Page 60 of Conflicted

We settled on Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Apparently they both had quick tempers—something that would likely become a problem due to their personalities. Ezekiel was a perpetual grump, while Jeremiah was a fuckboi who liked to wind others up.

I supposed it was a good thing they’d never meet. That was one mess neither Nox nor I fancied cleaning up.

“Why do you fly everywhere?” Nox asked, neatly sidestepping a small crab. “You can teleport using lightning, right?”

“We can,” I said, “but it takes a crazy amount of power to do so and we can only do it over very short distances. Unless Heaven sends us, of course. Messengers, for example, can travel further. On Earth, we tend to use it sparingly. Besides, I like flying. Being high in the air, escaping the chaos…it’s peaceful.”

Nox studied me quietly. “That’s how I feel too.”

There were so many unspoken words in the look we exchanged. Words about how much we had in common. How much we’d wrongly assumed about each other.

Words too dangerous to say aloud.

“What was your favourite century?”

Nox threw the next question at me as we reached the pier. The entire time we’d walked, my hands had been itching to take his. Our fingers had brushed multiple times, almost so briefly I might’ve missed it. I couldn’t though,not with how each one sent bolts of electricity flooding through me.

Neither of us took that final step. It was like we both understood the line we were dancing along, and why we couldn’t cross it.

I considered my answer thoughtfully. “This one, I think. The rise in technology has made my job harder. It’s a lot more challenging to play off supe sightings as conspiracy theories now that the internet and live streaming is a thing. But it’s also made the paperwork and admin side easier, so there’s that.”

“What about outside of work?”

I frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

The setting sun reflected off his eyebrow piercing as he raised it. “What was your favourite century if you take work out of the equation? Which one did you enjoy foryou?”

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware of the biting wind. “I…I don’t know. I’ve never really had much of a life outside of the Seraphim.”

Nox paused, his face inscrutable as he studied me. I stopped walking too, my shoulders tensing under his scrutiny.Please don’t ask me about this. Please don’t point out how depressing and lonely my life must be. I don’t need the reminder right now.

“My favourite century was the first AD.”

The tension left me in a heartbeat and I smiled thankfully at Nox. “Why? Everything was pretty shit back then.”

“True.” He chuckled as we resumed walking. “But that was the peak of the gladiators in the Roman Empire. Whenever I was sent topside, I’d break the rules by staying long enough to see a bout.”

“What did you like about it?”

“I mean, it was essentially hot, buff men beating eachother to death while wearing very little…what’s not to like?”

Surely he couldn’t be this obtuse? “Umm, how about the fact that they wereslaves?”

Nox quieted at that, his gaze drifting over the crashing waves. “Maybe that was part of it too. They were just as trapped as I was. Seeing them take a bit of power for themselves, even momentarily…well, it made me feel like maybe someday I could have that.”

I let Nox’s words settle into my soul, cracking open the gates of my heart. I didn’t hesitate, just reached out and took his hand in mine.

“That makes sense. I think we often relate to people who are going through similar things,” I said.

Nox squeezed my hand, and I was grateful he hadn’t pulled away.

“Maybe that’s why we get on better than we should. We both know what it’s like to be trapped.”

“I’m not trapped,” I said automatically. “I can do as I please.”

Nox stared at me with those unforgiving amber eyes. “Sure about that?”

I fell silent. No. I wasn’t sure about that at all.

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