It’s not even noon yet, and I’m struggling to understand the amount of physical touch I’m willingly taking part in.I think the witches broke you, Nevaeh.
Grabbing my hand again like he can’t get enough, he guides me through the maze of similar hallways while I sip on the surprisingly delicious juice. Lost in the taste, I forgetIhave to follow Angel and not the other way around, but I’m reminded of that when he abruptly pulls me into his firm chest by pulling on the hood I’m wearing.
Irritated at getting manhandled, I look up to swat him, only to come face to face with a glass wall. Avery cleanglass wall that my blind as-a-bat ass was about to walk into.
Anxo silently takes the empty bottle from me and dumps it into a trash can nearby. I turn to thank him but stop when I see his shoulders shaking as he tries to smother his snickers. When he turns to face me, the last of his control slips away, and he bursts out laughing, clutching his stomach.
I huff childishly and start walking to my righ, but stop when his laugh doubles in volume. If I weren’t so utterly embarrassed, I would be concerned about his bright red face and the fact he’s not breathing right.
“Wrong… wrong way, sweetheart,” Angel wheezes between barely contained chuckles.
I swear if he doesn’t stop, I’m going to do something uncharacteristic, likecrying.
‘Do it. Show him weakness and see how quickly he turns his back on you.’
Noticing my gloomy expression, Angel sobers up and engulfs me in a bear hug from behind. His arms wrap around my shoulders, and he presses his chest tightly against my back. My senses seize when he holds me tightly against him with his cheek resting on my head.
I wait for the wild thumping of my heart to trigger my fight response. My Divine to flash and crave chaos. For alarms to start ringing in my head and forcing me to do something drastic. Like, pull his eyeballs out.
But nothing happens.
My heart beats serenely, as if this is normal. My arms come up to cover his, resting on my waist as if this is not the first time he has hugged me. My head is blank. No anxious thoughts to make me overthink and form an elaborate plan to protect myself. Instead, a sense of peace fills me with his embrace.
He is hugging me.
I don’t know what this man has done that my entire being, body and soul, accepts him as my solace. Everything in me refuses to distance myself from him when he feels like the safety I’ve been craving for all this time.
It’s been a long time since anyone has touched me with no intention of hurting me.
A gentle touch like his? I can’t resist soaking it all in.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you’re a walking disaster.” Angel presses a kiss on my head, squeezing me in his arms. “What happened to those heightened senses and pure Divine power?” He snickers.
“It’s not my fault! The glass is too clean, and who even puts glass in place of a wall?” My fingers trace the markings on his wrists, peeking out from under the sleeves of his sweater folded to his elbows.
Laughing at me again that I strangely don’t mind, he leads me somewhere. Don’t get me wrong, if it was anyone else, I would’ve dislocated that perfect jaw, but I can’t seem to conjure a single harmful thought about him.
At the end of the stairs, he turns around and hesitantly asks, “Do you trust me?”
“No.”
It’s an automatic response. I don’t have to think about it because that’s the truth. No matter how good Anxo is to me or how much I want to be in his presence, I can’t trust him…not yet. And he shouldn’t either. He has no idea what they turned me into.
I’m not exactly proud of the blood that stains my entire being, but I learned early on that either you attack first or wait until you’re the prey with no way out.
“You don’t even have to think about it, huh?”
I search his eyes for anger or hurt, even disappointment, but all I find isunderstanding. I don’t think I want him to understand me. I don’t want to dump my gloomy darkness on him,not him. Anxo has people counting on him, and I can’t be selfish, thinking he will help me walk with the baggage I drag behind me everywhere.
Ducking my chin, I hide my shame for not being good or normal enough for his friendship. Anxo is like clear skies on asunny day, and I’d hate to ruin him with my thundering grey clouds.
Patting his back pocket, he pulls out a bar of chocolate. “What if I bribe you?”
I practically drool looking at the bar. I haven’t had anything remotely tasty in a decade, and I would give him my kidney for that bar if he asked.
I nod vigorously. “I’m willing to reconsider.”
CHAPTER 6
