Page 30 of Secrets in the Shadow

Cody took a step closer, his hands trembling at his sides. “And you know what? You made me feel like I mattered, Raziel. For the first time in my life, someone saw me. Not the vet tech, not the redhead everyone shrugs off. Me.” His voice wavered but didn’t break. “You don’t get to take that away just because you think you’re too broken. That’s not your call.”

The self-loathing in Raziel’s eyes faltered for a split second as they locked gazes.

“You think your scars make you a monster?” He shook his head, the words rushing out like a dam breaking. “They don’t. They make you someone worth fighting for. And if you can’t see that, then, yeah, maybe you are a damn fool.”

“I’ll only bring you pain.” Raziel’s voice wasn’t as biting as it had been a moment ago.

“You’ve only brought me happiness so far,” Cody countered, feeling like he was finally breaking through the wall his mate had erected around himself. “Except…”

Raziel looked as if he knew there was a catch, as if he’d been right to try and run him off. “Except when you turn into a bacon thief.”

There was complete silence except for the ticking clock. “You’re not safe around me, Cody.”

“My heart isn’t safe without you, Raziel.” He was laying himself open, hoping his mate did the same. Because if he didn’t, there was no hope for them.

Raziel swallowed roughly, glancing away. “Why? Why are you willing to suffer just to be with me?”

“Because I see you too. You matter to me, Raziel. You’re more than just an angel. You’re my angel.”

Taking a chance, Cody walked to him, cupping his mate’s face, the soft bristle of his beard tickling his hand. “And I’ll fight with every breath I have to keep you.”

The mixture of hope and fear in Raziel’s eyes was heartbreaking.

“Give me your trust that I won’t hurt you, and I’ll give you mine that you won’t ever try to shut me out again.” Cody was still working up to love, but he knew it would come, if only Raziel would let him in.

“You really are insane.” He crushed Cody to him, his searing kiss hard and needy.

But so was Cody. He wanted his mate so badly it was bordering on madness. Despite Raziel’s determination to hide under layers of self-loathing, Cody saw him for who he was.

Someone desperate to be loved, to matter to just one person, mirroring how Cody felt too.

Raziel pulled him off his feet by gripping his ass then carried him to the bed. In a flash, their clothes were gone, leaving nothing behind but the heat of their bodies.

His mate slid one arm under Cody, the other hand resting at his hip, kissing him like the guy was pouring everything into it, leaving him breathless.

Wings shot out, one tip knocking the picture on the wall askew. Then Cody felt something sharp at his lips. He pulled back enough to see fangs.

Raziel hesitated, as if waiting for him to become frightened. Not a damn chance. Cody yanked him back down but was careful of the sharp points.

Nothing, not even fangs, would prevent him from making love to his mate.

He groaned as Raziel worked his way around his jaw, soft lips gliding over skin while Cody reached between them to feel his mate’s cock for the first time, the weight in his hand nearly undoing him.

Raziel hissed, thrusting forward. He braced his hands on either side of Cody’s head and lifted his groin, giving him room to do as he pleased.

And there was only one thing Cody wanted right now. He shimmied down the bed, stopping when he faced the beast between Raziel’s legs. He traced his fingers over his mate’s hardness, inhaling his musk, which sent his senses reeling.

When he glanced up, Raziel was staring down at him. They simply gazed at each other, heat burning like wildfire in Raziel’s eyes. They’d also begun to swirl again, giving him an otherworldly appearance.

That look only drove Cody wilder, made him ache to be filled, to belong to Raziel. Breaking eye contact, he sucked the head of Raziel’s cock into his mouth and lashed it with his tongue, pulling out his mate’s pre-cum like honey from a jar.

The noises that poured from Raziel’s throat sounded more like an animal, deep and wild and growly. Pleasure hit Cody on every level, spurring him on to take the erection deeper into his mouth.

Hovering above, Raziel thrust his hips in slow bursts, hissing and moaning, his breaths heavy. “Your mouth feels so good,” he grunted, fucking Cody’s mouth a little faster, driving the hardness of his cock to the back of his throat.

There was nothing more breathtaking than an angel losing himself to passion, his wings fluttering as if they could feel the pleasure too, while Raziel’s shaft owned Cody’s throat with every forward thrust.

As fast and deep as Raziel went, the pace was matched. He tugged at the heavy sac with one hand, giving that extra bit to bring his angel off.

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