Archangel’s Ascension (The Guild Hunter Series)

Many people would’ve flinched from the taut bite of Aodhan’s anger; it was a thing as controlled and deadly as a scalpel in a surgeon’s hand. Slow though Aodhan was to anger, when he did give in to the emotion, it was with the same intense passion that he brought to his art. But Illium had been tangling with his lover’s quiet but intractable temper near to his entire lifetime.

He stood firm.

“This is a bruise that goes to the soul, Adi. The healers’ book also says that it only becomes apparent when there is infinite trust between both parties.” Aodhan could allow the fear to rise because he trusted Illium not to take advantage of it.

His best friend’s jawline didn’t soften, but he said, “I’ll read it,” in a voice that was pure rough grit.

“Why don’t we read it together?” Shoving aside his own rage at people long dead, Illium tried out his most charming smile. “While I’m snuggled up to you and you’re giving me a shoulder massage.”

Aodhan’s lips twitched. “You just want a shoulder massage.”

To see his Sparkle’s smile return even that much, it made Illium’s heart turn cartwheels. “I mean, two birds and all that.” Reaching out, he ran his fingers through Aodhan’s hair, fascinated as always by how soft it was when it glittered so diamond bright.

Smoke yawned just then, displaying sharp feline teeth, then jumped out of Aodhan’s arms to pad into the bedroom. “She’s probably on the bed again.” Illium bit down on his lower lip. “I did promise.”

Grabbing the side of his neck, Aodhan drew him close enough to kiss. “We’re both too tired to read that book tonight, but I’ll give you a shoulder massage.”

Illium stole another kiss on the way to the bedroom. This time to the line of that stubborn jaw. Their wings tangled, biceps pressed together. “Have I mentioned that you’re hot when you’re angry?”

“I’ll have to remember that.” Aodhan smiled.

It was a punch right to Illium’s heart, his entire being melting in ways that should’ve probably concerned him. But he was too drunk on Adi to care.

Smoke had indeed curled up in the center of the bed like the queen of the castle. Leaving her there, Illium took off the top of his leathers but tugged on a simple white tee straight after.

“It’ll be uncomfortable for you,” Aodhan murmured, nodding at Illium’s leather pants.

Illium was about to say it didn’t matter when he realized it did to Aodhan. “Wait a minute. I think I have…” Digging through his clothes, he held up a pair of pajama pants in pale green with chirping bluebirds on them. “Janvier’s gag gift finally has its day.”

Grooves around Aodhan’s mouth, that deep smile one Illium had missed for an eon. “You’re adorable.”

Illium felt his own cheeks heat up. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to handle compliments, but that this was Aodhan saying those words, looking at him in a way that did dangerous things to his self-control. No shields, no distance, just unadulterated want and a love that was a thing of warrior possessiveness.

His heart kicked.

Breathing shallow, he ducked into the attached bathroom to change even though they’d been naked around each other more than once in the way of warriors stripping off after a battle to bathe. Things had changed. They looked at each other with lovers eyes now, and tonight, this, was about comfort—not only of the body, but of the soul.

When he returned, it was to a room bathed in the soft glow of a small bedside lamp. Aodhan had activated the blinds, cocooning them in warm privacy.

Illium’s Adi, his skin and hair ashine but not harsh in their glitter in this light, had taken off his shoes, but kept on the linen pants he’d worn to the party.

He already sat on the bed, his back to the headboard, one knee raised, the other stretched straight out, and his hand on a dozing Smoke. Illium, skin hot and body wanting to react in ways that weren’t right for this moment, held his breath as he settled himself with his back to Aodhan’s chest.

Smoke’s head poked up.

Chuckling past the desire that choked his throat, he picked her up to cradle her against his chest. “Is this all right?” he asked Aodhan. “How I’m sitting against you?”

Aodhan’s answer was a firm stroke of the arch of Illium’s left wing. Having not expected the intimate touch, a touch that went straight to his cock, Illium jerked up, disturbing Smoke—who flounced off to curl up in her well-lined and plush basket with her back to them. “Adi.” It came out a croak. “That wasn’t the plan.”

