Page 21 of Semi-Fallen

And splat went the sexy. Like Wile E. Coyote under the giant anvil in the cartoons she’d watched with Haven every Saturday morning when they were kids.

Lucien pulled in a deep breath and shoved his hands through his hair, then took a seat in the guest chair at Nyla’s station. “Yeah,” he said. “We’re ready.”

Were they, though? Were they really?

Lane wasn’t so sure.

She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

CHAPTER 12

Lucien couldn’t say for certain how long it had taken Nyla to finish Lane’s tattoo. He was too busy obsessing about how much he hated making her do this…and how much he loved holding her hand while she did.

(Well, metaphorically holding her hand. He really held her shoulder so she could sign a little.)

It amused him that a woman who fought literal demons for a living was frightened of a few needle sticks. But her fear was real and gut deep. It rolled off her in waves from the time they entered Nyla’s shop until the moment they left.

The only way he’d been able to keep her from bolting right out of the chair when Nyla began to freehand the lettering on Lane’s skin (which she’d done flawlessly, he might add) was to maintain eye contact with her the whole time, and keep her distracted by carrying on a steady conversation.

And, oh, they’d talked.

Lane’s life was so full. She had so many interests and hobbies. He’d already known she volunteered at the local soup kitchen once a week, but he wasn’t aware she also volunteered at the animal shelter (her parents were apparently not thrilled with the number of stray dogs she’d brought into their home to foster over the years), and sometimes at a group home for orphaned special-needs children where she taught ASL and lip reading.

He'd also been surprised to learn she played both violin and piano. “But…how can you play music without hearing it?” he’d asked.

She’d smiled at him before signing, I don’t have to hear it. I feel it.

Lucien wasn’t sure he’d ever heard anything more beautiful than that.

Lane was truly remarkable. Accomplished. Smarter than any human—or any other species, really—he’d ever met. Giving with affection. Genuinely kind and unselfish in a way he’d never before experienced.

And so damned stunning he couldn’t seem to breathe normally when he looked at her.

He was still trying to recover from whatever it was he’d felt when he laid his hand over her heart. If it had just been a baser need, the desire to bury himself in a pretty, warm, willing girl and forget about the way he’d blown up his entire life’s purpose in a single day, it would’ve made sense to him.

But it wasn’t that.

He'd indulged in human women before. It had always been pleasurable. A good distraction.

What he felt for Lane was different. There was more to her—more to the two of them together—than he realized. But how was he supposed to put descriptions and labels on feelings he’d never experienced until now?

It was madness. That’s what it was. She was driving him mad and he was willingly along for the ride because Lane was so damned beautiful and intriguing and…fun.

But they hadn’t talked about her the entire time. She’d done her best to ask him about himself without saying anything that would make Nyla think they were delusional.

Much to his chagrin, he didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation. He was a soldier. Nothing more. Wars, violence, holy missions, death, destruction…that’s what he knew. He had no family, no loved ones, no interests outside the dictates of Heaven. He’d never even considered such matters before he’d met her.

And he didn’t care for the sympathy in her beautiful eyes when he expressed as much.

He understood why she’d pity him. She knew love. He didn’t.

He’d only been with them for a short time, but he had no doubt Lane’s family would move Heaven and earth and pull the moon out of orbit for her if she desired such.

That’s when he understood why angels chose to fall. Angelic grace in exchange for humanity and the chance to be loved like Lane was loved…suddenly it seemed like a very fair trade.

But that was something to ponder another time. Because now it was time to do what he’d been dreading all night.

Lucien grabbed Lane’s hand outside Nyla’s shop, and before she could react, he transported them to back to the beach. Their beach, as he was coming to think of it.

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