Beyond the Storm:

A Sons of the Fallen Companion

Jaclyn Osborn

Beyond the Storm (A Sons of the Fallen Companion)

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

Text Copyright February ©2023

Published by Jaclyn Osborn

All rights reserved.

Cover Design by Sleepy Fox Studio

Edited by One Love Editing

No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written consent of the copyright holders. The author acknowledges all trademarks listed in this work.

Table of Contents

Note to Reader

Stories of Happily Ever After

Galen & Simon

Castor & Kyo

Daman & Warrin

Gray & Mason

Bellamy & Phoenix

Raiden & Titan

Alastair & Lazarus

Kallias: A Sons of the Fallen Novella

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Sons of the Fallen Extras

Q&A with the Nephilim Brothers

Deleted Scene

Celestial Records:

Relaxing with the Author:

Other Books by Jaclyn Osborn

Note to Reader

Hello, dear reader! Thank you for grabbing a copy of this book. The events in this companion take place over a year after the epilogue in Alastair’s book.

I can never explain how much this series means to me. Saying goodbye is hard. Writing this companion gave me some closure, and I hope it does the same to every reader who fell for these silly Nephilim boys during the seven-book journey.

In this companion, you’ll get a glimpse into each couple’s happily ever after. You’ll find low-angst swoony romance, sexy times, and a ton of heart. The stories are sweet and lack the drama of the series (lol).

Also, since Kallias never got his own book in the series, he has a novella in this companion!

Fun extras are also included. Someone—I’m blaming Raphael—stole Uriel’s personal notes, took a peek, and accidentally leaked them to all of you. Baxter also decided to sit down with each of the Nephilim brothers for an exclusive interview. What did he ask them? And more importantly, did he survive it? You’ll have to read and find out.

I hope you enjoy!

-Jaclyn

Stories of Happily Ever After

Where the Nephilim brothers and their mates are now.

Galen & Simon

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Galen

He still smelled like the rain.

Simon soothed the restless beast inside me, and I could never hold him close enough.

“Hey, big guy?” Simon mumbled against my chest. He gently patted my back. “I, uh, can’t breathe.”

“If you can talk, you can breathe.” I eased my hold on him and pulled back. His glasses had gone askew, and I fixed them with a smile. “I thought you liked my crushing hugs.”

“I do.” Simon returned my smile. “But I also like, you know, oxygen.”

“Smart-ass.”

“It’s part of my charm.” His palms slid along my chest. “Pretty sure it’s how I snagged a stud like you. The first day you walked into my shop, I was like, ‘Damn. I want to climb him like a tree.’ Remember how you tried to flirt to get into my storage room?”

“How could I forget?” I smoothed aside his sandy-brown bangs. “You told me no.”

He laughed. “That feels like a million years ago. A lot has changed since then.” Closing his eyes, he leaned into my touch. “And I don’t regret a single moment.”

“Neither do I.”

Every moment had led me to him. It had led us to where we were now—living life without the threat of war hanging over our heads. My brothers and I had fought hard for so long and sacrificed so much.

And now, we could finally live in peace.

“Excuse me?” an older woman browsing the shelves in the antique shop asked. She held up a mantle clock. “Is this really two hundred bucks? Seems like a rip-off to me.”

“Take a breath, big guy,” Simon whispered. “Don’t murder the little old lady.”

“Well, the little old lady needs to keep her goddamn mouth shut.”

Simon chuckled under his breath before stepping toward her. “That price is actually a steal. It was made by the Ansonia Clock Company in the late 1800s. If you look right here, you’ll see how…”

As he continued to explain the history, she looked at the clock with more interest.

I glanced at the storefront windows. Rain pelted the sidewalk, and people passed by, hunkered beneath umbrellas. Those without pulled up their jacket hoods and rushed toward their vehicles parked on the street. The wet, overcast day didn’t keep the citizens of Echo Bay from shopping.

The woman decided to buy the clock—for her nephew who collected those types of things, she said. Simon scanned her debit card, carefully wrapped the item, and handed it back to her, telling her to enjoy the rest of her Saturday. More customers trickled in and out of the shop, some browsing before leaving and others finding treasures to take home.

Simon smiled each time he spoke to a customer. He was meant to do this. Not stressing over battle or worrying that I, or one of my brothers, wouldn’t come home. He looked happy.

I loved him.

“Mine,” Wrath said with a purr.

“Ours,” I reminded the grumpy bastard.

Around noon, we closed the shop for lunch and walked over to his favorite Chinese restaurant. After we ate, we stopped by the coffee shop for two large lattes to go. I bought him a banana nut muffin, too, after catching him eyeing it. Despite what he believed, he was beautiful, and if he wanted a muffin, by the gods, he would get one. Once returning to the store, I unlocked the front door and flipped the sign back to Open.

To some, it might’ve seemed mundane, but I enjoyed the easygoing flow of it all. I enjoyed working with Simon and seeing that gleam in his eyes while surrounded by the shop he loved. It was just another amazing, typical day.

Until it wasn’t.

“What’s this?” Simon asked as he approached the front counter.

A black box sat on top. A box that wasn’t there earlier.

“Wait. Don’t touch it.” I placed my hand on his lower back, gently guiding him away from the counter.

“I’m sure it’s harmless,” he said. “You’re so suspicious of everything.”

“Of course I am.” I stepped closer and examined the box without touching it. It was solid black with a simple silver clasp, no markings on the outside. “Ominous boxes don’t just appear out of nowhere. Someone waited until we left for lunch before dropping it off.”

“Well, the shop still has protective warding, so a demon couldn’t have teleported inside.” Simon peeked around me. “But I have to agree. It is kind of ominous. And this shop doesn’t exactly have the best history when it comes to antique boxes showing up out of the blue.”

The back of my neck prickled. Was I overreacting? Was I so used to conflict and the evils of the world that I saw threats everywhere I looked?

“We should open it,” Simon said.

“Correction, I will open it. You stay where you are.”

He sighed but didn’t argue.

I sensed no energy coming from it. A good sign. The box containing the ring with Asa’s soul had radiated a strong negative energy even while closed. This one held no power that I could detect. I popped the latch and eased the lid open.

“What is it?” Simon asked, leaning closer.

Red velvet lined the inside. A folded piece of parchment sat on top, the paper antiquated. Frowning, I unfolded it to reveal a handwritten note. The ink smudged around the edges of the fancy lettering. A single sentence was written: You’re formally invited to a night you’ll never forget.

“It’s an invitation,” I said.

“To what?” Simon squinted at the paper. “That’s… weird. It doesn’t say anything else? Give a location or time?”

I turned the paper over. “No. Nothing.”

My unease from earlier returned. The box might not contain a cursed item or be infused with dark magic, but the mysterious message didn’t bode well.

I tapped into my telepathic link with my brothers. The distance prevented me from reaching some of them, but one was close enough.

“Gray. Where are you?”

“Trapped in a comfy bed,” he responded. “A Marine has me barricaded against his strong body. He’s hot though.”

“But you’re okay? Has anything strange happened?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Gray’s tone turned serious. “Are you?”

“Yes.” I then told him about the mysterious box.

“You’re invited to something? Can I go too?”

“No other details were given.”

“That’s dumb. Any idea who coulda sent it?”

“I was hoping you knew.” Because truth be told, it sounded like something one of my brothers would do just to fuck with me.

“Nope,” he said. “No clue.”

I ended the line of communication with him and focused back on the box. After double-checking that nothing else was inside, I studied the note again. “A night you’ll never forget. Whatever this is will happen once the sun sets.”

“That gives us a few hours of daylight to investigate.” Simon smiled at me. “Is it weird that I’m kind of excited?”

“This could be a threat,” I pointed out. “Possibly from one of Lucifer’s former followers out for revenge, like an upper-level demon or a fallen angel. I should call Alastair.” I grabbed my phone and dialed his number.

However, my eldest brother had no answers either. He listened as I explained the situation and then told me to tread cautiously. At least he was taking it seriously. Then again, he took most everything seriously. He saw the same shadows I did, the monsters that lurked around every corner, threats that were just waiting for the moment to swoop in and fuck shit up.

It would take much longer than a year to change thousands of years of habit. Vague invitations showing up in black boxes didn’t help.

“Um, Galen?”

I set my phone on the counter and looked at Simon. He pointed to a shelf on the other side of the room. Another black box, this one with a red bow on top.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I mumbled, charging over to it. “If someone is fucking with us, I’m going to rip off their head. I’m done playing games.”

I opened the box and snarled at the contents. A folded letter sat on top of the silky lining. The parchment matched the other one, same vintage look. A growl rumbled in my chest as I snatched it up and crumbled it in my hand.

“Let me see it.” Simon reached for the paper, and I handed it to him. He smoothed out the wrinkles. “Another message.”

It read: The turning of another year. A toast to sinful delights and wicked whims. Fire will rise beneath the bright moonlight. The path in the forest will lead the way.

Simon cocked his head. “Fire will rise?”

My mind bounced from one theory to the next. Fire could be referring to the underworld. And it rising could mean a demon uprising, perhaps? “Okay. If I wasn’t pissed before, I certainly am now. This is bullshit.”

“The path in the forest.” Simon frowned. “Echo Bay is surrounded by a lot of wooded areas. Where do they mean?”

Spotting the edge of another piece of paper tucked inside the box, I unfolded it. A hand-drawn map. Depicted was the shoreline, trees, and a section of the harbor with detailed illustrations of boats and the warehouse district.

“A map?” Simon’s brow wrinkled as he scrutinized it. “Oh. There’s the lighthouse.” He pointed to it before gliding his finger over to a red mark within the forest. “X marks the spot. I guess that’s where we need to go.”

“Not a chance.” I pulled him into my arms. “It’s obviously some sort of trap. You aren’t going anywhere near the forest. No amount of pouting will change that.”

Simon huffed. “Have you forgotten how lethal I am with a spatula? Just ask Sven… wherever that creepy little demon is. You need me.”

I cupped his cheek. “Of course I need you. I always will. That’s why I’m dropping you off at Clara’s and going alone.”

“Dropping me off? I’m not a child. I’m a grown-ass adult and can make my own decisions.”

“Simon…”

“Galen,” he shot back. “I’m going with you. Deal with it.”

My lips twitched. “Careful, baby. Keep acting like a brat and I’ll treat you like one.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?”

Damn him. I laughed. Only Simon could smooth my rough edges.

“What if it’s a treasure map?” he then asked, face brightening.

“My only treasure in this life is right here in my hands.”

“You sap.” But Simon’s cheeks darkened with a blush as he said it.

“Keep him safe,” Wrath grumbled at me.

“As if I need the reminder. He’s my everything.”

“Mine too,” my sin replied.

My relationship with Wrath had shifted since Lucifer’s defeat. Did he still scratch at my insides and try to break free? Yes. But where we used to rarely communicate and butted heads when we did, Wrath spoke to me more now. The intense anger I’d always carried deep in my core had eased some as well. Maybe it had happened when we’d been transferred into Night Fall. Or maybe as Lucifer drew his final breath, the darkness in each of us had faded a bit. Like a ray of sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

Mephistopheles theorized that our sins weren’t curses at all but rather soul weapons. If that was true, maybe Lucifer’s death gave us more control over them.

I called Alastair and updated him on the second message.

“I’ll meet you at the forest entrance,” he said. “However, this could be nothing.”

“Or it could be Purah or Vepar,” I countered. “Or any number of enemies pissed at us for killing their king.”

“I suppose we’ll soon find out.”

That, we would. And if it was someone who dared rise against me or my family? I’d set Wrath free, giving him total control to rip them to shreds.

***

“Hey, at least the rain stopped.” Simon peered up at the sky. The dark clouds from earlier had cleared, showing the stars.

I brought him closer to my side and swept my gaze amongst the trees. Every muscle tensed. I tapped into my superhuman senses, trying to pick up demonic or fallen angel energies. A light thud came from behind me.

“Evening,” Alastair said, his large black-and-purple wings fanning behind him before he tucked them into his shoulder blades. A shirt was in his hand, and he quickly put it on, smoothing down the front. His wedding ring caught my eye. Two stones sat in the middle of the band, one purple and one white. A symbol of him and his mate.

“Where’s Laz?” Simon asked just as the flap of wings came from above us. “Oh. Never mind.”

Lazarus landed beside Alastair, his snow-white feathers a contrast to the encroaching darkness of night. He wore an identical ring to my brother’s.

Fate had brought Simon to me in the same way it had brought Alastair and the angel together. The same way it had brought all of my brothers their mates. The strings of fate, though sometimes tangled and messy, always united the souls destined to be together. And who was I to argue with destiny?

“Show me the letters,” Lazarus said. He then glanced at Alastair, as if reacting to an unspoken thought. He probably was, considering how they could speak telepathically. “I refuse to say please. And you forget, I don’t take orders from you, Pride.”

Alastair smirked.

I pulled the pages from my back pocket and handed them over. Lazarus skimmed the writing, his expression devoid of emotion. Unreadable. He then returned them to me without a word.

“So?” I asked, impatient. “Any thoughts?”

The angel shifted his icy eyes to me. “The message clearly said to find the path in the forest. Quite self-explanatory.”

Wrath growled, the sound rumbling in my chest.

Simon slid his palm against mine and linked our fingers. That one touch curbed my mounting irritation. I blew out a breath and gently squeezed his hand to let him know I was calm—that I wasn’t about to kick the angel’s ass despite him deserving such a beating.

Another growl.

Simon lightly chuckled. “Easy, big guy.”

“Please don’t kill my husband, Wrath,” Alastair said. “I’ve grown quite fond of him. Most days.”

Lazarus turned his head away, but not before I saw a ghost of a smile on his lips. The power of a fated mate. Not even the frosty angel could fight the emotions his mate triggered. Much like me with mine.

Simon shivered.

“Dammit,” I said with a slight snarl. “You’re cold. I knew that sweater wasn’t warm enough for you.”

Even at the end of April, the temperature dipped to the mid-40s at night. Sometimes colder.

“I’m fine.” He waved me off.

“Like hell you are.” I took off my jacket and draped it across his shoulders, smoothing my hands up and down his arms. Temperature had little effect on Nephilim, so I’d worn it for this exact reason.

He smiled at me before slipping his arms through the sleeves and zipping it closed. The jacket swallowed him, the bottom of it almost touching his knees. Oversized? Definitely. But at least he was warm. Plus, I loved seeing him in my clothes.

“Now I feel silly,” he mumbled, holding out his arms and moving his wrists. The sleeves hung over his hands.

“I think you’re adorable.” I brought him to my chest and planted a kiss in his hair. The strands were cool beneath my lips. Still holding him, I looked at Alastair. “Someone went to great lengths to lure us here tonight. I hope they’re prepared for the consequences.”

My blood heated, and tingles ran down my spine. The edges of my vision blurred before clearing again. I deeply inhaled, forcing Wrath to calm his shit. Our mate being out in the cold to meet some asshole sending vague messages didn’t sit well with him or me.

“Shall we?” Alastair nodded to the tree line.

The four of us started walking. I guided Simon through the forest, making sure he didn’t get snagged by thorn bushes or trip over tree roots jutting from the ground. My clumsy human. Up ahead, the trees thinned to reveal a clearing.

A dark shape swayed in the air several feet from the grass. It had a faint shine as it moved. Drawing closer, I noticed it was… “A black balloon?”

The string was tied to a rock in the center of the grassy trail.

“There’s something attached,” Lazarus said, voice emotionless, just like his expression. However, as Alastair looked at him, the angel’s eyes swam with unspoken affection.

A small, rolled-up piece of paper was fastened to the balloon’s string, like a mini scroll reminiscent of the ones attached to homing pigeons once upon a time to send messages.

“Are you going to read it?” Simon asked, pressing closer to my side.

I surveyed the area. A weird tingling zapped through my veins. Something felt off. I mean, this entire situation was fucking strange, but as my gaze swept along the forest, I felt exposed, like multiple eyes were locked onto me. Though it was barely audible, there was a soft intake of air as someone waited with bated breath.

I tore the paper from the string and unraveled it.

One word was scribbled across it: Pop.

The balloon then burst, the shrill sound making Simon yelp. I shoved him behind me on impulse and bared my teeth, fists tightening, gearing up to rip someone apart if I had to. But something drew my attention. The inside of the balloon had been filled with… something. Shiny pieces drifted to the ground.

Glitter? Larger pieces mingled with it. Confetti…. in the shape of dicks.

My brain stopped working. I struggled to make sense of it. That’s when I sensed a familiar presence. Several familiar presences.

My brothers.

“Surprise!” multiple voices shouted simultaneously.

Torches flared to life, chasing away the shadows of night and lighting the clearing. My brothers and their mates stood beside a large firepit. Clara, Sirena, Penemuel, and Nico were present as well. A row of tables stretched to the right of them, covered in platters of food. More balloons swayed, a combination of black and red.

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked. I had walked into the forest that night prepared to kill someone. If one of them didn’t start talking, I still might.

Gray bounded forward, wearing a red party hat and waving a pink, penis-shaped wand. “Your surprise party!”

More confusion. “My… what?”

“It was my idea.” Simon faced me, his expression gentle yet also shy. Perhaps a bit nervous too. “I realized I didn’t know your birthday. So I asked Alastair. April 27.”

“Fitting that he’s a Taurus,” Clara muttered. “Stubborn and hotheaded.”

I looked at my brother. “We stopped celebrating birthdays centuries ago.”

“True,” Alastair responded. “Time may be of little consequence when you’ve lived for as long as we have, but the war shifted my perception. We’re fortunate to still be here, and we should celebrate our lives, however infinite they may be. Simon’s request drove that truth home.”

“I’m just glad I asked when I did,” Simon said, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I was afraid your birthday might’ve already passed.”

“How long has this been planned?”

“About two weeks,” he answered.

I slid my hand to his nape. “You kept this from me for two whole weeks?”

“Guilty as charged.”

“We learned about it a few days ago,” Raiden said. “Gave me enough time to plan a menu. I made all your favorites. Barbeque wings, sliders, and strawberry cake.”

“I learned about it this afternoon.” Gray waved the wand around before poking Mason’s cheek with the tip.

Castor snorted. “Yeah, ‘cause you would’ve blabbed and ruined the surprise.”

I looked at Gray. “So when I contacted you about the letters?”

“I had no idea,” he replied.

“Thank the gods for that,” Alastair said under his breath.

The tension I’d carried since finding the first box earlier gradually dispelled. We weren’t about to face another conflict. Our peaceful days weren’t ending. “What was the purpose of the vague letters?”

Bellamy smirked. “Just a bit of fun at your expense.”

“Asshole.”

“I’m shocked you didn’t figure out it was me by the ‘sinful delights and wicked whims’ part.” Bellamy chuckled. “The penis confetti was my idea too.”

“In my defense,” Simon said, “the letters weren’t my idea. I only wanted to throw you a surprise party.”

“And we wanted to fuck with you,” Castor added with a lopsided grin. “But it was also our way of making sure your grumpy ass actually showed up. If you knew it was a party, you’d bail.”

“So, we wove a little mystery to pique your interest.” Alastair grabbed Lazarus’ hand. “I wrote the first note. Cas and Bell wrote the second.”

Castor nodded. “The turning of the year equals your birthday. The fire rising beneath the moon is… well, that.” He nodded to the large firepit.

Phoenix summoned a fireball and set the wood ablaze. The air warmed almost instantly, and I guided Simon closer to it.

“I drew the map,” Daman said, cradling a bundle of blankets in his arms. A blanket that had a tiny hand reaching out. Daman lowered his face to kiss his son’s fingers.

Warrin smiled at them before leaning down to the baby and nuzzling his nose.

I barely recognized Daman. For as long as I’d known him, he’d been so bitter and unfriendly. But with the birth of his son four months ago, his aura had lightened. It had happened once before when he’d realized Warrin was his mate. Sorin’s birth had strengthened the light inside him.

Envy and I might not ever see eye to eye, but I was happy for him.

“Gimme baby Sorin!” Gray rushed over, grinning from ear to ear as he gently tickled the baby’s belly. “He’s grown so much since I last saw him. Aww. Look at those chubby cheeks. I love him.”

The baby really had grown a lot recently, faster than an average human. Warrin was a full-blooded ice dragon, and Daman was a Nephilim. Maybe the magical bloodline encouraged Sorin’s growth. They had used a surrogate, but the baby biologically belonged to both of them with the aid of magic-based science—most of which I didn’t understand, but whatever.

“I get to hold him next,” Castor said.

“Sorin cries every time he sees you,” Daman told him. “Stop traumatizing my son with your ugly face.”

“He adores me,” Castor said before poking the baby’s nose.

Sorin stared at Castor for all of two seconds before his little face crumpled and he started to cry.

“See?” Daman lightly bounced his son and murmured soothing words to calm him.

Alastair placed a hand on my shoulder and offered me a thin smile as our eyes met. “Happy birthday, Galen.”

“You called me Galen and not Wrath? Wow. Why can’t it be my birthday every day?”

He rolled his eyes. “Come tomorrow, I’ll return to my snooty self. Enjoy it while you can.”

Clara threw her arms around my torso and squeezed tight before stepping back. “Were you really surprised? I learned a spell that helped hide our energy from you. It’s one good thing that came from meeting Vepar. Remember how he used the air to hide his presence? I used that as inspiration.”

“Well, you were successful,” I told her.

She beamed. “My gift to you is my presence here. You’re welcome.”

Simon snorted.

“Oh!” she said. “I also made lemon bars for you. Although…” Her green eyes flickered over to Raiden, who was circling the food. “Someone might get them before you do, so hurry and grab one before they mysteriously disappear.”

“Mysteriously. Right.”

Titan touched the small of Raiden’s back and whispered in his ear. My gluttonous brother crinkled his nose with a smile before grabbing a stack of paper plates. He handed one to each of us, and we filled them before sitting around the bonfire. They had brought fold-out chairs and blankets—for the humans to use. Mason wrapped his blanket around Gray and nuzzled his wild blond hair as Gray sat on his lap, feet slowly kicking as he shoved cheesy sliders into his mouth.

Warrin and Daman sat beside me. Daman passed the baby to the ice dragon, and Warrin softly smiled down at him. Sorin had Warrin’s silver hair and light blue eyes but Daman’s dark complexion, nose, and eye shape.

“He’s beautiful,” Simon said.

“Just like kotya,” Warrin responded.

“He looks more like you than me.” Daman rested his cheek on Warrin’s shoulder. “And I love it.”

“Envy doesn’t mind?” I asked.

Daman shook his head. “Surprisingly, no. Envy is happy about that.” He seemed hesitant before asking, “Do you… want to hold him?”

“No,” I said on impulse. Babies and I didn’t mix well. I feared I’d accidentally be too rough and break him or something.

“Okay. My turn, then.” Bellamy came over, and Warrin handed the baby to him. He cradled Sorin and smiled. “Your uncle Bell is going to spoil the hell out of you, little guy.”

“Don’t teach him any of your bad habits,” Daman said.

“Bad habits?” Bellamy brought Sorin up and pressed their cheeks together. “Baby Sor, tell your daddy to stop being mean to me.”

Simon had finished his food and held a steaming mug in his hands, letting it warm them. “This mocha cappuccino is really good.”

Kallias had made it. Since the end of the war, he’d become skilled in brewing all kinds of specialty drinks. My attention turned to him. He sat beside Elasus. The two of them spoke softly to each other and exchanged tender smiles that seemed out of place for hardened warriors such as themselves.

“They look happy,” Simon said, having followed my gaze.

“Yes.” I looked at my husband. “I know the feeling all too well.”

“Don’t make me blush, you jerk.” He took another drink, and the steam fogged up his glasses. I pressed my face into his hair to hide my smile. “Stop it. I feel you smiling.”

Wrath chuckled, the sound low and raspy. Our mate was the only person who brought out that side of my sin.

“Tell Wrath to be quiet,” Simon mumbled, his mouth curving up. “But I guess it’s his birthday too.”

Laughter echoed around the fire. The light atmosphere and everyone being together was… nice. My brothers and I still tried to meet every Sunday for family dinner—thanks to Raiden—but there were some weeks where a few couldn’t make it. With their newborn son, Warrin and Daman had been busy, as had Castor and Kyo, who lived in the water dragon palace and had been preoccupied as of late with helping King Tatsuya mend relations with the other dragon clans.

Sirena held Clara close to her side as she spoke with Elasus about weaponry. He had been working as a bladesmith while living on Baxter’s island.

Penemuel and Lazarus chatted, the two of them civil despite their complicated history. I’d even say they’d become friends since the end of the war. Or at least friendly.

“I know you don’t really like surprises,” Simon said. The skin around his eyes tightened. “Are you mad?”

“At you? Never.” I smoothed my thumb over those worry lines. “Thank you for the party.”

I wasn’t used to the attention. Having everyone work together to do something special for me touched me a lot more than I expressed.

“You’re welcome.” Simon angled his face and met me for a soft kiss. “Happy birthday, big guy.”

Raiden cut the cake, and Clara helped him pass out the slices, handing one to me first. I gave the first bite to Simon though, loving the pleased little rumble in his throat as he chewed. Then, I took a bite. The strawberry cake was pillowy soft, and the cream cheese frosting wasn’t overly sweet. It was perfect.

I kissed Simon again and licked off a bit of frosting from his lip. He softly laughed. I brought him closer and glanced at everyone around us. My family.

A night I’d never forget, the note had read.

It really was.

Simon

“I ate too much cake,” I grumbled as we walked up the stairs to our loft later that night. “I think I’m going to die.”

Galen picked me up fireman-style and carried me up the last four steps. “No dying allowed.”

“Your inhuman strength never gets old,” I said with a laugh.

“You’re as light as a feather.” He lightly smacked my ass before bursting through the front door.

Where other men I’d dated had made snide comments about my weight, Galen loved every inch of me. And he told me often. It had taken a while, but I had started to love me too. He’d said several times before that he wasn’t the same person he used to be. I wasn’t either. I felt stronger, more confident, and so damn happy. I still found it hard to believe some days that this was my life.

Galen kicked the door closed and reached the bed in four long strides, tossing me on top of it.

“I still need to give you your present.” I had special ordered him gym clothes—since he was six foot eight and rarely found anything in-store that fit—as well as new running shoes I’d caught him eyeing about a month ago but hadn’t been able to find in his size.

“Know what I want?” Galen pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. When he crawled on the bed, pulled me close, and smiled down at me, he seemed so much younger. Boyish. “You. No gift can top that.”

“Someone’s happy,” I said. My heart swelled. Galen was stubborn and hotheaded, like Clara said. He had a short fuse and was impulsive. But beneath it all, he had a truly kind soul. A soul that fit perfectly with mine.

“It’s my birthday.” He dropped a kiss to my throat. “You know what that means?”

“Hmm.” I feigned ignorance. “It means you get birthday spankings. Damn. I’ll be spanking you all night. Over two thousand times. I guess my spatula skills will come in handy after all. I’ll need to use it, otherwise my poor hand will fall off.”

He choked on a laugh. “Gods, I love you.”

“I love you too.” I touched my glasses to take them off.

“Leave them on,” he said. “I want you to see what I’m about to do to you.”

Excited tingles ran through my bloodstream. “Can’t argue with that.”

Galen’s skilled hands worked off my clothes as we kissed. With only boxer-briefs separating us, he ground his hips forward, eliciting from me a whimpering moan. But then he took those off too, leaving no barriers between us. He used lubricant to slick his fingers before teasing my ass crack. One finger, then another.

“More,” I begged. “Need more.”

His big hand curled around my shaft as he grazed his teeth down the side of my neck. I shuddered and clung onto his broad shoulders. His sandalwood-and-citrus scent consumed me. It was my favorite smell in the entire world.

“Touch me,” he said, voice low.

My fingers moved to the slits in his back, and as they dipped inside, Galen groaned and applied pressure with his teeth. He bit me hard enough to draw blood. Blood he then drank, moaning as he did. Warmth flowed through my body, and I soared as if on one hell of a high.

As he drank from my neck, he lined up his cock and eased forward. That warmth turned into a blazing inferno, burning me from the inside out.

Sex with Galen was just as intense as it had been in the beginning. Probably even more so now. Our fated mate bond allowed us to feel each other on a soul-deep level. His pleasure became my own, and vice versa. My blood filled him as his cock filled me. After drinking his fill, he licked the wound and used his powers to heal me.

“Mine,” he said, pumping his hips forward and back. His voice was deeper.

I took hold of his face and stared up into his eyes. He had one light gray iris, and the other was black. He had allowed Wrath to surface but still had half of the control. Both of them were with me in that moment—my husband and his beast. My beast too.

“Yours,” I said to both of them. Kind of strange to consider Wrath as a separate entity, but in many ways, he was. He and Galen coexisted in one body, and no one would convince me otherwise.

Galen took me harder, his large body pounding me into the mattress. My fingertips dug into his biceps as pressure built at my base. And as his thick cock mercilessly hit my prostate, I whimpered and thrashed beneath him, desperately chasing that sweet release.

“Galen! Please. Don’t stop.”

“I won’t,” he murmured, snapping his hips faster. “Not until you shatter in my arms.”

I shattered four thrusts later. I felt him smile against my jaw before he joined me in that blissful ecstasy.

Afterward, we lay tangled in the sheets, bodies slick with sweat. Galen leisurely slid his fingers through mine, playing with them. He paused as he touched the stump of the one Phoenix had removed forever ago in order to take off the ring with Asa’s soul.

I had been possessed by Asa at the time, and the ring wouldn’t come off. Chopping off my finger was, perhaps, a bit extreme, but Phoenix had been our enemy back then and hadn’t cared to look into less choppy options.

“He’s done a lot to make up for it since then,” I whispered.

Galen’s eyes flashed to mine.

“Don’t look so surprised.” I rested our joined hands on his chest. “After two years together, I’ve learned how to read you.”

A pensive look crossed his face. “Years later, and that night still haunts me. I’ll never forget the raw pain when you were taken from me. It felt like my soul was torn from my body. I couldn’t breathe again until you were back in my arms.”

“I know the feeling.” I lowered my gaze, my throat tightening as I recalled the night he and the others defeated Lucifer. All eight of their souls had been transferred to Night Fall. Holding Galen’s body but not sensing him had broken me. “I couldn’t breathe again until you were back in my arms either.”

“Don’t hide those hazel eyes from me.” Galen tipped my chin so I’d look back up at him. “There you are.”

“There you are too. Both of you.” I touched below his left eye. It was still pitch-black, as if the pupil had swallowed the entirety of it. The other was a light gray, like the overcast days he loved.

He slid his arms around my waist and sat up in the bed, dragging me onto his lap. And then, his wings unfurled from his back. Hints of red showed in the black feathers. No matter how many times I’d seen them, they still took my breath away. As did the man they belonged to.

“You’re so beautiful,” I said, throat still tight.

“And I’m yours.” Galen’s wings enclosed us. “Only yours.”

I loved when he did this—creating a cocoon where only he and I existed. He nuzzled my neck, and when I heard the purrs vibrating in his chest, I smiled. He intimidated so many people with his raw muscle power, violent outbursts, and his reputation as the avatar of Wrath. But with me, he let his vulnerability show. I didn’t take it for granted. Not a single moment. I knew exactly what I had in my arms.

My soul mate. My entire freaking heart.

When Galen spoke, his voice had a dual layer, a deeper tone mixing with his normal one. “Forever.”

“Forever,” I agreed.

The End

Castor & Kyo

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Castor

Near Ishigaki in Japan, hidden from the rest of the world, was a subtropical paradise with white-sand beaches and surrounded by deep blue ocean. The island was also home to the hottest male to ever walk the earth.

“Are you monologuing?” Kyo asked, eyebrow arched. “You look like you’re monologuing.”

“To fuck or not to fuck…” I looped my arms around his bare waist and yanked him closer in the water. “That is the question.”

We were in a secluded cove on the island, one we frequented often. I wore swimming trunks, and Kyo wore his birthday suit. My favorite outfit on him. He had shifted into his dragon hybrid form once we’d reached the water. Blue horns jutted from his silky black hair, and green-blue scales covered his skin. His vibrant orange eyes held a glimmer of mischief.

“I can answer that. We’re not fucking here.” Kyo linked his fingers at my nape, careful not to scrape me with his clawed nails. “But you’re awfully cute. Emphasis on awfully.”

“I love when you’re mean to me, little dragon. Gets me hard.” As I waggled my brows at him, his composure broke, and he laughed. “You’re the cute one now. That giggle is adorable.”

“Don’t make me murder you, Red.”

“You wouldn’t.” I kissed the edge of his mouth. “You’d miss me too much.”

“That’s what you think,” he mumbled.

“It’s what I know.” I lowered my head to his collarbone and breathed him in. Kyo smelled like water lilies. He smelled like home. “You’re stuck with me.”

Kyo rested his cheek on the top of my hair. “Maybe I don’t mind it.”

I smiled. The water gently lapped at us as we held each other, my back pressed to a large slab of rock and him between my legs. He kissed my forehead and touched my hair. I kissed the cherry blossom tattoo on his chest that was still visible beneath the scattering of scales.

When he was in his hybrid form, I felt closer to him. We connected on a deeper level. Our souls danced as our lips met once, then twice.

After another kiss, he pulled from my arms. “My brother is expecting us soon.”

“Oh, yay.”

“Be nice.”

“I’m always nice to my dearest brother-in-law. My new life goal is to be at his beck and call.”

Kyo shot me the look. One he only reserved for me. I loved it. “That sarcasm can’t hide the truth, Red. You and Tatsuya have become friends since we moved here.”

It was true. Because of King Ryūjin—the former water dragon king and Kyo and Tatsuya’s father—the water dragons had nearly been wiped out. Ryūjin had been power-hungry and felt he should’ve been the ruler of all dragons. When the clans opposed this ideal, he’d waged war on them. Centuries after his death, the harm he caused was still creating a divide among the dragons.

With the war against Lucifer behind us, Tatsuya had shifted his focus to mending those relationships and had asked Kyo and me to live in the palace and help. Within that time, we’d formed a bond. Kind of.

“Friends is an exaggeration,” I said, watching as Kyo stepped out of the water. My gaze trailed over his glistening body, and I groaned under my breath as my cock swelled. “We tolerate each other.”

“Is that why you drank with him the other night? You were just tolerating him?” Kyo tossed me a smile over his shoulder as he pulled on his pants. “Queen Yuma said my brother was a giggling fool when he came to bed, and he kept saying how much fun the two of you had.”

“Gross.”

Kyo had been hanging out with Daichi that night, so I had strolled the palace grounds and bumped into Tatsuya in the courtyard. He had invited me to his study, where we might’ve gotten into the ambrosia and might’ve been a little heavy-handed when adding it to our wine. The king, when you took away his too-serious demeanor and got him to relax, was a pretty cool guy.

Like hell I’d admit that though.

I got out of the water, not bothering with a towel. The sun would dry me off in no time. “What’s Tatsuya want this early in the day?”

“He mentioned having lunch.” Kyo grabbed my hand as we found the short path back to the palace. He’d never been the overly affectionate type who confessed his undying love at every opportunity like I so often did.

No, Kyo expressed his love in a different way, more subtle. Longing glances, soft smiles, and how his fingers squeezed mine a bit tighter.

“I hope there’s shrimp tempura,” I said. “That sounds fucking amazing right now.”

There wasn’t any shrimp tempura. But the table in the king’s private dining chamber was covered in so many other delicious things I didn’t care. The lunch consisted of rice, miso soup, fried fish, a ginger-dressed salad, and Japanese curry. I totally called forth my inner Raiden—gods bless my gluttonous brother’s soul—and chowed down as Kyo and Tatsuya chatted about family affairs.

“A princess from the wind clan is interested in one of my sons,” Tatsuya said after dabbing at his mouth.

“I thought the princess was set to marry Prince Feliks,” Kyo responded. Feliks was King Nikolai’s firstborn son and the heir to the ice dragon kingdom. He was Warrin’s nephew and was a total pompous douchebag.

“She is,” Tatsuya answered. “This is her younger sister.”

I swallowed a bite of curry, then scooped another in my mouth, talking as I chewed. “Well, you have, like, twenty sons. I’m sure one of ’em will marry her.”

The king had multiple wives and had a ton of kids with each of them. It was common among the dragons, especially with royalty. Thankfully, Kyo didn’t want anyone but me. I wouldn’t have been able to share him anyway. I considered myself a fairly easygoing person, but when it came to my mate, I was possessive and wouldn’t hesitate to whip out my dagger and slice and dice any bastard who dared even think about touching him.

“The union would strengthen relations with the wind clan.” Tatsuya sipped his green tea, then shifted his gaze to the tree beyond the window. “I’ll discuss the matter with my sons.”

Blossoms had sprouted on the branches with the arrival of spring, but as April neared its end, those blossoms had started to fall. The blooming season only lasted a few weeks. A short window of beauty before it faded once more. But not everything faded. Certainly not my feelings for the hot-as-hell dragon beside me with his orange eyes and devastating smile.

“What?” Kyo asked me, chopsticks paused at his lips. “Why are you staring at me?”

“I can’t decide what’s hotter.” I reached over and played with the ends of his black hair. “This curry or the sight of you. Both are spicy, but, baby, you’re boxers-meltingly hot.”

Kyo snorted a laugh and took hold of the back of my neck, drawing me toward him. “You’re such a goofball.”

“I love you too,” I said before kissing him. Another instance when he said one thing but meant another. My feisty little dragon.

Tatsuya was still staring out the window as I pulled back from Kyo, but the edge of his mouth was curved. “How was Galen’s birthday celebration last night?”

“Good,” I answered.

The bonfire in the woods, the food, and the company had made for an awesome time. Galen’s reaction had been the icing on the cake though. When the balloon popped, I’d thought he was going to rip all of us a new one. But once he realized it was a surprise party, warmth had radiated from him. My brothers and I had all felt it.

I knew it would be the first celebration of many more to come. We finally had our own lives. We weren’t expected to save the world or stop the bad guys. We could live, truly live, for the first time.

After lunch, Tatsuya joined Queen Yuma for a stroll in the garden. He loved all of his wives, but she was his first. Although he had never admitted it out loud, I believed Yuma was the one who truly owned his heart, whereas the others only held a piece of it. The way he looked at her was different than how he looked at the others.

Kyo and I returned to our room in the palace and took a bath—together, of course.

“I could kiss you for forever,” I said between short kisses. I gently pushed him against the back of the tub, deepening the kiss as I slid between his legs. Water sloshed around us with the movement, but the large tub prevented any from spilling out.

Moaning, he grazed his fingertips up my spine and found my wing slits. As he dipped them inside, sparks shot through my system. The stimulation caused my already hard cock to ache even more.

“Fuck me,” Kyo panted, lifting his hips to rub our cocks together.

“So this is the answer, huh? No fucking in the cove, but the bathtub is fair game?”

He softly laughed and hooked his leg around my hip. “Guess so.”

“Remember the first time we had sex?” I traced the edges of his tattoo with my fingertips. On the left side was a large wave with the shape of a dragon in the water. It met the blossoms of the cherry tree on the opposite side. “You couldn’t get away from me fast enough afterward.”

“I was in denial,” Kyo whispered. “I didn’t want to want you. And after Tatsuya broke the news about my arranged marriage to Warrin, I never thought I could have you even if I did.”

“Goddamn Warrin,” I muttered. “He’s lucky he fell in love with Daman. Otherwise, I might’ve had to kill him.” As Kyo chuckled, my heart ached. I didn’t know why. Maybe after a year, it was finally sinking in that this was our lives now. “We’ve come far since then.”

“We have.” He wound his arms around my neck and pulled me down to him. He hid his face against my collarbone. “I fucking love you, Red. More than anything. It’s a love I feel in my core. Painful and addicting. Amazing. The strings of fate led me to you, and I’m never walking away again.”

The backs of my eyes stung. “Keep being nice to me and I’ll start to worry. At least throw in a punch to my gut or something.”

“Oh? Like this?” Kyo lightly tapped the side of my stomach with his fist.

I laughed before capturing his lips. He gripped my sides and lifted his hips again. As we kissed, I rocked forward. Our cocks slid against each other, and I groaned at the delicious friction. He did too.

“Love you,” I murmured against his lips. “So much.”

“I love you most.” Kyo grabbed my head and brought my mouth to his throat. He tilted his neck back. An invitation.

Knowing what he wanted, I ran my teeth over his jugular. Chills formed on his skin. I kissed him there, then kissed him again. He wiggled beneath me and spouted off that I was a tease. I then bit him, cutting off his complaints. He clung to my back, emitting the sweetest moans. I only drank a little before healing the wound.

“Happy?” I nuzzled his jaw.

Kyo flashed a dopey grin. It was too fucking adorable for words. “Not yet.”

“Oh?” I slowly rolled my hips forward. “You need more?”

“So much more.” He yanked me back down for a bruising kiss, and then he flicked my lip ring with his tongue. “Give me all you got, Red.”

This, with him, was my true paradise. Not the extravagant palace we lived in. Not the mouthwatering food, finest drinks, and shiny trinkets. I was the avatar of Greed. I craved riches and couldn’t get enough. But nothing in all the realms could hold a candle to him. There was nothing I treasured more than my dragon.

Kyo was my nirvana. My taste of ecstasy. My home.

“Monologuing again?”

“Shut up.” I nipped at his shoulder. I took both of our cocks in my hand and pumped my hips forward, then back, starting an easy and slow rhythm.

There was no rush.

We had forever, after all.

Kyo

“Please come back,” Simon said over the phone. “My shop isn’t the same without you.”

I had called him that afternoon to catch up. We had talked at Galen’s birthday party, but it hadn’t been long enough. I missed him. Clearly, he missed me too.

“Aw, Si.” Longing touched my chest. I had started working for him at a time when I’d been angry at my brother and needed an escape. I’d found it within the walls of his antique shop, surrounded by all the knickknacks and curiosities. I had also found a best friend. “We had good times there, didn’t we?”

“We could have them again. Just name your price. A year’s supply of iced coffee? Two years? Okay, a lifetime supply. I’ll even throw in those breakfast croissants you like from the café down the street. I’m desperate.”

I laughed. “Is Gray really that bad to work with?”

Simon groaned. “Besides him stealing my inventory, exaggerating an item’s history to customers to entice them to buy, and sleeping in the aisles during busy hours? Not really.”

“He’s like your shop cat. Napping and being cute is his job.” I stepped onto the balcony and looked over the island. “You and Galen should come visit. It’s been forever since you took a vacation.”

Ever since the day I’d met Simon, he’d been a workaholic. The war had caused him to close up shop for a bit, but ever since it ended, he’d more than made up for that lost time.

“Consider it done,” a deeper voice then said into the phone. “A vacation would be great for him.”

“Galen,” Simon muttered. “Shoo.”

“Did you just ‘shoo’ me, human?”

“Yeah. What are you going to do about it, you big marshmallow?”

I chuckled as I listened to their back-and-forth. When I’d first met Galen, I hadn’t been a fan of him. Mainly because I’d worried about Simon and wanted to protect him. The worrying had been for nothing though. Galen would never hurt him.

We talked for another twenty or so minutes before ending the call. I slipped my phone into my back pocket and rested my hands on the railing.

Children laughed from the courtyard below, chasing each other through the square. They were the kids of my many nieces and nephews. Multiple spouses were common in our culture, but I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone other than Castor. And I’d be damned if anyone other than me touched him.

“Penny for your thoughts, little dragon?”

His voice. Instantly, the dragon inside me soothed. Being half human, I couldn’t transform into a full-sized dragon, but a beast still existed within me. A beast who loved the red-haired Nephilim currently smirking at me from the balcony doorway.

“Simon and Galen will be visiting soon,” I said. “I just talked to them.”

“Oh, goodie. Galen’s grumpy ass will certainly liven up the place.” Castor closed the distance between us and enclosed me in his arms. His honey-and-spice scent enclosed me too. “I missed you.”

“You missed me in the hour since we last saw each other?”

“I miss you when you’re out of my sight for a single second.” He nuzzled my jaw. “I got you something.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask.” Knowing him, it could be a legit gift. But it had an equal chance of being something completely ridiculous. Both made me happy though. He certainly kept me on my toes.

“Rude,” he said with a scoff. “Close your eyes.”

“I swear, Red, if you put something gross in my face, I will throw you off this balcony.”

“So violent. I love it. Now, close your eyes.”

I did as he said.

Castor softly kissed me as his fingertips trailed down my forearm. He stopped at my wrist before tying something around it. “Okay. Open them.”

Again, I obeyed. I stared into his green eyes for several heartbeats. A soft gleam shone through them. One that made my sternum tighten a bit. I knew right away it wasn’t one of his silly prank gifts. I glanced down. The leather band was about an inch wide with gold thread lining the edges. A silhouette of a dragon was burned into the center of it. It resembled the one I had tattooed on my chest.

“Do you like it?” he asked. He seemed almost shy.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a hard kiss on him. He smiled against my lips, and his hands came to rest on my hips. When the kiss broke, our arms remained locked around each other.

As the avatar of Greed, Castor loved materialistic things. But he also loved giving me gifts and seeing me wear them. From what I knew about his childhood, his father had been the same way with his mother. Caim had bought his wife necklaces, rings, and the finest clothing, lavishing her with gifts he could admire on her body.

“Thank you.” That ache in my sternum grew as his half-smile bloomed to a full one. “I love it.”

“I ordered it from a guy who works with leather. A leather smith, I guess? Don’t know. But anyway, he makes everything. Armor, wrist cuffs, flasks, satchels, and stuff like your bracelet. He said a lot of his customers are Renaissance faire people.”

“It’s cute when you ramble.”

“Yeah?” Castor gently bit at my bottom lip. “How cute?”

“Cute enough to not be thrown off the balcony. This time.” I laid my head on his shoulder. He might’ve been a sarcastic prankster with an unfiltered mouth, teasing personality, and weakness for shiny things, but I loved him so much it scared me.

“Your sister wants to have dinner with us tonight,” he said. “I think she’s going to make those kick-ass noodles again.”

“My favorite.”

“I know they are.” He nuzzled me. “We should definitely bang first though.”

I laughed.

Yeah, he kept me on my toes. I never knew what would come flying out of his mouth. And I didn’t want him any other way.

***

“Fumihito!” Ryoko called after her son. “It is time for your bath.”

The almost three-year-old ran past me, naked as the day he was born. His twin brother was close behind him. I scooped one up, and Castor grabbed the other. We had been on our way to Tatsuya’s study to join him for a pre-dinner drink.

“Fumi,” Castor said, poking my nephew’s nose. “You gotta listen to your momma.”

“No!”

“Yep. You do. If she says you need to take a bath, guess what, bud? You gotta take a bath.”

“No!” Fumihito repeated.

“Is that the only word you know?” Castor asked.

A wide grin broke across Fumihito’s face. “No.”

“You’re a little stinker, you know that?” Castor lightly bounced him as he walked over to my sister.

After we handed the twins off to Ryoko and her husband, Akio, Castor and I continued down the corridor. Like Tatsuya, Ryoko was married to more than one person too. She had five husbands from different dragon clans and had children with all of them apart from one. Daichi. Which, now that I thought about it, seemed strange. He had been her first husband. However, maybe him living the life of a warrior played into the reason for that.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Castor bumped my arm as we walked.

“Children.”

He stopped and stared at me. The lights were on, but nobody was home.

“As in, my sister’s children,” I specified, amused by his reaction. It wasn’t often I took him by surprise. “Though, we’d make some cute babies.”

“Hell yeah we would.” Castor pulled me closer. “Someday?”

“Someday,” I agreed. But not yet. I wanted him all to myself for a while longer.

