by Lynn Hagen
The angel flashed out of Gavril’s cell, leaving Gavril a bloody mess on the floor. He coughed, and blood spewed past his lips, but nothing grew from the drops of blood. There was no magic inside Gavril. The necklace prevented that.
He sank deep into his mind, thinking of Ari for the millionth time. How was his mate doing? Was he safe? How big had Rocky grown? Gavril had no idea how long he’d been there. Time flowed differently where he was.
Gavril turned onto his back, staring up at the ceiling as he thought of the snowball fight he’d had with Ari, the peals of laughter, the hot chocolate and tea his mate was fond of making for him, and how they always snuggled on the couch to watch a movie.
He thought of the nights they’d spent making love, not fucking. Ari had been right. It hadn’t been fucking. Not the way Gavril felt toward his mate. It had been making love, and he missed the scent of Ari’s skin, the touches from Ari that sent pleasurable chills through him, and the way Ari had kissed him as though he truly mattered.
With a deep snarl, Gavril shoved those thoughts from his mind, because they were worse torture than Hadad could hand out. The agony of not being with Ari was beyond suffering, and Gavril had suffered enough.
With his last punishment, Hadad had severed Gavril’s wings. All he had left were two stumps on his back. Tears leaked from Gavril’s eyes as he curled back into a ball. If Hadad had asked for Gavril to renounce his love for humans, Gavril would’ve done it to save his wings.
But he couldn’t bring himself to shun his mate, no matter how badly Hadad bad beaten him, because Gavril had fallen in love with his little doctor.
He strained to open his good eye when his cell darkened to pitch-black. He couldn’t see anything, but he felt power emanating all around him. Was this another one of Hadad’s tricks? Gavril would’ve sat up, but his body ached too badly.
Flames in the shape of eyes glowed in the darkness. They burned bright as Gavril felt something touch him. He tried to scurry backward, but he was already against the wall. He cringed, cowering, covering his head as he was lifted from the floor.
“I have you,” the deep, solemn voice said.
Gavril whimpered as the dark cell brightened. He refused to open his right eye, refused to play into Hadad’s mind games. More than once he’d conjured an illusion that Gavril was lying in Ari’s bed, only to whip him back to reality. The angel had taken pure pleasure from ripping away the safety Gavril had felt thinking he’d been returned to his mate.
He tried to wiggle free, but Hadad had a firm grip on him.
“Gavril!”
No, he wouldn’t believe Ari’s voice was real. No way would Gavril give in to that hope. He’d never heard Ari’s voice before in the illusions. This was a new low for Hadad.
“Gavril,” Ari said with tears in his voice. “Open your eyes. Please.”
Ari’s voice had done it. For the first time since Hadad had captured him, Gavril broke down and sobbed. His body shook as he prayed the torture would end soon. He wouldn’t be able to survive listening to his mate’s sweet, soothing tone.
A hand brushed his arm. Gavril snarled and scooted backward. It was one thing to conjure Ari’s voice, another to torture him with soft touches.
“Open your eyes, Gavril.”
Was that really Panahasi? Gavril struggled to open his right eye. Everything was blurry, and all he could make out were shapes. His eye burned, so he closed it.
A hand pressed against his chest. A soul-deep scream escaped Gavril’s lips. The touch burned and made his wounds feel as if they were on fire.
“You’re hurting him!” Ari cried.
“I’m healing him,” Panahasi said. “Just give it a second, little one.”
The pain reached a highpoint. Gavril’s very bones felt as though they were cracking. He flailed around, trying to knock the hand away.
Then the agony subsided. He opened his eyes and found he was in Ari’s bedroom. Gavril scooted to the head of the bed, curling into a ball. “Is this real?”
Ari launched himself at Gavril, enveloping him in his arms. He simply held Gavril as Gavril looked at Panahasi.
“This is real, and I’m going to make Hadad pay for what he did just as soon as I can find him. He broke Ultionem law by interfering in a mating. Now I have a legitimate reason to go after him.”
Gavril closed his eyes and buried his face in Ari’s neck, inhaling his sweet scent.
