with you?”

Gabriel’s mouth did something she’d never seen before. It split into a grin so wide his teeth might have blinded her if they were any whiter. “Do you think angels don’t partake in physical pleasure?”

“Sins of the flesh. Isn’t that what they call it? Surely, a sin is just that.”

“Nonsense made up by humans to keep their women submissive.”

Adalaide bit her swollen lip. “But we aren’t married.”

“We aren’t human.”

She frowned, mulling that over. What did it mean that she wasn’t fully human?”

Gabriel’s wings twitched at his back. It means we don’t abide by human laws.

Adalaide wondered fleetingly if she could simply chuck twenty-three years of human beliefs and begin living as though those rules did not apply. The thought was freeing.

She glanced beyond Gabriel to the bright yellow orb dipping slowly behind his shoulder. It would be night soon, and she had yet to set the wards for the evening.

Hearing her thoughts, he glanced over his shoulder at the setting sun and nodded. When he stood, Adalaide’s gaze dropped below his waistband, and she blushed, her eyes darting back up to his smirking face, heat creeping down her neck.

She’d heard his thoughts about their clothes and knew his were only an illusion. Did that mean he was nude? Her gaze dropped again.

Gabriel held out his hand. “Come, Adalaide, let us set the wards for the evening. We can explore the topic more after.”

Butterflies swarmed her stomach as she placed her hand in his and felt the warmth in her chest buzz to life at their connection.

Want to feel her pressed against me.

She tried to pull her hands free as his thoughts continued on that path, considering all the things he wanted to do with her, but his grip only tightened as he pulled her into the foyer.

When they reached the entry, he pulled her up beside him. “Let’s do it together,” he said, lifting their hands to spread an invisible shield of air across the doorframe.

She watched him work and began to do the same, feeling their magic meld together in the same way their souls had. It was beautiful and strong. When they had finished, she collapsed into the chair in her room, sweat trickling down her neck.

Gabriel stopped in the doorway, looking hesitantly around the space. For all his talk of being unlike humans, it amused her that he would choose this moment to pause outside her door.

“Come in,” she said.

He stepped through the door, and she sat up in her chair, suddenly too aware of him. The way he turned broad shoulders and even wider wings to move through her narrow door, the way he stood with his back straight, hair atop his head nearly brushing the ceiling, and the stark contrast between his beautiful tanned skin and shimmering silver wings. He stole her breath. He was hers, even if she had done nothing in her short life to deserve him.

Halting in front of her, he held out a hand.

She stretched out her fingers, letting him pull her into his arms. Her breath caught in her throat as he walked her backward to the bed.

The backs of her calves bumped against the frame, and she stopped, looking up into his dark, swirling eyes. The nervous thrum of her heart made her feel hot and cold at the same time, her palms going clammy.

“Tell me you want this,” he whispered.

She swallowed. “I want you.”

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