“Do you think I’d be a good dad?” he then asked in a much quieter voice. Less like his playful self.

I lifted a hand to brush aside his red bangs. His face was full of piercings: one in his left eyebrow, another in his right nostril, one in his lip, and he’d recently gotten his septum pierced—which I fucking loved. Silver studs lined both ears.

“Want my honest opinion?”

Castor nodded.

“I think you’d be an amazing dad.” I cupped his cheek. “Just like yours was to you.”

His father had been a fallen angel who commanded warriors in Lucifer’s army and did unspeakably wicked things, but from the stories Castor told me of his childhood, Caim loved and doted on him. He taught Castor how to ride a horse, how to fish, and, when Castor was old enough, how to fly. Caim had a golden dagger specially made that matched the one in his son’s favorite bedtime story.

“Yeah?” Castor’s green eyes misted over. His bottom lip slightly trembled. “You don’t think I’d be a total fuckup and ruin their lives?”

“Not even a little bit.” I rose up on my toes to kiss him. “I think you’d be patient and loving. You’d read them bedtime stories and be one of those extra dads who acted out all the voices.” He smiled at that. “Our child would know love and happiness. And gods help us, they’d probably get your sense of humor.”

Castor breathed out a shaky laugh and slipped his arms around my waist. He rested his cheek on the side of my head. “Have I said I love you today?”

“Only about a hundred times.”

“Well, this makes a hundred and one. I love you so much, little dragon. This life we’re building together is more than I ever thought I’d have. It’s more than I feel I deserve.”

“You deserve the world,” I said, feeling his heart thud against mine as we stood chest to chest. “And that’s exactly what I plan to give you.”

“The whole world?” Castor pulled back and grinned at me. “I like the sound of that. But.” He palmed my cheek. “I already have the world. It’s—”

“If you say, ‘it’s right here in my hands,’ I will smack you.”

He barked out a husky laugh. “Why? You don’t want some cheese before your dinner? Afraid it will ruin your appetite?”

“You aren’t a flowery-words type of guy,” I said, unable to stop smiling. He was such a dork. “I’d rather you say something like, ‘I’m going to fuck you until you break,’ and then feed me. In that order.”

Castor grabbed me by the jaw and lowered his face to mine. “I’m going to ruin you.”

I shuddered. “Yeah. Like that.”

His answering laugh echoed down the corridor.

“But you know?” I slipped my hand into his. “I prefer you like this. Sarcastic, dorky, sexy as sin, and playful. I just want you to be you. No one else.”

His expression softened. His thumb caressed my new bracelet. “You stole my heart the moment I saw you hop on your crotch rocket outside the antique shop and drive off.”

“I’ll count that as ‘I love you’ number one hundred and two.”

“You caught me.” He rewarded me with a lopsided grin before bringing up our joined hands and kissing my knuckles. “What do you say we skip drinks with your brother and go fuck instead?”

I laughed. “Only if you feed me afterward.”

“Deal.” Castor ducked low and scooped me up. He then hauled me back to our room, carrying me over his shoulder.

I wouldn’t trade this life with him for anything.

The End

Daman & Warrin

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Daman

The world fell silent when it snowed. As flurries drifted from the sky, they absorbed the sounds of the surrounding forest. I peered up at the snowcapped trees and breathed in the crisp air.

Home.

There was nowhere else I wanted to be than right there in the ice dragon kingdom, living in a cozy cottage in the middle of the woods with the male who owned me, heart and soul. We had another member of our family now. The thought of my son brought warmth to my chest.

Much like his name implied, Sorin was like the sun. And he had me and Warrin wrapped around his little finger.

A crunch of snow reached my ears.

Smiling to myself, I grabbed a low-hanging branch and swung up into the tree, waiting for him. My soul sensed Warrin first. My heart beat a little faster, and flutters rolled around in my belly. And then, his scent reached me. Even when surrounded by the forest, I could still detect the smell that belonged only to him—like a spruce tree covered in snow with an underlying hint of winterberries.

Warrin walked down the path toward the cottage, his sword lightly clanking where it rested at his hip.

He had left earlier that morning to join his unit of warriors on the training field. As the commander, he still had responsibilities, despite us no longer being at war. However, King Nikolai had insisted he cut back his hours so he could spend more time with his family. He only trained a few days a week and always returned shortly after lunch. The plan was to eventually pass his role to Prince Viktor so he could have a less active position.

I perched on the branch, unmoving. Barely even breathing. Tracking was my specialty. And in that moment? My target was my six-foot-six ice dragon husband.

As Warrin approached, his expression lacked all emotion. Once upon a time, I’d believed him to be just as cold as the element he controlled. But beneath that icy exterior was a gentle soul who set me on fire. He had loved me when I didn’t love myself.

Carefully, I shifted my weight, bracing myself up with my fingertips and the tips of my boots. I followed his movements. Just a few more steps and he’d be right where I wanted him.

Now!

I leapt off the branch, aiming for his back. But he wasn’t nearly as oblivious as he’d seemed. His head snapped up, and he grabbed my waist in midair. The impact caused us to topple over and land in the blanket of snow. We hit with a soft thud.

“You sensed me, didn’t you?” I asked, cushioned in the snow with him on top of me. Couldn’t say I minded it. I loved the weight of him.

“Always.” Warrin slipped an arm behind me and cradled the back of my head with the other. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” I rose up and nipped at his nose.

He softly smiled. “You pounced on me. My kotya.”

Years with him and that nickname still made my stomach flutter. Envy stirred in my chest, awoken by our mate’s presence.

“My dragon,” Envy whispered.

“Our dragon.”

I sensed the bitter bastard turn his nose up at me. The relationship with my sin had improved since Lucifer’s defeat, though he still irritated me.

“How was training?” I asked, wrapping my legs around his hips.

Warrin picked me up from the snow and carried me with us facing each other. “It went well. I worked with new recruits.”

“Did you use your authoritative voice, Commander?” I glided my lips up his throat.

“I save that voice only for you.”

I chuckled and rested my face against his neck. He was so warm. “You never raise your voice with me.”

“I did once.” Warrin held me a bit tighter.

“You had to,” I said, recalling the night shortly after our wedding. Envy had possessed me and sent me spiraling into a jealous rage, making me believe I wasn’t enough for Warrin. Those insecure, bitter thoughts had caused me to lash out at him. A fight had ensued. I had hit him with my wings and slapped at him, screaming at the top of my lungs. Warrin had then pinned me against the wall, murmuring sweet words in my ear as he railed me. “I’m sorry I hit you that night.”

I had apologized so many times, but it would never be enough. I’d feel guilty for the rest of my life.

“Enough of this,” Warrin whispered before kissing the edge of my jaw. “The past helped shape who we are, but it doesn’t belong in our present. Leave those shadows behind. We’re together now, stronger than ever.”

“Yes. We are.” I nuzzled him, my heart rising into my throat. “Let’s go home to our son.”

The two-story cottage looked like it had been pulled from the pages of a storybook with its arched roof, stone walls, and smoke rising from the chimney as snow blanketed the ground around it. A storybook with one of those sugary-sweet romances that ended with an “and they all lived happily ever after.” It was the type of ending I’d once felt I didn’t deserve. I felt differently now.

As Warrin opened the door and carried me inside, the smell of brewed coffee still lingered in the air from the pot I’d made earlier.

“Welcome home, Prince Warrin.” Armen bowed from the entryway to the kitchen. He held baby Sorin in his arms. The nineteen-year-old—seventeen when I’d met him—used to be Warrin’s serving boy when Warrin lived in the castle. He now visited every day and helped around the house. “Are you hungry? I can make you lunch.”

“No, thank you.”

As Warrin spoke, Sorin slowly moved his head, searching, and squealed as he reached out a tiny hand. I smiled. Our little guy was just as happy to see his papa as I was.

Warrin gave me a light kiss before placing me back on my feet and walking over to them. He gently grabbed Sorin and cradled him, speaking to him in Russian. My heart was close to bursting as I watched him with our son.

Envy was quiet. Maybe because for the first time in my life, I had everything I’d ever wanted and more. My sin didn’t feel the need to taunt me or show jealousy toward anyone. Right now, anyway. He still had his asshole moments.

“His hands are so little,” Warrin said, smiling as Sorin grabbed his finger. His eyes then moved to me, and I was struck in the heart yet again at the tenderness swirling in the blue depths. “He will be slender like you when he grows.”

“But he’ll have his papa’s devastating good looks,” I added as I joined them beneath the archway. Sorin wiggled as he saw me, and I placed my hand on his chest. Warrin pressed a kiss into my hair.

“I want this someday.”

I looked at Armen. Envy allowed me to sense the envious thoughts of others, but Armen’s didn’t come from a bitter place. He smiled at us.

“Thank you for watching Sor,” I told him. “While I…” Attacked my husband in the forest. “Left to meet Warrin.”

Warrin smirked at me.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all.” Armen grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and put it on. “I’ll babysit anytime. He’s adorable. Quiet too.”

“He is an observer like his daddy,” Warrin said, slowly rocking Sorin. Seeing a big, strong male like him be so delicate with a baby caused those flutters in my stomach to worsen.

Gods, I loved him. I loved both of them. They were my entire universe.

“Will the three of you be coming to the castle for dinner?” Armen pulled a wool hat from his jacket pocket and tugged it over his strawberry blond hair. “Queen Kira mentioned she wanted to see baby Sorin. I think she’s been working on a clothing line for babies and toddlers.”

Queen Kira had her own fashion line. Along with clothes, she had also started incorporating armor into her designs. She used magic thread and special metals that allowed the warriors to transform into their dragons without their clothes ripping off.

“Yes, we’ll be there,” Warrin answered. “Did you ride a snowmobile here? More snow is expected soon. I don’t want you walking that distance in it.”

“Yes, sir, I did.”

“Good. Be sure to warm up by the fire when you return.”

“Yes, sir.”

My husband was protective over the younger male. When Armen was a child, he’d been in a car accident that smashed the bones in his right leg. His dragon powers were weaker since he was half human, so he wasn’t able to fully heal from it. He now walked with a limp. Also, since he wasn’t a full-blooded ice dragon, the cold affected him more than the others. His cheeks were often pink, and he had the sniffles.

“Go wash up,” I told Warrin once Armen left. “I’ll make you lunch.”

I wasn’t the best cook—something Envy agreed with me on—but Armen had taught me how to make some of Warrin’s favorite dishes shortly after we’d moved into the cottage. The meals, while simple, were delicious. Even if they weren’t, my husband would still eat it and say it was the greatest thing he’d ever tasted.

Warrin handed over Sorin before brushing aside a section of my bangs. “Thank you for all you do.”

“What do you mean?”

“You love me unconditionally.” His tender expression slammed into my chest. He lightly touched Sorin’s head. “You’re a wonderful father.”

“So are you.”

He smiled. “This is a life I never imagined for myself before meeting you. My existence was built around being a warrior. Then you came along and made me crave more.”

My throat constricted. “You made me crave more too.”

“You’re happy?” Warrin enclosed me in his arms, his big, warm body pressing to mine.

Spruce trees in winter. His scent wrapped around me just like his arms did. “More than I can even say.” The confession flared in my chest—warmed it. “Are you?”

“Yes.” His answer came instantly. “The fates have smiled down on me. You and Sorin are my whole world.”

I loved hearing those words. But not nearly as much as I loved the dragon who spoke them.

***

Queen Kira pecked kisses all over Sorin’s face, making him giggle. She slowly danced around the sitting room with him cradled in her arms and sang to him in Russian.

“Uh-oh,” Milena said. “Mom has baby fever.”

Milena was Warrin’s twenty-year-old niece. Also, the princess of the ice dragon kingdom. She was the youngest of four children and the only daughter. So to say King Nikolai doted on her would be an understatement. The girl could get away with murder.

“How could I not?” Kira beamed down at Sorin. “Babies are a precious gift, and this one is like a ray of sunshine.” She smoothed her fingers over his silver hair before giving him another kiss on the forehead. “Ah. I’ve missed this smell.”

“Hear that, Father?” Milena glanced at the king, who stood talking to my husband. “I guess another baby brother or sister is in my future.”

Nikolai laughed. “If your mother wishes for another baby, it may take a few tries, but I will do my best.”

“Sick.” Milena wrinkled her nose.

As the queen continued to dance and sing to Sorin, Envy moved restlessly in my chest.

“Return him to me,” Envy growled.

“He’s happy,” I countered. The proof of that came from the baby’s giggles and wide grins.

Another growl came from my sin. At least he adored Sorin. That had been an unexpected surprise. Envy was a total dick when anyone but me or Warrin held the baby. Armen was growing on him a little though.

Two males then entered the sitting room. Feliks, the crowned prince, and his brother, Kazimir, the second-born prince.

Feliks tossed me a smirk that I immediately wanted to smack off his arrogant face. His gaze then fell to Sorin. “Well, if it isn’t my little halfling cousin.”

My body heated as anger surged through my veins.

“Do not call him that,” Warrin snapped.

“You forgot to address me correctly, uncle.” Feliks’ smirk darkened. “I’m your prince. And last I checked, you are in no position to give me orders.”

“But I am,” King Nikolai said, stepping toward his son. “I will not tolerate that level of disrespect.”

“Disrespect? I was only speaking the truth. He is half dragon, half Nephilim. He’s not purebred like us.” Feliks peered at me. “I’m sure you can relate to that, being half human. You and my uncle muddied our bloodline. How despicable.”

“Enough, Fe,” Kazimir told him in a harsh whisper, grabbing his brother’s arm.

Feliks jerked from his hold, keeping his eyes on me. Which was exactly why he didn’t see Warrin charging at him until it was too late.

Warrin slammed Feliks against the nearest wall, his nostrils flaring. “You will not insult my family again.”

Sorin started to cry. I rushed over, and Kira handed him to me.

“Shh.” I held him to my chest. “It’s okay.”

“You need to leave,” Nikolai told his firstborn.

“With pleasure.” Feliks shoved Warrin back before exiting the room, slamming the door on his way out.

The sound caused Sorin to cry harder.

With his eyes pained, Warrin made his way to us and slipped an arm around me while placing the other around our son. He murmured that he was sorry for scaring him, and as he kissed Sorin’s cheek, his chin wobbled.

My heart wobbled in turn. Then came the anger. Warrin was the type of male to keep his silence when Feliks mocked or insulted him. But when it came to Sorin or me? That’s when he refused to stand by and do nothing.

Kazimir bowed his head to me, then to Warrin. “I apologize for his behavior. It’s deplorable and unbecoming of a future king. I will speak to him.”

“Don’t bother,” I hissed. “He won’t listen anyway.” Feliks had been a rude bastard since the day I’d met him. His position made him entitled, and he didn’t care who he stepped on or insulted as long as it amused him.

“Then perhaps the future king needs to be reevaluated,” Nikolai said, more to himself. Then, louder, he said, “But that’s a matter for another day. Tonight, we will enjoy our time as a family. The cooks have worked hard to prepare our meal. Let’s head to the dining hall.”

Despite the rocky start, the evening turned out well. I didn’t join in the conversation much—I rarely did—but after the meal, I held Sorin and observed everyone else.

Milena talked Warrin’s ear off while Kazimir and Nikolai chatted about politics. Kira told me about some of her recent designs, pausing every so often to gush over Sorin—and rightfully so because he was the most adorable being to ever exist. She gave me a baby onesie she’d made, along with green fleece booties. We changed Sorin into them, who immediately tried to kick off the little shoes.

Prince Viktor arrived before dessert was served. Out of all the princes, I liked him the most. He reminded me a lot of Warrin—showing little emotion but radiating a gentle nature.

He should be the future king, I thought to myself. He knew his way around a battlefield, but he was intelligent too. He listened and rarely spoke in haste, choosing his words carefully. He was humble yet firm when he needed to be. The makings of a great king.

But what did I know about the ins and outs of running a kingdom? I didn’t even like people.

Later, Nikolai invited us to his study, where he and I drank a glass of wine—Warrin declined, as he so often did. He wasn’t much of a drinker, not liking how it dulled his senses.

“Tell me…” Nikolai said after taking a drink. “Do you believe Sorin will hold a piece of your sin?”

“I hope not,” I answered. Envy didn’t argue. He knew he was an asshole and didn’t want the baby to endure the same shit he put me through.

“When will his wings grow?” the king asked.

“It varies. I didn’t notice mine until Lazarus came for me. I was around eight years old. But other Nephilim have been known to have them sooner.”

“He’s the first of his kind,” Nikolai said. “The child of a cursed son and a dragon. Much is unknown.”

I looked at Sorin. Warrin stood in front of the fireplace and held him. Sorin was intrigued by the flames, but Warrin kept him from getting too close. He released a loud squeal and wiggled, causing Warrin to lightly chuckle.

It was too soon to know the gifts Sorin would have. As the child of a Nephilim, he’d have wings and special abilities, such as healing. And as the child of an ice dragon, he should be able to change into a hybrid form and possess ice powers.

Warrin smiled as the baby grabbed his finger. His brow then furrowed. I recognized the look. He was worried. I was too. Not because I feared Sorin would grow to be a menace. No, I feared the actions of anyone who learned about his rarity and dared come after him.

That’s what people did to those who were different. I knew from experience. The people of Dacia had cast me out, and I’d found a home in the forest. Humans and non-humans alike could be cruel.

As if sensing our worries, Nikolai said, “Sorin will be protected here in the ice kingdom. You have my word. No harm will come to him.”

“Gratitude, my king.” Warrin bowed his head.

Nikolai’s lips twitched. “Warrin, you are my brother, and I love you dearly, but I swear to all the gods, I will smother you with a pillow if you don’t cease with the formalities.”

I snorted a laugh. Sorin’s gaze darted to me, and he flashed me a huge toothless grin before reaching out a hand.

“You want your daddy?” Warrin walked toward me. “That makes two of us.”

We left the castle shortly after Nikolai and I finished a second glass of wine. The added ambrosia laced through my bloodstream as Warrin and I strolled through the wintery forest toward our cottage. Sorin was bundled up but didn’t seem to mind the cold.

As a Nephilim, temperatures had little effect on me, unless they were extreme. With Warrin being an ice dragon, he thrived in the cold. It seemed Sorin shared that with him. His big, pale-blue eyes stared at the falling snow in wonder before his lids grew heavy. It was his bedtime.

“About the incident with Feliks,” Warrin said. “I apologize for losing my temper.”

“I thought you actually restrained yourself well. I would’ve knocked his smug head off.” I offered him a small smile as our eyes met. “And don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong.”

“I made him cry.”

“No, your arrogant prick of a nephew made Sor cry. You were defending us.”

Warrin was quiet the rest of the way home. I felt his mind working—felt him fretting. My gentle dragon. He was way too hard on himself. Once reaching the cottage, he walked with me upstairs to Sorin’s room, and we put our little guy down for bed. He woke up and started to fuss just as I laid him in his crib.

“Easy, little one.” Warrin picked him back up and gently rocked him against his chest. “You are so loved. Never forget that. Your daddy and I will always protect you.”

That infuriating lump returned to the base of my throat. I kissed Sorin’s temple before Warrin carefully placed him back down. Alastair had bought him a lamp that projected shapes of dragons in flight on the wall. A few clouds were mixed in. I turned it on and smiled as Sorin followed the lights with his eyes, and then his lids fell closed again.

“I love watching him sleep,” I whispered, staring down at him. He was absolutely perfect, from the top of his silver hair down to his little toes.

“As do I.” Warrin wound his arms around my waist. Minutes passed as we watched our son sleep.

I’d always remember the first time we’d ever laid eyes on Sorin. His little voice had filled the room as he cried. No sound had ever been more beautiful. Tears had brimmed in Warrin’s eyes as he’d grabbed and squeezed my hand. I’d held back my tears, but once our baby boy was placed in my arms, they’d fallen uncontrollably.

My father had abandoned me and my mother when I was only a baby. Then, not too long after, my mother had died. I’d been alone in the world and found refuge in the forest with the spirits that dwelled there. I hadn’t been sure if I’d be a good parent, and leading up to the birth, those troublesome worries had plagued me. But the moment I’d held Sorin, some of that doubt had been washed away by joy. Excitement.

Love.

Making mistakes along the way was inevitable, but with Warrin by my side, I knew we could succeed at this parenting thing. He was my husband, my lover, and the father of my son. He was my soul mate and the one person who never failed to take my breath away with a single touch.

“War?” I rested my head on his chest.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

I felt him smile against my hair. “I love you too, kotya. More than my own life.”

I braced myself for that knotting in the pit of my stomach, the one that tried to convince me that my happiness would be torn away, either by another war or Warrin deciding he no longer wanted me. I braced myself for the insecurity and fear of not being enough.

It never came.

Warrin

Daman sat curled up beside the window, lost in his drawing. His dark hair fell over his eyes as he concentrated on the tablet. He lightly moved the drawing pen across the screen, his movements delicate but precise.

“I smell coffee,” he said without looking up.

I stepped closer and handed him a large steaming mug. “Black. Just how you like it.”

“I like it your way, too, with a touch of brown sugar.” Daman shifted his legs so I could sit beside him on the window seat. He took a sip and softly sighed. “Coffee always tastes better when you make it for me.”

The compliment caused my cheeks to heat.

“My blushing commander.” Daman’s green eyes shone with a smile.

“Always. But only with you.”

“Only with me,” he repeated. “I like the sound of that.”

I kissed the top of his shoulder that was exposed from the oversized sweater he wore. “What are you drawing?”

“My heart.” Daman turned the tablet so I could see. It was a realistic illustration of me holding Sorin. In it, our son smiled up at me as he reached for my face, and I kissed his little fingers.

A burning started in the center of my chest. “It’s beautiful.”

He held my gaze for a moment before dropping it back to the screen. The corner of his lips, though subtle, upturned. “Where’s our little guy?”

“I just put him down for his nap.”

“Oh?” Daman arched his brow as he took another sip.

That look. I knew it well. Fire sparked in my core and fanned out, racing through my veins.

Daman set the tablet and cup of coffee aside before straddling my lap. He smiled down at me before lightly kissing my mouth. His fingers grazed the side of my head and curled in the short strands of my hair.

The warm and earthy scent of his skin settled over my soul. The taste of him on my tongue as we kissed consumed me. My inner dragon growled low, a possessive sound that reverberated in my chest.

“I love that,” he said between kisses. “I love how much you want me.”

“Need, not want,” I corrected. I had never known the touch or kiss of another. But I had no desire to. My heart, soul, and body belonged to Daman. Only to him.

The rolling of his hips brought forth another growl, and I slid my hands to his backside. He wore sweats, giving me easy access. My hand dipped into the back of his pants, and he shuddered as I teased his crack with the pad of my middle finger.

“We need supplies,” I said.

Daman blew out a laugh against my lips. “Supplies. Gods, I love you.”

I stood from the window seat, picking him up with me. He wrapped his legs around my waist and bit at my cheek. My feisty little kitten. I stepped over to the fireplace and lowered him onto the rug in front of it.

“I have some great memories of this rug,” he said, staring up at me with a heated look in his eyes. That heat pierced my core and gathered in my groin. “We should definitely make a few more.”

I ran my hands up his thighs. His legs were still secured around me. “You’ll need to release me first.”

“What if I don’t?”

I slowly ground my hips forward, pressing my hardening bulge against his. “Then you won’t get this.”

Daman made an annoyed little sound in his throat before lowering his legs from my waist. “Fine. You win. Go grab our supplies and then get your sexy ass back here.” He slightly turned his head and shot me a half-cocked smile. “That’s an order, Commander.”

My breath hitched at the sight of him. He was too beautiful. Both inside and out. I dropped another kiss to his mouth, lingering there for a moment. His tongue brushed along the seam of my lips, and I tore away with a growl.

I dashed for the stairs and took them up two at a time. After grabbing the bottle of lubricant from the nightstand beside our bed, I stopped by Sorin’s room to check on him. He slept soundly in his crib. A melody softly played from the mobile hanging above him, a Transylvanian lullaby. I left the door slightly ajar and returned downstairs.

“Took you long enough.” Daman sat up, hooked his arms behind my neck, and tugged me down. He gave me no time to respond before he was kissing me, leaving me breathless.

I loved how he wrapped himself around me, how he kissed me so deeply I felt it all the way to my toes. I loved the soft moans that vibrated against my lips and his desperation as he unzipped my jeans and yanked them down just far enough to release my cock. With one hand, I tugged down his sweats, releasing his too.

He grinned up at me as I coated two fingers in lubricant and pushed my hand between his legs. I teased his hole, circling it with my fingertip but not penetrating. He wiggled beneath me and emitted a frustrated grumble. A grumble that transitioned to a soft sigh as I finally gave him what he wanted and eased a finger inside. I worked him with one, then added a second. As I nudged his prostate, he groaned deeply.

“Fuck me, War.” His long, slender fingers came around my shaft. “I want it hard and fast.”

Normally, I’d insist on taking my time with him, but the sleeping baby upstairs would wake from his nap before too long. As if that wasn’t reason enough, Daman then positioned my tip at his opening, and all thoughts left my head. I shuddered at the pulsing warmth of him. I eased forward, breaths stilling in my chest as the tight heat of him cushioned my cock.

Daman tipped his head back, exposing his slender neck. I kissed it as I plunged in deeper. The logs in the fireplace crackled as we made love on the rug. Our heavy breaths and light grunts filled the room, though we tried not to be too loud. Easier said than done.

Daman’s nails dug into my back as he arched his spine. “Harder,” he begged. “Please, War.”

I slid my hands beneath his backside and lifted his hips so I could thrust in deeper. As he moaned, he brought his hand to his mouth and bit the back of it to muffle the next one. I quickened my pace and gritted my teeth. The mind-numbing pleasure consumed me. But it was his pleasure I craved the most. Every sigh and barely muffled moan encouraged me on.

He slapped a hand on my chest and squeezed my pecs. “Damn. I love these.” He then pushed harder. “Lie back.”

Without disconnecting our bodies, I rolled to my back on the rug and positioned him on top. Daman planted both hands on my chest as he started a slow pace with his hips, gliding up and down my cock.

My eyes rolled back. He felt too incredible.

“Warrin,” he whimpered. There was a shake in his voice. When our gazes locked, an achy tenderness shone in his green eyes. Daman wasn’t one to show much vulnerability. So when he did, it meant whatever emotion he battled with was too strong to hold back.

“I’m right here, kotya.” My hands skimmed up his sides, sliding beneath the material of his baggy sweater—the only clothing he still wore.

He cupped my cheek, then traced the line of my jaw with his fingertips. The tenderness never left his eyes. That look said more than words ever could. I felt his love on a soul-deep level. He then rested his palm over my heart. I lifted mine to do the same to him. The thrums beneath my palm quickened.

I had given him half of my own heart in order to save his life. Each beat in his chest echoed in mine. We were joined in every way possible in that moment. Hearts beating as one, bodies connected, and souls dancing.

And then, we soared together.

Daman rode me to climax, his thighs quaking as his stomach muscles grew taut. Tingles traveled down my spine and gathered at my base before a blinding pleasure crashed into me. His ass squeezed my cock, milking me until I had nothing more to give.

He collapsed on my chest afterward, both of us sweaty and breathing hard. I wrapped him in my arms and kissed the side of his dark hair. He hid his face against my neck. That vulnerability still had hold of him.

“Is it Envy?” I asked. His sin rarely used me anymore to hurt Daman—like he had in the beginning of our relationship by feeding Daman lies and causing him to doubt me—but there were times when the negativity still took him over.

“No,” he whispered.

That’s when I heard the purrs vibrating in his chest—a sound I associated with his sin. Envy was happy. I slowly rubbed up and down his spine. “Then what’s wrong?”

Daman peered down at me, his eyes shining with tears. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just…” He ducked his head, and his bangs fell forward to hide his face. I gently tipped up his chin to bring his gaze back to mine. “I’m so goddamn happy, War. It doesn’t seem real.”

I knew the feeling. Every morning when I woke up to him beside me, every time I held Sorin, I also had difficulty believing it was real. But it was. All of it.

“I’m happy too.” I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed his wedding ring. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye. “My life didn’t truly begin until I met you. It’s a life I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

“Neither would I.” Daman rested our foreheads together. “I’m so in love with you it hurts. I fall harder every day.”

“Keep falling,” I murmured against his temple. “For I’ll always be here to catch you.”

“I know.”

The crackling fire was relaxing as we held each other. Only when a small cry came from upstairs did we pull apart. Our baby boy was awake. Daman pulled his sweatpants back on while I tucked myself back into my jeans and zipped them.

“Help me, kotya.” I lifted a hand for him to help me up from the rug.

“Come on, old man,” he said with a laugh as he pulled me to my feet.

“Age has nothing to do with it,” I responded, tugging him to my chest. “It’s because you rode me to within an inch of my life. I need a nap.”

He laughed again. Gods, I loved the sound of it.

Hand in hand, we walked to our son’s bedroom. His cry broke off into an excited smile and leg bounce as he spotted us. Daman reached into his crib and gathered him in his arms before kissing the side of Sorin’s silver hair. “Did my sweet little guy have a nice nap?”

I placed my hand on the back of Sorin’s head. How someone so little could own such a large piece of my heart was astounding.

Daman looked at me. “I know I’ve said it a hundred times… but I’m so thankful you chose me that day.”

The day when I said I wanted to marry him to secure the alliance between the ice dragons and the Nephilim. But my motives had gone deeper than a mere alliance. My soul had chosen Daman. And it would keep choosing him long after I drew my final breath.

“There’s not a thing in this world that could keep me from you,” I said. “I dare anyone to try.”

“I love when you get possessive.” He pressed his cheek to Sorin’s head. “Let’s go fix this little guy a bottle.”

We went downstairs just as Armen arrived. Sorin wiggled when seeing him. Our son, unlike both of his fathers, loved people and was extremely sociable. He’d more than likely grow to be an extrovert. What were the odds?

“There’s my little Sor-Bear,” Armen said after he closed the door. He shrugged off his coat before coming over and grabbing Sorin’s outstretched hand.

“My Sor-Bear,” Daman said, slightly shifting the baby out of Armen’s reach.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Now, kotya. Be nice.”

“I’m always nice.”

Armen shook his head. “Some things never change.”

Daman reluctantly handed over Sorin and snarled as he watched Armen lightly bounce him. I smiled to myself and grabbed his hand.

“Bell and Phoenix said they were coming for dinner tonight,” Daman said as we moved around the kitchen to fix Sorin a bottle. “Is that okay?”

“Of course it is.” I closed in behind him at the counter and kissed the side of his neck.

Daman and his brothers gathered every Sunday for a family dinner, but he and Bellamy saw each other more frequently than that. With Phoenix’s teleportation powers, they could visit whenever they wanted. Other than me and Daman, Bellamy was Sorin’s favorite person. It was one reason why we’d made Bellamy and Phoenix the baby’s godfathers. If something ever happened to us, there was no one we trusted more than the two of them.

“I can cook.” Armen stood at the back door, letting Sorin peer at the falling snow through the glass. “Maybe pirozhki and borscht?”

My stomach made an embarrassing noise.

Daman breathed out a laugh. “I guess that’s a yes.”

My face heated, which made him grin even more. We had faced many hardships over the years. Much had tried to tear us apart. But there we stood in the home we’d built together, watching our son smile at the snow and making dinner plans with the ones we loved.

It truly was an extraordinary life.

The End

Gray & Mason

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Gray

“Target sighted,” I whispered to myself as I inched along the ledge, paintball gun in my grasp.

Mason stood behind one of the partly demolished brick buildings, checking his rounds. The long-sleeve black shirt barely contained his thick biceps and wide shoulders. One hard flex and the material would probably explode.

I wanted to nibble him.

Don’t lose focus. My husband might’ve been mouthwateringly hot, but today, he was my enemy. I shook my head and positioned my gun. But again, my silly brain focused more on how well his ass and muscled thighs filled his pants than on pulling the trigger.

We played in an outside arena that had been built to look like an apocalyptic war zone with debris fields and the ruins of a village. We hadn’t chosen teams. Instead, it was every man for himself. A few werewolves from the local pack had joined us for the game, but Mason had already taken them out. As an ex-special ops Marine with crazy accurate sharpshooter skills, not even supernatural beings could get the drop on him.

Now, it was just me and him. The last two standing.

Was it fair that I had more acute senses, like being able to see farther distances and pick up scents and life forces? Fair that I’d been trained as an assassin? Probably not.

I smiled and wiggled closer to the edge of the roof, sliding along on my belly and keeping my head down.

“Sleep,” Sloth mumbled.

“Not yet,” I responded to my sin. “We gotta get Mason.”

“No. Too tired.”

“Listen here, Slothy boy. I ain’t losing this game. We can nap after.”

My lids briefly closed despite my determination to stay awake. When they opened again, Mason was gone. My gaze darted around the area as I scouted the nearby buildings and potential hiding spots. It was quiet in paintball land. Too quiet.

I rolled to my back and stared up at the sky. The spring day was a bit chilly with the breeze, but the sun was out. It warmed my cheeks—the rest of me was covered in gear. I could totally fall asleep right there. My eyelids got heavier and closed again.

A small nap wouldn’t hurt. Just five minutes, and then I’d be ready to kick Mason’s butt.

A familiar scent tickled my nose. Instantly, I turned to butter and melted more against the rooftop, my muscles relaxing more and more. It was my favorite smell in the whole world. And with my favorite smell? A warm caress to my cheek.

“Bang,” a sexy voice whispered in my ear. Today was awesome. I had my favorite smell, touch, and sound at the same time. All belonging to—

“Mason.” My eyes snapped open.

He hovered over me, his cognac eyes twinkling with a smile. Those sexy muscled arms rested on each side of my body. “Hey, angel.”

“Oh no,” I said before yawning. “My location’s been compromised. Must abort mission.”

“There’s only one way this ends.” Mason played with a piece of my hair that stuck out from beneath my protective goggles. “You wearing my mark.”

“You can’t shoot me,” I challenged him. “Not when I’m so vulnerable. I’m also too cute.”

“Yeah? You think you’re too cute to lose?”

I nodded. “I think you should forfeit the match. It’s the only logical solution.”

“Let you win? That wouldn’t be a true victory.” Amusement rang in Mason’s voice. “Then again, you’ve never played fair. All it takes is you batting those big brown eyes at me and I turn to putty in your hands.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t resist my cuteness.” I smiled up at him before my eyelids fluttered shut. I couldn’t keep them open any longer.

“Damn you. How can I shoot you when Sloth has you in his grasp?”

“You can’t. Gotta let… me win.”

Mason laughed. “You’re right about one thing. I definitely can’t resist you, angel.” I still couldn’t open my eyes, but I felt him grab my hand. I’d lost the grip on my gun earlier, and he placed it back. “Which is why I’m going to let you shoot me, you little cheater.”

“Don’t wanna.”

Another laugh, this one raspy.

“Sleep now?” Sloth asked.

I was out like a light before I could answer him.

***

The light rumble of an engine. The cushion of nylon seats beneath me and the familiar smell of the truck’s cab. I became aware of these things before I even opened my eyes. A song played on the radio, though the volume was turned low.

“You and Scar got it handled?” Mason quietly asked. I cracked open my eyelids to see him with a phone to his ear and one arm resting on the steering wheel. He wore sunglasses and had changed out of the paintball gear and into a blue tee with a dark gray jacket over it. “Good. These fuckers don’t know when to quit, do they? Be careful out there.” A short pause. “Yeah, we’ll do the same. Talk to you later, man.”

“Everything okay?”

“Look who’s awake.” He smiled over at me. “Yeah, they’re okay. Some ghouls attacked a small town in Oklahoma and killed some high school kids who were partying in the woods. News said it was an animal attack, but we know better. Storm and Scar scouted their nest last night.”

I sat up a bit more in the seat and rubbed my eyes. “Do we need to go help them?”

“Nah. They’re on their way to meet up with another group of hunters at the local café to fill them in, so they’ll have more than enough people to help tonight. Storm will check in with me later once they’re done.”

“Stupid monsters,” I mumbled. “We got rid of the big-bad, but they won’t go away.”

He reached across the seat and grabbed my hand. “Defeating Lucifer saved the world, but bad guys and monsters will always be around. That’s why there are good guys who kick their ass.”

“Do you miss it? Hunting?’

Mason thought for a moment. “Honestly? No. My whole life’s been one violent incident after another. The war with Asa, then the one with Lucifer. Before then too. I was honored to serve my country, but the dark shit in my head because of it still keeps me up at night.”

I knew that from experience. Sometimes he still woke up screaming in the middle of the night and covered in a cold sweat. He wouldn’t register reality at first. One time, he’d thrown himself on top of me while screaming about a bomb. Another time, he’d just sobbed while repeating, “They’re all dead.” I would then cuddle him until he calmed and use my sleeping power on him if he asked me to.

“I don’t miss it either,” I said. “The only action I want now is you and me rollin’ around in bed. Oh, and beating you at games.”

“Don’t get a big head, angel. I let you win today.”

“Whatever.” I glanced down at my clothes. They were the ones I’d been wearing before changing into the gear for the paintball match. “You undressed me while I was sleeping. So naughty.”

“I promise I didn’t grope you inappropriately, not even once. Not even when you wiggled against me and latched onto my arm, begging me to touch you.”

“I did not.”

He arched a brow. “You so did. Whatever you were dreaming about must’ve been nice.”

“Don’t remember.” I scooted across the long seat until I was pressed to his side. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Mason cracked another smile. “The wolf boys said to hit them up the next time we wanna play. I think they just want a rematch against me since I wiped the floor with them.”

The “wolf boys” were River, Knox, Nick, and Cyrus—werewolves from the pack in Echo Bay. Bane was their alpha. They had fought beside us in the battle against Lucifer. I’d known Nick longer though. For reasons.

“How did it feel?” I hugged Mason’s arm and rested my head on his shoulder as he drove. “Kicking Nick’s butt?”

He barked out a laugh. “Amazing.”

“I’m hungry.” I stared longingly at the café we drove past. A Japanese restaurant was up ahead, as well as several fast-food places. People flooded the downtown area, moving along the sidewalks and going in and out of shops. The nice weather was like a breath of fresh air after the frigid winter months. Smells from all the food places swirled around me.

“How does a burger sound?” Mason asked.

“Oh. Yeah. Gimme.”

“You got it.”

He drove to a diner not far from the harbor. It served burgers, fried chicken, and a banging fish and chips. The parking lot was halfway full, and more cars pulled in behind us as we got out of the truck and walked toward the entrance.

“I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow.” I slowly swung our joined hands as we waited to be seated. My stomach grumbled as meat sizzled on the grill in the back. “I’m gonna order one of everything.”

“You and what body?” Mason smirked down at me. “You’ll eat half your burger and then curl up to take another nap.”

“Nuh-uh. I’ll gobble up a milkshake first, and then I’ll nap.”

He laughed. Ever since the end of the war, he’d done that a lot more. Yeah, shadows still haunted his mind. He still disliked large crowds of people and got anxious in social settings. Loud noises bothered him. But my husband seemed so much happier these days. Lighter.

I felt lighter too. The weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.

Mason ordered a bacon cheeseburger bigger than my head and a large basket of salted crinkle fries that I most definitely stole from—hence why he got a large. I ordered a junior-sized cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake. During lunch, a song from one of my favorite anime—Given—rang out.

“Oh! That’s me.” I pulled my phone from my hoodie pocket and accepted the call, pressing it to my ear. “Gray speaking.”

Raiden laughed. “Hey, Smalls. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Nope. You’re not.” I sipped my milkshake and slowly kicked my feet. Mason tried to hide a smile and failed. “What’s up?”

“Ti and I bought an Xbox for Nico. The new one that just released. He’s been wanting a gaming console for a while, and my softie of a husband finally caved. We also got him a bunch of games for it.” Indistinct voices sounded in the background, followed by a deeper one I recognized as Titan, asking if they needed to buy more sugar or if they had enough. “Sorry for the noise. We’re grocery shopping. But anyway. The Xbox. Nico was excited when we gave it to him and asked if you’d be interested in gaming with him sometime. ’Cause he knows you play too. Maybe you and Mason could visit soon, and y’all could make a night of it. Games and all the snacks you can eat.”

“Visit you on your sunny and warm island with all that good food and comfy napping spots? Also video games? Um. Definitely.”

My brother chuckled. “Okay, cool. Just let me know when’s good for you guys.”

“Hey, Ray?” I stole another fry from Mason’s plate, dipped it in my milkshake, and ate it. “Was the Xbox thing just an excuse for you to ask me to come visit you?”

“No, we really bought one for the kid, and he wants to game with you. But since ya brought it up… I do miss you. So maybe that’s part of it.” Raiden was such a big softie. “How about next weekend?”

“That should work.” Plenty of time to make arrangements. “I’ll talk to Mason and let you know.”

“Cool. Talk to ya later, Smalls.”

After disconnecting the call, I relayed the info to Mason, who said he’d like to go. He even seemed excited about it. I guess the promise of sunny beaches and the Mediterranean were enough to lure him too.

“Finish your food,” he then said.

“Listen here, Mr. Marine.” I pointed a finger at him. “I’ll eat what I want, when I want.”

He fought another smile. And again, he failed. I liked cracking his composure.

“This is fun,” I said as we exited the diner after lunch, hand in hand. “It’s like we’re an ordinary couple on a date.”

“Angel, we’re anything but ordinary.” Mason stopped beside his truck and turned to me. With a small smile, he smoothed his thumb along the corner of my mouth. “But I’m having fun too.”

“Yeah? Can we do it again soon? Like tomorrow?”

“Who said it’s over?” He withdrew his keys from his back pocket and winked at me. “Get in the truck.”

Excited, I jogged to the passenger side and hopped in.

A day out with Mason was the best day ever.

Mason

Paintball. Lunch at a burger joint. And then, the arcade. I felt like a teenager again. But the best part was seeing Gray’s smile.

“Mason! Look.” He played a racing game where he sat on a mini motorcycle, moving it from side to side to steer. “I’m winning.”

“Good job.” I stood beside him and looked at the screen just as his bike crossed the finish line. It was the only time he could drive. Because of Sloth, he didn’t drive in real life. A sleepy spell could hit him out of the blue, and he’d decided long ago not to risk it. But it was okay because I didn’t mind being his chauffeur and taking him wherever he wanted to go.

“Will you win me a stuffy?” Gray hopped off the bike and collected the few tickets the machine spat out for his victory. “There’s a really cute sloth over there.”

“Well, there’s no way you can leave without taking him home with you.”

“Exactly.” He crinkled his nose in that adorable way of his and slid his hand into mine. “I’ve already named him too. Sleepy the Sloth.”

An hour and a half and a shit ton of money spent on tokens later, Gray and I finally had enough tickets for Sleepy the Sloth. We made our way to the prize stand and stood second in line. The sloth was within reach. One huge problem stood in our way.

The kid in front of us slapped his rolls of tickets on the counter. “I want the sloth.”

“Oh no,” Gray whispered, looking up at me with teary eyes.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath before pulling out my wallet. “Hey, kid. I’ll give you five bucks to choose something else.”

The kid looked at me, then at my wallet, and grinned. “Make it twenty and we have a deal.”

“Twenty? I could go to the store and buy one for less than that.”

“Then I guess that’s what you gotta do.” The little brat shrugged. “Unless you pay up.”

“Fine.” I pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it over. “You little con artist.”

He plucked it from my hand and pocketed it. “Nice doing business with you.” Then, to the woman behind the counter, he asked for one of the shark plushies instead.

My annoyance lifted once Gray had the stuffed toy secured in his arms, resting his cheek against the sloth’s head. “Thanks, Mason.”

I slid my arms around him and kissed his blond curls. “Anything for you, angel. But you should reconsider his name.”

“Why?” Gray nuzzled the plush before leaning over and doing the same to my chest.

“Sleepy the Asshole fits him more. I nearly had to fight a little kid for him.”

Gray giggled. “You’re my hero.”

As his lids dropped a bit and his pace turned sluggish, I knew it was time for his afternoon nap. I guided him to the corner of the arcade and knelt down. “Hop on.”

“Yay.” Gray crawled onto my back and wrapped his legs around my waist, hugging my neck with one arm. The sloth was secured in his other hand. “Giddyap.”

“I’m not a horse.”

“No, but I’m still gonna ride you like we’re in our very own rodeo.” He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, “So find somewhere private, ’kay?”

“How can you say shit like that when you’re seconds from falling asleep? You evil thing.”

He softly laughed and nuzzled into my back. “You love me.”

“Yeah. I do.”

A light snore reached my ears. He was already out. Damn him. He was a sexy, mischievous Nephilim who needed a spanking. After his nap though.

With him on my back and ignoring the few stares tossed our way, I left the arcade. Puffy white clouds had rolled in, and the sun passed behind them, casting shade on the full parking lot before bright rays found us again. A group of teenage boys rushed toward the building, playfully shoving each other and laughing.

You would never know that a little over a year ago, this peaceful seaside town had been the location of a war between supernatural beings. Demons, werewolves, vampires, dragon shifters, and fallen angels had all clashed.

My heart had stopped beating that night. Figurately. But watching the man I loved sacrifice everything, watching him fall to the snow as his soul was transferred into the only weapon powerful enough to kill Lucifer, it was like the breath had been knocked out of me. Only when I saw him open his eyes and heard his voice did my lungs start working again.

I held Gray’s legs a bit tighter. His heart beat against my back, slower now as he slept. I hoped he was dreaming only of sweet things. No nightmares. No sorrow or pain.

I placed him in the passenger’s seat, buckled his seat belt, and placed Sleepy the Asshole on his lap. He made a tired little sound and turned his face toward me as I started to pull away. I kissed the tip of his nose before walking around to the driver’s seat and driving to Clara’s mansion. I carried him toward the house and reached the porch just as a drop of rain landed on the steps, then another. A spring shower.

Noises came from the kitchen, cabinets closing and utensils clanking. Spices wafted in the air, and my mouth watered as I closed the door.

“It smells great in here,” I said as I passed beneath the archway.

Clara stood at the stove, stirring something in a huge pot, and glanced at me over her shoulder. “Hey, welcome home. Did y’all have fun?”

Gray and I were living with her while our house was being built on a plot of land on the edge of Echo Bay.

“We did,” I responded, rubbing up and down Gray’s back as he rested against my chest. “Need help?”

“Nope. Everything’s basically done. It just needs to cook for a bit.” Clara stirred the contents again. “Raiden gave me a recipe for beef and vegetable stew. I made a loaf of bread earlier to go with it.”

“Sounds good.”

A thud came from the backyard. Sirena had a quiver of arrows strapped to her back and pulled another free, braced it on the bowstring, and sent it soaring toward a target. She had built a mini obstacle course and arena, where she trained every day, rain or shine.

“Gods, that woman is hot as hell,” Clara said, looking at her through the window above the sink. “Look at those triceps.”

I snorted. “Down, girl.”

She made a face at me. “You have no room to talk. That sweet boy in your arms has you wrapped around his cute little finger.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“Raiden called earlier,” I said. “He wants me and Gray to visit. You and Sirena should come too.”

Clara’s smile turned all mushy. “She’d love that. She misses the island life.”

Since the end of the war, Sirena had lived with Clara, but the two of them had visited her island in the Caribbean several times. They had discussed eventually moving to the island, or at least creating a second home together there, so they could travel back and forth whenever the urge struck. They’d make it work. I had no doubts.

“We’ll be back down soon,” I told her before leaving the kitchen.

