Az’s chest heaved as he lay there, forcing his body to calm. His hand was still wrapped tightly around his cock to ward off the simmering arousal he felt. Godsdammit, he couldn’t go down. She made him ache more desperately than he ever had before.
A soft knock on the cabin door made his hand loosen.
His breaths were ragged as he called, "What is it?"
The door creaked open, revealing soft, flickering light and a vision that haunted him.
Az clenched his teeth, tugging his trousers up. He hoped he was able to cover himself in time, before Luella saw, but the stolen sconce in her hand allowed him to see the soft pink on her cheeks and the way her teeth dug into her lower lip.
Shyly, she glanced down, standing at the door with ruffled white curls that he only wanted to force into further disarray. Her cloak slipped off her slim shoulders, revealing her pale, creamy neck, and the twin points on the side of it, purple bruises blooming around it.
Luella leaned heavily against the door, her wings folded closely to her back, unmoving for the most part, besides the softest of shivers on occasion. Each tremble of the feathers made her body quiver, like she was wholly yielding to the whims of her new wings, unable to control them, to be led by them.
"I didn’t know you were busy, I can—I’ll go." Her voice was so sweet; it was just what he needed.
Az sat up, ensuring his pants were in place. His seed stuck uncomfortably to his skin, but she was more important. "Stay."
15
SO SHOW ME
LUELLA
Alow heat curled in Luella’s belly as she carefully entered the bare room, the wooden door falling shut behind her with a resounding thump.
A crack of lightning shattered through the sky. She flinched, her wings fluttering nervously behind her, making her spine ache.
What was she doing here?
Maybe it was the fever that still licked through her bloodstream. She didn’t feel in control of anything. She only knew two things:
That she had needed to get away and be alone, to find her thoughts. Except, the thoughts she found, she wanted to tuck back away.
And the welling dread and grief, echoed by faint bits of anger that curled within her body like wisps of air, had all dissipated as strong shocks of lust pulsed down one of her threads. The one that reminded her of melted chocolate and a pot of sugar burning over a hearth, bubbling and popping as it cooked.
Her feet had carried her back to this room. Back to her demon.
Now, she was faced with the sight of him, chest slick with sweat and the thick scent of him clouding the room, seeping through her skin, as if to draw her nearer to him. She wanted to follow the call.
Slowly, Luella padded to the swaying hammock. Her brows furrowed, flushed cheeks warming anew as she blurted, "How are you able to fit?"
The rusted sconce was warm in her hand, offering little light. She had plucked it off the walls, scared of the dark. She swore, in that dim light, the demon’s dusky skin grew darker along his cheeks.
"What?"
"The hammock," she clarified. "You’re too big for it."
Az let out a low huff, not quite a laugh. "Come here, angel. Let me hold you."
She was suddenly burning. So, she shrugged off her cloak, letting it pool to the floor, leaving her in her ruined gown.
Luella found a spot for the sconce, back twinging as she bent to place it on the ground. The warm glow made long shadows cast upon the wooden floor, leaving pointed impressions of Az’s horns, mingled with the faint image of her wings, tucked behind her. An angel and a demon. They were a strange pair.
He followed her gaze, a large hand falling on her knee as she braced it on the rocking hammock. "You’re far too good for me, Lu."
"Don’t say that," she whispered. It made her heart clench in her chest. That wasn’t the first time he had shared that with her. He helped her onto the hammock, arranging her limbs atop his chest. He held an arm awkwardly over his lower stomach, and she arched a brow, emboldened by the mild fever running through her heated body. "I came back because I f-felt you, Az…" She couldn’t bring herself to say more. Curiosity battled with trepidation.
She shifted, trying to get comfortable. It was difficult, with the rocking hammock and his hard body underneath her. An unfamiliar sensation zinged up her spine, and she gasped, twisting to find the tips of her wings draped over his thighs.
