“We’re going to make a winter bucket list and we’re going to cross off everything on it. You have to experience the cozy, nostalgic, and delicious time that is the holiday season. I’m talking ugly sweaters, sweet treats, holiday movies, the whole nine yards.” I practically jump in my seat at the idea of experiencing all of it for the first time through him.
I start to mentally make my list and excite myself with all the possibilities. I’m so lost in my head that I don’t notice Valen’s face inching ever closer to mine. His smell clouds around me in the most sensual way, and one of his hands fits itself around my cheek, engulfing the whole thing.
“Ava, I am going to kiss you now.”
Oh.
Oh.
Holy. Fuck.
We almost kissed when he was helping me with my magic, but when the moment was ruined by Zav, I didn’t think this opportunity would pop up again so soon. It’s the way he says itthat really gets me.I am going to kiss you now.There’s a certainty in the way he says it, no hesitation. He’s not framing it as a question, but heisgiving me a chance to tell him no regardless.
But I don’t.
I can’t.
Because Iwanthim to kiss me.
Soft, hesitant lips fit themselves to mine, and I hold my breath, not wanting to scare him off. My eyes flutter closed, and I focus on the sensation of his mouth on mine, something I’ve waited what feels like ages for.
Then, nothing.
“What happened?” I can’t help but ask after he abruptly pulls away before I can fully enjoy what just went down.
Valen won’t make eye contact and fumbles with the steering wheel in a move very unlike him. Gone is the cool and collected vampire, and before me is an almost awkward teenager.
“Valen?” I try again softly.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he replies with a wince. “I have never kissed anyone before.”
“Are you kidding? No one? Look at you,” I sputter. Valen is insanely good-looking. Tall and broad, with sweeping dark hair and eyes that seem to see straight to your soul. “You had to have had all the angel ladies lusting after you.” Part of me bristles at just the thought of it.
He shakes his head, his fingers flexing where his hands rest on his thighs. “On the contrary. Celibacy, remember? Both male and female angels focus solely on their jobs, especially the warriors like me and my sister. There’s no fooling around.”
“How are more angels born then?” I blurt.
He shrugs. “Every so often pairs are chosen to continue the line—only the strongest and smartest are allowed to bearchildren. Most are only allowed one child. My parents were a rare case and were allowed two.”
I run a hand through my pink hair. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m not thrilled at the idea of being your first, because a large part of me selfishly is.” He smirks at that, and I almost feel bad I can’t do the same. It’s not like I knew this hunk of a man would come along and proclaim himself as my mate.
“I know what you’re thinking, and you shouldn’t feel bad. You had a life before me, just as I did, and the most important thing is that I’ll be your last,” Valen says with conviction. “No other man, supernatural or human, will touch you, Starlight.”
The intense look he gives me sends a shiver down my spine and has me squeezing my thighs together. The bond between us is powerful but not so powerful that I feel coerced or scared. It feels right.
With that, he steals another piece of me, and we head back to our apartment in rain that continues to fall in time with the rapid beat of my heart.
Waking up in the middle of the night with a throat dry as the desert, I curse the cold weather. I shuffle to the kitchen for a glass of water, trying to be careful as I go. Stopping short in the living room, I see Valen’s couch empty save for Pom Pom, who’s made himself comfortable in one of Valen’s shirts he somehow dragged up there. A cushion leans against the edge, proving to be a doggy ramp Valen must have constructed. I give him a pat on his head and search the apartment, coming up empty.
He can only be in one place at this hour.
I pull on a warm sweater to fight the cold I’m about to face. Stuffing my feet into a pair of tennis shoes, I make my way to the rooftop. I push open the door and shiver from the chill inthe air. Scanning the area, sure enough, I find a lone figure sitting on the edge with one knee drawn to their chest and the other dangling off the side.
He looks so lost sitting there. I hate that for him. What must it feel like to be so old but to have been held so long that everything is unfamiliar? Everything must feel so confusing and frustrating for him.
With a sigh, I walk over to sit next to the troubled vampire. He doesn’t acknowledge my presence, but I know as soon as I stepped outside, he knew I was here. I wouldn’t be surprised with his supernatural sense if he didn’t know I was headed here as soon as I made the decision.
“I wish you didn’t have nightmares. The fact that they aren’t a physical thing I can fight off for you makes me furious,” I say into the glimmering night.
