More of that shame tries to build in my gut, but I shove it aside. “Yes.”
He gives me a stern glare and waits until he’s sure my attention is on him. “You will use the safe word if you ever don’t like something? Anything at all?”
“Yes, I swear,” I agree without hesitation. A flip is switched inside him as the hint of softness on his face vanishes. It’s replaced by hard edges as he leans in again, every inch the predator as he presses his weight into me.
“Alright then, angel. Let’s play.”
Chapter 10
Xalreth
“Put your wings away.”
Though he tries to hide it, Micah’s excitement is written in the subtle details—the crinkling of his eyes, a slight upturn of his lips. They’re barely perceptible under his practiced mask of composure, but it would seem I’ve been paying more attention than I’d like to admit.
That excitement melts away, replaced by a nervous apprehension. His purple eyes cloud with a raw, unfamiliar vulnerability I imagine he doesn’t allow many to see. “What?”
I reach down and drag my fingers through the downy feathers of his wings. They’re enormous, pushing fifteen feet when extended, but even when he draws them close, they arebulky. It has to be an inconvenience, but aside from the times we’ve been glamoured, I’ve never seen him without them.
“Put them away.”
He subconsciously flexes them in a ripple that cascades through the pure white. “Why?”
My brow lifts at his uncertainty. “Why do you always have them out?”
He diverts his gaze as he chews on his bottom lip. “In the Angel community, wings are a declaration of power. By keeping mine out…”
“You show them who’s the boss,” I finish for him, and he gives a sheepish shrug. “Well…” I lean closer and press my lips to the hinge of his jaw, and he shudders underneath me. “You’re not the boss here, are you?” I kiss a path up his jawline until I reach his ear, and he shivers as I nip at the lobe. “I have plans for you, angel, and they might get in my way. Now, be a good boy and put them away.”
A heavy breath saws from his nose as he nods, and his eyes close as they disappear. Without them, he feels so much smaller beneath me.
Softer.
Fragile, almost. Breakable, despite his powerful body.
“Let’s find a more comfortable spot, shall we? Take us to my home.”
“Yourhome? I can’t be spotted gallivanting around Hell, I—”
“Micah.” It’s all I say, just his name, but his jaw clenches shut and his eyes flicker closed as he inhales deeply, a tremor running through his shoulders. “Don’t be a brat by making me ask a second time.”
He must be more flustered than I realize, because he doesn’t even stand before the tingling of his magic surrounds us. The world fades, and humid air blankets us as the darkerlandscape of Hell appears. A deep chuckle rumbles from my throat as I press my lips to his jaw again, and his head twists as he catches my mouth.
“Didn’t take you for an exhibitionist,” I murmur against his needy kiss, “but there’s not much I won’t try.” His eyes shoot open as he pushes me away with a violent shove. I land hard on my back with a thud, and a few surprised gasps ring from the onlookers.
Micah has never been inside my home before, so he teleported us outside my building. It’s a busy market square, and where we normally meet.
Only this time, we were making out like a couple of horny teenagers on the ground.
It’s late enough in the evening for the streetlights to be on, and they cast a warm glow on the cobblestone streets. But this is Hell, and it never sleeps. People mill about, and the foot traffic has stopped to stare.
Micah’s angular face twists in panic, while his already pale skin becomes almost ghostly white. He scrambles to his feet, and his wide eyes sweep over the demons that have gathered, staring at us. I jump off the ground and bolt over, snatching his wrist before he can disappear.
He’s a cornered animal as I back him against the stone of the building. “They don’t know who you are,” I whisper in his ear, but he shakes his head as he tries to wrestle from my grip. I use every bit of my strength holding him in place, my muscles screaming in protest. “Listen to me, Micah. Clear that pretty head for me, okay? They don’t recognize you, because your wings are not out, and you’re wearing… different… clothes…”
Reality slams into me in an instant as I trade his panic for my own. I stare in horror at the shredded leather bodysuit in tatters on my body. The seams are only intact around my ankles.A few stray threads cling desperately at my hips, threatening to unravel completely.
Everything is exposed.
