Page 64 of Angel's Vengeance

Neela’s stomach bottomed out.Only one person would make that kind of request of Chrome, and only if they’d finally?—

“I can see the wheels spinning, and yeah, Rhode and I talked.Worked things out.He made me make sense of a few things, and I helped him make sense of a few others.”

Neela shook her head, as much to shake away the emotion as to portray her disbelief.“You guys are really okay?He told you everything?”

Chrome shrugged.“Okay is kind of a baseline marker for what we are.I predict there are a couple of dude-bonding sweat sessions in our future, because I don’t think I’ll be able to fully hear some of the details he still needs to share with me unless I expend a shit ton of energy so I’m not tempted to blow up a mountain, but yeah, for now, we’re good.And speaking of good,” he said, swiping a cinnamon crumb muffin from under the cloche on the counter, “your boy’s only got another twenty minutes in him, max, before he starts lighting up my phone asking me if you’re okay, so if you want to see him, we better get a move on.I can’t fly you where we’re going, and the traffic downtown is shit.A few snowflakes and the tourists in this town forget about the all-wheel drive they paid extra for or how to use it.”

Neela swiped the last bit of toast, popped it into her mouth, grabbed her coat, and was already out the door before Chrome took his first bite of muffin.

Chapter31

The roof of the private parking garage had turned into as much of a winter wonderland as Neela could imagine.The snowfall had gone from a dusting to slightly more serious in under an hour, with a solid two inches already coating the pavement.All the levels below were crammed full of self-important cars in compact spaces, while the roof was unapologetically barren.

Barren save for Rhode, who stood in front of a silver luxury-class SUV, complete with temporary tags and extra shine on the tires.

But the brightest shine was coming off the angel who leaned against it.With his woolen trench coat’s collar popped, fists in his pockets, and blazing eyes on Neela, he looked like a man of many secrets, as well as a man of many regrets.

“Call me if he’s an asshole,” Chrome shouted from the window.

“Um, okay,” Neela murmured absentmindedly while Rhode just nodded to Chrome in a manner that simultaneously saidThanksandReally?

And then they were alone.Nothing between them except for several dozen feet worth of snow-covered asphalt and even more unspoken secrets.

“Hi,” she said, uncertain how to proceed.“So, what’s this?—”

The snow swirled around her in a flurry of confusion.Rhode’s wings arced to the sides as he half flew, half ran toward her.She was yanked up against his chest and absorbing his kiss before the next word even had time to form in her throat.

There was a consuming comfort to being wrapped in his warmth again, as if his touch was the only one capable of chasing away the permanent chill that had followed her around her whole life.And when he opened his coat and held her closer to him with both wool and wings, he claimed the part of her that had always yearned to be truly declared by another.

When the kiss broke, it was with a promise of reckoning, and she truly had no earthly idea which Rhode would speak to her next.The chilly, business-like seraph who looked at her as a means to an end?The sardonic, pained seraph who resented her for the hand she’d had in his torment by virtue of who she was?Or the wicked and wonderful seraph who, in precious private moments, called her his and prized her as one of his family?

Neela wasn’t entirely sure she was ready for the whiplash, but she was most definitely ready for him, and if he thought he was going to call her out there to freeze her butt off, kiss her senseless, and pretend what they shared was only surface level, then he had another thing?—

“Why did I ever think I could keep myself away from you?”he breathed against her mouth before stealing another soft kiss.

“Because men are dumb,” she murmured against his chest.“At least according to mortal TV.”

He huffed out a small laugh.“Mortals are dumb, but they have the benefit of occasionally dying before they’re hit with the consequences of their actions.It’s a bit different when you’re an immortal and time is just another length of rope with which to?—”

Neela leaned back and put her fingers over his mouth.“Can we just not go there with the death analogies?”

Rhode kissed her fingers and curled them close to his chest.“Agreed.But I’d like to ask you something as well.”

“Shoot.”

“Will you forgive me?”

Neela blinked.“There’s nothing to forgive.”

“No, let me finish.Imustsay this.”He took a deep breath and looked back at the car a moment before giving her his full attention.“Chrome helped me buy that.It’s my first purchase as a citizen of the modern world.I meant to surprise you with it.”

“So that’s where you were this week, with Chrome.That’s wonderful.”

Then his gaze darkened and took on that intense look she’d seen from him too often.“It’s all because of you.”

“Me?”

Rhode’s wings shimmered away as he escorted her toward the vehicle.“You made me realize that I can never have a future without letting go of the past.”

---