Julien gasped as they slowly emerged from his body. “Does that hurt?”
“No, but they do grow uncomfortable when not free for long periods of time. I much prefer them out. I don’t fuck with them out, though.” What he didn’t say is that he hadn’t since they were clipped. That he’d never allowed himself to be fully him when with someone else.
Julien sat up and slowly reached out to stroke his hand down one wing. “I knew they would be soft. Can you fly?”
Emory shook his head. “I could in the past, but something happened. I can go high into the air and hover, but long distances aren’t possible anymore.”
Julien’s frown came fast. “Something happened…like an accident?”
“No, this was no accident.” He wasn’t sure what made him decide to share such a private story. Maybe it was the intimacy of them on the floor in the middle of the night. “Remember when I said there are some angels who are speciesists? I had a human mother, and that made me impure in their eyes. There was one group that hated me more than the rest and, well, it didn’t help that I slept with one of their partners. I didn’t know he was in a relationship, but to be honest I hadn’t cared because it was just a one-time thing. But it gave one angel the excuse he wanted. He and a bunch of other angels held me down and clipped my wings.”
Julien’s hand paused where it had still been stroking one wing. “I am so sorry.”
The urge to tell him how it still gave him nightmares burned on his tongue, but he held the words back. “At the time, I was devastated as they wanted. They didn’t believe anyone born of two species should be able to fly. I still have some use of my wings; I just now have to take planes to travel long distances. Or warp.”
“Warp? What does that mean? You can do that?”
He shook his head. “I can’t, no, but Xavier employs some wizards with the ability to take us through space to different locations. It’s fucking handy.”
“There’s so much I don’t know,” Julien murmured as he dropped his hand back into his lap. “Do you have other powers?”
“I can move things with my mind.” As he said it, he deliberately moved the candlestick he’d moved that first day. He couldn’t help but grin at Julien, who looked plenty impressed. “I can also understand all languages even if I’ve never heard them spoken before. Mostly, I’m just very strong and can fight from the air, which gives me a distinct advantage in a lot of fights.”
“Did you ever retaliate? Against the angels who did that to you?”
“No. At the time, I wasn’t in a good place. Losing the ability to fly nearly destroyed me. But as I said, I learned to deal with it. You could consider that another of my charms—the ability to accept reality.”
“Far as I’m concerned, you have many charms.” Julien’s gaze was roaming his bare chest. He reached out and ran the back of his fingers down the center between Emory’s pecs. “You’re really quite beautiful.”
Emory caught his breath because there was so much…reverence in Julien’s voice. Again, he was struck by the certainty that this man was supposed to mean more to him. Supposed tomean everything. He started to pull away, but Julien did first, getting to his feet. He stared down at Emory for a long time before he shocked Emory by leaning down for another of those soft, tender kisses. “I’ve got to get some sleep,” he whispered against Emory’s lips. “Thank you for tonight.”
“For what?
“For sharing your past with me. For showing me that there’s more to life than my work.” He kissed him again, and Emory couldn’t help but kiss back.
Then, he couldn’t stop his grin when Julien casually moved the candlestick back to its place before going up to bed.
Chapter Thirteen
Julien
Early the next morning, Julien’s assistant came into his office without warning and shut the door behind her. “Mr. Davenport, something is going on I think you should know about.”
“What is it?”
“A meeting was called with the board of directors. It’s happening right now. I would have warned you, but I didn’t hear about it until just now.”
Julien stood, his gut tightening in anger. “You’re saying they are meeting without me? Right this moment?”
She nodded and bit her lip. “Apparently, William called an emergency meeting.”
Julien knew exactly where they’d be meeting, so he looked at Emory, whose features had tightened in concern. “I’d like you to come with me.”
“Of course.”
He strode from the office. This had to be some kind of move against him, and knowing it was coming from William actually… Well, it hurt. They weren’t exactly friends, but William hadalways been someone he trusted. Until recently anyway. There were others on the board who’d love nothing more than to see him ousted.
He got onto the elevator, Emory by his side, and it didn’t escape his notice that he was getting a feeling of strength just by having the angel with him. Emory had nothing to do with the company, but his presence alone bolstered Julien’s sense of not being completely alone. The night before had been special to him, sitting and talking in the dark more than any of the rest—though that had been pretty damned spectacular.
