My back hit the wall, and his hands closed over my wrists, pinning them above my head. My chest rose and fell, my breasts brushing against his hard muscles. He tangled his fingers with mine, connecting us. I slammed my eyes shut.
“Look at me, Cora.”
I shook my head and dug deep for the badass angry woman I’d been a few moments ago. There was a part of me that wantedto let go, to fall into the safety of his arms. But I was dealing with the alpha, one who would railroad over my independence if I allowed it.
Hot breath skimmed my lips, making them tingle. “At my core, I’m simply a man who loves a woman. I make mistakes. I’m not infallible and not always reasonable when it comes to you.” His forehead pressed against mine, and my eyes stung. “You broke apart, Cora,” he whispered. “The woman who commanded my beast, my heart, shattered into pieces I couldn’t put back together. Maybe I made the wrong call, but watching you drown in your own mind... I’d have done anything to stop it. You were lashing out, hurting everyone who tried to get close to you. You almost killed Dave. If you want those memories back, say the word. We’ll have them restored today, and I’ll hold you as you fall apart.”
His thumbs rubbed small circles on the back of my hands. The smallest gesture was breaking me down.
“I feel betrayed,” I whispered.
“I know. I have no defense or excuse. Tell me how to fix this.”
My eyes fluttered open to meet his golden ones. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “Maybe start with honesty.”
His jaw feathered. “Then I will keep showing up until we work this out. I don’t run at the first sign of danger. You should know by now I’m all in.”
“Okay.” My throat was tight, and my chest ached. I didn’t want to lose him. “But no more making decisions about me without me. The next time you do that, consider it a resignation of our relationship.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Okay.”
“I haven’t forgiven you,” I pointed out. He needed to know we aren’t okay.
“I know. Do you want those memories back now?”
And risk going insane? “No.”
Harry poked his head through the floor next to us, grimaced, and sank beneath it once more. He’d been sent on a reconnaissance mission to check if we’d killed each other yet.
“I love you,” Hudson murmured. “So much it fucking scares me.”
As it should. I wasn’t a being meant to be loved, and yet here I was on the precipice of happiness. I just needed to do a little housecleaning and war aversion first. Then maybe I could get my happily ever after that was never written in the stars, but one I grasped with greedy hands anyway.
“Tell me what happened with Donn. What deal did you make to be released?”
“No deal to be released.”
He pulled away and tilted his head. “But there is a deal.”
Not a question, but a statement.
“Indeed.”
“But you aren’t going to tell me?”
“What deal did you make with Lucifer?” His lips pressed together, and we were right back where we started. It wasn’t lost on me I was being a hypocrite. I had more secrets than the Principal. Ones that would shake his core. “That’s what I thought.”
“You’ll think less of me.”
“Not sure that’s possible.”
The air crackled with magic. His hazel eyes burned molten gold, fury vibrating off him in waves. “You don’t get to stand there and call me a liar while you strike bargains with gods behind my back,” he snarled. My wings trembled, but I held my ground. “And you don’t get to play savior while chaining me in ignorance.”
For a heartbeat, the bond between us pulled taut with love, rage, and need coiling together. Then he tore it apart with a roar,spun on his heel, and left the room. The door slammed so hard the walls shuddered, and the wards sealed me in silence.
I glared at the sofa. “You can stop hiding now.”
The air split open, revealing two archangels—one of light, one of shadow. Perfect. Lucky me. Exactly what this shit-show needed.
