Flawed Angel (The Fall Book 1)

by J. J. Dean

  Surprising me again, he gives me a small smile before his serious face is back. "Can you tell me what happened before you crashed to the floor and your hair changed?"

  "I don't really have an explanation, but I'll tell you what I was feeling just before it happened," I offer him, and he's quick to nod for me to continue. "It was when you were demanding I go to a safe house, to hide away. I got angry, but it was more than that. Like I had no control over it once the spark of anger was lit. It just kept building and building. I tried to control it, but nothing worked. I'd never get that angry over something so mundane, but suddenly I was furious and then… nothing. Just bright lights and a headache."

  He nods along with my explanation even with a furrowed brow that displays his confusion. "Nothing else?" he questions, and I shake my head, giving him an apologetic smile. "Alright. We'll work it out, okay? Get some rest. It looks like you’re a jump, hop and a skip away from passing out."

  I snort but he's not wrong. I'm suddenly so tired that I could fall asleep standing up. I snuggle further into Eli who tightens his arm around me before relaxing. My eyelids flutter closed, and my breathing slows. Just before I succumb to my exhaustion, I feel Devon lightly grip my calf and rub a soothing hand up and down a couple of times before his touch is gone and I hear him move to the kitchen. Fatigue catches up to me before I can think more of it, and I'm out like a light.

  Eli

  I don't know what wakes me, but my eyes slowly open to the television on and my ears hear the low volume of whatever movie is playing. I see Asher lying on his stomach exactly where he was when I fell asleep. With that thought, my attention is brought to the Angel sleeping soundly in my lap. Subconsciously, her arm has made its way up my chest and around my neck, her small hands buried in what little hair I have at the back of my head. Her head rests on my shoulder, her face so close to my neck that her lips brush my skin with every inhale she takes.

  I can't help but notice how perfectly she fits into my body, the way she curls into me when she sleeps or the way her hand seeks out to hold me closer. I've seen her do the same with Asher, but it makes my chest tighten something fierce.

  "Quit staring at her. You look like a creep," a low whisper comes from Asher's couch and my gaze swings his way, meeting his dark eyes that seem to be laughing at me. Dick. It's not like he doesn't do it.

  "Thought you were asleep, you know, considering you're featherless and wounded," I joke, keeping my voice quiet enough that it doesn't wake Luna or Noah, who I've notice is sitting closer to me with Luna's legs in his lap.

  For reasons unbeknown to me, I don't feel at all jealous with him touching her. I've never shared with anyone but my brother, so I'm a little stunned when no jealousy rises. Just the same as Devon, I realize. Granted, he needs to fix his shitty attitude, but the sparks are there. I’m not normally an observant guy, but I’ve seen the glances he gives her, so I know there’s something there. No idea why he’s hiding it, but each to their own. I predict he’ll cave soon. Luna’s hard to resist.

  I smile when she snuggles closer and notice Noah’s arms tighten on her legs with the movement. I decide then that as long as he's good to my girl, I'm cool with it. Same with the white-haired Angel when he gets over his hang ups.

  My girl. I quite like the sound of that.

  I go back to staring at the Angel snuggled up to me and can't help another slow grin that makes its way to my face. She's definitely mine, and more so now that my brother has decided to Fall, essentially taking me with him. Not that I'll have it any differently. I’d have done the same in his position. Wherever he goes, I go. And he's fucking lucky it's right here that I want to go. Right here with my Flower curled up against me like a damn kitten.

  “Yeah, she has the same effect on me." My brother huffs out a laugh, a rare thing for him, when he catches me looking at her like a lovestruck idiot.

  I turn my face to look at him again, and smile. I've never seen him stare at a woman the way he stares at her. Looks filled with hunger, want, frustration, care and, dare I say, love. It would make sense if I'm right on the L word assumption, given that he's sacrificed his wings and place in Hell to be with the feisty Angel.

  When it's silent for a few beats, I ask him the question that's been weighing on me since I found him lying in a pool of his own blood, Luna's lap covered with the deep red stains, and broken wings lying next to him in a heap on the floor.