Chapter Eight
“I’m at a complete loss.” Holding the phone, Ari paused to wipe at his stray tears as he sat at the kitchen table, Rocky, a ball of dark fur, curled up at his feet. “He’s moody and withdrawn, and I don’t know how to reach him.”
“Time,” Moose said. “He needs time from what you tell me he went through. And lots and lots of love. Pour that shit on thick, but don’t suffocate him with it.”
“But you just said to pour it on,” Ari argued. He hated sitting in his quiet kitchen. He wanted Gavril in there with him, sharing hot chocolate as he sat on the floor and played with Rocky. The poor puppy had gone into the bedroom a few times since his mate’s return, but Gavril kept himself buried under the covers, refusing to come out.
“In dribbles,” Moose said. “Like you slowly pour pancake mix onto a griddle. It starts out small, but spreads.”
What in the blue blazes was Moose talking about? The analogy sucked. “You’re not making any sense, and I have a feeling you’re just hungry.”
“A growing boy’s gotta eat,” Moose said then gave a long, drawn-out sigh. “Honestly, I have no idea how to help you. I wish I had sage advice, but I’m stumped…and hungry.”
Ari’s head snapped up when he heard the doorbell ring. He grew stiff, wondering if the evil angel would use such courtesies. “I gotta go.”
After hanging up, Ari got to his feet and walked to the living room. He moved the drape aside and looked out the window then smiled. He opened the door and let Rudy and Aiden in. They were bundled tightly in their coats, and the tip of Rudy’s nose was bright red.
“We just came by to check on Gavril,” Rudy said.
Ari closed the door and took their coats, hanging them up. He went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. The sun beamed brightly outside, making the snow shimmer, but not even the dazzling effects cheered his mood.
Rocky lay there, looking pathetically up at their company, but didn’t get up from his spot. Just like Ari, the puppy was gloomy without Gavril’s presence.
“You guys can have a seat.” Ari waved a hand at the table when they entered the kitchen. “I’ll get you warmed up as soon as the tea is ready.”
Rudy stepped behind him, placing a gentle hand on Ari’s arm. “How’re you holding up?”
Tears threatened to spill, and Ari’s throat burned and grew painfully tight. He swallowed several times as he cleared his throat. “I’m okay.”
“Has he come out of the bedroom yet?” Rudy dropped his hand and helped Ari set three mugs on the counter, grabbing the squeeze bottle of honey.
“He hasn’t gotten out of bed since Panahasi brought him back. He hasn’t spoken a word, either. It’s like I got Gavril’s body back but what made him who he was is missing.” Ari brushed away a tear that managed to escape. “I’d settle for his grouchy self at this point.”
Rudy patted his arm and gave a weak smile. “Be careful what you wish for.”
Ari didn’t say anything when Aiden got up and left the room. He was probably looking for the bathroom.
Still fighting tears, Ari made their tea.
* * * *
Gavril felt someone’s presence in the room. He wished everyone would leave him alone. He no longer wanted to a part of life anymore. Why bother? Why should he set himself up for happiness, only to have it ripped away again? And it would be. It was only a matter of time before Hadad got his hands on Gavril again.
Panahasi wouldn’t be able to find the angel. Gavril’s pantheon was too good at disappearing. The only reason Preston had tracked him down was beca
use Gavril’s powers had been limited. Hadad had found him only because Gavril had let his guard down at the feast.
He wouldn’t make that mistake again because Gavril was never leaving this bed.
If only he could get the collar off his neck. Not even Panahasi had been able to remove it. The necklace needed a special key, which no one but Hadad had.
The bed dipped. “Never thought anyone could break your rotten ass,” Aiden said. “What happened to all your piss and vinegar?”
Gavril felt numb inside. Not even Aiden’s presence got a rise out of him. He wished the bear shifter would leave him the hell alone.
“Are you really antagonizing him?” Ari asked in outrage. “Why are you in our bedroom? Do you think this is what he needs?”
“He needs a swift kick in the ass to reboot his brain,” Aiden argued. “He doesn’t need coddling, because that clearly isn’t working. He needs to be snapped out of this.”
Aiden sounded pissed, but Gavril detected an underlying tone of hopelessness. Could the bear honestly miss him? Did it matter?
