No longer was I Shem’s servant, but his partner.
He was trusting me to take care of his fragile heart, and I would die before I did anything to betray that trust.
He was mine, and I was his, andnothing, not even fucking Raziel, was going to take that away from us.
Once my little hellcat was safely covered up again, I tugged on my own pants and lay on my side next to him, gently stroking his ebony hair out of his eyes.
“How are you feeling?” I asked gently, and he got that surprised look he always did when I offered him any sort of basic kindness. It was both endearing and infuriating. I hated that kindness shocked him. It meant he hadn’t been on the receiving end of it very often.
He cleared his throat, then gave me a playful smirk.
“A little sore. But good. I’m feeling really good, Gabriel.”
I wrapped my hand around his waist and tugged him closer, kissing him softly on the lips. He closed his eyes and melted into me, causing me to hum happily against him.
“I’m glad,” I whispered, pulling back so I could stroke his face. I never wanted to stop touching him. It was like my soul was trying to climb out of my body and wrap around his.
Mine.
Mine. Mine. MINE.
He smirked at me, rolling his eyes like he could read my thoughts.
“Yes, Gabriel. Yours.”
“Took you long enough.” I grinned, and he chuckled before sobering slightly.
“I’m sorry. I just… I’ve been burned so many times. Trusting people is… hard.”
“Is that why you tried so hard to push me away?”
He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I guess. If I had been able to get you to leave, it would have saved me a lot of heartache later when you inevitably decided to leave on your own.”
“I’m not going anywhere, baby.”
He let out a sad huff of air that I think was supposed to be a laugh.
“Forever is a long time, Gabriel. You could still get sick of me. I’m… I’m never going to be easy.”
I cupped his face firmly and met his gaze, letting him see how serious I was.
“I don’t wanteasy,Shemhazai. I want to be challenged, and I want someone worth fighting for. I will always fight for you. We’re a team now. Your enemies are my enemies. Your problems are my problems. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together, even if the things we are facing are your own demons.”
He swallowed again, staring at me like I was some strange creature with two heads.
“Where have you been?” he whispered, and my heart cracked in my chest. He’d asked me the same question over Yule, and I was suddenly so sorry it had taken me so long to make my feelings for him known.
“I’ve never been far, baby,” I murmured, kissing him again. “I’ve wanted you since the day we met. You just weren’t ready for me yet.”
He whimpered and curled into my embrace, kissing me back before burying his head in my shoulder like he could crawl inside my body to hide from the world.
“Now that I finally have you, I want you to tell me everything. What happened after you finally escaped Raziel?”
Shem quivered, and without pulling away from my chest, he sighed.
“You always need topick,don’t you?”
“Yeah. Get used to it. Tell me. How did you manage to survive all that and come out the other side alright? You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, Shemhazai. I’m in awe.”
