Page 13 of Wings of Torment
She leads us further down the hall into a wide room packed with clothes. My jaw drops at how much lace and puffy material there is.
“Now we choose the clothes! It’s broken down by time period, but since you picked so many, I’d suggest grabbing at least one thing per group and you’ll be fine. Masculine outfits on the right,feminine on the left. Feel free to choose anything available on the rack.”
“What have you gotten us into?” Theo teases. Raphael only sends him a wicked grin.
“If you find something you’d like our sunshine to wear, grab it. I want to see her in everything.” He shoots me a sexy wink that sends an ache of arousal straight to my pussy. The way he saidour sunshineas if I’m theirs has me damn near fainting with the thrill of it. But can I be theirs? Dina hinted at it before all the demon crap, but had she really been serious?
The guys head off through the clothes, and I try to bring myself back in the moment. It’s just words, anyway. It’s not like they’ve made me the marshmallow in their s’more or anything, which I don’t even know if I’d want.Liar.
“Anything catching your eye?” Esther asks, and I can’t figure out if her words have another meaning.
“Everything! Well … everything except for the ones with the floofy neck. Those look suffocating.” I hesitate for a moment before deciding to just ask her the damn question I’ve had on my mind since she introduced herself. “I think I saw your photos in the front window. You look absolutely stunning, and those braids were incredible.”
Her smile deepens, and she lets out a small giggle. “That’s actually my grandmother. She didn’t make it through the fall of God, unfortunately, but she taught my mother how to braid, who then taught me. I won’t be able to get it exactly the same, but I can do that with your hair, if you’d like?”
My eyes flash to hers, shocked at her generous offer. “I’d love that, only if you have time. And I’m so sorry for your loss. Your grandmother sounds like quite the angel.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble. And doing things like this allows me to feel closer to her again, if only for a short while. Come.”
She leads me to a corner with three mirrors and a stool at the center. I sit while she works on my hair, braiding both small and large sections before weaving them through one another until I barely recognize the woman staring back at me.
“Wow.”
“The style suits you. Now how about we go find your guys and show them the surprise?” A mischievous glint flashes in her eyes, halting the blush threatening to rise.
We find Raphael and Theo amidst a flurry of clothes. I watch them, enjoying the chance to ogle them from a distance. They’re both handsome in their own way, and I wonder if they’ve ever had to fight over someone. Did they choose their friendship instead of letting anyone get between them?
Esther, likely tired of waiting, makes her presence known. “My apologies for stealing your lady. Did you find everything you were looking for?”
As one, they both turn toward the sound of her voice, but neither gaze lingers on her. It’s like they’re launched missiles and I’m the target. Raphael’s face doesn’t hide a single thing. His lust and want are clear as day, and as much as Theo might try, I can see the same on his own.
Blood turns to fire in my veins beneath their heated stares until I almost forget where we are.
Esther only laughs. “Come. It’s time to get changed.”
Two hours later, and I’m exhausted.
Raphael ended up going way overboard and bought the entire digital collection, and as much as I might hate that he’s spending money on me, I can’t help but be glad for the memories. I’ll keep the photos forever.
Today has been a dream, exactly what we needed after everything that went down at school. So much, in fact, that I’m not quite ready to head back yet. The guys feel the same, and that’s how we end up stumbling into a lush green park in the area between the merchant, entertainment, and housing districts.
There’s a massive white screen and projector set up with a countdown and the name of some movie I’ve never heard of. Angels sit on blankets on the grass, and along the edge of the merchant district is a lineup of food trucks and vendors.
“If either of you even thinks of trying to pay for this, I swear.”
They share a look, the two of them holding up their hands as if they hadn’t been thinking about doing just that. “Good.”
We find a tent setup near the food trucks with a mother and daughter inside.
“Do you want a blanket, miss?” the little girl asks with a toothless grin.
“I would love one,” I tell her, and watch as her face lights up. She hands me a blanket, but before we can leave, Raphael crouches down in front of her.
“Any chance we can have two, little angel? I don’t want my friend to get cold.”
She looks to her mother, who nods reassuringly before she passes a second blanket over. I watch as Raphael slips a bill from his pocket and hands it to her, speaking low and soft. She looks ecstatic, and the mom looks like she doesn’t want to accept, but now if she doesn’t, she’ll have one pissed off toddler.
As we walk away, I hear her say, “Mama, can you do my hair like that lady? She looks like a princess warrior.”
