“Um…” Even with Uriel giving him a disapproving look, his erection didn’t subside in the least. It only made him harder. Azazel tried to recall what they were talking about and threw a word out, hoping he hit the mark. “Independence.”
Uriel sighed, then leaned back in his chair. “That’s right. I was too dependent on you and Dio. Before I became an eyesore to him, Dio provided for me like a father to a son, and I gladly took all that was offered. But I also wanted to please him because he saved my soul and made me a heavenly angel. And it was the same with you. I didn’t need money when we were together. I never even knew how you made your wealth. It wasn’t interesting to me. Other than when you took Loki’s side, I never wanted for anything. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed being taken care of by you, but when everything happened, I didn’t have a back-up plan. It was the one weakness Dio used against me, and I cannot let that happen to me again.”
That time Azazel heard every word that Uriel said, but he also felt a bit wronged. He loved pampering Uriel and never saw it as a bother, but it seemed it was different for his lover. Azazel wasn’t going to stop taking care of Uriel now that they were back together; he just needed to find another way to do it so that his lover could still feel in control of his life.
“Don’t blame me for wanting to take care of you back then and now. But I will try not to overdo it. I want you to be able to trust me.” Azazel took Uriel’s hands in his, bringing them to his lips, kissing his lover’s fingertips. “I want us to be a family, baby. And I’m going to do everything in my power to fix what's broken between us.”
Uriel smiled, and Azazel’s heart was lightened. “I want that too. I want you to get to know Kristoph, and maybe one day Donald will want to see me.”
“I can talk to him for you,” Azazel suggested.
“No, I’ll wait for him to come to me. He needs time to sort things out, and I won’t force him to have a relationship with me if he doesn’t want to.”
Azazel chuckled. “I can see it now.”
Uriel furrowed his brows. “See what?”
“The more I get to know Donald, I realize he’s more like you. He can be demanding and dominant when he needs to be, but he doesn’t want to be a bother to others.”
“My dude, I’m not sure how to take that.”
“It’s a compliment,” Azazel assured him. “So what about Kristoph? Is he anything like either one of us?”
Uriel hummed and nodded his head. “That kid is something else. He’s brave, smart, thoughtful, very goal-oriented, and can be mischievous when he wants to be. If it wasn’t for him taking the first step to approach you, we wouldn’t be here.” Uriel looked him in his eyes. “He did what I couldn’t.”
“Then, in that case, I must reward my son for bringing us together.” Azazel smiled.
“Don’t go overboard,” Uriel chuckled. “But I can’t take all the credit for raising Kristoph. Orion played a big role in raising and protecting our son.”
After briefly meeting the handsome man who’d been by his lover’s and son’s sides, he couldn’t help but feel jealous.
“Speaking of Orion, have you and he…” Azazel couldn’t finish the question, not wanting to think about Uriel with another man.
“If you’re asking if Orion and I have slept together, the answer is yes, many times.”
Azazel stopped breathing, and his eyes glazed over with raging anger.How could Uriel do this to me?He stood and turned his back, unable to look at Uriel. Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm his thoughts, but it was not helping. He was trying to figure out ways to kill Orion that wouldn’t let his lover and son stay mad at him for eternity.
Turning, he faced his mate head-on, letting his anger loose. “How could you do—”
“There were times I couldn’t get Kris to sleep and the only way he’d settle down was to have Orion sleep with us,” Uriel continued, causing Azazel to stop mid-rant.
Uriel pushed back his chair, stood, and walked over to him. Uriel circled his arms around Azazel’s neck, and he instantly placed his hands on Uriel’s back and waist.
“Let me clarify a few things. Orion and I are blood brothers. The ritual was overseen by the blessing leader and three witnesses. When I returned to the hippocentaur, he came back with me because of the bond he had with Kris. Orion and I have never been intimate, but there were times we slept in the same bed because I needed his comfort.”
Azazel sighed in relief, but he was still troubled. “Don’t ever do that shit again. I was thinking of how not to let my son hate me after I killed his uncle.”
“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Uriel asked, but he went on speaking, not waiting for Azazel to answer. “To think of me sleeping with someone who isn’t you. Imagine what I saw that day. The man I love making sweet love to someone the same way he did with me. You have no idea how angry and hurt I was. Azazel I felt so damn helpless I ran. By the time I came to my senses I wanted to kill you and that fucking bastard.”
“When are you going to realize that I didn’t cheat on you? I can’t keep living with that dark mark over my head.”
“You can’t blame me for what I saw,” Uriel snapped. He went to walk away, but Azazel stopped him.
“I’m not blaming you, but you are still placing the blame at my feet. Did you actually see the person’s face?”
“Yes!” Uriel growled. “I also heard you tell Gadriel I meant nothing to you. And that you wanted to give a relationship with him a chance.”
What the fuck?“Someone went through the trouble to hurt you and break us apart.”
