“What is the point of this again?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try to summon patience. “For the last time, this is a big part of their celebration, and we need to have a better understanding why.” Xalreth stares off into the distance with his head resting on his fist, not bothering to answer me as my tolerance wears thin. “Come on, we’re running out of time, and you can’t be seen like this amongst the humans.”
“There you go again, insinuating I’m ugly,” he mutters.
My eyes slide across his thick, muscled frame, then zero in on the details of his face. Thick, dark lashes surround those enormous black eyes, and his brow ridge is prominent. Unlike most demons, he has no horns or tail, and instead of hair, a series of thin, blackwork tattoos cover his head. The bridge of hisnose is wider than what a human might consider normal, and his square jaw protrudes just enough to make his dark lips form a pout when he isn’t smiling.
Though he’s usually smiling, and I can’t figure out why.
He’s not classically beautiful, but Xalreth’s unusual features are striking. Angels have been conditioned to find the symmetry and delicate lines of our own kind attractive, but I prefer the unique angles of his face to that of my brethren. He caught my eye the very first time we met, though I never gave it much thought.
Not until now.
“Have you looked in a mirror lately? Of course you aren’t ugly, you fucking imbecile. It has nothing to do with my opinions about your appearance, and everything to do with the fact that humans are not accustomed to seeing a giant, gray-skinned demon with solid black eyes.”
He tilts his head at me as he climbs from his seat, and his hips roll as hesauntersin my direction. “Sounds like you think I’m hot,” he teases, poking me with his pointer finger and dragging it down my stomach.
“Thatis what you took away from the conversation?”
“What can I say? Demons are suckers for compliments. Actually…” His fingertip slides lower, following the dips in my abdomen as I fight not to react. “Fine, I’ll agree to taking this little field trip with you on one condition.” He keeps tracing lower until he’s sliding that suggestive finger along the top of my pants.
“Are you going to say it, or shall we sit here for hours while I guess?”
“Feisty today,” he murmurs, and hooks his fingers through my waistband, giving it a small yank. “Give me one compliment and I’ll go with you, no complaints.” When I raise my brow, he chuckles. “Okay, fine,minimalcomplaints. Butit has to be genuine, not some passive-aggressive bullshit or something generic that belongs in a performance review.”
“Feeling insecure, Xalreth?”
“Not at all,” he says easily, still grazing those fingertips along my lower abdomen. It’s oddly intimate. “Just want to hear you say it.”
“You’re indecent,” I say, glancing down to watch his hands exploring my body.
“You’re dodging the question.” I shouldn’t entertain his childish demands, but the past few days have been rougher than I’d like to admit. It seems like no one is happy right now. Meetings are turning into warzones, and every word that comes out of my mouth is met with an argument. Sometimes it’s spoken aloud, but the other times it just slices through me as they let their mind do the shouting.
It’sexhausting,and my defenses are battered from shielding myself from it all.
And then I arrived in Hell to transport Xalreth, and his smile was genuine and his attention was soothing. It was like being dropped into a warm bath after hours spent in the cold, and for the first time in days, I found myself relaxing as he took my arm and we teleported to our workspace in the Heavenly realm.
We’re still fighting—God knows we probably always will. Xalreth loves to dig his heels in and be catastrophically stubborn. We argue, but I can begrudgingly admit the sharp banter between us is the closest thing I’ve had to a civil conversation in days.
How pathetic is that?
I give a low, thoughtful hum before I say, “You aren’thorribleto look at, as far as demons go.”
He laughs in surprise, and I have to bite back a smile as he shakes his head. “Not going to cut it, angel boy. Try again.”
“Your face is tolerable.”
“Clock’s ticking.” He levels me with a sharp glare, but there’s playfulness behind it. “And if I have to waste an entire day standing here waiting, I will.” I reach for him, but I hesitate as I remember how he commanded me not to touch him last time. When our eyes meet, he gives a single nod of his head. My palm lands on the swell of his pecs as the muscles twitch and tense under my hand.
“Your size,” I blurt out, and he doesn’t hide his surprise. “I… like how big you are.” My voice is barely above a whisper as my hand explores. “No one is bigger than me,ever, and I’ve never felt small like I do when I’m beside you. Your body is sculpted… so much thicker than mine, but you still move with such grace.”
When my eyes find his again, there’s a curious expression in them—one that’s almost tender. I rip my hand away while heat burns my skin, waiting for him to mock me for my honest admission.
Waiting for the consequences of letting him in, even just for that tiny moment.
“I love your neck,” he murmurs, and I suck in a sharp inhale, lifting my chin as he gets closer. “How it feels under my hands…” A soft brush of his lips presses against the column of my throat. “The way I imagine it would thump under my tongue when your heart is racing.”
“You’ve thought about that?”