  "Why'd you do it, bro?" My question comes without judgment or anger, just curiosity. I'm intrigued about his reasoning, nothing more. If anything, I'm glad for this turn of events. Not that I'd wish that kind of pain on anyone, and I despise that my brother went through such agony but seeing as though it's given us the opportunity to be with Luna, I'd willingly put myself through it, too.

  "For her."

  It's a simple declaration, but the way he watches her sleep, eyes only for her and nothing else around him, I know. He's fallen, and he’s fallen hard. He doesn't need to say the words, I can see it clearly in his eyes and the way his entire being changes around her. The way he yanked her over his shoulder when she came back to us was enough to convince me that my theory was correct.

  He loves her.

  "Why for her? You've never done anything as drastic as Falling for a girl before," I goad, putting emphasis on the word falling, knowing he’ll catch the double meaning behind it. Just because I know it, doesn't mean I won't tease him about it or try to drag the confession out of him. He knows better. I can annoy the shit out of him until he spills every last secret to me. Just like he can to me.

  He gives me a glare, knowing exactly what I'm doing. In return, I give him a shit eating grin because I know he'll cave. And cave, he does.

  It takes a lot less time that I'd have given him when Luna sighs softly, kisses my neck and settles again. My heartbeat picks up at the touch and I pull her a little closer to my chest, cradling her securely to me. Asher’s eyes come to rest on her again and they immediately soften. Oh yeah, he's definitely in love.

  He tells me as much after a long, suffering sigh. "I'm in love with the pain in the ass."

  "Eloquently put, bro. I like your style." I laugh quietly, the shaking of my chest enough to ruse Luna slightly, but not enough to wake her fully. I do get an agitated sleep filled, "Shut up, Eli," but I just grin at Asher while I refrain from laughing out loud. Asher rolls his eyes at me and falls flat onto his stomach and carries on with his movie, but not before I catch the smile he doesn’t hide quick enough.

  I watch with him for a little while before the niggle of worry starts to eat at me, thoughts I’ve had since finding my brother broken and bleeding, and I voice my thoughts to Asher. "You know, I was wondering about something. Why hasn't Lucifer stripped my wings, too? He knows you and I are inseparable. Where you are, I am, and vice versa. If he knows it, then why haven't I Fallen yet? I wouldn't ever leave you, so doesn't that make me useless to him?"

  Asher is quiet while he thinks on it. The movie plays on in the background, but our focus is fully on my troubled thoughts now that I've brought them to light.

  Some time passes before Asher speaks up quietly, "He does know. I told him as much. He might be biding his time. Lucifer is cunning and ruthless. I wouldn't put it past him to use it to his advantage. We'll have to be weary and on guard. I don't doubt that he's planning something, especially if you didn't Fall within minutes of me."

  He voices my worry perfectly. Lucifer knows. Ever since Asher and I became a pair, we haven't left each other's side. We've seen everything together and been through hell and highwater side by side. Blood doesn't matter. Our bond is one related brothers would envy. We're as close as two brothers can get. And I'm sure Satan will use that knowledge and wield it to his advantage. He has something planned up his sleeve. We just need to be alert and keep our guard up at all times.

  Deciding to leave the conversation where it is before my mood sours, I ask Asher, "From the look on Luna's face after we dragged your heavy ass downstairs, I t
ake it you declared your undying love for her?"

  His face snaps to mine, and he groans when the movement pulls at his wounds. Through clenched teeth, he tells me, "Pretty much. Told her I was falling for her."

  "What did she say?"

  "Looked at me like I'd started speaking another language." He snorts, not seeming too perplexed by her reaction.

  "And that didn't bother you?" I ask in confusion.

  He gives me a rare smirk before explaining. "She knows I said it, but she's likely putting it down to me being in pain and my mouth running away from me instead of being lucid enough to tell her I’m falling in love with her stubborn ass. I'm not bothered that she didn't say it back, because I know she's feeling the same."

  Then he turns and leaves it at that.

  "Excuse me, dickwad, I need more explanation than that. You don't have the ability to read minds, so how the shit can you tell she feels the same way?"

