Page 11 of The Road to Hell

When the time came—and it would—it had to be her choice.Shewould have to kissme. I wouldn’t push. Of course, that was easier said than done. Especially when she sat this close and licked her damn lips.

It was a small movement, unthinking, but it drew my attention with laser focus. The rational part of me told me to look away, to pull back, but I couldn’t. I still held her hand, still sat close enough that the heat from her body warmed me, and I wasn’t strong enough to let go or move away. It wouldn’t take much effort at all to pull her forward that last inch.

“Lily,” I murmured, my voice lower and rougher than I intended.

The faintest flush rose to her cheeks. I wanted to kiss her, to tell her everything she needed to hear—about our past, my hopes for our future, everything and anything.

She leaned forward.

But then chaos erupted.

“Take that, you mangy furball!” Vol screeched, his voice shrill enough to slice through the tension like a blade. A second later, a crash reverberated from the other side of the room.

Lily shot to her feet, her hand jerking from mine as we both turned toward the commotion. Vol darted across the floor, a blur of grey, with a furious Purrgatory hot on his heels. The ginger cat’s fur was puffed up to twice its usual size, and his green eyes were locked onto the imp like a missile targeting his prey.

Vol scrambled up the couch, narrowly avoiding Purrgatory’s swiping claws. “I said I was sorry!” he yelped, though the manic grin on his face suggested otherwise.

“Oh, for the love of—” Lily grumbled.

Before she could intervene, Vol calculated his escape and leapt onto the table. Purrgatory followed with an impressive pounce that sent both of them tumbling off the edge—and directly into Lily.

She scrambled to catch them both, then cursed out loud when Purrgatory’s claws raked down her arm in an attempt to regain his footing. The cat landed gracefully and immediately began grooming himself as if nothing had happened. Vol, however, clung to Lily’s leg like a lifeline.

Lily glared at her arm and cursed—a sentiment I echoed. She loved her tworoommates,as she called them, but I had to admit, I didn’t reciprocate that feeling. They were downright menaces, always stirring the pot.

“I think I broke my tail,” Vol groaned dramatically, earning a scowl from Lily.

“I’m about to break a lot more than that,” she snapped, carefully extracting him from her leg and lifting him into the air.

Vol’s beady eyes darted between Lily and me, then to the flush still coloring Lily’s cheeks. His thin lips curled into a devilish grin. “Ohh, I see,” he drawled. “Did I interrupt amoment, Meat Sack?”

“Vol,” I growled, my tone low and warning.

He glanced at me, then back to Lily. “My bad,” he said, though he didn’t sound the least bit sorry. “I’ll just—uh—be over there. Far, far over there.”

Lily dropped him onto the couch, where he landed with a soft thud. Purrgatory, as if sensing his rival’s temporary defeat, hopped up beside him and promptly swatted at his tail. And just like that, the two were off again, fighting over God only knew what.

“Damn idiots,” Lily muttered, pressing a hand to her temple.

“You’re bleeding,” I said, stepping closer to examine the three scratches that ran from her elbow to her wrist. The sight of her blood—bright and vivid against her skin—ignited something primal within me. Hunger and protectiveness tangled together. I wanted to choke the life out of that damn imp for hurting her. But more than that, I wanted to press my lips to her skin and taste her.

My mouth watered, but I forced the urge down—both of them. Lily loved that damn imp, and more importantly, she hadn’t offered me her blood since the night I’d bitten her. I refused to take anything without her permission. She trusted me, and I would not risk that.

“It’s nothing,” she said, waving me off. “Just a scratch.”

When I reached for the first aid kit she’d packed, she crouched beside me and rested her hand on mine. Her touch sent my senses into overdrive, her scent filling the air between us.Focus, Rathiel. For all that is unholy, focus.

“Seriously, Rath,” Lily said, pulling me back to reality. “It’s nothing. It’ll heal in a few minutes.”

Of course it would. She was a celestial, an angel in every sense of the word. While I was now nothing more than a vampire. A voice in my head told me I wasn’t good enough for her, but I ordered that voice to shut the fuck up. It had no place here.

I lifted her arm to the light and watched as her skin slowly began knitting itself together. “Next time, tie those two down before they start another war.”

Lily snorted, the tension in her shoulders easing as a reluctant smile tugged at her lips. “And rob them of their fun?”

I met her gaze, holding it for a beat longer than necessary. “Maybe I’m more concerned about what they’ll interrupt next time.”

Her smile faltered, replaced by something softer, more uncertain. But before either of us could say anything more, Vol popped his head up from behind a couch cushion.

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