“You know what I just figured out?” Aodhan murmured against his ear, his hand gripping Illium’s other wing arch. “I have no problem when I’m the one doing the touching.” Another firm stroke on that part of a wing that was only ever to be touched by healers—or lovers.

Illium’s body grew rigid, his pulse a drum as his back arched into the muscled heat of Aodhan, warrior artist and blood-friend who’d refused to let Illium walk into battle alone.

That was when he felt it.

A thick, dark heat against his lower back, the two of them separated only by linen and soft cotton.

The realization that Aodhan wanted him as badly made his toes curl, his abdomen clench.

But Aodhan didn’t continue the caresses, instead nuzzling Illium. “Blue-mine, this won’t be about you giving to me. I forbid it.”

“First of all, you can’t forbid me to do anything. Even if you just called me ‘mine’ in that deep voice and scrambled my brain. And secondly,” Illium rasped through a dry throat, “why is it so sexy that you’re forbidding me to do something in bed?”

Aodhan ran a finger down Illium’s throat. “Because you’re a contrarian.” His voice was a low hum against Illium’s body. “I want this to be give-and-take. That means I give of my body as you give of yours.”

Illium groaned. Whatever fears he had, they had nothing to do with his physical attraction to Aodhan. “You’re going to be responsible for my sad and very aroused demise.”

A chuckle…followed by a suckling kiss of his throat that made Illium’s body harden to near pain. “Adi.”

Another nuzzle before Aodhan leaned back, tugging at Illium so he lay supine against him. Reaching out a hand, Aodhan switched off the lamp, then opened the blinds using the remote.

New York danced with man-made starlight beyond the windows.

“I want this for us,” Aodhan said, the words a rough confession. “The soft and the playful and the dance before the dance.”

Illium’s heart ached all over again. Lifting Aodhan’s hand from where it lay against his pectoral muscle, he brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to a palm callused by centuries of both weapons work and the making of the art that was Aodhan’s lifeblood. “We’ll have it,” he vowed. “Starting with our first official date.”

Aodhan’s chest moved against him in quiet laughter. But his words were intrigued. “A date? Me and you?”

“Why not?” Illium ran his hand down Aodhan’s forearm. “What should it be? A sunset cruise? No, too many people. How about a sunset picnic tucked away in the Catskills where no one can disturb us.”

Aodhan was quiet for a long moment before he said, “Yes, let’s do that.” He ran his fingers through Illium’s hair. “I’ll speak to Keir alone about my reaction first. Later, we’ll speak to him together.”

“You don’t have to include me, not if—”

“You have a right to be there,” Aodhan interrupted in that firm voice of his that was really doing things for Illium. “You’re going to be navigating this final fucking hurdle with me.”

Aodhan didn’t swear as much as most of the Seven. But when he did, he meant it. Illium kissed his palm again. “I’ll be there, sir.”

“Smart-ass.” A rumble of sound but Aodhan continued to stroke his hair.

Smoke, who’d decided they’d been ignored long enough, came back over to jump onto the bed and, when Illium gathered her to him, cuddled into him without claws or hisses.

Neither of them spoke again.

Illium’s eyes closed under Aodhan’s hypnotic caresses, the other man’s big body around him and Illium’s wings tangled up in between in a trust he’d never before given to a lover. Always, Illium had been in charge. He didn’t trust anyone else that much.

Except for the man who was his light.

Aodhan woke curled up behind Illium, one wing over him, and his arm tucking Illium close. Aodhan had remembered to close the blinds before he fell asleep, so the room was gray with shadows, no sunlight pouring in to turn him into an earthbound star. Sometimes, his tendency to sparkle was fucking annoying more than anything.

Smoke lay sleeping in the curve of Illium’s body, but raised her head when Aodhan stirred.

“Shh.” Aodhan used a finger to pet her back down; her fur was as soft as a cloud.

Yawning, she cuddled back into Illium’s chest. Aodhan smiled. Because that was Illium: rescuing the lost and the broken, and holding them safe and warm.

His smile faded on the thought—because he was once again the one who needed tending, needed help.

“No,” he said aloud, refusing to allow himself to go down that self-destructive path. He’d accepted Illium’s need to care as a deep part of his lover’s psyche—and so he would let Illium care and even hover.

