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I squawked at the offer, and Sariel laughed, rolling off the bed when I swatted playfully at him. He held his hands up in a placating gesture, grinning.
“I’m good, thanks! I’ll get one after you.”
My tone shouldn’t have sounded as breathy as it did, considering he was doing nothing more than backing toward our shared bathroom. The bedroom eyes and cocky smirk were definitely weakening my resolve to resist his invitation, though.
“Suit yourself,” he all but purred as he yanked his shirt over his head, and suddenly, the rush of hormones was back.
I shuddered at the view, eyes fixated on the planes of his chest and stomach. When his hands dipped to his pants, I was able to snap out of it and throw a pillow to speed up his slow walk to the bathroom.
This earned me another bark of laughter from the man, and he shut the door behind him.
The heat crawling under my skin didn’t dissipate just because I couldn’t see him. I was tempted to try working out some of the tension myself by the time he finally exited, towel hanging low around his hips.
I bolted into the bathroom, not even caring about the steam fogging the mirror nor the fact I’d probably need to wait for the water to heat back up.
Sariel knocked on the door as I stared at myself in the blurry mirror. “I forgot that I have to go meet up with Johnny for a bit, pup, but I’ll leave you some pajamas on the bed. I’ll be back before you fall asleep.”
“Okay! Tell Marilyn I said hi,” I called back, leaning heavily on the counter.
The feeling started to fade the moment I heard the bedroom door shut, and I blew out a trembling breath.
I couldn’t live like this. It was too much, and I didn’t know how to make it stop.
My shower was uneventful and speedy because I needed to see Neo right now. I needed to clear all this paranoia from my head before I let my body talk me into solidifying the bond—a bond Sariel himself didn’t seem to be feeling as acutely as I was.
In fact, it felt like I was the only one dealing with this… this suddenneediness.
Thankfully, by the time I was dressed in pajamas and scampering down to Neo’s apartment, Sariel hadn’t returned, so I didn’t have to answer any uncomfortable questions.
My knock was hurried. I couldn’t stop looking over my shoulder. The sensation of being watched was almost as bad as the rest of it, and when my friend finally opened his door, I could have cried.
“What were you trying to tell me before? About Sariel acting weird?” I asked desperately.
Neo gave me a worried look, glancing over my shoulder, before letting me in with a slow nod.
“Thank fuck. I thought I was going to have to shake some sense into you.”
The door shut with a thud, and Neo got to talking.
“So basically, you think Sariel is possessed?” I questioned once he finished pointing out how fucking weird my mate had been lately.
He made a face. “Or replaced entirely.”
That thought filled me with dread.
I tried to block the bond off as best I could. My entire body was suddenly freezing, shaking under the weight of the implications. “Wouldn't I know?”
Neo gave me a pitying look when I managed to croak the question out.
“Not necessarily. Archdemons—which would be my guess if he really was replaced—are…uniquecreatures. They can play with people’s emotional states and perceptions of reality. Angels are typically more resistant to it, but stronger ones might be able to trick us, too.”
“But… But, the bond—”
“If Sariel was locked in one of the cages that the Upper Council has, it would be muted anyway. Easy enough to mimic without your actual mate to butt in.”
The words poured over me like water, dragging a shudder from me as he watched me process the implications. “And our telepathy?”
“Demons can do that anyway. It’s part of how they torment people.”
