Evander dipped his chin in the barest hint of a nod.
“But he doesn’t have wings. Lucifer took them decades ago.”
“Every angel submits one feather to the registry upon induction into the ranks.”
“Like some kind of celestial AFIS situation?” Asher asked.
Evander narrowed his eyes in confusion and continued with his explanation. “Strictly speaking, I’m not supposed to remove this from the files, but the greater good is more important.”
“Ask for forgiveness instead of permission,” Kai murmured.
“Exactly.”
“Well, that solves the Gabriel issue. What about the horsemen?” Alek asked.
Hades cleared his throat. “I might be able to assist with that.”
I shot a glance at the god of the underworld. “How’s that?”
“I need to take a little trip on the River Styx. Give me a day, and I’ll have what you require.”
“Lovely. Are we done here?” Crombie asked, glancing around the room. When no one immediately spoke, he slapped hishands on his thighs and stood. “Perfect. Come on, Lilypad. We have a date.”
Chapter
Eleven
MERRI
Ihad to hand it to Cole; he was a gentleman. It was obvious in more ways than one that he was eager to help me with my little hunger problem as soon as I gave him the green light, but when I pressed pause and told him I needed some time to get things set up, he bowed out with grace.
His exact words were, “Just call for me when you’re ready. I’ll be there.”
I took a final glance around the room, appreciating my setup. I’d found a folding privacy screen and some extra lamps and worked some magic. Now he’d be able to see my silhouette through the white rice paper framed by the wood, and I would hear everything he did as clearly as if we were right next to one another. It was basically an in-person version of our private chats. All the benefits of sex without any of the touching. A perfect balance, if you will.
As much as I liked Cole, I was not remotely ready to jump into bed with him. This staging of mine would allow us to keep the focus on feeding without it having to become physical. Which was an important distinction for me, because my heart might be broken, but it still belonged to the horsemen. Lovewasn’t something you could just turn off like a light. It burned inside you like an ember, weakening over time, but lasting long after the flame was doused.
I opened my door and called out, “Cole, I’m ready for you. Come in and take a seat.”
Cole was there only moments later, desire in his eyes, and anticipation rolling off him in waves. “I was worried you’d changed your mind there for a sec.”
Shaking my head, I reached out and took him by the hand, gently leading him to the chair I’d positioned in front of the screen. “Sit there.”
There was no missing the flicker of disappointment as it crossed his face. “We’re going to be on separate sides?”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “We are.”
“I was really hoping I’d finally get to touch you.”
We were next to the chair now, so I placed my hands on his shoulders and gently applied pressure until he sat down. “Don’t worry,” I said, chucking him under the chin. “You’re going to feel right at home in no time. I need to ease into this, and some separation is the most familiar thing for us.”
“I understand, but I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve been aching to touch you from the moment you walked through the door.”
My heart skipped a beat at the urgency in his voice. He didn’t understand the complexities of my heartbreak. I might appear single to the rest of the world, but I had four mates out there. Their rejection didn’t make it any less true.
“Just relax and enjoy what I have planned.” I winked and moved to walk around the partition, tossing a sensual stare over one shoulder. “Do me a favor?”
“Anything,” he said, his voice already tight with arousal.
