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“Micah? Can I come in?” I whisper the words as if speaking them out loud might cause the room to burst into flames. I don’t even know what to do or say, but I want to be here for him.
He nods in silence, keeping his gaze trained on the tile floor. I shuffle into the bathroom and stop short of him, catching sight of his ravaged back where his wings used to be. I inhale a soft breath and grab a washcloth from the shelf of clean linen. Micah tips his head and peeks at me. I press my lips into a thin line and climb into the tub behind him.
Turning on the faucet, I warm the water and soak the washcloth. “Is it okay if I help you clean your wounds? I doubt Kase or Dante will. I imagine they hurt, which is why you haven’t showered.”
“I can handle pain just fine. I was just...I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel lost yet free. If that makes sense.” Micah straightens his back and groans, reaching over his shoulder to graze his fingers over the still burning and bleeding jagged wounds. It looks as if Kase or Dante cut the remaining pieces of his wings away, but didn’t do much else.
I carefully squeeze warm water over his back. “It does. That’s how I felt after breaking up with Jo—with my ex before I lost my job and had to crawl back to him for help. I was scared to death of being on my own but finally getting away from his intolerable ass...” I let my voice trail off. “I guess it’s not really the same.”
Micah shifts his torso, trying not to move too much, but it’s obvious he’s in pain. I stop cleaning his wounds and rest my hands on his shoulders, bending forward to look at him. He clenches his jaw and blinks his orange flickering eyes, offering me a tight smile.
“I think you were very brave for choosing to create your own path despite the obstacles set before you.” Micah’s features soften and he reaches up and rests his warm hand on mine. “Far braver than I ever could be. Look at where you are. You’re tending to the wounds of a disgraced man without even an ounce of hesitation despite his failures.”
I frown. “Micah, you didn’t fail. I’ve told you that already.”
“I could’ve prevented putting you in Cassius’s path. I should’ve accepted that the Higher Power turned a deaf ear to my prayers. The silence wasn’t because it was listening. Nothing was there.” His face twists with his anger, and he growls, unleashing a glimmer of his devilish side.
I grab his face and turn him to me, trapping him in my gaze. “Stop it, Micah. I’m fine. Better than ever. Facing them made me realize how frightened they really are by the extent of our power. They know it will only be a matter of time.”
I can’t stop smirking with my words. I never thought such a thing as teasing angels and planning for their falls would be so sweet. How twisted is that? But what can I say? Kase and Dante make bad feel so incredible. I want more.
His eyes roam over my face, and he finally graces me with his handsome smile. “You beautiful heathen. I think I need you to teach me a couple lessons on how to enjoy this new eternity.”
I suck my bottom lip between my teeth. “I might have something to start with. You’re a bit too pure still.”
Cocking an eyebrow, he laces his fingers around my wrist and pulls my hand to his cock, the bold move sending an excited thrill through me. I laugh and pull my hand away, wagging my index finger at him.
“Careful, Micah. Kase and Dante have rules around here,” I say, getting to my feet. “You don’t want them to punish me, do you? I kind of like it.”
Hooking his fingers around my waist, he pulls me to stand between his muscular thighs. My eyes wander down the length of his body, feeling his arousal brush against my leg a few inches above my knee. Even standing, I feel small, his presence enough to fill the room even if it’s me who peers down at him. Micah digs his fingers into my hips, the heat of his touch sending a jolt of crazy desire through me. But I know I shouldn’t give in to him. I’m still high on adrenaline and nerves, and I know once I give him an inch, he’ll take a mile. He’s a glutton for me after all.
“My beautiful heathen, you can’t honestly think I believe you are one to obey some rules meant to keep you compliant and a plaything at their disposal? You’re not enslaved to them. You are not their soul.” Micah smirks as he says the words, but I glimpse a shadow of darkness crossing his features. The soft gentleness he once embodied hardens as he pulls himself from the imaginary crater I envision he left in his wake when he abandoned his brethren. It’s the same level of Hell I assume awaits him to claim the throne. The fierce angel who couldn’t let me go so easily is now a powerful devil. I should be nervous about the thought of him raising Hell around me. I shouldn’t even humor his words. But his darkness tangles with my light, drawing me closer and closer.
He stands up, lifting me off my feet. I gasp at the sensation of his hard shaft flexing and thumping against the seam of my jeans. He hugs his arm around my back and combs his fingers into my hair, holding my head. His skin trembles, his jaw tightening. His inner beast threatens to break free, wanting nothing more than to have me any way he pleases.
“Micah,” I whisper, his name a breath of a moan as he slides his hot hand lower toward my ass.
“They think they own you, but your contract is open to two devils who take a throne. Maybe I’ll teach them a lesson and show them who you truly belong to. I didn’t abandon the Higher Power for nothing, Raven. I did it for you. For your soul. It can be mine forever. Don’t you like the sound of that?” Micah bows closer, his fiery heat radiating through me. “You want me to claim your soul.”
The sudden shift in his demeanor lights a curiosity inside me. I should be afraid, but Micah doesn’t scare me. I’ve learned over the last couple of weeks that I have a thing for possessive devils, and I want to discover the new dark side of Micah.
I lick my lips and slowly shake my head. “Just because you jumped for me doesn’t mean you can have me.”
“Is that so?” he asks, leaning closer, his lips inches from mine. “Do you really think this is how it’s going to work? You’re mine.”
The room rattles and quakes, and I dig my nails into Micah’s shoulders. The putrid smell of the gates of Hell opening wafts into the bathroom, knocking my sense back into me. It’s now that I realize why Micah suddenly changed. As Hell opens, it’ll tease his devil side, awakening something in him he must learn to tame.
Glowering, Micah spins and kicks the door closed. He shoves the free standing cabinet onto its side, blocking the door. I gasp as the world blurs. Micah presses my back into the cool shower wall and bows forward, parting his full lips to kiss me.
Kase roars from the hallway and kicks the door open, sending toiletries scattering across the floor. The apartment rumbles, igniting a blip of fear in my heart. I thought I’d have more time with Micah. I thought I’d get at least another day.
“Time to go, Micah. Lucian will not be kept waiting,” Kase says, his deep voice booming through the room. “You know what must be done.”
Micah flares his nostrils, grinding his teeth. “I’m not leaving without Raven.”
Oh shit.
I don’t get a chance to react before Micah laces his fingers around my throat and squeezes. He cuts off my airway, crushing my neck, and I try to gasp and scream, but he’s too powerful. Punching my fists against his head, I fight with my slipping strength. My heartbeat thuds in my ears. The edges of my vision shadow. Micah’s lost himself to Hell, and he plans to take me with him.
