Page 68 of Wings of Strife
Of course she asks me that, as if I’m the one who just got locked in a room with a crazy angel. I swoop down to her balcony, knocking at the same time I push two little words through our connection.It’s me.
Within seconds she opens the door, looking freshly showered and absolutely fuckable. I move without even thinking, wrapping her up in a hug so tight it cuts off all the oxygen to my lungs.
She’s hesitant at first, but eventually hugs me back just as tight.
“Fuck. I want to track that piece of shit down and take his wings for being such a shit. How are you? Did he hurt you?” I pull back, needing to see for myself.
A small smile plays on her lips like she’s enjoying my brief moment of freaking the fuck out. That’s when I notice the cut on her neck.
Rage simmers as I trail my finger along the raised red line. “He did this?” My voice is dark, oozing every ounce of the destruction I feel when thinking about someone else touching her. Harming her.
She nods, chewing on her bottom lip like she’s scared to admit it. But I don’t want her scared of me. I want her to use me. To make me her blade and point me toward the enemies she wants to annihilate. I turn to leave, but her small hand on my arm halts me in my tracks.
“Stay. I’d rather you be in here with me than out there defending my honor.”
The truth of her words is easy to read in her eyes. “I nearly left Azrael to come for you. I would have if it wasn’t for Theo and Raphael assuring me they’d take care of you.”
“I’m glad you stayed. I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble because of me.” Before her words wound me too deeply, she adds, “But I’m glad you’re here now.”
“You don’t understand,” I whisper.
“What do you mean?” Her eyes search mine, and I wonder what she sees in them. Three months ago, hell, even two, I would’ve just stayed quiet and hoped she figured it out, then probably get pissed off when she didn’t. Now I’m not leaving anything up to chance.
“Don’t you get it, hummingbird?” I cup the side of her face, trailing my fingers across the curve of her cheek. “Watching you nearly die almost broke me. I will risk life and limb to make sure that doesn’t happen again. My place at the guild means nothing if you are not safe somewhere to annoy me and drive me absolutely wild. It’s all worthless compared to you.”
Her eyes turn glassy. But I’m not done.
“I’m sorry. For what I put you through after our first night together.” The next words are hard to get out, but the girl in front of me needs to hear them, so I force them past my lips. “My ex-girlfriend was a Pure. She only dated me as some sick joke with her friends and dumped me for the guy she really wanted to be with. Another Pure asshole, just like her. She did enough damage that I couldn’t see past my own fears to realize that isn’t what you were doing. I know it doesn’t excuse my behavior, but I hope in time you’ll learn to forgive me.”
“Oh, Zeke,” she says, “I’m sorry she hurt you. Whoever she is, she lost out on a great guy. One of the best I know.”
I bring my hand up to cup her cheek and grin wickedly. “One of them, huh?” I only mean it as a tease, but it’s too soon. Our issues might all be out in the open now, but they’re too fresh.
Hayliel reaches up to stroke my forearm, mimicking the way my thumb moves across her skin. “I don’t want to choose, Zeke. You or them. Them or you. I won’t do it. I’d prefer to chooseus, but I’m prepared to only choose myself if that’s what it comes down to.”
There’s a knock on the door and Hayliel calls out, “Just a second!”
This moment feels like an edge, one I’ve been precariously balanced on for far too long. It’s time to decide. Do I step back to safety, or do I allow myself to fall? When I wipe away all the gunk of my past, it’s a simple decision to make. “I’m still trying to understand how I fit, but I don’t want you to choose, either. Despite my earlier misguided thoughts, Raph and Theo are far better for you than I could ever be. They make you laugh and learn and grow. They make you happy and take care of you. I want all of those things for you. I need you to be happy.”
Her hand trails up my arm to cover the hand resting against her cheek. “You do all those things for me, too. Sure, you’re a little grumpy and rough around the edges,” she giggles, “but you make me smile. With you, I feel emboldened, like I can do anything in the world without consequence. Safe, because I know you’d move city and earth to protect me. Raphael and Theo see it just as I do.”
I close the space between us, needing to feel her body pressed against mine as her words settle around me. “This is unfamiliar territory for me,” I whisper.
“We’ll explore it together. All of us.”
My lips hover mere millimeters from hers, but I wait. Giving her the option to pull back if this isn’t what she wants. My heart might shatter, but I’d accept the pain if that’s her choice.
She lifts on her tiptoes, melding her mouth to mine. I thought the kiss would be soft, gentle, but it’s the opposite. Need and desire fuel the movement of my lips, my tongue, and she matches me for all of it.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
We pull apart, chests heaving and my cock as solid as marble. Our eyes lock, electricity zapping through me when I find the same desperation matched in hers.
“That’s Theo. He’s coming to get me for the night.” Hayliel’s eyes drop briefly to my lips, and I can’t stop the smile from spreading.
“I’ll take a rain check on the rest of this conversation then, hummingbird,” I say, cupping her chin and running my thumb along her bottom lip. She bites it playfully and I groan.
She kisses the spot where her teeth just were, then smiles. “You can count on it.”