“Out,” Ari demanded.
“We’re just trying to help,” Rudy said from somewhere in the room. “Why not try different tactics to see what will work?”
“While I appreciate you two coming by, I really need you to leave,” Ari said.
The room grew quiet, and Gavril heard the front door open and close. He lay there for the next few hours, wondering what his mate was doing and why it was so quiet. Surely Ari hadn’t left the house. He wouldn’t be so careless, but he would be if he was needed at the clinic.
Panicked, Gavril got up, wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, and left the room. He slowed when he heard his mate softly crying. It was more than he could take.
Gavril entered the room and curled onto the sofa, resting his head on Ari’s lap. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He wasn’t going to relive the torture Hadad had put him through by telling Ari what had happened. Gavril had been shocked to learn he’d been gone only three days. It had felt like a lifetime while he’d been whipped, beaten with fists, and continually threatened.
He wanted to say something, though. As he tightened the blanket around him, he wanted to wipe the sad look from Ari’s face, but his mind drew a blank. So he just lay there as Ari brushed his fingers through Gavril’s hair, giving him a comfort he sank into.
Rocky approached the couch, his tail tucked between his legs. Gavril plucked him from the floor and tucked the puppy into his blanket.
The three of them stayed like that until the sun sank and darkness crept into the room. Ari moved just enough to turn the table lamp on. The light was dim, which Gavril was thankful for.
Finally, Ari spoke. “How do we get this collar off?” He tapped the thin metal with his fingernail, making a small tink, tink sound in the quiet room.
Gavril shrugged.
Ari got up, and Gavril thought he was leaving, but his mate stretched out beside him and pulled some of the blanket over him. Ari didn’t say a word. He closed his eyes and touched their foreheads together, and soon he was sound asleep.
Gavril tucked some of Ari’s wayward hair behind his ear and watched his mate as he slept. The gentle rise and fall of Ari’s chest brought Gavril comfort. He pulled Ari’s glasses off and then reached over his mate to set them on the coffee table. Having Ari in his arms made Gavril feel insanely protective.
He had to find a way to get the collar off him, and then he would hunt Hadad down and end the bastard. Gavril would crush Hadad’s bones in his hands. He would make the angel beg for mercy before he ended him. Gavril would do whatever it took to keep Ari safe because Hadad would try again to take Ari from him.
Gavril leapt from the couch when he felt power in the room. He crouched, snarling, becoming angrier when he had no wings to expand. The stubs felt painful as they moved, sending jolts of agony through his body.
“Don’t kill me,” a small voice whispered. “I was never here.”
Something fell onto the coffee table, but Gavril was too busy trying to find the source of that familiar voice. If he wasn’t mistaken, it belonged to Tessa. What the fuck? That couldn’t be possible, because she was human.
Baffled, Gavril rose to his feet and looked down at a small key lying on the wooden table. His heart thundered as he picked it up and turned it over in his hand.
It was the key to the necklace. But how? Gavril’s hand shook as he fit the key into the lock. As soon as it popped open and fell away, Gavril screamed and dropped to his hands and knees as tentacles of pain rushed through his body.
He felt as if his bones were melting.
Ari jumped up and knelt beside him. “What’s wrong?” He shouted his question.
Gavril had never had his wings severed before, but he’d heard that growing them back was the worst pain imaginable.
Ari gasped as he shoved his glasses on. “Your wings. They’re coming back!”
Gavril would’ve laughed at the obvious, but the scorching fire pulsing through him had his teeth clenched tight, so tight that they should have shattered. Sweat gathered over him as his muscles ached and burned.
Finally, Gavril collapsed, panting heavily and thankful the pain had receded. But he was tired now and closed his eyes, although angels didn’t sleep. Still, he needed the rest because he felt as though he’d just been put through a wringer.
He jerked and sucked in a breath as Ari stroked his feathers. “Give me a moment to recover before your foreplay.”
Ari snatched his hand back, and Gavril smiled. “I didn’t know…I wouldn’t have…”
Gavril lay on his stomach, the side of his face resting on the carpet. He tucked his arms under him and gazed at the flames in the fireplace. They reminded him of Panahasi’s eyes when he’d come to rescue Gavril.
