Angelique hugged him. “You’re the best, Raph.”
“Well,” Raphael said deprecatingly, “I don’t know about that.”
“You’re taking us for a steak dinner, you really are the best,” Lily said. “Michael would scowl at us and tell us to not spend too much of his money.”
“Michael is thrifty,” Raphael said.
“Sometimes,” Riley agreed. “There are things that he’s very generous with, though. Like making sure everyone has somewhere to live. He gets really upset if he discovers someone he cares about is homeless.”
There was a murmur of agreement from the Venatores at that, and Liam wondered if that had been the reason that Michael had this pack all live together in apartments in the house he owned. It made sense, tactically, but it was also a compassionate, generous action, and the more Liam got to know of Michael, the more he realized that Michael’s sometimes stiff-seeming façade and formality hid an extremely complex, selfless individual who was also painfully shy. He empathized with that—as a child, he had been shy and he had been bullied, and without Declan there to back him up and beat up his bullies, Liam knew that he would have had a worse time of his childhood than he had.
Now he looked around the little group, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the form of Tabbris with his pierced eyebrow, nose, lip, and ears, his purple mohawk and shaved head, his black T-shirt and faded blue jeans covered with a red flannel shirt and the leather wristbands studded with silver around both wrists. The padlock on a chain around his neck was starting to rust, and the battered Doc Martens boots on his feet were bright green with black laces. He was a mish-mash of colors and a riot of metals threaded through his skin and around his limbs, and his bright blue eyes were hooded, saddened. Suddenly, Liam realized that Tabbris, Angel of Free Will, wasn’t just lonely, he was extremely depressed.
“Raph,” Liam said, “can I talk to you for a minute? In private?” He pointed toward a gorgeous mausoleum made of deep gray marble and surrounded by red and yellow flowers, and the Archangel nodded, his expression curious.
“Of course. What is it?”
Liam led the way to the mausoleum, then stood to the side of it. He didn’t want anyone to be able to read his lips, and he had a feeling that Riley could do just that. “Raph, I just realized something about Tabbris.”
Raphael’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh?”
“He’s really depressed. Like, nearly suicidal.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?” Raphael asked, his face wreathed in astonishment.
“I don’t know.” Liam ran a hand through his hair. It touched his shoulders now, he realized absently. He’d need to get it cut soon. “I just looked at him, really looked at him, looked into his eyes, and yeah, you’re right, he is lonely, but he’s also sad. Really damn sad. I’ve never seen anyone look so sad in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of miserable people. He’s suffering, and I bet he doesn’t know why.”
“He is not the only one,” Raphael admitted. “I do not know what to do for him, and it grieves me to see him like this. Usually, he is full of what you call piss and vinegar, but he has been silent—or close to—for months now. No,” he corrected himself, “since not long after the Grail was stolen.”
“And that’s why. He’s free will, right? He’s the one who feels and guides all the decisions of humanity, who came into being to protect our right—our first right—to freedom of choice and expression of that choice? Sure, we humans made laws and all that and we take it as given that we’ll obey them, but not everyone does, some folk decide not to, which is a choice made out of free will in itself. So, because the Grail’s affecting the world as a whole, and Tabbris is pretty damn connected to the world because of what he is, it’s having a ripple effect on him too. I think if the Grail is fully corrupted—and I hope like Hell it doesn’t happen—Tabbris might be made physically, chronically, incurably sick by it,” Liam said.
Raphael’s eyes went wide. “By our Holy Father, God, I think you are absolutely right.”
Liam touched Raphael’s hand with his own, noting how pale his own skin was against the rich darkness of Raphael’s. “What can we do?”
“First, thank you. This is a huge breakthrough. And it makes sense that a human would see what an angel could not, because of Tabbris’s nature, free will. Second, we must protect him as best we can. Now that I know, I think I can do that better. Israfel will be so relieved, Liam. He and Tabbris have been very close for millennia. We will take care of him, although he will probably complain.” A faint smile crossed Raphael’s face.
“Believe me, it’s a total accident that I realized it,” Liam said. “If I hadn’t looked in his eyes just then, I don’t think it would ever have occurred to me.”
