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“You liked?” she replied when she found her voice.
“Woman, you nearly killed me. I should be ma
So was she. Each time together was better than the last. “I hope we do that a thousand times today.”
“I hope that’s an accurate guesstimate and not hyperbole.”
“If anything, I underestimated. You’re very good with my wings.”
She felt the warm stroke of a chuckle against her skin. “I’m not too rough?”
“You’re perfect.” A kiss at the cord that bound his shoulder to his neck, a scrape of her teeth. “Ever been with a winged woman before?”
“Uh…I…” He hesitated, even as his skin prickled with heat beneath her mouth.
His shame had returned, and once again she experienced sympathy for all he’d endured. “I’ll take that as a yes. Was she an angel, like your friend?” He needed to purge the memories and the feelings that accompanied them.
“Uh…”
“Another yes. A demon, too?”
Only the slightest pause. “Yeah.” He ducked his head in the opposite direction, as bashful as a schoolboy.
Adorable. Just adorable. As strong as he was, as fierce as he was, he cared about her opinion. “Paris, it’s okay. I know you have a past, and I wasn’t pressing for details to embarrass you or to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted you to know there’s nothing you could have done to disgust me.”
Slowly he relaxed and turned toward her. Those dark shadows swirled in his irises, but as she watched, they thi
“Thank you,” he said again, tightening his hold on her.
“Listen, you. If I can’t put myself down, you can’t thank me for my stu
One of his hands slid to her face, cupped her jaw. She’d meant to make him smile, but his expression had never been fiercer. “It’s a deal.”
Emotion clogged her throat, and she forced a cough. “How about I tell you something embarrassing about me, so that we’re even?”
A rough, ragged, “Please.”
“When I was little, I played beauty shop with my younger sister. I was the stylist and put her gorgeous honey-blond hair in a ponytail—then I hacked off the entire thing. She was the makeup artist, and painted my face with permanent markers. Our parents were horrified.” A bombardment of nostalgia had her choking back a sudden sob.
E
Well, Tommy from class is stupid. You don’t have half as many as me, and I’m the prettiest girl in the world. You said so.
A girlish giggle. And I never lie!
I miss you so much, Skye,she thought now. I’ll find you. I’ll save you.
Paris’s thumb caressed the rise of her cheek. “I lost you there for a moment.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I was just saying your story isn’t embarrassing. It’s cute. By the way, I think your wings are hot, and I’m curious to know why I never wanted to lick them when Aeron had them.”
She placed her hand over his and forced herself to smile. Soon she would lose him, so she had to enjoy him while she had the chance. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope you get stabbed again. Like, real soon. I loved kissing you all better.”
Finally, a surprised laugh barked from him. He pulled her down until her body covered his. “Baby, I’d willingly stab myself for that kind of kissing. But thankfully there’s no need. I already have another owie and it needs your special doctoring skills.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
BY THE TIME THEY WERE DRESSED and stepping out of their private cave into the big, bad realm where Zacharel the Chastity Belt waited, Paris had regained every bit of his strength and then some. His muscles were jacked with adrenaline, his bones fortified with steel. His steps were heavier from his increased weight, surer with his superior balance.
All because of Sie
“I used my energy escorting the fallen…someplace else. We’ll have to walk to the doorway,” Zacharel said to Sie
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, ever polite.
“If you’re going to hang with us, make yourself useful.” Paris took the lead, urged Sie
A gust of wind danced around the angel, and only the angel, more chilling with every second that passed. “I plan to do so. No matter the threat against her.”
An easy tone, but his expression implied Paris himself was a threat, and Zach would take him down if necessary.
Good to know.
During the trek to find Sie
Paris reached back and hooked her fingers around the waist of his pants. “Don’t let go of me unless you have to fight.” I don’t want her to have to fight.
“I won’t.” Confident, unafraid.
That’s my girl.Their little train crept through the wilderness, and, like now, some sort of campground. Tents stretched on either side of him. Sex kept his big mouth closed, and this time Paris knew beyond any doubt that the demon was sleeping off the pleasure rather than hiding.
A hiss. A snap of teeth.
Enemy.
Paris searched through the darkness, found the source just up ahead at the top of the closest tent, and leapt into action. He went low, sliding on his knees, ru
No time to relax. Three more rained down. He kept his pimp hand moving, arcing, slicing, and from the grunting he heard behind him, he knew Sie
A quick look to check on his woman—she had her gaze on his back, swiping at anything that made a play for him—proved she had no wounds, hadn’t been hurt. One of the vines snapped in her direction, dripping fangs protruding from a pair of razored leaves. She was too busy protecting him to protect herself.
Paris swiped out his arm, and got a hunk of skin and muscle torn away. He sucked back a howl of pain. Okay, so now he knew what dribbled from those teeth. Acid.
“Fly her out of here,” he commanded Zacharel, even as he spun, hands crisscrossing and chopping, pieces of vine flung away. He’d rather lose her that way than another, more permanent way.
“Told you. I expended the rest of my energy removing the fallen.”
From the begi
“I’m not leaving you,” Sie