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Still, he could sense her, like an itch he couldn’t scratch. It was stronger than it had been, though Micah wasn’t sure if it was because he was becoming more used to her—or because he’d stopped resisting the pull toward his witch.
Following Polly’s advice the evening at Cinder’s cabin, he flew away on his own. It was the last thing he wanted to do. If he could, he’d park his boots just outside and watch over her. Sam spent millennia being a guardian angel. His brother could give him some pointers.
Sam agreed with Polly, though. At first, Micah wanted to accuse him of only siding with Polly because she was his soulmate. Before he had, Sam laid out his reasons. Cinder had the key and, according to Micah, even Lucifer acknowledged that he couldn’t touch her while she was still alive and on Earth. He’d be breaking the terms of his own contract, something that he couldn’t do without risking the tenuous stability of Hell.
Did that mean he couldn’t manipulate the situation so that Cinder’s soul was returned to the Pit sooner than later? Of course not. Micah was almost sure that Lucifer was figuring out another plan, another scheme, another curse to repay her for betraying him. He didn’t take too lightly to that, and he already captured Becca once, dragging her to Hell after she told Raze all about his most recent curse. She found her own way out, running right back to Raze. After that, his brother bonded her to him, claiming her soul as his.
The temptation was there. Micah didn’t need it spelled out to him to realize that, if he bonded Cinder to him, she would be safe. Like Micah, she’d be immortal.
Too bad they were basically strangers.
Polly confirmed it. Cinder had no idea who he was, who the Angels of Sin City were, or that she’d once been his beloved lifemate. Even though Micah never had the chance to claim her, he’d always considered her his other half—and now she was just as far out of his reach as she was when he believed she was dead.
She needed time. It was like Phoenix all over again. She needed to get to know him. Without her memories, she saw him as a stranger. Worse than that, because he had expectations that she had no idea how to fulfill—and she had no intention of doing so.
How Polly got all of that out of her in the short time she was in the cabin amazed Micah. He couldn’t believe she’d willingly left the angels’ talisman behind, but the more he saw how her mind worked, the more he understood that she was right.
Now, as before, he needed to let Cinder come to him.
Phoenix had. First, to apologize for trying to attack him with fire when she thought he was an intruder, and then because she couldn’t deny the fledgling bond that sprang up between them after Micah recognized her as his mate.
Hoping their second chance was similar enough to the first time they met, Micah had to trust in the fact that Cinder could take care of herself. She’d already proven she could when she refused to give Lucifer the key, and he only hoped that she could handle it if he came back before she decided to see Micah again.
Polly was sure that she would. He had to put his faith in his brother’s soulmate. It was easy, too, since Polly swore that she’d find a way to steal the key back if she was wrong. Of course, then she added that she was never wrong, and Sam started teasing her about the time she decided to snatch a vampire’s wallet and… yeah. By then, Micah was tired of being around the happy soulmates while he was forced to leave his behind.
That was three days ago. Three torturous days where he spend his mornings obsessing over Cinder, absently tugging on their bond, fearing the moment she would disappear from the other side of it. Three evenings where he took his post at his desk just outside of House of Sin, filling out paperwork, meeting with Cael, running the numbers alongside Raze when he could bear to be separated from Becca. The initial lust that overwhelmed him after claiming Becca had faded enough that Raze wasn’t constantly leading her to their penthouse apartment, but now Sam was the one who refused to leave the bed he shared with Polly.
No big loss, really, since Micah and Raze basically ran the day-to-day operations for their casino, but still. He would’ve liked the help when it came to dealing with Raze’s pissy mood.
Sam told Raze about the key the day after Polly left it with Cinder. To say Raze was angry was an understatement. Though he didn’t shout, he poured his fury into his aura until even the wards surrounding their office buckled under the weight. Slots went down for twenty minutes before Cael and his team could get them back up and running. After that, at least Raze bitched more about the lost revenue than Polly’s meddling.
Micah knew better. Once he understood that the witch who had the key was Micah’s soulmate, Raze seemed to cool off. After watching his brother suffer for four decades, he wasn’t going to let his need to micromanage get in the way of Micah finally finding his happily-ever-after.
The old Raze would’ve scoffed. The old Raze had. But the Raze who adored Becca with every inch of his being… he was willing to see if Cinder would come around before he did something about her.
Raze gave Micah until the end of the week to see if she’d come to the casino. Polly had given Cinder her phone number, plus the address for House of Sin, so it wasn’t like Cinder didn’t know how to get in touch with any of them.
On the fourth evening, she did.
He almost couldn’t believe it. The only thing that kept him sane over the last few days was keeping tabs on her every movement. As far as he could tell through their bond, she hadn’t left the cabin at all except for a few short trips. That evening, he sensed her on the move, hardly daring to assume where she was going until he sensed her getting closer and closer.
He’d been in the office. Tossing some nonsense excuse to Raze—that he doubted his brother accepted or believed—Micah ran his shaky fingers through his hair, then hurried to intercept Cinder as she hesitantly walked into the lobby of the hotel.
She had Crow with her. Her familiar was riding on her shoulder, almost daring anyone to refuse him entry into the faction-run building.
That wasn’t all she had, either.
He couldn’t see it, but she had the key. From how a few faction beings milling around the lobby reacted, he wasn’t sure if they were noticing the pulse of celestial power she carried with her, the witch magic clinging to her, or the crow she wore as an accessory. It didn’t matter. Micah didn’t like it, and he picked up his pace to meet her.
One look. That was all it took. One look and he knew that, for whatever reason, she’d come to see him.
Thank the Heavenly Father.
Before she could open her mouth and say anything to him, he gestured to her elbow. At her puzzled look, he said, “May I?”
Her expression didn’t change, though she did nod.
He took her elbow gently, leading her away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Micah didn’t want to waste time heading to the elevator to usher her up to the third floor where the casino was. Instead, he led her into one of the back corridors where he was sure they could have some privacy.
Once he had, he reluctantly let go of her arm before greeting her with a nod. “Cinder. Hello.”
Her lips twitched. “You remember.”
Considering how many times he pissed her off using her old name? Yeah. He remembered. “Of course.”
“And you’re Micah.”
I’m your soulmate.
