Page 31 of Devoted

Hopefully Micah wouldn’t hear about my piss poor behaviour. Apologising to Nox was one thing, but explaining to Micah why I’d been such a dick to his mate?

That was a conversation I’d rather avoid.

With that taken care of, I’d headed out with Rami. Now, we were sat at a small table in a nearby pub. It was a bit rough around the edges, but it wasn’t like we needed to worry about anyone starting trouble with us. Who knew, maybe our presence would influence the patrons to take a leaf out of our books.

Obviously that was meant sarcastically. The sins the Seraphim committed on a daily basis would be enough to condemn us to Hell at the end of our lives if that were possible. We experienced all of them—wrath, pride, envy, sloth, lust, greed, and gluttony. It was part of our natures in the same way it was for humans.

Thankfully, Hell wasn’t on the cards for us. No afterlife awaited supes.

We sat in silence for a while, until Rami’s impatience got the better of him. “You going to talk or just keep staring into your pint?”

My scowl deepened. “I’m getting there.”

“Well get there faster. There’s a cutie-pie by the bar I want to hit on.”

I rolled my eyes. “Go now.”

“But we need to talk.”

“Nope.” I sipped my pint, already knowing how this would go. “You won’t be able to concentrate until you’ve got it out of your system. I can wait.”

“What if we hit it off?”

I hid my smirk. “If that happens, I’ll wait for you. Given how long it’s been, I doubt you’ll last more than thirty seconds.”

“Like you’d manage any better,” Rami rumbled before getting to his feet. “Hopefully I won’t be right back.”

I kept sipping my pint, not even slightly concerned about how long I’d be waiting. If anything, I was grateful for the extra time to collect my thoughts. And, honestly, I wasn’t expecting this to take long.

Sure enough, less than a minute later, Rami plopped back into the chair opposite me. I laughed as I took in the grumpy twist of his lips. “Careful, Rami, you’re turning into me.”

“Fuck off.”

“Married? Or just engaged?”

“Engaged,” Rami said gloomily. “Doesn’t wear a ring, apparently.”

“Wouldn’t matter if he did, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it.”

“It’s so fucking annoying.”

Rami was properly scowling now. I put my pint down, leaning my elbows on the table. “Hey, come on, this isn’t like you. What’s a little rejection? You’ve gone through longer dry spells than this before.”

“It’s not the rejection.” Rami rubbed a hand over his jaw. “It’s the fact I only ever seem to be attracted to people who aren’t available. It’s like my romantic compass is broken, only ever pointing to those I can’t have. What the fuck is wrong with me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I said fiercely. My brethren might piss me off, but nothing upset me more than hearing one of them putting themselves down. “You’re an awesome person, Rami. Any man would be lucky to have you. It’s not like you pursue these men once you know they’re taken.”

Rami looked scandalised. “I wouldnever.”

“Exactly.” I nodded firmly. “You’re deserving of love, Rami, and one day soon you’ll meet the person who can see that. Maybe this is fate’s way of keeping you single. It could be a sign that your mate is just around the corner, waiting for you to find him.”

He sighed. “Wish that was true, Ez. I really do. But I don’t have my hopes up.”

We both drank deeply. I’d order us another round soon—it wasn’t like we could get drunk, not on human alcohol anyway.

Rami drained his glass and put it on the table. “Anyway, enough about me. We’re here to talk about you.”

I finished my own glass, buying a few more precious seconds. It wasn’t that I didn’twantto tell Rami. It was just…I didn’t usually do this. “I don’t know where to start.”

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