Rathiel slowly moved toward my coat closet and gingerly removed his ruined jacket.
I glanced at his blood-soaked side, then growled under my breath and stomped over.I shoved my sleeve back and exposed my wrist.
Rathiel froze, his gaze locked on me.
“Go on,” I snapped, my voice sharp.“Before I change my mind.”
He froze, staring at my wrist like it was some kind of trap.Then, with a slow shake of his head, he stepped back.“I’ll heal on my own.It’ll just take longer.”
“Don’t be stupid,” I bit out.“You’re injured.And as pissed off as I am right now, I don’t want you bleeding all over my floor.”
Rathiel hesitated a beat longer, but instead of taking me up on my rather generous offer, he limped into the kitchen, where I’d stashed Willow’s first aid kit.I hadn’t had a chance to return it yet.He flicked the tabs open, then started rifling through the contents.He set aside a gauze pad, some wrap, and some medical tape.
Without a word, he grabbed a pair of scissors and sliced through his shirt, the fabric parting to reveal the rock-hard planes of his torso.His muscles flexed as he assessed the wound, every line of his body as sharp as the blade that had cut into him.
My mouth suddenly dried, and I had to mentally slap myself.Now was not the time to be eye-humping his—good lord, was that aneightpack?
Ugh.I mentally slapped myself again, then dragged my gaze away from him and forced myself to stare out the nearest window.I wasmadat him.Furious.Downright enraged.I couldn’t allow his sinfully well-formed physique to distract me from that.But after a few moments, the silence weighed too heavily on me.With a huff of frustration, I turned back around—and spotted him wincing as he struggled to dress his wound.
“For heaven’s sake,” I muttered.
Before he could respond, I marched over and yanked the gauze out of his hands.“Stand still,” I commanded, stepping closer.Without waiting for permission, I took over, carefully taping the gauze over the wound.Afterward, I wrapped a bandage around him, my fingers brushing against the warm skin of his abdomen.His body tensed at the contact, and I did my best to ignore the heat that surged through me.
It was so damn unfair—how one simple touch, just the brush of my fingertips against his stupidly perfect body, sent a rush of warmth straight through me.I was pissed at him.I should’ve been thinking about all the lies he’d told, all the secrets he’d kept from me.But instead, all I could focus on was the way his muscles flexed beneath my hands, the solid heat of his skin against mine.
Why did everything have to be so complicated?He was cryptic, broody, and frustrating beyond imagination.Yet, my body didn’t care.The physical attraction between us was too strong—and didn’tthatjust piss me off.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath as I continued wrapping, keeping my movements clinical, precise.When I finished, I tied the bandage off, my hands lingering on his skin just a fraction of a second too long.Once I realized what I was doing, I jerked my hands back and looked up, meeting his gaze.We stood inches apart, the space between us charged with everything neither of us was willing to say.
I stepped away, putting distance between us, needing space to breathe and think.My heart was pounding in my chest, my emotions a tangled mess of anger, attraction, and frustration.I folded my arms across my chest, both to guard myself and to stop my fingers from reaching for him again.
“We should talk,” Rathiel finally said, his tone softer than I expected.
I shot him a withering look, trying to keep the fury simmering beneath my skin in check.“Oh,nowyou want to talk?”My voice came out sharp, but there was no mistaking the edge of hurt beneath it.“After days of dodging every single question I’ve thrown at you?But now that I know the truth, now you finally decide it’s time to have a conversation?”
Rathiel’s expression tightened, but he didn’t back down.“I know.I should have told you sooner.”
“You should have been the one to tell me, period!”I shouted.
He winced and glanced at the apartment door.I sucked in a steadying breath and raked my hands through my hair.I had to calm down.The walls were paper thin, and I couldn’t afford any of my neighbours listening to this argument.
“You should have been the one to tell me,” I repeated, my voice quieter but no less furious.“Not Gremory.Not like that.”
Rathiel sighed and pushed his hands through his hair, wincing when the movement tugged on his wound.“I know.And I’m sorry that’s how you found out.”
“But you aren’t sorry that you kept all this from me?”I pushed.“That you stole my memories to begin with?That you exiled me here?And if we were so damn in love, how could you leave me?How could you abandon me?Why didn’t you come through the portal with me?We could have made a life here together!”
His expression fell, defeated.“I would’ve given anything to come with you.But I’d already wiped your memories, and I didn’t have the power to send us both through.It took everything I had just to get you through it.Lily, when I say it nearly killed me, I’m not exaggerating.”He paused, his voice trembling.“Lucifer found me afterward, and I was too weak to stop him.He dragged me back to the palace and…”
“And he tortured you,” I finished.
Rathiel’s jaw tightened, and he turned away, pain etched into every line of his body.
“I just…I guess I don’t understand,” I said.“Luciferalmostkilled me.Clearly, you managed to save me before he could do it.So, why did you feel the need to doallthis?Why take everything from me?”
For a long moment, Rathiel didn’t answer.And when he finally did, it was so quiet I almost didn’t hear it.“I panicked.”He faced me again, his eyes filled with undeniable pain.“Lily, I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”
My breath caught.He’d saidlove.Notloved.