I took the stairs to the second floor and went into our bedroom. Gray had decorated it with anime posters, shelves of plushies and manga, and his beloved collection of dick-o-saurus figures. Some might say he was childish, but it was a part of him I adored. Mainly because I understood the reason behind it. He had suffered through so much darkness in his long life. It was why he surrounded himself with cute things. They made him happy. And him being happy was all I wanted.

I placed him in bed and pulled the blanket up around him and his new sloth plush. He cuddled it. After taking off my shoes, I crawled in beside him, lying on top of the blanket. Instantly, he forgot about the stuffed animal and hugged me instead.

“Mason,” he mumbled in his sleep. His fingers gripped the front of my shirt.

“Rest, angel.” I caressed his jaw. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I never would.

***

Stars glimmered in the night sky. The clouds from earlier had cleared, giving us a perfect view.

After dinner, we had packed a blanket and some snacks before going to one of our favorite places: the lighthouse. Gray had then flown us up to the roof, where we’d set out the blanket and lain on top of it. He reclined on his back beside me, pointing out constellations. Well, not real ones. He created his own.

“That one looks like a walrus,” Gray said.

“What about that one?” I motioned to a different part of the sky that, to me, just looked like random speckles.

He tilted his head from side to side, brow wrinkled. “A potato.”

“And what did this potato do to earn his place in the sky?”

“Does a potato need a reason to be a hero?” Gray reached into the bag of chips and shoved a handful into his mouth.

“You’re eating his brethren right now.”

“They’re yummy too. Salty potato goodness.” He grinned before eating more. “Thank you for your sacrifice, little dudes. May you journey to Valhalla in style.”

“In style?”

“On the back of a rainbow-colored sloth wielding a battle-axe,” he said without missing a beat. His quick wit was yet another thing I loved about him. Sometimes, when he got excited, he talked ninety to nothing and jumped from one topic to the next so fast it gave me whiplash. But I loved that too.

My phone dinged from beside me, and I glanced at the screen. A text.

Storm: Checking in. All went well. Back at the motel now.

Releasing a sigh of relief, I typed back a reply. Crazy how I hadn’t realized I’d been worried until I got the “okay” from him.

Me: Good to hear. Now relax with pizza and beer. You’ve earned it.

Storm: Hell yeah I have. You with your boy?

Me: Yeah. He’s reading over my shoulder.

Storm: Hey, Sleepy Gray. You’re still too good for this guy.

I laughed and shot back a response.

Me: Fuck you.

Gray nuzzled my arm. “You’re the one who’s too good for me, I think.”

“Keep lying like that and I’m going to tickle you until you piss yourself.”

He offered me a small smile. “It’s true though.”

“Well, I think you’re full of shit. You are the best person I know.”

“Nuh-uh. I’m not.”

“Why do you think that?” I asked.

“My dad’s still locked up in the celestial prison.” Gray chewed his bottom lip. “Part of me wants to go visit him. Another part never wants to see him again. Does that make me bad? I don’t wanna be bad. Maybe that’s why I don’t know how I feel about him. If I admit I still love him, that would kinda be forgiving all the mean things he’s done. And if I say I hate him… well, hating anyone is really mean too.”

“Come here, you precious thing.” I pulled him on top of me. “Look at me.” He did. “You’re not bad, Gray. You may be mischievous and my favorite little hellion, but there’s not an evil bone in your body. You love with your whole heart. You’re sensitive and sweet. Want to know the most important thing?”

He nodded.

“You and I…” I ghosted my lips across his. “We fit perfectly together.”

“We kinda do, don’t we?” He smiled against my mouth. “We’re here now because I saved your life from the manan-thingy.”

“The manananggal.”

“Yeah. That thing.” He pecked a kiss to my chin, jaw, then my cheek. “You got its goo on your shoes.”

I tugged him closer and kissed him. He giggled against my lips.

He was right though. If not for him and his brothers that night, I would’ve been toast. Gray had been saving me ever since that night. He’d saved me from myself. Saved me from the darkness that had tried to take me over since that dark night when I lost my unit—when I watched my best friend be torn apart.

Gray was my angel, not because he had wings or was the son of one. It was because he had saved me in every way.

“I like it here,” he said, trailing his fingertips along the collar of my shirt. “Even better that I’m with my favorite person.”

The bright beam of the lighthouse shone toward the dark sea before circling back around. In the distance, a ship’s horn sounded. I had lost my way so many times in life, unsure if I’d ever move on from the twisted shit in my head. But he had found me and shown me a world of sunlight. I wanted to be that for him too. His safe place. His warmth.

“I’d be lost without you,” I whispered, cupping the back of his head. I loved the wildness of his blond hair as I threaded my fingers through the strands. My little Nephilim of chaos.

“I guess I’m your lighthouse too.” Gray’s expression smoothed, became more tender. “Just like you’re mine. We guide each other to shore.”

The End

Bellamy & Phoenix

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Bellamy

“I want you to fuck me like you hate me.” Phoenix turned to look at me from where I had him pushed against the wall, my dick deep in his ass and our bodies slick with sweat.

I’d lost count of the times I’d railed him that weekend. We had fucked earlier that day, showered, and then explored the town. We’d eaten lunch at a nice seaside restaurant and found a secluded section of the sunny beach to make out and rut together. A blowjob might’ve, most definitely, been involved—him on the receiving end because pleasing him thrilled me like nothing else did. Then, we’d enjoyed the Mykonos nightlife and party scene before returning to the hotel and fucking again. And again.

It was how we’d spent most of our days since the war ended. Traveling, sex, romantic shit, and more sex. I couldn’t get enough of Phoenix—enough of this life with him.

I slid my fingers through his dark auburn hair before tugging his head back. “Think you can handle it?”

“Oh, sweet Bellamy.” He rolled his hips, causing me to go deeper inside him. His tail snaked along my thigh. “Remember who you’re talking to. I used to eat heroes like you for breakfast.”

“Eating heroes, sure.” I gripped the sides of his neck with one hand and slammed my hips forward. He gasped and arched his back. “But fucking them? That’s a different story.”

“Bell,” he moaned, his eyelids fluttering as his mouth popped open in a sexy little o. He was the image of pure seduction. “More.”

“Kiss,” Lust said. Whined, really. The bastard was head over heels for our demon.

I was too.

“Give me those lips,” I murmured as I turned his face toward me for a side kiss.

Phoenix sighed against my mouth before smirking. “So demanding. I like it.”

“How much do you like it?”

“I refuse to fluff up your ego.”

“Too bad.” I slowed my pace, easing in slowly before withdrawing just as slowly. When he grumbled in frustration, I was the one who smirked.

“Stop being a tease and fuck me, dammit.”

“Say please.”

His whiskey eyes narrowed. “I don’t beg.”

“Then I don’t fuck.”

“Don’t make me shoot a fireball at you.”

“You wouldn’t hurt this pretty face,” I said before pushing forward, nice and slow. My mate groaned deep in his throat, the rumbles vibrating against my hand that was still around his neck. I touched his collar as I sunk deeper into him, then pulled nearly all the way out. When I shoved back in, he slammed a hand on the wall in front of him.

“Please, Bellamy,” he whimpered as my cock nudged his prostate. “Give me more.”

I kissed the shell of his ear. “That’s my demon.”

“My demon,” Lust said.

“Fuck off,” I told him.

My sin rolled his eyes at me. “Fuck him properly, or I’ll take over and do it for you.”

Like I needed that bastard’s help.

I pumped into Phoenix, alternating between short and deep thrusts. I sensed his arousal. Sensed just how close he was to that blissful edge. His body was like a well-read novel. I knew every sentence on every page. I had licked, kissed, and caressed every inch of him. I knew all the places that made him quiver and moan.

As I rocked into him, I moved a hand to the base of his tail. Just like my wing slits, that part of his tail was an erogenous zone. He groaned deeply. Begged me to keep touching him. To keep fucking him.

“Right there,” he breathily said. He reached back and grabbed my head, arching his spine as I locked my hips and slammed into his sweet spot over and over again, taking him harder. His fingers tangled in my hair. “Rip me apart and stitch me back together.”

As his orgasm slammed into him, Lust purred in my chest. Phoenix’s pleasure washed over me. Fed my sin. And it was only beginning. My release gathered low before crashing through me, and as he milked my cock, my semen triggered a second climax for him.

“Gods, I love that.” Phoenix heavily panted, moans lacing in those quick breaths. “I never want it to stop.”

I lowered my face to the back of his neck and kissed his collar, softly grunting. I wanted to possess Phoenix inside and out. I wanted him to do the same with me. An equal give-and-take of possession and earth-shattering orgasms.

As the last of that orgasmic wave receded, I slowly rocked my hips, circled them. A deep rasp escaped his parted lips. When the sensitivity became too much, I pulled out but kept him in my arms. He turned to face me and captured my lips in a lazy kiss. His tail curved around my leg in that way I loved.

I was high on pleasure—both his and mine. He’d asked to be ripped apart, but I was the one who felt utterly wrecked.

“Come to bed with me,” he whispered. “Let me hold you.”

The sheets were cool but quickly warmed with the heat of our bodies. Phoenix brushed his lips across my forehead as his fingers lightly moved up and down my ribs. It was soothing. I smiled as his tail slid along my leg.

When we went out among mortals, he reverted to his human form. But when it was just us—or when we visited other supernatural beings—he showed his true self: horns, a black tattoo-like design along his upper arms and across his chest, and a thin black tail. His right horn had been broken off when he’d been tortured in the underworld. The sight of it still fueled my anger, but it didn’t make him any less beautiful in my eyes.

“Are you enjoying Mykonos?” I asked. The Greek island was known for its energetic nightlife, luxury resorts, and gorgeous beaches. The party atmosphere, rich history, and diversity attracted people from all over—mortals and immortals alike. But for the less social crowd, there were also charming little shops, sites like the old windmills, and secluded coves on the less popular beaches.

“I’m enjoying fucking you all over it,” he answered.

I released a tired laugh. “Too sunny for you?”

As a demon who’d lived in the underworld all of his life prior to marrying me, it had taken Phoenix time to get used to the brightness of the mortal realm. The sun never showed in the underworld. Instead, it was a realm of eternal night, the only light coming from the dual moons, one with a faint blue hue and the other with a red one.

“I don’t mind the sun.” He pressed another kiss to my forehead. “I love how it brings out the golden undertones in your hair.” His fingertips smoothed over my stomach. “How it shines on your skin and warms it.”

I reveled in his soft touch. Lust did too. The purrs started back up again, vibrating in my chest. “So you do like it here?”

“Yes,” Phoenix said with amusement ringing in his voice. “Yet, where we are doesn’t matter. Over the past year, we’ve traveled all over the world. Tropical islands, mountains, quaint towns surrounded by lush green forests, and bustling cities with skyscrapers, lively nightclubs, and some of the best food the human realm has to offer. Apart from Raiden’s cooking, of course. But what I’ve enjoyed most is sharing it all with you.”

Damn him. My throat got a bit tight. Being sappy and romantic wasn’t exactly our style. So when it happened, it always meant a little more. Felt special. “I’ve enjoyed it too.”

I shifted my body so I could face him. And when our gazes met, I sensed the color Lust made him see. My true eye color. Others looked at me and saw someone else—saw whatever color eyes they found most appealing. Phoenix was the only person who’d ever seen the real me.

“You still see me,” I whispered.

“Of course I do. You see me too.”

“Snark and all.”

“You love my snark.” He touched my jaw. “Your stubble is sexy.”

I placed my hand over his. “I didn’t shave this morning because I know you like it.”

“I like you clean-shaven too,” he said, grazing his fingers along my jawline. “You couldn’t look bad even if you tried. It’s a little irritating.” But there was a smile in his eyes as he said it. My snarky demon. “Where will we go next?”

“Where do you want to go?”

He skated his fingers to my lips, traced them. “The hot sun has been nice. So has seeing you sweat beneath that sun. But I find myself yearning for snow-covered forests and a cozy cottage.”

My stomach fluttered. “Daman and Warrin’s house?”

We had visited my brother and his family not long ago for dinner. Phoenix had teleported us to the cottage, where we’d stayed for the evening, ate a home-cooked meal that we didn’t have nearly enough of during our travels, then left later that night.

Phoenix furrowed his brow. “If you utter a word of this conversation to them, I will end you.”

“No you won’t.” I caught his wrist and brought it to my mouth. “But your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell them that you miss them.”

“It’s not them I miss,” he said with a slight snarl. “It’s the baby.”

I felt the surprise flicker across my face. And then, a smile. “Are my ears deceiving me, or is my husband, who claims to hate everyone, especially children, actually admitting to missing a baby?”

He rolled me to my back on the bed and pinned me down. “Not a word.”

I could easily break his hold if I wanted to. Instead, I lifted up to kiss him. He smiled before returning the kiss, his hold on my arms easing. Our fingers threaded together.

Maybe we were a disaster. A comet heading straight for a planet, the collision inevitable. But who said crashing was a bad thing? With him, I broke apart over and over, and each time those pieces melded back together, I found myself deeper in love with him.

***

“Okay, I take it back,” Phoenix muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he shivered. “It’s too cold here. Let’s return to Greece.”

I slipped my arms around him from behind. “I’ll warm you up.”

He swatted me with his tail.

Laughing, I pulled away but took hold of his hand. Snow crunched beneath our boots as we continued toward the cottage.

Phoenix had teleported us outside the ice dragon kingdom’s barrier, where we’d had to gain permission to pass through. The guards knew us and granted us passage right away, but security was tight. And rightly so. Thinking of my adorable little nephew made me feel better knowing those defenses were in place.

An engine rumbled from nearby, the sound growing louder. A snowmobile then appeared through the trees. The younger male riding it wore a thick coat and a gray knitted hat that was pulled down over his ears. Strawberry blond hair jutted from the bottom of it.

“Oh, hey!” Armen stopped beside us, the engine idling. His cheeks were pink from the cold. “I didn’t know you two were coming. I just left, but there’s a pot of stew and fresh bread if you’re hungry.”

“It was a last-minute decision,” I told him. “Thought we’d surprise them.”

When Armen’s gaze met mine, I felt Lust awaken from his slumber and bring forth the color the boy was attracted to most. My eyes transitioned to an icy blue.

“Easy there, kid,” I said. “If D knew you had the hots for his mate, he’d throw your ass out into the snow.”

Armen’s already pink cheeks darkened even more. “I admire Prince Warrin. I don’t have the hots for him.”

“Tell that to my sin.” I smirked, knowing his crush was harmless. Especially when I sensed my eyes change from blue to a rich brown. “Who has brown eyes?”

“No one.” Armen tugged his hat down farther and rested his hands back on the handlebars. His embarrassment was adorable. Oh, to be young and innocent again. “If either of you needs anything, please let me know. Enjoy your visit.”

He took off without another word.

“Sweet kid,” Phoenix said. “Unfortunately, the world devours boys like him. He’ll need to grow a thicker skin if he hopes to survive it.”

“The world is getting better.” I retook my mate’s hand and continued down the path. A minute or so later, the trees thinned and revealed a clearing where a stone cottage stood surrounded by snow, smoke rising from the chimney and a warm golden light spilling out into the overcast day.

“Bell?” Daman’s voice filled my head. Being that close, he sensed my presence. Just as I sensed his. It came with the bond all of us brothers shared.

“Hey, D,” I responded, using our telepathic link.

The front door swung open. Daman stepped out, smiling wide before forcing it away. Sometimes he couldn’t hide his excitement no matter how much he tried to. The changes in him were night and day. He wasn’t my bitter brother anymore who had been in a constant battle with himself. He was happy. That happiness radiated from him, even when he tried not to show it.

“You could’ve called,” he said from the doorway. He wore a cream sweater that paired beautifully with his bronze skin and dark hair.

“And ruin the surprise?” I met him at the top of the steps and wasted no time before drawing him in for a hug.

Daman wasn’t the touchy-feely type. He reminded me of a cat who only accepted affection on his own terms. But he returned my embrace and held on a bit longer than usual. He didn’t need to say it for me to know he felt the same. He’d missed me too.

Warrin appeared behind him. “Greetings.”

I unwound from Daman to clutch the dragon’s forearm. “I hope it’s okay we stopped by.”

“Of course,” Warrin said with a pleasant expression. Not quite a smile, but almost. “Please come in.”

Phoenix followed me inside, breathing in and relaxing his shoulders on the exhale, relieved to be out of the cold air. He crouched beside the lit fireplace to warm his hands. I’d told him to wear gloves. Maybe next time, he’d listen. As if somehow reading my mind, he glanced over and cut his eyes at me. “If you say, ‘I told you so,’ I really will hurl a fireball at you.”

Daman snorted. “I’d pay to see that.”

“Wow, I feel the love, D.” I put my hand over my heart.

“Stop being so dramatic, pretty boy.” He rolled his eyes. “Are you guys hungry?”

“Only for cuddles with a certain little dude,” I said. “Where is he?”

Warrin glanced up the stairs. “He should be waking from his nap soon.”

“I get to hold him first,” Phoenix said, appearing beside me. He didn’t have the patience to walk the five or so steps, so he’d blinked instead.

“We’ll see about that.” I grabbed him by the waist. “I’m Sorin’s favorite.”

“He likes my horns.” Though subtle, his expression hardened just a tad—clouded. “Well… horn and stump.”

A crack formed in my chest. “Still beautiful.”

Some softness returned to his whiskey eyes. “Fine. You can hold him first.” He glanced at Daman. “I smell coffee. May I have a cup?”

“I’ll pour it for you,” Warrin said, rubbing the small of Daman’s back as he leaned in to nuzzle his ear. “Would you like one as well?”

“Please.” Daman watched his husband leave the living room and pass beneath the archway into the kitchen. When his stare flickered back to me, I sensed my eyes change to a familiar shade of light blue.

Once upon a time, Lust hadn’t been able to get a read on Daman. My eyes had shifted between various colors, never settling on one. But not anymore. Not since he’d met his dragon. “How long are you staying?”

“Is it cool if we stay for a few days?” I guided Phoenix over to the couch closest to the fire. He loved the heat of it on his skin. “Traveling from place to place is great, but it’s nice to be among family again.”

Daman nodded. “The spare bedroom is all yours. Stay as long as you want.” Then, because he was my feisty brother, he added, “But don’t expect me to be your maid.”

“Ah, damn. So I don’t get to see you wear a slutty maid outfit and prance around with a little feather duster?”

“Only if you’re fond of having your neck broken,” Daman said without missing a beat. “War would kill you.”

“I might like to see this maid outfit too,” Warrin said as he came back into the room, holding two steaming mugs. He passed one to Phoenix, then sat beside Daman as he handed over the second. “Then, you can dance for me while wearing it.”

“Damn, Warrin,” I said. “I didn’t know you had a cosplay fetish.”

“He doesn’t,” Daman said with an eye roll. He paused and cocked his head at his husband. “Wait. Do you?”

Warrin pressed his lips together and averted his eyes to the stairs. “I believe I heard Sorin.” He lightly patted Daman’s thigh before standing from the couch and going upstairs.

“Well, shit.” Daman gave me a wide-eyed stare. “My husband has a cosplay fetish. The things you learn even after years together. But I wouldn’t mind dressing up for him.” He smirked before taking a sip of his coffee and closing his eyes, sighing. “Perfectly bitter. Just like me.”

“Will you dress up as a kitten for him?” I asked.

Daman threw one of the decorative couch pillows at me, smacking me in the face before I had time to dodge it.

Phoenix choked on his coffee as he laughed.

And then, the most adorable little sound came from the stairs. Warrin walked down with a sleepy-eyed Sorin in his arms. The baby’s silver hair jutted up, and he wore a dark green onesie with a teddy bear pattern. He was only four months old, but he seemed to be growing quicker than the average human baby. Probably because he hardly had any human in him. Warrin was a full-blooded dragon, and Daman was half human, half angel.

“There’s my sweet boy.” I stood and made grabby hands toward him. “Come to Uncle Bell.”

Sorin whipped his head around and instantly burst into a big toothless grin as he saw me.

Warrin kissed the side of his son’s head before handing him to me. He then retook his seat beside Daman.

I sat back down, cradling him. “He’s such a happy baby. Look at that smile.” I combed my fingers through his messy hair before bringing him closer and pressing my face against the silver strands. He was so warm and smelled so good. Like sunshine and happiness. “Yeah, this is what I needed.”

Phoenix scooted closer and placed a hand on Sorin’s arm, fiddling with the sleeve of his onesie. Sorin reached and grabbed his finger. That one touch caused my demon’s whole expression to change. He looked so peaceful. “Hello, little one.”

My breath stilled as I looked at Phoenix. He was my whole heart… but he’d been my enemy once. We had fought so hard to get where we were. In the beginning, I had known he was my fated mate and fought that bond, thinking it impossible that we could ever be together. Now, we were sitting with my brother and his husband and gushing over the most precious baby to ever live.

“Careful, Nix,” I told him. “Keep being this sweet and you might lose your villain card.”

“Nonsense,” he responded. “I can cherish this little one and still not bat an eye if the world goes up in flames. As long as those I love are safe, I don’t care about anyone else.”

I believed him. Phoenix was morally gray, walking the line between good and evil. And I loved every wicked yet beautifully tender piece of him. I never wanted him to change.

“Want to hold him?” I asked my mate.

“How generous of you,” he responded. “And here I thought I’d need to wrestle you for him.”

“We can do that later, baby cakes.” I winked, earning me another swat to the leg with his tail. I passed Sorin to him, and my heart squeezed as Phoenix held him and nuzzled their noses together.

Sorin reached for his horns and giggled.

“You should have one,” Daman telepathically told me. “A kid.”

I smiled at the thought. “Maybe one day.”

A while later, we made our way into the kitchen to eat the beef stew Armen had made. Drinks by the fire followed. As the day bled into night, the crackling fire keeping us company as we sat in front of it and talked, a realization came to me. I was ready to find a place to settle down with Phoenix. A place for us to call home.

I grabbed his hand. He tilted his head at me. Questions swam in his eyes.

I smiled to let him know I was okay. More than okay. I was no longer that little boy who used to sit at the harbor staring at the ships, wishing one would take me away.

I was exactly where I wanted to be.

Phoenix

Bellamy’s wings draped over us as he moved between my legs, the bed lightly creaking with his every slow thrust. Moonlight streamed in through the tall window beside the bed and kissed his black and royal blue feathers. Snowcapped trees stretched beyond the glass. He softly grunted in my ear as his body trembled.

“Mine,” he murmured.

“I’ve never belonged to anyone else.” I cupped the back of his head and slid my fingers through his golden locks. Fucked others? Yes. But my heart—my soul—had only ever been his.

He rocked into me, claiming my body and wrecking me in the best way. Sweat beaded on his chest, and I licked along his collarbone. The salty taste of his skin made me growl.

“I’m close,” I said on a moan. My nerve endings tingled, shooting messages all throughout my system. That message being I was about to lose my goddamn mind with the ecstasy I could only find in his arms.

“I know.” Bellamy’s teeth skidded along my jaw before he nuzzled my collar. “I can feel it.”

Of course he could. It was part of his power as the avatar of Lust, knowing his partner’s every desire and sensing their imminent release. He knew when I wanted it rough and fast and when I craved him just like this, slow and intimate.

“Let’s shatter together,” I said as my abdomen tightened and my thighs shook.

And then I was breaking into pieces beneath him, my hoarse groans muffled against his neck. He feathered kisses into my hair and caressed my horn before he came apart too. His orgasm amplified mine as his release filled me. Another of his powers. Orgasm-inducing cum. I came so hard that I cried out, my toes curling.

His mouth slammed to mine as we rode those waves together. He stayed on top of me even after they retreated.

“Something occurred to me earlier.” Bellamy’s necklace dangled down as he rose up a bit to peer down at me. The key in the center of it never failed to send my heart into a frenzy. A key that fit the lock on my collar.

“Well, don’t leave me hanging in suspense. Tell me.”

When he smiled, it wasn’t at his usual level. There was a hint of wariness to it. Like he was worrying about something. “I’ve loved traveling the world with you.”

“But?”

Creases formed at the corners of his dark blue eyes. I might joke and say I had a cold, dead heart, but the strings around it tugged as his tension seeped into me too. What did he want to say? The seconds it took him to finally respond felt like a lifetime.

“I think I’m ready to settle down somewhere.”

A shaky exhale escaped me. “Is that all?”

Confusion crossed his face. “Should there be more?”

“By the way you were acting, I was half-convinced you’d gotten sick of me after all and were about to break my heart.” My voice cracked on the last word. I lightly thumped my fist against his chest, inwardly cursing the stinging in my eyes. “You asshole.”

“I break beds, not hearts.” Bellamy tipped my chin up and held it there so I couldn’t look away. “And I’d sooner tear my own heart from my chest than ever do anything to hurt yours.”

“If you tore out your heart, we’d both die, so that would defeat the purpose.” My witticism failed to meet the mark. My voice was still too shaky.

A low whine climbed up his throat as he tugged me closer and buried his face against my neck. More whines followed, deep and raspy. It wasn’t Bellamy in that moment.

It was Lust.

“Don’t ever doubt me,” he said. His voice had two layers, one that sounded like my Bellamy and a deeper one I knew to be his sin. “I want to build a life with you, Nix. I want to find a place to call home and spend eternity with you in my arms.”

“I want that too.” I slid my arms around him and petted his wings. They folded more around me. “I lived in the underworld most of my life, but it never felt like home. I existed there. But I only started living once I found you. You became my home.”

“There you go again.” I felt him smile against my neck. “I see your villain card slipping farther and farther away.”

“Flame-roasted Nephilim sounds like a delicious midnight snack. What do you think?”

He laughed. The sound sank into my chest, chasing away the former ache. “We can live anywhere. The world is our playground.”

“Well, we have fucked all over the globe, yes. Certainly a playground for our carnal desires.”

Another laugh. He withdrew his wings and rolled to his back on the bed, his sated cock on full display between his legs. A truly mouthwatering sight. He put one arm behind his head and slid the other beneath me to tug me to his side.

“Where do you want to live?” I asked, cuddling into his chest.

“Honestly?” Bellamy stared at the ceiling, his hand roaming along the curve of my bare hip. “My brothers and I have lived in countless places throughout our long lives. But there’s something magical about the sleepy seaside town of Echo Bay.”

I smiled. I wasn’t sure why. Had I been subconsciously hoping we’d end up back there? “We have many memories in Echo Bay.”

Not all of them were happy. Some caused guilt to stir in my chest, like when I’d led a small force to attack their mansion in order to retrieve the ring with Asa’s soul. Or when Asa and Belphegor attacked and set fire to the mansion, resulting in Bellamy forcing me to leave his side. But it was also the place I’d learned what it was like to have a family, not only with Bellamy but also with his brothers and their mates.

“We’ll make many more,” Bellamy murmured, touching my collar as his expression became tender. Silver threaded through his dark blue eyes, like stars in a night sky. “This life with you has already been one hell of a ride.”

“Think you can handle more?”

He smiled and closed the gap between our mouths, kissing me softly. An answer to my question. We’d always been better about speaking with our bodies rather than with words. Lips could tell a thousand lies, but the truth was reflected in his toe-curling kisses. I felt the truth in his heart that beat to the same quick rhythm as mine.

I’d been a fool to ever doubt him. Bellamy loved me with a fire of a thousand suns, and I’d use that fire to destroy the world before ever letting anyone take him from me. I was twisted, but he curved around me perfectly.

“I’ll call Alastair in the morning,” he said, caressing my cheek. “Konnar showed him a lot of houses for sale in the past, so I’m sure he can help us find a place. We can live there temporarily while we build a house of our own.”

“Somewhere by the sea?” So many times, I’d caught Bellamy staring at the water. The sea calmed something in him. “That way, when I set you on fire, you can jump in and snuff out the flames.”

A raspy chuckle left him. “You talk a lot of shit for someone who never backs it up.”

I held up my hand, palm twitching. “I can have a fireball summoned in one second flat. Don’t test me.”

“Yeah?” He leaned in, his breath warm on my lips. “Maybe I want to feel the lick of your flames.”

“I have a better use for it,” I said, inwardly cursing his beauty. He turned my brain to mush when he did shit like that.

I slipped out of bed, feeling his eyes on my naked body as I approached the fireplace in the corner of the room and knelt down. Wood was stacked beside it, and I added a few logs before touching the wood and setting it ablaze. Perks of being a demon.

When I returned to bed, Bellamy tugged me on top of him and rejoined our lips.

Outside, a winter wind swept through the trees, making the branches groan. But inside our room, a soothing fire crackled as we kissed. The taste of him fanned the embers deep in my core, and soon, I was burning, fueled by lust and love.

Life with him had been a wild ride, just as he’d said.

And it had only begun.

The End

Raiden & Titan

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Raiden

“Hey, my awesome people. It’s your boy Raiden here!” I winked at the phone aimed at me before motioning to the ingredients on the counter. “Today, I’m gonna teach you how to make the Titan Burger.”

“Wait.” Titan stepped out from behind the phone stand, where he was recording me. “The Titan Burger?”

“Yeah. It’s the tahini sauce burger you love so much. I named it after you.”

My husband tried not to smile, but one twitched at the edge of his lips anyway. “Fine.”

A few months ago, on a whim, I had created an account on a popular social and video-sharing platform. Mainly because Daman had sent me videos of funny cooking fails, and after laughing so hard I cried, I got curious about making my own videos. My first video—a super-simple one where I demonstrated how to cook a perfect over-easy fried egg—kind of went viral.

Bellamy said what I was doing in the video had nothing to do with its popularity, but I didn’t get his meaning. Why would so many people like it, then?

The next day, I’d gotten a shit ton of followers, and with the encouragement of Titan and Nico, I decided to make more. I now had a cooking segment called Raiden’s Kitchen, where I showed how to cook my favorite recipes. I also posted random food-fact videos and stuff about health and fitness. Sometimes I showed my workouts. Bellamy called them thirst traps. Whatever that meant. But I always got a ton of new followers after posting them.

“First, you gotta season that meat.” I slapped the pound of ground beef in front of me. “I use salt, black pepper, and a special blend of spices made by my hot-as-hell husband. I’ll leave the ingredients and measurements in a comment on this video.”

Titan shook his head and paused the recording. “You smacking that meat got me hard.”

“Oh yeah? Why?”

He briefly closed his eyes. “Gods, you’re too adorably oblivious.” Back behind the phone, he nodded to me. “Let me know when you’re ready for the next part.”

It had been a challenge in the beginning, trying to shove my entire segment into a three-minute video, but with research into how other people did it and lots of practice, Titan and I had figured out a process that worked well for us.

It made me happy that he supported me doing it too.

“Hey, Ray?” Nico walked up beside Titan and glanced at the phone’s screen before looking at me. “You’re in perfect frame. If you take off your shirt, I guarantee you’ll triple the amount of likes on this video.”

“Shoo,” Titan told him. “Don’t put those ideas in his head.”

“Ah, you jealous?” Nico jabbed at him with his elbow. “Don’t want all those people drooling over your man?”

“I think they’ll be drooling over these burgers more,” I said. “I don’t gotta be shirtless to drive that point home. These burgers are dynamite.”

“Ew.” Nico’s face scrunched up. “No one says that anymore unless you’re, like, really old.”

I blinked at the kid. “I am old.”

“Yeah, but you don’t need to act the part.”

“Is it sus?”

“Oh my god,” Nico exclaimed. “Please stop.”

Titan barked out a laugh. “We should record this exchange between the two of you. It would go viral for sure.”

Nico grinned. “Sure. Put me in a video! My face is so hot it would crash the app.”

“Don’t know,” I said. “That sounds sus too.”

“Stoooop.” Nico groaned. “You’re not even using it right.”

“Should I go back to slapping my meat?”

A strangled sound came from Titan, and he doubled over, his face red. He was laughing. Hard. The kind of laughing that took your breath and made you wheeze. It wasn’t often I got that reaction from him, but it felt like a mini victory.

Once he calmed, we finished filming and saved it to the drafts folder so we could edit and upload later. I had made two burgers for the segment and had bit into one of them before ending the video.

Titan grumbled that the way I moaned as I chewed would probably increase the number of viewers.

Nico leapt forward and snatched up the second burger before shoving it in his mouth. Juices seeped out the back of the bun, and he licked it off his hand, still chewing.

“You’re so messy,” Titan said, watching him with an expression somewhere between disgust and amusement. “Eat over a plate. You’re getting sauce all over yourself and the floor.”

Meanwhile, I was gobbling up the other burger, not using a plate either. I paused while licking at the sauce that had dripped on my hand. “Oops.”

Titan sighed. “I see where he gets it from.”

I wiggled my saucy fingers at him. “Want some lovin’, Ti?”

“No. Stay away.”

I shoved the last of the burger into my mouth before barreling toward him. He didn’t even try to run. The faker. He loved me and my messiness. He chuckled low as I pressed him against the counter and brushed our lips together. Titan wasn’t the melting, swooning type… but he melted against me as we kissed, making a soft sound that only I could hear.

“You like that lovin’, huh?” I asked.

Titan ran the tip of his nose across mine. “Maybe.”

“Gross,” Nico said from behind us. “I’m leaving before I throw up.”

“Puking up that awesome burger would be a crime against humanity,” I said.

“You’re a crime against humanity,” the kid shot back before exiting the kitchen. Then, he opened the front door and shouted back to me, “Just kidding! Love you, Ray.”

Smiling, I placed another kiss to Titan’s lips. “Do you think he’ll ever call you or me Dad?”

“Do you want him to?”

I shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind it, but it might be weird for him. I call him a kid, but he’s a young man. Probably too late for him to see us that way. But ya know? It’s just a word. At the end of the day, we’re still family. That’s what matters.”

Titan rested his hands on my waist. “Did seeing Sorin the other day make you think about this? Do you want to be a dad?”

Another shrug. “Do you?”

His expression softened. “I’d love to have a child with you someday.”

“Yeah,” I said, surprised by the tightness in my throat. “I kinda like how things are right now though. You, me, and the kid. It’s nice.”

“It is.” Titan leaned in so close I felt his breath on my lips. “Know what else is nice?” His hands then slid to my ass and squeezed. “This.”

“Baby got back.”

He snorted a laugh. “You most definitely do.”

“What do you wanna do about it?” I ground my hips into him, wedging him more against the counter.

I felt him smile against my cheek. “I can think of one or two things. All of which involve you naked in bed. So you better get your hot ass in there.”

“Or what?”

Titan growled a little and bit at my jaw. His big hands squeezed my ass again. “Or I’ll take you right here.”

“If Nico comes home, that will traumatize him.”

“He’ll get over it.” Titan tossed me a smirk before slowly sinking to his knees, hands smoothing down my thighs. “I’m not feeling patient right now.”

I inwardly thanked my past self for deciding to wear athletic shorts that morning instead of jeans. Easier access. He yanked them down my hips, and in a flash, his hot, wet mouth was taking my cock. The sight of his lips stretched around me had me groaning. When his blue-green eyes flickered up to lock gazes with me, I threaded my fingers through his dark hair.

“I love you,” I said.

Titan flicked his tongue across my cock head before pulling off with a wet pop. “I love you too.”

I saw that love shining in his eyes. I felt it too. In every touch. In his every kiss.

Before the end of the war, I never imagined life could be like this: having my own little cooking show and interacting with so many humans. Spending a lazy morning in the kitchen with the male who owned my heart. Being a warrior was all I’d known ever since I was a kid. But now that my brothers and I could finally live in peace, my days were much happier. I could make cooking videos. Hell, I could even open my own restaurant on the island someday. The possibilities were endless.

It excited me.

“Where’s your mind at?” he asked.

“Here with you.” I trailed my fingers down his cheek. “Only with you.”

When I’d walked through the realm of the lost, searching for Kallias, the realm had tried to trick me into staying by showing what I wanted most. One scene had been just like this one: me and Titan living in our happily ever after without the threat of war hanging over our heads. I had wanted to stay in that reality more than anything. But it hadn’t been real. This, however, was.

It was the only place I ever wanted to be.

***

Kallias moved along the coffee bar in the corner of the kitchen, frothing milk before mixing it in with coffee. He had made his own whipped cream and added a generous dollop before drizzling caramel syrup on top.

Elasus sat beside me at the table and watched him with the kind of tenderness in his eyes I saw all the time from my own mate. They lived in the bungalow where Lazarus had once stayed while on the island. They had made it their own within the past year or so, adding their personal touches.

Making it a home.

“Please tell me what you think,” Kallias said as he placed a mug in front of me. His eager expression caused an ache in the center of my chest. Not a bad one though. It was just nice not to feel that oppressive sadness that had so often clung to him in the past. Since his mate had returned from the Elysian Fields, my brother smiled a lot more.

Melancholy was still with him—just as all our sins were still part of us—but that crippling sadness had lifted a bit.

“Don’t mind if I do.” I took a drink of the latte. It was creamy, sweet, and brewed strong. I took another drink, this one bigger.

A smile bloomed across his face. “You like it?”

As I kept drinking, Titan breathed out a short laugh. “I think that’s a yes.”

Kallias poured a mug for Elasus and kissed him on the top of the head. He then gave a mug to Titan and poured one for himself before joining us at the table.

“Help yourself,” I said, motioning to the platter of cake donuts in the center. “There’s chocolate, blueberry, and a cinnamon swirl one.”

“He woke early to make them.” Titan rested his titanium hand on my knee. I placed mine on top, loving the smooth coolness of the metal beneath my palm. Loved it even more when he turned his hand over and linked our fingers.

Titan and I regularly had breakfast with Kallias and Elasus. Sometimes they came to our house. Other times we went to theirs. He was my only brother who still lived in close proximity, so we saw each other as much as possible. While it was kind of bittersweet that the others had started lives elsewhere, I was happy for them. We had spouses now. Daman had a son. Heck, Alastair lived in a different realm. But even though our paths had diverged, we’d always be connected.

We’d always be brothers. All eight of us.

So much in our lives might’ve changed, but that never would.

Elasus grabbed a cinnamon swirl donut and handed it to Kallias, feeding his mate before himself. I smiled. Could they be any cuter?

“Gratitude,” Kallias said to him before taking a bite. Quickly followed by a soft moan. “This is the food of the gods.”

Not the first time someone had used the phrase to describe my food. It never failed to make me happy though. My smile widened. “Glad you like it.”

After breakfast, Titan kissed me goodbye. Elasus did the same to Kallias. The two of them then left for the training field.

With the war over, the warriors didn’t train every day. We had little need for a full-time, active army. Some of the warriors, however, had taken it upon themselves to continue the fight—to protect humankind like what my brothers and I used to do for so many centuries. They often left the island in the evenings and patrolled Athens for any demons or things that went bump in the night. Titan was still their commander, and Elasus had started helping out with the training too—when he wasn’t with the bladesmith learning how to forge weapons.

“I feel I should be on the training field as well,” Kallias said, staring at his mug as he trailed his thumb around the rim.

“Nah. You need to be here with me.” I placed another cake donut in front of him. “Helping me eat these.”

He faintly smiled. “Do you not feel guilty?”

“About what?” I asked around a mouthful of a chocolate donut. I was already eyeing a second.

Though small, a wave of sadness rippled off him. “Living peaceful lives while others fight in our place.”

I slowed in my chewing. That guilt? Yeah. I definitely felt it sometimes. Just because Lucifer and his dark army had been defeated didn’t mean demons had stopped being dicks. It didn’t mean the monsters, like ghouls and all the other evil jerks, had stopped killing people.

“I feel ya, brother,” I said. “There will always be bad guys out there. But whenever I feel guilty about it, Ti reminds me that I spent my entire life fighting. We all have. We deserve peace.”

Alastair said the same when I’d mentioned it. “We’ve given enough to the world. You owe nothing more.”

Kallias visibly mulled over my words before taking a drink of his latte. “Peace is still a strange concept for me.”

“So are microwaves.”

He choked on a laugh. “You’re right. Maybe one day, both will feel more natural.”

“We could always visit the training field,” I suggested before grabbing another donut. “Watch our mates sweat under the sun and swing their mighty swords.”

“And work off these donuts while we’re there.” Kallias grabbed another as well.

We exchanged a smile.

Yeah, it’d take more time, but eventually, this peaceful life on the island would feel as natural as flying.

Titan

Waves kissed the shoreline before slowly retreating with the tide. The gentle crashing echoed along the beach, rolling over one another. I closed my eyes and breathed in the salty air. Felt the fading warmth of the sun on my skin. It inched toward the horizon. An end to another day.

Sunsets no longer bothered me. They hadn’t for quite some time. As Raiden once said, it wasn’t goodbye. It was only “see you later.”

“Well, this is familiar.”

I turned to see Baxter. He wore board shorts and a white shirt that was unbuttoned, showing off his chest and abs. His pink-and-black hair hung freely instead of his usual spikes. It made him look younger. More like the Baxter I’d first met that night so long ago who had been drunk and heartbroken.

“Good evening,” I greeted him.

He came to stand beside me. The tide rolled in and brushed our feet. “I remember finding you like this once. You were fretting over a certain gentle giant of a Nephilim with pretty blue eyes.”

“I wasn’t fretting over him,” I said, although I had, indeed, been thinking of Raiden back then. Confused by him and the feelings he’d awoken inside my chest. “His eyes are pretty though.” I liked how the edges crinkled when he smiled.

Baxter smirked.

“Perhaps you’re the one who’s come here to fret this time.”

“Me? Fretting?” He scoffed. “I’d have to care enough to do so.”

Baxter was my closest friend. We’d been together for decades. Which was how I saw through his act. He pretended not to care, pretended things didn’t bother him, but then I would remember that brokenhearted male who had been hurt so deeply that he’d tried to soothe the pain by drowning himself in bottles of ambrosia-laced rum. The male who’d cried and swore he’d never let another person hurt him again.

It was a lonely existence, guarding your heart and never allowing anyone in. I knew that from experience.

“You know…” Baxter angled his face to the darkening sky. “It takes a lot for me to admit when I’m scared. And back then, when we learned what the cursed sons had to do in order to defeat Lucifer, I was fucking terrified for you, Titan. You were finally happy. Having Raiden torn from you like that? I knew it’d break you.”

A memory flashed through my mind of when Raiden’s soul had been transferred to Night Fall. He’d fallen to his knees and gone so still as an orange cloud rose from his body and seeped into the blade’s hilt. Without a doubt, losing him would have broken me. More than that, it would’ve destroyed me. Completely.

I didn’t know how to respond. If I tried to speak right then, my voice would crack anyway.

“Sorry.” Baxter offered me a small smile. “Didn’t mean to make you relive it. I guess I’m just thinking a lot tonight. Definitely a sign that I should be drinking instead. Or fucking. Both are great distractions.”

“Distractions from the loneliness?”

“I’m not lonely,” he said. “Not when I have your husband’s hot videos to keep me company. Seriously. The latest one with him smacking that meat?” He kissed his fingers. “Perfection.”

Typical Baxter—reverting to humor when things got too real for him. I wouldn’t push him though. He’d talk when he wanted to.

“I’ll tell him you said so. But knowing him, he’ll fail to understand the reason why you like it.”

“That boy is too damn wholesome.” Baxter laughed under his breath. “He makes a mean burger too. You guys need to come cook dinner for me again.”

“How about tonight?” I used to cook for Baxter nearly every night prior to marrying Raiden. Breakfast most mornings too. The realization that I’d stopped made my heart ache.

“Only if you don’t have other plans,” he answered before releasing an exaggerated sigh. “I’m in rare spirits tonight. All in my feelings. I need a Titan Burger to make me feel better.” He winked.

“Oh, mock me all you want. But I’m sure he’ll name something after you next. We’ll see who’s laughing then.”

“Probably still me.”

Raiden had no problem cooking dinner at Baxter’s villa. In fact, he was excited about it. He loved cooking for the people he cared about. Shortly after Baxter and I left the beach and walked to his house, Nico, Gray, and Mason showed up with Raiden. They carried bags of ingredients through the patio door. Gray and his husband had arrived that afternoon, which was where Raiden had been when I’d gone to the beach. He had helped them get settled in.

“This should be enough,” Raiden said, unpacking what he’d brought on the kitchen counter.

“Enough for a small army,” I told him.

He flashed me the dimpled grin I adored. “Or close to it. We should invite more people over.”

Naida and her husband, Zale, joined us, as did Kallias and Elasus. Some of Nico’s friends came over too. Dargan and Oliver, angels from Lazarus’ and Michael’s units, arrived not long after that. The two of them had become friends with Baxter and the rest of us during the war with Lucifer and came to visit every so often when their schedules allowed.

The villa soon became alive with activity, people hanging out in the living room and others crammed into the kitchen. Laughter rang out from the various conversations. The old me would’ve hated it. Then again, the old me had avoided most people because it was easier to be alone.

Baxter leaned against the counter and smiled as he talked to Dargan. A genuine smile, not one of his fake ones that often hid his true feelings. His mood from earlier was quickly improving. Lifting.

“Are you still keeping tabs on His Royal Dickhead?” Baxter asked.

“Occasionally,” Dargan answered. “Since Asa’s release back into this realm, he’s kept a low profile. Having no power would do that, I suppose. His powers are so faint he is nearly human.”

“Please tell me in order to make a living for himself he was forced to get a job flipping burgers or something.” Baxter grinned at the thought. “I can just see Asa at the counter taking someone’s order and being like, ‘I used to rule the underworld, you know.’ And the customer’s like, ‘Cool. I’d like some fries with that.’ I don’t think I’d ever stop laughing.”

Dargan chuckled. “Well, I can’t give many details on his whereabouts. But know he’s having a shit time trying to adjust to the modern world.”

“Music to my ears,” Baxter responded.

Gray pointed at Nico. “After dinner, you and me. Xbox. Call of Duty.”

“Game on, short stuff,” Nico said. “Prepare to be destroyed.”

“I don’t lose.” Gray hopped up on the barstool and spun it around.

“Because he cheats,” Mason said. “Just ask him about our paintball match last week.”

“I didn’t cheat! I won fair and square.”

Mason looked at me. “He didn’t. He cheated. He used his cuteness against me.”

Gray grinned at that before spinning in the barstool again.

“What is a paintball match?” Elasus asked. “It sounds exciting.”

As he explained what it was, Mason grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to Elasus before popping the cap on his. Although he was from Ancient Sparta, Elasus was still human. Therefore, he could become drunk on human alcohol without the need for ambrosia, pure absinthe, or vials of blood to enhance the effects. Not that he and Mason were drinking to get intoxicated.

“Need help?” I asked after joining Raiden at the counter.

He turned his face toward mine, and knowing what he wanted, I gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Do you mind chopping bell peppers and an onion? I’m about to start seasoning the chicken and steaks.”

Fajitas. He always went all out with them, cooking chicken, steak, and shrimp, along with making red rice and beans. He often made the flour tortillas from scratch too.

“I’ll start heating the grill!” Nico said before going outside on the patio. His friends trailed after him—all in their early twenties. They were good kids. I had trained each of them around the time Nico came to the island.

Thank the gods none of them had been killed in the battle. Some of them had chosen to keep fighting, though, and patrolled Athens in nightly shifts. Was I proud? Most definitely. Yet, I worried too. It was one reason why I continued to train with the warriors. Anything I could teach them that would make them stronger for those patrols allowed me to sleep a little easier at night.

Dinner passed with plenty of great food and conversation. A lot of laughs too. Then, everyone pitched in to help clean up the kitchen while I threw together ingredients for brownie batter and stuck the pan in the oven to bake. Baxter handed out more beers, and Kallias brewed coffee for those who wanted a non-alcoholic drink. By the end of the evening, the brownies had been devoured, as had the tubs of ice cream in the freezer.