The difference was that he intended to give the other man what he needed, too.

Pressing a kiss to the golden skin of Illium’s shoulder, he slipped out of bed as quietly as possible. But Illium was a warrior honed in battle, one who’d spent a good chunk of the past year in a territory devastated by evil. He woke at once. “Time is it?” A mumble.

“Early,” Aodhan said. “But I have a meeting with Dmitri in an hour. You rest.” The two of them were old enough not to need the same amount of sleep as mortals, but Illium had flown halfway across the world. He needed downtime.

Turning over onto his back, Illium blinked those golden eyes slowly, before a smile curved his lips. “Hi.”

Aodhan had painted Illium thousands of times over the centuries, but never this way. With his hair all mussed and that sleepy look on his face, his impossibly beautiful lashes shadowing his cheeks because he had them at half-mast.noveldrama

All while he held a purring cat to his chest and stroked her with lazy movements.

“Really, you look at me like that and expect me to focus.” Aodhan mock-scowled before leaning down, his wings spread over them, to brush his lips over Illium’s.

Smoke reached up to bat at his feathers with one paw, her claws sheathed.

Used to her fascination with his feathers, Aodhan let her be to concentrate on the man who flat-out undid him. “I should paint you like this—except naked, with only a sheet to protect your modesty—and sell prints. I’d make a fortune.” The only hitch was that he’d never share this intimate Illium with his drowsy smile with anyone; whatever he painted would be for their eyes alone.

Illium chuckled before reaching up to run his fingers along the underside of Aodhan’s wing. The soft feathers there weren’t anywhere near as sensitive as the ones at the arches, but a small shiver rolled over Aodhan nonetheless. Because it wasn’t just about biology—it was about Illium touching him.

“As long as you do one for me of you shirtless and barefoot while you scowl at the easel. I love that intense look you get.” His eyes glowed without warning, a thing impossible for anyone but an archangel.

Aodhan forced himself to maintain his composed expression. Ascension continued to be an unwanted shadow that loomed over Illium. Telling him of the fleeting energy surge would only ruin his day—and Aodhan didn’t want to do anything to erase his smile.

All he could do was hope that the violent power of the Cadre wouldn’t abuse the heart of the boy who’d been his best friend, a heart that had matured in the powerful man he’d become, but never lost its gentle, kind core. “I’m going to go before I surrender to your wiles and end up late for my meeting.”

Illium’s shoulders moved as he laughed. “I do have good wiles.”

But he rose with Aodhan when Aodhan lifted himself back to his full height. And he got out of bed to walk Aodhan to the door. Smoke, who he’d put on the floor, stretched luxuriously, back arched and tail curling upward, before she padded happily at their side. “What’s the meeting about?”

“Cleaning up the city. Lot of crime got ignored or obfuscated by the war.” The aftermath had also been chaotic. “The mortals are dealing with the mortal-on-mortal crimes, while the Tower is handling anything that might involve an immortal or almost immortal. Dmitri’s got a cold case he wants me to look at.”

Illium’s eyes had grown sharper, more alert since the instant he woke, and now they lit up. “That sounds interesting.”

Aodhan pointed a stern finger his way. “No. Get that look off your face.” He scowled, once again confronted with how much weight Illium had lost, his bones pushing too hard against his cheeks. “You’ve earned a serious vacation. No one’s going to expect you to do any work for at least a month.”

“What I’ve earned is the chance to work in my own city,” Illium muttered with as dark a scowl. “I’ll see you up there—I’m going to horn in on your case and you can’t stop me.”

Throwing up his hands, Aodhan nonetheless couldn’t squelch his pleasure at the idea of having Illium so close after their separation. “Smoke’s welcome at tech command. Vivek and the others enjoy her company, and there’s always someone there so she won’t be lonely.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’d better go. Meeting’s at eight thirty.”

“I promised Mother I’d call her the morning after I reached home, so I’ll be a little late, but don’t leave the Tower without me.”

“Tell Eh-ma I send my love.” Aodhan couldn’t help reaching out to brush his fingers over Illium’s jaw, the tactile contact making his body clench…and Illium suck in a breath.