Page 13 of Providence

I couldn’t look at her, couldn’t face the compassion, the empathy in her face. My hatred for my father was the one burning ember I could hold onto in the dark, and without it’s light, I was worried I’d be lost.

The baby reached out, wrapping a tiny hand around my thumb. No. I had a new light. I looked at Hope, knowing she could sense my turmoil.

She stepped forward, placing her hand over both mine and Madoc’s. “I know. It’s a lot of history. But this is not a time to hang onto the past. You can have a family. People who will love you. Who will have your back. Just let yourself be open to it.” She looked uncharacteristically solemn. “If you will allow it, he’d like to meet you, and this little guy too.” She leaned down and kissed the top of the baby’s head. “We’ll leave you guys alone now. Call me?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to say the words.

She winked at Judas. “See you soon, Eyepatch. Look after my girl.”

Azriel growled, reaching for her and wrapping her in his arms. Even as they disappeared I could hear her laughter.

7

Judas

Iwas scared to move closer to her. I was worried if I touched her skin, if I kissed her lips, I’d realize this was all a dream and she was really dead. The baby was beginning to doze in her arms, and I moved toward her slowly.

She looked beautiful. Healthier than I’d ever seen her. Whatever the Archangel had done, he restored her to her pre-Uriel health. My heart was beating so wildly in my chest I was surprised I didn’t pass the hell out.

“Judas,” she whispered my name and I was leaping the last few feet. I grabbed her face roughly, and kissed her hard. I punished her with that kiss, my tongue sliding into her mouth, branding her as mine. The edge of desperation told her how truly fucking fearful I’d been that she’d die. I made her promises with that kiss, and she met every one, stroke for stroke, until she was moaning softly beneath my lips.

Cain cleared his throat. “How about I take Madoc right now? He’s way too young to get the birds and the bees talk.”

I pulled back, glancing down at the still sleeping baby. Sera looked down at him, her face soft and filled with love. She kissed his head gently, then passed him to Cain’s huge hands. The baby fit snuggling in those huge mitts. Sera gave him a grateful smile, though she watched him as he put the baby into the crib with newly attained ease.

Then I turned her face back to mine. “Sera,” I growled. “I…” Fuck. I didn’t know what to say. “I was really fucking worried.”

She smiled and pulled me down for a kiss. “I’m sorry.” I almost believed her too. Her shining violet eyes said so many things in that moment. Things I wasn’t ready to define but broke down all the protection around my heart anyway. I wanted to climb between her thighs and make sure she knew she belonged to me. Belonged to us.

Instead, I pulled away. “Come on. I’ll help you shower and get into something clean. Then we better talk about where things will go from here.”

I hated the flash of fear in her eyes. I hated that it reflected my own fear. But I saw the moment she steeled her spine and nodded. I gripped her elbows, dragging her against my body as she stood on unused legs. “How long was I out?”

I shook my head. “Two days. Longest two days of my fucking life,” Solomon grumbled, tugging her into his arms one more time. He kissed her hard. “I’ll go get you something to eat.” He gave me a pointed look, and slapped me on the shoulder as he walked past.

Cain also gave us a knowing look. “I’m going to check that Trig emptied out the Club. Marco nearly shooting Hope really put a damper on the party.”

“He did what?” Dippy squeaked, but I kept herding her toward the bathroom.

We stepped into the tiny ensuite, really too small for the two of us, but I’d be damned if I was leaving her. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to drag myself from her side again.

We stood there, crammed between the vanity and the glass walls of the shower stall. I grabbed her hips gently, pulling her closer so I could kiss her softly.

“I must have some crazy morning breath,” she muttered against my lips and I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t care. She could have rolled in cow shit and been hung out wet, and I’d still think she was too fucking perfect.

To prove the unspoken thought, I kissed her again, deeper this time. All tongue and lips, devouring her like she was my last meal. I reached the edges of her oversized Damnation t-shirt, dragging it up over her body, and it was like unveiling a whole different person. She had soft curved hips, and a flat belly that had more to do with her Archangel healing than nature. I ran my thumbs over the soft curves, higher and higher. Over her full, rounded breasts that made my mouth water. She lifted her arms so I could tug the tank top fully off. Next, I whipped off her bra without nearly as much fanfare, so she was topless in front of me. Topless and so fucking beautiful. I leaned down and flicked my tongue over each taut nipple, and Dippy sucked in a tiny breath. Fuck. I think I could live and die by that sound. I let my eyes drop down to the tiny pair of panties that stood between me and the naked goddess in front of me. I hooked my fingers under them and tore them away.

She gasped and grabbed my hair, pulling my head down so she could kiss me again, this time it was her tongue plundering, her teeth dragging at my bottom lip.

I pulled away, panting. I was literally seconds away from propping her up on the too small vanity and fucking her senseless. I reached in and turned on the shower, waiting for the water to be perfect before nudging her gently in.

“Judas,” she begged, and I hushed her. I was holding onto my self-control by a fucking thread. If she begged me to fuck her right now, I’d probably nail her right through the fucking shower wall. Like the good girl she was, she stepped into the shower, sighing happily as the water rushed over her body.

I was so fucking hard. My jeans felt like a torture device. I watched as the water flowed down over her delicious curves, I wanted to catch every single drop with my tongue. She picked up her body wash, some fruity thing that Solomon had picked up for her from Bed, Bath and Beyond, and put a dollop on her hands. Then she lathered every single inch of skin that I wanted to touch. She seemed to be paying special attention to her breasts, and when I managed to drag my eyes away from her tits and back to her face, I saw that she was grinning at me. Cheeky fucking bitch.

I raised an eyebrow at her, and she tilted her head back. “I think I need help getting my back, Judas. I feel very weak but I’d like to be very, very clean.” Her voice was husky and my already rock hard dick got painfully harder. “You might need to get in here with me.”

I shook my head, but I was pulling off my clothes before she’d even finished her sentence. I was helpless to fucking resist. I groaned when my dick sprung free, and I kicked my pants into the corner. I slid into the shower behind her, and there was barely six inches between our bodies. The head of my dick slid against the soft curve of her lower back and I bit back another groan.

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