She suddenly looked close to snapping at him. He didn’t know why, but the thought of forcing her to ditch the mannerly composure gave him a rush. It was similar to the little burst of adrenaline he got every time he slipped a valuable from someone’s pocket or threw himself off the edge of a building.
“Fine.” She spoke through gritted teeth. “And where do we get said cloaks?”
He shrugged. “Do I look like I know where to get cloaks?”
Her nostrils flared. She took a breath before speaking again. “You’re the being from Hell. Shouldn’t you know things like that?”
His poker face was unbreakable, but inside he was grinning like Meph. “Just because I’m from Hell doesn’t mean I wear a cloak. You’re the angel. Don’t you have a closet of robes somewhere?”
A muscle flexed in her jaw. He could tell by the look on her face that she definitely did have a wardrobe full of robes, but she was considering lying about it just to prove him wrong.
“I may have something,” she finally said.
“Great,” he said smugly, and her glare intensified.
“The only dark-colored robes we have are meant to be worn at sacred atonement and purification rituals. To even think of giving one to a demon to wear in Hell is sacrilege.”
“Well, damn,” he drawled. God forbid he sully the sacred robes with his unholy existence.This is why everyone hates angels.
They glared at each other.
He’d been cured of any illusions he might have had of her as alluring and desirable. Now, she was just his enemy. It didn’t matter what she looked like. She was an obstacle that he would defeat, just like he’d defeated every other obstacle in his path.
Except one time. He didn’t know what had happened during the memories he’d lost, but something told him he hadn’t won then.
This could be like vengeance, he decided. Heaven had stolen something from him, something no one had any right to take from another. So he would steal something from them right back.
Tit for tat. An eye for an eye. A demon’s brand of justice.
Maybe then, he’d be able to purge his fixation with regaining the time he’d lost, because after four hundred years, he still wasn’t over it. Maybe then, he’d finally be able to let it go and move on with his life.
Turning away, he finally walked out of the sigil, suppressing the shudder that passed over him as he crossed the line. The traces of Empyrean magic felt like spiders on his skin, reminding him of the power it could have over him.Fucking angels.
He crossed the room and opened the patio door. The air was cold this early in the morning, and the wind gusting at the high altitude bit at his skin through his clothes. Walking out onto the balcony, he peeked over the edge and felt his head swim a bit from the height.
They had to be thirty floors up.
Lips curving slightly, he climbed up onto the edge of the glass barrier.
Sunshine’s startled voice echoed through the open door. “What on earth—!”
He leapt off the edge.
Free falling, his stomach left somewhere behind him, the air rushed by his ears as he plummeted. His heart raced, and his blood pumped faster as adrenaline flooded his system. The ground got closer, the cars growing larger—
He shifted into crow form, spread his wings, and swooped straight up toward the sky. If crows could smile, he might have been smiling. Maybe.
Angling his feather-light body, he swooped sharply around the edges of buildings, orienting himself and setting a path toward home.
When he spotted his apartment building, he also noticed the woman in a white sundress standing on top of it with her arms crossed, long hair whipping about in the wind. Even from far away, she was a sight to behold. As he circled above her, he definitely checked her out from the front, side, and back.
So maybe he’d lied when he said he didn’t find her desirable anymore. But he wasn’t stupid enough to let it blind him again. Hewasn’t.
He shifted back to human form and landed in front of her.
“I could have flashed us here!” she snapped. “You didn’t have to leap off the edge of a skyscraper!”
“I wanted to fly.”