“Thank you for the meal,” Kallias said before he and Elasus took their leave.

Dargan and Oliver stayed to visit longer with Baxter, Naida, and Zale. Raiden and I told them good night before leaving.

“I’m so full I could burst,” Raiden said, holding my hand as we left the villa and walked through the moonlit courtyard.

Nico flew above us. Gray picked up Mason—which was an amusing sight, given their height difference—and flew after him. They would reach the house before we did. I didn’t mind. I was enjoying the alone time with my mate. And the quiet. Because something told me I wouldn’t get much of it that night.

Who knew video games could make people so loud?

“You outdid yourself yet again,” I said.

“Yeah, but your brownies were amazing. I think I ate half the pan by myself.” His thumb glided across mine. He held my right hand instead of my titanium one, so I was able to better feel the warmth of his skin on mine. But I felt his warmth even with my metal one too. It was like the sun existed inside Raiden, heating anyone fortunate enough to be around him.

Somehow, I’d been the most fortunate of all. Fate had chosen him for me.

“Baxter liked your Titan Burger video,” I said. We kept a casual pace as we moved through the courtyard, passing the evening blossoms springing from the soil near the fountain. Maybe he was trying to stay in this moment with me for as long as possible too.

“Oh yeah? Cool. I didn’t know he watched them.” Raiden beamed with a smile. “I think my next one will be a dessert. Maybe chimney cake.”

“Whatever you do, everyone will love it.” They’d love it a bit too much. The comment section of every one of his videos was filled with thirsty humans only there for the eye candy. My beautiful husband was oblivious though. It made me love him more.

Baxter was right. Raiden was so goddamn wholesome. Gentle, sweet, caring, and the most amazing person I’d ever had the honor to know. His beauty shone from the inside out.

“I was kinda thinking.” He stopped walking and faced me, still holding my hand. “I’m really lovin’ making those videos and stuff. But maybe I could open my own restaurant someday. Call it Raiden’s Kitchen.”

The excitement in his eyes caused little zaps in my heart. “You can have whatever you want. Just say the word.”

“Yeah?” That excitement grew. Fuck. He had mentioned he was so full he could burst, and in that moment, seeing him like this gave me the same feeling. “Do you think you’d like to work with me? We could make magic together.”

“Baby?” I brought him closer and wrapped my left arm around his thick waist. “We already do.”

That dimple returned to his cheek. “Hell yeah we do. Know what else is magic?”

“What?”

He kissed me. It was soft and slow. Heartachingly tender. “Your lips,” he whispered against them. “Kissing them always gives me butterflies.”

He gave them to me too.

“Walk with me.”

Hand in hand, we found the path through the trees that led down to the beach. The moon shone on the white sand, and the crashing waves sounded like a distant chorus of applause.

Raiden approached the water’s edge, a faint smile curving his lips. He gently squeezed my hand. “Ti?” He looked over at me, smile widening. The moonlight made his light blue eyes even paler and emphasized the exhilaration shining through them. Tears shone in them too. “We really made it. Out of the storm and to the other side. And fuck is it beautiful.”

A ball of emotion tightened in my throat. I didn’t have words right then, so I brought his mouth to mine and pressed our lips together. Mine trembled against his. His did the same. The sound of the waves surrounded us as we kissed.

“I still love you more than pizza,” he softly said. That tremble reflected in his voice.

When I laughed, it was rough. “I love you too. So damn much.”

And I would keep loving him. Keep living with him in this paradise we’d made for ourselves, not taking a single second for granted.

The End

Alastair & Lazarus

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Alastair

Being kissed by an angel had never felt so deliciously sinful.

Lazarus’ mouth crashed against mine as he took me harder, his cock hitting that special place inside me. Each hard thrust sent electric pulses throughout my body, the ripples building and strengthening into something I was certain would detonate sooner rather than later.

“You feel so good,” he murmured between kisses. “So perfect.”

My sin preened at the praise. But the words that sent me—and Pride—over the edge?

“My good boy,” Lazarus then whispered, driving into me faster.

Pleasure ignited in my core and shot through me at the speed of light. I cried out and gripped his sides, my fingertips digging into his heated skin. He followed me, grunting under his breath as he shuddered, thrusts faltering as his hips jerked.

As our bodies started to calm, he softly trailed his lips up my neck. His actions said more than words ever could. He cherished every inch of me. Loved me. And gods, did I feel the same about him. I wrapped my arms tighter around him.

Our history was painful. Because of him being forced to seal our fated mate bond, we had lost so many years where we could’ve been happy. But that bond surged between us now, stronger than ever. And with each rising of the sun, we were making up for those lost years.

Lazarus and I had built a home together in the celestial realm. I was happier there than I ever thought possible.

“When do you have to leave?” I asked, my voice still raspy from having just woken not long ago. The angel in my arms had kissed me awake before touching me in all the right places that set my blood on fire. Morning sex had become common with us. So had afternoon sex and frotting beneath the waterfall behind our home.

We lived in a paradise of love and pleasure, the two going hand in hand.

“Soon,” Lazarus answered, rolling off me. He pulled me to his side and kissed my hair. “The war with Lucifer is over, but we watchers of the realms must remain vigilant.”

Lazarus still held his position as a commander of the celestial army. Michael was the only angel from the warrior class who outranked him. They might not have actively been at war, but the threat of one was never far. There was too much evil in the universe to ever be completely at peace. Lazarus and his warriors were responsible for protecting the realms from that evil.

However, he always made time for me amongst his training and duties as a commander.

“Any news on Purah or Vepar?” I asked. They had vanished after the battle in Echo Bay.

“I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”

I scoffed. “You can’t be serious. After all we’ve been through together, after all the years of me following your orders and protecting humankind from threats, you can’t tell me?”

That’s when I saw a trace of a smile on his lips.

“You stubborn angel.” I lightly pushed away from him and slid out of bed. When I glanced back, it took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to crawl back in beside him. It should be illegal to be that tempting.

The sheet barely covered his groin as Lazarus lay on his back, one arm hooked behind his head. Valleys of muscle rippled along his torso, leading up to a mouthwatering pair of pectorals and higher toward a still-curved set of lips. “Do you see something you like, Pride?”

I scoffed—again—and left the bedroom. My heart fluttered though, and once out of his sight, I smiled. He might’ve been stubborn, but I was crazy about him.

“I know you’re smiling,” he said through our mind link. A link that was unique only to us, formed by him sealing our bond long ago. Our connection had been so strong that it had taken the shape of something else. It had remained even after we’d bonded our souls and life forces together.

“Where’s your proof?” In the bathroom, I started water for a shower. It heated to the perfect temperature in mere seconds. Life was easier in the celestial realm. Definitely more convenient.

I sensed Lazarus before I saw him. Our souls recognized each other. My smile widened. With excitement. With love. The infuriating angel brought out so many emotions in me. Right as he appeared in the doorway, I stepped into the shower and shut the glass door.

“You did not just close that door on me,” he said, approaching the shower.

“Oh? I didn’t know you were there.”

“Lying is unbecoming of you.” Lazarus opened the door and joined me beneath the stream of water. The two faucet heads hit both of us with a gentle torrent. He kissed my nape as he stepped up behind me, his arms sliding around my waist. “What shall I do with you, Pride?”

I pressed my ass against his half-hard cock, like it was interested but still in recovery mode. “I could think of one or two things.”

And then, we did them.

He shoved me against the shower wall and took me from behind, grazing his teeth along the top of my shoulder as his cock sank deep into me. Midway through, he spun me around to face him. I hooked a leg around his hip and held on to his neck as he sent us both to oblivion for a second time that morning.

Afterward, we washed and got out of the shower. He quickly dried off before changing into pants and boots. No shirt, as usual. I had no complaints. Though, the multitude of scars marring his back still caused an ache in my heart each time I saw them. Each time I felt the indentions beneath my fingertips.

“You should eat something before you go,” I told him as I stirred some sugar into my cup of tea. I then checked the fried eggs cooking in the skillet. They were done.

“I’m not hungry.”

An English muffin popped out of the toaster, and I added one of the eggs between the bread, along with two slices of bacon, before handing it to him. “It’s nonnegotiable. Angel or not, food gives you energy. You’ll need it for training.”

Lazarus snarled at the muffin.

Sighing, I placed it on the plate I’d grabbed for myself before walking over to the basket on the counter. My husband’s eyes lit up as I pulled out a huge red apple with lines of gold. The apples from the winter orchard were his favorite.

“On second thought,” he said. “I suppose I could eat a small something before I leave.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. As he caught me around the waist, I lifted the apple to his mouth and watched him sink his teeth into it. Juices trickled down his chin as he chewed. I leaned in and licked it off. His throat moved as he swallowed, and I licked and kissed there too, loving the vibrations of his pleased groans against my lips.

My apple-loving angel would be the death of me. How someone so stern could melt like butter with a simple bite of his favorite food thrilled me to no end. He was adorable when he was like this—when he let his guard down. He’d done it a lot more since Lucifer’s defeat.

“What will you do while I’m gone?” Lazarus nuzzled my cheek before grabbing a second apple from the basket behind me, like he’d paid the toll before advancing forward. He only thought he was clever.

“Raphael mentioned having afternoon tea in the garden,” I responded. “Selaphiel may join us. So I’ll check in with my brothers and maybe read a few chapters of my book before heading to the palace.”

My friendship with the archangel, Raphael, had been an unexpected surprise. In many ways, he reminded me of Gray—vibrant, outgoing, and kindhearted. But his eating habits definitely leaned more toward Raiden. Raphael loved sweets and teas of all types. He also didn’t look down on me for being the son of a fallen angel.

The other archangel, Selaphiel, had become a friend as well. He was less talkative than Raphael but very insightful and pleasant to be around. I enjoyed our intellectual conversations about the universe and our roles within it.

A hard knock came at the front door.

I breathed out a sigh. “Your boyfriend is here to take you away.”

Disgust filled Lazarus’ expression. “Please do not refer to him as such. He is my superior.” He tugged me closer. “And you are the only being in all of the realms who has ever kissed and touched me. You’re the only one who ever will.”

I knew that without a doubt in my mind. Which was precisely why teasing him about it amused me.

The door opened before Michael walked into the house. Once upon a time, he had grated on my nerves with his impeccably good looks: short dark hair, chestnut-brown eyes, muscles for days, and the tall stature to match. I had also disliked having my authority questioned when he’d stepped in to help during the war. Our relationship now was a lot better.

“Morning,” Michael greeted us. “I knocked this time.”

“Congrats on having manners,” I said. Too many times, the archangel had come barging into our home unannounced. He’d learned to be more aware of his lack of personal space, especially after the one time on the island when he’d walked in to find Lazarus naked.

Lazarus kissed me goodbye before he and Michael left.

I stepped out onto the back porch and sat overlooking the lake while I ate breakfast and drank my morning tea. The surface of the lake glistened beneath the sun and gold-and-pink sky. A waterfall rushed off to one side, coming off the mountain that stretched so high up I couldn’t see the top. Our home was like a paradise amongst the clouds, the weather frozen in that space between autumn and winter.

The celestial realm had a land for every season. It had been strange at first, but now it had become my norm. It was nice to experience whatever season I wanted by a simple journey through the lands.

After I went back inside the house, I noticed a notification on my phone. A text that was sent nearly twenty minutes before.

Konnar: Are you still alive up there?

I noted the time. He would just be lying down for bed right about now. Well, he could wait for a few more minutes. I called him.

“So you are alive,” Konnar answered on the third ring.

“Apologies for not checking in lately,” I told him, guilt weighing in my chest. We used to call each other every day, but it had been about four days since we’d last talked. Two weeks since we’d seen each other in person. “How are you, old friend?”

He sighed. “That word again. You’re fortunate to be one of my favorite people. As to how I’ve been, well, busy fits fairly well. The club has seen an increase in activity.”

“How so?”

“More reapers and Fae. Several demons as well.” Rustling sounded on his end of the phone, as though he was in bed and shifting position in the sheets. “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m pleased by the new customers. But some needed reminders about my club rules.”

Konnar had only one rule, really: no violence. Supernatural beings visited Krave to be themselves without the fear of discovery among humans. The nightclub gave them a safe place to dance, fuck, drink, and be free. It was a safe place for them to indulge in their cravings regardless of whether they were vampires, demons, or werewolves. Once you stepped through the front door, you were agreeing not to harm anyone inside. Doing so would result in you being thrown out. And sometimes, depending on the severity of the offense, Konnar took matters into his own hands.

“Did you have to kill anyone?” I asked, hoping that wasn’t the case. He despised harming anyone but sometimes had to if the person inflicted too much damage.

“Fortunately, no,” he answered. “However, I had to lecture a demon. I caught one trying to set a reaper on fire. The reaper teleported before they were hit, but it was a close call. Any guesses as to what the fight was about?”

“The reaper stuck his cock where it didn’t belong?” I suggested.

Konnar chuckled. “Do you speak to your angel with that filthy mouth?”

“All the time. I do other things with my mouth too.”

“Well, your filthy mouth is correct,” he said, still with amusement ringing in his tone. “The reaper seduced a female the demon had just slept with earlier in the evening. They fought over her. Meanwhile, while they tried to kill each other, she forgot about both of them and bedded a female wolf.” He sighed again. “Should you ever have an opening in the celestial realm for a young and handsome vampire, I will gladly move from this realm and live there instead.”

“No you wouldn’t,” I told him. “You may complain, but you love your club and all the beings in it.”

“Perhaps.” More rustling, followed by a soft yawn. “I do believe it’s time for bed.”

“How does tomorrow sound?” I asked.

“For what?”

“For you to host me for dinner. Or at least for tea and crumpets.”

A short pause. “I’d enjoy that very much.” Warmth filled his voice.

I smiled. “As would I.”

Time was of no consequence. Whether I talked to Konnar every day or only once a month, he was my closest friend and always would be.

“Sleep well, old friend,” I said.

“Have a wonderful day, even older friend.”

Once the call disconnected, I called Galen. He had just helped Simon open the antique shop for the day and was in the middle of buying coffee and breakfast from the café down the block.

“Did you keep your human in bed for too long again, preventing him from eating breakfast?” I asked.

“Fuck off, Pride,” Galen said in his familiar gruff tone.

“You know I’m right.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like giving you the satisfaction of admitting it.” Galen spoke to someone, ordering a latte and croissant for Simon, before speaking back into the phone, “He said he wasn’t hungry, but like hell I’m letting him skip breakfast.”

“I can relate. I had to basically force Laz to eat before he left.” I smiled at the memory. “How is everyone?”

Galen filled me in on the happenings surrounding my brothers. All of us still gathered every Sunday for dinner, so it hadn’t been long since I’d heard from them. But I liked daily updates. It kept my mind at ease knowing they were doing well.

After talking to Galen, I poured a second cup of tea and curled up on the couch in the library Lazarus had built for me. Floor-to-ceiling shelves overflowed with books, some modern and others dating back centuries. A fireplace sat across from me, and although I wasn’t necessarily chilled, I lit it anyway. The sound of the burning logs was relaxing. I grabbed my book off the side table before losing myself in the pages.

Around noon, I left to meet Raphael and Selaphiel in the palace gardens. The guards allowed me to pass, and I found the winding path that led to the rose-gold gazebo.

“Alastair!” Raphael waved me over. A pink macaron was in his hand. His strawberry blond hair was pinned back with a glittery blue hairclip, and he wore a colorful shirt that matched his vibrant personality.

“Good afternoon,” I said as I reached the table beneath the shade of the gazebo. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

“Not at all. You’re right on time. Sel is on his way. Would you like one?” He motioned to the three-tier tower of treats in front of him. “Strawberry and lemon macarons, as well as decadent chocolates and fruit tarts.”

“Thank you.” I grabbed one of the tarts.

Selaphiel arrived a few minutes later.

“Yay, Selly’s here!” Raphael clapped his hands before offering him a lemon macaron. “Your favorite.”

“You spoil me.” Selaphiel accepted the macaron and placed it on the small round dish in front of him. He then nodded to me. “I’m happy you could join us this afternoon.”

“I appreciate the invite.”

Two palace servants brought out another batch of sweets, replenishing the tiers that had been devoured by Raphael. They also brought sandwiches. I helped myself to a turkey-and-tomato one. I enjoyed sweets on occasion but preferred healthier snacks.

The three of us then drank tea, ate, and talked about unimportant matters. Sometimes that was nice, just chatting among friends. Not discussing the possible end of the world or stressing over life-and-death decisions. Other than Konnar, I hadn’t been friendly enough with anyone else to have tea dates like this.

Sitting beneath the gazebo, a warm summer breeze tickling my cheeks as I spoke with friends, I realized something profound. That simple life I’d always dreamed of?

It was no longer a dream.

My days weren’t spent fighting demons or worrying about whether one of my brothers would fall in the next battle. I no longer had the weight of the world on my shoulders. My days were peaceful and filled with laughter and love. Best of all? Waking every morning to the angel who’d stolen my heart.

“I love you,” I projected into Lazarus’ mind. “Train hard and then return to me.”

“I’ll always return to you,” he responded. “As for your confession of love, know that how I feel for you goes far beyond what words can ever convey.” A pause. “Is all well?”

I didn’t often randomly proclaim my love to him. It was understandable that he’d worry that something was wrong. But nothing had ever been more right.

“Everything’s great.” My stomach fluttered. “It’s better than great.”

“Good. Keep it that way. I’ll be home before the sun sets. Be waiting for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good boy.”

Those two words never failed to turn me into a puddle of mush.

“More tea?” Raphael asked, holding the teapot. Magic was used to keep the tea at the perfect temperature, never going cold.

“Please.” I moved my cup forward so he could fill it.

Selaphiel continued his story about his recent visit to the mortal realm. Apparently, a coven of witches had found an ancient spell book that had been lost centuries ago that he’d had to retrieve before they could do something foolish with it. He’d then taken it to the celestial vault, adding it to all the other forbidden items and weapons that had been collected over time.

Later that afternoon, I stood on the back deck of our house, watching the sun slowly sink lower in the colorful sky. Waiting for him. There was a distant flapping of wings.

“Our angel,” Pride whispered. “He’s returned to us.”

Lazarus landed beside me. His snow-white wings had threads of gold that matched the flecks in his blue eyes. He tucked them behind him but didn’t retract them completely. The feathers ruffled from the breeze coming off the lake. “How was your afternoon tea?”

“It was nice.” In one stride, I was in his arms, surrounded by my favorite scent of winter apples. “But this is even nicer. Did training go well?”

“Yes.” Lazarus smoothed his hand along the dip of my spine. “You seem reflective today. I feel your heavy thoughts. Have I done something to displease you?”

“Not at all,” I answered, pressing my face to his neck. “I had a revelation earlier.”

“Concerning what?”

“You. Me. This home we’ve built together.” I drew back to meet his gaze. “I’m so happy, Laz. This life with you is better than I ever dreamed.”

Warmth touched the pale blue of his eyes. “I feel the same.”

After a lifetime of heartache, violence, and constant fighting, the dark sky had cleared. New light broke across the horizon, and the air felt so much lighter. Calmer.

We were finally beyond the storm.

Lazarus

“The Nephilim has settled in well,” Uriel said, the center of his brow dipping with a slight frown. He’d requested that I meet him in the palace garden early that morning. Dew covered the grass as the realm welcomed another day. The sky lightened in areas, a pink hue replacing the dark as the sun prepared to rise.

“The Nephilim has a name.”

“I’m well aware of his name.” Annoyance bled through his green eyes. “A year in our realm, and he’s managed to place Raphael and Selaphiel under his spell. They call him a friend.”

“This troubles you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Less now than it once did.” Uriel reached out and touched the petals of the white rose before him. The wrinkle in his brow deepened. “I spent thousands of years hating him and his kind. It will take more time for me to let go of that hatred.”

It wasn’t hatred he felt; it was fear. But I dared not correct him. It was far easier to pretend to be angry than it was to be afraid. Even after their actions during the war against Lucifer, where they made the ultimate sacrifice, Uriel feared that Alastair and his brothers would turn out like their fathers. He worried they’d surrender to their curses and set fire to not only the mortal realm but all the realms.

“Why did you request my presence here?” I had left my husband asleep in bed. I yearned to return to him before he woke.

“Rumors are circulating that Purah was spotted in the underworld. With his power over the dead, he could become a real threat if he ever decided to start an uprising.” Uriel released the rose before walking over to a stone bench and sitting. “No news of Vepar. He hasn’t been seen since he fled the battle. I wished to discuss the course of action should either of them rise against us.”

“Purah isn’t a leader,” I said. “He hasn’t the ambition for it. Whether he dwells in the underworld or not, he poses no real threat to us. Not unless he finds a master to pull his strings.”

“True.” Uriel nodded. “Perhaps I worry for nothing.”

Though hesitantly, I took a seat beside him. “Just like your hatred of the Nephilim, it will take more time to stop seeing shadows everywhere you look. For many of us, fighting and protecting is all we know. Take that away, and we don’t know what to do with ourselves.”

“Might I make a suggestion?” a deep voice said from the path to the right of us. Michael strode forward, his signature smile curving his lips.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Uriel muttered. “Yet, I know you’ll do so anyway.”

“Correct you are.” Michael stopped in front of us, his large white wings fanning behind him. The ends of the feathers looked to have been dipped in gold—a sign of his rank as the captain of the celestial army. He was the leader over the warrior class of angels and the most powerful being in the heavens. “To calm your troubled mind, you should take up knitting.”

Uriel sneered. “Knitting?”

“I’ve heard humans say it relieves stress,” Michael said. “How adorable would it be for you to knit a wee bunny rabbit with a cotton-ball tail. You can place him in the garden to guard your beloved roses.”

I forced myself not to smile. Michael might’ve been the highest-ranking archangel, but he was also my greatest friend. His sense of humor and carefree attitude could lift even the lowest of spirits. Unless, of course, you were Uriel, the highest-ranking sourpuss.

I stood from the bench. “If that’s all, I’ll be on my way.”

“I didn’t dismiss you, Lazarus,” Uriel said, his tone harder than before. “You forget your place.”

“I forget nothing.”

“Then you’ll remember that I voted to allow your precious Alastair to live in this realm despite my better judgment,” Uriel snapped. “I can easily cast him back out.”

Unlike his usual threats, that one lacked fervor. It seemed empty. Maybe Raphael and Selaphiel weren’t the only archangels to fall beneath Alastair’s spell.

“Come now, Uriel,” Michael said, plopping down next to him on the bench. “Peacetime has made you paranoid. I assure you nothing is amiss. My warriors have everything under control. Let us journey to the kitchens for morning meal while Lazarus returns to his mate. Food will work wonders on your mood.”

“Are you implying I’m grouchy because I’m hungry?” Uriel asked.

Michael only grinned in response.

When I returned home, Alastair was no longer in bed. I found him in the kitchen, pouring a cup of tea. Instead of Earl Grey—his favorite—he’d made an English breakfast tea blend. It was made up of three different black teas, giving it a bold, full-bodied flavor.

“Do my eyes deceive me, or is my husband adding milk and sugar to his morning tea?”

Alastair rolled his eyes. “It’s not the first time. Sometimes I like it creamier.”

“If you want cream, I may have something you’d like.” I wound my arms around him from behind and placed my mouth at his ear. “And it would feel much better.”

He choked on a laugh. “Do my ears deceive me, or is my husband taking a page from Bellamy’s book and making a perverted joke? Who are you, and what have you done with my Lazarus?”

I smiled before kissing his nape. He finished doctoring his tea, and the shade was much lighter than normal, even when he’d added cream in the past. Him breaking routine pleased me for some reason. Perhaps because it showed that he’d felt comfortable enough to try new things, to switch things up. I could certainly learn from him.

He took a sip and released a sexy little sigh of contentment. “This is sweeter than usual, but I like it. Blame Raphael. He’s always loading me up on sugar. It’s altered my tastes a bit.”

I turned him to face me and pressed our lips together. Just a short kiss, but it caused a rush of heat in my veins. “Apologies for not being here when you woke. Uriel summoned me.”

Instantly, his good mood faltered. “Is everything okay?”

“I believe so, yes. Uriel is finding it difficult to accept that the threat we’d faced for so many years is over. He’s overthinking, and those thoughts are preventing him from moving forward.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I can relate to him,” Alastair said, expression pensive. “Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night, afraid I’d dreamed this amazing life with you. That worry is fleeting, as I quickly come to my senses, but it’s still there in the back of my mind.”

“You asked yesterday about Purah and Vepar. I realize I never told you.”

He waved his hand. “You don’t have to. If you say all is well, I believe you.”

I caught his hand before he could lower it and kissed his fingertips. Our gazes locked. Alastair was beautiful—silvery-blond hair, creamy skin that refused to tan no matter how long he spent beneath the sun, and blue eyes that never missed a thing.

“Purah is in the underworld,” I said. “Michael’s scouts are keeping an eye on him, though, and feel he’s not planning anything. Vepar is still off the radar, yet considering how deeply Belphegor hurt him, I find it unlikely he’ll do anything either. I’m sharing this with you because I never want to keep a secret from you again.”

“I appreciate that.” The sudden rush of emotion caused his voice to shake.

“Drink your tea.” I brushed a kiss to his temple before pulling back. “We’ll go for a swim in the lake afterward.”

“You’re not training today?” he asked with a hopefulness that squeezed my heart.

“I’m taking the day off. My mate is meeting a vampire for dinner tonight, so I’d prefer to spend the whole day reminding him of who he belongs to.”

“Konnar is my best friend, just as Michael is yours.”

“I know.” I winked, copying what he’d done to me the previous morning. “Yet, it amuses me to see your reaction.”

He turned back toward the counter, but I saw the smile he tried to hide. Foolish, beautiful Nephilim. He should know by now that when it came to him, nothing escaped my eyes. I’d watched over him for far too long, loving him from afar.

“I feel you staring at me,” he said. The tips of his ears were slightly pink.

“Am I not allowed to?”

He glanced at me over his shoulder, his smile growing. “I like you staring. I never want you to look away.”

I couldn’t even if I tried.

***

The crackling fire filled the library with a warm, comforting glow as Alastair reclined on the couch with a paperback. The spine had no creases, a sign that this was his first time reading it. He was absorbed in the pages. I watched him from the doorway, enjoying the sight of him being swept away by a novel.

After he’d returned from dinner with Konnar, we had sat on the deck, staring up at the stars. They were much brighter in the celestial realm. I had then taken a shower while he’d come to the library.

“What are you reading?” I asked.

“Temporary Partner by Nicky James.” Alastair patted the cushion beside him, and I approached before gently shifting his weight so I could sit behind him. He settled between my legs and rested his back to my chest. He marked his place before turning the book for me to see the cover of a blond male. “It’s the first book in the series.”

“A mystery?” Those were his favorite.

“Yes. There’s romance too. I’m enjoying it a lot.”

I smiled into his hair. “Will you read it to me?”

“I’m a quarter of the way through. You won’t understand what’s happening.”

“I don’t care.” I closed my eyes. “I only wish to hear your voice.”

As he read aloud, I held him against me and listened to the soothing inflections of his voice.

A memory stirred in my mind of a night in Echo Bay when Alastair had disobeyed my orders and met with Lucifer by himself. I had gone to help, resulting in him and his brothers using a teleportation stone to leave while I stayed behind to hold Lucifer back.

Weakened and bleeding from the sting of Light Bringer’s blade, I had been convinced I was about to die. Purah had been circling me with a crazed gleam in his eyes, twirling a dagger I knew would end my life. That’s when I’d imagined a moment much like this one: me holding Alastair while he read one of his beloved novels by firelight. Back then, it had been an impossible dream that I’d clung to in my final moments.

“Laz?” Alastair set the book aside and shifted in my arms to face me. His concerned expression confused me.

I felt it then. Wetness on my cheeks.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he said, smoothing away my tears.

“Nothing.” My voice sounded gravelly. “I was only remembering.”

“Remembering what?”

“How it felt when you were so far away from me.” I lifted a hand to his face. The warmth of his cheek beneath my palm brought more tears to my eyes. “You said our life together is better than you ever dreamed. But for me, it’s everything I never allowed myself to dream. It was too painful. Having you in my arms right now is like an answer to an unspoken prayer I dared not even hope for.”

Alastair held my gaze, his expression guarded. And then, he kissed me.

I grunted in surprise as his mouth slammed to mine.

“I hate you for making me emotional,” he telepathically told me as our lips met again. His fingers slid through the back of my hair and gripped it tight.

Ah. So that was it. Over a year together, and we both still struggled to show our true feelings. Hiding them for thousands of years was a hard habit to break.

“I only spoke the truth.”

Alastair softly whimpered before deepening the kiss. He pressed himself more against me, as if he couldn’t get close enough. I understood the feeling. I could never get close enough to him either.

A log popped in the fireplace as he straddled my waist and dipped his hand between our bodies, unzipping my pants. Everything about Alastair intoxicated me. His kisses. His sweet cedar scent. The way his body melded to mine.

“Make love to me, Laz,” he whispered. “Let’s fly together.”

“You love flying.”

The sight of his tender smile did strange things to my chest. “There’s no one I’d rather enjoy it with than you.” He rocked his hips forward, issuing from me a light groan. “Both in and out of bed.”

I snagged his lips for another kiss.

And then, we soared.

The End

Kallias: A Sons of the Fallen Novella

Since Kallias never got his own book, this story shows how he and Elasus met and where they are now. Readers of the series know what happened to separate them once before, but that won’t be described in detail.

I hope you enjoy.

Content warning for bullying and violence pertaining to Kallias’ past as a Spartan.

Prologue

Kallias

Many Years Ago in Sparta

I never knew my father. My mother said he had hair as dark as a raven’s feathers and eyes like midnight.

“Did he fall in battle?” I asked her late one evening as a cold wind howled outside the walls of our home.

She sat on the edge of my bed and smoothed back my hair. “A coward took his life. Jumped from the shadows and slain him from behind.”

“Why?”

“Fear.” Sadness shone in her brown eyes. “Your father was a great general who commanded an army of the gods. Warriors who look like men but are much more. This coward feared facing him on the battlefield.”

“An army of the gods?”

She nodded. “While our army marches among mortal men, your father’s army battles in the heavens. You possess the blood of a Spartan, yet the blood of the gods also flows through your veins. Someday, you’ll grow to be a warrior just like him. Strong and feared by your enemies.”

Days later, I left home to join the agoge—the training for Spartan youths. It turned boys into men and prepared us for the life of a warrior. My hair was shaved, my clothes were taken, and my body was beaten. Yet, my spirit never broke.

You couldn’t break something that was never whole to begin with.

It took little time for the boys to learn I wasn’t like them.

“See this!” one boy exclaimed before smashing a rock into the side of my skull.

My head jerked to the side, and I lost my footing. My backside hit the dirt, and a sharp ringing started in my ears. Warmth trickled from my temple. But then the bleeding stopped. The ringing did too. A shadow blocked the sun as the boys in my herd gathered around me.

“The wound closed!” a smaller boy squeaked.

I blinked up at them. Their expressions varied between shock, amusement, and even fear. Other boys took it as a challenge.

“I shall hit him next,” the biggest of the group said before grabbing the bloodied stone from the other boy’s hand. “Let us see how quickly he heals after I bash in his skull.”

“P-please.” I raised a hand, squinting against the blinding sunlight that seeped through the space between their heads. The flood of light caused all of their faces to become shadowed. Dark. A sea of faceless boys.

“Hear how he begs,” another said with a laugh. He kicked me. “Pathetic.”

“If he is so strong, why does he sit in the dirt?”

“Fight!” Another boy hit me.

“Look here.” The biggest boy shoved me farther down, pressing my face into the dirt with one beefy hand while the other landed on my back. “These marks on his shoulders. Two of them, like lashings from a whip.”

I had noticed the marks before but didn’t understand where I’d received them.

I was kicked again. Punched in the back of the head. Soon, all of them joined in, some hitting me with rocks while others used their fists. I curled into a ball and let my mind take me elsewhere—somewhere far from that place.

“Enough!” a deeper voice boomed. “Go wash in the stream and prepare for evening meal.”

The boys tossed aside their rocks and obeyed the order from our trainer. Some kicked dirt at me before leaving. The cuts and scrapes marking my body started to heal, as did the red welts on my skin.

Another shadow loomed over me. “Stand.”

I peered up at Melas. His black hair fell to his ears, and a deep scar cut across his left cheek. Another marked his forehead and disappeared into his hairline. His muscled body had seen many battles in his thirty-three years. I pushed to my feet and lowered my gaze.

“Eyes up, boy.”

I obeyed.

Melas glared down at me, yet something in his brown eyes seemed almost soft. “I have seen you train, Kallias. You are far more skilled than all of those youths but allow them to beat you.”

“The pain passes.” In fact, I rarely felt much at all. Sometimes I wondered if I had no soul. Surely, someone who possessed one wouldn’t feel so empty.

“Your mother claims you have the blood of the gods in your veins.” Melas stepped closer. He grabbed me by the chin and forced my head to the side as he examined the places the boys had hit me with rocks. “I see blood but no injury. Perhaps she is right.” He released me. “You resemble your father.”

“You knew him, sir?”

“Aye.” Melas jerked his head for me to follow. I did. We walked from the training arena toward the stream. “He wasn’t from our lands. Many of us were angered when she chose him as her lover. Even more so when we learned you grew in her womb.”

How appropriate for me to have caused so much anger even before my birth. My existence only brought conflict.

“However.” Melas stopped and turned to me. “Your father proved himself. He fought beside us in battle. He wiped out our enemies without breaking a sweat.”

“He did?” I asked, feeling… something in my chest. A glimmer of emotion.

Melas nodded and continued walking. “Much like you, his injuries from battle faded before my very eyes. We held a feast to celebrate our victory once returning home, and many of those who opposed his union with your mother gave their blessing instead. Five days later, he was killed.”

“The coward my mother spoke of.”

Another nod. “Whether you possess the blood of the gods matters very little. You are a Spartan.” His brown eyes shifted to me. “For this reason, you must never allow a man to best you in a fight. Never surrender. Show them your strength. Only then will they accept you as one of them.”

I pondered his words for the remainder of the evening. The boys paid me no attention during the meal, and when we slept on our makeshift mats that night, the distance between us felt like miles. That was when I realized Melas was wrong.

They would never accept me as one of them.

Before the sun set the following day, my life changed once again.

I was by the stream washing from a long day of training, when I heard what sounded like a large bird. I glanced up and nearly fell backward as a man glided toward the grass. A man with white wings. He landed in front of me, saying nothing at first. The strands of his white hair ruffled as a wind blew through the valley. His eyes were a pale blue, like a clear sky in winter.

“Are you a messenger of the gods?” I asked.

“A messenger? No.” His eyes narrowed. “You are not afraid of me.”

I shook my head. While the sight of him had been a shock, I didn’t fear him. I feared nothing, simply because I didn’t care enough about my own life to fear losing it.

“A deep sadness lies within you,” he said. “A wave so strong I feel it washing over me as we speak.”

“I do not feel sad. I feel nothing at all.”

The winged man cocked his head, as if hearing something I couldn’t, then held out his hand. “Come with me. We haven’t much time.”

“Will you kill me?”

“Would it be of any consequence to you if I did?”

“No,” I answered. “I’m merely curious. The boys in my herd have beaten me until I bled, yet those wounds heal with ease.”

That seemed to spark his own curiosity. “Interesting.” His face turned toward the sky before he grabbed me. “We must be going.”

I didn’t resist as he picked me up and lifted into the air. Whether he intended to carry me to my death or toward a different life, I didn’t care.

Laconia was beautiful. My rare touch of joy had been when I’d walked past the olive trees, catching the distinctive scent of fruit from the small blossoms hidden beneath the silver-green leaves. But my fondness for the trees wasn’t great enough for me to fight to stay where I clearly didn’t belong.

“Sleep,” the man whispered, placing his fingers at my temple. “It will make the journey easier.”

As my eyes grew heavy, I closed them and focused on the wind whipping against my cheeks. Though faint, the smell of the olive trees mingled with the breeze. As if they were saying farewell to me too.

***

“Perhaps he’s dead.”

“He isn’t dead,” a different voice said. “He is breathing. Look.”

A pause. “Hmm. He looks dead to me. Should we poke him?”

“No,” a third voice chimed in. It was deeper but still boyish in quality. “You all remember how you felt when first waking here. Stand back and give him space.”

“The three of you are hopeless.” A fourth voice. It was silkier than the others but had a bitter edge.

“Go away, Daman.”

“With pleasure.”

“Do you think he’s hungry? We can find him some berries.”

When I opened my eyes, I found five faces staring down at me. One boy with big brown eyes and curly golden hair beamed with a smile. He was shorter than the others, with thin shoulders and a tiny body that lacked any type of muscle. Another boy had hair the color of a red apple. The third had wavy golden hair and eyes that seemed to change colors. And two of the boys had bulky frames that could’ve easily stood beside those of us from Laconia.

A sixth boy stood off to the side, arms crossed as he rested against the wall. He had dark skin and even darker hair. Though lean, toned muscle covered his body. Strength came in all forms. He might not have had brute strength, but I was certain he was swift on his feet and could climb trees with his long limbs.

Moving my gaze from them, I observed my surroundings. The room was almost too small to hold all of us. I saw a night sky beyond the small window, the moon so bright I could make out some trees and a field. Nighttime. The door was wide open, revealing a dark corridor beyond it.

How long had I been asleep? Hours? A day?

“What is this place?” I asked instead.

“A cage,” the darker-skinned boy answered.

“Do not listen to him,” the one with the changing eyes responded. “This is your new home. I’m Bellamy. The grouchy one is called Daman. He is nicer than he seems.”

Daman sneered.

The others then took turns introducing themselves and telling me about the location. They mentioned daily training and why we’d been gathered. Angels? A curse in our blood that made us powerful? It was a lot to absorb at once.

The one named Gradyn plopped down beside me on the mat. “I understand if you’re scared or confused. Being here makes me really sad sometimes. I miss my father.” Instantly, his brown eyes welled with tears. He wiped at them. “I apologize. I tried to smile and not be sad, but all of a sudden, my heart hurts.”

Remembering what the winged man said about sensing a wave of sadness radiating from me and adding it to what I learned from them about each of us possessing a powerful curse, I concluded I was more than likely the reason Gradyn was overcome with sadness.

“I believe I’m to blame for your tears,” I whispered.

“Why? The curse inside me makes me sleepy. Does yours make people sad?” Gradyn yawned. “Oh no. It’s got me again.”

Steps came from the corridor, heavier than that of a boy. Was it the winged man? The boys had called him Lazarus. He came around the corner and stepped into the room, his expression hard.

“All of you, back to your beds.”

Gradyn rubbed at his eyes. “Do we have to?”

“Yes,” Lazarus said in a clipped tone. “You did not have permission to leave your rooms to begin with.”

Daman pushed away from the wall and walked past Lazarus without a word. Bellamy followed him, quickening his steps to catch up. Galen stood back and waited for the others to leave. His stormy eyes never left the angel. It was as though he were protecting the other boys, making sure they all returned to their rooms before going to his own.

Then, it was only me and Lazarus. Where the other boys held feelings of fear and resentment toward him, I wasn’t yet sure how I felt about him.

“They have told you why you’re here?” he asked.

I nodded. “Because of our fathers. Our blood makes us strong.”

“Correct.” His blue-eyed gaze shifted to the window. “There is one more boy left to retrieve. Then we can fully begin your training.”

“This place won’t be much different than my home, will it? A group of boys who will be trained for war.”

“There are similarities, yes. You will be trained hard and with little compassion.” Lazarus’ eyes returned to me. “Yet, much will be different as well. The boys you just met will not cast you out or behave cruelly toward you. They will become your brothers.”

I thought on his words. “So the only cruel one will be you?”

He studied me, much like I studied him. “I will be what I must to ensure you become strong enough to withstand the storm waiting on the horizon. Not only strong in body but also in your mind and soul.”

“I have not a soul.” I lifted a hand to my chest. For a moment, I thought I’d felt it ache. But the feeling passed. Maybe it hadn’t been there at all.

“All living things have a soul,” Lazarus said in a softer tone. “Even the most wicked beings among us possess one.”

“Was my father wicked? Will I be the same?”

Icy eyes held me captive. “Your father betrayed the celestial realm, along with the other defectors. Bringing all of you here will hopefully prevent you from walking down that same destructive path.” He slowly exhaled. “But do I believe you’re wicked? It is too soon for me to say. What I do believe? You’re a child who has known nothing but rejection and loneliness. It is something that bonds you with the other boys. They share in that loneliness.”

I recalled their faces. And as I brought each one to mind, that ache I only thought I’d felt earlier returned. A bond.

“When will you bring the other boy?”

“Soon,” he answered. “He is well guarded as of now.”

Guarded? Was the boy a prisoner somewhere?

“That is enough talking for tonight. Morning comes early, and we have much to do.” Lazarus stepped toward the door and placed a hand on the handle. He started to pull it closed as he left the room.

“Lazarus?”

He paused and turned back to me. “Yes?”

“I owe you my gratitude.”

Surprise flickered across his usually refined features. “Gratitude? For what?”

I remembered being curled up in the dirt as the Spartan youths kicked and punched me. I thought of how I’d imagined myself floating away so I could be anywhere other than in that dirt, hearing their shouts and laughter as I bled, healed, and bled some more.

“You took me away,” I whispered.

Lazarus stared at me for several quiet moments before finally leaving the room. The door softly shut.

In the following days, I learned more about the boys who would become my brothers.

Raiden had a kind heart and could always be found eating between our drills. Galen spoke very little but was always watching. His silence only added to the animosity that rolled off him, one that could be seen in his clenched fists and tight jaw. Daman was bitter and grouchy, but when Bellamy was around, some of that bitterness smoothed. They bickered a lot, though it was never mean-spirited.

And then, the last boy arrived.

Alastair. He had hair so pale it looked like moonlight, and when he spoke, it was with a haughty tone. He came from wealth. That much was clear in the manner in which he carried himself and the fine clothing he’d worn the day Lazarus brought him to us. He claimed he’d come to help us escape. He claimed he’d take us to a castle where the king would protect us and punish Lazarus and all the other angels.

That day never came.

Instead, the eight of us trained together every morning and into the afternoon. We dined together every night. We laughed, argued, and laughed some more. Well, they laughed. It was harder for me. As more time passed, our bonds strengthened. I sensed their presence, their life force. That connection eventually allowed us to sense other things, like when one of us was greatly upset or hurt. When we were angry.

Lazarus trained us hard, but I never thought him to be cruel. Compared to the training I’d undergone in the agoge, where we’d been beaten, starved, stripped of our clothing, whipped like beasts, and forced to fight weaker youths to the death in order to show our strength, the days spent training with the angel were tough but never at the level of brutality I was accustomed to.

“Do you still wish to escape?” Bellamy asked Alastair late one evening as we sat around a firepit beneath the starry sky.

We were no longer boys. How many years had passed? Ten? Defined muscle had replaced the soft roundness of boyhood, and our bodies had sprouted up like weeds. All except for Gradyn, who I felt would remain small his entire life.

“No,” Alastair answered, staring at the flames. “The king I knew, the king I loved, is no more.”

“He is your family,” I said, remembering how highly he’d once spoken of Lucifer. “Do you not miss him?”

Alastair shook his head. “The seven of you are my family. I need no one else. You cannot miss someone who never truly existed. Lucifer fed me lies. It was all part of his manipulation.”

The crackling firewood filled the night. Those quiet moments gave my mind time to wander. I thought of my mother. Despite her adoration for my father, I had never felt her love. She had viewed me as a type of god. Her attention on me had been that of a disciple worshipping their liberator.

I was no god. No. I was the son of a fallen angel. And the young males around me were my brothers.

“Tell me a story,” Bellamy said to Daman before eating a cube of cheese. And just like that, the prolonged silence came to an end, as did my recollections.

“No,” Daman answered. “You’re a grown man. Tell yourself a story.”

I listened as they bantered back and forth. It was so familiar. Comforting, even. Gradyn jumped up and told a story instead, making it up as he went.

Conversation then turned more serious. They spoke of our fate. It was the night before we would be released from our training grounds and free to walk among mortals again. All to defeat Lucifer and his army—to save the world.

“Do you suppose one day, many years from now, men will sit around the fire telling stories about us?” Raiden then asked. We all looked at him. “Or will we be forgotten?”

Galen said it depended on whether we were victorious in our fight. Bellamy somberly countered that even tragedies were spoken around fires. Alastair, ever so confident, proclaimed we would rise above our flaws, that we wouldn’t fail.

“You will fall,” a voice only I could hear whispered. “You are unworthy of honor. They will be heroes while you will be forgotten.”

Melancholy. The name of the curse that lived inside me. The reason why I felt so empty. Each of my brothers had their own curses to bear.

“I believe I will be forgotten,” I said, the truth of my words settling over my chest like a pile of stones. “My story will end, and with the closing of the book, my life will become nothing but a memory that fades more and more as the days pass. I’ll be like the smoke rising from those flames, here one moment and gone the next.”

“That’s Melancholy speaking,” Alastair said.

“Just as your Pride speaks to you.” I lowered my gaze. “I only hope that before I draw my final breath… I get the chance to truly live.”

Little did I know in that moment that my prayer would be answered in the form of a dark-haired male with brown eyes and a voice like honey. He would come into my life much like that first break of daylight on the horizon, sudden and bright.

He would be taken from me nearly as quickly.

But this isn’t a story of loss. It’s a story of how I found a love that transcended time and space, a love that saved me in all the ways a cursed being like myself could be saved.

And it begins on a battlefield beneath a scorching hot sun.

Chapter One

Kallias

“Demons have infiltrated the ranks,” Lazarus said as we stood before him. “Athens, Corinth, Thebes, and Argos have banded together against Sparta, and the demons have possessed commanders and soldiers from these allied forces to further orchestrate conflict and incite war. The Spartan army responded to those attacks.”

Thebes had been our ally once. Or, I should say, Sparta’s ally, for I no longer called Laconia my home. I hadn’t for many years.

My brothers and I had been released into the world for quite some time, tracking down Lucifer’s elite generals and eliminating them—some more successful than others. Belphegor still lived, as did Caim and Azazel. For now. We had also confronted several demon hoards and killed their leaders. Yet, the war waged on, a never-ending cycle of bloodshed.

Lazarus had found us in the small tavern we were staying to provide another update. More so, another command.

“Why is Lucifer doing this?” Castor asked. He had recently recovered a golden dagger from the ruins of his childhood home and slowly twirled it in his hand. “Pitting mortals against each other seems beneath him.”

“It’s part of his plan,” Lazarus responded. “Tear humankind apart from the inside. Weaken them. Violence begets more violence, resulting in absolute chaos. It not only spreads turmoil amongst the mortals but those of us assigned to protect them as well. That’s when he’ll hit the hardest. And considering there was already tension building between Sparta and those who oppose them, he seized the opportunity.”

“What are your orders?” Alastair asked.

“The two armies will clash at first light. The eight of you will leave tonight and enter Corinthian territory where Thebes, Athens, and their allies have gathered. Locate the demons possessing the soldiers and eradicate them by any means necessary. The humans they inhabit are already lost, so do not concern yourselves with sparing their lives. The bodies are merely vessels for the demons to control now.”

“How will we know which humans the demons inhabit?” Raiden asked.

“You will sense them, just as you sense others you’ve hunted,” Lazarus answered. “Most will be in positions of power. However, demons of lower rank have possessed foot soldiers. Be as discreet as possible.” He looked at Gradyn. “Your skills will be of great use.” Then, he nodded to Daman and Castor. “As will your tracking skills.”

