Page 20 of Witch's Rebirth
"Hey," I said quietly to Ash's silent back as he watched the sunrise out of the kitchen window.
He turned, pinning me with that icy stare and cool, calculated expression. "Hey, love."
I approached him warily, only relaxing when he extended an arm out to wrap around my shoulders. I circled mine around his firm torso, relishing in his strength coiled up like a trap ready to spring.
"You're not angry with me?"
His arm tightened around me, his thumb reaching to brush against my cheekbone.
"No, my love. I'm just not thrilled with the situation."
He didn't have to specify. It wasn't so much that Seth's presence was an elephant in the room. We all had acknowledged it in some way or another. But I hated that he and my other two were basically waiting on me to make some kind of executive decision.
I didn't want that kind of power. More than anything, I didn't want to hurt my guys. But none of this was Seth's fault either. He didn't deserve to be hurt any more than he already had.
The realization hit me that I was starting to care about Seth's feelings. Maybe not as much as my guys but definitely enough to not wish any pain on him. Which only made things more confusing for me.
I pressed my face into Ash's side, wishing the rest of the world would just go away. "What do you think I should do?"
"Love, you know I can't tell you that," he sighed. "You're the first and only woman for me. I'm more biased than anyone."
"Then answer this for me." I propped my chin on his chest to look up at him. "If I accept him, how will that make you feel? You're the only one who hasn't outright told me how that decision will affect you."
He took my hand and slipped it under his shirt. Not that I ever disliked feeling my angel's naked skin but I looked at him with confusion. That is, until he placed my palm over the sigil tattoos on his chest.
They pulsed with extra heat than the surrounding skin, a direct link between him and Hell, every demon's home when not on Earth.
"Do you remember when you asked me why I wear your sigil above Lucifer's?" Ash's eyes burned into mine.
I nodded. We were curled up in bed at their house in San Francisco when we had that conversation. Was it really only weeks ago?
"And what did I say?"
"That I come first for you," I answered. "Always."
"It's still true." His thumb rubbed across the back of my palm that rested on his chest. "I found you first. I fell for you first. I'll always want you to myself a little more than the others, no matter how many others you have."
I slid my hand out from underneath his shirt and placed both palms on the soft bristles of his beard.
"You remember what I told you in that same talk we had, right?"
A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes. "You said that I come first for you too."
I stood on tiptoe to reach his lips. He wrapped one powerful arm around me and lifted me the rest of the way. With the first caress of his tongue, I felt him all the way to my toes. The softness of his lips and coarseness of his beard made a contrast that awakened my flesh, eager to not miss any sensation of him against me.
Despite being once a divine immortal and then a damned one, he was so refreshingly human and I loved that about him. Possessive, sometimes hot and cold but always pondering something. Intelligent, wise, a natural born leader. He prided himself on being a rational thinker, but we both knew emotions affected him too. My fallen angel was imperfect but absolutely perfect for me.
"You'll always come first for me too, angel." I whispered against his mouth.
9
ASHTAROTH
Deja was practically falling asleep on me in the kitchen, so I carried her up to bed despite her protests. I tucked her in next to Raum, who wasted no time in throwing an arm over her slender waist and pulling her in close. I held back a chuckle as I closed the door and headed back downstairs. That guy had been through a lot in the past few days. I could wait my turn.
When I came down to see Seth pouring himself a cup of coffee from my pot, I resisted the urge to curl my lip and growl.
"Sure, help yourself," I muttered, rounding the counter to hunt for another clean cup.
