“Well, if you two wouldn’t act like stubborn children, I wouldn’t have to mother you,” Gideon shot back.
“It’s not my fault my Other is a barely matured man-child.” Noel deposited his empty plate on the coffee table, then folded himself elegantly onto the couch beside me. “I’m the good kid, in case you haven’t noticed,” he whispered conspiratorially, and Jai blew a raspberry against his palm to imitate a fart.
“You’re both impossible!” Gideon ignored us in lieu of eating his pancakes.
Unable to eat another bite, I offered Noel my half-finished plate, and he snatched it from my grasp like he hadn’t eaten in days.
“What’s an Other?”
Noel and Jai shared a look before they both shrugged and pointed at the other. “He is,” they said simultaneously.
“He’s my Other.” Noel shoved a bite of pancake into his mouth.
“And he’s my Other.” Jai stole a piece of my leftover bacon from the plate, and Noel hissed like a cat.
“I don’t understand.” My attention ping-ponged between them, and Jai eventually scooted forward, scratching absently at his chest.
“Well, we’re Secondary Guardians, and Secondaries always come in pairs. The pairs are created together, like a team.”
“Oh, you’re twins?” Honestly, apart from their matching mannerisms and similar body builds, they looked nothing alike.
“No, no, we’re not related.” Jai rose and gathered the empty dishes. “No way, not at all. Not twins.”
Noel forced his large bite of food down his throat. “If we actually shared DNA, I would run to the underworld in surrender and beg them to take me to Sheol!”
“Drama queen,” Jai called from the kitchen.
“Stubborn jerk!” Noel popped my last bite of bacon into his mouth with a wink.
“Uh, I’m confused.” I rubbed my temples as weariness threatened to overcome my insatiable curiosity. “You said you were born together—”
“Angels aren’t born. They’re created,” Noel said. “Jai and I were created together, but we’re not related like how you mean.”
To salvage my sanity, Gideon joined the conversation once more. “Secondaries are created in pairs as complementary opposites. They are bonded to each other for eternity, but given their opposite personalities, you can understand why they bicker like an old married couple.”
Jai shuddered at the insinuation. “Gross!”
“Ew! Gideon, don’t even joke about that.” Noel gagged dramatically.
This time, I couldn’t hide my amusement, and I laughed into my hand as Jai and Noel cocked their heads in matching directions at the exact same moment. It was bizarre. They mirrored each other, revolving around the other subconsciously. It was funny and kind of sweet. I still didn’t fully understand, but maybe that was due to the late hour.
As if he read my mind, Gideon rose from the couch and assessed me. “I think it’s best if you try to get some sleep. We can answer whatever questions you have in the morning.” He tugged on his ear. “If you still want to know, that is.”
The last part was spoken in a hushed whisper, more to himself than to my ears, but I caught the resulting worry flickering over both Jai’s and Noel’s countenance. Before it could be addressed, everyone was moving.
Jai and Noel busied themselves in the kitchen, cleaning up after Gideon’s impromptu cooking session. In an effort to assist, I stood from the couch only to yelp and grab at the loose pants slipping down my legs. Noel hid his face in Jai’s shoulder, laughing, as Jai chortled. Gideon smothered a grin with his hand.
“Should’ve given him a floaty with how much he’s swimming in our clothes.” Jai tossed a towel over the breakfast bar, and it smacked me in my lobster-red face.
Gideon pretended nothing had happened, saving me from further ridicule. “Would you prefer to go back to your dorm? Or are you feeling comfortable enough to sleep here?”
Honestly, I felt safe here, safer than I thought possible. The thought of going back to my dorm alone twisted my stomach into knots. But I had already caused enough trouble for them. I didn’t want to burden them further.
“How far is campus?” I realized for the first time I had no idea where we were. “I can head back if it’s close enough to walk.”
“We wouldn’t make you walk.” Jai leaned over the counter, offended at the suggestion. “We’d prefer if you stayed here with us, though the choice is yours.”
“I don’t want to intrude—”
“It’s not intruding if you’re invited,” Noel sang from the kitchen, and I chuckled as Jai knocked the fair-haired angel off balance with his hip.
