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For the first time, he'd seen a flash of darkness in Eldon's eyes and he knew the man would sustain more than a few injuries. But it still wasnotenough. Arden resisted his dragon that curled in his belly and bellowed his anger at leaving the situation. The man should have been ripped to shreds, shocked to a crisp, and smeared across the alley. He didn't deserve to live. Not after what he'd done to Micha.
Arden hadn’t been able to control himself. Porter had run into problems before and he’d been able to keep a cool, clear head. But when it came to Micha? He snapped.
The Nephilim's fingers curled into his shirt and Arden's murderous rage calmed a bit. He'd stoppedforMicha. Seeing him on the ground, screaming, had awoken something primal inside of him. No matter how much he loved to mess with the angel, no one was allowed to make him cry like that.
No one.
Arden typed in his code and the door to his quarters unlocked. He shoved it open and carried Micha inside before he closed it behind them. The room was nice and warm, but dark as he made his way through the entrance, past his office, and finally into his bedroom. He turned on a light on the bedside table instead of the one overhead and dimmed it until it was soft. He sat Micha on the bed and tried to straighten up, but the angel clung to him, and his tears started up all over again.
"Don't," Micha choked out. "Please, don't leave me."
Arden's heart did flip-flops in his chest. The terror in Micha's voice made him want to comfort and soothe him. Arden held Micha tightly as he sat on the bed and dragged the Nephilim onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around him and stared ahead as Micha sniffled.
"Stop that," Arden mumbled, irritated. "When have tears ever solved anything?"
Micha let out a hiccup and sniffled harder. "Never," he wailed. "It's n-never, e-ever helped me."
Arden squeezed him more tightly. Emotions weren’t his strong suit, but he had to take a different approach. Being gruff and firm wasn't going to soothe Micha. But he had locked up all of his feelings a long time ago. He could feel them as if through a heavy film but they were just out of reach.
But as Micha hiccuped again and shuddered in his arms, Arden sighed.He needs help.And no one was there but him. Arden scooped Micha up once more and the Nephilim's legs wrapped around his waist tightly. He let him and carried Micha into the bathroom before he sat him on the counter.
"You have to let go of me."
"No!" Micha said stubbornly before his grip tightened.
Arden raised a brow. He didn't know the nephilim had it in him to be stern. Micha was unlike any half-angel he'd ever met before. Most of them were arrogant, rude, and cold. But Micha was different. He was delicate.
"I said let go, boy," he growled. "And when you do, I'll run a bath. You're covered in soda and who knows what else from the floor. Now, you're going to let me go and sit here. Do you understand?"
Micha sniffed hard. "Y-yes," he whispered.
Slowly, he untangled his arms from around Arden's neck and his legs from around his waist. When Arden stepped back, Micha gazed up at him with huge, sad eyes. He clutched Arden's sleeve still as if he couldn't let go completely.
"I'm not going anywhere," Arden said. He heard the edge in his voice and forced himself to try again. "When you let go I'll start the bathtub and then I'll put you in it when it's ready. Alright?"
Micha stared at him as if he didn't quite believe a word he said. Like he thought letting Arden go meant the dragon would disappear and leave him all alone. Arden reached for his hand and slowly released the Nephilim's fingers before he reached up and brushed tears off of his ruddy cheeks.
"Breathe," Arden commanded. "You'll hyperventilate."
Micha hiccuped. "I'm trying."
"That's good enough," Arden reassured as he cradled his cheek. "As long as you try."
Micha nodded at him and Arden watched his shoulders drop a bit. Once he turned from Micha, he immediately turned on the tub and got it going. Normally, he didn't keep anything fancy around. He preferred showers to baths and efficiency to luxury when it came to bathing. But Spooky had made himself right at home and perched on the ledge was a bottle of lavender bubble bath, several scrub brushes, something called exfoiliant, and moisturizers galore. Arden had told him to remove all of it more than once, but a new bottle always took the place of the old one and each knickknack suddenly appeared when he turned around.
Arden turned around and looked at Micha. The blue outfit he'd been dressed in had snatched his attention right away when he first saw him. Now, it was ripped in places, the delicate blue exposing more creamy, pale skin. His wings drooped as well and in the reflection of the mirror, he saw sticky soda there as well, marring Micha's beautiful pink and blue feathers.
"Get undressed."
"I can't," Micha whispered as he gazed up at him with those big, pink eyes. "Help me."
Arden couldn't say no. The old him would have turned away and not given a shit. When had he grown a heart? And when had his emotions started to overwhelm him even while he continued to try to keep them back?
He reached out and worked quietly to pull the fabric from Micha's body, but it was difficult. Arden wasn't used to gossamer, delicate clothing. He tore his own clothes off and tossed them into baskets with impunity. The thin outfit felt like some kind of medieval torture.
A growl echoed past Arden's lips as he gave up and ripped the clothes roughly. Micha gasped, his eyes even wider as he squirmed in his spot. Arden gripped his chin.
"Hold still."
