Page 31 of Fallen

Talon looked remarkably…soft. In black sweats and a plain black T-shirt, he was without the leather jacket for the first time. His raven’s-feather hair was mussed, and—was that a pillow crease on his cheek? His expression softened with amusement at Alex’s outburst.

“You do. They’re cute, little bird.”

He gaped furiously. “I—I’m going to change, and when I get back, you’re not going to be here anymore.”

“You asked me a question. I came here to answer. I figured coming here would be easier than talking over text. I’m sure you have a lot to say.”

Alex balled his hands into fists. “Oh, I have a lot I’d like to say. But the main thing is that you need toleave. We’re done, you and I. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s over.” He strode past Talon and into the bedroom.

“Why?” Talon followed. “Because you enjoyed yourself? Because you realized it wasn’t all conjured up by your imagination?”

“Because you’re a demon!” He yanked open one of the dresser drawers and pulled out a clean pair of heather gray sweats. The coffee was now thoroughly soaked into his current ones. “Get out! I have to change.”

Talon leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms haughtily. “I had a finger in your ass last night, but this is where you draw the line?”

Alex flushed from root to tip, burning under Talon’s knowing gaze. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

“Iasked youif you wanted me to stop. You very explicitly said ‘no, don’t stop.’ Remember?”

Humiliation cut through him, and he sagged. He had, hadn’t he?

“I didn’t…” Despair rushed through him, clogging his throat. “I thought it was adream.”

Talon was quiet for a long moment—long enough for Alex to wonder what his face was doing, but he couldn’t bring himself to raise his gaze.

“Did you really?” Talon finally asked, his tone carefully blank.

“Yes.” Hadn’t he? One moment Talon had yanked him from his usual nightmares and taken him to his room, and the next he’d been awake and he reallywas. Last night had lacked all the other qualities of his usual dreams. Everything had felt visceral in a way the fuzzy, muted dreams never did. He’d told himself it was a dream, told himself there was no way Talon could’ve gotten past his wards, that it had to be a dream… but it wasn’t.

He sat down on the foot of the bed, coffee-soaked sweats forgotten. “No,” he confessed. His eyes burned with frustrated tears, and he twisted the fabric of the clean sweats between his hands. “No, I didn’t really think it was a dream. But that means I should’ve put a stop to it. It was wrong. It shouldn’t have happened. Whatever you’re doing to me, whatever the reason, it has to end now.” He closed his eyes, bowing his head in defeat. It didn’t matter how good it felt or how pretty Talon’s words sounded. Alex wasn’tsafewith Talon. He couldn’t be.

He was a demon.

Gentle hands on his thighs shocked him from his thoughts. He sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes sprang open. Talon was right in front of him, on his knees.

“I am truly sorry for causing you this stress, for what it’s worth,” Talon said kindly. “The truth is, I don’t know why I’m doing this. I don’t know why I can’t seem to stop thinking about you. You awoke something in me I didn’t even know was there. You’re so full of life. You’re my antithesis. I had been dormant for centuries before you arrived like a beam of light in the darkness. And I knew I would do anything to have you be mine. A part of you has burrowed inside me, and I can’t get you out. I’m not going anywhere. You can send me away, if you want, but I’ll be there when you fall asleep.”

“Why?” He didn’t understand. What was Talon saying? That he was stuck with him from now on? Talon was going to be his unfairly attractive shadow for the rest of his life?

“I don’t know why,” Talon said again. “I just know you’re mine.”

Alex stared. Talon gave a little shrug, like it was a foregone conclusion.

Alex swallowed hard. “Don’t I get a choice in this?”

“Of course,” Talon breathed. “You could walk away. I would hate it, but I would let you. Your dreams could be the only place we see each other, if you won’t have me in reality. I have the power to force what I want from you, but where would the fun be in that? I want you to surrender to me, little bird. I want you to be as desperate for me as I am for you. I want mine to be the only name you cry out in need.”

Before he could formulate a response, Talon was hooking his hands in the coffee-stained sweats and tugging. Alex sputtered, trying to move away, and that was enough for Talon to get them down his thighs. He hastily grabbed at his boxers to keep them from sliding down, too.

“What are you?—”

“Well, there’s no point in you sitting here in sullied clothing, is there?” Talon murmured, taking the clean sweats from him and threading one foot at a time through them.

Alex’s face burned anew. He couldn’t remember anyone in his lifeeverdressing him. He lifted his weight enough for Talon to pull the waistband up past his rear, leaning all the way between his legs to do so. And once he was there, he didn’t move away, resting his elbows on either side of Alex’s legs and fitting his hands around Alex’s hips. It wasn’t an overtly sexual touch, but it still felt unusuallyintimate.His head tilted, midnight eyes staring up at Alex as though waiting for his next refrain.

He searched for the anger that had fizzled out. “You said halflings can’t dreamwalk. There’s nothing in our archives about that being possible. I didn’t think…”

Talon looked almost pitying. “Oh, little bird, I’m not a halfling.”

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