Galen’s teeth clanked together before his lips stretched into an animalistic smile. “Once they’re located, I will rip them apart.”

Alastair placed a hand on his back and said, using our mind link, “Do not lose control, Wrath.”

Lazarus kept an eye on Galen before moving his gaze along the rest of us. “Remember, it is not your place to choose sides in the war among humans. Your interference in this matter is strictly to target the demons. What path the armies choose to take once they’re no longer being manipulated is their decision alone.”

“Yes, sir.” Alastair bowed his head.

Lazarus stared at him longer than he did the rest of us before taking his leave.

I understood the look. He expected much of Alastair. The burden on Alastair’s shoulders was a heavy one, although he rarely showed it. As the holder of Pride and the first Nephilim to ever exist, he was the most powerful of us. As such, he was our leader.

“Should we strategize?” Castor asked

“The plan is simple,” Alastair said. “We will leave tonight for Corinth as Lazarus ordered.”

“He said the armies will battle at first light.” Raiden rubbed the back of his neck. “If we can kill the demons before then, perhaps the battle will be called off.”

“Well, that’s no fun,” Bellamy muttered. “I love a good fight almost as much as I love a good fuck.”

“Lazarus said demons have infiltrated the lower-rank soldiers as well,” Daman said, leaning against Bellamy.

Alastair nodded. “Correct. Even if we locate the commanders and kill them, the demon-possessed soldiers will likely convince the others in the army to still fight. They will spin the tale to say the Spartans assassinated the leaders and to fight to avenge them.”

“Why must we intervene, then?” Gradyn asked. “If they will only fight anyway.”

“Because if not stopped, the demons will continue to spread chaos. It is not our responsibility to prevent war between mortals, only to eliminate the darker forces at play. Lazarus was right. What the humans do once no longer influenced is their decision.”

Sparta was too proud to back down once challenged. Yet, I held on to hope we could dissolve the tension before it became too thick.

“Great.” Castor continued to twirl his dagger. “Anyone want to take bets on who can kill the most demons?”

Galen’s gray eyes landed on him. “How many do you intend to kill with such a small blade? It would be better used to pick at my teeth once I’ve killed them all and crushed their bones.”

“Careful of your words, Wrath.” Castor smirked. “Or better yet, continue mocking this small blade. It will provide greater enjoyment for when it bests you in a fight.”

Galen snarled.

“Enough. Both of you.” Alastair stepped over to the window and peered out. “The sun is setting. We will wait until the cover of darkness before leaving.”

The dark helped conceal us when we flew, hiding us from sight. It was one of our powers as Nephilim. We had other powers too. Healing. Strength. Flying, too, of course. And powers unique to each of us.

Alastair had the ability to persuade others to do whatever he told them, using their sense of pride against them. Galen possessed the strength of a hundred men. I hadn’t yet mastered my own power. Melancholy could send out waves of sadness that immobilized the enemy by taking away their will to fight. I had improved but still had much more to learn.

Where I excelled? Combat. Armed with a xiphos and a dory spear, I was lethal even without my Nephilim abilities.

Gradyn curled up on the bed and shut his eyes. “Wake me when it’s time to leave.”

I grabbed the blanket folded at the foot of the bed and draped it over him. He smiled and snuggled into it. Sloth required him to sleep several times a day. Not doing so caused Gradyn to collapse from exhaustion. He had the ability to absorb other people’s energy, however, and used that power when necessary. Oftentimes, it resulted in the person’s death, so he only targeted enemies.

Bellamy and Daman sat on the floor against the wall, talking amongst themselves. Galen stared out the window, hand fisted at his side. It had been a while since he’d released his pent-up rage. Wrath was restless inside his chest, itching for a taste of blood.

Castor walked over and placed a hand on his arm, leaning in to whisper something. Galen growled low at whatever it was before jerking from his hold. Castor chuckled under his breath.

“They are insufferable,” Alastair said from beside me. “Why they ever believed bedding each other was a good idea, I’ll never know. Well, I do know. Galen enjoys rough sex, and Castor enjoys receiving it. But still… the two of them are now on the verge of killing each other while we prepare to face an actual enemy.”

It had been somewhat of a shock to us all when we’d learned of their intimate relations. However, it didn’t last long. Merely a passing fancy, as though they had only been curious and once that curiosity had been appeased, they’d gone their separate ways.

“Perhaps I’ll find a warm body to sink into before we fly into battle,” Bellamy said as he stood up. He grinned down at Daman. “Unless you wish to indulge me?”

Daman scoffed. “I’d rather die.”

Bellamy laughed before leaving the room. The tavern below the inn bustled with patrons, so he would have no trouble finding a lover.

Pleasures of the flesh was a thing I’d never experienced for myself. After Lazarus allowed us to leave the barrier of the training grounds, my brothers had sought the pleasures of the world. Drink, food, and sex. Mostly sex. Even Alastair partook in it—after courting the person for a while. He viewed himself as a prize to be won, and only those worthy could indulge in his body.

Yet, I hadn’t taken a lover. My desires were nonexistent. Nothing excited me. I felt too empty. I treated food as fuel for my body and nothing more. I didn’t indulge in it like Raiden did, nor did I drink to excess like Castor. I lacked interest in all things.

Bellamy had offered to use Lust to awaken my desires, but I had declined. Any pleasure brought from that wouldn’t be real. And gods, I wanted to feel something real.

“Do not lose hope, Kallias ,” Alastair said in a gentle tone.

“You heard my thoughts.”

“Yes, though it wasn’t my intention. They were so loud.” His face was impassive. Like the angel who trained us, Alastair often hid his emotions. “Our sins do not control us. You decide your own fate. One day, this war will be behind us, and we’ll be free to live and love on our own terms.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

He didn’t respond. Which was a response in and of itself. But his Pride prevented him from admitting it aloud.

The sun dropped below the horizon, but the darkening sky still remained light in some areas. Laughter spilled up from the ground below as humans exited the tavern. A man walked between two giggling women, his arms slung around both of them. Another man stumbled outside and slowly walked down the path toward the life he’d drank to escape from, if only for a short while.

I’d once dreamed of escaping too. But I hadn’t found that escape at the bottom of a tankard of ale. I’d found it in a small room surrounded by curious boys whose faces would lose that youthful roundness and whose presence would come to mean more than I ever thought.

“There is one thing I do feel,” I said, bringing a hand to my chest. When I closed my eyes, I saw each of their life forces represented as a different colored thread. Gradyn’s looked like a clear blue sky, and Castor’s was the sun within that sky. Galen’s was a deep crimson, like blood. “My bond with all of you. For as much grief as it’s brought me, I do not resent the curse in my veins. It led me to my brothers. And that is all I need in this life.”

A faint smile touched Alastair’s lips. “For someone who claims to have no soul, you certainly have a gentle one, Kallias.”

Words failed me, as they so often did. I moved my gaze back to the window and watched as the sky continued to darken. It was then I fully understood the significance of the coming battle.

The Spartan army.

For the first time since leaving, I’d once again be among the warriors from my homeland.

“It’s time,” Alastair said a while later. “Corinth awaits.”

***

Steel clashed against steel. The clang of shields and shouts from the wounded echoed around the battlefield. The smell of blood filled my nostrils, as did the stench of the fallen as their bodies heated beneath the relentless rays of the sun.

We had reached Corinthian territory in the early hours of the morning when the sky had still been dark. The anti-Spartan league had gathered to discuss who should command the coalition while the soldiers made camp. Daman and Castor had found the possessed soldiers, and Gradyn had clipped their heads from their shoulders without a sound.

However, our presence had soon become known. The demon possessing one of the commanders was of a high rank and summoned more demons from the underworld before we could stop him. Those demons massacred several of the Athenian, Corinthian, and Boeotian soldiers before inhabiting their corpses.

And at daybreak, with the Spartan army marching through Corinthian territory, the battle was set into motion along the dry bed of the Nemea River. With the demons mingled within the ranks, far too many for us to eliminate before the sun rose, my brothers and I’d had no choice but to fight alongside them.

“Only target the demons,” Alastair said through our mind link. “Do not harm any of the human soldiers.”

“And if they attack me first?” Galen countered. “You expect me to allow them to live?”

“I expect you to follow orders, Wrath.”

Galen roared before twisting the head of one of the demon-possessed Thebans, snapping his neck. He then tossed the body aside and lunged at another. When a human soldier sliced his blade across Galen’s back, my brother gritted his teeth as anger rippled through his large body.

“Galen,” Alastair warned. “I gave you a direct order. Harm no humans.”

Galen’s head twitched to the side, and his eyes flickered from gray to black, then back again. He battled against his inner beast just as strongly as he did our enemy. Fortunately, he regained control over his sin before he could tear the human apart. The soldier stared after him in confusion as Galen only snarled at him, then moved on.

The Spartan army had been perplexed by our presence on the battlefield at the start, but once realizing we were fighting their enemies, they fought beside us, as did the force of allies they’d collected on their march to Corinth.

I lodged my spear into a demon’s chest before pulling it free and impaling a second. When in closer range, I switched to my sword.

“You are Spartan?” a gruff voice came from my left. The male wore a blood-splattered helmet, shielding his face, but the creased skin around his eyes and beard told me he was one of the more experienced warriors. Younger warriors were not allowed to grow beards. Something about him seemed familiar.

I tried to say yes, but the word caught on my tongue, refusing to pass my lips. “At one time, I was,” I answered instead. “But that was many years ago.”

“Once a Spartan, always a Spartan,” he said before driving his spear into a Theban’s throat. Unknown to him, he’d just killed a demon. “It is a thing you do not choose. Blood recognizes blood.” He nodded to me before charging deeper into the fray.

The battle waged on beneath the hot sun. The heat didn’t affect me or my brothers nearly as much as it did the mortals. Yet, those mortals didn’t surrender to the heat or the exhaustion. Their fortitude was awe-inspiring.

The sounds imprinted in my mind: the clanking of armor, the cries of dying men, and the booming rumble of feet pounding the earth as thousands of men fought for their homelands. Pride played a role as well. The desire to prove oneself. The satisfaction of bringing an enemy to their knees.

Men in power often sent others into the flames and watched them burn just so they could reap the benefit of feeling the warmth on their skin. And the men around me were burning. Warriors fell on both sides, laying down their lives for a cause greater than themselves.

Much like us, I thought to myself.

We fought for humankind. We fought to keep the dark forces at bay.

Spartan hoplites encircled the Athenians on the left of the battlefield and crushed their lines. They then traveled across the field toward the unprotected right flank of the Corinthians and inflicted heavy casualties. Part of the Theban contingent fell under heavy attack next.

It was there, beneath the blinding rays of the sun, when a familiar scent tickled my nose. Olive trees in springtime. Woodsy notes with traces of fruit—it was much like I remembered but different as well. An unfamiliar musk interlaced within it. Unfamiliar… but also as though I’d been waiting for it my entire life.

Melancholy stirred in my chest and whined low. “My home.”

Never had I felt such strong emotion. It was as if I’d been set ablaze, the flames starting in my chest and exploding outward. The sudden intensity nearly brought me to my knees. My focus shifted from the battle as I searched for the source of my newfound feelings.

And then I saw him.

A Spartan leapt high into the air, sword in his grip as he brought it down on an enemy’s head. He slung blood from his blade before his spine straightened a bit. His face then turned in my direction. His helmet concealed his features, but I saw a glimpse of his lips from behind the bronze. His dark eyes moved to me.

As our gazes met, the breath stilled in my lungs, and my body started to quake. Melancholy whined again as the earth moved beneath me. Or perhaps it was I who moved, knees buckling. This male… I’d never seen him before, yet I knew him. Warriors battled on all sides of us, but our eyes remained locked.

The battlefield no longer existed.

Only he did.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he sprinted forward. He screamed something as he ran toward me.

I sensed the presence behind me a moment too late. A sword plunged into my back, the blade penetrating all the way through my body. The bloodied tip jutted from beneath my rib cage before being withdrawn with a hard pull. The sharp pain made me cry out and slump to the dirt. I released wheezing breaths as blood pooled from the wound. It was the worst injury I’d ever sustained. Would it heal like the others?

Or was this the end?

“Kallias!” Alastair yelled inside my head.

“Kal!” Castor.

The Spartan reached me and roared as he took off the Athenian’s head. And then he was directly in front of me, placing his hand over the wound. The moment his skin made contact with mine, that blazing fire in my veins ignited into something much greater. Something that went beyond all reason and understanding.

“Y-Your… name,” I managed to say between rough wheezes. If I was about to die, I at least needed to know that much.

“Elasus,” he spoke in a voice that reminded me of honey, smooth and rich. Hearing it sent tingling warmth through my chest. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, like soil beneath lush green grass.

“I am… Ka—” Another gasping breath broke off my words.

“Do not speak.” Elasus caught me as I slumped forward. “The gods will greet you soon, warrior. I will stay by your side until they do.”

Shouts erupted from around us, as did the victorious clanking of swords against shields as the Spartans and their remaining allies watched the opposing army flee. Every demon had been slain, and the surviving enemy soldiers had been considerably thinned. Their defeat had been imminent, so they’d fled toward the city gates of Corinth.

A Spartan victory.

My eyes fluttered closed as I lost more strength and pressed my cheek to Elasus’ shoulder. Dirt, sweat, and blood clung to his skin, yet nothing had ever smelled more incredible. Because beneath all of that came the scent of olive trees and warm earth.

Of home.

Chapter Two

Elasus

The man’s chest slowly moved with his breaths as he rested against me. The likelihood of him living until the next sunrise was low. Blood seeped from between my fingers as I applied more pressure to his wound. He softly whimpered.

My heart ached.

Unable to resist, I removed my helmet and pressed my face into his black hair. He smelled like spring water beneath the midday sun.

“Release him,” an unfamiliar voice said from above me. The man had pale hair and cold eyes.

Other men stepped up beside him. One had hair the same shade as an apple. They all glared at me, waiting for me to move aside. My arms refused to obey when I tried to release the wounded warrior. I yearned to burrow against him. To hold him closer.

“I cannot,” I said. “I told him I’d stay by his side.”

Why did I care? This man was a stranger. I’d seen many men die in battle. I’d killed many of them myself. What made this man different?

“I will not tell you again.” The pale-haired man dropped to one knee, his lethal gaze aimed at me. “Release my brother so I can save him.”

“Save him? You are a physician?”

Spartans continued to shout in triumph as a victory trophy was erected in the place where so many Athenians had been crushed beneath us. Our army had been led by Aristodemus, the guardian of King Agesipolis, until he came of age. Our second king, Agesilaus, was on a different campaign to the east.

Reluctantly, I pulled away from the dark-haired warrior. Another ache stabbed at my heart as I lost his warmth. His blood stained my hands. They held a slight tremble as I wiped at them. My throat constricted, as though a hand had come around it and squeezed.

The men then gathered around him and blocked him from my view.

Who were they? Hoplites from Triphylia? We had allied with several states prior to the battle, consisting of thousands of foot soldiers and cavalry. They could’ve belonged to any of them.

When the order was given for us to return to formation, I retrieved my helmet and placed it back on before sheathing my sword and grabbing my spear from the dirt. What became of the wounded warrior? I couldn’t say. The men had taken him away, and the throng of warriors moving across the battlefield prevented me from finding them again.

“There you are,” Nikandros said, clapping me on the back. “I feared you among the dead.”

“Unfortunately for you, I still live.”

He smiled from behind his helmet.

Nikandros had joined the agoge at the same time as me. We had trained together in a herd of youths and learned how to survive by stealing food when necessary and toughened ourselves to the world. Upon our eighteenth year, we had then joined the same syssition—a dining mess with other males who we formed close bonds with.

The men in a syssition became brothers. Eating, sleeping, and fighting together. Yet, despite that, the only one I’d ever become close to was Nikandros.

“Return with us!” Melas exclaimed above the noise. He had been one of the men who’d trained us when we were youths, though he’d had his own separate herd of boys. The man who’d trained me had died in battle months before.

“We must be on our way.”

The pale-haired male? I saw the unique shade through the sea of warriors and stepped closer, almost desperate to close the distance. Because it meant he was there.

“You are allies of Sparta,” Melas responded. “You will return with us and rest from battle. You can leave at first light.”

The male with apple-red hair stood beside who I assumed to be their leader. I also saw one with golden hair who was so beautiful it caused every warrior in his proximity to shift closer. Yet, I didn’t find the one I searched for.

Our army then returned to our base at Sicyon, a northern city between Corinth and Achaea.

Nikandros made conversation along the journey, but I was unable to concentrate on his words. My thoughts were on the warrior. He had tried telling me his name, but his gasping breaths and weakened state had kept him from doing so. It felt as though my soul couldn’t rest until I knew it.

We washed ourselves of the grime from battle before being told of a celebration being held in honor of our victory.

“Perhaps I will find someone to bed,” Nikandros said as we walked in that direction. “It’s been ages since I’ve wet my prick.” He nudged my ribs with his elbow. “And you, my friend, need to wet yours for the first time.”

Every male in our syssition had taken lovers. Some had bedded each other. Others had found women. We weren’t permitted wives or to move from the barracks until the age of thirty, but indulging in pleasure wasn’t forbidden as long as we followed our orders and returned to our beds by morning. Yet, I’d never taken a lover. It didn’t appeal to me.

“What I need is food,” I told him. Wine too, if it was offered. Though, I never drank to excess. No Spartan did lest they wished to have their senses dulled. The enemies who dwelled within our borders wouldn’t hesitate to slit our throats if given the opportunity.

“Twenty-one years on this earth and my closest companion still has his maidenhood.” Nikandros sighed. “How tragic.”

I shoved him hard. He laughed as he nearly fell off the path.

Reaching the celebration, the scent of meat cooking over the fire made my mouth water. Voices came from several directions as men gathered in groups and discussed the battle. Others told stories. Women had been invited, and some danced, moving their bodies in ways that enticed the men watching them.

“By the gods,” Nikandros said under his breath. “How is it he outshines every woman here? Like Adonis in all his remarkable beauty.”

I followed his gaze, and my heart quickened in its beating as I saw the warrior with golden hair. Yet, my eagerness didn’t come from him. It came from the hope that the other male would be there as well.

The golden-haired Adonis then glanced our way, a smirk in place. He said something to the soldiers in front of him before approaching us.

“Greetings,” he said to Nikandros. “My name is Bellamy.”

My companion could only stare at him. I quietly coughed and smacked the back of his arm.

“Oh! Yes. Greetings.” Nikandros bowed his head, then bowed it again. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “I am called Nikandros.”

Bellamy’s eyes shifted to me. They appeared hazel at first, but upon another look, they were a dark brown. Odd. “And you are?”

“Elasus,” I answered. “The warrior with black hair… what became of him?”

Bellamy’s smirk bloomed into a full smile. “Kallias lives. It was only a minor wound. A scratch.”

I blinked in confusion. “No. The sword pierced him deep.” The memory of his wheezing breaths caused that ache to return to my chest.

“Did it?” He cocked his head, his dark brown eyes shining with amusement, though I didn’t know what was so amusing about this. “Perhaps you were mistaken, Spartan.”

The blood staining my hands had been no mistake. He was hiding something. However, none of that mattered… because he’d told me the one thing I’d yearned to know.

“You called him Kallias,” I said. The name suited him: beauty. And gods, he was. His raven-black hair and eyes such a deep brown they nearly matched. Eyes just like… Bellamy’s. “You are his brother?”

That was the only explanation as to why they had the same shade of eyes.

“Your interest in him intrigues me.” Bellamy stepped toward me. He smelled sweet but with a floral note. I wrinkled my nose. “Here you are staring at me, yet your thoughts are with him. My pheromones aren’t affecting you either.”

“Your pheromones?” Nikandros asked, slowly blinking as he leaned in closer, as if under a sort of trance.

Bellamy grinned at him before sliding his hand to my companion’s neck. His thumb brushed the hollow of his throat. “I find you delectable. Will you warm my bed tonight?”

Nikandros giggled before snapping his mouth shut. The fire from the nearby cooking pit reflected on his darkening cheeks. “I… well… yes, warming your bed would be an honor. Yes.” He nodded several times.

I was the one who hadn’t lain with a lover, yet he was the one behaving like a blushing maiden.

“It will be a night you’ll remember for the rest of your days.” Bellamy dipped his face to Nikandros’ jaw and placed a soft kiss there.

Nikandros shivered.

“As for you…” Bellamy’s eyes flickered back to me. “You’ll find Kallias by the river’s edge.”

“Who said I wished to find him?” I asked.

“Knowing desires is my gift,” he responded with a wink before sliding his arm around Nikandros’ waist. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a Spartan to make scream.”

Nikandros gaped like a fish out of water. He didn’t appear to need saving, however, as he was guided away.

Kallias. I could still see the warrior’s dark eyes as our gazes had locked. I could still feel his heat as he’d slumped against me, soft whimpers leaving his throat. Those whimpers had felt like daggers scraping my insides, the blade slicing through flesh and bone.

The river’s edge. That was where he waited.

Taking a breath, I stepped in that direction.

***

The booming voices of the soldiers and coinciding laughter faded as I left the celebration and neared the river. A celebration I should’ve been partaking in as well but instead walked away from it. Why did I seek out Kallias? I knew nothing about him.

But I wish to know.

Stars dusted the night sky, as though the gods gazed down upon us and our victory. Or perhaps, they gazed down on him.

The raven-haired warrior stood facing the water, his back to me. Moonlight kissed his bare torso, shining on two thin scars along his shoulder blades. How did he get them? A faint mark rested on the middle of his back—right where the sword had pierced him.

“Elasus,” he spoke without turning to me.

“You remember my name.”

“Indeed. I do.” He glanced back at me, and the profound sadness in his eyes settled over my chest like a mountain of stones. “How could I forget the male who held me as I was bleeding?”

“Bleeding, you say.” Again, I looked at his back, confused by the absence of an injury. I continued forward until I stood beside him on the riverbank. His warm scent greeted me, causing something in my stomach to tighten. “Yet, you have no wound to convey as such.”

“Must a wound be visible to bleed?” His dark eyes moved to me. “To ache?”

I understood that he wasn’t referring to a physical ache that could be eased with medicines and salves. He referred to one much deeper. Yet, it didn’t explain what I had seen on the battlefield.

“This is not the answer you sought.”

“No.” I tilted my face to the sky. “I saw the sword impale you, but you stand here now with barely a mark. I have to wonder if I truly did see it.”

“Which answer would be more acceptable?” he softly asked. “My wound healing at a remarkable pace, or it never existing at all?”

I upturned my palm and studied it. I had scrubbed my hands clean of his blood, but the memory still lingered in my mind. “The truth. However incredible it may be. That’s what I wish to know.”

“What if the truth is too great?” Kallias stared at the moon. “Too much for one mind to fathom?”

“I still wish to know it.”

He said nothing at first. He only stared at the night sky. “Do you believe in the gods?”

“Yes.”

“Then you believe not everything in this life can be explained. There are things that go beyond our understanding.”

“Yes,” I said again. “Are you telling me the gods spared you? They healed you?”

“No. My brothers healed me.”

“How?”

“With the gifts bestowed on them upon their births. I share those gifts. They become stronger as each year passes, allowing us to heal. Among other things. That is all you need to know.”

“These gifts were given to you by the gods?”

“My mother believed so,” he answered. “The truth differs slightly, but one thing remains true regardless of whether I come from the gods or not.” Kallias’ gaze moved to mine. “I am not like you, Elasus. For this reason, you should return to the celebration and leave me with my thoughts.”

Hearing my name on his lips caused my pulse to quicken.

“And if I refuse?”

A deep sadness came off him. “Tell me one reason you’d wish to stay.”

“Because of you.”

“So your curiosity keeps you here,” he said. “I am a thing to poke and prod until you learn all the secrets hidden within. What if I told you that the more you learn, the more danger you place yourself in?”

“I’m a Spartan. I never flee from danger. Instead, I charge into the fray.”

“Return with your shield… or on it,” Kallias whispered. “Is that not what Spartans are told before a battle?”

“If you are familiar with our words, then you must also know the threat of danger is of little consequence. You say you aren’t like me—”

“Because I’m not.”

“You bleed the same as I do.” I stepped closer and placed my palm over his chest. Not only did he smell like the sun, but his skin felt the same, a heat that sank deep into my bones. “Your heart beats like mine. Mortal or god… it matters not.”

“I am no god,” he said. “I am a thing much darker.”

“Darker?” Closer I moved to him until no distance existed between our bodies. It still wasn’t close enough. I moved my hand to the side of his neck. His breaths shortened. Mind did as well. “How can you be dark when you shine so brightly? Like the sun when it touches the peak of Mount Taygetus. I once believed nothing was more beautiful.”

Until now.

But I dared not say the words aloud. Such soft words were not meant for a man like me. My brutal upbringing had stripped me of vulnerability and the gentleness meant to exist between lovers. Perhaps it was why I hadn’t sought anyone for myself. Intimacy, for me, had always come from an enemy’s blood on my hands. Hands that had no right to touch the man in front of me.

But I couldn’t release him. My body wouldn’t obey.

“You say I’m like the sun, but you know nothing about me.” Kallias swallowed hard.

“Then tell me,” I said. “I wish to learn everything.”

“Why?”

An interesting question—one I had no answer for. All I knew for certain? This man called to something inside of me. More than a curiosity, he captivated me like no one else ever had. “Because ever since the moment I first saw you, Kallias, the earth shifted beneath me.”

Another tight swallow. His dark eyes glistened. “It shifted beneath me too.”

We held eye contact in silence, our faces so close I felt his breath on my lips.

“You know my name,” he whispered.

“Bellamy told me.” I pulled back only a little and touched the faint mark on his stomach. Hours earlier, it had been a gaping hole spitting out blood. Now, the skin was only slightly raised, similar to a month-old wound. “He also told me you weren’t stabbed. That it was only a minor scratch. Seeing this now, I must toss aside what I believe to be true and agree with him.”

“Your eyes did not deceive you,” Kallias said. “I was stabbed in battle.”

The confirmation brought with it a breath of relief. That relief soon bled into confusion. How could a wound close so soon? If he wasn’t a god, what was he?

“I fail to understand.”

His expression became gentle. “I’m unsure I know the words to ease your confusion.”

“Will you try?” My heart knocked harder against my ribs.

“I’ve always healed quickly,” he explained. “Cuts that faded in mere moments after getting them. I fell from a tree once when I was a youth and twisted my ankle. It barely had time to swell before it healed. In the agoge, the boys would smash my head with rocks and watch as the bleeding stopped. Then, they would hit me again but harder. It became a game to them.”

“The agoge?” My confusion deepened. “You are a Spartan?”

But he couldn’t be. I would have remembered him—sensed him, just as I had the moment on the battlefield before our gazes met.

“My mother was from Laconia,” he answered. “I was born there as well.”

Was that one reason I felt so drawn to him? As though my soul recognized a kindred spirit within him. He fought like one of us and even wielded similar weapons. Deeper than that, he had the stare of a Spartan. Determined. Strong. If not a little sad.

“What of your father?” I asked.

“I never knew him, but I’m told he came from the heavens.” Kallias rested his hand on my forearm. His touch was hesitant, as were his dark eyes as they searched my face. “The gifts that allow me to heal myself are because of his blood in my veins. I suppose ‘gift’ is the wrong word. It is more like a curse.”

“A curse?”

“One that carries a weight nearly too heavy for me to hold most days,” he responded. “It is the reason I was taken away shortly after joining the agoge.”

“Taken away?”

He nodded. “To be trained among those who share my blood. Boys whose fathers also came from the heavens.”

I recalled the men who’d been with him earlier, each of them possessing extraordinary beauty and strength. Brothers, he had called them.

“Why did you fight alongside us during the battle?” I asked. He and his brothers had helped us despite not being our allies. The eight of them had cut through our enemies with the strength and skill of a well-trained militia.

“I cannot say more than I already have.” He pulled away from me, and I fought the urge to tug him right back. “Will your army return to Sparta now?”

Was speaking of the war easier than discussing his past? Or maybe he wished to spare me more details of a life he believed I couldn’t understand.

I nodded. “The battle prevented our enemies from invading Laconia. A victory. Progressing farther through Corinth seems unlikely at this time, but we accomplished what we set out to do. We will now await the return of King Agesilaus from his campaign in the east before beginning the march home.”

Kallias stared out across the river. Silent. The moon shone on his midnight black hair, and even beneath the pale light, I noted the deep bronze of his skin. I yearned to touch him again. Instead, my hands squeezed into fists at my sides.

He was not mine to touch.

“Where do you call home?” I asked.

“Home?” He touched the center of his chest as his expression pinched. “I do not have one. We move from place to place. Fighting. Always fighting.”

“The life of a warrior.”

“Yes. Same as you.” He looked at me. “I find it odd.”

“What’s odd?”

“You. And the way you make me feel.”

“How do I make you feel?”

Kallias shakily exhaled. “Like I’m soaring amongst the clouds.”

I chuckled at the notion. “Men cannot fly. How does one know how it feels to soar amongst the clouds?”

“I could show you.” Amusement danced in his eyes.

My chuckle died away. “You are teasing me.”

“Am I?” He smiled up at the stars. “Is it not plausible for wings to sprout from my back and lift me high into the air?”

I tried to respond, but no words came to mind. A man growing wings?

“Forgive me, Elasus.” The amusement faded from his eyes, and he gave a small shake of his head. “It is unfair for me to speak of such wondrous things when there are limitations as to what you can imagine. There are limitations to what I can show you as well. Lazarus would be angry.”

“Lazarus?”

“Think of him as my commander. He gives us orders, and we follow them. He is also the one who trained us into the warriors we are today.”

“He taught you how to… fly?” I failed to grasp the idea. “Like a bird?”

“Would you believe me if I said yes?”

Again, no response formed in my mind. My thoughts rolled over one another, too quickly for me to make sense of them.

“I should leave,” he whispered.

“No.” I grabbed his arm.

He glanced at my hand. “You would keep me here?”

“Beside me?” My grip loosened but didn’t fully release him. I gently brought him closer. “Yes. For that reason, I would keep you here.”

Kallias surprised me by stepping closer and resting his face against my neck. As his warm breath tickled my skin, chills traveled up my arms. Heat pooled low in my stomach. “Perhaps I would wish to stay… for that same reason.”

The feelings he awoke inside my chest confused me just as much as they excited me.

“Elasus?”

Gods. The sound of his voice saying my name caused that heat in my belly to swirl. “Yes?”

Kallias pulled back and met my stare. A hint of a smile touched his lips, though that sad gleam in his eyes remained. “You asked how you make me feel. Yet, it is not the how that matters. It’s that you make me feel anything at all.”

“Explain.”

“You see…” He touched his chest again. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been hollow. I feel nothing. I used to believe it meant I had no soul. But on the battlefield, surrounded by thousands of men, I felt something strong, as though Zeus had thrown his lightning bolt directly into my heart. It nearly brought me to my knees.” His eyes softened around the edges, the dark pools reflecting the stars above us. “That’s when I saw you.”

My throat constricted. “I saw you as well.”

And I hadn’t looked away since.

Time seemed to slow around us, just as it had amidst the battle. I didn’t fully understand all that he’d told me. I had more questions than answers. Yet, none of that mattered as we stared at each other, suspended in a single moment.

I slowly leaned in, stopping a hair’s width from his mouth. “May I kiss you?”

“Since when does a Spartan ask for permission?” His voice came rougher.

“I would never take what isn’t mine to take.” My hands came to rest at his hips, and the tips of our noses touched. “If you do not want this, Kallias, tell me now and I’ll let you go.”

A strangled little sound tore from his throat. “Not many things frighten me in this life. I have faced countless enemies and witnessed true evils in the world. But this, with you?” He shakily exhaled against my lips. “I am terrified, Elasus.”

An ache slashed across my sternum. “Frightening you was never my intention.” I started to pull away. “Forgive me.”

Kallias wound his arms around my waist and held me in place. “Do not leave.”

“But I frighten you.” Was my voice raspier than usual? It was like the pain had risen to my throat, constricting my vocal cords.

“You misunderstand me, foolish Spartan.” Kallias smoothed a hand up my spine before resting it on the back of my head. His fingers burrowed into my hair. “I am frightened because I yearn for this. For you. And I have never desired anything in all my years.”

I relaxed against him, his words soothing that sharp ache. “I yearn for you too.”

We both felt something neither of us could explain. After a battle, warriors were known to seek out warm bodies to indulge in so they could celebrate being alive by fucking until dawn. However, this went beyond carnal desire and physical attraction. When I held Kallias, when I felt his breaths on my skin and heard his voice, it was as if my soul found peace.

“You may not be a god,” I whispered, pressing our foreheads together, “but I believe the gods sent you to me.”

Kallias lightly shuddered. “Kiss me. Please.”

And then, I did.

The moment our lips touched, a powerful force slammed into my chest. It was as if I’d been walking through a dark forest with no light to guide my way, and then suddenly, sunlight broke through the dense covering of twisted branches and shone down on me. Kallias was blinding in his beauty, yet I couldn’t close my eyes for fear he’d vanish.

As our lips slid together, his gaze met mine. Whimpers rumbled in his chest. I deepened the kiss, reveling in the taste of him. The feel of him.

I had heard tales of souls finding their missing halves. Whether that was true, I wasn’t certain. But now that I had found Kallias, I couldn’t fathom walking away from him. Be it the work of the gods or something else, our fates were intertwined that night.

Fates that were sealed as we kissed beneath moonlight.

Chapter Three

Kallias

Such a simple thing, a kiss. The joining of lips. Shared breaths. Never did I imagine how powerful one could be. The press of his mouth against mine awoke a hunger deep inside my core, one that had me tugging him closer.

“Elasus,” I whispered between kisses. His name was like a prayer on my lips.

He kissed down my neck. His hands slid up my back, the rough callouses on his fingertips and palms proof of his life as a warrior, of long days under the unrelenting sun swinging a sword and holding his shield. Spears were an extension of a Spartan’s arm. Yet, his hands that had ended lives and wielded those weapons touched me so gently.

My fingers dug into the back of his short brown hair, and I groaned as his teeth grazed my throat. The scent of olive trees and earth enveloped me. Elasus reminded me of springtime, the first warm breeze that replaced the frigid cold of winter, welcoming a new season as life returned to the land. He made me feel alive for the first time.

“Home,” Melancholy whimpered.

My sin’s behavior stunned me. In all my years, he had never shown interest in anything or anyone. He had lain dormant inside me, only surfacing to drag me back down to the depths of sorrow in the few instances when I’d tried to find happiness. Yet, Elasus awoke something in him too.

I sensed my brothers poking around in my mind. They were curious, and rightly so.

“I am well,” I told them after opening a link between the eight of us. “Stop fretting over me. I am preoccupied at the moment.”

“Oh, we know,” Castor responded. “Your feelings are so strong we can’t help but feel it.”

“You are not the only one preoccupied,” Bellamy said. “This warrior feels incredible around my cock. His moans are precious.”

“I could’ve lived the rest of my life without hearing that,” Castor said.

As they continued to bicker, I shoved their voices to the back of my mind and focused on Elasus. His lips returned to mine, and we kissed, alternating between hard presses and soft ones. His tongue dipped into my mouth, and my body ignited at the silky taste of him.

“I’ve just spoken to Lazarus outside the camp,” Alastair told us. “He agrees that you have all earned a short reprieve. So enjoy yourselves tonight. We leave at first light.”

Pain burrowed in my chest, hitting me so sharply I whimpered.

One night. That was all Elasus and I could ever have. I had finally found someone who filled the hollow place inside me. And with the rising of the sun, I would have to let him go.

“Kallias?” Elasus cupped my cheek. “Why are you—”

I captured his lips in another kiss. How could I explain to him in a way he’d understand? Better to say nothing at all. We might’ve lived similar lives as warriors, but we came from different worlds. Worlds that might briefly collide but never fully unite.

“You and I are all that exist tonight,” I told him.

“Only for tonight?” Elasus whispered against my lips.

Perhaps explaining would be easier than I’d assumed. I didn’t need to give a reason. He was a warrior and had a duty to his home, just as I had one to my brothers and our mission to defeat Lucifer.

Although my heart was cracking, I spoke the one word that would leave no doubt in his mind—or mine. “Yes.”

He held my gaze, saying nothing. He didn’t need to. I saw the understanding in his brown eyes. Softer than before, he kissed me again. The light joining of our lips felt like a goodbye not yet spoken.

As we kissed, Elasus guided me to the grass and settled on top of me. The gentle current of the river mingled with the distant voices of the soldiers. Smells filled the air from the cooking pits, but only one scent mattered to me. His.

Desire stirred in me for the first time. Heat gathered low in my belly, and my cock swelled. I groaned as Elasus lowered his face to my neck and sucked hard. The sting lasted only a moment before he transitioned to tender kisses. My heart pounded in my chest like the charging of warriors into battle, heavy and quick.

“I…” My fingertips dug into the tops of his shoulders as he lay between my legs, pressing his hard cock to mine. “I have never…”

Elasus lifted his head to meet my gaze. “Never what?”

“Done this.” The confession made me avert my eyes to his chest. I was too embarrassed. “Lain with someone.”

“Neither have I.”

My gaze darted back to his. “You jest.”

He breathed out a short laugh. “I assure you that I speak the truth. I’ve never taken a lover. You were the first to know my kiss as well.”

“My lips have only known yours.”

Elasus caressed my jaw. “It is a relief that you share my inexperience. The thought of anyone else knowing your touch sets my blood on fire.”

“As does the thought of anyone knowing yours,” I said, throat tight. The sudden burning in my eyes caused my vision to blur, distorting his handsome features. I wasn’t certain if the intensity of my feelings came from inexperience or something more, but everything about him consumed me. “Will you make love to me, Elasus?”

He smoothed his thumb along the corner of my eye, catching a tear that had slipped free. And then he kissed me. That was when I felt the quaking of his chin.

Elasus had been trained to live and die for Sparta above all else, to toss aside all emotion and harden himself to the world. I had been taught the same. Emotions led to vulnerability, and vulnerability had no place on a battlefield. Yet, he trembled in my arms, just as I did in his. Two warriors stripped of individuality long ago, now overtaken by an indescribable urge to lay claim to each other. To take something for ourselves.

“Kallias? You make me feel too,” he murmured against my cheek. “I want to sink deep inside you and stay there until the end of our days. But even then, it wouldn’t be close enough. Do you think me mad for speaking such things?”

“No. I do not think you mad.” The stirring in my chest deepened then and became much more powerful, as though the invisible thread of fate connecting us strengthened. “Today is when I first saw you, but my heart has known you longer. It was only waiting for you to find me.”

“I believe you found me,” he said, smoothing his calloused fingertips along my jaw.

My eyes stung again as I rejoined our lips.

Our mutual confessions seemed much too soon. But if I could believe I descended from a fallen angel and possessed a curse in my blood, why couldn’t I also believe that Elasus had come into my life for a purpose? That our paths had crossed because that was fate’s plan for us.

Even if it was only for one night.

His touches became heavier. I panted as he reached between our bodies and gripped my cock through the material of the trousers. Tingling warmth moved through my veins, like when you held your hand above a flame. His hands, his lips, were the flames that would set me ablaze. If I then turned to ash, so be it.

“Someone may see us,” I told him, hearing the distant rumble of voices and laughter.

“Let them see.” Elasus pressed his face to my neck. “Let them hear you as well.”

“You will need oil,” Bellamy’s voice filled my head. “Sex between men requires it.”

“Oil?”

My brother’s response was drowned out as I emitted a deep groan. Elasus had dipped his hand beneath the garment and grabbed my cock, skin to skin. He kissed my chest as he stroked me from root to tip.

“Elasus!” I cried out as he took my nipple into his mouth. The wet heat and flicking of his tongue fanned the flames of the fire that would soon engulf me. “That is…” My spine arched as I sought more. “Do not stop.”

I felt him smile around my nipple before he flicked his tongue faster. The gliding of his hand along my shaft and his mouth around my beaded nipple nearly undid me, like threads unraveling in a piece of clothing, each one bringing me closer to ruin.

“Where did you learn this?” I asked, breathless.

“Nikandros.” His warm exhales tickled my sensitive flesh. “He is my closest companion. Once, he spoke of a male who did this to him. Does it please you?”

“Yes. I need more.”

“You are a temptation like no other, Kallias. Your every moan is the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.”

He then drew more of those sweet sounds from me, relentlessly flicking me with his tongue while rubbing my aching cock. Pleasure built inside me, like waves receding before preparing to crash back against the shore.

But then, he stopped. He withdrew his hand and lifted his head from my chest before that wave of pleasure could reach me.

I didn’t recognize the sounds tearing from my throat. They were gruff and needy.

“You are growling at me,” Elasus said with amusement rich in his tone. “And here I believed you could not be any more endearing.”

“Will you make me beg?”

He glided a finger down my stomach. “Sounds to me like you already are. The pleas are apparent in the shake of your voice.”

“You are a cruel male, Elasus.” Yet, I smiled up at him as I spoke the words. Although I ached and desperately needed more of his touch, I was exhilarated. More alive than I’d ever been.

“Ah, yes.” He returned my smile. “You certainly appear to be tormented in this moment by my cruelty. How should I ever make amends?”

“You could begin by kissing me,” I said, my chest light and my heart beating quickly, like hummingbirds’ wings. “Perhaps forgiveness will follow.”

Elasus lowered his face back to mine and softly kissed me. The more time we spent together, the closer I felt to him. Each kiss fortified that connection, as if we were two blades that were melted down and reforged to become one.

I pushed against his shoulders and rolled him to his back, pinning him to the grass. That exhilaration I felt reflected in his eyes as he peered up at me. This thing between us excited us both. Our mouths crashed back together, and our tongues entwined. Danced. My palm slid against his before our fingers linked above his head.

“Mine,” Melancholy said from inside my chest.

What was it about Elasus that had both me and my sin drawn in like a moth to a flame?

“Kallias,” he moaned as my teeth grazed the side of his throat. His fingers squeezed mine tighter. “Touch me.”

It was my turn to make him beg and writhe in anticipation. I palmed his cock through his trousers before unfastening them and taking him into my hand. He rewarded me with a sweet groan that had my blood racing hotter. We kissed as I stroked him. He moaned again, and I drank it down as if it were nectar of the gods.

“You are my ambrosia,” I whispered against his lips. “And I shall savor every drop.”

The weighty thickness of him in my hand enticed me further. I wanted to taste him. I then kissed down his body. Reaching his cock, I took him into my mouth. He cried out and grabbed my head, curling his fingers in my short hair.

The texture of his cock was smooth like silk, and as a bead formed in his slit, I lapped at it with my tongue.

“Gods,” Elasus groaned. “Your mouth will be my undoing.”

“You will not be undone until I say so.”

He released a raspy chuckle. “Consider the debt paid. Your cruelty supersedes mine.”

“I have only just begun, Elasus.” I grabbed his base and eased his tip passed my lips. Another drop rose from him, and I ever so slowly licked at it. He shuddered and lifted his hips from the grass, thighs quaking.

Being inexperienced, I learned as I went. Bellamy would’ve helped me if I asked, but I wanted to do this on my own. I attuned myself to Elasus’ every sharp intake of air and the tensing of his abdomen muscles. The tightening of his fingers in my hair. That was how I learned his likes and dislikes and the pace in which he preferred it—and the pace that had him gritting his teeth as I denied him release. Over and over again.

“Have mercy on the man,” Bellamy told me through our mind link. “You will kill him if you deny him release again.”

“Are you spying on me?”

A pause. “No.”

“I do not believe you.”

His laugh filled my head. I didn’t hear anything more from him though. I focused back on Elasus, who was… well, perhaps Bellamy wasn’t far from the truth. Sweat beaded on his naked flesh, and his expression was pained. His cock was pink and swollen. Never once had he begged for me to stop.

“Spartan pride,” I said.

Elasus smirked. “Never surrender.”

“Then allow me to surrender to you.” I reclined in the grass and brought his hand to my chest. “I am yours for the taking, warrior.”

Elasus growled low in his throat as he hovered over me, the short strands of his brown hair falling forward. “Only for tonight?”

“Yes.” The lightness in my chest grew heavier. “Come dawn, we must part ways.”

“Then I pray that dawn never comes,” he said before pressing his lips to mine.

***

The oil Bellamy mentioned came from the olive trees I treasured. Warriors rubbed the oil on their bodies to keep warm at night, and some also used it to moisten their skin and hair for beauty purposes, so it was easily accessible from their encampment.

Elasus slicked his fingers with the oil before pressing one inside me.

A surprised gasp escaped me.

“Do you wish for me to stop?” he asked, his hand stilling. The concern in his brown eyes brought that hummingbird flutter back to my heart.

“No.” I reached down and coaxed his hand forward. “The sensation was only a shock at first. Keep going.”

He did. A strange pressure built as his finger moved deeper. Not unpleasant but a bit uncomfortable. The discomfort began to ease as he touched a place inside me. When I gasped again, it came from pleasure.

Elasus smiled and remained in that spot, rubbing small circles. He was attuned to me like I’d been to him earlier. We were learning together. He progressed to two fingers and allowed my body time to adjust before adding a third.

“I have heard it can hurt the first time,” he said as his brow dipped in concentration. Three fingers slid in and out of me. “I don’t wish to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” Especially since he’d already shown me such care, taking his time to ensure my body could take him with ease.

A morsel of guilt settled over my chest. Elasus and I were about to share one of the most intimate acts, yet he didn’t truly know me. I had tried to explain it to him, but it was something that must be seen, for the mortal mind had limitations as to what could be believed by words alone. Like his inability to imagine a man soaring high above the clouds. Angels, demons, and Nephilim were unknown words in his language.

But in that moment, whether he understood or not, I wanted to tell him everything.

“Elasus,” I said, as he gently withdrew his fingers and settled between my legs. “There is a thing you must know before we… before we do this.”

“You are a Theban, aren’t you?” he asked with the makings of a smile twitching at his lips.

I chuckled despite that weight of guilt. “No. I am no Theban. I’m not a Corinthian either.”

“How fortunate.” His hands slid up my thighs as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “However, even if you were my enemy, I would still hold you like this.” He leaned down to kiss me and let his lips linger close to mine as he murmured, “I would still kiss you just as softly.”

A crack formed in my chest. “And if I wasn’t fully mortal?”

“You have already told me your father came from the heavens. My earlier statement holds true. God or man, it matters not.” Elasus rested his palm over my heart. “In our short time together, I have become fond of you, Kallias. I care not if you have a gifted bloodline that heals wounds or if you fly like a bird. It is you that’s captivated me.”

“You’ve captivated me too.”

“That is all I need to know.” He slid a hand to my nape. “Remember what you told me. You and I are all that exist tonight. Let go of everything else.”

So I did. I shoved down my guilt and indecision over how to tell him and instead lost myself in everything that was Elasus. His scent. His warmth. The crinkle of his eyes when he smiled down at me between kisses. The light freckle above his lip. The callous of his hands as they explored my body. And his voice… gods, his voice. It touched my ears like honey.

He used the oil to slick his cock before positioning himself at my opening. Our gazes locked as he slowly eased forward. His lips softly parted as a moan slipped past them.

“You…” Elasus stilled inside of me and dragged in a shaky breath. “You feel incredible.”

“As do you.” I wrapped my arms around his torso. “I need more.”

There was a slight ache as he seated himself more inside me, but it quickly faded, either due to my healing powers or his careful preparation. Possibly both. I reveled in the fullness of him and the light groans vibrating in his throat.

“Kallias,” he said on a moan, rolling his hips harder into me.

