Page 33 of Secrets in the Shadow

Raziel arched his back, his chest glowing a bright blue, like molten light spilling from deep within him. Faint shadows danced over Cody’s skin, and for a moment, he was mesmerized by the ethereal display, unable to look away.

Until the door crashed open, Killian and Quinton looking wide-eyed at them.

Screeching, Cody grabbed the covers to hide what he and Raziel were doing, but the men who charged in were tossed out of the room by an unseen hand, the door slamming shut.

“What in the hell was that?” Cody demanded, shaken by the experience.

Glancing at him, Raziel smiled, sharp and unapologetic, a wicked edge of triumph curving his lips. “Damn it feels good to be fully restored. I haven’t been at full power for a few millennia. I forgot how good the rush feels.” He chuckled with pure joy.

Any other time, Cody would have been thrilled to hear the amazing sound. “You better explain this to me in one cohesive and complete sentence.”

“Bashar ripped half my powers away a long time ago.”

The skin under Cody’s eye twitched. “A few millennia, right?”

Holy shit, and he didn’t feel guilty for using the word. When he’d been shown Raziel’s memories, Cody had grasped the events unfolding, but the vast stretch of time between them had eluded him completely.

“Our mating just restored them.” Raziel leaned down and kissed him, slow and soft, brushing his knuckles tenderly down Cody’s cheek. “It’s not going to be easy being mated to me.”

“I’ll just have to stock up on bacon.” Cody pressed his cheek into Raziel’s fingers. “And spatulas.”

His mate chuckled softly, a wondrous sound, like hearing wind chimes on a gentle summer breeze. “I’m still not sure how the bear shifters feel about me, but I want you to meet my son.”

The shock of finding out the huge men were bear shifters took a back seat to Raziel wanting Cody to meet his child. Butterflies erupted in his stomach. It was one thing to want to meet him, another to actually do it.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Why was he freaking out about it? Was Cody really worried about what a toddler thought of him?

Yes. Yes, he was. Call him irrational, but if the kid didn’t like him, that could strain his relationship with his mate.

His worry was briefly forgotten when Raziel eased out of him, leaving Cody to immediately miss their connection.

“He’s three,” he said as if Cody’s worry was ridiculous.

Maybe it was, but everything was happening too damn fast, and he just wanted a moment to take a breath. Not that he regretted letting Raziel claim him, but there was a lot more going on around him.

“Stop looking like you’re going to have a panic attack over meeting a toddler.” As soon as Cody was pulled from the bed, they were magically dressed and the bed was made. The crooked picture looked like it had never been touched. The lightbulbs began to glow in the room once more. And… why did Cody feel as if he’d just showered?

He touched his hair to find it slightly damp. “You’ve got some skills, buddy.”

“I aim to please.” Raziel winked.

Cody smacked his arm, loving this playful side to his mate. “I was talking about your housekeeping skills.”

“Go ahead and crush my ego.” Raziel glanced toward the door, hesitation in his green eyes. The swirling was gone. “That’ll hurt less than what the bears are going to do to me for flinging them from the room.” He curled his arms around Cody in an intimate embrace. “Then again, no one sees my dick buried inside of you but me.”

Why did he have to remind Cody what the men had seen when they’d rushed in? Now he didn’t want to leave the room, but he was left with no choice when Raziel grabbed his hand to lead him away.

Chapter Eight

“Nah.” Killian shook his head, his brawny arms crossed. “You gotta talk to us first before Ethan is involved, if we ever allow you near him at all.”

Raziel chewed the side of his mouth, still enraged by Zymore’s presence. There weren’t enough favors or excuses in the universe that would sway Raziel to give the angel even an ounce of forgiveness.

If the opportunity presented itself again, Raziel would put everything into testing the theory that an angel couldn’t die. But as long as his son was under this roof, he would back off.

“Do you plan on taking him from us?” Stewart blurted out, his eyes begging Raziel to see reason.

Killian and his family weren’t going to plead for shit. It was in their powerful stances, in their I-dare-you-to-even-try-motherfucker glares. They stood united, clearly forgetting that Raziel could flash his son, Cody, and himself out of here before they were even aware anything had happened.

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