Page 45 of Her Fallen Angel

"Kai." Mykael's voice seems distant through the roaring in my ears. "Think about what you're doing."

But all I can see is Aren kneeling in prayer, her dark hair falling like silk around her shoulders. The quiet strength in those brown eyes. The way she has slowly torn down my walls. But she couldn't be doing that as a ploy, right? She isn't… She wouldn'tmanipulateme, would she?

Vhex's face turns purple, his struggles weakening.

"She's beneath you," he chokes out. "Just a human whore playing at-"

My magic surges again, crackling across his skin like lightning. His scream echoes across the training grounds as I dig deeper, past flesh and bone to where his own magic pulses. One twist and I could tear it out by the roots.

Mykael's blade presses against my throat, drawing blood. "Release him. Now."

The cold steel brings clarity, but the rage remains. I drop Vhex, watching him crumple to the ground gasping.

"Touch her. Speak of her. Think of her." My voice comes out guttural, nearly animalistic. "And I'll finish what I started."

Blood trickles down my neck as Mykael keeps his sword steady. "This is exactly what we mean. You'd kill your own friend over a human?"

"I'd kill anyone who threatens what's mine."

I stalk back, trying to get my bearings as magic still crackles beneath my skin. Their words echo in my mind, forcing me to examine habits I've been avoiding. When did I start cutting my training short just so I could be with her? When did I start letting anyone see my weaknesses like I do with her?

My wings snap out in frustration. I've memorized the quiet hum she makes while folding linens, the same melody every time. The careful way she arranges my chambers, ensuring everything sits exactly where I prefer. Even now, I know she'll have my bath ready, the water steaming at precisely the temperature I favor.

Part of me wants to just go home. I can imagine Aren now, waiting for me in the dining room where she always makes sure I eat after training.

The memory of her slight weight in my lap sends heat through my blood. Each night she parts her lips for morsels from my fingers, those brown eyes lowered in perfect submission.

When did I start craving these small moments? The way that she anticipates my needs. The way that she is always ready to take whatever I give her and ease these feelings that I don't know how to manage.

A warrior obsessing over a human's habits. Pathetic. But I can't deny the satisfaction of watching her kneel before me, offering prayers to her new god. The peace it brings, something I've never found in battle or victory.

My magic pulses, remembering Vhex's accusations. But there's no manipulation in the way she trembles under my touch. No deception in how she melts against me when I pull her closer at night or how she's always finding ways to be close to me.

She's carved herself into my daily rhythms without me noticing. And now... now I can't imagine my chambers without her quiet presence, her subtle ways of always being there for me.

The realization burns worse than any blade.

I've become dependent on her.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Vhex calls behind me. I whirl around, my eyes narrowed on him. "You know we're right."

I bite back my anger because…they are. I am distracted. Fixated. Obsessed. And I never should have let myself get that way. I never should have let her become a weakness or get under my skin so deep that the idea of anything happening to her kills me.

My magic still crackles beneath my skin as I pace the training grounds. Vhex's words burrow deep, feeding the doubts I've tried to ignore. A human. I let a human become my weakness.

"Send her away." Mykael's voice carries that tactical precision I usually respect. "There are plenty of temples that would take her. Let her serve her gods instead of becoming your downfall."

The thought of Aren kneeling before anyone else makes my magic flare. But that right there proves he's right. I need to end this before it destroys everything I've built.

"The compound has holdings farther out of the city." Vhex rubs his throat, voice rough. "Far enough that you'll forget her existence."

My wings snap out, casting darker shadows across the grounds. "I know what needs to be done."

The words taste like poison. I picture my chambers without her presence, the silence where her prayers should be. No more quiet footsteps arranging everything just as I like. No warmth in my home.

"I'll make the arrangements." Mykael steps forward, ever efficient. "There's a temple caravan leaving at dawn-"

"No." The word escapes before I can stop it. My magic surges again, violet light crawling up the walls. "I'll handle it myself."

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