Page 27 of Deviled Eggs

His razored mouthful of teeth that are bared like a hunted beast that's ready to strike at its hunter.

He gives up on holding the failing suit as he pumps his arms to run faster. The seams unzipper themselves in a domino effect, more and more of his gray skin becoming exposed as the material separates down the insides of his legs.

“MICAH! So help me God, I will rip you apart limb by limb and throw you into the pits of Hell, and then I will torture you every single day.I’m going to fucking destroy you!” His voice turns into a demonic rasp, guttural and harsh like rocks grinding together, and it shakes me down to my bones.

I choke on another laugh as I dive in front of him, slamming into the ground. His eyes are wide, moonlight and emergency lights gleaming off the onyx depths as I swoop him into my arms and return us to the meeting room where we started tonight.

Heavy breaths puff from his nostrils, the profound silence deafening. Before I can react, he roars and puts every ounce of his bulk into shoving me.

The suddenness of it all takes me completely off guard, and I’m thrown off balance, sending chairs sprawling as I fall. My arms pinwheel, but there’s nothing solid to catch. I crash onto my back with a grunt, my wings splayed beneath me.

Xalreth’s footsteps seem to shake the entire earth as he stomps over, his eyes glowing a deep shade of crimson. I’ve only seen hints of his fury before now, but he’s done hiding it as he flings another chair aside. Drywall gives way and leaves a giant, gaping hole as the metal leg punches through.

The catlike gracefulness of his pounce surprises me. He tackles me, straddling me and pressing me into the ground. My hands are pinned above my head as he hovers over me, teeth bared as he leans closer. “What thefuckwas that, Micah?”

“That!? That was your stubbornness, Xalreth. What was I supposed to do? You kept insisting that ‘You had it handled,’even after I told you I didn’t think that was the right kind of egging! You never fucking listen!”

“It was on Wikipedia!” The corded tendons in his neck draw tight as his face flushes a deep red.

“Why thefuckwere you throwing them so hard? You broke three fucking windows!Three!”

“Fuck you!” My eyes get wide as he grabs my shoulders and shakes the shit out of me, my head thumping against the ground. “This is all your fault! Why the hell did I ever agree to work with such anidiot?”

“Don’t blame me because you’re toostubbornto admit that you have no idea how to perform human research!”

“I’m stubborn?” he roars. “I’m stubborn!?You are too proud to own up to what you want, Micah! The one who needs all that control!” He gestures at his destroyed bodysuit before he shakes me again. “You’rethe moron who dressed me in a sex outfit! What thefuck?! Did the zippers on the ass and crotchnot give youany fucking ideathat this was maybe the wrong move?!”

“Don’t pin this all on me! You still put it on, you goddamned halfwit!” His shoulders flex as he reaches forward, undoubtedly about to choke me when there’s another loud rip. The seams along the arms of his suit rupture, the black patent leather peeling off his skin like a demented, rotten banana.

He freezes, hands only millimeters from my neck, and both of us stare as the outfit slowly slides down his body, until his chest is exposed and the material is pooled around his waist.

A belly laugh erupts from deep inside me, one like I haven’t experienced in years, and Xalreth’s gaze moves to my face with an unreadable expression. I can’t stop, though, laughing until my eyes crinkle and tears well in the corners.

Then Xalreth starts laughing, too.

“Did… did you see him trying to catch you?” I manage to ask, gasping for breath and swiping under my eyes to wipe away the falling teardrops. “He almost fell and I swear he would’ve rolled all the way down that hill.”

“I heard you laughing, you dick,” he chuckles, resting his palms on my chest. “As soon as that cold air hit my ass, you howled like a fucking werewolf.”

My cheeks ache with the stretch of my smile as my torso bounces with a few final rogue laughs. “I think we can both agree that tonight was an epic failure.”

“Hmm… I don’t know if I’d call it a complete failure…” He’s still smiling as he plants a palm on the ground beside my ear and leans forward, dragging a thick finger over my bottom lip. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you actually smile before, and I’m positive I’ve never heard you laugh.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.” I try to force a scowl back on my face, but there’s no genuine heat behind it.

“Why not?” he whispers, and he pushes harder on my lower lip, dragging it until I’m forced to open for him. His thumb slides between my lips, and his bottomless eyes never blink as he sinks it deeper into my mouth. I open wider, feeling his attention on every surface of my body as he presses on my tongue, then pulls his hand away. “Would it be so awful to relax every once in a while? When you put aside all that arrogance, you’re not half bad.”

“Xal,” I warn, and his gaze leisurely peruses my mouth before his eyes move to meet mine. My heart slams against my ribs as I fight these complicated feelings that have taken such deep root in my stomach. My fingers betray me as I reach forward, dragging my fingertips over the striking, severe lines of his face.

They hold me completely transfixed.

It’s unheard of—blasphemous, almost—for an angel and a demon to be together.

Forbidden.

“You know I like hearing you say my name,” he murmurs, still moving closer and closer, hovering so near that his breath blows across my face. “I might like it even more when you shorten it.”

“Why’s that?” He nuzzles against my fingers as he lifts his shoulder in a lazy shrug.

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