That thought led to Gavril’s memory of his imprisonment. He shuddered and closed his eyes, willing those images away. When he opened his eyes again, a ray of moonlight fell across the room, illuminating Ari’s face. He was the one who looked like an angel. When Ari moved closer, the shadows on his face were chased away, and Gavril couldn’t help but reach out and run the pads of his fingers over his mate’s cheek.
“You’re so beautiful.”
Ari’s eyes widened. “You’re the one with breathtaking wings. Your body, your face. I pale in comparison.”
Gavril turned to his side and propped his head on his hand, feeling a hell of a lot better now that he had that damn necklace off and his wings restored. “Physical attributes fade in time. It’s your inner beauty that glows, that calls my soul to yours.”
Gavril wasn’t even sure he had a soul. That was a big debate among his pantheon. As of yet, no angel had died, so none of them knew the answer.
Even so, Gavril had to have one. How else had he tied Ari to him? He smiled when his mate blushed. He loved the pink color that blossomed over his cheeks.
He reached for Ari and pulled his mate to him, curling his arms around the little human. Gavril could tell that Ari wanted to talk, but Gavril wasn’t ready for any heavy conversations. He just wanted to hold his mate right now, to feel Ari pressed against him, to tell himself that Ari was real and not a trick played by Hadad.
Ari didn’t say a word as he slid his arm around Gavril. It was as if his mate knew Gavril needed the quiet. He also thought about Ari saying he loved him, and Gavril wanted to return that sentiment.
He cupped Ari’s cheek and looked into his pale green eyes. He could get lost in those gems. They snared him in ways he never thought possible.
“I’ve fallen in love with you” he said.
Ari’s cheeks burned as sparkles of light danced in his enchanting eyes. “I love you, too.” He bit his lip, as though cutting off the rest of what he wanted to say, the questions he wanted to ask.
Gavril took his lips in a crushing kiss, so hungry for Ari that his loins burned. He felt almost desperate to reconnect with his mate, to ground his mind and pull himself
out of the stupor he’d been wallowing in.
In a flash they were naked, their warm skin touching. Gavril slid his fingers down Ari’s back, playing along his spine. He wondered if all nonhumans felt this way toward their mate, or was it just something about Ari?
He nibbled Ari’s jaw, smiling when he saw how badly his mate was blushing. If he didn’t feel so drained, he’d put Ari against the wall and fuck his brains out.
Instead, Gavril tucked his wings then rolled to his back, taking Ari with him. His mate straddled his waist just as Rocky came over and licked Gavril’s jaw.
“We’ll play later. I promise.” He flashed Rocky to his dog bed in the bedroom, remembering at the last second to close the door before the dog escaped and came back to them.
“You put him in the bedroom, right?”
Gavril gave a lopsided grin. “No, I flashed him to Alaska so he could join a team of sled dogs.”
“He better be the one leading the pack instead of following it,” Ari said.
Gavril reached up and brushed strands of hair from Ari’s eyes. “He’ll probably be the one riding on the sled and letting the other dogs do all the work.” He winked. “And speaking of riding.”
Ari leaned down and brushed his lips across Gavril’s. His mate moaned as he lifted his ass. Gavril grabbed the base of his cock and held it in place as Ari impaled himself, groaning as he slowly inched his way down until he bottomed out.
“I love that we don’t have to bother with lube and stretching,” Ari moaned.
Gavril’s body pulsed with need, but he waited for Ari’s body to adjust to the invasion. He felt his heart race even faster when Ari started to move. He raised his hand to cup Ari’s cheek, forcing his mate to look at him. Ari’s smile was breathtaking and made Gavril’s chest compress and tighten.
God how he loved this man. Fuck closing himself off just so he wouldn’t be hurt again. Gavril couldn’t withhold his love any more than he could stop existing. Just being in Ari’s presence made Gavril want to be a better person.
Gavril thrust inside the tight depths of Ari’s body, groaning on every upward stroke as the tight heat clasped his cock. He grabbed Ari’s hips, punching his hips faster, harder, and deeper. Each of his own thrusts was met by his eager mate.