His strong chest rose and fell against me with rapid breaths. “You have knowledge of his plans?”
“It’s not hard to guess.”
“And you have no issue being a part of said plans to destroy Heaven?”
I blinked. I didn’t dare ask myself that question, ever, and he threw it at my face just like that? “Why am I so interesting to you, Zavariel?”
Now, he blinked. Thankfully, my deflection tactic worked. I was nowhere near ready to answer his question. “What makes you think you are?”
“The way you look at me.” I dropped my gaze for a moment’s relief from the dazzling beauty. But then my eyes hit his mouth, which was even more mesmerizing. I dragged my glance down to his chest and bit my lip. “The way you’re still holding me when you could just drop me above the cloud.”
That took him off guard. “I… The only reason I am holding you is that if I drop you, you will fall.”
I stretched my foot to feel the cloud. A thing I’d never thought I’d do in any of my lifetimes, supernatural or not. “It’s fuzzy but thick enough to hold my weight. You’re standing on it. If you can do it, so can I.”
Something I couldn’t interpret crossed his gaze, and a little twitch ticked in his lips. I smirked, and that tick reached his jaw. Then he put me down. “Here. What you are implying is beyond ridiculous.”
A piercing coldness fell on me. The temperature above the cloud range was too low even for a Belle. Damn that angel was really hot. As hot as Damien and the twins combined. I meantwarm. My eyes traveled down his half naked body—he was wearing pants this time. Yeah, superwarm.
I sat, clearing my throat, and bent my legs under me. “I’m not implying anything, but don’t you think it’s a little bit weird that you keep saying you don’t wanna do anything with me and yet you’re following me? You’ve already delivered your message. Why not send someone else after me?”
“What gave you the impression that I was following you?”
“It’s either that or Heaven has listened to my desperate cry for help and sent you to stop me. Forgive me if I find the latter a little hard to believe, so yeah, you’ve been following me, Zava, and something tells me it’s not based on heavenly orders.”
The look he gave me, and the bob of his throat confirmed my suspicions. “So…why am I so interesting to you?”
He bent and held my gaze, the look in his eyes vicious and tender at the same time. How could that be possible? “Stop flattering yourself. You are nothing. Nothing but a contemptible sinner that could…”
“That could what, Zavariel?” I challenged, ignoring the insults. Offense didn’t matter as much as the truth. “Tell me, what am I capable of that terrifies you that much?”
His breath trembled on my face, and it smelled exactly as I imagined Heaven would be. For a moment, I wanted to forget everything, forget that a few minutes ago I was about to throw myself into a hell pit, and bask in the serenity of the fact that I was sittingona cloud and an angel’s breath was on my face.
But that was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
“What happens when I go to Damien? What happens if I have a baby with him?”
With a sharp intake of air, he pulled away and broke our stare. Then he escaped my face entirely.
“Oh, yeah. You’re not at liberty to say…but you’re at liberty to abduct me.”
He twisted. “I did not do such atrocity. I merely stopped you from taking the stupidest step in your miserable life. I stopped you at your dwelling, and I thought when your mates managed to hold you there, I succeeded. However, it was a mistake to rely on them. I had to come back and save you again.”
The invisible barrier at the bathroom door. That was him. Asshole. “Oh, so according to you, you saved my sorry ass?”
“I was hoping you would have the minimum amount of integrity and intelligence to make the right choice on your own and not allow yourself to be used by Damien, but no. You do not have even that, and yes, despite having completely different orders, I found myself, much to my surprise, obligated to save your pathetic soul from ruining your life forever and ours.”
“You’re such an asshole!” I jumped to my feet, forgetting where the fuck I was, and lost balance. Clouds were too fluffy for a fat klutz like me.
Limbs flailing, heart banging, I slipped like an idiot who had just made a fool of herself in front of the ass continuously insulting her instead of showing him his place.
In a blink, the huge wings surrounded and cradled me, folding me with delicious warmth and safety I shouldn’t like so much, not even when they were rescuing me. But I did.So much.
The stupid song played in my head again.Seriously, brain?! Why do you always do this to me?
He darted up, his eyes piercing me, his stupidly fascinating breath fanning my face, and landed us again on the fluffy cloud. “Instead of insulting me, you should have thanked me, for saving you then, and saving you now,” he said without putting me down.
I wanted to snap back, but there was a certain calmness I felt when I touched him. It numbed my resistance, like I should’ve fought him before he snatched me earlier, like I should think of a smart comeback now, but I was too calm to do anything at all except enjoy the moment. It soothed and irritated me simultaneously.