  "You don't pay very much attention, brother." He snickers, but he explains when I practically glare a whole into his head. "It's in the way she does stuff or acts. When I Fell? If she didn't feel anything for me, she wouldn't have been in tears and cussing me out while also singing and sharing her power to spare me pain. She stayed right by my side the entire time. Any time she thought I was suffering, she'd run her hands through my hair while humming, trying to comfort me the best way she knew how. I may have been unconscious, but every now and then I’d come to briefly and catch her singing or the feel of her hands in my hair."

  He's watching Luna again while he talks, and a small smile comes to his face while he talks. "Before that, it's the way she looks at me. She may want to throttle me most of the time, and vice versa, but the way she watches me when she thinks I'm not looking is the same way I watch her. The thoughtful shit she does without really thinking about it, like letting us stay here when she didn't know us from Adam. That's how I know. She's just scared to feel it right now, and to hear the words spoken to her. I can't imagine she's heard them before, unless the old lady at the coffee shop has said them to her."

  He goes quiet again, back to watching the television while I ponder his explanation. I feel a sudden sense of envy for my brother, knowing that he's comfortable enough to know that he doesn't have to worry about how she feels for him, because he can just tell. The observant fucker has always had a knack for reading people. I don't have the patience. My people reading skills are subpar in comparison, which puts me at a disadvantage with Luna. At the risk of starting a pity party for one, I half question if I'm just the tag along, someone she tolerates out of a sense of decency. It's ridiculous, but the niggle of doubt lingers.

  He must notice my internal struggle when he huffs out a laugh and tells me, "If you paid enough attention, you'd see she's the same with you."

  Now that has my attention.

  "What do you mean?" I question hesitantly which causes an eyebrow to raise on his head. I know what he's thinking; it's rare I'm ever hesitant about anything, but Luna has me in knots over everything and anything. I'm just good at hiding it.

  "She bought us gifts, Eli. Thoughtful as fuck gifts because she knew we'd like them. She barely knew us, and she knew exactly what to buy us, and for no reason at all. She laughs when you make stupid jokes or say something you think she'll find funny. Genuine laughter, not that fake shit to try and appease you. When you smile at her, she smiles like she can't help it. When she watches you talk, it’s always with a cute smile on her face that she doesn’t even realize is there. She doesn't brush off your advances, kisses you back and returns your hugs. She's in your lap right now, is she not?"

  And sure enough, the bastard is right. For a broody, terrifying motherfucker, he sure is good at this shit. And I don't have it in me to take the piss out of him for it because he just handed me a lifeline that I'm all too eager to hold on to. She likes me as much as Asher.

  Fuck yes.

  I'll be damned again if I don't hold her that little bit closer and snuggle into her warm body some more while I have an internal fist bump with myself, grinning like I just won a prize at the carnival.

  I hear Asher snicker again, probably seeing the dopey grin I can't get rid of, but I pay him no mind, opting to fall asleep with my Angel in my arms and happy thoughts in my head.

  Luna

  The next morning, I wake up sprawled over Noah's lap with Eli hugging my bent legs to his chest. Weird, I’m sure I fell asleep in Eli’s lap. Someone must have put a blanket over us because I'm toasty warm and too comfortable to get up and start the day. Instead, I snuggle deeper into Noah's chest and feel him squeeze his arms around me tightly.

  "Are you going to sleep all day, or did you have a plan to wake up and do something? Like, I don't know, figure out the mystery behind your changing hair?" Devon asks from behind the couch, leaning his hip on the back of the furniture with a mug in one hand and his other arm crossed over his chest.

  I groan softly into Noah's shirt before popping one eye open and see a smirk on the Angels face. With a rough, sleepy voice I complain, "It's too early for your shit. Go bug Asher."

  Closing my eyes, I prepare myself to spend another few hours cocooned in warmth and wrapped around two bodies that are holding me snugly. Before I can nod off again, the blanket is quickly stripped from my body and a shiver runs up my spine with the chill that attacks any bare skin it can find.

