Page 10 of Devoted

Theo got to his feet, his lips pulled back in a snarl, and my temper snapped. “Theo, sit the fuck back down before I make you. Micah has answered your question already.”

Theo turned his glare on me. “But?—”

“No buts.” Micah looked like he was going to intervene but stopped as I raised my hand. My temper, while high, was under control, the monster barely sniffing at the air. “Are you asking Micah to explain himself again? Doesn’t he deserve your trust? Your respect?”

Okay, so maybe I was hitting a little below the belt with that one, but it had the desired effect. Theo muttered an apology in Micah’s direction as he slumped back into his chair.

I didn’t give anyone else a chance to speak, picking up the agenda pointedly. “Right, moving on to the final item. The regents have officially returned to their former positions. However, we’ve offered to give them sanctuary if ever needed again, and to intervene on their behalf when necessary. Any objections?”

Not a single one of the eight angels seated around the table made a peep. Not that I expected them to. Thanks to the assistance the regents had given us up in Heaven, they’d needed a place to lie low for a while, and we’d been more than happy to provide it. The risk Amelia, Damon, and Arthur had taken by defying Heaven to stand at our side meant it was the least we could do. I didn’t need their confirmation that we’d have their backs in future. The loyalty they’d earned from us that day was absolute.

“Excellent. Micah, any other business?”

“Nope,” he said, his lips twitching. “I think that’s everything. Once we’ve done our tradition, that is.”

I groaned inwardly. After big meetings like this, we’d go around the table and say one good thing that had happened this week and what our plans were for the rest of the evening.

Ironically, as he’d confessed recently, Micah had started this tradition because his own life revolved around the unit. Despite not knowing how to change this, he did recognise how unhealthy it was.

Not wanting the rest of us to end up as unhappy and lonely as him, he’d started ending our meetings this way to encourage us to find happiness outside of our jobs. To focus on the positives in our lives. To plan for the future.

Even if that future was never guaranteed. We might be amongst the most powerful beings to walk any plane, but all that meant was we were a bigger target. There were always those looking to pull us down.

Immortal we might be, but that immortality could be taken away. Unlike humans, there was no afterlife for us. If we were executed, our souls returned to the fabric of the cosmos, leaving no trace behind.

This tradition of Micah’s was something I’d barely participated in before, but like I said, I was all about making changes. Or trying to, at least. That was why I’d downloaded the game in the first place. I’d wanted to have something to share about in these meetings, so that Micah would look at me with something other than disappointment or concern.

Strangely though, I hadn’t been able to share about it. Six meetings had happened since the day I’d first gone online and landed in that chat with Sam, and I’d not mentioned it once. Just like with my sweets, I wasn’t about to share him. Not even with those I considered my family.

Only one person here knew of his existence, and that had happened by pure accident.

The need to check my phone was making the back of my neck itch. I paid attention to the first few angels to speak, but by the time it got to Breann, I gave in to temptation. I slid my phoneout of my pocket, and frustration uncoiled in my gut at the blank screen.

Come on, Sam. Where are you?

“Ez?” I looked up from the screen to see every face turned in my direction.

I focused on Rami, who’d been the one to say my name. “What?”

“It’s your turn.” A chuckle rumbled in the angel’s broad chest. “Unless there’s something orsomeoneelse who has your attention right now.”

Aside from Benji, we were all tall and well built. Rami though, he took it to a completely different level, but the truth was he was just a giant teddy bear.

Unless you wronged him or someone he cared about. In which case, he would prove that he could be just as scary as he looked.

“Sorry. Was just checking to see how much longer I had to put up with you all.”

Everyone muttered and rolled their eyes. Everyone, that was, except Micah. The only one who knew the truth. He held my gaze knowingly but didn’t press me on anything.

Just as he’d promised he wouldn’t. Micah had discovered my little secret a few weeks ago, when I’d snuck away from my own birthday party just to chat to Sam.

I mean, it’s likely I would’ve run away and hidden regardless. I had a very limited social battery and at that point it was completely drained. But knowing that Sam had been online? There’d been no way for me to resist. What had started as a chance pairing during a game had led to casual chatting. To deeper conversations. To late nights smiling at a screen.

I wasn’t sure when it had become this…this addiction. There was no other word for it. I spent far too much of my time either messaging him, or waiting for him to come online.

“How about you tell us your good thing, then we can all get on with our evenings,” Nate, Theo’s twin said, stretching his arms above his head until something in his back cracked. “Don’t know about you, but I’m gonna get laaaaaid.”

“Yes, you’ve already told us,” Noah said mildly, batting at one of Nate’s arms. “Can you not? Some of us like our own personal space.”

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