With each thrust, the threads holding me together unraveled. I opened myself to him, letting him see all those vulnerable places I’d never shown to anyone—places I hadn’t known existed. But he had found them.

My fingertips dug into his lower back, willing him to take me harder. He did. Neither of us lasted for long. The blazing pleasure was too great, formed from our mutual physical desires but strengthened by something else entirely.

Elasus slammed one hand beside my head in the grass and shuddered. “I… gods.”

Euphoric pleasure took him then. It soon consumed me along with him, burning both of us until we melted together like metal still hot from the forge. The force of my release had me crying out so loud I was certain he’d gotten his earlier wish about letting the nearby men hear me. He was less vocal than me, but he groaned low in my ear as his hips jerked.

The waves of pleasure started to recede, yet the elation they’d brought remained. My feelings toward him intensified as our heavy-lidded gazes met, our bodies still quaking from release. Fear and exhilaration both churned in my core. My eyes stung again, but not from sadness. It came from something else entirely.

“Elasus.” I whimpered at the depth of emotion balling in my chest—in my heart. “I need…” But I didn’t know what I needed. It was a desperate, unknown feeling that had me shaking.

“Tell me,” he said, peering at me through dark lashes.

An uncontrollable urge slammed into me. I threw my arms around his neck and tugged him closer. My teeth pressed to his throat. Before I realized my intention, I bit down hard enough to break the skin, tasting his blood.

Elasus grunted, shocked, but then he relaxed against me, moaning softly. His softening cock slipped from me as he cupped the back of my head, tilting his back to give me better access.

My actions confused me. Frightened as well. Yet, the taste of him? He truly was my ambrosia. My eyes rolled back as I drank from him. Instantly, that anxious knot in the pit of my stomach loosened. My soul calmed. After taking a little bit of his blood, I licked the wound and closed it with healing magic.

And then, upon realizing what I’d just done, I scrambled away from him.

“Kallias?” He placed a hand on the grass to steady himself as he blinked at me, disoriented. He lifted his other hand to his neck, touching the mark I’d left there.

“Forgive me. I… I’m not sure…. Oh, gods, Elasus.” I brought my knees up and buried my face in my hands. “What is happening to me? Why did I bite you?”

And why did it feel so right?

Blood drinking wasn’t uncommon amongst our kind. Bellamy indulged in blood on occasion, but he’d never fed from a mortal. He sought non-human beings like ourselves. I had never developed a taste for it. So why had I done so with Elasus? Panic built inside me.

“Kallias.”

“Stay away!” I curled more in on myself, holding the back of my head.

Warmth enclosed me then. His arms. He pulled me closer, and a sob tore through my throat. I tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t let me.

“You see?” I said, my voice thick. Tears escaped my eyes as I burrowed my face against his chest. “Darkness dwells inside me.”

“You call it darkness. But for me?” Elasus smoothed his hand over my hair. “I have never felt so warm. You feel it as well, do you not? The bond between us.”

I gazed up at him through watery eyes. “I do.”

He softly smiled and palmed my cheek, brushing away a tear.

My brothers had all rushed toward the river but kept out of sight. I sensed their life forces within the trees behind us. The strong emotion inside me was one they had all felt too. Another sensation then prickled the top of my scalp.

A bright light filled the sky before a loud boom hit the earth a short distance away. Lazarus straightened up from his landing, and his white wings fanned to the sides of him.

Elasus slumped against me. His eyes blew wide. “He… he has…”

“Wings,” I said. “Like a bird.”

I found no humor in the situation though. For Lazarus to show himself in front of a mortal meant he’d seen no other choice. It meant he’d come because of what I’d done. My brothers ran from the tree line and came to stand beside me.

Elasus regarded them in confusion before focusing back on the angel. His arms tightened around me. My heart beat a little harder at that. There Elasus was, confused by the sight of a winged man, but his first instinct was to protect me.

Melancholy stirred again in my chest. “My warrior.”

I faced Elasus. “He is Lazarus. The one I spoke of before.”

“The one who trained you.”

“Yes.” The one who was charged with killing us, too, if we ever moved against him or the other angels in the celestial realm. Yet, I kept that to myself. I pressed a kiss to Elasus’ shoulder before pushing away from him, my throat stinging and tight. I fastened my trousers and stood from the grass.

Elasus stood with me, hand landing on my lower back before he tugged me back to his side. He sensed the threat.

Lazarus tucked his wings back into his shoulder blades and walked toward us, his normally expressionless face now clouded with anger. “You bit a mortal,” he said in a hard tone. “You drank from him.”

“I…” Pressure squeezed my windpipe, taking my breath as well as my words.

Alastair stepped forward, blocking his path and placing himself between us. “No harm was done. The mortal—”

“Remember your place, Pride,” Lazarus interjected. “This does not concern you.”

“It does,” he countered. “You have always said the eight of us are bound by our blood. We are all that stand between Lucifer and the mortals he wishes to destroy. So, yes. Kallias’ fate concerns me a great deal.”

That was all I meant to him? A link in the chain that would be used to defeat our enemy. I should’ve known not to think anything more. Alastair was our leader. We called him brother, but he—and Pride—only cared about being victorious in this war. Whatever the cost.

The muscle in Lazarus’ jaw tightened as he ground his teeth together.

“Kallias has never stepped out of line, nor has he ever shown interest in anyone,” Alastair continued. “These feelings are unfamiliar to him. Surely, this one mistake can be forgiven this once.”

Lazarus glared at him before shifting those stormy eyes to me. He stepped past Alastair and walked closer to me.

“You will not touch him,” Elasus said, moving me behind him.

Although nearly imperceptible, shock flitted across the angel’s face, taking away some of the rage. “Humans are such curious creatures. You think yourself strong enough to stand against me?”

“I fear no one.”

“Elasus.” I grabbed his arm. He turned to look at me. That’s when I noticed the worry present in his eyes. He didn’t fear for himself though. He worried about what would become of me. “Please stand aside. This is not your fight. I… I committed a wrong and must face the consequences.”

“No,” Elasus said. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

The bite mark on his neck said otherwise. Even after I’d used my powers to heal it, the mark remained. Had I harmed him that badly?

“You deserve to be punished,” Melancholy said. “You bring only pain and misery wherever you go.”

Breathing deeply, I stepped forward and bowed my head to Lazarus. “I accept whatever punishment you see as fitting.”

“You’ll be punished over my dead body,” Castor said.

“The mortal clearly enjoyed being bitten,” Bellamy said. “Where is the harm?”

“All of you, be silent,” Lazarus said. “You are making my head ache.” His cold eyes came to rest on me. “Tell me why.”

“Why?” I then regarded Elasus. The center of my chest ached. “I cannot say. All I know is it felt as though my soul were restlessly searching for something, and the only way to soothe it was to…”

“Bite him,” Lazarus said, bewilderment shadowing his face. A touch of understanding existed there too.

Alastair’s brow tapered. “You know the reason.”

“I am unsure at this time. I need to speak to the others.” Lazarus came closer, his intense gaze moving from me to Elasus. “His scent marks you.”

“I sense it too,” Bellamy said. “Lust is conflicted.”

“Conflicted?” Alastair asked.

Bellamy nodded. “He has no desire to seduce the Spartan. Kallias has claimed him for his own.”

Castor huffed. “That has never deterred you before. You’ve bedded many mortals who were wed to others.”

“This claim is stronger.” Bellamy cocked his head at me. And then something happened that never had before: his irises swirled, and the color changed to a familiar shade of brown. “Intriguing. You now see his eyes when you look at me.”

“I see his when I look at you too,” Elasus said. “What does it mean?”

Alastair shook his head. “That is a thing you cannot know. You have already seen too much.”

My heart sank to my stomach. I would accept whatever consequences for any wrongdoing. But I prayed that Elasus would be spared any repercussions for involving himself with me.

“I will let this matter rest for now.” Lazarus looked at Alastair. “Keep the mortal in your sights and ensure he doesn’t tell anyone what he’s witnessed this night.”

“Yes, sir.”

The angel then released his wings and lifted into the air. “All of you should retire for the night. I will return at daybreak with a decision on how to proceed.”

He flew higher in the sky before vanishing from sight.

Elasus exhaled. “He truly has wings. And he flies.”

“Easy, mortal.” Bellamy clasped his arm to keep him steady. “I’m sure it’s quite the shock.”

It was a shock for me too. My newfound feelings. The confusion over biting Elasus. Confusion that deepened when seeing the mark on his neck pleased me, as though it sated a possessive need. I pressed closer to his side, uncertain of either of our fates. He rested his cheek on the side of my head.

“Lazarus is right,” Alastair said in a stern tone. “We should retire for the night. It has been a long day for all of us.”

“I will remain with Elasus through the night,” I told them. A pressure filled my chest. “To watch over him.”

Only for tonight, we had told each other.

My brothers and I parted ways. Bellamy found another warrior to warm his bed while Raiden found the leftover food and gorged himself by the firepit. Galen and Castor joined him. Daman kept to the shadows of the camp, not speaking to anyone. Gradyn had fallen asleep in the grass, and Alastair scooped him up and carried him to a mat beside the fire before settling in beside him.

“Come with me.” Elasus grabbed my hand, and our fingers threaded together. Much like our hearts.

He led me to the edge of their encampment and stopped beneath a tree with long branches. Gently, he pressed me against the trunk and kissed me. We didn’t speak at first. With words, anyway. We said much with our bodies. Lips that hungrily nipped at each other, hands that slid beneath clothing and gripped warm skin. Hearts that beat hard in our chests.

“I struggle to understand any of this,” Elasus then whispered, his large body a barrier in front of me. “Men with wings. Powers that heal mortal wounds. This connection I feel toward you and why.”

“I know.” I lifted my hand and trailed my fingers along his jaw. Short stubble prickled my fingertips. “Tell me something.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything,” I said. “Everything. Tell me of your life.”

“Lie with me.” He sat in the grass and grabbed my hands, guiding me down beside him. We then held each other as we stared up at the thick canopy of branches and leaves. “I’m afraid there’s not much to tell. I’ve lived the life of a warrior. I began training at the age of seven and learned how to survive ever since. My mother passed from sickness when I was only a babe, and my father died in battle when I was twelve.”

“What of your dreams?”

“I don’t dwell on dreams,” he answered, gliding his hand up and down my bicep. “Though… I suppose I did have a dream when I was a young boy.”

“Tell me.” I shifted to my side and slid one of my legs between his.

“You will think me foolish.” Elasus peered over at me, and when I tapped a finger on his chest, signaling my impatience for him to say more, he grinned. There was something almost shy about it. “Very well. I will tell you. I once saw a man forging swords for our army. He belonged to the perioikoi class, so neither a helot nor a Spartan. I was fascinated as I watched him.”

“You dreamed of becoming a smith? To forge weapons?”

“And armor,” Elasus said with a nod. “The thought of forging something with my own hands, of shaping it into a thing that has purpose, intrigues me. Yet, that is a life I’ll never have. My hands were meant to wield weapons, not forge them.”

“I don’t think you foolish for dreaming of such a thing.” I settled more into the crook of his arm, using his bicep as a pillow. “Have you shared this dream with Nikandros?”

“No. You are the only one.”

That pleased me for some reason.

“Must we truly say goodbye on the morrow?” Elasus asked, voice thin. As though he were close to breaking.

“Yes.” I saw no other path for us. Even if Lazarus decided not to take action against me for biting a human, Elasus and I couldn’t be together. He had his duty… and I had mine.

Elasus wrapped me in his arms and buried his face against my neck. “Then I wish to stay here with you beneath moonlight where the sun will never rise.”

The base of my throat squeezed. I returned his hold and breathed in his scent of olive trees and earth. “I will always remember this moment.”

“As will I.” He softly shuddered. “My heart aches, Kallias. Tell me what to do with these feelings, for I do not know.”

“Kiss me,” I said.

And then, he did.

Soldiers had turned in for the night, and little sound came from the camp apart from the few men still awake who sat around the fire. The tree we lay under could’ve been in a separate realm entirely, one where only he and I existed.

The thought of leaving him was painful.

My sexual attraction to Elasus was undeniable, but it went beyond the physical. I yearned for all that he was. I wanted to stake my claim over his body and soul. Over his heart.

One day was all it had taken for me to know I never wanted to spend another one without him.

Chapter Four

Elasus

Sunlight broke through the leaves above me as I opened my eyes. Morning had come. Despite the sun, the place beside me was cold. I looked at my outstretched arm in the grass, remembering how Kallias had used it as a pillow the night before, his dark eyes sad as we’d stared at each other, refusing to welcome sleep.

I had fallen asleep, though I couldn’t recall doing so. I only remembered holding him and wishing that one night could last for eternity. Waking without him beside me felt so wrong.

“By the gods, Elasus,” Nikandros said, stepping over a raised stump to reach me. “Were the sleeping quarters not to His Highness’ liking? You had to sleep in the forest like a rabbit.”

“A rabbit?”

He shrugged. “It was the first animal that came to mind. Hurry and gather your provisions. The army is set to march soon. King Agesilaus awaits us.”

My body moved on its own as I stood from the grass and followed him back to camp. I gathered the little supplies I owned and dressed in my armor. My thoughts were on Kallias. Why wasn’t he with me when I woke? Had he already left? Surely, he wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.

Or maybe I had only dreamed him.

Another thought then occurred to me, and it weighed heavily on my heart. Lazarus. Had he done something to Kallias? Hurt him?

“I do believe I’m in love,” Nikandros said, pulling me from my musings. He smiled as he sheathed his sword. “The warrior with the golden hair. Bellamy. Gods, he is extraordinary. Do you know he brought me to climax three times? Three!”

“It is not love you feel. It is lust.”

“Lust… love… it matters not. Oh? What is this?” Nikandros poked my neck. I swatted him away, but that only encouraged him further. A wide grin stretched his lips. “Someone bit you. Does this mean you are no longer a maiden? Did you wet your cock at last?”

“Nikandros? I do hope you remember your three times of climax fondly, for they will be the last bit of pleasure you receive in this life before I kill you.”

He laughed. “Was it that warrior Bellamy spoke of? The one who was wounded in battle. You went to mend his aching and throbbing wounds, and he repaid you in kind?”

“Prepare for death.”

Nikandros squeaked as my hand moved to the hilt of my sword. He then rushed toward an area where soldiers sat eating their morning meal. When his hunger for sex wasn’t motivating him, the one in his stomach did.

The back of my neck tingled, and my pulse quickened. My heart warmed.

“Elasus.”

I turned to face Kallias. The sun shone on his black hair, reminding me of a raven’s wings. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was as if that sadness lived inside of him. More than anything, I wished to take that melancholy away. If only I knew how.

“You were gone when I woke,” I said.

“Apologies. I was speaking to Lazarus.” He drifted closer, his sword clanking at his side. He stopped in front of me. I silently cursed the gap between us. He felt miles away. “All is well.”

“All is well?” With one small step forward, I was grabbing him by the jaw. “That is all you have to tell me?”

Kallias swallowed hard. “You’re angry.”

“I’m not angry,” I said, voice shaking. My hand shook too. “I feared what became of you, Kallias. I knew not if you were dead or if you’d simply left without a word. I found it hard to breathe.”

His expression softened as he brought my hand to his cheek. He placed a kiss to my palm. “And now? Do you still struggle for air?”

I captured his lips. He made a small sound before hooking his arms around my neck, returning the kiss. Questions plagued my mind, but I held them at bay. I was too relieved that he was in front of me, still breathing, still smelling like the sun and burning so bright I knew I’d feel the lick of his flames until the day I drew my final breath.

I tore from his mouth and crushed him as close as our bodies would allow. My face turned into his dark hair. His heart beat against mine, both of them quick, as if the beats held all the words we hadn’t yet said. Words we might not ever get the chance to say.

“Tell me what happened,” I whispered. “Lazarus was angry that you bit me. Did he forgive you?”

“Yes.”

I waited for him to say more. He didn’t. I drew back to look at him. When he averted his eyes, I grabbed his chin and forced them back up. “What are you keeping from me?”

A whine left him, coming from someplace deep inside his chest.

“Kallias.” My voice cracked on his name. “Tell me.”

“You told me last night I was cruel—”

“I only said it in jest,” I interjected.

“Yes, but if I told you what I learned this morning… I truly would be cruel.”

“Then you must tell me anyway.” I slid my hand from his jaw and down the side of his neck, resting it on his collarbone.

Kallias studied me as several quiet moments passed. “We are mates. That’s why I bit you. It…” He quickly wet his lips, and his eyes reminded me of an animal caught in a hunter’s trap, frantic and frightened. “It was more than a bite. I marked you as mine. Lazarus said he’s never met anyone who has experienced what we have, but his superiors explained it to him.”

“We are… mates?”

“This intense connection we both feel? It is because we’re bound by fate, Elasus.” His chin quivered, just like his voice as he said much softer, “You are the missing half of my soul.”

My breath hitched, and it felt like the camp was closing in around me, obscuring my vision. All I could see was him. All I felt was him. “You marked me as yours?” I lifted a hand to the bite on my neck. Warmth tickled my palm, one I felt bone-deep. “You claimed me?”

“Y-Yes.” Kallias took a step backward, shaking his head. “But it means nothing.”

“How can you say that? It means everything.”

Kallias reached for my hands. “One night. That’s what we promised. And that is all we can ever have.”

“What if I want more?”

“Fate brought us together, but this is where our paths diverge.”

“No.”

“No?” Surprise lit his dark eyes. “But—”

“I have never taken anything for myself,” I said, linking our fingers. His calloused fingertips matched mine. “I have lived my life for Sparta. Emotions, desires, I’ve cast them all aside in place of serving my home. However, I look at you now and know deep in my soul that I could not bear to turn my back on you. I cannot leave you behind. It would shatter my heart.”

“We’ve only just met.” His gaze lowered. “Your shattered heart will mend with time. As will mine.”

“Look me in the eye and say that.”

He didn’t. He only stared at the ground. “This is where we say goodbye, Elasus. We haven’t a choice.”

“What of our bond?” I asked, voice thin. “I wear your mark on my neck.”

“Lazarus believes it should fade with the passing of days,” Kallias said, still not meeting my eyes. “The mark is a symbol of possession between fated mates and has increased our feelings for each other, but as it fades, those feelings should fade with it.”

“Do you truly believe this will fade? That either of us can return to our lives and pretend we never met?”

He gave no response.

Deep down, I knew he was right; I knew we couldn’t be together. But it didn’t dull the ache of knowing I was about to lose him.

“Will you do something for me?” he asked, finally meeting my gaze. The sadness I’d come to know from him stared back at me. “When you return to Sparta, visit the olive trees. As a boy, I enjoyed walking amongst them in spring when the buds first bloomed. It brought me a rare moment of peace.” A wistful expression crossed his handsome face. “Tell them an old friend says hello.”

“Return with me and tell them for yourself.”

Emotion flitted across his dark features. His lips twitched, as though he wanted to smile but couldn’t. “We’ve only just met, and you already wish to bring me home with you? I am no bride, Elasus.”

His attempt to lighten the heaviness pressing down on us. If only pain soothed that easily.

I gently squeezed his fingers. “A bride? No.” I rested my cheek on his. It was like we were locked in a dance, hands joined and bodies close. “You’re my warrior.”

He whimpered and hid his face against my neck. “My brothers are waiting for me. They allowed me time to…” He breathed out. “To say goodbye to you.”

“Where will you go?” I asked.

“To the next battle. Wherever it may be.”

“You never told me why you fought beside us,” I reminded him. Was I curious about the reason? Yes. Very much so. But more than anything, in that moment, I only wanted to hear his voice… for as long as I was able to.

“Demons.”

“Demons? I’m unfamiliar with the word.”

“Much like how my brothers and I possess… special gifts… demons are not mortal either. They have gifts of their own and use them to spread chaos. Demons hid themselves amongst the Athenian and Theban soldiers, and we were tasked with defeating them.”

“I believe I understand. To an extent.”

“Elasus!” Nikandros called over to me. “It is time to march.”

Kallias and I stared at each other. The pit of my stomach knotted with a desperation that quickened my pulse and shortened my breaths.

“You are a Spartan,” I told him, holding his face with both my hands. “It is not too late to return to your home. Come with me. I beg of you.”

“Gazing upon you, Elasus, I feel as though I’d follow you into the depths of Tartarus. My soul aches knowing this is goodbye. But I cannot abandon my brothers.”

Nikandros came to my mind, as did the other men in my syssition. I thought of the many faces of the warriors I had trained beside, fought beside. Bled with and protected.

“Neither can I,” I whispered.

An impasse. Duty pulled us in different directions, neither of us able to change course lest we forsake those we’d pledged fidelity to.

“Perhaps fate will bring us together again someday,” he said as a sad smile touched his lips. “Another battlefield.”

Fractures formed in my chest, like a cracked vase moments from shattering completely but still somehow in one piece. “And you’ll find me again.”

His grip tightened on me. “We’ll find each other.”

Kallias was like the flowers that grew along the hill I often sat upon while overlooking the valley, beautiful when in bloom but gone much too soon. His smile reminded me of them too, bright for a moment but scattering like delicate petals caught in the wind.

He kissed me before pushing away. I watched him leave, part of me hoping he would turn back to look at me… and the other part dreading him doing so. As he reached the forest, he stopped walking but didn’t turn around. His hands balled into fists.

And then he vanished into the trees.

***

The softness of Kallias’ lips was a memory I firmly held on to during the trek home. However, as Mount Taygetus came into view and the surrounding land became familiar, that memory seemed so distant. Like the sweetest of dreams I struggled to remember once waking.

Our army was greeted once returning to Sparta. Families were united as women and children found their husbands and fathers. Those without families of our own advanced toward the barracks to remove our armor and rest after the long march home.

A youth with golden hair ran past me.

“Ery!” a dark-haired boy called after him, a smile in his voice.

“You are too slow, Axios,” the one with golden hair said back to him.

Axios laughed and chased him through the tall grass. The two boys appeared to be no older than twelve years of age.

“They will be preparing for the diamastigosis soon,” Nikandros said, watching the boys run farther away. They reached the tree line and disappeared into the branches and shrubs. “I remember when we participated. I nearly pissed myself.”

The diamastigosis was an annual ritual designed to test our bravery, stealth, and pain resistance. Taking place at the altar of Artemis Orthia, the contest was brutal and bloody as younger boys attempted to steal cheese off the altar while older boys whipped and flogged them. Spectators often traveled from great distances to see this contest of endurance.

“You did piss yourself,” I reminded him.

He snorted. “You forget nothing, do you?”

“Forgetting would be a blessing sometimes,” I responded, my voice barely above a whisper.

My companion’s expression turned sympathetic. “You are thinking of your raven-haired beauty?”

As if on impulse, my hand lifted to my neck. Kallias’ mark warmed beneath my touch, and my insides knotted together. “Let us wash from travel. Evening meal will be soon.”

No more was said on the matter.

Yet, as the hours passed, my mind refused to leave Kallias. Had he and his brothers arrived at their next destination yet? Were they fighting more… what had he called them, demons?

Was he thinking of me too?

I reclined on my mat later that night, tired but unable to sleep. When I closed my eyes, I saw him with that sad smile. Kallias was soft-spoken, and sometimes his voice reflected the same melancholy that lived behind his dark eyes. Most of all, I recalled how perfectly Kallias had fit against me as we’d lain beneath the tree.

The pain was excruciating. I had endured many injuries in my life, but the ache in my chest—in my soul—was so much greater than all of them combined. How was it possible to miss someone I had only known for a single day?

“We’re bound by fate, Elasus. You are the missing half of my soul.”

Maybe that explained why being apart from him felt like I’d left a piece of myself behind.

“Nikandros?” I whispered, turning my head to where he lay beside me. “Are you asleep?”

He cracked open his eyelids. “Not anymore.”

“Apologies. I will leave you to your rest.”

He kicked his leg forward and struck me in the shin. “You have already woken me. Speak now, or I may just have to smother you with my bare hands.”

I smiled despite the pain in my heart. “Do you ever imagine leaving?”

“Leaving?” Nikandros became more alert. “As in, leaving Sparta?” I nodded. He was quiet for several moments as he thought. “You are the only one I would ever admit this to… but yes. I do. Sometimes.”

“I never have before,” I confessed. “I have lived and breathed this life, not allowing myself to crave anything more. Until now.”

“Because of him?”

I couldn’t respond.

“Do you wish to know my thoughts?” he asked. Again, I nodded. “Fighting for our home. Fighting for each other. That is what keeps me here—you and my other brothers.”

Shame filled me. But before I could form a response, he kicked me again, this time lighter.

“Do not make that face, Elasus. I am not finished speaking.” Nikandros shifted closer, and his voice dipped in volume. “I said that to say this… we’ve fought in many battles together. Within that time, warriors have boasted about Spartan pride and said we must lay down our lives for our home. Yet, those same warriors fall in battle and are forgotten. Some become part of the battlefield they fall upon, and others are brought back to Sparta, given nothing but a barely marked gravestone, a few words of gratitude, and then the earth swallows up those graves like their honor swallowed their lives.”

The lump wedged in my throat caused my words to come out raspier than intended. “What are you saying, Nikandros?”

“I’m saying…” Another kick. “Dying for our home is honorable, yes, but what about living? How many Spartans do you know who live to be old and gray? We die young, some of us before we’ve even had the chance to truly live. Is dying all that Sparta asks of us? Live so that we may die beneath a scorching sun somewhere far from home with nothing more than a grave marker to remember us by? I gladly fight for our home, but I’m not naïve enough to believe my life matters. If I died tomorrow, another warrior would take my place, and life would go on.”

“You have given this much thought.”

Nikandros stared at the ceiling of the barracks. “We are taught solidarity. We are one force meant to crush our enemies, sacrificing as many as it takes. I have long since accepted my fate.” He glanced back at me. “But you have always been different, Elasus. You question the world and our place in it. You’ve never spoken it aloud, and perhaps you’ve never realized it yourself, yet I sometimes see that wistfulness on your face when you stare at Mount Taygetus.”

“Only to admire the beauty,” I said.

He shook his head. “That is not what I see.”

“Tell me, then. What do you see?”

“You were meant to do more with your life,” he answered. “You stare off in the distance because deep inside your heart, you know you belong somewhere else. If the day ever comes when you find that place, seize it.”

Long after he fell back asleep, I lay awake thinking over his words.

As days passed, the mark on my neck faded; however, my feelings for Kallias remained strong. I tried to put him from my mind, to no avail.

After a long day of training, I washed in the stream before walking to the valley of olive trees. And as a gentle breeze ruffled the leaves, creating a soothing chorus reminiscent of the sea kissing a rocky shore, my eyes burned with unshed tears.

“An old friend says hello,” I whispered as I placed my hand on the trunk of one. Then, to the wind, I said, “If you find him on your journey, tell him my soul misses his.”

“We’ll l find each other,” he had said.

Gods. I prayed it was true.

A place I belonged, Nikandros had told me. One look into Kallias’ eyes, and I’d felt like I’d finally found it.

Chapter Five

Kallias

The demon’s jagged teeth sank into the flesh of my thigh. Beneath the smoke, the demons had a thin layer of flesh that smelled revolting. I thrust my sword through its spine, and its smoking body blared bright orange before turning to ash.

Bellamy wielded twin blades and sliced one demon in half. Daman released his wings and lifted into the air as four demons lunged toward him. They crashed into each other like mindless beasts, snarling and biting. His sword was curved at the end and swiftly cut through the air, taking off each of their heads in one swoop.

Four days had passed since Elasus returned to Sparta—since we had said goodbye. My brothers and I had traveled to a small village outside Athens to dispose of the lower-level demons terrorizing the people there. The mission had kept my mind from dwelling on him for too long.

My heart though? It wasn’t as easily swayed.

After the demons were nothing but ash beneath our boots, the eight of us returned to the cave where we’d set up camp. We sometimes stayed in taverns but often chose to stay out of sight of mortals. It was less complicated that way.

“I worry for you, brother,” Raiden said, regarding me with blue eyes that echoed that worry.

“My leg is already healing from the bite,” I told him.

“Not because of your leg.” He withdrew a sliver of dried meat from his satchel and sat outside the cave entrance, sword resting beside him. The stars shone brightly, and he tilted his head to stare up at them. “Your soul is weeping. I feel it. We all do.”

“Because of Melancholy,” I said. “Sadness clings to me wherever I go. Just as Gluttony causes you to feel hunger.”

Alastair stepped from the cave. “That mortal is your destined mate. He is why your soul cries. It is an exasperating distraction that is affecting us all.”

“I apologize.” Once again, my existence brought conflict to those around me. Would it ever be any different? “If I could reach inside my soul and remove the bond, I would, if only to give you all a reprieve from my sorrow.”

Albeit brief, emotion flickered in Alastair’s eyes. As if he regretted his words but was too full of pride to voice that regret.

A flapping of wings came from above us before I saw large white feathers. Lazarus landed in the grass in front of the cave and approached, his hair the same shade as his wings despite him being forever young. “The mission was a success. The area is secured for now.”

“Where is our next location?” Alastair asked.

“Lucifer and Azazel have returned to their castle behind the barrier. Scouts will alert me as soon as they surface. Belphegor’s whereabouts are unknown, but it’s believed he’s currently residing in the underworld.”

“What of my father?” Castor asked, stepping from the cave.

“Caim and your mother were last seen traveling with his army to the north of here. No attacks have been reported at this time.”

Melancholy sensed the sadness coming from Castor. Before Lazarus took him, he had been happy. Unlike the rest of us, he’d had a wonderful relationship with his father. Caim had shown him kindness and love. Gradyn loved his father too, even all these years later.

“Kallias.”

My gaze darted to Lazarus. “Yes, sir?”

“What I’m about to say does not come from a place of compassion. I only say it because I feel it will be beneficial by removing an otherwise problematic distraction.” Lazarus watched me with emotionless eyes. But perhaps, they weren’t completely emotionless… almost as if he were forcing himself to be that way. “Your mission is to travel to Sparta.”

“Sparta? What for?”

“For your mate,” he said. “I have discussed this with the council, and though emotional attachments often do more harm than good, in this instance, having a fated mate by your side will strengthen your determination to fight. This mate of yours is also a skilled warrior, from what I’ve witnessed, and will aid us in the war against the Morningstar. Your mission is to retrieve this mortal and return with him.”

Hope blossomed in my chest. Excitement. But just as quickly, it wilted away. “Elasus is a Spartan. He will not leave his home. Doing so would be seen as cowardice. Betrayal.”

“You misunderstand me, Nephilim.” Lazarus stepped closer. “I did not ask for your opinion. This is an order. You will leave tonight.”

“Yes, sir.” I bowed my head and kept my gaze on the ground.

“As for the rest of you,” Lazarus said. “While Kallias travels to Sparta, Castor and Daman will track one of the demon lords under Belphegor’s command. He has been allying with powerful witches and building their ranks with strong magic wielders that could prove to be quite bothersome later on if not stopped.”

The rest of their conversation trailed away as my thoughts drowned them out. The pain of not being with Elasus had been so great it had forced Lazarus of all people to demand I find a way to soothe it. To make me stronger, he had said, but I wondered if the angel just couldn’t bear seeing me so shattered.

Another thought then poked at my mind, one that had me smiling despite the deep twisting ache that hadn’t stopped hurting for days. I would soon see Elasus again. Four days without him had felt like a lifetime. Although I knew how dangerous hope could be, I did so anyway.

“Need him,” Melancholy said from inside of me.

I only prayed he needed me just as much.

The distance to Sparta would take roughly two days on foot. However, it only took me a little over an hour traveling through the air. As the wind swept through my wings and hair, that earlier excitement prickled at my chest. It soon spread through my entire body. The closer I got to Sparta, the more my soul stirred, as if sensing that Elasus was nearby.

Mountains surrounded Sparta on three sides, the terrain difficult to maneuver for those not familiar with it. It also acted as another form of defense. Enemies couldn’t easily sneak into the city. I, however, had little trouble sneaking in. My wings carried me over the mountains and to a hill overlooking the place I had once called home.

How many years had passed since I’d last breathed in this air? Since I’d beheld the fields, streams, and the olive trees that had so often soothed my restless spirit? Close to eleven years. Yet, it hadn’t changed at all.

But I had.

I wasn’t the same boy who had curled into a ball while other youths kicked him and hit him with rocks. I wasn’t the same boy who had been numb to the world and everyone in it.

I landed in a tree and tucked in my wings as I knelt on the branch.

“Blood splattered the altar during the diamastigosis today,” a male’s voice came from below me. “The goddess was surely appeased.”

“The golden-haired boy showed true leadership,” another said. “He encouraged the youths to come together instead of fighting separately. He will grow to be a fine warrior. Mark my words.”

The two men continued down the path toward the barracks. Soundless, I dropped to the grass and kept to the shadows as I followed them. Elasus wasn’t old enough to own a house, so he would be with his syssition in the army’s quarters.

The hour was late, yet some of the warriors sat around firepits and spoke of politics and war. They discussed King Agesipolis, who many called the boy king, for he hadn’t yet come of age to rule. Sparta had a dual kingship system, so when one king left with the army on campaign, the other stayed behind to defend the city. Sometimes, two armies would be sent to different locations at the same time. When one battle ended, another conflict soon arose. It had been that way for as long as I could remember.

Our lives were similar. The fight never ended for my brothers and me either. But that was why we kept fighting, so that one day, we might eventually know true peace.

“You lie!” a man’s deep voice boomed before laughter filled the courtyard. “No woman would ever want a face as ugly as yours.”

More laughter.

As four men came into view, I dropped down behind a tall shrub to hide. They bantered more, reminding me of how my brothers spoke to each other. It came from close bonds of friendship and brotherhood. Once they passed, I stood back up and stilled.

That scent. My heart thumped heavier in my chest, and my skin tingled.

“Elasus,” I whispered. The mere uttering of his name propelled me forward, almost desperately. Stealth was forgotten. I only cared about reaching him as fast as my legs could carry me.

Steps echoed down the pathway ahead of me. Elasus then appeared between two columns, his eyes wide as he came to a sharp stop. He had been running toward me too.

And then, just like that day on the battlefield, time seemed to slow as our gazes locked. The hollowness that had spread through my chest over the past several days began to dissolve, and light flooded in, lifting the dark cloud of nothingness.

Melancholy made a low sound, begging me to close the distance between us. I didn’t. Not at first.

“I was in the barracks when I…” Elasus took a step forward, then stopped, indecision clouding his expression. He rested a hand over his heart. “When I felt you. Are you truly here, Kallias?”

Careful in my steps, I drifted closer to him. “I am.”

Elasus met me beneath the archway, and for a moment, we only stared at each other. Hesitantly, he reached out and grabbed my hand. As our skin made contact, he expelled a shaky exhale, as if a part of him had thought he’d been dreaming. Then, he yanked me closer, and his mouth crashed against mine.

The kiss ignited the fire in my blood. Since the moment I’d walked away from him four days before, I’d been so numb. Now, I felt everything at once—the burning sensation in my body, the flutters in my chest reminiscent of hummingbirds’ wings, and the soul-deep connection that soothed and frightened me in the same shuddering breath.

“You found me,” he whispered against my lips.

“We found each other.”

Questions swam in his eyes, but they didn’t touch his lips. Instead, he used those lips to kiss me again, soft at first but deepening as our hearts danced to the same chaotic rhythm, the beats quickening as our touches became heavy. His hands roamed my body as my fingers knotted in his brown hair.

“Come with me.” Elasus led me away from the courtyard and to a private place hidden from anyone who might’ve wandered past. He pushed me against the outer wall of the barracks as his tongue dove into my mouth.

I moaned and accepted the invitation, that fire in my blood burning hotter than before. We didn’t speak with words. We didn’t need to.

With each kiss, the bond between us strengthened. He had been right. We couldn’t return to the way our lives had been before meeting. My presence in Sparta was proof of that. Meeting Elasus had been like finding a missing piece of my soul, and being apart from him was like ripping that half away and discarding it to the wind.

“Make love to me, Elasus.” I tilted my head against the wall as he nipped at my neck. “I wish to feel you. All of you.”

“I wish to feel you too.” He wrapped me in his arms and moved us to the grass, our lips meeting over and over.

Everything else could wait. The conversation we needed to have about why I’d come to Sparta might possibly drive a wedge between us, and I wanted to hold on to this feeling—to him—for as long as I could.

The sex was harder than it had been our first time together. Desperation to be as close as possible drove us to kiss, bite, and grope each other like we were two males starved. Our fingers linked above my head as Elasus thrust into me, his teeth grazing my neck. The fullness of him was mind-altering, and as his cock slammed against that special place inside me, moans and breathy gasps left my lips.

“These sounds please me,” Elasus murmured, sweeping his thumb across my bottom lip before biting at it.

“That’s fortunate,” I panted. “Because I cannot hold them back.”

He smiled before pushing his hips forward, pulling nearly all the way out, and then shoving back in. Pleasure rippled through me, and as it did, my teeth ached. The center of my chest prickled as something moved restlessly inside me. It was the same feeling I’d had before biting him the night we’d met.

Gods, I wanted to do so again.

“Do it,” he said, cupping the back of my head. He brought my face to his neck. He was so attuned to me, sensing my desire. Or perhaps he needed it too—to wear my mark just as much as I needed to place it there. “Please, Kallias.”

Softly, I kissed his throat. His pace slowed as he was suspended in anticipation. As my teeth pierced his skin, his hips jolted forward, and he grunted. The taste of him was intoxicating, sweet like nectar. My ambrosia. As his blood ran down my throat, that restlessness in my chest calmed.

“Mine,” Melancholy purred. “My warrior.”

“More.” Elasus slid his hands beneath me, gripping my shoulder blades as the soft grunts in his throat rumbled against my lips. His fingertips brushed along the openings where I concealed my wings. And then, they dipped inside.

My orgasm hit me full force, taking me by surprise. I pulled from his neck with a low groan, my spine arching as pleasure engulfed my entire body. I had never felt anything more powerful. If not for him wrapped around me, I might’ve shattered into a thousand pieces.

Elasus seemed shocked as he prodded the slits. Each caress inside them sent me higher, the pleasure so intense my toes curled. He watched in amazement as I writhed, and he curled his fingers, stroking the inner lining before going deeper and touching the tops of my wings.

“Gods!” My voice cracked. “Elasus, I need…” Another wave crashed into me. A double climax. As more cries escaped me, he claimed my mouth in a rough kiss.

Pleasure then consumed him too. He faltered in his thrusts, muscles quivering. His fingers withdrew as he lost himself to bliss. Warmth filled me as his cock pulsed. I wrapped him in my arms, kissing the base of his neck as the last of his release rippled through him.

“Your back,” he said through short breaths. “The cuts.”

I could explain their purpose but not the reason why it felt so incredible when he touched them. I was still trying to understand that for myself.

“Feathers,” he then added, pulling back to peer down at me. “I felt feathers beneath my fingertips.”

“My wings.”

I saw his mind working. “You are like Lazarus?”

Seeing Lazarus fly had helped him reach that conclusion. Otherwise, the notion of a man having wings would’ve been too much for him to imagine.

“Yes,” I answered. “He is an angel.”

“An angel?”

I nodded. “Angels are celestial beings of immense power. And I am the son of one. Called a Nephilim.”

“Nephilim,” he repeated, as if testing the sound of the name on his lips. “I do not know these words.” His hand slid to my jaw. Even in darkness, I saw the warmth in his brown eyes. “But I trust you.”

“Foolish Spartan,” I said, throat tight. “How can you trust someone you barely know?”

“I do know you, Kallias.” Elasus dropped a kiss to my jaw, then skimmed his lips over to my ear. “When I’m with you, my soul is at ease, and I see a world of possibilities. You make me crave a different life, one where I never leave your side. Whether it be in battle or beneath the stars like we are now, I wish to never know another day when you’re not with me. If those feelings make me foolish, so be it. Let me be a fool in love.”

“Love?” My heart lifted into my throat.

“I’ve heard love makes you weak,” Elasus said, shifting his body to where he lay facing me. He trailed a finger down my sternum, then down farther to one of my pectoral muscles. “But seeing you beside me like this, beautiful and sated, I do not feel weak. I feel as though I could destroy any enemy who crossed my path.”

“Having a fated mate by your side will strengthen your determination to fight,” Lazarus had said.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one that applied to. Elasus felt just as strongly. But was it strong enough for him to abandon Sparta to be with me? Retrieving Elasus and returning to my brothers with him was an order, yet I wouldn’t force his hand. If he chose to stay, I would accept whatever punishment Lazarus gave me for failing. Yet, no punishment would be worse than leaving Elasus behind.

“What are you thinking of?” he asked.

“You.” Of a life with him I wished for more than anything.

“My thoughts are on you as well.” With a smile at the corner of his lips, Elasus watched the path of his hand as it continued down my body. His fingers brushed across my navel and trailed to my hip bone. His eyes then lifted to meet mine. “Will you show me your wings?”

Revealing more of myself to him worried me. What if it became too much for him to accept?

“This frightens you,” he whispered. “Why?”

“I fear you will think me an abomination and turn your back on me,” I confessed as I sat up. “Knowing I am not mortal is different than seeing it with your own eyes.”

Elasus sat up, too, and rested his cheek on my shoulder. “Have you heard nothing I said? I could never turn my back on you. We are bound by fate.”

“Yes, but—”

“Hear my words.” He kissed the top of my arm. “You are beautiful, Kallias. Even if you have wings like a bird.”

I chuckled under my breath. “I suppose I am like a raven. My wings aren’t pure and white like you witnessed with Lazarus. Mine are darkened with the curse that runs through my veins.”

“I find ravens to be extraordinary creatures.” He smiled as I looked at him. “Shall I beg?”

Melancholy softly sighed. My sin adored the male in front of me. As did I.

“No begging necessary. I…” I breathed in deeply before expelling it. “I’ll show you.”

Elasus sat back and waited. His curiosity was endearing. I had to draw in several more breaths before finally finding the courage to do it. After moving to my knees, I unfurled my wings, putting myself on full display in front of him. The feathers were as black as night and shimmered beneath the silver moonlight.

“Kallias…” He stared in awe and reached for my wings but lowered his hand before making contact.

“It’s all right.” I gently grabbed his hand and brought it forward. “You can touch them if you want to.”

As he glided his fingers over my feathers, I watched his expression morph from awe to something more profound. His eyes glistened. “I have never seen anything more beautiful than you.”

The emotion in his stare burrowed into my chest, causing my own to press down on me. “You are not afraid?”

Elasus came closer and grabbed my waist with one hand while cupping my face with the other. “The only thing I fear in this moment is waking to find you were nothing more than a dream.”

We kissed then, unable to fight the strong bond drawing us together. It ran deeper now, as if showing him my wings had strengthened our connection. He had seen me as I truly was.

“Will you tell me more?” he asked after pulling from my lips. He didn’t go far though. He stayed against me. “Your father was an angel, and you are a…”

“Nephilim.”

“Yes. Nephilim.” Elasus’ brow tapered. “And you have a curse in your blood?”

“My brothers and I are all cursed.” If Lazarus had ordered me to retrieve Elasus, surely that meant I was allowed to tell him the truth about us. “We call them our sins. Eight in total. One for each of us. Are you familiar with wrath and greed? Lust and envy? Pride?”

He nodded.

“Think of us as the holders of those vices,” I explained. “Our personalities reflect our given sin, but it’s also shown in the powers we possess. Alastair is the holder of Pride. Bellamy is Lust.”

“And you?”

“Melancholy.”

Elasus glided his knuckles across my cheek. “That explains why your eyes hold such a deep sadness. Like you are Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

I leaned into his touch, finding comfort in it. One of my wings curved inward, as if seeking his touch too.

“They’re so soft,” he murmured, running his fingers through my feathers.

“They’re also warm.” I hooked my arms around him and enclosed him in my wings. They came around us, blocking out the rest of the world. He turned his head and kissed one of my feathers before returning to my mouth, smiling before kissing me again.

“You said you joined us in battle because of demons?”

“Yes. We fight them.”

Elasus thought on my words. “What city do you fight for?”

“All of them,” I said. “We fight for all of humankind. Wherever the dark army strikes, we go to defend.”

Elasus leaned his head against mine and held on to me like he feared I might fly away. “My brave warrior.”

He was mine too. But how long did I have with him? More needed to be said, but the words froze in my throat. So instead, I kissed him.

One night. I would allow myself this one night before asking him to leave with me.

We lay beneath the stars all night, succumbing to sleep eventually. Elasus woke before dawn and kissed me softly to wake me. After more lazy kisses in the grass, he snuck into the barracks before anyone found him gone. As the sun broke across the horizon to welcome a new day, I settled into a nearby tree and watched it rise. Something then occurred to me.

Not once during the night had Elasus asked me why I’d come to Sparta. As if he feared the answer too.

***

The agora bustled with activity. Merchants sold their wares, and people stopped to browse their carts and stands. The marketplace was smaller than the one in Athens but still brought in a decent-sized crowd.

I walked through the sea of people as the midday sun hung overhead, heating my hair and the tops of my shoulders.

Elasus was training with his syssition, so I’d decided to take a stroll through the city to pass time. Mainly, I had hoped the walk would help clear my mind. Melancholy’s influence darkened any hope of Elasus agreeing to leave. Laconia was his home. The men in his syssition were his brothers. To abandon them would go against every value he’d learned as a Spartiate.

“You aren’t good enough for him,” Melancholy told me. “He will not choose you over them.”

“Why is it you show him such kindness yet continue to cause me misery?” I asked my sin.

He didn’t respond.

Sighing, I left the agora and found the path that led to the training fields.

Youths performed drills in one small arena, fighting with their bare hands. In battle, knowing how to kill an enemy without a weapon was a valuable skill. A weapon could easily be lost, forcing them into hand-to-hand combat. Some of the older boys wielded sticks, while other boys had nothing. Another skill. Sometimes, your weapon may be lost while the enemy kept theirs. They practiced offensive and defensive maneuvers.

“You there!” a deep voice boomed from my right.

My spine stiffened as I looked toward the man.

Streaks of gray ran through his black hair, and the same shades showed in his beard. The sight of him was familiar, as was his voice. As he neared me, that sense of familiarity grew.

“You are the warrior I fought beside at Nemea,” he said, stopping in front of me. He stood several inches shorter but wasn’t fazed by it. “The Spartan who claimed not to be so any longer. Yet here you are.”

“Here I am,” I responded.

“I am called Melas.”

Shock swarmed my chest. “Melas?”

His gaze slightly narrowed, as if studying me more in depth. “Your eyes… you look like someone I once knew. What is your name?”

“Kallias.”

The same shock I had felt now crossed his face too. “Kallias? By the gods! Is it truly you, my boy?”

“You remember me.”

“Aye. I do. Meeting someone whose wounds heal moments after receiving them is a thing you do not easily forget.” His gaze trailed over me. “You have grown into a fine warrior, just as I knew you would. When you went missing all those years ago, others claimed you either fled like a coward or met your death. I never did. I knew the gods must have come for you.”

“Yes. They did.” It was close enough to the truth. The days when he had trained me as a boy seemed like a different lifetime. “My mother… do you…”

His expression fell a bit. “She was wed to another warrior and was happy for many years. Sickness took her two winters ago.”

The news should’ve upset me. She had been my mother, after all. I felt nothing. Part of me still believed I had no soul, yet if that were true, how could that soul cry out for Elasus?

“Tell me, boy.” Suspicion flooded his eyes. “Why have you returned? Are the gods angry with Sparta and you have come to unleash their wrath upon us?”