  "You asshole," I growl, glaring at the smug looking bastard who's stealthily moved around the couch and holds the fluffy blanket that I have the strongest urge to snatch back from him, but he holds it too far out of reach so I’ll be forced to get up if I want it back. Bastard.

  Sadly for me, my Angel pillows wake up the same moment, groaning in protest and cussing Devon out for literally ripping the warmth away. Noah comes to slowly, but when he does, he notices I'm half in his lap, wrapped around him like an octopus. He blushes, but surprises me when he gives me a cuddle, making no move to get up.

  Eli has a different plan. Before I know it, I'm snatched up from my comfy spot and deposited back in a different lap. Eli's arms come around me tightly, but not enough to suffocate. Just enough that I can't escape. He nuzzles his face into my neck and I quickly decide that sitting in his lap is fine with me, especially when his breath tickles the nape of my neck and causes an all body shiver. His arms tighten a fraction, and his hoarse, sleep filled voice whispers in my ear, "Morning, Flower."

  He gives me a soft kiss on my shoulder before lifting us both off the couch. With the movement, more cold air hits me. Mornings can suck my lady balls. Why are they always cold? Even in the Summer, waking up is Hell because of the chill in the air. I don't like being cold. At all.

  When the cold causes goosebumps to break out over my skin, I wrap myself around Eli, trying to absorb the heat that always seems to come off him. He's like a walking, talking, breathing furnace. My legs wrap around his waist, my arms around his shoulders and I shove my face into his neck. He inhales sharply when my cold nose touches bare skin, but he doesn't move away from the contact.

  I don't bother asking where we're going and realize we've all completely ignored Devon... again. He's going to grow a complex or something the more we ignore him. I feel bad for a moment, until he says, "Ignore me all you like, we're getting to the bottom of it. Today."

  Go away, jackass. Can't he see I'm cold and tired and trying to ignore him?

  "He sees it, Flower. But he's ignoring it the way you're ignoring him," Eli tells me, humor lacing his words.

  Huh, must have said that out loud.

  I don't respond to his words, instead blurting out, "How the fuck are you so warm?"

  His body jerks with laughter, but his toned arms wrapped around me keep me secured to his chest. As though sharing top government secrets, he whispers, "Magic."

  Har-har, dick.

  I give him a poke in the side with my finger that has him flinching and laughing, and when I go to do it again, he gives me an actual answer.

  "Seriously, magic. I
t's one of my powers. I was blessed with Fire Magic. I wield magic with anything to do with heat, fire and all that hot shit. Turns me into a living heater, I guess." He gives me a broad grin, dimples and all, which has me grinning back like an idiot. I need to figure out how he has the ability to make me smile when he does.

  Although I’m a little surprised that he willingly told me about one of his gifts, I settle back down, laying my head on his shoulder before asking, "Where are we going?"

  In lieu of an answer, I'm plonked down onto the freezing cold counter in my kitchen. I yelp in surprise wich draws a laugh from the red-haired Angel now in front of me that bears the brunt of my scowl.

  "Here. Put that under her ass before it freezes off," comes another delicious voice from behind Eli. How the hell did I miss Asher creeping up behind him? And what the fuck is he doing up? He should be resting.

  I'm lifted promptly and a different blanket is placed under my cold tushy, and then I'm deposited back onto the counter, safe from the unyielding cold of the marble. Let it be known that marble counters are not meant for sitting on when it’s cold unless your ass and legs are covered. When I'm settled, I give Asher a hard stare.

  "What the hell are you doing walking around? You should be resting, you giant oaf."

  "Morning to you too, peaches," he returns with one of his rare smiles, completely bypassing my demand. He ignores my incredulous stare and leans around Eli to give me a kiss that has my mind turning to mush.

  He pulls back a little so only his lips are just about brushing mine and tells me, "I'm fine, just aching a little. Nothing I can't handle. You're cute when you're trying to be stern, though."

  He walks away, leaving me sitting there dumbfounded. Eli snickers at the look on my face but holds out a mug of coffee for me to take. It snaps me out of whatever state Asher left me in, and I greedily snatch the goods from his outstretched hand.