“I missed you,” I whisper when he pulls back, and his expression gentles as he tucks my hair behind my ear. “Fuck, I’m an idiot, Xal. I never should have left.”
“And I never should’ve let you.” He presses another kiss to my lips.
“Did you mean it?”
His dark eyes land on mine and I feel their attention coursing through every vein in my body. “Did I mean what?”
A moment of fear makes me hesitate, but I push through it. “When you said you love me. Did you mean that?”
“Of course I did,” he murmurs, his fingers combing through my hair. “Why would I say it if I didn’t mean it?”
“I’ve… I’ve never…” I swallow as emotion blocks my windpipe, but the words still come out cracked. “No one has ever told me they loved me.”
“Never?” He looks shocked as I shake my head. “How oldareyou?”
I lift a shoulder in a shrug. “Ancient. I lost count of the years long ago.”
“And you’ve never heard that you are loved?”
“No,” I whisper, and that softness that he only shows with me comes to the surface.
“Then I’ll make up for a lifetime of not hearing it, Micah. I will remind you every day what you’re worth. When you areclose to falling over the edge, I’ll be the one to bring you to solid ground. Allow me to help you carry that pressure when it weighs you down. You can do that, can’t you?”
“I can try,” I whisper, voice shaky.
“Let me love you, angel.”
“Only if you’ll let me love you back.”
“You trying to tell me something?” he nudges with a sweet smile, and I nod as I wrap my arms around him and tuck myself into his neck, where his smokey amber scent surrounds me.
“I’m terrified,” I admit, and the weight of his heavy arms surrounding me is a comfort. “Loving you scares the hell out of me. But I do… I love you.”
“Well,” he says, pulling back and tilting my face up to his as his thumb swipes over my lips. “It’s okay to be afraid, as long as you don’t leave again.”
“I won’t, darling.” It’s a promise—an oath—and I carve it into my heart.
“I know you won’t.” Another smile crosses his lips, one that’s not quite as sweet as the one before it. “Because there’s nowhere in Heaven or Hell that you could hide from me now.”
Chapter 18
Xalreth
Two months later
My foot kicks beneath me in the stark white lobby, the polished floor reflecting an almost painful brightness. Pretentious motherfuckers. I regret not wearing sunglasses. An Archangel with her wings folded close to her body eyeballs me warily. Her marble desk guards an ornate golden door, and she’s obviously uncomfortable with my presence outside this particular office.
The one belonging to Micah’s boss.
Yep, you heard that right.
There’s a demon sitting outside God’s office. Needless to say, everyone else in the expansive space is giving me a wide berth. It’s as though I’ve caught a biblical plague with the waythey cram themselves into the furthest corners. They won’t evenlookin my direction, like they’ll be smited by holy lightning by acknowledging my presence.
The only one who has dared to approach me is a handsome Angel, with tight red curls that catch the light. His giant green doe eyes crinkle as he gestures at the seat beside me.
“Anyone sitting here?”
“No?” I raise my brow in suspicion as he sinks into the leather chair, dragging his hands down his thighs as he blows out a long exhale.