Raphael nodded as he listened. “And I think this is what we needed. You have been exceedingly helpful, young Liam, and I am grateful.”
Liam shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed. “You can buy us all an awesome steak dinner to say thanks.”
Raphael laughed at that, bright and happy, and Liam felt himself smiling broadly in response to that infectious sound. “It would be my pleasure, Liam. Let us return to the others, then, and go to a steak house that Israfel knows that is not far out of Montreal.”
“All right.”
They returned to the others and Liam moved to stand beside Baxter. He groped for Baxter’s hand and felt a flush of happiness when Baxter grabbed on to his first.
“We are going to a restaurant I know that has existed since the early twenty-first century,” Raphael was saying. “It has an exceptional reputation for the best steaks in Montreal.”
Israfel’s face lit up. “The keg place?”
Raphael laughed. “Yes.”
“I fucking love that place. The prime rib and tiger shrimp is fantastic.”
“And you’ll want the 16 ounce cut, no doubt,” Raphael said fondly.
“Fuck yeah!” Israfel turned to Tabbris. “What about you, Tabbry?”
Tabbris shrugged. “Whatever.”
Liam looked at Raphael. Raphael’s expression was thoughtful, but his voice was as even and steady as ever.
“Let us go, then, and we can satisfy our hungers and tastes for well-cooked meat, chicken, and seafood.”
The Venatores, Liam, and Declan gathered around the three angels, and as Raphael raised his right hand, Liam felt the familiar surge in his mind that meant they were about to teleport. The next minute, the silent peacefulness of the cemetery was gone, replaced with the loud conversations of groups of people heading to dinner.
“And here we are,” Raphael said. He gestured at a door not far away. “Lead on, will you, Israfel?”
“Okay, Raph!” Israfel practically bounced into the restaurant and everyone followed him, Raphael bringing up the rear.
Liam made sure to sit beside Baxter and near to Declan, to make sure his brother didn’t say anything harsh or react to one of Baxter’s jibes. However, everyone’s desire for a good meal seemed to outweigh any teasing, and the waiter who came to take their order laughed as they ordered almost everything on the menu. When he had gone, heading into the kitchens, Liam leaned back in his chair, nodding his thanks as drinks were brought. All in all, it had been quite a good day.
LIAM SAT on the doorstep near the motel room he was sharing with Baxter. He gazed out toward the river, listening to the raucous calls of seagulls as they hovered overhead. Raphael had brought them all to the town of Havre-Saint-Pierre on the coast of the Saint Lawrence River, and the motel, while not on the shores of that expanse of blue, was near enough.
After checking in, Raphael had taken Israfel and Tabbris and left. Now it was morning, and none of the angels had returned. Liam hoped they were all right.
“Hey.” Baxter sat down beside Liam and leaned into him. “What’s up, Trigger?”
“Trigger?” Liam looked amused. “Why Trigger?”
“I don’t know. It seemed to fit. Also, I speak without thinking it through
a lot of the time, so mostly? There’s no reason for what I say.” Baxter grinned at him. “Where’s the rest of the troops?”
“Lily and Danny went for a run. Angelique and Declan are in bed. Riley’s talking to Michael.”
“Oh, okay. So Biggles is giving Mikey the report of the last few days, huh?”
“Yeah, I think so. I left when he started talking about math,” Liam said.
Baxter frowned in confusion. “Math?”
“Percentages and averages, stuff like that. I’m okay at math, but it’s been a long few days, and I don’t really feel like thinking.” Liam looked toward the river. “It seems like forever ago that we were fighting a war. And now we’re vacationing in Canada.”
“It’s more like a working vacation,” Baxter said.
“I know. I’m just feeling a bit… weird, I guess.”
“What do you mean?” Baxter’s voice was worried.
“Well, the dead are all okay now, which is awesome. I’m damn happy about that, because seriously, seeing them so frightened was really freaky. And not in a good way. And then last night we had a fucking fantastic dinner—”
“Yeah, you and Bossy-britches ate half a cherry cheesecake all by yourselves,” Baxter said.
