Page 103 of Conflicted

Micah cursed and closed his eyes briefly. “Okay, let’s reverse this. Imagine me on my knees. I’ve just told you that I’m in love with you, but I’m asking you to execute me. Notonly that, but I’m telling you to go and find happiness with someone else afterwards. Could you do it?”

I flinched as I lied through my teeth. “Yes.”

His lips twitched. “Really?”

“No,” I huffed, wrapping my arms around him and stroking down his back. Through his shirt, I could feel the slightly raised scars. Even though it had put us both in danger, it made me happy knowing Emilio couldn’t ever hurt him again. “Just the thought of it makes me want to start ripping trees from the ground.”

“Just the little ones, right?” Micah said, tongue in cheek. “I can do the big ones for you.”

I poked him in the ribs. “Alright, little angel, I get it. You’re a big scary arch who doesn’t need this meagre demon’s protection.”

“I don’t need it,” he said, almost shyly. “But is it weird that I like that you’re protective over me?”

“It’s not weird at all.” I nuzzled into his neck, inhaling his scent. “You’ve spent all your immortal life protecting everyone else. You’re allowed to enjoy having someone in your corner for once.”

“Good,” Micah said, rolling off me suddenly and getting to his feet. I pouted up at him, but he didn’t come back. Instead, he gestured for me to join him. “Because I know you’re being all doom and gloom about this, but if you think we’re going down without a fight, then you really are a fucking moron.”

The next hour was spent casting every ward we were capable of over our clearing. Once that was done, we flew around the perimeter in expanding loops, warding different sites in the jungle. The hope was that anyone approaching wouldn’t know which wards we were hiding under.

With the wards Micah had set on the way in, we were as hidden as we could hope to be.

“They’ll find us eventually,” I warned Micah as we landed back in the clearing. “We can’t hide forever.”

“We don’t need forever, just long enough for help to reach us.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and frowned at the screen. “That’s if they actually come through.”

“You have signal out here?”

Micah snorted. “Weird, right?”

I came up behind him, looping my arm around his waist and leaning my head on his shoulder. When I saw the name on the screen, I tensed. “Dimitri?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not what you think.” Micah reached up to cup the back of my neck, holding me tight like he was worried I’d pull away. “I’m not about to drag the Seraphim into this, but given how many times I’ve had to save Dimitri and his demons? He owes me.”

“That’s true,” I said begrudgingly. “It’s a good idea, especially if he brings the sons of Lucifer with him. We might stand a fighting chance.”

“Exactly.” Micah leaned his weight against me, his hand still on my neck. “Would be nice if he’d actually reply though.”

“Wait a minute,” I said slowly. “If I die now, you die.”

Micah twisted in my arms to face me. “That’s how the mark works, yes.”

“But if you die, I don’t die?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, that settles it. I don’t want to die anymore.”

Micah’s lips twitched. “Good to know.”

I growled, my arms flexing around him. “I’m not letting them take you too, Micah. If it was just me, I wouldn’t care. I’m happy to pay for my actions, but I’m not prepared to take you with me. Seeing as you’ve taken that decision out of my hands, I don’t want to die. I’m no longer prepared to give up my immortality.”

Micah was staring at me like I’d grown a second head. “I mean, I get that…but why are you saying it so pointedly?”

I smiled thinly, remembering what Dimitri had told me. “Because the deal will be enacted. If we’re attacked, they’ll have to come to our aid; they won’t have a choice in the matter. I’m in need of their protection, so they’ll have to pay up.”

24

Micah

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