For a moment, she seemed lost and unfocused, caught between wherever she’d been and where she was now. Then her gaze found mine.
Her eyes were mesmerizing, with gray around the outside, like storm clouds gathering at the edges of the sky. But closer to the pupil, there was a faint golden hue that caught the moonlight and bled into silver.
I’d seen thousands of eyes over the centuries—mortal eyes dulling as life left them, angel eyes burning with renewed life—but hers were different.
“Hi.” She pulled the duvet tighter around herself, and I had the sudden urge to pull her into my arms and give her warmth.
I turned away from her, forcing myself to focus on something else. Anything else.
“You came into my room.” I leaned on the railing of thebalcony, looking out as the sky started to turn gray with the rising sun.
“I couldn’t sleep despite whatever you did to me. In my defense, I knocked.” I heard the soft creak of the hammock as she extricated herself from it and the whisper of fabric as the duvet trailed behind her.
She came to stand next to me, close enough that her light pressed against mine in a way that felt both foreign and strangely familiar. “Where were you?”
“Heaven.” I turned my head to find her watching me.
She looked away and adjusted the large duvet around her. “I hope you don’t mind me using your blanket.”
I did, but I wasn’t about to tell her that.
“I need to get some sleep. In a couple of hours, my contact is supposed to text me with information about what’s happening in Inferna.” I pushed away from the railing and walked into my bedroom. I paused inside, waiting for her to follow so I could shut the doors.
She moved slowly, as if the duvet were too heavy for her, and it brushed against me as she walked inside. I pulled the French doors closed, the latch clicking into place and locking me in my bedroom with her.
There was a very awkward moment of silence where we stared at each other. Something unspoken pressed in around us, and neither of us broke it. I should have said something to break the tension, but my mind had gone oddly blank.
My gaze dropped to her lips. They were slightly parted and soft, and I wondered what it would be like to kiss her.
I jerked my eyes away, jaw tightening. I shouldn’t have been noticing the way light caught in her eyes, or how good she looked wrapped in my duvet, or the faint flush that had crept into her cheeks.
I definitely shouldn’t have been thinking about her lips.
But I was, wasn’t I?
“I’m going to need my blanket.” The words came out rough, scraping against my throat. “If you’re cold, there are a few extra ones in the chest at the end of the bed.”
I didn’t wait for her response. Couldn’t. The air in the room had grown too thick, pressing in on me from all sides until my wings ached with the urge to unfurl and escape. I walked into my bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me.
I braced my hands on the marble countertop and stared at my reflection in the mirror. It was the same face I’d worn for millennia. The same eyes that had witnessed the birth and death of empires. The same jaw, same mouth, same everything.
But something felt off-kilter, like the world had tilted slightly on its axis, and I was the only one who’d noticed.
I turned on the tap, letting cold water rush over my hands. I splashed some on my face, droplets running down my neck and soaking into the collar of my shirt.
This was ridiculous. I was being ridiculous.
I was drained from healing Lucifer. It wasn’t like healing humans or lower-class angels. I had to restore his light, which required me to use some of mine.
Sleep would restore me to full strength, and my absurd thoughts about kissing the demon would be gone.
After brushing my teeth, I walked back into my room and nearly tripped over my own feet. She was still in my room, sitting on the edge of my bed.
“I know this is going to sound weird, but can I sleep in here?” My dick stirred to life at her question.
Instead of answering, I moved to my side of the bed and pulled off my shirt, throwing it onto the armchair in the corner. I stood there for a moment, bare-chested, trying to process what was happening.
After everything that had happened, maybe she didn’t want to be alone. It made sense. Perfect sense.
