Zach smiled and bent down once again to give him a kiss. “Not at all. I just needed to know if I was changing into hiking clothes or pyjamas.”
Drew grinned. “Hiking clothes now, pyjamas later, and if you’re really good, nothing at all after that.”
Smirking, Zach crossed to the walk-in wardrobe, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. “I shall do my utter best to behave.”
Fight of the Feathers
There was nothing that Zachariel liked more than seeing Drew happy and content. The sunlight trickled down through the dense canopy of trees above them, making it seem like the freckles painted across his nose and cheeks were dancing. His pale blue eyes were almost dreamy beneath his mop of brown hair, and each time he looked over at Zach, he’d give him a sweet smile. He was absolutely stunning.
He was also absolutely clumsy. Tripping over a tree root that crossed the path, Drew tumbled to the ground, hitting it with a loud “oof.”
“Shit, are you okay?” Zach asked, hurrying over and pulling him to his feet.
“I think so,” Drew said.
Wanting to be sure, Zach began checking him over for injuries. He took Drew’s hands in his, checking his palms for scrapes and grazes before moving on. He winced as he saw the blood trickling down from the scratch on his knee and led Drew over to a tree stump so he could clean him up.
“Zach, I’m fine,”Drew assured him.
“You’re bleeding,” Zach argued, crouching down as he pulled a pack of wet wipes from his pocket along with a Band-Aid. He’d taken to carrying a few first-aid supplies whenever they went for a hike because it was inevitable that Drew would trip, stumble, or injure himself in some way each time.
“Not enough to require a transfusion,” he said, rolling his eyes. “It’s already stopped bleeding.”
“Just shush and let me fuss.” Zach gently cleaned the cut with a wipe and then blew on it to dry the skin. He looked up to see Drew looking at him with half fondness and half exasperation. “What?”
“Nothing. I just love you, is all.”
Zach’s heart thumped against his rib cage. After all he’d endured, he had never even dreamed he would one day be this happy. He felt his eyes crinkle as he smiled dopily up at him. “Love you too, sweetness.” He peeled the backing off the Band-Aid and covered the scratch with it, smoothing the edges to make sure it was sticking to the skin. Then he dropped a kiss to the top of it and stood up from his crouch. He held his hand out to Drew. “Shall we?”
Drew took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, but before they could take a single step, there came the sound of furious flapping and then Drew was obscured by a wall of black feathers.
Zach’s own wings snapped out at the threat and he lunged forward to protect Drew, only to be forced back by a vicious assault from beak and feathers. What the hell was this creature? It appeared to be slightly bigger than a crow or raven, but that was all Zach could determine as he warded off a brutal beak and sharp claws.
“Zach!” Drew cried. “What the hell is happening?”
“I don’t know!” Zach bit out, hissing as he felt a claw rip the skin open on his forearm.
The bird flapped its wings once more, all of its ire seemingly directed towards Zach, and he caught sight of an eye blacker than the inside of theDevil’s ass. Then it was using its perch on Drew’s shoulder as a springboard and it launched itself at Zach, clawing and slashing. It was tiny but feral, and Zach was definitely losing this battle. The thing was too fast for him to catch, and all he could do was defend against the unprovoked attack.
“Enough!” Drew’s voice cut through the chaos, leaving only silence and stillness in its wake. Zach’s ears popped at the strength of the magic behind Drew’s command, but he, like their feathered attacker, was frozen to the spot.
Drew stepped around the feathery explosion that was hanging in the air like some sort of stupidly expensive, impractical lamp shade. As soon as his hands touched Zach’s face, the spell was broken and Zach could move. He pulled Drew into his arms, his own wings surrounding them in a protective circle. They were both breathing hard, and Zach’s face and arms stung from numerous wounds.
“What the actual fuck was that?” Drew asked, pressing his face against Zach’s chest.
“I’m not sure,” Zach admitted.
“Do you think it was sent from Hell?”
“Possibly, but in all the commotion I didn’t get a good look at it.”
Drew raised his head and then turned in Zach’s arms. “Let’s figure out what it is.”
Reluctantly letting his wings fold back against his back, Zach stepped towards the creature. Its wings were a blur, frozen as they were mid-flight. He and Drew circled to the left and finally caught an unimpeded view of the creature for the first time.
“Is that . . . is that a chicken?” Drew exclaimed.
Zach furrowed his brows as he inspected the bird. “It kind of looks like one, I guess.”
