Page 84 of Crimson Promises
Behemoth wouldn’t be the last demon Lucifer would send for her. The multitude of moving pieces didn’t quite fit together right. There was more to this story.
I had a theory about it all. Still, I was unsure and wasn’t ready to share anything. Yet.
Aurora had finished her food, the empty take-out containers placed neatly in a row on the coffee table. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over the tiny threads of the carpet. “Anytime my ability, power—or whatever this is—showed up, there was never any spark or light. It feels like a thrum of energy carrying from me to something else, but I never felt drained or anything else afterward.”
I was about to add to what she had shared, but she continued.
“The first time it happened, I wasn’t even aware of it happening. I had a pet?—“
“Bunny,” I said.Uh-oh.
“How did you know?”
“Angel abilities,” I tapped my temple. “Remember?”
“Right. Well, anyway, it was my bunny Charles. An animal had him between its jaws, and I was certain he had died. And then he wasn’t dead. He was breathing like nothing had happened. Other weird occurrences happened while I was younger, but everyone chalked it up to a childish imagination. For the most part, it remained dormant. As I already mentioned, it seemed to stir the day of the accident.”
“The one you had when you were on your way to meet Riley.” I ground my teeth together.
“Not sure why that’s relevant right now, but yes.”
The monster of jealousy was alive and well inside my chest, demanding the demise of our rival. How could Aurora not realize that she deserved someone so much better than him?
I tried to focus on the details Aurora was sharing. It was one thing to see it progress through the years but another to hear her share that information with me as myself, as Bennett, rather than as Remy. Something she said could be the key to who she is and why Michael is hell-bent on protecting a human.
I tuned into the ending of her sentence, “…I think it would be worth trying it on myself again.”
“Of course.” I nodded, distracted.
She stood up, walking around the couch to the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” I called.
She looked at me, confused. “What do you mean? We just agreed that I’d try healing myself again. I have never done it consciously. I want to see if I can fixate on what is happening inside my body. Maybe if I’m concentrating enough, we can see if I emit the same light, like the angel Jos saw.”
In a burst of speed, I grabbed her around the waist and threw her onto the couch. “I don’t think so.”
“But you just said?—“
“Shh.” I held my fingers to her lips. “You aren’t a science experiment. We aren’t going to start hacking you up to then heal yourself to do it all over again.”
Aurora jerked her head from side to side to try and get out from under my grip. When she realized that wasn’t going to do her any good, she tried bucking her body up against mine.
That had an entirely different effect on me.
A rush of longing and desire coursed through me for her. I had always admired who she was and what she had endured. But it wasn't until she came to Arch Cape that things began to change for me. Now, looking into her eyes full of confusion, I could have sworn I saw a bit of hope. Hope for us?
Unable to resist any longer, I leaned in close to her, my eyes fixed on her mouth. I felt her heart racing as I pressed my lips to hers. The kiss started off soft and tender. I could feel her warmth. Her apprehension twined with desire. I knew that this was what I had been missing. Someone to accept me wholly for my sharp edges but unwavering loyalty to those I loved. The light to my blackened soul. I deepened the kiss as my wings spread behind me, surrounding us in an intimate embrace.
Something about exposing that part of me unraveled her hesitation. I felt her body responding to mine, her hips bucking once more. I held her against me so the most personal parts of us aligned just right. I ran my fingers through her hair, pulling her closer as the kiss intensified.
I could feel myself losing control. The desire to be close to her, to be one with her, became overwhelming. I broke the kiss, both of us breathless, and looked into her eyes, knowing that the lines of my promise to Michael, my vow of revenge, were becoming murkier the more time I spent with her. I knew the possibility ofuswas forbidden. But I couldn't bring myself to care.
For long minutes afterward, we lay there in that exact position. Then Aurora grumbled, and I realized I was squishing her. I flipped over so I was lying on my side, and we were nose to nose.
“This wasn’t how I expected everything to turn out.”
“What were you expecting?” she asked softly.