Liam laughed. “We don’t often get cheesecake, babe.”
“I figured. Sorry, go on.”
“Okay. Well, Raph, Iss, and Tabbris brought us here, then took off, and we haven’t seen ’em since.”
“Did Biggles tell Mikey your theory?” Baxter asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Liam said.
“What did Mikey say?”
“Why don’t you call him and ask him?” Liam asked.
“Sorry.” Baxter looked contrite. “I was just curious.”
“No, it’s okay.” Liam rubbed his face with one hand. “Michael was hopeful that this might lead to a restoration of Tabbris’s equilibrium. And then Gabe piped up about how that meant Tabbris being rude and calling Michael ‘donkey face’ again, and Michael sighed the biggest sigh in the world and said, ‘Wonderful.’”
Baxter started to laugh. “Donkey face? Seriously? Tabbris calls him that?”
“Apparently. I don’t know why.” Liam shifted and faced Baxter. “How long are we staying here?”
“Until Raph and the flyboys get back, I guess.” Baxter gazed at Liam fondly. “You’re going to overwork your big Necromancer brain if you worry about them.”
“I can’t help it,” Liam said.
“Let me see if I can take your mind off it.” Baxter moved closer, cupped Liam’s face between his hands, and kissed him.
Liam fell into it, willingly, eagerly. He kissed Baxter back, a small, hungry moan coming from him as he wound his arms around Baxter’s body and pulled him onto his lap. Baxter shifted, straddling him, and Liam groaned, louder this time, as he felt Baxter’s cock, hard in his jeans, press against his own.
“We should go into the room,” Liam said between kisses.
“Mm,” Baxter agreed.
“Oh fucking hell, get a room!” Angelique’s voice shattered the mood, and both Liam and Baxter started, surprised by her shout. “Wait. You’ve got a damn room. Use it!”
“We’re going, we’re going,” Liam said. He gently pushed Baxter of his lap and the two of them stood.
“Good. Where are the others?” Angelique asked.
“Biggles is in the restaurant area thing, Danny and Lily went for a run, and our angels are still elsewhere,” Baxter said.
“Okay.” Angelique looked around. “Pretty town,” she remarked.
“Yeah, it is,” Liam agreed. He took Baxter’s hand in his. “And we’re going somewhere more private.”
“Good plan. We don’t know how long we’ll be waiting for Angel Airways, so don’t piss off the locals,” she said.
“I didn’t think of that,” Baxter admitted as they walked into their room and closed the door behind them.
“Neither did I,” Liam said. “She doesn’t mind, though, does she?”
“Angelique? Mind what, us? No, not at all. Most of the Venatores are bi,” Baxter said. He sat down on the bed and Liam sat beside him. “It isn’t an issue, love.”
“I like it when you call me that,” Liam said. He reached out and ran his fingers through Baxter’s messy blond hair, trailing them down to the nape of Baxter’s neck. Baxter moved closer and gently pushed Liam back and straddled him again.
“If I remember rightly, we were right about here before we were so rudely interrupted,” Baxter said.
“I think you’ve got it, babe,” Liam said.
“Awesome.” Baxter leaned down and kissed him, and Liam slid his arms around Baxter’s body and ran his hands down the length of Baxter’s spine. As Baxter purred into the kiss, a sound more feline than lupine, Liam felt a shiver of desire slither through him.
He nipped Baxter’s lip, eliciting a soft gasp, and then Liam tightened his hold on his lover and rolled them so that he was pinning Baxter to the bed.
“Now you’ve got me, what are you going to do with me?” Baxter asked. His voice was a little breathy, and Liam looked at him, noting the flush in Baxter’s cheeks, the shine in his eyes.
“Have my wicked way with you,” Liam said.
“I really like the sound of that.” Baxter wrapped his legs and arms around Liam and rocked into him. Both of them moaned as their cocks slid together through the barrier of their clothes. Liam made a noise of frustration as he fumbled with fastenings and zippers and fabric.
