Page 181 of Devoted

“Actually, I think it’s the amount of violence that put Gloria off.” I was getting better at distinguishing between the twins already. The slightly gleeful voice from behind me was definitely Theo. “Shame we didn’t get to show her what we’re made of, but there’s always next time.”

“Thank you,” Zeke said over my head. “Both of you. You really went above and beyond for Sam.”

“You’re welcome,” Theo said, ruffling my hair. “We’ve got Sam’s back any time.”

Before I could give my thanks too, Zeke was flicking Theo’s nose. Hard. “Hands off. Just because you took care of him doesn’t mean you can touch him.”

“Spoilsport,” Theo muttered, but he dropped his hand. “Seriously though, you’re one of us now, Sam.”

Nate came up beside his twin, flinging his arm over his shoulders. “And you’re too good at Lego for us to let you die. None of us are going to be able to finish that Rivendell set if you pop your clogs.”

I laughed drily. “Always good to know where your priorities are.”

Zeke set me on my feet but didn’t let me go far, tucking me under his arm. I had a feeling it’d be a while before he’d let me out of his reach.

After today, that suited me perfectly. My brain had been behaving remarkably well, but that was often the case in an actual life-threatening situation. My OCD thrived in times when nothing was actually wrong.

Ironic, really.

The overwhelm was coming though. I could feel it fraying at my edges. With the adrenaline wearing off, everything was a little brighter. A little louder.

With Zeke’s comforting presence at my side and his bond in my chest, it was easier to weather. So long as he kept holding me, I’d be okay.

The soldiers who’d accompanied Gloria had vanished now. Thank fuck. I gave a small shiver as I thought about what could’ve happened. The Seraphim might’ve been confident that they’d win any battle, but I didn’t want them to have to fight. Especially not for me.

The angels were grouped in pairs and threes, talking in quiet and fervent whispers. Nox had both his arms draped around Micah’s neck while they spoke to Dahlia. This must’ve been hard for them. From what I’d learned, the last time they’d seen Gloria they’d almost died.

Being confronted by her once again couldn’t have been easy.

Noah broke away from the conversation he’d been having with Benji, his long purple hair flowing like a cape as he turned. He froze mid-step, all his focus on one of the demons.

Jeremiah.

I hadn’t fully understood why Nox had believed Jeremiah might have a mate within the Seraphim, but seeing how they were staring at each other…

Yeah. I wasn’t going to question it. Even as a human, I could see their connection.

I couldn’t look away as Noah took a step towards Jeremiah. I knew I should have. This was far too intimate for me to be witnessing. But I couldn’t stop myself. It was like watching a car crash unfold. You knew disaster was coming, but were powerless to stop it.

I saw the exact moment Jeremiah stepped backwards, shaking his head. The silentsorryhe mouthed at Noah.

The heartbreak on Noah’s face as Jeremiah took to the skies, not looking back even a single time.

How Noah tracked him until he was no more than a speck on the horizon, his hands bunched into fists at his sides.

Rami moved before I could, pulling Noah into a tight hug. Nox came to join them, scowling in the direction Jeremiah had gone. The other demons exchanged dark looks, clearly full of opinions about the behaviour of their friend.

Zeke led us over to them and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologising?” Noah’s voice shook a little as he pulled out of Rami’s hug and faced us. “You’re not the one who looked at me and thoughtnah.”

“It’s not like that,” Nox said quickly. “It’s not personal, anyway. Jeremiah…he’s fucked up. Just like the rest of us. If you gave him a chance?—”

“No.” Noah cut him off coldly. “I’ve spent far too long chasing after one man who didn’t want me. There’s no fucking way I’m doing it again.”

With that, he spun on his heel and stormed off towards the house. After giving Nox a quick kiss, Micah jogged after him.

“Micah was right,” Nox said with a sigh. “Fucking spanner in the works.”

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