“Well, that’s fitting.” Hearing my fate spelled out so plainly is almost reassuring.
But Mist shakes her head softly. “Death is a card of transition. It doesn’t mean a literal death. Death counsels you to embrace this transition. Take the chaos within you. Use it. Don’t be afraid of it, Willow. If there is a way to survive, you’ll only find it by risking everything.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Gabriel
Willow is quiet as we return to our room. I can sense her uncertainty. Whatever she and Mist spoke of weighs heavily on her.
Should I press her? Human emotions are messy and unpredictable. I want to know everything she is feeling, but will the knowledge helpherin anyway? Or only me?
I flip the lock and rest my back against the door while she disappears into the tiny bathroom. Water runs in the sink. I take the time to strip down to my boxer briefs. Human clothing is so…restrictive. I miss my robes and sandals.
Shockingly, those are theonlythings I miss from the celestial realm. The Sea of Tranquility is beautiful—breathtaking, even—if we needed to breathe at all. An earthen sunset can be just as stunning. Willow’s face as she comes even more so.
I will not survive an eternity without her. Yet, if I stay in this realm, I will eventually become mortal. Am I willing to die for a chance at a life with her?
Yes.
The answer does not surprise me. Not truly. I think I have known since our very first kiss.
“All yours,” Willow says as she emerges from the bathroom. She smells of mint and soap, her skin pinked and glowing.
I close myself in what is little more than a closet with a sink and toilet, splash water on my face, and brush my teeth—another human custom I had to learn. The mirror reveals tiny lines around my eyes. Those are a surprise. Maddox has them. As does Killian.
Every day brings new experiences. But none more beautiful and perfect than making love to Willow.
I find her huddled on the bed, legs drawn up to her chest and arms around her knees. Her t-shirt clings to her breasts, revealing the hard points of her nipples through the thin fabric.
“Sol mea, what’s wrong?” Cupping her cheek, I drag my thumb gently under her right eye. Exhaustion shadows her gaze. “Mist upset you. I will speak to her. Right now.”
“Gabriel, no.” She curls her fingers around my wrist. “You can’t protect me from every single thing in this world.”
“I absolutely can.” Anger bristles over my skin. “Or have you forgotten that I am an archangel?”
She chuckles. “No one could forget that, stud.”
“Stud? I am not a breeding stallion.” My response has the desired effect. Willow’s laughter eases much of the strain in her muscles. “Though, I do like it when you call me that.”
Leaning closer, I breathe in her scent. Fresh, clean, but with undercurrents of arousal and my seed lingering on her skin. My cock juts firmly against my boxer briefs. “How many times can I make you come before you beg me to stop?”
Heat floods her cheeks, and she squirms under my gaze. “Begyou?”
I answer her whispered question with a searing kiss. She opens for me, and I sweep my tongue along hers. Easing her onto her back, I angle my body so she can feel how hard I am for her.
She moans, swiveling her hips under me. “Gabriel. I need…God. Touch me.”
Peeling off her t-shirt, I dip my head to lave my tongue over one of her peaked nipples. The hard nub rises, and goosebumps race over her skin. Her panties are soaked with her desire.
“You were made for me,deliciae. Your body. Your heart. Your mind.” I turn my attention to her other breast, kissing, nipping, and sucking until she is panting for more.
Desperate to taste her, I tug her panties down her hips with too much force, and they rip into shreds. Her sex weeps for me. My first long, slow stroke through her folds leaves her trembling.
I settle between her legs, my hands stroking up and down the creamy skin. With two fingers thrust deep inside her, I trace circles over and around her clit, using my free arm to stop her from wriggling right off the bed.
My desire for her knows no bounds. I could feast on her forever. Watch her fly apart for the rest of my days. Listen to the sounds of her pleasure for all eternity. It still would not be enough.
Her words dissolve into helpless mewls. She winds her fingers through my hair, tugging me closer as her body implodes and her release bursts over my tongue.
