When the sun rises, we will have to face reality. My celestial duties, the threat to Willow’s very existence, even the expectations of our friends. But tonight, she is mine. Utterly and completely mine.
Willow sleeps easily.I made her come three times before she begged for my cock, then another two while inside her. Watching her drift off was one of those perfect moments I will hold in my memories forever. I wish I could join her, but with Azrael’s deadline looming ever closer, I have been staring at the darkened ceiling for almost an hour now.
Enough.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, elbows on my knees, and pick up my phone to text the one person who might have answers for me.
Gabriel: I need to speak to you.
It takes five minutes before Mad answers me, each one longer than the last.
Maddox: It’s the middle of the night. This can’t wait until morning?
Gabriel: No.
Maddox: Fine. Hallway. Five minutes.
I ease myself off the bed, careful not to disturb Willow, and pull on the black boxer briefs. Nakedness does not concern me, but the first time I visited a hotel vending machine in the middle of the night—a very odd experience—I discovered it makes many humans uncomfortable.
Maddox slips out of the room he shares with Killian.
“This better be important,” he snaps, then frowns. “Fuck, Gabriel. Have you ever heard of pajamas?” He waves his hand up and down, presumably gesturing to his white t-shirt and a loose pair of pants with…cats on them.
“I do not have time to discuss my clothing choices with you. I need to know how you convinced Seraphiel to let you leave the celestial realm.”
Mad runs a hand through his tousled hair. “That’swhat this is about? It’s a damn good thing Killian is a sound sleeper or he’d kick your ass. Short answer? I didn’t. Azrael sent me to retrieve the celestial sand. I’m not surewhereSeraphiel was, but based on the timing… shit.” His blue eyes darken. “He might have been preparing to send Zoe to earth.”
“Even if he was…otherwise occupied, he would have noticed eventually. You must have done something to convince him.” I ball my hands into fists, frustrated with this conversation already, but unable to walk away.
“Nothing. My guess? Azrael didn’t want Seraphiel to know he lost the sand in the first place. If I’d gone back, there would have been questions. Azrael saw my ‘falling in love’ as the perfect way to cover his ass and hide his colossal fuck up.” Mad shrugs, then narrows his eyes, studying me. “You’re going to stay. Holy shit. You’re falling in love with Willow.”
I would protest, but lying is not in my nature. “I am expected back tomorrow. Azrael will understand a short delay. He does notlikeferrying souls to the afterlife prematurely. But…”
“The Almighty won’t like losing her great communicator,” Maddox says, finishing the thought for me. “I don’t know what to tell you, Gabriel.” He pauses, searching my gaze. “But know this… If Seraphiel decides to be his usual dickish self, you could lose everything. Your angelic strength, your powers, your immortality…even your wings. You’re the only one who can decide if Willow is worth that sacrifice.”
He returns to his room, the door closing softly behind him.
“She is,” I say to no one. “She is worth everything.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Gabriel
I cannot sit still. My shoulders ache with tension. Willow has not said more than a few words to me since we woke this morning. Breakfast was utterly silent save for the scrape of silverware and the low din of others dining around us.
Now, we are safely ensconced in our room once more. My phone rings, Sinclair’s name flashing across the screen. I snatch the device from the table and put it on speaker.
“Tell me you know where the Blade is,” I snap before he can say a word.
Zoe murmurs something that might be, “Calm down,” and Sinclair clears his throat.
“We haveleads.Nothing definitive yet. Of the eight DNA matches in the United States, only four are east of your current location. Two of them were dead ends. The Bureau coordinated with local human law enforcement to investigate. One was a young man with zero interest in family heirlooms, and the other perished in a fire last year.“
“Fuck.” I run my hands through my hair, tugging on the long strands to the point of pain. “And the other two?”
“It takes time—and tact—to convince a small-town police department to question one of their citizens, Gabriel. Lieutenant Eve is doing her best. After everything she—and the rest of the Bureau—have dealt with of late, we’re lucky she has not taken to the sky, never to return.”
Regret creeps up the back of my neck. “I suppose since I directly contributed to those…issues, I cannot complain.“
