Page 42 of Sleeping Redemption
Clearing his throat, he repositioned himself on the stairs to obstruct my view of him. “I can manage,” he said bluntly.
I frowned, hurt by the lost opportunity to get in on some At-At action. No matter, I still had my fallen angel to care for, whenever she needed my services.
Atlas shook his head, looking unsure of what to make of my arrival. “I’m going to go get some clothes,” he said as he rose to his feet.
Before he got out of arm’s length, I lifted my cane and tapped that delectable ass with it before flashing a shit-eating grin. “Hurry up now, I want to hear everything about your tallywacker tinsel. Has it remained black, or are you shooting pearly white now? Inquiring minds must know.”
Atlas opened his mouth to say something but shut it after reconsideration. He shook his head and wandered toward the kitchen, out of sight.
I shouted after him, “Oh, and I left some sandwiches in the fridge if you worked up an appetite!”
Kinley snickered. “Rook, behave.”
Turning sideways so I could get a better view of her gorgeous post-sex glow, I smiled innocently. “Where is the fun in that? Behaving is for the flock, not for the fox.”
She fought the grin that tugged at her face as she lay there, her cheeks still rosy from her exertions. Even with half-lidded eyes, I could tell more was going on behind those deep blues.
Softening my voice, I tread carefully with my choice of words. “I’m proud of you, love.”
Both of her eyebrows drew up. “What for?”
My hand patted her bare hip. “Having your fun with your old beau. Of course, I wish I would have been invited to the party. But alas, I was on a mission of a less carnal nature.” Dropping my gaze between her legs, what I found there captured my attention.
It seemed that my question regarding whether a cambion could lose his inky black seed was answered. All I saw smeared between Kinley’s thighs was a milky white substance. It prompted a surge of pride in me, knowing that there was still one thing that I could give her that even the great Atlassian could not.
Pulling me from my thoughts, Kinley responded, “Maybe next time.” She winked playfully.
I leaned over and laid a soft kiss on the outside of her thigh. “In that case, I will be waiting.” I gave a light nip to her flesh before pulling away.
“Waiting for what?” Atlas asked as he returned wearing a pair of dark grey boxer briefs and carrying a blanket.
Standing, I walked down the last few steps. I gave my cane a spin in my palm before slipping it up my sleeve for safekeeping. “To catch the latest episode of my favorite baking competition show. It is one of my many guilty pleasures.”
Given the look I received, I don’t think he was fully convinced. I dramatically humphed while Atlas approached Kinley, draping the blanket around her to keep her warm. I shoved my hands into my pockets and leaned back against the wall wondering if Shelly Maclean would take home the title of Picasso of Pastries.
Kinley sat up, holding the blanket around her. Her weary eyes came to meet mine. “Did you find out who sent the package?”
I had hoped to avoid the question a little longer. I watched as Atlas sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around herback and tugging her in close to his side. Instead of leaning into his embrace, she stiffened under his touch. The reaction was peculiar given how I had found the two lovebirds when I first arrived.
Atlas may not have noticed, but I sure as hell did. I noticed everything there was to her every mood, movement, and words. Instead, Atlas was looking at me intently, expecting me to have good news.
Keeping my tone gentle, I did my best to place a positive spin on my lack of findings, “It was not as easy as I had hoped, love. Based on the consistency and chemistry, I was only able to determine that this particular demon is quite ancient. In fact, he’s much older than I. Demons that old are not easily traced.”
Kinley closed her eyes, remaining silent for a minute. Then, she pulled away from Atlas’s side, leaned forward, and placed her face in her hands. She muttered, “He'll never fucking understand, will he? Just like the others."
Placing a hand on Kinley’s upper back, Atlas leaned in closer to her. “Kinley? Who won’t understand?” The concern etched over his face before he looked to me for translation.
Shrugging my shoulders, I was as lost about her statement as he was and glad to see I wasn’t alone. When she didn’t answer Atlas’s question, I tried prompting her, “Love?”
Dropping her hands from her face, she yanked the blanket tighter around herself. “You tried, that’s all that matters.” Standing, she began her ascent up to the second floor.
What in the bloody hell was going on with her? If she thought I was giving up on finding out who was behind the delivery, she was sorely mistaken. I would turn over every rock, unearth every skeleton, and shake every last coconut from all the trees if it meant keeping her mind at peace.
A light breeze swirled through the air, and soon his royal grumpiness graced us. Perhaps he would be able to shed lighton the situation at hand. Those halo-wearing do-gooders always seemed to know a lot more than they let on.
Instead of the typically pristinely styled light brown hair, it looked like Sylas had been trying to pull it out for hours. If I didn’t know better, I would have considered the possibility that a woman had been running her fingers through it. However, it was painfully obvious that the one woman who could cure his ill temperament was otherwise preoccupied with one of his subordinates this evening.
“You’re all here.” He stated the obvious as he appeared, standing in the middle of the foyer. “I have bad news.”
