Page 52 of Unholy

“I don’t think I will,” he said with certainty. “I mean… you know this means you can’t ever leave me, right? If I leave the guild for you, you’re pretty much obligated to stay with me forever.” His smile was teasing, but his whiskey brown eyes were vulnerable.

Malachi snorted. “Oh, how terrible, an excuse to never leave your side.”

Luke chuckled.

“I told you, treasure, you’re mine. Something in me recognized something in you, and now you’re never getting rid of me. Even if you chose the guild, I’d still be there, watching you from afar. Watching over you.” It would be miserable and lonely, but far less miserable and lonely than he’d be if he stopped seeing Luke entirely.

“God,” Luke breathed, his arms tightening around Malachi. “I’d never do that to you.”

Malachi kissed his chest. “I’m glad.” He didn’t ever want to be without Luke.

Chapter 18

Luke

The next morning,Luke woke with the veritable furnace that was Malachi wrapped around him from behind. Malachi’s bed was unfairly soft, his thread count higher than Luke’s credit score, and Luke realized, with a sense of peace:I want to wake up like this every morning for the rest of my life.

The realization was like a sweet champagne, sparkling and fizzing in his chest, filling him with warmth and the certainty that choosing Malachi was the right move. He rolled onto his back, smiling at Malachi’s relaxed face and wild hair. Yeah, he wanted to wake up to exactly this. He’d never known happiness like this before Malachi came into his life, and he didn’t want to give it up for as long as he lived.

He pressed his mouth to Malachi’s, waiting. Malachi inhaled deeply as he woke, pursing his lips and angling his head to deepen it.

The cork was flying off, he was overflowing. Malachi’s arms wrapped around him, slotting their bodies togetherlike two puzzle pieces lining up. He parted from Malachi, smiling, and said, “I love you.”

Malachi’s crimson eyes widened, his face slackening with shock. “You what?” he breathed. Fingertips brushed Luke’s scarred cheek reverently.

Luke nodded, more certain of this than he’d ever been about anything. “Yeah. I love you. I choose you. I’ll go and talk to Maxwell and Sloan today about handing in my resignation. I don’t ever want to be apart from you.” He’d sacrificed so much for the guild. It was time he did something for himself, and he wanted this. He wanted Malachi and the life they could have together. There was no future for him with the guild, just more pain and more sacrifice. The thought of choosing that over Malachi filled him with despair. He wasn’t happy with the guild, but he was with Malachi. And he was allowed to be happy, wasn’t he?

They might not like it. They would almost certainly try to talk him out of it. But logically, there should be no reason why he couldn’t leave. They couldn’t force him to stay.

Malachi’s face slowly split into a grin. “Luke.” He kissed him, rolling them over and clambering on top of him. “Move in with me.”

He didn’t have to give it a moment’s thought, smiling so hard his face hurt. “I’d love to.”

“I love you too,” Malachi said, then frowned. “I mean, I think I do. I don’t know if demons love the same way humans do. But you’re all I want, all the time, no matter what. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were all I wanted.”

“That sounds like love to me.” He couldn’t stop smiling. Nothing had made him this happy… ever. Nothing that felt this good could be wrong, and nothing anyone said could convince him otherwise.

Malachi kissed him. “Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely. A hundred percent. You’re the one I want. I’m going to resign today.”

Malachi closed his eyes rapturously. “Ah, that’s music to my ears, treasure.” But when his eyes opened, he frowned. “Will they be angry? Will they let you go?”

Luke sighed. “I’m sure they won’t be happy. I don’t know anyone who’s ever resigned from the guild entirely before, but as far as I know, there’s no rule against it. If I tell them I find the thought of retiring to administrative work too shameful, they might buy it.”

“Might?” Malachi asked fretfully.

Luke lifted one shoulder in a helpless shrug. “I’ll say whatever I have to say, Mal, and then I’m coming right back to you. It’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure? They can’t force you to stay, can they?”

Luke’s stomach turned at the thought. In the past, he would have sworn to Malachi that the guild wasn’t like that, but when he remembered the cold look in Sloan’s eyes as he said,“don’t disobey me again,”he hesitated.

Gentle fingers threaded through his hair, calling him back to the present. “Treasure?”

He met Malachi’s ruby red eyes. “I want to say there’s nothing to worry about. Ihopethere’s nothing to worry about.”

“But…” Malachi prompted.

---