Page 67 of Wings of Valor
“Thank the gods you’re alright,” Mari says while Cam talks with my dad, praising him for raising such a fine man and telling him how we wouldn’t have escaped if it wasn’t for me.
“What about you two? No injuries?” I look them over but don’t spot anything out of the ordinary. Mari wears an apron, which doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. Leave it to her to bake wherever she goes.
“Not a one,” Cam says, and I’m glad to see that spark of joy hasn’t faded.
Hayliel, Theo, and Raphael haven’t moved from where they crowd around me, and it’s only then that I remember all the fucking shit Hayliel hasn’t told her parents. Her Seraphim news, our weird relationship …
Her parents must sense it too, because their eyes immediately dart to where the guys are touching Hayliel. When she finally notices, she stiffens in my arms.
“Mom, Dad, there’s something I should tell you,” she says, before things can get any more awkward.
“Well, why don’t you tell us over here, honey?” Cam adds, eyeing the guys. “We know how much Zeke, yourboyfriend, means to you, but that bed is quite small for one person, let alone two.”
Hayliel sighs but does as they ask, and although Mari tries to be quiet, I don’t miss the words she whispers. “He just survived an ordeal. Perhaps it’s not a good time to show affection to other men, right in front of him, no less.”
Aaand it’s more awkward.Great.
Hayliel laughs, her face turning a cute shade of pink. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Zeke is my boyfriend, that’s true. But so are Raphael and Theo. We’re all together.”
The room grows silent as we wait to see how her parents will react.
“Did you know about this?” Cam asks my dad from the side of his mouth.
He shakes his head. “But now that I do, I think I’d rather go back to not knowing.”
26
Two days later, I’m standing outside of Zeke’s room while the healers finish another round of physiotherapy before releasing him. He’ll still need to continue working his wing, but at least he can spend his nights with us.
Since he’s woken up, I haven’t left his side other than to get a few hours of sleep. I tried to deny the lead healer’s suggestion to go get some rest, but his no-nonsense tone gave it away that I didn’t really have a choice.
Being too far from him right now scares me. And not just because the fusion of his wing is still so unsure, or that I’m worried Auriel will somehow take him back from me. There are angels here I’m worried about.
The council has been desperate to speak with him since he woke up. We might have dealt a hard blow to our enemies,but it hasn’t stopped Auriel. From what we’ve been hearing, all it’s done is move up his schedule. But Zeke only just woke up. After what felt like an eternity of him being gone, I finally have him back. He’s no longer kept in a cage like a stray dog, being tortured for information. The last thing he needs is to relive it all in front of a room full of unknown angels and Archangel strangers.
The door opens, and the healer walks out, smiling. “He’ll be ready in a few minutes. Please make sure he checks in every few days and continues to do his exercises, but don’t let him overdo it.”
“I’ll follow your orders, don’t worry,” Zeke says—and holy fucking shit. Is that a blush coloring his cheeks? Cute.
“It’s been an honor working with you. The highlight of my career, if I’m to be honest.” The healer’s smile is so bright, it’s damn near blinding, and his kind words only make Zeke even more uncomfortable.
Once I’ve had my fill of his blushing cheeks, I say, “Thanks again!” and then tug Zeke down the hall. We take our time, not rushing our strides. With Zeke at my side—his hand in mine—I feel whole again. I wish Raphael and Theo were here, too, but they’ve been trying to give me and Zeke some time alone. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by either of us.
“Where are the rest of your shadows?” Zeke asks, teasing.
“They’re waiting for us back at our section of rooms, but I wanted to show you something first.”
Zeke pulls my body into his until my back is flush with his front. “Does it happen to involve you and limited clothing?” He kisses my neck, making me melt into his touch.
“Not exactly what I had in mind, at least, not yet,” I say, arching into him before teleporting a few feet away.
He stares at me, then rubs his eyes like he can’t quite believe what he just saw.
“So, I can teleport now,” I tell him, feeling a little self-conscious as I shoot back to his side. “It’s pretty new. Mira helped me before, you know, everything fell apart.”
His eyes grow dark, but not in the way I usually like to see. And when he speaks, his words are in complete contrast to the look on his face. “You amaze me.”
He kisses the tip of my nose, causing me to giggle. We walk a little further in a comfortable silence, and when we pass by a set of stairs, Zeke stops.