“No,” I answered. “My orders lie elsewhere and will bring Sparta no harm. I cannot say more than that, but know I’ll be taking my leave shortly.”

Melas accepted my words with a sharp nod. “Then I will leave you to it.” He started to walk away but paused. “I truly am pleased to see you again, Kallias. Whatever plan the gods have for you, I pray for your victory. And may that victory eventually bring your soul peace.”

He left without another word.

I continued down the path, finding Elasus as he and a shorter male with a lighter shade of brown hair left one of the training fields.

“Oh, it’s you,” the other male said once spotting me. He then smirked at Elasus and bumped his arm. “The male who took your maidenhood. Is he the reason you snuck into our quarters early this morn?”

Flames scorched my cheeks, burning so tall they touched the tips of my ears as well.

Elasus seemed just as mortified. Pink touched his cheeks, as if my flames had shot out and afflicted him too. He then motioned to the male. “This is Nikandros. I will kill him if you ask it of me.”

“Ignore his lies.” Nikandros scoffed at him before bounding forward and stopping in front of me. “Pleasure to finally meet you. You are Kallias, yes? I must say, he hasn’t stopped blabbing about you since our return from battle.”

“Cease your rambling,” Elasus said, grabbing him by the back of the neck and yanking him away from me.

Nikandros laughed. Surprisingly, I did too. I enjoyed seeing this playful side of Elasus. And the male who continued to poke at him? It only verified my worries about Elasus agreeing to leave. He would be leaving behind a close companion. Asking him to choose between us felt wrong.

“This is an order,” Lazarus had said.

Ever since he had taken me away, I’d followed his orders. Defying one of those orders went against everything I knew. But it was unfair for me to place that burden on Elasus. Whether he came with me or refused, that decision would weigh on him for the rest of his days. How could I place that on him?

“We are heading to the stream to wash,” Nikandros told me. “You should join us.”

Elasus arched a brow at him. “If this is an attempt to see him naked, I truly will kill you.”

The smaller male laughed again. “Teasing you brings me much joy, dear friend.”

“Go wash,” I said, looking at Elasus. “We will meet after.”

Indecision wavered in his eyes. In our short time together, I had already learned to read him so well. He had learned the same of me. “After,” he agreed.

Our next meeting would end in either heartbreak and farewell or a promise for a future together. And as I walked away, hearing the sounds of their laughter as they continued toward the stream, I wasn’t sure which one would be worse.

Chapter Six

Elasus

Kallias waited for me among the olive trees. As I approached, he stood with his eyes closed and his face angled toward the branches. A ray of fading sunlight found him through the leaves, kissing his bronzed skin. He opened his eyes, and the light of the setting sun somehow made them appear sadder.

“You came,” he said in a voice so heavy with sorrow that I could’ve sworn I felt it pressing down on me too. Was it because of his sin?

“Of course I did.” I walked until I reached his side. Nerves twisted in the pit of my stomach. “Something is troubling you.”

Kallias held my gaze for only a moment before returning it to the branches. “As much as I wish to remain in ignorant bliss, reveling in your warmth and pretending the outside world doesn’t exist, the time has come for me to tell you why I’m here.”

Those twisting nerves wound tighter. I felt like they had traveled to my lungs, cutting off my air. When I’d seen Kallias outside the barracks the night before, I hadn’t questioned why he had come. Maybe a part of me hadn’t wanted to know. As if I’d been content with living in blissful ignorance too.

“Tell me,” I said.

“For you,” he whispered, shifting his gaze back to mine. “I came to find you and bring you back with me.”

“Take me where?”

“To live with me and my brothers.”

My heart thumped so hard I heard the beats resounding in my ears. “You’re asking me to leave Sparta.”

“Yes.” Kallias stared at a leaf that had fallen from the branch and glided as it approached the grass. “It pains me to even mention it, but I haven’t a choice. We cannot stay like this forever.”

Somewhere deep down, I knew this decision would eventually come. How could it not? Kallias and I wished to be together, but both of us led separate lives.

“If I came with you, I would help you in your fight against the demons?” I asked.

He nodded. “Lazarus says you’re a skilled warrior. It’s one reason why he ordered me to retrieve you.”

“What of the other reason?”

“Being parted from you worsened Melancholy’s influence over me,” he answered. “It became a distraction for my brothers as well. We can feel each other’s strong emotions. And they felt my grief.”

I understood that grief, for I had felt it as well.

Kallias released a shaky breath. “From my understanding, the bond between fated mates can sometimes be rejected. By one of the individuals, at least. So if you decide you don’t want this, if you don’t want me, you should be able to live a full life without me.”

The thought alone felt like I’d been kicked in the gut. “What about your life?”

He said nothing. He didn’t look at me either. Instead, he stared at the fallen leaf.

“Kallias.” I reached for his hands.

Gently, he pulled them free.

“By the gods, look at me.” I took hold of his jaw and forced his face closer to mine. Tears surfaced in his dark eyes, and his chin quivered. I felt that same quivering in my chest. “I haven’t given you my answer, so why have you already assumed the worst? Have you so little faith in my feelings for you?”

“I don’t need you to answer me,” he responded. “I already know what it will be. You are happy here. This is your home.”

What Nikandros said returned to me. “You stare off in the distance because, deep inside your heart, you know you belong somewhere else.”

That special place he mentioned, the one he’d said I needed to seize if I ever found it… was right in front of me.

“I have devoted my life to Sparta,” I said, retaking his hands and not allowing him to break free. That desperation in his eyes begged me not to let go even if his actions tried to convince me otherwise. “I’ve trained, fought, and killed to fulfill my duty. Violence is all I’ve known. Brutality and warfare. I never imagined anything more for myself. But the moment I met you?” His face blurred as my eyes burned. “Kallias, you are where I belong.”

“Stop. Please.” Kallias pushed away from me, his expression crumpling. “My heart can’t bear to hear you say those words. Because I know it changes nothing.”

I realized then that his curse might’ve been partly to blame for his doubt. Did his sin convince him he was unworthy of happiness? Did it prevent him from believing that I would ever choose him? Anger stabbed at my heart.

“Melancholy,” I said, tone hard.

His dejected gaze darted back to mine. And then his eyes, which were already so dark, darkened even further. Kallias stopped backing away from me and straightened his stance, his shoulders rolling back.

“You spoke my name,” he said in a voice much deeper than his own. He stepped toward me. Everything about him was different—his mannerisms, voice, and the way he carried himself. Although the thought was perplexing, I knew it was no longer Kallias in front of me.

“I did.” I held his gaze, feeling both anger and confusion.

“Tell me.” He tilted his head as his black eyes regarded me. “Would you abandon your people? For him?”

Him? So my suspicion was correct. This being truly wasn’t Kallias, but rather, the one who dwelled within him. The curse that caused him so much grief. His question gave me pause. My mind and heart were at war, both pulling me in different directions. Saying goodbye to Nikandros and leaving my syssition or saying goodbye to the man I loved?

Both decisions would hurt… but only one would destroy me.

“Kallias said he and his brothers fight for all of humankind,” I finally answered. “Leaving Laconia would not be abandoning them. It would mean choosing to fight for a cause much greater than myself. Defending those in this land and all of those beyond it.”

“Such honorable words.” Almost hesitantly, he then reached for my face. His fingers lightly grazed my jawline. “My home.”

If this truly was the sin that plagued Kallias, I should’ve hated him. Yet… just like when Kallias touched me, his touch warmed me too. And his voice, though different than the one I’d come to know, soothed me.

I placed my hand over his, my response catching in my throat.

Suddenly, he blinked and stumbled back a step, his hand falling from my face. When our gazes locked again, his eyes had returned to their dark brown shade, like the soil after a heavy rain. “E-Elasus?”

I drew him to my chest. My mind struggled to understand what had just happened, but my heart? It felt whole. “You’ve returned to me.”

Kallias shuddered against me. “He spoke to you. That… that has never happened. He’s never taken control of my body before.”

“Perhaps it was due to the fated mate bond? Melancholy is part of you. He feels what you do.”

“It’s possible.” He returned my hold. “He adores you, you know. I don’t understand how he brings me such misery yet melts in your presence.”

“My home.”

Those two words had sunk into my heart. Much like the male I currently held in my arms. “I have an answer. I wish to stay with you, wherever that may be.”

Kallias placed his palms on my chest and pushed away from me. “I will give you more time to think. It’s not a decision you should make in haste.”

“Kallias—”

“Please, Elasus.” He looked at me, face so close to crumpling again. “Carefully consider what it means to share your life with me. You say you do not fear danger, yet with me, danger will be around every corner, hiding within every shadow. You will face enemies stronger than any you’ve ever seen.”

“Why do you try to convince me to change my mind?”

“Because I want you to be certain this is what you want,” he said, voice cracking. “I don’t wish for you to wake one morning and despise me for taking you from this life. I can live with many things, Elasus, but the thought of you resenting me is more than I can bear.” He released another shaky breath. “So I ask that you make this decision without me around. Our connection might be swaying your words at the moment. Distance from me will clear your mind.”

“I will do as you ask.” To ease his worries, if for no other reason. Because seeing him right then, I knew in my heart I didn’t need more time to decide. Being parted from him would be a wound I’d never recover from. But he was too consumed by his doubt to believe me.

“I will be leaving tonight when the moon is at its highest in the sky. You have until then to give me your answer.”

“Where should I meet you?” I asked.

“You once told me about the hill you sat on to look at Mount Taygetus. That’s where I’ll be waiting for you.”

He released his wings and flew away from me before I could say another word. The surrounding trees soon swallowed him, preventing me from seeing which direction he had gone. I stared at the place he had stood in the grass as my thoughts rolled over one another.

“He truly is a god.”

I spun around at the voice.

Nikandros offered me a weak smile as he approached. “Apologies for eavesdropping. I was curious and followed you.”

“You heard what he asked.”

“I did. I also heard your answer.” Nikandros advanced closer, sweeping his gaze among the treetops. “He is like a bird.”

“A raven,” I said, and the center of my chest tightened.

“A raven who asked you to fly away with him.” He smiled again, still weak.

“Yes.” The tightening in my chest clawed its way to my throat. “Do you think me a traitor?”

“Why would I?” Nikandros bumped my arm in our familiar way. “Here in Sparta, you are but another warrior defending our city. But with them? You will be among gods. You will fight to make the world a little less dark. For everyone. I can think of no greater honor.”

He had already accepted that I would leave. “You won’t attempt to persuade me to stay?”

“No,” he answered. This time when he smiled, it was a little brighter. “I will miss your ugly face, but I’ve always known you were meant for more than this life could offer, Elasus. You’ve finally found where you belong.”

“It’s a bittersweet feeling. While I’m eager to start a new life by his side, it also pains me to see you and know we must eventually say goodbye.”

“You worry over me,” he said, squeezing my shoulder. “Don’t. I will be fine.”

“I know you will.” Although small, Nikandros was an even greater warrior than I was. He could more than take care of himself.

“Besides, I don’t see it as goodbye.” He peered up at the branches. “Much like when the blossoms awake to welcome spring and then fade away once the air turns cold, we too will part for a short time before greeting each other once more.”

The two of us had often playfully swatted and slapped at each other. But rarely did we ever embrace. I threw my arms around him and hugged him hard. He returned my hold, fingers digging into my skin.

“I thank the gods for bringing you into my life,” I told him.

“And I thank them for the same.” Nikandros drew back and squeezed my arm. “Now. Let us enjoy one final meal together. As brothers.”

We left the coppice of olive trees and joined the rest of our syssition for evening meal. Laughter echoed around the long table as we all ate and drank. Some of the men spoke of women they planned to wed. Others spoke of war.

Nikandros met my gaze from across the table and gave a small nod of his head. I returned the gesture before lifting my goblet to him. He did the same, and then we each took a drink. And as we left the dining hall later in the evening, we reminisced about our days as youths in the agoge and laughed like we’d so often done.

As brothers.

***

The moon kissed the land in a silver glow. Flowers sprung from the earth to greet it, their petals the most vibrant as the world slept. Interesting that the most beautiful things in life were the ones very few people got to see.

Like the soft smiles that touched Kallias’ lips, and the rare instances when the sadness lifted from his eyes, showing the male beneath who was so gentle despite the curse that caused him so much grief.

The night air chilled my skin as I left the barracks and walked toward the hill where I’d sat countless times, staring at the mountain. Nikandros was right. I had been too set in my ways as a warrior to allow myself to dream of another life, but that longing had filled my chest anyway.

That other life now waited for me on that same hill.

My steps quickened. I couldn’t see Kallias yet, but I sensed him, just as I’d sensed him the night he had come to Sparta. I had rushed from my sleeping quarters, allowing that feeling to guide me to him.

Just as it did now.

Reaching the hill, I spotted Kallias sitting in the grass, arms resting on his raised knees. He stared at the valley below. The breeze ruffled the ends of his black hair while he sat motionless.

“You have an answer?” he softly asked without looking at me. Sadness clung to his words.

“I do.”

He didn’t move. It appeared as though he’d even stopped breathing, as if the anticipation of my next words froze the air around him. “Allow me a few more moments before telling me.”

He was afraid. I couldn’t blame him. If I were the one asking him to leave with me, I probably would’ve worried too.

“Very well.” Reaching his side, I sat in the grass beside him. “What do you see when you stare into the distance like this?”

“A future I’m almost too frightened to dream,” he whispered. “Yet, I dream anyway. Hoping that despite all the odds, there’s a happily ever after waiting for us. Somewhere.”

“Do warriors get happy endings?” I asked, unable to stop myself from hoping for the same. “Or is tragedy all that waits for us beyond that valley?”

“Every story is a tragedy depending on where it ends.”

“Then let’s not allow it the pleasure of ending,” I said. “We will write our own and keep it going long after the stars die.”

Finally, Kallias looked at me. I had expected to see that familiar sadness. Instead, I saw the sun. He grabbed my hand. “I think I’d like that. A life with you that we make our own.”

A sound tore from my throat as I closed the gap between our mouths. He returned my kiss, his lips holding a slight tremble. Hums rumbled from his chest. Somehow, I knew the sound came from Melancholy.

“I choose you,” I said, knotting my fingers in his hair. “That’s my answer, Kallias. It always has been.”

More hums sounded from him, like purrs. “Are you certain this is what you want?”

“I want you,” I said. “Wherever you go, I will follow.”

He brought my palm to his cheek. “We will follow each other.”

“Into battle or to a place beyond the valley we cannot yet see.” And gods have mercy on anyone who dared stand between us.

Kallias rose from the grass and grabbed my hands, pulling me up with him. “Do you need longer to say goodbye to your home?”

“I’ve said goodbye to Nikandros. That is all I need in order to leave with no regrets. As for my home…” I stepped closer to him, resting my forehead on his. “When Melancholy spoke through you earlier, he said I was his home. You are mine too. By your side is where I belong.”

“Even if that requires you to be a bird too?” he asked before pulling back. A glint of humor shone in his eyes.

“I am… confused. How could I—”

Kallias wrapped his arms around me and unfurled his wings. “Hold on tight.”

Realizing what he intended awoke every nerve in my body. They then dashed through my veins in swarms, like a nest of angry bees. “Remember how I once said I fear nothing? Well, perhaps there is one thing I do fear after all.”

He chuckled, and the carefree sound washed away some of my nervousness. “Do you trust me, Elasus?”

“Yes.” There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. “I do.”

“Then trust that I will hold on to you and never let go.” Kallias kissed the tip of my nose. “You are too precious to me.”

Knowing my voice would quake if I spoke, I only nodded. He gave me another kiss, this time to my lips. More of my unease melted away, like maybe he truly was the sun. Gently, he turned me in his arms to where I faced away from him.

He held me from behind and pressed his mouth to my ear. “We once lay beneath the stars. Now, let us fly amongst them.”

As my feet lifted from the grass, my stomach stayed on the ground. My head felt light, and my heart raced. I clung onto his arms as nervousness took me captive.

“I’ve got you,” Kallias whispered. “Look at your mountain. See the way the moonlight bounces off the peak.”

I tore my gaze from the grass stretching far below my dangling legs and did as he said. My breaths stammered as I looked at Mount Taygetus.

“You’re smiling,” he said.

And I was. I couldn’t stop. Once the shock of being so high in the air passed, I found beauty in the sights around me. The land far below. The mountains. And the stars that looked close enough to reach out and touch.

“Kallias!” I looked back at him, my heart close to bursting. “I understand now what it feels like to soar amongst the clouds. This feeling… it’s how you make me feel too.”

He nuzzled my nape before continuing forward, the heavy flapping of his wings filling the air. “Do you wish to return to the ground?”

“No,” I said. “I wish to fly with you forever.”

That night was the beginning of a new life.

Long after Kallias landed, I still felt as though we were soaring through the air. That weightlessness wrapped around my heart, and the longing I’d held in my chest ever since I was a boy finally waned. He introduced me to his brothers, some I had met already, like Bellamy and Alastair. Others I spoke to for the first time.

“Welcome to the family, human,” the one named Raiden exclaimed, clapping me on the back.

“Humans,” Daman muttered. “How revolting.” He then sneered at me before returning to his spot in the corner.

“He likes you.” Bellamy slid his arm around my shoulders. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said anything at all.”

“I dread to see how he treats those he dislikes.”

Bellamy laughed.

Galen didn’t trust me. Alastair seemed cautious of me but was polite. Gradyn latched on to me and wouldn’t let go. He then fell asleep that way. When Lazarus visited, he was still as cold as he’d been the first night I’d met him. However, he showed little hostility toward me, other than to warn me that betrayal meant death.

“Do not pay him any mind,” Castor said. “He says that to everyone.”

As the days turned to weeks, the eight of them opened my eyes to a world I’d never thought possible. They taught me about demons and other creatures that posed a threat to mortals. They taught me how to fight them as well. It came easily to me.

“I do believe you were born to fight demons,” Kallias said after my first hunt with them. We had tracked a group of demons and disposed of them before they could harm anyone. It had been quite the shock as the creature burst into flames seconds after my blade sliced through it.

I tossed him a smile. “My sword is an extension of my arm. Demon or man, my aim strikes true.”

Kallias had then tugged me to him and kissed me hard on the mouth. Rain fell from the night sky, washing away the ashes littering the cold ground. Winter had reached us.

I thought of Nikandros, then, and of the blossoms that would bloom again someday—when we’d get to see each other again. He was all that I missed from my previous life. When our missions brought us closer to Sparta, Castor checked in on him for me, always keeping a distance. My companion had met a warrior and grew close to him as two lovers would.

Nikandros had found his own happiness, and it eased some of the ache in my heart from missing him.

I also learned more about fallen angels and the dark king who ruled over them: Lucifer. We located one battalion of enemy soldiers commanded by a powerful demon lord, who Bellamy used Lust’s power of seduction against to subdue.

As for my fated mate bond with Kallias? It only strengthened as weeks bled to months. The connection had first brought us together and built the foundation for our relationship, but we fortified it as we learned more about each other’s lives—as we fell deeper and deeper in love.

And gods did I love him. I had never loved anything or anyone more.

That love then led us to another decision: a ritual that would bind our souls so that we’d never have to know a day apart, either in this life or the one that came after. It would complete the bond between us, joining our life forces as well as our hearts.

“Will I become a bird too?” I asked the night after Lazarus told us of the ritual. He had said it would take away my mortality.

Kallias chuckled and wrapped me in his arms as we lay in our bed. The cottage in the small village was only a temporary home for us. War prevented us from settling down anywhere for long. “Do you wish to be a bird?”

“I only wish to be with you. Forever.”

His eyes softened. That sadness that had so often shone through them rarely appeared when we were like this, limbs entangled and hearts beating to the same rhythm. “And you will be. We will never know a day apart.”

The ceremony took place in the spring when the buds on the olive trees bloomed. Being wed in Sparta wasn’t feasible, but we had found a location of similar terrain. Kallias’ eyes had lit up as he’d first beheld the grove of trees, and I knew it was the place I wanted to bind myself to him, as husbands and as mates.

Our vows needed to be spoken in front of witnesses, and then we were required to drink from the same goblet of wine. Only Lazarus and the other Nephilim brothers were in attendance, keeping it a small affair.

“Are you certain?” Kallias asked as we stood beneath the largest of the trees, facing each other with our hands joined between us. “Once completed, this cannot be undone.”

“Yes. This is what I want.”

“You will be saying farewell to mortality,” he said. “To everyone and everything you once knew. To Nikandros.”

I had met with my companion twice since the day I’d left Sparta. He and the male by his side—named Amyris—were as happy as two warriors could be in such a war-driven society. Nikandros had someone special that would care for him. That had given me the strength to finally let him go. Lazarus had agreed with my decision and said it was necessary to toss aside any attachments from my old life, especially since the moment I bound myself to Kallias, I would no longer be an ordinary mortal.

The world and people around me would change, but like the Nephilim I now called my family, I would stay frozen in time, no longer aging. Sickness wouldn’t affect me either.

Alastair grabbed the goblet and looked at Lazarus. “The incantation will activate the magic in the wine to bind their souls?”

“It’s what I’m told, yes,” the angel responded. “This is my first time witnessing the ritual. It is as new to me as it is to you.”

Alastair filled the goblet before beginning the incantation, speaking of unity and fate, of devoting one’s life, body, and soul to another person. Living for them and following them in death. The wine reacted to his words, the dark red liquid slowly swirling. After, he handed the goblet to me. “Speak your vows from the heart and drink.”

I accepted the chalice, trying to shove down the sudden tangle of nerves. Kallias offered me a smile that gave me the courage I needed.

“I know very little in regard to matters of the heart,” I said. “Before you, I feel as though my heart didn’t even beat. It was nothing but a mass in my chest that kept me alive. That changed the day I met you. Today, before these witnesses and beneath the shade of your beloved olive tree, I vow to dedicate myself to you, Kallias. I swear to protect you, to remain loyal, and to love you long after I leave this world.”

His dark eyes turned glassy as he smiled.

Alastair nodded to me. “Now, drink.”

As the wine trickled down my throat, heat pooled in my stomach and spread throughout the rest of my body. Such a strange sensation. The urge to burrow into Kallias was nearly too great to fight. I yearned to be closer, to kiss, touch, and sheathe myself deep inside him.

Kallias accepted the goblet from me and stared at the wine. He was carefully considering his words, perhaps even mustering courage like I’d had to do. Fighting in battle came effortlessly, but confessing our love in front of others brought a certain degree of vulnerability neither of us was accustomed to.

When he met my gaze, I saw only love staring back at me. “I once believed I had no soul. Melancholy affected everyone around me with a profound sadness, whereas I’d always felt so numb to it all. Then I saw you on that battlefield, covered in sweat and blood, and for the first time in my life, I felt, Elasus. My heart pounded in my chest, and the soul I thought to be missing cried out for you. I found solace in your arms. I found a home. Today, we bind ourselves together as mates, just as the fates intended. And I cannot wait to spend forever by your side. My heart is forever yours, as is my life.”

He then took a drink, his stare unwavering on mine over the rim of the goblet.

“With your vows spoken, you must now seal them with a kiss,” Alastair said before taking the goblet from him.

I rested my hands on Kallias’ waist and pulled him closer. He rewarded me with a shy smile before leaning in, eyes closing. I met him halfway, and we kissed. As our lips touched, that strange sensation from earlier worsened. Heat traveled through my body, but so did a soul-deep restlessness.

The ceremony with the enchanted wine was only half of the ritual. To bring it to fruition, we needed to join our bodies. Only then would we be fully bonded as soul mates.

His brothers stepped forward to congratulate us. Well, most of them. Daman leaned against a tree with his arms crossed and only nodded in our direction. Galen kept his distance, too, but offered a thin-lipped smile. Raiden attacked us with hugs that lifted us from the grass, and Gradyn embraced Kallias before giving me a sleepy grin.

Bellamy patted me on the back and whispered in my ear, “Ride him hard, Spartan.”

However, as Kallias wrapped me in his arms, released his wings, and flew us away from the grove and to the small cottage we called home for now, it was he who did the riding. He straddled my hips in bed and took me deep inside his body, planting his hands on my chest. The oil made the glide easier, and my head dropped back on the pillow as rippling pleasure moved throughout my body.

“You are mine,” he said, staring down at me through heavy-lidded eyes.

“Only yours.” I found his hand and interlocked our fingers as he rode me. “Until the end of our days.”

No one else had ever known my touch or my love. Only Kallias.

The wine coursed through my veins as our bodies moved together. Kallias bent forward and licked up my chest, still rolling his hips. The feel of his tight heat squeezing my cock and the wetness of his mouth as he sucked on one of my nipples had me shuddering. I was deep inside of him but needed to be even closer. Apparently, he shared that need.

Kallias rolled to his back and dragged me on top of him. I settled between his legs, repositioned my cock at his entrance, and dove back in. He locked his arms around my torso and kissed my neck. My release crept closer, causing my muscles to tense. The pleasure was too intense. It was almost as though I could feel his too.

And then, his teeth pierced my skin.

I grunted and faltered in my thrusts, angling my head to the side so he could take all he wanted. As my blood flowed into him, my cock pulsed with my release, filling him too. He whimpered as his climax consumed him, his body tightening and quaking around me.

Afterward, I gathered him in my arms and pressed kisses into his black hair. He smiled against my collarbone before nuzzling it.

“Do you feel it as well?” he asked, his breaths rough. “The bond.”

“Yes.” I felt closer to him than I ever had. “Nothing can ever take me from you now.”

My words would be challenged a year from that moment.

War led us to a grassy plane where we confronted an army of demons commanded by a fallen angel. We were all that stood between that army and the city they’d been marching toward. Lazarus fought beside us with a force of celestial warriors. The battle was nearly won. The greater part of the enemy lines had been wiped out, and some of the demons left alive fled in fear.

I saw it then.

Kallias battled three demons at once. He didn’t notice the fourth coming at him from behind. A cry tore from my lips, and my body moved on impulse. I dove between him and the sword aimed at his head.

The flash of silver was the last thing I saw before everything faded away.

***

When my eyes opened again, I was in an unfamiliar place. The sky wasn’t the one I knew, instead shining in hues of blue and gold with purple and softer shades of red in the clouds. Mountains rose in the distance, waterfalls cascading from up high. The lush green fields thrived with flowers in perfect bloom.

It was a paradise… but it felt like a nightmare.

“Kallias?” I snapped my head in each direction, hand landing on my chest as panic took root. “Where have you gone?”

I didn’t feel him anymore. And I wouldn’t feel him again for many years, too many to count. Not until an angel with brown hair and green eyes came to me. He called himself Uriel.

“Do you wish to reunite with your Nephilim?” he asked in an emotionless tone.

I jumped to my feet, hope slamming into my chest. “Kallias? You can take me to him?”

“It would require you to leave paradise.”

“I care not,” I said, desperate. The hope was suffocating. “There is no paradise without him. I would walk into the flames of Tartarus if it meant seeing him once more.”

“It is not flames you’ll be stepping into, human,” Uriel said. “But rather the icy breath of winter surrounded by the stench of death.”

He then told me of a great battle, one where Kallias and his brothers transferred their souls into a sword by the name of Night Fall. It was the only weapon in existence powerful enough to kill Lucifer. The spell trapped their souls inside, and only the bond between them and their fated mate was strong enough to break it.

“There is very little time to explain anything further,” the angel added. “The moon’s energy is waning. If we don’t leave now, it will be too late.”

“Take me to him.”

Uriel grabbed me and shot into the air, his large white wings carrying us so fast I had to close my eyes. The air then turned cold and bit at the naked flesh of my chest and arms. We landed in a snowy field. The sea was to the right of us, and bodies floated on top, as if having drowned. More bodies covered the snow, some missing limbs and others unrecognizable.

But none of that mattered.

Because for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt Kallias.

Uriel led me forward, and I spotted the men I’d once called family. They looked just as I remembered, not having aged a single day.

“No fucking way,” Castor said as we approached. “Is that…?”

“Yep.” Raiden grinned. “I dunno how, but that’s totally him.”

“Who?” a younger male with dark skin and hair asked before looking at me. “Oh damn. He’s hot.”

My gaze then landed on the sword in the snow. That was where I sensed Kallias. His body lay not far from it, but it was only an empty vessel. The male I loved, the one who I still belonged to even after all these years, was trapped. Reaching Night Fall, I took a knee in the snow and placed my hand over the sword. Shadows traveled along the obsidian blade.

And then I saw the black stone. The ones around it were clear.

“Kallias.” My voice trembled just like the rest of me. I touched the black stone in the hilt. “The battle has ended, my warrior. Come home to me.”

Black mist lifted from the stone and flowed into Kallias’ body. Hope and fear churned inside of me as I knelt beside him. He didn’t open his eyes, but his chin shook a bit, so I knew he had returned. Why wouldn’t he look at me?

“Open your eyes, my warrior,” I said.

Kallias obeyed, and as our gazes met, a choking sob left his lips. He lunged upward and threw his arms around me. “Are you really here?”

“I am.” I lowered my face to his shoulder, feeling like I was about to break apart. Tears burned behind my eyes. “I never stopped waiting for you.”

Kallias took my face in his palms and kissed me. A whimper rumbled in his throat. Another sound reached my ears too, the soft hums I recognized as Melancholy.

“I could live a million years and never know a moment happier than this one,” Kallias said before kissing me again. He then whispered against my lips, “My heart. My soul. My everything. It all belongs to you, Elasus.”

“And I will cherish all of it,” I responded. “Until the end of our days.”

Chapter Seven

Kallias

Present Day

“Order up,” I called out as I placed a steaming mug on the counter. “A vanilla latte with almond milk for Liv.”

A young woman with dark hair piled on top of her head in a big messy bun jumped up from the booth in the corner and rushed over. She grabbed the mug and took a sip before lightly bouncing in place. “Damn, that’s good. No one makes them like you, Kal.”

I smiled at the compliment. “Enjoy.”

She was a regular customer at the coffeehouse. The island was home to Nephilim and their families, and some of their spouses were human. Olivia—or Liv as she preferred—was the daughter of a female warrior. She took after her father though, a human who worked as a physician. She was studying to become a healer, too, and came to the coffeehouse to read through her books and do schoolwork on her laptop.

Nearly two years had passed since I’d returned from the realm of the lost and had been greeted by this modern world filled with magical devices like laptops and handheld ones called smartphones. I even had a phone now, though it had taken a while to become familiar with how to use it. Castor laughed at me because of it.

The wretched thing vibrated in my pocket, but when I pulled it out to see a text from Elasus, my heart fluttered. He had been a fast learner, unlike me.

Elasus: This is your reminder that I love you with all of my heart.

I typed back a response and hit Send.

Me: It’s still not nearly as much as I love you.

Elasus: Why do you tell these lies?

I laughed quietly to myself. Another message appeared.

Elasus: I know you are hard at work, so I will refrain from distracting you further. Just know I will love you until the stars die.

Me: And I will love you far beyond it.

He responded with an emoticon of a heart and the one of two swords and a shield. He had said it symbolized the two of us, two warriors who had found love despite the odds against them.

As five o’clock arrived, I cleaned off my station, said goodbye to my coworkers, and left work. The sun greeted me once outside, and I breathed in the Mediterranean air as I walked along the harbor.

Making lattes and small pastries might’ve seemed strange to some people, considering my past as a battle-hardened warrior, but it had been the first thing that caught my interest once returning from the dead. Once we’d defeated Lucifer and were told we could lay down our weapons—for good this time—I had found the coffeehouse.

At first, Elasus and I had only gone to enjoy the drinks and scenery, but after a few weeks, I had seen a Help Wanted sign. Elasus encouraged me to apply for the job. When I learned I got it, he had congratulated me before planting a kiss on my lips. He was always finding a reason to kiss me. I didn’t mind it. After being parted from him for so many years, I couldn’t get enough of him either.

The late-spring day was warm, and I stopped to remove my shirt before taking to the sky. My wings carried me toward the edge of the island where I lived with my mate. The seaside house was small but perfect for the two of us. The deck in the back allowed us to sit and admire the view as we had our breakfast, and there was also a private lagoon just a short walk through the trees that we frequently visited, lips meeting as we stood beside the waterfall.

As I landed in the soft sand, the front door opened.

“Welcome home,” Elasus greeted me.

Surprised, I rushed over and threw my arms around him. He released a low laugh before kissing my neck, jaw, then finally, my mouth. He still smelled like olive trees. Nothing soothed me more than being in his proximity.

“How was work?” I asked. “You rarely get home before I do.”

When I had started working as a barista, he’d met with the local blacksmith and began an apprenticeship. Now, he forged blades and made armor for the warriors—just as he had dreamed of doing when he was a young boy. It made me happy that he’d finally turned that dream into reality. He deserved every good thing in this life.

“Work went well. I asked to leave early.” He grabbed my hands. “Normally I wouldn’t… but today is special.”

“Special?” And then it hit me. Little zaps of excitement jabbed at my chest. “It is the anniversary of the Battle at Nemea.”

Those zaps then turned warm as the date brought a deeper meaning.

Elasus nuzzled my earlobe. “The anniversary of the first day we met.”

Melancholy released a lovesick sigh. For being such a miserable pain in my ass, he was a huge sap when it came to our Spartan.

“Come inside,” he said before guiding me into the house. He moved behind me and slid his hands over my eyes.

I lightly laughed. “Why do you cover my eyes?”

He placed his mouth at my ear. “To surprise you.”

My heart skipped a beat as he led me forward. A few steps and a slight veer to the left later, he lowered his hands and rested them on my hips.

“You may open them now.”

I opened my eyes and felt a tremor in my throat as I looked at the dining table. A vase of roses sat in the center, and there were small platters of fresh figs, grapes, and cubes of cheese. More smells came from the kitchen. He had something baking in the oven.

“Elasus…” I turned to him, at a loss for words.

His smile was shy. “Do you like it?”

“Yes.” That tremor in my throat squeezed. The decorations were simple, but I could tell he had put a lot of thought into it.

Melancholy whined from inside of me.

“What’s wrong?” Elasus asked, skimming the backs of his knuckles across my cheek. He had heard the whine—had probably seen the dejection in my eyes too.

“You did all of this for me, and I…” I averted my gaze to the roses. The date hadn’t even crossed my mind until a short while ago.

“None of that.” He tipped my chin up. “I know this is an anniversary we don’t normally celebrate, but I wanted to do something special for you. Besides, you surprised me last year on our wedding anniversary. The date snuck up on me.”

“You had much on your mind,” I told him. “It was only a few months after the battle against Lucifer, and you were still learning to live in this new world. Microwaves. Televisions. Videos of adorable animals. It was a lot to process. And you certainly made it up to me later that night.”

The memory made my cock twitch. Elasus had made love to me for hours—railing me on the deck, then on the living room couch, and after we had soaked in the bath together, he had then thrown me into our bed and taken me again.

“Perhaps we can make more of those memories tonight.” He winked but still exuded that bashful energy as he led me over to the table. “There are snacks while we wait for dinner to finish.”

“Do you need me to help with anything?”

“No. You just sit here and relax while I finish in the kitchen.”

“It smells lovely.”

“I only hope it tastes as good as it smells,” he said. “Raiden helped in my preparation of the meal by giving me instructions, but I cooked it myself. Baked cod with lemon and garlic sauce. I also have roasted asparagus salad with tomato and basil.”

As he went to the kitchen and removed a pan from the oven, I peeled a fig and nibbled on it. Excitement and joy had me smiling like a fool in love. But that’s exactly what I was. My gaze landed on the roses again, and that lump returned to my throat.

Elasus placed a bowl of salad on the table before bringing over plates with the fish. “Wine?” Before I could respond, he added, “Coffee will not pair well with the cod.”

“I drink more than coffee,” I said with a chuckle. “I quite enjoy the fruit smoothies as well.”

He was the one who laughed that time. “I cherish you more than any other, my warrior.” He kissed my temple before leaving to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. As he took his seat across from me, I filled our glasses. “Gratitude.”

“Shall we toast?” I asked. “It’s a special day, after all.”

“Very well.” Smiling softly, he lifted his wine. “The world has changed since the first day I saw you on that battlefield, Kallias, but my love for you never will. You are where I belong.”

I lifted mine too. “You captured my heart that day. And it remains yours today, tomorrow, and every day that may come. We might’ve lost many years, but I vow to spend every moment making up for that lost time. You are my heart.”

Our glasses clinked before we drank to the toast. But that wasn’t enough. I stood from my chair and went over to kneel in front of him, resting my head on his knee. There was so much I wished to tell him but had trouble putting it into words. He ran his fingers through my hair. We didn’t say anything more, but I knew we both felt it—the emotion filling our chests and squeezing our hearts. The fated mate bond that was stronger than ever before.

“Raise your head,” Elasus whispered. I obeyed and was met with a gentle kiss on the lips. “Tonight, you and I are all that exist.”

My eyes stung. We had come so far since I’d first said those words to him.

After I returned to my chair, we ate dinner. He’d had nothing to worry about. The cod was cooked to perfection, and the vinaigrette on the salad brought all of the flavors together without being too heavy. We sipped our wine and chatted about our day. Before he’d left early to come home and prepare all of this, he had forged a blade made of Damascus steel.

“I was quite pleased with it,” Elasus said with a spark of excitement in his eyes. I adored that look. I was sure he saw the same one in my eyes when I spoke of a new latte or specialty coffee I’d learned to make. “The pattern in the steel is a true beauty. I’ve forged several Damascus swords and daggers, but this one was by far my best work.”

“I will have to visit the shop and see it.”

That shyness returned to his gaze before he lowered it to the table. “The blade was not all I forged today. Though, I suppose I’ve been working on this other thing for several days.”

I waited for him to say more. As his cheeks reddened and more silence hung between us, I reached across the table and took his hand. “Elasus?”

His brown eyes returned to me. “Will you join me outside?”

“Of course.”

Leaving the dishes on the table to deal with later, we rose from our chairs and stepped through the sliding glass door that led to the deck. The fading daylight cast the sky in shades of dark orange and red. The sea stretched in front of us, the surface glistening where the sun hit it and dark in the places it didn’t.

Elasus faced me and took both of my hands in his. “I have already told you many times today how much you mean to me, but I can never say it enough. When I see you, Kallias, my heart beats quicker, my breaths shorten, and my soul reaches out for yours. I could live for a thousand more years and still find more things to love about you.”

“If we weren’t already wed, I’d think you were about to propose.”

His tender smile blossomed across his entire face. “What can I say? Thousands of years later, and I’m still a fool in love.”

“Kiss him,” Melancholy murmured. “My home.”

“Our home,” I reminded him.

Perhaps one of these days, my sin would learn to share.

“Confessions of the heart don’t come as easily for me,” I said, gently squeezing his fingers. “But I’m still amazed by this life we’ve built together, and I thank the gods each morning when I wake beside you. You still make me feel like I’m flying.”

Elasus joined our lips before withdrawing one of his hands from mine. He then reached into his pocket and pulled something out but kept it enclosed in his fist. Curious, I stared. He was full of surprises that day. Anticipation built in my chest. Excitement did too.

“It occurred to me that although we were wed all those years ago, we never had rings.” Elasus knelt in front of me and kissed my knuckles before opening his fist and revealing a silver ring. The band was flat and had a black stone at the top. “So I made this for you. Forged with titanium steel with a black star sapphire. A date is engraved on the inner band. 394 BC. That’s how long I’ve loved you.”

I stared at the ring for several stunned moments, and when I lifted my gaze to his, I blinked back a sudden surge of tears. “It’s beautiful, Elasus.”

He slid the ring onto the fourth finger of my left hand before standing. He then withdrew another ring from his other pocket. “I made myself one as well. A matching pair. They have flaws, as it was my first time forging anything like them, but—”

“Elasus.” I took his face between my hands. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”

When he smiled again, it wobbled a bit. “Melancholy may trick your mind sometimes and try to convince you that you’re not meant to be loved or to be happy, so let this ring be a reminder that you are the most precious thing in my eyes.”

Overwhelmed by the intensity of my feelings, I hugged him hard and released my wings. They then enclosed around him too. I wanted to wrap myself around him and never let go.

Elasus’ lips slid across mine, light at first. “My raven.”

“Yours. Always.”

As the sun set, we made our way back into the house and cleaned up from dinner. Each time I saw the ring, my heart fluttered. Elasus then picked me up and carried me to our bedroom. I grinned as he tossed me on the bed and pulled off his shirt.

And as we made love, he slid his hand into mine, threading our fingers together. We were bound in every way possible: souls, hearts, and our bodies as he joined them. We no longer had to worry about the rising of the sun and what might become of us come morning.

We were home.

***

“Let me see!” Gray pounced on me—he no longer liked to be called Gradyn. He grabbed my hand and touched my ring. “Oh, it’s shiny. Don’t let Cas see. He likes shiny things and will steal it.”

“I will not,” Castor said with his mouth full. He had just taken a huge bite of the taiyaki Kyo had made. It was a type of Japanese pastry in the shape of a fish and filled with red bean paste. My brother had grown quite fond of them since he’d moved to the water dragon palace. “I’m not a dragon who hoards shit.” He grinned at his mate. “You are.”

Kyo cut his eyes at him. “Keep eating. Maybe you’ll choke.”

“You’re so mean to me, little dragon.” Castor then laughed as Kyo threw his arms around him, trying to tackle him.

Baxter walked into the living room. “Can you two not break my house? Thanks.”

“You’re the one who wanted us here,” Alastair said from the recliner, a cup of tea in his hand. He took a sip.

“Horrible idea, I know,” Baxter responded. “Next time I suggest something so dumb, please hit me.”

“Can I hit you anyway?” Phoenix asked. He and Bellamy were cuddled together on the couch. “I’ll do so gladly.”

Bellamy breathed out a laugh before nuzzling the demon’s black collar. “I fucking love you.”

“You better.” Phoenix swatted him with his tail.

“Why are we here?” Daman asked. He held Sorin against his chest, and the baby’s silver hair was messy from having just woken from his afternoon nap. When Castor went over and lightly tickled his chest, his little face scrunched up in a cry.

Kyo laughed.

Warrin placed a hand on his son’s hair and softly spoke to him in Russian. Sorin stopped crying and grinned as he reached for him. Daman kissed the baby on the head before handing him over to the ice dragon.

“You’re here because maybe I kind of, sort of missed you guys,” Baxter said. “Only a little bit though.”

“Finally, he speaks the truth.” Penemuel walked in from the back patio where he’d been writing on the terrace, laptop in one hand and an empty coffee mug in the other. His brown hair was shorter than the last time I’d seen him, but he still wore black-framed glasses, although he had no use for them since, as an angel, he had perfect vision. He, Clara, and Sirena had come to the island as well.

Baxter scoffed at him. “I take it back. All of you can go to hell.”

Lazarus stepped in after Penemuel, his expression icy as usual. It thawed as he saw Alastair though. Alastair stood from the recliner and met him beneath the archway leading from the kitchen. Seeing them together made sense to me now. Lazarus softly smiled at my eldest brother and pulled him closer.

“I think it’s nice that we’re all here together,” Raiden called from the kitchen. The sizzle of meat was followed by a mouthwatering aroma. “Just like old times.”

“Should we get his autograph?” Castor jabbed a thumb toward the kitchen. He’d finished the pastry and had crumbs in the corner of his mouth. “Ray’s, like, famous now. Have you seen the number of views on his recent video?”

“The one where he’s shirtless?” Bellamy asked. “The dude nearly broke the internet with that one.”

“Get over here, Red.” Kyo grabbed Castor by the front of his shirt and tugged him closer before brushing away the crumbs. “You’re a mess.”

“But I’m your mess.” Castor kissed the tip of his nose.

“Your breath stinks.”

“Nuh-uh.”

Elasus smiled at them. The two of us sat on the smaller couch, and I nestled closer to his side. He hooked an arm around my neck and kissed my hair. I reached over and linked our hands, my chest warming at the light clink of his wedding band against mine.

Life had torn us apart, but fate had brought us back together. We’d found each other again. And I would keep finding him, day after day, in this lifetime and the next.

Forever.

The End

Sons of the Fallen Extras

Q&A with the Nephilim Brothers

Hey, everyone! It’s your boy Baxter here: aka, the sexy-as-fuck Nephilim with pink-and-black hair and eyes to die for. Now that the cursed sons have saved the world and are getting some much-needed time off, I thought it’d be fun to interview each of them.

Well, fun for me. They might wanna kill me by the end of it.

Totally worth it.

I invited them to my island. I claimed it was because I missed them. Lies. It was to torture, er, I mean interview them. So, sit back and relax. Grab coffee, tea, wine, or whatever makes you happy and share in my amusement as I ask these bastards all your burning questions.

-Baxter, Leader of Nephilim in Greece and Hot-Ass Mofo

Galen:

Wrath Tells All

Baxter: Good morning.

Galen: Why the fuck did you drag me from my mate’s arms so early? This better be important.

Baxter: Oh, it is. Very important. [nods] The fate of the world depends on it.

Galen: [stares in silence for much too long] Go on.

Baxter: What kind of underwear do you prefer?

Galen: [more staring] I’m going back to bed.

Baxter: That question was submitted by… [checks notes] a reader named Heather. You don’t want to disappoint your fans, do you?

Galen: You’re irritating me.

Baxter: So, should I write down ‘prefers going commando’ for that response?

Galen: [no response]

Baxter: I can always go ask Simon. Whoa, one of your eyes just flickered to black. Tell Wrath to chill the hell out. Okay, let’s move on to a different question. Now that the war’s over, what’s the plan?

Galen: Simon and I are enjoying our time together. He’s happy to be back in his antique store, and I’m happy to see him smiling again without that worried look in his eyes.

Baxter: Aw, that’s actually a surprisingly sweet answer. I guess even grumpy assholes like you can be romantic sometimes.

Galen: How long is this going to take?

Baxter: I ask the questions around here. You just sit there and try not to release the beast. I’m too pretty to have my head ripped off.

Galen: So your arms are fair game?

Baxter: [clears throat] Next question. How has being mated to Simon changed you?

Galen: Well, you’re still breathing. Not many people who piss me off can say the same. So, I’d say that’s one change.

Baxter: Remind me to send Simon a thank-you basket later. [scans list of questions and scratches out most of them, including one about his favorite sex position]

Galen: What are you doing?

Baxter: Making sure my head remains intact.

Galen: [lips twitch]

Baxter: I’ll be damned. Was that almost a smile? Is this real life?

Galen: [glares]

Baxter: Well, it was nice while it lasted. Oh! You had a birthday recently where your brothers set up a surprise party. How did it go? More importantly, how does it feel to be older than dirt?

Galen: You’re doing a piss-poor job of keeping your head intact. I haven’t killed something in a long time, and Wrath is itching for some blood and mayhem.

Baxter: So, the party went well? That’s nice. You know, I had more questions planned, but your snarl is quite unsettling. This is the last one.

Galen: Thank the gods for that.

Baxter: This question was submitted for all of you Nephilim brothers. Do you want to have kids in the future?

Galen: [hard expression softens just a little] I’m not sure I’d be a good father, considering my own father was an abusive, angry asshole who treated my mother so horribly that she hated the very sight of me. But maybe someday.

Baxter: Thanks for answering my questions, sort of, and not killing me in the process.

Galen: [stands up and leaves]

Interview Notes: What I learned from this interview? Unlike the popular saying, Galen’s bite is most definitely worse than his bark. I should also keep in mind that comparing him to a mad dog isn’t the best idea and to avoid this in the future.

Castor:

Greed Tells All

Baxter: Let me start off by saying compared to the last person I interviewed, you’re already an improvement.

Castor: Are you flirting with me?

Baxter: And risk the wrath of your badass dragon with his katana? Um, that would be a hard no. I value my life too much.

