Both of them.
And hard, too.
It was all some sort of nightmarish fantasy come to life. My ultimate sin in a cage.
Novak washed his dark hair, the strands tickling the bottom of his ears. Then he opened his eyes to give me a smoldering look that screamed invitation as he took another bite of his fruit.
I shivered, only to be distracted by Auric holding up a sandwich for me. He hadn’t bothered with his pants, likely because he intended to shower next. The gash on his leg—something I’d noticed during one of their bouts in the shower—probably needed cleaning again.
I didn’t know how he’d earned the wound, but suspected it had something to do with the golden goop they’d been covered in the other day.
The thing that concerned me was that his wound hadn’t fully healed yet. He was a Nora Warrior and built to sustain and recover quickly from damage. But that mark on his thigh hadn’t disappeared yet. Fortunately, he seemed to be moving all right. And he certainly held his own with Novak just fine.
More than fine, I thought.
“Stop watching,” Auric said in a low voice. “It only worsens your scent.”
“Improves,” Novak corrected him in his deep, sultry tone.
“Don’t start,” Auric snapped.
Novak bit off another chunk of his apple, then tossed the rest of it to Auric—who deftly caught it while balancing the tray with his opposite hand. He made a show of taking a bite before setting it down.
My insides threatened to combust.
So I focused on my sandwich, only lifting my head when a slight chittering sounded through the room.
Auric was in the shower now, and Novak was wringing out his pants, but he dropped them when his little mouse friend jumped onto the fabric.
“Is that a mouse?” Auric asked, picking up his knife.
The little beast on the floor released a threatened breath of pure fire in response, causing Auric to halt midstep.
“What the fuck is that?”
“Clyde,” Novak said patiently. “A Blaze.” He held out his hand for the thing to climb into his palm, then he stood while focusing on the small creature.
“What’s a Blaze?” I asked, my voice soft with disuse.
Novak glanced up at me. “A demon from another realm.”
I frowned. “Another realm?”
He didn’t reply, his attention returning to the mouse in his palm.
Well, not a mouse. He had scales now, reminding me of a miniature dragon.What realm is it from?I wondered, swallowing.
I knew other supernaturals existed in alternate worlds, but I’d never really met any. Noir and Nora kept to themselves, residing in a plane of existence that was somewhat linked to humans—a mortal species that worshipped our kind.
After a few minutes, Novak nodded and set the demon on the floor. It scurried off into a small hole without a backward glance, causing me to frown after it.
Novak pulled on his pants, then picked up Auric’s and tossed them to him with a commanding look. “What’s going on?” Auric demanded.
“Culling,” Novak said, sliding his knife into his pocket as the demon reappeared. It trotted over and dropped a metal object on the floor beside Novak, gave a chirp, and ran off again. He bent to retrieve the slender metallic pick, then eyed the door as screams echoed down the corridor.
I shared a glance with Auric and rolled off my bunk to land on my feet with the help of my wings at my back. He pulled on his pants, his attention on Novak as the dark-winged angel went to the door to fuss with the lock.
“What are you doing?” Auric demanded, zipping up his jeans.