They had to release each other for a moment to remove all of their clothing, but as soon as they were naked, Liam lunged, pinning Baxter to the bed once more, and ducked his head, his teeth grazing the line of Baxter’s throat. Baxter whined, going pliant and submissive beneath Liam, and tilted his head, giving Liam unimpeded access to his neck. With a low growl, Liam nipped the soft skin of the pulse point, feeling the pounding of Baxter’s heart echoed in the spot. Then Baxter raked blunt nails down Liam’s back and his brain seemed to catch on fire with lust and need.
He rubbed against Baxter and was rewarded by a throaty moan as Baxter clutched at him, pulling him close, rocking into his body. Liam could feel how turned on Baxter was, and that only served to add to his own desire as he managed to worm one hand between their bodies and wrap it around both of their cocks and stroke. Liam panted as he pulled back a little from Baxter’s neck, smearing precum over the heads of their cocks with his thumb as he stroked them and listening to the little moans, whimpers, and half-formed pleas that tumbled from Baxter’s lips.
“Li-Liam, please,” Baxter gasped.
“What, babe?”
“Fuck me. Now.”
Liam gave their cocks one last tug and reluctantly let go. He reached up to the bedside table where the few condoms and lubricant had been put the night before. Grabbing a condom, he tore it open quickly, his fingers made clumsy by his haste. Then with Baxter’s hand joining his own, Liam rolled the condom onto his cock.
“Don’t worry about prep. Fuck,” Baxter growled. He rolled onto his stomach beneath Liam and looked back over his shoulder at him. “Just fuck me. Hard. Fast. Like we both know we both want it.”
“Are you sure?” Liam couldn’t help but ask. But Baxter had gotten to all fours and his ass was right in Liam’s face. There was no resisting that perfectly formed butt, Liam thought, as he ran his hands over it. He paused only long enough to grab the lube and then he squirted a generous amount onto his hand. He stroked himself a few times; then, ignoring the increasingly swear-filled pleas from Baxter, he teased his left index finger around the ring of puckered muscle before slowly pressing it in.
He finger-fucked Baxter for several minutes, adding a second finger, then a third. Baxter was rocking back into it, panting and begging for more, for Liam’s cock, and Liam knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He withdrew his fingers from Baxter’s body and moved closer, his hands gripping and squeezing the firm globes of Baxter’s ass. The head of his cock nudged at Baxt
er’s hole, and with a long drawn-out groan, Liam slowly thrust into that tight heat.
Baxter cried out, a sound that was pure pleasure, and Liam began to move. Slowly at first, but with increasing speed, Liam fucked Baxter hard, reaching around to take Baxter’s cock and stroke him in time. Baxter began to babble, incoherent words in between his cries and moans of pleasure, and each time Liam was balls-deep inside him, he clenched down on Liam’s cock, making sparks of pleasure shoot through Liam, sparks that ricocheted from his fingers to his toes.
They moved together, lost in their passion for one another and their love, and before Liam knew it, he was coming, the shout of Baxter’s name coming unbidden as he felt the bliss of release and his orgasm wash over him. He could feel his cock gripped tight by Baxter’s body as Baxter, barely a heartbeat later, came as well. Panting, Liam slowly and carefully pulled out, and then he pulled off the condom, tied a knot in it, and stood up. He went into the tiny bathroom adjacent the bedroom and flushed the condom down the toilet, then washed his hands. After drying them on one of the fluffy towels, Liam made his way back to the bed, tossed a towel to Baxter for cleanup, and sprawled on his side, beside Baxter.
“That was great,” Baxter said, resting a hand on Liam’s waist.
“You know what we should do?” Liam asked, resting his own hand on Baxter’s hip.
“What’s that?” Baxter asked.
“We should get Raph to do blood work for us. So we don’t have to use condoms.” Liam bit his lip as he finished speaking. Would Baxter take this in some bizarre way and find offense? Liam suddenly felt nervous.
But Baxter smiled, a wide, bright, happy smile, and he leaned forward and kissed the tip of Liam’s nose. “That would be awesome,” he said.
Liam grinned back in relief. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I know condoms are kind of sensible, but really, I’d love to just… I don’t know. Have wild, crazy sex with my mate without having to worry about them.”
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