Page 33 of Fallen

Talon smiled, slow and smug.

“What?” Alex asked. “Why are you smiling?”

“You said ‘they.’”

“Yeah, and?”

“Not ‘we.’ You’re not threatening to kill me. You don’t want me to go.”

Why was Alex’s mouth so dry?

Talon shifted as though making himself comfortable. “If the only thing keeping us apart is the guild, I can handle that. Organizations like that are fluid. Nothing lasts forever.”

Alex balked. “What? The guild’s been around for centuries.”

“Bah.” He waved a dismissive hand. When his gaze met Alex’s, he was ensnared by thewarmthin those dark depths. “Everything that happened in your dreams was real. Everything I said, I meant. Everything you—everything webothfelt there was real.” His eyes went heavy-lidded, and he leaned in, pressing their foreheads together. “You make me feel things I didn’t think were possible,” he whispered. “Don’t throw this away just because they tell you to.”

Everywhere they touched, Alex burned. His body tingled with need, an ache swelling within him as strong as the tide. He tilted his head, succumbing, and sealed their mouths together in a deep, drugging kiss. Talon’s tongue invaded his mouth at once, strong fingers curling around the back of his neck as though to stop him from escaping. His other hand remained on Alex’s hip, gripping firmly. Alex felt as though he needed the grounding touch, like he might fly apart without it.

All too soon, he forced himself to back away. Talon chased his lips with a low, inhuman growl, and a shiver went down Alex’s spine as he let himself be captured. Talon rose, pressing him down onto the bed, and a breathy sound escaped Alex’s mouth as their bodies lined up. It felt far too good.

And in his experience, good things didn’t last.

He pushed Talon away, his lungs seizing with panic. This was bad. This was wrong. He couldn’t let this happen.

“Little bird—” Talon’s protests ground to a halt when he looked at Alex’s face. He’d never seen him look genuinelyconcernedbefore. “Alex.” The sound of his name from Talon’s mouth snagged in his mind. “Breathe.”

Air wheezed into his lungs. It wasn’t enough.

“Okay, close your eyes.”

He obeyed, forgetting for a moment that he wasn’t supposed to be trusting the demon like this, and Talon’s weight disappeared. Alex couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.

“Picture yourself someplace calm and safe. Somewhere that makes you happy.”

The beach sprung to mind. He imagined himself standing there with Talon beside him, just out of sight, staring at the sunset. The pressure in his chest eased, and he took a deep breath, swearing he could taste the saltwater.

When he blinked his eyes open, he turned his head to look at Talon, propped up on an elbow and gazing down at him warmly.

“I suppose it could be overwhelming to hear that an immortal demon plans to keep you company for the rest of your life whether you like it or not,” he said lightly.

Alex covered his face with both hands. “Don’t say things like that.”

“I’m willing to take things slower, if it would ease your mind.”

Take thingsslower? What was this, a relationship? Alex sat up sharply. “Talon.” He stopped, not sure what he could say to sway the demon. Nothing had worked so far.

Talon sat up beside him, smiling easily. “Fine. I’ll go. I’ll give you space. You’ll see things my way soon enough.”

Alex shot him a halfhearted scowl. He was too tired to argue any more. “Why are you so confident?”

“Because I’m old, little bird.” He stood, guiding Alex’s face up and bestowing a fond kiss to his forehead. “I know inevitability when I see it.”

He disappeared before Alex’s eyes, leaving him with uncertainty and a strange longing that he didn’t want to examine too closely.

Chapter 11

Alex

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