Page 15 of Sleeping Redemption
“So? Why do you think I’m going to tell you anything?” It wasn’t any feathers off my back if a half-crazed demon didn’t know all the gossip.
Popping his cane out of seemingly nowhere, he rapped the rounded knob on top against my chest. His hazel eyes narrowed. “Because between the two of us, I’m the one who knows how to keep her madness from fully consuming her while embracing the darkness she wraps around herself.”
Silence hung heavily in the air as I allowed his words to sway my thoughts.
“His name isn’t Alex, it’s Atlassian.” I wasn’t sure how much further explanation would be needed, but Rook was quick to react.
“Atlas? Stabbed-through-the-entrails-and-fell-off-the-side-of-a-mountain-to-a-horrific-demise Atlas?” He raised both eyebrows in shock. Setting his cane down, he lifted a hand to stroke over his chin. “He looks incredible. I will have to get the name of his surgeon.”
Shaking my head at his daftness, with shortened patience I replied, not hiding my low opinion of the situation. “You’re an idiot, you know that? Against all odds, he’s been assigned as Kinley’s guardian angel.” Go figure, a guardian angel to watch over a fallen angel. I had my opinions on the matter, but I wasn’t the man in charge of making these decisions.
He slapped a hand onto my back, and that mischievous grin of his appeared. “You know what this means?”
Honestly? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Pulling me to his side, Rook used his cane to press to the front of my chest.
Threateningly, I looked down at the demon’s accessory. “Rook, if you touch me with that thing again, I will shove it up your ass.”
Begrudgingly, he withdrew the cane and gave it a whirl in his hand before tucking it underneath his arm. “You promise, Daddy?”
The tension bristled under my skin, and before I could knock him straight to the moon, he continued his musings.
“This means you and I are going to be practically family! A demon turned angel? I mean, sure, technically a half-demon, but close enough, am I right?”
I groaned. Did he ever have a sane thought?
A dramatic gasp suddenly came from him as he finally stopped trying to fucking touch me. “Oh dear, whatever does that mean for you, Sy?”
Growing more tired of his meaningless questions, I merely stared at him, knowing that I wouldn’t be so lucky for him to shut the fuck up.
“Let’s be honest, mate. Kinley ruffles more than just your feathers.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively as his eyes dropped below my belt. Raising the pitch of his voice he mimicked the words I had spoken earlier but with a lot more creative liberties. “Oooohh, Kinley, you used to besobeautiful.”
The asshole had been eavesdropping on my earlier conversation. Nosey fucking bastard. Up to my limit with his antics, I lunged at him. Rook’s laughter filled the air before his presence disappeared.
What the hell did he know about my feelings for Kin anyway?
Chapter Eight
Sylas could go fuck himself if he didn’t want to fuck me for all I cared. If he wanted to not only insult me but toss glares at my date, then I’d give him something to be pissy about.
Walking outside arm-in-arm with Alex, I was prepared to be whisked away to a fancy dinner where I could try my persuasive powers on him again. I had a game plan, and all I required was some intense focusing, that was all.
My feet stopped short when we got to my driveway and I saw no car. I looked at the black motorcycle with deep cherry-colored accents that looked like threads across the body of the bike. Confused as to why there was not an enclosed vehicle with things like doors and temperature control, I looked at Alex in shock.
“What’s this?”
He smiled as he pulled his arm from mine and walked to the bike, pulling one of the two helmets off the seat. “Most people would call it a motorcycle, but I call her Scarlet. It’s the color of hope.”
Extending the helmet towards me, I made no attempt to take it from him. I didn’t care if the bike was named after my favorite color or not, I wasn’t getting on that thing.
“You may as well bend me over the seat and fuck me right here because I’m not getting on that otherwise,” I blurted out, briefly forgetting that this man wasn’t under my spell yet.
Way to look like a completely normal and professional human being, Kinley.
The sarcasm of my inner thoughts made me cringe internally.
At least the shock on his face was one of sheer entertainment, so I hadn’t fucked up that badly. He hung the helmet by the chin strap on the handlebar of the bike. Alex approached me, his hands coming to rest on the sides of my waist.
