Page 19 of Indecent

Daniel’s mouth went dry. “Yeah,” he croaked. “Yeah, I’d care. So—if we hear about some golden-eyed guy nearby, we’re running the other direction.”

Chaol’s lips twitched. “Deal.” He glanced back at the darkness beyond their little fire. “I think the wraith is gone. You should try to get some rest. We should reach the outskirts of Pandemonium tomorrow.”

“How will we get through the city?” Daniel couldn’t imagine walking through crowds of demons unbothered. He wasn’t supposed to be there at all. How would they react to him? What if a big group overwhelmed them, and he and Chaol got separated?

“Some demons won’t care that you’re there,” Chaol said. “Some will want to antagonize you or frighten you. Just stay by my side. We’ll try to avoid the most crowded parts of the city.”

That didn’t exactly fill Daniel with confidence. There were too many unknowns. What kind of demons would be there? How dangerous were they? How many would take an interest in a human soul wandering the streets? He opened his mouth to ask all of those questions and more—but Chaol’s hand sealed over his mouth.

“Sleep,” Chaol said. “Let me worry about tomorrow.”

Daniel tried to turn his head to free his mouth, but Chaol’s fingers tightened against his cheeks, holding him in place.

“Sleep,” he said again.

With a sigh, Daniel slumped against the rock and rested his head on the wall beside him. Chaol gave him an approving nod, and the last thing he saw was Chaol’s inky black, glittering gaze before he closed his eyes.

Warm palms slid under his shirt, lifting it over his head and tossing it somewhere in the dark abyss around them. Daniel bit back a moan as Chaol dragged him into his lap, spreading his legs wide and wrapping his arms around him. His snow white wings curled around Daniel’s back, leathery and tough and plastered against his bare skin. The heat of them almost burned him.

“Touch me,” Daniel pleaded, clinging to Chaol’s broad shoulders.

“Yes,” Chaol rasped, and it sounded triumphant. His clawed hands fell to Daniel’s hips, guiding him into a fast, frenzied rhythm.

He blinked, and the scene changed. Laid out on a soft surface, their bodies lit by a flickering fire somewhere nearby, Chaol’s naked body blanketed his own. Daniel wrapped his legs around him, and hot pleasure shook through him. Their sweaty limbs tangled, and Chaol’s white wings arced up toward the starless sky.

“Chaol,” he moaned, throwing his head back. Teeth pierced his skin, but he felt no pain.

“Mine.” Chaol’s lips smeared crimson blood across his skin. “My darkling, all mine.”

“Yes, yes, yours.” The words felt right, like something was slotting into place, and Daniel gave himself over to the pleasure and heat building between them.

Chapter 6

Chaol

The fire burned low, just bright enough to chase away the shadows. Nothing would be able to get past Chaol in this narrow hideout to reach Daniel, so he didn’t bother building the flames too high. The glowing embers were hot, warming the rock around them, and cast just enough of a glow to ease Chaol’s mind, allowing him to focus on the soft breaths of the slumbering human beside him. Daniel’s head would ache in the morning where it rested on the rock, but this space was too narrow for Chaol to offer his arm or shoulder again. Besides, he told himself, any pain Daniel felt would fade quickly here. He didn’t need to do more to make Daniel comfortable.

The urge remained, though. He spent far too long thinking of ways to make those honey-gold eyes crinkle into a smile. He didn’t understand why he was so drawn to Daniel. He was handsome, yes, and good in a way Chaol had never seen before. Good souls didn’t wind up in Hell. He’d seen good souls on Earth, of course, but they had never captivated him. They were just a passing curiosity. Never something he took a second glance at. It wasn’t Daniel’s goodness or his determination to get back to the surface. Chaol hadn’t known about those things when he first laid eyes on the human. No, it was something else. It was just something about him.

As though aware of his thoughts, Daniel shifted in his sleep, his head rolling from one shoulder to the other. A quiet groan left him, and his leg twitched under Chaol’s. His eyes trailed down Daniel’s jaw to his vulnerable throat, bared to Chaol in sleep like Daniel subconsciously wanted to draw him closer. His teeth ached to sink into the delicate skin, and he reached out mindlessly, brushing his thumb along the tempting pulse point.

Another quiet noise escaped Daniel at the touch. “Chaol…”

Chaol froze, not daring to breathe. But Daniel’s eyes didn’t open. He shifted again, lifting one knee until it pressed against the underside of Chaol’s and then letting it fall open.

Daniel was dreaming about him, and he didn’t know whether to howl in triumph or frustration.

Chaol growled low in his throat, dropping his hand to the parted thighs. He toyed with the in-seam of Daniel’s jeans, not daring to go too high and risk waking him. It was a shame that Daniel had no physical body here. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t make Daniel’s dreams a reality here in the underworld. Human souls weren’t meant to feel pleasure here.

“Yes, yours,” Daniel murmured, and Chaol’s head fell back hard against the rock.

This was torture.

Did Daniel feel the same way as Chaol? He had to. Why else would he be dreaming such maddening things?

What if he woke Daniel up? Crawled between those parted thighs and made his intentions known? Would Daniel accept him or push him away? Chaol was almost tempted to find out.

He should be focusing on avenging his brother, but he already knew, as surely as he could fly, that he could not walk away from Daniel when they got to the surface. He might have to amend his plans, because now that he had Daniel, he’d rather gnaw his own arm off than be parted from him. With any luck, Daniel would be amenable to Chaol avenging his brother. If not…