Noel caught himself before he fell and turned on Jai, smacking him in the stomach where he’d been stabbed. Cradling his abdomen, he glowered at Noel and complained about internal bleeding. Noel dismissed his griping by calling him a baby.
It was odd, watching their familial interactions, but I liked it. I’d been Ms. Janet’s only child. When I was younger, I’d never been close with any other foster children to have that type of relationship. It was nice they had each other, caring for and protecting one another. I had very little experience with family, but I would enjoy the opportunity to peek into their lives, even if it was only for one night.
“If it’s not an imposition, I’d like to stay,” I finally answered Gideon, and his head dipped.
“Good.”
Gideon disappeared down the hallway as I rested my head on the back of the couch. My brain chugged along sluggishly, buzzing with information, questions, and uncertainty. I didn’t think it would be possible to fall asleep, but my eyelids drooped. Lilac, dokha, and peppermint surrounded me as my eyes closed. I was sure I had never experienced the combination before, yet my soul purred from the comforting familiarity.
As I drifted away, strong arms slid under my knees and around my shoulders. I was lifted into the air, cradled against a firm, bare chest. Jai. His steady pulse beat against my ear, and the soothing rhythm lulled me to sleep. I floated away, aware only of the thudding of Jai’s heartbeat and the feel of Noel’s fingers running through my hair as peppermint swirled through my mind, bringing pleasant, long-forgotten memories of home.
Chapter Ten
I dreamed of burning alive in a house I’d never seen, surrounded by seven dark figures who watched me as I screamed. I begged them for help but they only laughed.
“Riley!”
I surfaced from the nightmare with a gasp, recoiling automatically from the hands grasping my biceps. I flinched in preparation for my discipline, my skin slick with sweat. Ms. Janet had little patience for my nightmares, and if I’d woken her, she would surely punish me again. I hated the basement, but I’d prefer it over the bathroom; anything but the tub.
“Riley, calm down.” A smooth, lyrical voice washed over me as shockingly gentle hands rubbed at my arms. “Wake up, sweetie. You’re okay, everything’s okay.”
My vision blurred with tears, born from my nightmare as well as the painful yearning in my chest for the kindness being offered me. I wasn’t accustomed to tenderness. My lonely heart pined for gentle affection, and I soaked up the comfort gifted me like a sponge.
Crushed against a firm chest, I breathed in Noel’s floral scent, and my fingers bit into the bare skin of his back. I’d never sought physical solace before. My brain screamed for caution, but in my delirious state, my body was in control. I clung to Noel, fighting the tears leaking from my eyes.
“Nightmare?” Jai husked as the mattress depressed behind me. A calloused hand smoothed up my back.
“Yeah.” Noel cupped the back of my neck to keep me cradled against him, and I hid in the refuge of his body as Jai rubbed soothing circles over my spine.
After a few more minutes, my brain finally separated from the nightmare, and reality crashed over me like ice water. I jerked away from the overwhelming touches, scurrying to the far side of the mattress until my back hit the wall.
Noel and Jai sat at the edge o
f the bed, both watching me with matching expressions of sorrow. I rubbed the wetness from my cheeks, humiliation at getting caught crying in front of them heating my face.
“I-I’m sorry.” I hung my head and tugged on the hem of Jai’s too large shirt to cover as much of my body as possible. Noel’s pants had abandoned me sometime during the night.
One white pant leg stuck out of the sheets. My mortification heightened as my modesty cried out for coverage. I quickly snagged the blanket and covered my bare legs.
Noel reached for me, only to withdraw as I cringed away. Jai’s lips thinned into a grim line at my recoil. I wanted to explain that it wasn’t them, that it wasn’t personal. But I had no words. So, I curled into a ball and rested my forehead on my blanketed knees.
When I no longer felt like I was losing my mind, I lifted my head and tried not gape as I took in Jai and Noel’s sleepy forms.
Noel was shirtless, wearing only his sweatpants from last night, his toned physique on display. Unlike Jai’s tattooed back, Noel’s creamy, hairless skin was free of markings. Where Jai was a bit bulkier in the shoulders, Noel was marginally slimmer. But he was just as intrinsically chiseled, the dips and valleys of his torso almost an exact replica of his Other’s. Messy hair tangled around his face, like he’d woken with a fright, and guilt trickled through my veins.
