Wolf’s ash-blond hair was loose from its usual braid, tangled and wild, and there was a pillow crease on his face. “The fuck do you want, Storm?”
“I want to speak to your human. Go back to bed.” He shooed Wolf out of the way and stepped past him.
Storm didn’t know what he expected from an apartment shared by a demon and a prophet of the Lord, but somehow this seemed perfect. There was no television, but artwork hung on every wall. A pair of matching bookshelves framed the couch, filled to the brim with books. New paperbacks, old leather-bound books. Stacks of books sat in front of the bookshelves and in the corner. There were multicolored pillows on the couch and plants in the corners and hanging from baskets in front of the glass balcony doors.
Ira was on the couch with a book perched on his crossed legs, his curly hair in a loose bun atop his head. Wolf locked the door, muttered something, and disappeared back into the bedroom. The door closed with a resounding thud.
“You,” Storm said, coming to a stop in front of Ira with the coffee table between them.
“Yes,” Ira said, looking unsurprised to see him. He always seemed unsurprised. It was goddamn unnerving.
“Did you know?”
Ira shrugged.
“No, no. None of the cryptic bullshit.Did you know?”
Ira sighed, setting his book on the coffee table. “I suspected. I’ve seen the occasional image of the two of you together?—”
“Liketogethertogether?”
He frowned, his nose scrunching. “Not, like, physically, if that’s what you mean. Standing together, shaking hands, that kind of thing. I’ve seen most of the—I mean. I’ve seen.” He stopped, his gaze going distant. He did that sometimes, when he was debating with himself how much he could say. Storm didn’t envy him. “I didn’t know for sure that it meant you two would wind up together, but at the very least, it indicated that you know each other and are at least friendly in the future.” His face broke out into a smile. “So you like him, then, huh?”
Storm threw his head back in despair. “Fuck,” he said, long and loud. “I don’t want this! No offense or anything, but you guild people just complicate things. There are enough of you running around already. I don’t want to get attached to him!”
Ira’s peaceful expression didn’t change. “Aren’t you already?”
“Yes, goddammit.” He flopped down on the sofa beside Ira, making him bounce, and let out a frustrated growl. “He’s very pretty.”
Ira canted his head to one side. “Yeah, he’s all right, I guess.”
Storm scowled at him. “You’reall right. He’s…” He didn’t know how to explain it. Something about Nathan justcaptivatedhim. He’d be damned if he put it into flowery words where someone couldhear, though.
Ira snorted. “You want to call demonic dibs, don’t you?”
He sighed heavily. “I do. He probably wouldn’t appreciate that. He’s still very pro-guild, for the most part.”
“We all were at one time. It took Malachi a while to wear Luke down, for example. You’ll just have to be persistent—if you want him, that is.”
He did want him. Very much so. He wanted to peel his clothes off, lay him out, explore every crack and crevice his body had to offer. Pin him down and give him every body-shaking pleasure he could until he knew nothing but Storm.
“So I should annoy him until he gives in?” That sounded like Malachi’s strategy.
Ira laughed. “I don’t know that I’d put it that way. I’ll say this: you’re not the only one who feels that pull. I was drawn to Wolf, and Luke and Alex have both said they felt it for Malachi and Talon, too. So it might not be as hard as you think.”
Storm pursed his lips. “I don’t know anything about humans.”
The bedroom door opened, and Wolf strode back out. “I can’t go back to sleep, so I’ll help. Malachi didn’tannoyLuke into loving him. The thing he was persistent about was making Luke happy. In their case, Luke was veryunhappy. So find out what Nathan wants and then give it to him so hard he never wants anyone else.”
Ira shook his head, an exasperated smile on his face. “That’s… yeah, that’s one way of putting it, I guess.”
Wolf pointed to the door. “It’s the middle of the day, and I can’t sleep with you two in here jabbering. Get out.”
Storm snickered. “Fine, fine. Who knew you were such a bastard without your beauty sleep?”
Wolf all but chased him out the door, but that was okay. He just had to find a strategy that worked for wooing Nathan, because he needed the man to be his. Whatever it took.
Chapter5
