AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Okay," Micha said as he instantly stilled. "Sorry."
"Don't say sorry anymore," Arden countered. "I told you before there is nothing to be sorry for."
Micha nodded. "Right," he said with resolve. "Nothing to be sorry for."
Arden smiled at the look of determination on his face. Behind it, he could still see the fear on his face and he knew Micha was upset. But he was trying. That made Arden want to help him even more. Micha might be a crybaby, but there was silent strength underneath it all that the dragon admired.
He went back to taking off Micha's clothes until the boy was naked. Arden reached out and gently petted the angel's head. Micha's eyes watered, his face screwed up, and he whimpered as if he was about to start crying all over again.
"Do not," Arden demanded. "If you start crying again, boy, I swear I'll give you a reason for tears." The man could only take so much. If he had to see Micha crying one more time, he would go on a rampage and find the man that had dared to hurt him before ripping him into tiny, little, pieces.
Keep your composure.
Micha nodded. "Sor- I mean, okay."
"Good boy," Arden said as he stroked his fingers through Micha's hair again. "The water should be warm and I added some lavender bubble bath to it. I’ve heard it helps people relax."
He turned to the tub and checked the water. It was warm enough for Micha. He turned off the faucets and spun to find Micha still perched on the counter. The angel chewed his bottom lip so hard Arden knew he'd bite right through it. He crossed the room and pried Micha's lip free of his teeth.
"Don't do that," he lectured.
"You're just like Eldon," Micha whispered shakily. "Looking out for me. I don't know why," he muttered as he toyed with his fingers. Finally, he met Arden's gaze. "Will you...take a bath with me?" he whispered. "I don't want to..." He closed his eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and tried again. "Ican'tbe alone."
Arden searched his face but saw only truth in those eyes. He nodded without saying a word and stripped out of the button-up shirt that he wore. Arden tossed it to the side before he kicked off his shoes and discarded the rest of his clothes. He quickly washed his hands in the sink.
"Are you hurt?" Micha whispered as he watched the pink water swirl down the drain.
"No," Arden said. "His blood, not mine."
Micha frowned. "Oh. That's my fault too," he whispered.
"Stop," Arden said as he shook his hands and shut the water off. He picked Micha up again and cradled him against his body. "Let's get you cleaned up and we'll talk."
Micha shivered. "I don't want to talk," he whispered.
"I know."
Arden hadn't displayed the same behavior as Micha, but he had certainly felt that way before. The terror, the screaming, the pain. It played for him on repeat often, but he kept it locked away, hidden beneath layers of steel and stone so that no one could ever call him weak.
He lowered both of them into the tub since Micha refused to let him go. Arden leaned back against the side of the garden tub and Micha clung to him even then. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and watched as Micha examined the area around them.
Arden's bathroom was unique. There were live vines on the walls and wrapped around the showerhead. They were plants from his home and they sported bright, purple blossoms. Arden kept them around, needing their aroma and their comfort when he missed the place that he'd come from. Micha reached out, his elegant fingers grazed a petal and he jumped before he reached out again and sighed.
"They're Dragon's Myth," Arden said softly as he pushed his fingers through the water and cupped his hand. He lifted it and dripped water over Micha's back. "A vine and flower from my home."
Micha gazed at him. "They're beautiful," he whispered.
Like you.
The thought was both quick and invasive. Arden ground his teeth together hard and glanced away from Micha. It wasn't his fault that the angel had an...allure about him. He'd noticed it the day he arrived and the feeling had never gone away.
Micha wrapped his arms around him once more. "Thank you," he whispered. "For...for..."
"It doesn't matter," Arden whispered back as he gripped Micha's back tightly. "It's my job to keep all of you safe. One of us should have noticed he was being rude to you a lot sooner. That shit is never tolerated here. It’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”
The lie spilled from his lips when he knew it was so much more than that. He looked after many a soul that waltzed through PGD's doors, but he had never shared a bathtub with one of them. His hand slipped down Micha's back and he surprisingly felt turned on, but also, caring. It was more than wanting to throw him down and fuck him. There was something else underneath.
His fingers swept through Micha's feathers and the Nephilim jerked up. Micha panted, his head shaking back and forth as he shot away from Arden.