Jai looked similarly rumpled, clad in nothing but a pair of dark boxers, and I averted my gaze to allow him privacy. He didn’t appear in any way embarrassed to be caught so exposed, but maybe that was due to his semi-conscious state. Once he was more awake, perhaps he’d realize his state of undress.
His hair stuck up comically in different directions. Combined with his scruffy jaw peppered with a day’s worth of facial hair, he looked like a homeless man. A rather clean and handsome homeless man, but homeless nonetheless.
Noel’s hand slid over the blanket until his fingers brushed my covered toes. “Are you okay?”
Wordlessly, I nodded. Jai narrowed his eyes in disbelief, but when he opened his mouth to speak, Noel placed a hand on his knee to stop him. Jai scowled and shut his mouth with a huff.
Rubbing his eyes, Jai groaned then fell back onto the mattress. He flopped around like a fish until he was situated mostly under the blankets, and I flushed as he pulled out the white pants I should have been wearing.
“You had a no pants party and didn’t invite me?” He tossed the pants at me. “I’m hurt.”
“Jairus, don’t be crude.” Noel snagged the sweats from the air and dropped them on the ground.
Jai burrowed further under the sheets. “Aw, come on. He’s too adorable when he blushes.”
Adorable? Babies and puppies were adorable, not nineteen-year-old boys. Convinced he was insulting me, I scowled.
“I wasn’t having a no pants party. The pants—”
“Shoosh, I’m sleeping.” Jai’s muffled voice drifted from under the sheets, and I yelped when a warm hand snaked around my ankle and squeezed.
Noel smacked Jai’s shoulder. “Leave him alone, and get out of my bed.”
With an unceremonious kick, Jai effectively shoved Noel off the bed, and before I understood what was happening, I was being hauled horizontal. My brain spun at the sudden upheaval of gravity and motion. As I gathered my bearings, firm arms slipped around my narrow waist, and I froze as Jai snuggled into my back.
Barely a second passed before Noel scrambled back onto the bed, whining like a forgotten puppy. “Stop manhandling him. You’re gonna give him a heart attack.”
It was rather chaotic, and I kept my body stiff and motionless as I was pushed and prodded this way and that. When the jostling ceased, Noel had somehow wriggled himself into a space I didn’t think he could fit, and I was trapped between two overly warm bodies.
Noel pressed his back against the wall and smiled at me shyly as Jai framed my back with his torso. We were fit together like sardines, Noel’s nose close enough to touch mine. I’d never been touched this much, and I’d certainly never shared a bed with anyone. I had no idea how to react to this.
“There isn’t enough room, Noel.” Jai’s breath puffed over my hair. “We were here first. Get out.”
“This is my bed!” Noel kicked at Jai’s shin. “If anyone has a right to be here, it’s me.”
“I can—”
“No!” they both cried, cutting off my offer to remove myself from between them.
I inhaled sharply as Jai slipped an arm around my waist to hold me securely to the bed. Noel drew the blanket over all of us before settling down with the back of his hands pressed against the back of mine between our chests.
Were friends supposed to get this close to each other? This was a rather intimate way to be lying, but Noel and Jai seemed perfectly at ease. Maybe it was normal for friends to share a bed sometimes. If so, was my heart supposed to be pounding in my chest like a bass drum?
Forced into a Riley sandwich, I was unsure how to feel about it.
On one hand, I was incredibly warm and comfortable surrounded by the two of them, but on the other, anxious panic tickled the back of my throat at the claustrophobic, inappropriate closeness. We weren’t touching each other in a naughty manner, but it still seemed unseemly. Yet the affection they offered rained over me like fresh water after a drought, and my starved heart drank it up, perfectly content to drown.
Noel’s eyes closed the moment he snuggled into the pillow. He wasn’t sleeping, but his expression was peaceful. His hair fanned over the pillow, teasing my chin where the ends bridged the small space between our heads. He was pretty. I could admit it to myself, but the knowledge settled like a rock in my gut. It wasn’t right to think other boys were pretty, was it?