Castor: [smiles] There’s nothing sexier than Kyo with his katana. Especially when he’s in his hybrid form.

Baxter: Not surprising that an adrenaline junkie like yourself would have the hots for dangerous men. Add fast cars into the mix, and you’re in heaven, am I right?

Castor: Depends on the car. Nothing can hold a candle to my Lykan Hypersport. Only seven were ever made.

Baxter: Not sure if you know this or not, but you Nephilim brothers have gained a decent following. I asked some of your fans to submit questions, and this one was for you: now that you’re mated, what’s your favorite thing to hoard?

Castor: [blinks] Fans? Don’t tell Al. His big head will get even bigger. Unless he has less fans than me. In that case, please let me be the one to tell him.

Baxter: Answer my questions and then you can go tell him whatever you want.

Castor: Hmm. I wouldn’t say I hoard anything. I love my sports cars and bling. [touches his lip ring] But I gotta say, I love buying jewelry and clothes for Kyo. Seeing him wear something I bought makes me happy.

Baxter: So in other words, you’re saying your new favorite thing is spoiling your mate? I guess that’s a good segue into my next question. What’s the most expensive gift you’ve ever given Kyo?

Castor: Besides me? [grins] Kyo beats me up if I spend too much money on him. He prefers things that have meaning behind them, not dollar signs. His favorite thing is a necklace with a dragon pendant. I bought it for him on your island from a lady selling trinkets.

Baxter: He still wears it too, doesn’t he?

Castor: Yeah. Any other questions? All this talk about Kyo is making me want to go wake him up for a morning delight. If ya know what I mean.

Baxter: I know your meaning quite well. It’s the one thing I miss about the war—the dragon armies being on the island. Dragons can do things with their tongues that make my eyes roll back. But anyway. Moving on. Now that the war’s over, what’s the plan?

Castor: Kyo was away from his family for, like, fifty years before meeting me. My rebellious little dragon. He has some catching up with them to do. The plan is to stay in the palace. Tatsuya asked if we’d help him reach out to the other dragon clans and begin mending the bonds that were broken during the dragon war so long ago. Tensions with the ice dragons have eased, thanks to Warrin, but there’s still a long way to go.

Baxter: So you’re not completely finished with a warrior’s life?

Castor: I see it more like politics. But if anyone dares raise a sword to my mate, I’ll shove mine through their chest. Simple as that.

Baxter: Interesting. You still haven’t fixed the hole in my study where you threw your dagger at the wall.

Castor: Consider it a token of our friendship. Something to fondly remember me by.

Baxter: Oh yeah? Much like that gaping hole where your mouth should be. Does it ever close? Inquiring minds want to know.

Castor: [flips me off and walks away]

Interview Notes: While less grumpy than Galen, Castor still has an attitude. Poking at him is too fun. If not for him, I may not have ever allied with the cursed sons, so in a way, I’m in his debt. Gods know what Asa would’ve done to the Nephilim on my island if we hadn’t been prepared for the war. But being in Greed’s debt is… unfavorable, so I’ll never admit this to him.

Daman:

Envy Tells All

Baxter: Good morning. It’s not too early, is it? I know how grouchy you are in the mornings, so I made sure to have coffee ready.

Daman: [takes a sip of coffee]

Baxter: Wow. How you manage to look so menacing as you glare at me over the rim of your mug is admirable. Especially since the mug has cute kittens on it.

Daman: Is there a point to this meeting?

Baxter: Ah, one sip and he speaks. Good. That’s progress. Speaking of kittens, that’s your nickname, right? Warrin calls you kotya.

Daman: Yeah. War calls me kotya. You? I’ll cut you for it.

Baxter: How interesting. Will you cut me with your cute little kitten claws?

Daman: [sets mug aside while glaring]

Baxter: Just kidding! Don’t pounce on me. Grab your mug and take another drink. This is an interview, and you’re the star. Exciting, right? I bet Envy likes that.

Daman: Envy likes snuggling Warrin. Being here with you just pisses him off. Me too. [looks at the mug] This is good coffee though. You have until I finish it to ask questions, then I’m leaving.

Baxter: Okay, this question is from someone who wants to know where you learned to dance. They also added that you’re the most handsome of your brothers. Surely that makes Envy less pissed about being here?

Daman: A bit, I suppose. [sighs] Fine. I’ll humor you this once. I learned to dance in Athens many, many years ago. Lazarus had just released us from our training, and we went wild, experiencing so many things for the first time. Drinks, sex, you name it. While visiting a tavern, I saw a male dance and was fascinated by his fluid movements. I asked him to teach me. That’s when I fell in love with the art form. It was a nice distraction from the stresses of war.

Baxter: Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say so much. You normally just hiss at me. Wait! That was a poor choice of words.

Daman: Don’t make me kill you.

Baxter: Can I get you a refill on your coffee? It’s delicious, remember?

Daman: [narrows eyes] Ask the next question.

Baxter: Fair enough. [clears throat and scans list] Ah, this is a good one. There was an overwhelming number of questions about you and Bellamy. Specifically, your bromance.

Daman: Bromance? I wouldn’t call it that. He’s my best friend.

Baxter: Describe what he means to you.

Daman: [drinks more coffee] I needed more caffeine before I could even begin tackling that question. What does he mean to me? Like I said, he’s my best friend. Bell is my opposite. He’s outgoing and funny, whereas I’m introverted and cynical.

Baxter: Is that so? I haven’t noticed.

Daman: Okay, smart-ass.

Baxter: Tell me more. Why are you two so close?

Daman: I’m not exactly a lovable person. I’m bitter and hateful. But Bell understands me. When I need him, he’s there. It’s always been like that. Before I met War, Bell was my rock. He still is. They both are. Both keep me grounded. And when Envy tries to hurt me or starts screaming in my head, they bring me back to myself. They show me what true love is. They make me believe I’m worthy of it too.

Baxter: [wipes away imaginary tear] That’s so touching.

Daman: Well, I hope you got it all because I’m not repeating it.

Baxter: You and Warrin have recently become dads. How’s fatherhood treating you?

Daman: Sorin is a good baby. He’s curious about the world and stares at everything. He cries when he sees Castor though, which makes me laugh.

Baxter: You think it’s Castor’s red hair and piercings?

Daman: Probably just his dumb face.

Baxter: I feel the love between you. Okay, last question. I’m asking your brothers if they want kids someday, but since you already have a bouncing baby boy, I’ll tweak the question. Do you ever want a second kid?

Daman: [softly smiles] War said he wants an entire house full. But I’m good with the one for now.

Baxter: [silence]

Daman: What? You never shut the hell up and now you’re quiet?

Baxter: I’m just… stunned. Your face really lights up when you smile. No, I’m not flirting. I’m just not used to seeing you so happy. Picked out a middle name yet for the little guy? I think Baxter would be a great, strong name.

Daman: I wouldn’t curse my son like that.

Baxter: Wow. Rude. [places hand on chest] I’m wounded. Know what would make me feel better?

Daman: I don’t really care.

Baxter: So nice of you to be concerned. Okay, I’ll tell you. A little birdie told me that during a recent visit to your home, it was revealed that your husband may have a cosplay fetish. Has anything happened to prove this theory true?

Daman: [stares]

Baxter: A maid outfit, perhaps? Did you wear it while giving him a private dance?

Daman: I finished my coffee. [stands up] I’m going to find my mate. If you value your head, you won’t call on me again.

Baxter: I like ’em feisty. [speaks louder as he walks away] That was flirting, by the way! In case you didn’t know.

Interview Notes: Went better than expected. I thought he’d glare at me the entire time in silence, but he actually answered questions in depth. Makes me wonder if there’s a soft heart beneath that scowl. Coffee probably helped. He didn’t answer the maid question, so I’ll assume that was a yes. On to the next brother.

Gray:

Sloth Tells All

Baxter: Finally someone cute to chat with.

Gray: [rubbing his eyes] I just woke up from my midmorning nap. I want waffles.

Baxter: Is that your favorite food?

Gray: Yep. Waffles with lots of syrup. Sometimes I like to add peanut butter on top too.

Baxter: That’s… a lot of sugar.

Gray: Sugar makes me happy. [settles more into the oversized chair and slowly kicks his feet]

Baxter: Do you know why you’re here?

Gray: Do any of us know why we’re here? The world is a big place, and we’re just players. Or something like that. All we can do is live each day as it comes.

Baxter: How insightful. But you’re here because I’m interviewing you and your brothers.

Gray: Why?

Baxter: Well, now that the war’s over, a Q&A can give a good sense of closure.

Gray: Closure to what?

Baxter: Your adventures. All the pain, loss, drama, and sacrifices that were made. The good times and the bad. So many people have been touched by your story. Many submitted questions for this interview.

Gray: [continues kicking feet] What do I get if I do this?

Baxter: Recognition?

Gray: Nuh-uh. I want another dick-o-saurus. There’s a new one I saw online that’s wearing a Christmas hat and little boots. I’ve already named him. Dino-Nick. I need him for my collection.

Baxter: Consider it done.

Gray: It was nice doin’ business with you.

Baxter: You’re like a pint-sized mastermind, aren’t you? [sifts through notes] You mentioned your love of dick-o-saurus figures. How many do you have now?

Gray: Bunches. Like, a whole army of them. I’ve placed them all over Clara’s house. In her cabinets, in the garden, and I even put a tiny one under her pillow.

Baxter: I bet she loves that. So you and Mason are still living with her at Ravenwood Mansion?

Gray: Yep. We’re building our own house. Mason loves the farmhouse-style, and whatever he loves makes me happy. So we’ve been workin’ on designing it.

Baxter: Will you build it in Echo Bay?

Gray: [nods] It rains a lot, but I kinda love it despite that. It’s home.

Baxter: Well, you both are always welcome on my island any time you need to soak up some sun. So you have plans to build a house. What’s next? Kids, maybe?

Gray: I don’t think so. Some of my brothers want kids, but me and Mason are happy with just the two of us. I’m the best uncle though. I love snuggling Sorin and giving him kisses. He’s so cute. When he’s old enough, I’ll hype him up on sugar, then send him home with his dads.

Baxter: Next question. Where is your favorite place to be?

Gray: Cuddled against Mason’s side.

Baxter: Ideal vacation spot?

Gray: Any place Mason can be shirtless. I love nuzzling his abs.

Baxter: So… the beach? [makes note]

Gray: Are we done now? I’m bored.

Baxter: How can you be bored in my presence? Rude.

Gray: Your face is rude. [yawns] Don’t forget our deal, ’kay? You owe me Dino-Nick.

Baxter: Yeah, yeah, I won’t forget.

Gray: [stands up and waddles from the room, wild blond hair bouncing]

Interview Notes: Gray does what he wants when he wants to do it. I see why he gets away with a lot. His cute factor is extraordinary. I feel like I got scammed on this interview. He barely answered anything, yet I owe him. He’s a clever little monster.

Bellamy:

Lust Tells All

Baxter: Afternoon, sexy.

Bellamy: [pauses before taking a seat] Keep talking like that and I’m leaving.

Baxter: Oh, stop. You know it’s harmless flirting.

Bellamy: Yeah. Coming from a dude I boned more than once. Not sure my mate would consider it harmless flirting.

Baxter: Get that stick out of your ass, Lust. But the last thing I want is your demon husband throwing fireballs at my pretty face, so let’s move on.

Bellamy: Good idea.

Baxter: I have those sometimes. [shuffles notes and clears throat] So. It’s been over a year since the war ended. How have you and Phoenix spent your time?

Bellamy: We’ve been traveling, mostly. Seeing the world. Just living life.

Baxter: Interesting. Am I correct in saying the two of you have recently bought a house in Echo Bay?

Bellamy: Yes. Konnar helped us find it. We moved in last week.

Baxter: How romantic. What’s your favorite position in bed? [sees his annoyed expression] That’s a legit question submitted by a reader. I had nothing to do with it.

Bellamy: I don’t have a favorite. As long as my husband gets off, I’m happy. That’s the only answer you’re getting.

Baxter: Kind of out of character for Lust not to jump at the opportunity to talk about sex.

Bellamy: Oh, I love sex. I love talking about it too. But not with you.

Baxter: When we fucked, you liked shoving my face in the pillow and railing me from behind. I’ll jot that down for your answer. Oh wow. You look like you want to kill me.

Bellamy: It’s definitely crossed my mind. More so now than ever before.

Baxter: Next question. What’s your ideal date with your mate?

Bellamy: One that ends with him naked and writhing beneath me in pleasure.

Baxter: Take this seriously.

Bellamy: [smirks] I am. Best way to end any date is in bed.

Baxter: Do you at least wine and dine him first?

Bellamy: Nix isn’t the romantic dinner type. But he loves baths. So I guess an ideal date would be a light meal and a soak in the tub together, followed by a hard fuck. Any more questions?

Baxter: Just a few. Stop sighing. Any kids in your future? Your bestie said he and the ice dragon are enjoying fatherhood.

Bellamy: [genuine smile] Yeah, D is a great dad. I love seeing him hold Sorin. It’s a soft side of him I’d never seen before. As for me and Nix? We’ve talked it over and would like kids someday. But for now, we’re happy with it being the two of us.

Baxter: Gray said the same thing about him and Mason. I suppose there’s no rush. With the war behind you, you have nothing but time. I have to admit, it would be funny to see Phoenix as a dad. He’d probably teach the child to throw fireballs at everyone.

Bellamy: Probably. [laughs] Starting with you.

Baxter: Asshole. I fucked you long before you and Phoenix got together, and now I have a target on my back. But anyway. [skims notes] Speaking of Daman, many people are dying to know more about your relationship. Why are you so close? What do you love about him? But for my amusement, tell me what you hate about him too. Because that’s more fun.

Bellamy: D is… I don’t know. He’s my best friend.

Baxter: That’s exactly what he said about you. You two are so cute. It’s nauseating. There must be something about him that annoys you. Upsets you? Spill it. I need details.

Bellamy: Honestly? [scratches at his jaw] It upsets me how he sees himself. Well, how Envy makes him see himself. D is so damn kind and loving, but not many people get to see it. He’s always there when I need him.

Baxter: Dear gods. Only you would take a question like that and turn it around to still be cavity-inducingly sweet. Forget it. Go away. This interview is over.

Bellamy: Well, fuck you too. [stands up]

Baxter: [lips twitch with a smile] Thanks for nothing, you blond bastard.

Bellamy: Good luck with your little project. If you need anything else, ask anyone but me.

Baxter: What about Phoenix? Can I ask him?

Bellamy: [says over his shoulder as he’s walking away] Only if you want to die.

Interview Notes: I feel like we bonded through our mutual dislike of each other. He’s still smoking hot, so at least I had great eye candy. One thing’s very clear: Bellamy is completely and hopelessly devoted to that demon. Gross.

Raiden:

Gluttony Tells All

Raiden: [walks into the room with a tray] You hungry? I brought some snacks.

Baxter: Why can’t all your brothers be as nice as you? More importantly, are those chocolate chip cookies?

Raiden: [nods] Ti and I had a craving last night and baked some. These are what we have left. I also brought pretzels and pizza rolls.

Baxter: Something salty, sweet, and saucy.

Raiden: [big smile as he sits in the chair across from me and places the tray on the coffee table between us] My bros mentioned you’re doin’ some kinda interview? Should I have studied before coming? Tests make me nervous.

Baxter: No studying required. But your reaction explains why so many people mentioned you being, and I quote, ‘a cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs.’

Raiden: Man. I love cinnamon rolls.

Baxter: Of course you do. [grabs a cookie] To start off the interview, tell me what you and Titan have been up to since the end of the war.

Raiden: Why are you askin’? You see us, like, every day. We live on your island.

Baxter: Answer for the readers.

Raiden: Oh! Right. Um. Well, Ti and I have still been training with Nico and some of the other warriors. The war’s over, but it’s good exercise. And the kid has a lot of energy. He’s been living with us too. It’s nice. Oh, and we’ve been gardening a lot. We have a tomato plant I’m really proud of. Biggest, juiciest tomatoes ever. Perfect for grilled chicken sandwiches. Burgers too.

Baxter: Talking to you is refreshing. Your brothers have been… less than cooperative. One conned me, and the rest threatened to kill me at least once.

Raiden: I’ll only kill ya with flavor. But your taste buds will be happy.

Baxter: I have no doubts. So, you’ve started making cooking videos. How’s that going?

Raiden: Really good! It’s fun. Daman gave me the idea because he sent me a few funny videos of other people cooking. With Ti encouraging me, I made one, and it took off. I have a lot of followers now. But I see them more as friends. We all love food.

Baxter: I’m sure it’s not only the food they love. [eyes his huge biceps and silly smile]

Raiden: Huh?

Baxter: Nothing. All right. Let’s see… [looks at list] Oh, this one is interesting. Someone wants to know if there’s a food you won’t eat. Is that even possible?

Raiden: [brow furrows as he thinks hard] Um.

Baxter: Don’t hurt yourself.

Raiden: [starts to laugh] Okay, there’s not a food I can think of that I won’t eat. But there’s one that makes me giggle.

Baxter: What is it?

Raiden: Geoduck. It’s a large clam that has a long neck and looks like a dick. Like, no lies. It looks like a big pecker. I laugh every time I see one. It tastes amazing though.

Baxter: You have the humor of a twelve-year-old boy. It’s a good thing you’re cute. Next question. Would you ever like to have your own cooking show? And if so, what would you call it?

Raiden: I’d freakin’ love to have a cooking show. The name would be… [thinks] Raiden’s Kitchen. Simple, but it fits me. I’d share my favorite recipes that bring the family together. Breakfast coffee cake. Tahini sauce burgers. Chicken and dumplings. Some of those made from scratch buttery and flaky Southern-style biscuits too.

Baxter: Is that noise your stomach growling?

Raiden: [blushes] Yeah. Sorry. Talking about food always makes me hungry.

Baxter: You should eat a few pizza rolls before you keel over.

Raiden: Good idea. [shoves three into his mouth and talks as he chews] What else ya wanna know?

Baxter: I think that’s all.

Raiden: Cool. [grabs a cookie and stands up] I’ll leave the snacks here. Eat all you want.

Baxter: I appreciate your cooperation.

Interview Notes: He’s a goddamn ray of sunshine. Not much more to say.

Alastair:

Pride Tells All

Baxter: Before we start, I want you to know that I have one more interview after you. So none of that ‘saved the best for last’ bullshit.

Alastair: [slowly sinks into the chair with a steaming cup of tea in his hand] I’m supposed to care?

Baxter: Ah, come on. It has to ruffle Pride’s feathers just a little, right?

Alastair: [takes a sip]

Baxter: You’re no fun.

Alastair: Will you begin the interview? I have places to be.

Baxter: And a surly angel to do? [eyebrow wiggle] Tell me. How’s married life treating you?

Alastair: Just fine.

Baxter: What about life in the celestial realm?

Alastair: Also, fine.

Baxter: These short answers are annoying. Shouldn’t you be jumping at the chance to hear yourself speak? Even Daman had more to say than you, and he hates everyone. Think of your fans. You don’t want to disappoint them, do you?

Alastair: [another sip, then exhales] Go on, then. Ask your silly questions.

Baxter: That’s the spirit. [shuffles papers] Okay. Do you have any hobbies outside of reading?

Alastair: Aviation. I love to fly. With the war behind us, I’ve spent a little time in my private jet.

Baxter: Does your angel hubby accompany you on these flights?

Alastair: [soft smile] He does. Though, he snarls and asks why use a jet when I can just spread my wings.

Baxter: Fair point.

Alastair: [shrugs] Flying is freedom. He only complains because in the jet, I’m the pilot.

Baxter: Ah, so he has a problem with giving you control.

Alastair: [smirk before he takes another sip] Out of the bedroom, anyway.

Baxter: I could’ve gone the rest of my life without knowing that. Next question, before I throw up. Describe your brothers in one word.

Alastair: Noisy.

Baxter: [laughs] You answered that fast.

Alastair: Because it requires very little thought.

Baxter: They may be noisy, but you’d do anything for them. Which leads in to the next question. What do you love most about your brothers?

Alastair: Shall I discuss each of them?

Baxter: Yep.

Alastair: I admire Galen’s strength. Not only physical but his strength of character too. Castor’s humor might grate on my nerves, but he only wants to make people laugh, especially during dark times when we need it most. Daman is fearless, even if he doesn’t realize it. Gray can be rambunctious and mischievous, but he has a sensitive heart. Bellamy is loyal. Kallias seems indifferent, but beneath that stoicism is a gentle soul. And Raiden is the glue that holds our family together.

Baxter: What do you think they’d say about you?

Alastair: I’m not sure.

Baxter: Want to know my thoughts?

Alastair: Do enlighten me.

Baxter: I think they’d call you a hard-ass who’s stubborn. They’d probably say you’re arrogant too. But at the end of the day, you’re reliable. They know they can come to you and you’d do anything to protect them. You’re their rock.

Alastair: [shifts in his chair] I must admit. You being nice is somewhat suspicious.

Baxter: Hey. I have no ulterior motives, I swear. I’m just calling it how I see it. But this emotional shit is making me feel gross, so let’s move on. Kids. Do you and the angel want them?

Alastair: The angel has a name.

Baxter: Commander Dickwad?

Alastair: Lazarus and I have discussed having children, but it’s not something we want at this time.

Baxter: Are you worried your baby won’t be as cute as Daman and Warrin’s? It’s okay. You can be honest.

Alastair: [stands up] I take it you have everything you need? I’ll see myself out.

Baxter: You’re such a bastard. [laughs] At least answer one more.

Alastair: [narrows eyes] I’m listening.

Baxter: How’s Konnar doing these days? Still single?

Alastair: Is that a question from a reader or from you?

Baxter: [grins]

Alastair: I hate to burst your bubble… actually, I take that back. I don’t hate it. Doing so pleases me. Konnar is still single, yes, but you aren’t his type.

Baxter: What is his type? Big, muscled archangels with a penchant for sweets and who are helpless around technology?

Alastair: Enjoy the rest of your evening. [walks away]

Interview Notes: Pride is… well, Pride. Cocky son of a bitch. Has a cute ass though. I got a perfect view of it as he left the room.

Kallias:

Melancholy Tells All

Baxter: You look well.

Kallias: I am. [takes a seat] I cannot recall a time when I’ve been happier.

Baxter: That’s a lot coming from you. Melancholy is behaving, I guess?

Kallias: Melancholy certainly still has his gloomy moments, but having our mate returned to us has lifted even his spirits. This past year has been the best of my life. I have you partly to thank for that. You’ve generously given Elasus and I a home on your island.

Baxter: You’re not allowed to make me emotional. Stop it.

Kallias: [small smile]

Baxter: Unfortunately, there were no questions submitted for you. But worry not—I’ve come prepared with some of my own.

Kallias: I understand.

Baxter: Gods. You make my chest ache. If it means anything, you’re my favorite cursed son. It’s why I saved you for last.

Kallias: I hope I meet your expectations.

Baxter: Ah, I have no doubts. To start off the interview, tell me how you’ve been since the war ended. You started working in the coffee shop on the island. I hear you’ve even been promoted to manager.

Kallias: Yes. I was honored by the promotion, if not surprised. My team and I work hard. For this past Valentine’s Day, I learned to make foam hearts in the lattes. We also baked heart-shaped sugar cookies using a recipe Raiden gave us. I made a batch for Elasus, and he quite enjoyed them.

Baxter: That’s endearing. Seriously. You’re this hardened warrior, yet you choose to make fancy lattes and pastries for a living.

Kallias: I believe it’s because of my years as a warrior that a job such as this appeals to me. The atmosphere of the shop is soothing. I enjoy the whirring of the machines and the aroma of fresh coffee beans. It calms my soul. Relaxes my mind.

Baxter: [nods] Raiden is the same when he cooks. Makes sense. I’ve asked your brothers this question and want to hear from you too. Are there any little Nephilim Spartans in your and Elasus’ future?

Kallias: Children? [smiles] I find it unlikely. Elasus and I are enjoying it being the two of us. Though, I look forward to each time I’m able to see Daman’s son. Sorin is precious.

Baxter: You and Elasus took a vacation recently, yes?

Kallias: We did. We visited Sparta. My heart ached seeing the ruins of what was once my home. Yet, the land was the same. The trees and fields. Mount Taygetus in the distance. While I was in the realm of the lost, I created my own vision of Sparta. I suppose as a way to survive the crushing loneliness. I used to sit on a hill staring at the mountain and toward the distant valley, waiting for Elasus to return home to me.

Baxter: You never stopped waiting. That hope kept you from losing your grip on your sanity.

Kallias: Yes. A year with Elasus by my side, and I still have moments where I fear I’m still in that realm. I find sleep difficult because of this. I fear waking and learning it was all a dream.

Baxter: Here. [lifts the snack tray and holds it toward him] I was saving this last cookie for myself, but you need it more.

Kallias: [raspy chuckle as he grabs it] I appreciate your generosity.

Baxter: Well, I appreciate you being here for the interview. One last question, and then I’ll let you get back to that sexy Spartan mate of yours. I asked Galen this question, and he nearly bit my head off. But I think it’s a good way to end our interview. What type of underwear do you prefer?

Kallias: [his lips twitch] What makes you think I wear them?

Baxter: Oh, damn. You’re a boy who goes commando, eh?

Kallias: A warrior must be ready at a moment’s notice.

Baxter: Did you just wink at me? You tease. I wouldn’t mind meeting this… warrior in your pants.

Kallias: I regret to inform you that this warrior only stands at attention for one male.

Baxter: How tragic.

Interview Notes: Kind of sad it’s over. Is that Melancholy’s influence over me or just because I won’t get to see Kallias’ dark brown eyes, sexy tanned skin, and muscles anymore? Spartans just do it for me. So do dragons. And fuck me, so do angels. Can I have my own harem of sexy males? Please and thank you.

Deleted Scene

The following is a deleted scene from Alastair’s book! It takes place shortly after they learned Lucifer and Belphegor were spotted in Tokyo. In the scene, the Nephilim brothers journey there to meet with King Tatsuya’s friend.

I cut it because I felt it took away from the flow of the plot, and I ended up summarizing what they learned by having King Tatsuya talk to his friend on the phone. However, I loved the scene and wanted to share it.

Also… the male they meet is very likely to appear in future spin-off books. *winks*

I hope you enjoy!

-Jaclyn

Cut Scene:

Alastair POV

In the heart of Shibuya, surrounded by boutiques, restaurants, and clubs, the setting sun breathed life into a booming night scene. The colorful Tokyo district thrived, the lights from the neon advertisements and large video screens posted on the sides of buildings so bright it blocked the night sky, drowning out the stars.

“You okay?” Castor asked Kallias.

“Yes,” Kallias answered, swallowing hard as he stared at everything with wide eyes. Since his return, he’d seen Echo Bay and the island, but the Tokyo ward, with its swarm of pedestrians, noise, and fluorescent lights, was like a whole new world. “It’s just… overwhelming.”

We had teleported to a more secluded area just outside Shibuya Station before heading toward Center Gai, one of the busiest zones in the district, to meet with Tatsuya’s friend. The water dragon king had accompanied us to ensure things went smoothly.

“Oh!” Gray rushed toward a storefront with cutesy things displayed in the window, like plushies of anime characters and bags. He placed his hands on the glass, one leg kicked up behind him. “We gotta go in here really quick.”

“Not right now,” I told him. “We’re not here to shop.”

He pouted at me and dragged his feet as he continued walking.

“How about to eat?” Raiden asked, staring longingly at a restaurant on the opposite side of the street. “That place has the fluffiest ricotta pancake you’ll ever find. I need it in my belly.”

“Control your gluttonous impulses until we’re done here,” Lazarus said to him. “Time is a luxury we do not have.”

“You’d make time if you knew how awesome they were.” Raiden sighed and stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket.

“We’re nearly there,” Tatsuya said. He drew attention in his blue yukata and ornamental hairpin. Though, I doubted it was only his traditional style of clothing that had people gawking at him. His elegant beauty was magnetic.

He wasn’t the only one. With our towering height, we all drew attention. Except for Gray, who had the potential to get lost in the crowd if he wandered too far.

Lazarus had worn a white tee with a black jacket pulled over it. He fidgeted with the collar and lightly rotated his shoulders as he scowled. In the years I’d known him, he very rarely wore anything from the waist up. He found shirts to be too confining but had dressed for the colder weather—for appearances, of course.

“You didn’t have to come with us,” I said. Though, I was happy he did. Even if I couldn’t admit it.

“Of course I had to.” The hard lines around his eyes softened a bit when he looked at me. I could tell he was trying to stay stern, but since those barriers had come down, being distant and cold didn’t come as easily for him. “It’s my job to keep you boys out of trouble.”

“Good luck with that,” Bellamy muttered as Gray tried to sneak away from the group and backtrack to the anime store.

“Gray,” I projected into his head. “Don’t make me have to tell you again.”

He released a heavy sigh from behind me before returning to Raiden’s side.

Lazarus seemed uncomfortable, and not just because he was wearing a shirt. His gaze darted around us, searching for hidden threats. The light pressure of his hand on my lower back gave me butterflies. Everything with him was still so new. We hadn’t placed a label on us. I wasn’t sure it was needed. We had been denied each other for long enough.

“Look, B.” Daman tipped his head toward a side street. “There’s even a place for you. Love Hotel Hill.”

“If Nix found out I went to a love hotel, he’d chop off my dick and shove it down my throat.” Bellamy softly smiled. “Gods, I miss him.”

All of their mates, apart from mine, had stayed on the island. Warrin hadn’t been too pleased, and neither had Mason, but Tatsuya had cautioned that his friend would be uneasy enough around us.

“You said he’s a kitsune?” I asked. A Japanese shape-shifting fox who could be either good or bad. Some had powers over the elements as well. I had met a few during my lifetime but not many.

“Yes,” Tatsuya answered. “Shin is a zenko kitsune.”

“Meaning he’s nice,” Gray said with a nod, then got distracted by another store. Raiden gently grabbed his arm to prevent him from running off.

“Zenko are good kitsune, yes. Some enjoy pranking humans, but they never seriously harm them. Shin is more reserved and chooses to keep to his café. He’s hardworking and kind. I trust him.” The water dragon king slowed his pace as we approached a door. “Here we are.”

The quaint café provided a quiet escape from the boisterous outside street. Hardwood counters, bistro tables, and greenery decorated the inside, and with the easy lighting and aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and desserts, the atmosphere was cozy.

“This is nice,” Kallias said before breathing in. Upon his exhale, his tense muscles loosened a bit.

A young man stood behind a long counter, speaking to the customer sitting in front of him before turning around to make a drink. The whirring of the machine filled the air.

“Mmm,” Raiden said, sniffing the air. “I smell cake.”

Lazarus sighed.

“Welcome,” a male said from the doorway to the right side of the room. He had shiny black hair that fell across his brow and wore a white and navy blue–striped sweater and jeans. Shin, I assumed.

King Tatsuya stepped forward and politely bowed in greeting. “A pleasure to see you again.”

“Likewise.” Shin returned the bow before motioning toward the doorway. “Please come with me.”

With Tatsuya in front, we followed the kitsune to a back room furnished with a couch, two armchairs, and a small coffee bar along the back wall. The easy lighting added to the tranquility, as did the trickle of water from a decorative fountain that was built into the opposite wall. Colorful lights followed the stream of water, alternating in shades of blue and green.

“I can prepare coffee,” Shin said as he approached the sleek wooden bar. Soft red lights glowed along the base. “Or tea if you prefer.”

“We won’t be staying long enough for that,” Lazarus said. “Tell us what you know about Lucifer so we can be on our way.”

“Be nice,” I projected into his head.

He shot me an icy look—one that instantly thawed a bit. “Stop looking so proud of yourself.”

I felt my smile widen.

Shin leaned against the bar and crossed his arms. As he looked at Lazarus, his eyes flickered from blue to a bright gold, then back again to their original shade. “Please remember where you are, angel. It’s impolite to barge into someone’s home and start making demands when they’ve already agreed to take time out of their day to help you.”

Castor tried to stifle a laugh and failed. Epically.

Lazarus only stared at the kitsune. Made no apologies but, thankfully, kept any further snide comments to himself.

“Please tell us what you know,” King Tatsuya said, sitting on the couch.

“Lucifer’s energy trail went cold at Shibuya Crossing,” Shin answered. “Not uncommon when dealing with the supernatural. Crossings are often gateways into other realms or entrances into the world behind the veil where many yokai dwell.”

“Yokai?” Raiden asked.

“Spirits,” King Tatsuya explained to him. “Like many things, they can be either good or demonic.”

Shin nodded. “While at the crossing, I picked up another scent. It was faint but definitely present. A tengu.” He looked at Raiden. “Tengu are winged yokai, many of whom are extraordinary swordsmen. Although there are tengu who live peaceful lives, harming no one, there are also those who enjoy causing mayhem and even inciting wars among humankind.”

“Which make them a perfect ally for Lucifer and his dark army,” I said. “So Lucifer met with a tengu leader, more than likely to form an alliance with their clan.”

“Dark clouds are rolling in,” Shin said as his eyes glazed over. “When they reach us, the sky will open up, and blood will rain down on the world.” He blinked and turned to me. “You must prepare yourself for a battle unlike any other. You and your brothers are all that stands between us and the darkness.”

As we left the café, Shibuya thrived around us. Lights, sounds, the flow of bodies up and down the street as people shopped, headed to restaurants, and met up with friends. We, however, were silent.

A battle unlike any other.

“Can that Shin dude, like, see into the future?” Raiden asked, hands shoved into the front pocket of his hoodie.

“In a way,” King Tatsuya responded. “Shin has the gift of sight, but he hasn’t yet mastered that gift. His visions come to him sporadically.”

Kallias glanced at a young couple walking hand in hand. “He saw the end of the world.”

[end of scene]

Celestial Records:

Uriel’s Files on the Cursed Sons

When Lucifer defected from the celestial realm and took many of our brothers with him, my heart broke. I had never felt so betrayed. That’s when I decided to rid myself of these feelings and any attachments associated with them.

Everything changed when those defectors created offspring. Nephilim. Abominations in every sense of the word. And the most troubling of them? The eight warriors known as the cursed sons. They’re the most powerful of their kind, with strength and abilities that far surpass that of nearly every angel in our realm. They could pose a real threat to us if their alliances were to someday shift.

I have gathered all the known information on them. Strengths, weaknesses, and current location.

With Lucifer’s defeat, the cursed sons have laid down their swords and have chosen to live peacefully with their mates. But should this ever change, should they ever surrender to the darkness in their blood and rise against our realm, these files will be of use.

-Uriel, Archangel of Truth and Overseer of Souls

Kallias

Deadly Sin of Melancholy

Height: 6 foot 6

Appearance: Black hair and dark brown eyes, bronzed skin, muscular build

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Melancholy, Kallias has black wings with differing shades of black in the feathers.

Weapon: A xiphos. Secondary weapon is a celestial steel–tipped spear.

Power: Can send waves of sadness to those around him. The effects of this can cause extreme despondency and debilitating numbness that takes away an individual’s motivation.

Weakness: Celestial steel. Limited knowledge of modern-day appliances (though, he’s become a master at brewing coffee and making fancy lattes.)

Mate: Elasus, a human male from Ancient Sparta.

Current Location: An island near Athens, Greece, surrounded by a protective barrier.

Personal Notes: Kallias is a quiet observer of people and has a mild temperament. A strong fighter. Although I’ll never admit it publicly, I’ve developed a soft spot for the Nephilim. With the return of his mate, he seems to be living happily. Threat risk is low.

Galen

Deadly Sin of Wrath

Height: 6 foot 8

Appearance: Brown hair, light gray eyes, large muscular frame.

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Wrath, Galen has black wings with red undertones. When consumed by his sin, his strength increases, as does his ferocity. His eyes turn black, his teeth sharpen, and he gains the power to rip individuals apart with his bare hands.

Weapon: His hands. And his teeth. He also has a sword.

Power: Along with the incredible strength when consumed by his sin, Galen also has the ability to sense aggression in those around him and can enhance that aggression to incite violence.

Weakness: Celestial steel. Also, his human mate, Simon. The two have bound their life forces. Only if absolutely necessary, target the human to take him down.

Mate: Simon. Human male. Owns an antique shop. Based on my observation, he is a kind soul who has the ability to calm Wrath.

Current Location: Echo Bay.

Personal Notes: Galen can be highly aggressive and unpredictable. He was once imprisoned in the celestial prison, and even the strongest cell barely held him. Threat risk is high, especially when concerning the safety of his family. Best to avoid engaging with him if it can be helped.

Castor

Deadly Sin of Greed

Height: 6 foot 5

Appearance: Medium length, vibrant red hair and green eyes. Lean build. Silver studs in both ears. Has a nose ring (right nostril and also septum), lip ring, and eyebrow piercing.

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Greed, Castor has black wings with shades of gold in the feathers. He fancies luxury and riches and collects expensive sports cars.

Weapon: Golden dagger with a jeweled hilt given to him by his father, Caim.

Power: He can boost feelings of greed and cause his target to toss everything else aside in pursuit of riches.

Weakness: His mouth. It often finds him in trouble. Also, celestial steel.

Mate: Kyo, a male who is half human, half water dragon.

Current Location: Japan.

Personal Notes: Castor loves the sound of his own voice. Meaning he’s incredibly talkative and sarcastic. Beneath that sarcasm, however, lies a sensitive soul. The death of his father hit him hard. Threat risk is medium.

Daman

Deadly Sin of Envy

Height: 6 feet

Appearance: Brown hair and green eyes. Slim and toned build. Dark complexion. Often wears bracelets with silver crosses, crop tops, and skinny jeans.

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Envy, Daman has black wings with traces of green in the feathers. Introverted personality type. Can be cold and bitter.

Weapon: A falx sword—a weapon from Ancient Dacia.

Power: He can feed off the negative energy around him and tap into people’s feelings of jealousy. This can cause individuals to lash out at each other. He hears the envious thoughts of those around him.

Weakness: Celestial steel. Early mornings, unless he’s well-caffeinated.

Mate: Warrin, an ice dragon prince who commands the ice dragon army.

Current Location: Within the barrier of the ice dragon kingdom in Russia.

Personal Notes: Envy gives him an inclination toward villainy. His aversion to people enhances this unfavorable quality. Threat risk is high. However, it must be noted that Warrin soothes Daman’s bitter, sharp edges.

He and Warrin have a son, who is the first child of a cursed son. It’s unsure yet whether this child inherited Daman’s powers of Envy, so he will need to be closely monitored as he grows. But that’s a problem for another day.

Gray

Deadly Sin of Sloth

Height: 5 foot 9

Appearance: Blond hair, often tousled, and brown eyes. Short, small frame.

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Sloth, Gray has black wings with traces of light blue in the feathers. Small bursts of energy, followed by sleepy spells and laziness. Enjoys cuddling and naps.

Weapon: A short-sword.

Power: He can drain the energy of anyone he touches, overriding the sleepy spells of Sloth. If he takes too much, the individual will be completely drained of their life force and die.

Weakness: Celestial steel. Gray has a time limit on how long he can stay alert (unless he drains someone’s energy.) Two and a half hours seems to be his max before sleep claims him. This can be useful intel for the future.

Mate: Mason, a human male with military experience.

Current Location: Echo Bay. He and his mate are currently living with a female witch named Clara.

Personal Notes: Gray appears to be small and innocent, but he is highly skilled with assassination. He’s perhaps one of the deadliest of the cursed sons. Threat risk is medium to high. His father, Belphegor, is imprisoned in the celestial realm. Gray’s alliances may one day shift.

Bellamy

Deadly Sin of Lust

Height: 6 foot 3

Appearance: Wavy golden hair and hazel eyes that change color depending on who’s looking at him. True eye color remains unknown. Trim, lean muscle.

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Lust, Bellamy has black wings with royal blue in the feathers. As previously stated, his eyes change to whatever color the viewer finds most appealing.

Weapon: Dual blades.

Power: He can release pheromones that make him irresistible to anyone; sometimes used for seducing enemies. Those pheromones can also cause anyone nearby to become crazed with lust, resulting in disgusting sexual displays (aka orgies.)

Weakness: Celestial steel. If he doesn’t have sex, he will eventually become weakened. He can’t die from this, but it makes him lethargic and easy to overpower—a notable detail in case of future conflict.

Mate: Phoenix, a demon male. It must be noted that Phoenix is an upper-level demon with powers of telekinesis, teleportation, and was once the right-hand man of Belphegor. He also served Asa Morningstar.

Current Location: Bellamy and Phoenix have traveled the world for the past year. They recently moved to a seaside manor in Echo Bay. Will update if this changes.

Personal Notes: Bellamy seems to be on our side at this time, however, his mate is a demon with an inclination toward wickedness. The threat risk is very high. Will continue to keep a close eye on both of them.

Raiden

Deadly Sin of Gluttony

Height: 6 foot 7

Appearance: Cropped black hair, blue eyes. Bulky, muscled build. Often wears a black hat.

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Gluttony, Raiden has black wings with orange in the feathers. He has an insatiable appetite. If he’s not eating, he’s thinking about food. He loves to cook for his family.

Weapon: He wields a sword.

Power: Raiden’s sin is one of the most disturbing. He can enhance the appetites and desires of those around him—their hunger for power, sex, drink, food, anything that can be indulged in. The disturbing aspect derives from what he can make them do. He can enhance an individual’s appetite so high that they eat anything within their proximity. This can be food, but it can also be rocks, glass, and even other people.

However, it must be noted that Raiden refuses to use this power on anyone.

Weakness: Celestial steel. And his stomach. He regularly snacks between large meals. If he goes too long without eating, he can become aggressive.

Mate: Titan, a Nephilim male.

Current Location: Athens, Greece. Same island as Kallias.

Personal Notes: In my observation, Raiden is even-tempered and big-hearted. The happiness of his family is most important to him. He is giving and kind. Threat risk is extremely low. I have little worries about him.

Alastair

Deadly Sin of Pride

Height: 6 foot 4

Appearance: Silvery blond hair, pale blue eyes, lean build. Greatly resembles his father.

Curse Attributes: As the avatar of Pride, Alastair has black wings with traces of purple in the feathers. Superiority complex (also like his father.)

Weapon: His intellect is a weapon in and of itself, though he also wields a sword.

Power: Pride gives Alastair the power of persuasion. He can boost a person’s ego so high that he can convince them of anything, such as: walking into a roaring fire by telling them they’re immune to the flames, stabbing themselves in the heart by making them believe their skin is impenetrable. As the leader of the cursed sons, he also has direct control over the others. If Alastair gives them a direct order, they cannot refuse.

Weakness: Celestial steel. The need to prove himself can be an advantage to us also. Challenge him and he is nearly powerless to resist. His brothers are another weakness. He would do anything for them. And as much as it irritates me to write this, Lazarus is another weakness. The two have bound their souls.

Mate: Lazarus, a fellow angel. He is a commander of the celestial army, second to Archangel Michael. Wields a whip of lightning. Can be highly dangerous if he ever defects.

Current Location: Irritatingly enough, the celestial realm. Alastair and Lazarus live on the border between the autumn and winter zones.

Personal Notes: Alastair claims to want a simple life with Lazarus, away from battle. In the time since defeating Lucifer, Alastair has kept to this ideology. However, he has the potential to be a truly frightening force if his allegiance ever shifts. Threat assessment is very high. Perhaps him living in the celestial realm is a blessing in disguise so I can keep a close eye on him.

Relaxing with the Author:

Discussing the Series & What Comes Next

I know. Not nearly as exciting as chatting with the boys (haha). But I wanted to discuss the Sons of the Fallen series and let readers know that there will be many more books to come!

The storyline for the Nephilim brothers may be finished (they deserve their happily ever afters), but this book universe is one I have no plans to leave anytime soon. While writing the series, I fell in love with several of the side characters: Konnar, Michael, Baxter, and Taeden. And yes, some of the villains too, like Asa and Vepar.

How many spin-off books will there be? I have no idea. But if a character wants their story told, I’m going to write it. The Sons of the Fallen universe is vast. Dragon shifters, vampires, reapers, angels, faeries, and wolves. I hope to delve into each of them at some point. Some may be standalone novels; others will be part of spin-off series (yes, plural!).

I’m still planning everything out, but I’m excited. That probably means I’ll be writing these books for the next billion years. Totally worth it. I also plan to write a few books unrelated to the Sons of the Fallen—one is seriously hot and set to release in 2023, if all goes well—but to those readers eager for more of these characters, they aren’t going anywhere.

The first character who will be getting a book? This could change, but right now, it’s Michael. I fell hard for that lovable yet badass archangel. Who will be his love interest? I’m keeping that one quiet for now (I’m an evil author, I know), but if you look really hard at Alastair’s book, I’m sure you may have a guess or two. (Innocent whistle.)

Baxter mentioned earlier in his interview notes that he wants his own harem. Will he get one? I think it’s more likely he’ll meet a man that will knock him off his feet. Someday.

For updates on projects I’m currently working on, be sure to follow my social media pages! Also, the Q&A section with Baxter where he asked questions from readers was an exclusive opportunity I posted about in my reader’s group, so be sure to join if you’re interested in being part of anything like that in the future.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Series

It’s interesting reading back over my notes for when this series was just a thought. Names changed from the earlier drafts, and the plot I originally brainstormed evolved and went in directions I didn’t expect once I actually sat down to start writing. I thought it’d be fun to share some of it with you!

First, Simon’s name. When I started writing Galen, Simon was actually ‘Malcolm.’ I got four chapters into the book and struggled. Each time I wrote ‘Malcolm,’ I stared at it with my head cocked (I’ll leave the visual to you.) And then it hit me… his name is Simon. Silly author me.

Another name change? Lazarus used to be ‘Lysander.’ Same thing happened. I hesitated each time I wrote his name and felt something was off. Funny how such a small thing can make me bang my head on my desk (bahaha).

Oh, the ring with Asa’s soul that Simon found in his antique shop that started all of this? Yeah, that wasn’t in the original plot. It used to be a jeweled dagger that was the only weapon in existence that could kill Lucifer. Asa wasn’t even part of it. But then my characters threw that plot line out the window and were like, “Hey, author chick. Lucifer had a son named Asa. He’s in this ring.”

That’s when I trashed my plot and started over. And I’m so glad I did! My characters may be annoying when they go against my plans, but damn, they made the series better because of it. I can’t imagine this storyline being any other way.

Thank you for reading this series. Thank you for loving my boys—and girls, because Clara is a beautiful soul who deserves some love too. I hope you enjoyed this end-of-series companion. It was meant to be a fun way to say goodbye to the Nephilim brothers, though they will most definitely make appearances in future spin-off books.

So, as Raiden would say, it’s not goodbye.

It’s just a ‘see you later.’

Much love, Jaclyn

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Other Books by Jaclyn Osborn

Standalone

Brighter Shades of Light (college professor/student)

Frost (MM Jack Frost retelling)

Perfectly Us

Cheater and the Saint

Tangled Up In You

A Blue Harbor Romance Series

Topping the Jock

Dating the Boss

Sons of the Fallen Series

Galen

Castor

Daman

Gray

Bellamy

Raiden

Alastair

Tales of Fate Series

Found at Sea

The Nymph Prince

A Warrior’s Heart

Historical

Axios: A Spartan Tale

Eryx: A Spartan Tale

Ivy Grove Series

The Ghost of Ellwood

The Curse of Redwood

Unexpected Love Series

His Temptation

His Surrender

His Courage

Christmas

Hensley Manor

A Gift of Time

Love in Addersfield Series

Declan

Royal