“Whoa, chill out! It’s not a bad thing, Ciprian.” I pat him on the shoulder.
“You said my brother would kill you if you hurt me. How is that not a bad thing?”
I smile. “Because I don’t plan to hurt you.”
In a flash, the panicked, defensive expression on his face warps into something infinitely hotter. Blond hair ruffled from the portal; his expensive black joggers molded to his ass... Ciprian looks like trouble. And I want it.
He crowds me against the wall, eyeing me as if I’m wearing lingerie and a full face of makeup instead of barefaced and swimming in his oversized T-shirt and yesterday’s jeans.
“I don’t plan to hurt you either,” he whispers.
I grab his face and pull it down to mine. Ciprian kisses me with everything he’s got. It’s pure seduction. He’s entirely focused on giving me a kiss that exceeds my wildest dreams.
“Ciprian,” I moan into his mouth.
He wraps his arms around me, pulling our bodies together as he says, “I love it when you say my name.” When he holds me like this, I believe everything will be okay.
“Why did you come back with me?” I ask.
“Because you’re planning to execute a recon mission in a hostile realm.”
I caught him up to speed today while we hid away in his bed, needing to talk through everything and get my head on straight. Ciprian listened quietly when I told him I had decided to sneak back to gather information, but he never told me he wanted to go with me.
“I wasn’t trying to manipulate you into coming,” I say, the cursed itch digging into my shoulders. “This is my risk, and it should be mine alone.”
Ciprian rolls his eyes. “The others aren’t going to let you go alone, and they don’t exactly blend in. You need my nightmares, hot wings, and I’m volunteering, no manipulation needed.”
A muscle in my jaw ticks; I hate it when he makes sense. “I’m in charge,” I tell him. “You’ll have to listen to me. No cowboy shit.”
“Cowboy shit? Me?” He jabs his thumb into his chest. “You’ve got the wrong guy. I love powerful women, and I’m more than happy to let you boss me around.”
“As long as I don’t ignore you.”
Ciprian shudders dramatically. “Anything but that.”
Smiling despite my worry, I grab his hand, and we walk to my place quietly. I’m acutely aware of how good his fingers feel against mine. Somehow, this infectious demon has crawled under my skin and embedded himself there, and I don’t want him to leave.
When I unlock my apartment, I find all three of them waiting for me. Still, silent, and evenly spaced across my furniture, I can’t help chuckling. “You all look like you’ve been petrified.”
“Which reality star from our favorite show has a shriveled ballsack?” Luca asks, crossing his arms over his chest. I stare at him, confused, then realize he’s trying to verify my identity with anare-you-really-a-veydraquestion.
“Probably most of them.” I shrug and rack my brain for the guy’s name. It’s something dumb, I know that, but I can’t remember what it is.
“Celine.”
“I know, Luca, I know, but I can’t remember his damn name.” I groan at him. “Is it Bear?”
He shakes his head. “It’s Wolfe, baby—but I’ll take it.”
Luca stands and crosses the room to kiss me. He turns to Ciprian next, surprising us both when he yanks him into a hug. “I’m sorry, man.”
Ciprian grunts in response, but leans into the hug, his arms tightening around Luca’s waist once his shock wears off.
“How did your wings hold up, My Truth?”
Malach walks to my side and runs his fingers over my back, paying special attention to the spots where my wings are currently stowed. Shivering beneath his touch, I shoot him a look. But there’s nothing sensual in his green eyes. As usual, Malach is studying me analytically, as if I’m a puzzle he’s putting together in his head. It’s infuriating.
“They’re fine.” I tilt my chin up and clear my throat. “I’ve decided to return to the celestial realm. Temporarily. I need to figure out what my father is up to.”