As I inhaled his lilac scent, my worries calmed, and I relaxed into the duel embrace. Jai shifted behind me, and his leg hair tickled my calves. His hand splayed over my abdomen, heating the skin beneath my shirt until I feared I’d burst into flame.
Was generating heat part of an angel’s super powers? Jai was hot as a furnace. I was usually cold, so I didn’t dislike the pleasant warmth. Still, it didn’t seem normal.
Well, nothing about this situation was normal, seeing as I was currently squashed on a bed between two angels who professed to be my Guardians. Ms. Janet would be furious if she ever found out I’d put myself in such an improper situation. It was yet another sin to add to my list, one more transgression for which I would need to repent later.
The ends of Noel’s hair drifted over my hands, and I subtly captured a few pale strands between my fingers. His hair, like Jai’s skin, was incredibly soft, and before I was fully aware of my actions, I tangled a rather thick chunk around my hand. As each string sifted through my fingers, they caught the light leaking through the closed blinds of the window.
Noel made an odd sound in his throat, and his eyes opened, the irises darker than normal. The intensity of his stare made my stomach tremble, and I released my loose grasp on his hair with a mumbled apology. My face sweltered.
“Don’t apologize.” He rubbed the very tip of his nose against mine. “I like when people play with my hair. It feels nice.”
“It does?” I’d never had anyone play with my hair.
He nodded, his nose brushing mine again, and my belly somersaulted. “Yeah, it’s soothing.”
I mumbled something that wasn’t really English as I dropped my eyes from his heady gaze and continued twirling his hair around my small fingers. I liked touching his hair, and it seemed to please him as well. He beamed at me, and a silly grin spread over my face in response.
Contentment settled like a comfortable weight in my stomach, like I’d indulged in a delicious feast, leaving me full and sated. Why I could so easily allow touch between us, I wasn’t sure. But I wasn’t afraid as Noel dragged his index finger over the shell of my ear. Well, I was afraid, because all of this was new and confusing and made me feel things I didn’t understand. But it was also safe and comforting.
Maybe having friends was wort
h it, after all.
Surprisingly, I managed to fall into a light doze. An indeterminable time later, the mattress shifted beneath me, and I roused as Noel and Jai crawled from the bed. They whispered in that strange language of theirs, and I peeked over my shoulder as I blinked the remnants of sleep from my mind.
Jai stood in the doorway, hands on his hips where his dark boxers sagged. His expanse of olive skin, dark hair, and muscles carved from stone set my heart racing, and I shifted my attention to Noel. I regretted the action immediately as Noel slipped his pajama pants down his legs.
Bending over to remove the pants from around his ankles, he muttered something I didn’t understand, completely at ease to disrobe before his Other. Jai didn’t even blink as Noel searched his dresser for clothes in nothing but his boxer-briefs. I gawked at his butt for longer than what was deemed appropriate before burrowing back into the pillow to cool my broiling cheeks.
The confusing flutters in my tummy were back, and I sat up in a panic. Was I about to vomit? My skin was clammy and hot. My heart galloped in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I had gotten sick, but maybe I really was ill.
“Riley, you okay?” Noel buttoned and zipped his light skinny jeans closed as Jai stepped back into the room.
Averting my gaze from their combined near-nakedness, I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Relief coursed through me when Noel slipped a T-shirt over his head. I wasn’t sick, just uncomfortable. I could barely stand to see my own body naked when I showered, so it was logical I wouldn’t appreciate viewing the guys so bare. Yeah, that had to be it.
I tugged on the hem of Jai’s shirt to cover as much of my legs as possible as I stood from the bed. “Um, where are my clothes?”
Two sets of eyes dropped to my bare legs, and I nearly shielded myself with the blanket. Thankfully, they both looked away swiftly.
“In the dryer.” Jai yawned and scratched his scalp. “Gid threw them in the wash last night.”
Jai crossed the hallway and entered his bedroom as Noel ushered me down the corridor. Gideon was already awake, gathering supplies from the fridge to make round two of breakfast as coffee percolated in the pot. Noel groaned in happiness as he made a detour to fix himself a cup of coffee.
Revelations: Fire & Brimstone Scroll 1 Page 11