Uriel huffed and sagged in his arms. “I’m okay, you know.”
Azazel didn’t respond to him and simply held him tighter and buried his face in Uriel’s neck, breathing in his sweet scent.
“Az, baby, if you keep squeezing me like this, I really will die,” Uriel said against his chest.
Reluctantly, Azazel leaned back and stared at his lover, who wore a different face, but didn’t let him go. “Can you turn back to your original face?”
“I can’t, and trust me, I’ve been trying,” Uriel answered.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re okay. But seriously, baby, how dare you get yourself hurt?”
“It wasn’t my intention,” Uriel whispered.
“Do you always get hurt on the job? Maybe I should put a protection spell on you.”
Uriel chuckled and cupped Azazel’s right cheek. “Don’t try to lock me up. You can see that I’m okay. I might be a little weak, but just tell me to be careful next time. What we need to do is figure out how Gadriel’s weapon ended up in human hands.”
“Speaking of which, what is this knife and how do you know about it?” Azazel asked.
Uriel looked at his friends. “Head to the shack. Let me talk to Azazel. We’ll work out what to do about the press and stuff later."
"Pick Kristoph up from Uriel's penthouse,” Azazel said, then watched Uriel narrow his eyes at his friends.
“Kayne, I can’t believe you let Synder work this late at night in his condition," Uriel admonished.
Kayne snorted. “Do you think I can tell him anything when it comes to you? He just about threatened your man before we got here.”
Uriel smiled, then looked at Azazel and hit him on his arm. “I know you were worried about me, but how can you teleport a pregnant man here?”
“Baby, I didn’t know he was pregnant,” Azazel defended, then turned and scowled at the other two men, who didn’t look repentant in the least.
These bastards set me the hell up. Payback is a bitch.
Uriel kissed him on his lips, taking away his irritation. “You’re not allowed to retaliate against my friends, Az.”
Azazel looked at his lover, who had him wrapped around all ten of his fingers and toes. He sighed, then kissed his sweetheart. “I’ll listen to you.”
“Synder, is the baby okay?” Uriel asked, looking back at his friend. “Maybe you should have the doctor check you over to be safe.”
“I’m fine, Uri,” Synder soothed. “But to put your mind at ease, I will see the doctor before leaving the hospital.” Synder moved over to them and looked at Azazel, as if jealous that he was holding Uriel. Synder embraced Uriel, practically pulling Azazel’s lover from his arms.
Dude, he’s my mate, not yours!
Azazel looked at Kayne, who was smiling at his expense, but there was understanding in the man’s eyes. “You’ll get used to it. When Uriel was gone for twenty years, we did everything to find him but couldn’t. Other than our children, Kristoph, and grandchildren, Uriel is the only one I allow to hug my mate. I can’t keep them apart, so don’t intervene. Trust me, I learned my lesson.”
Azazel nodded and let his jealousy simmer, allowing the two men to comfort each other. Uriel had built a family in the past few years, and it wasn’t for him to mess that up.
“I’m glad you’re doing all right. Don’t scare me like that again.” Synder leaned back and kissed Uriel on the cheeks. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay, thanks,” Uriel said.
Once the two men left, Azazel held Uriel for a bit longer. He knew they had to talk, but he just wanted to make sure the feeling was real. Azazel stood and took off his shoes and jacket, getting comfortable. He got back into bed and sat Uriel on top of him so that he could see his face and touch him.
“Now that we’re comfortable…”
“Don’t you mean you?” Uriel smiled.
“We can change positions if you want. I promise my only intention is that we talk. I want to hear about everything that happened to you, starting from the day you left me. I can’t stand not knowing everything.”
