Page 25 of Far From Center
That would be awesome. “No, I’m fine. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” His arm tightened around her shoulder. “You can ask me anything.”
“Is it so horrible? Being human?”
The elevator dinged for their floor before he responded. “At first it was too much sensation all at once and I felt as though I was going insane. I felt completely powerless. I still feel that way sometimes. My physical form battles me for control, and sometimes wins. I’m not used to that. And I’m not used to having such inadequate skills and abilities. But even with the limitations, being human has an odd appeal.”
“Like what?”
“It’s hard to describe. There’s a closeness, a bond that develops quite quickly with other humans. It’s similar to what I feel for my siblings, but different. There’s a physiological component to it that borders on sinful, but somehow transcends those base instincts.”
“I think you described it perfectly.”
They walked to the room, and just as Nyalla was about to swipe her key card, Gabriel stopped her. “Do you enjoy being human, Nyalla?”
“It’s all I know.”
“But it isn’t all you know. Was there ever a time when you were growing up in Hel that you wished you were an elf?”
“Never. I’ve met some wonderful elves recently, but when I was in Hel the only ones I had contact with were horrible beings. Actually I used to wish I was a demon so that I could sneak into the elven lands and burn them all to a crisp.”
“Revenge degrades your vibration pattern. It’s far more beneficial to forgive.”
“But aren’t you pursuing Tura for revenge? I don’t see you forgiving him.”
Gabriel jerked back, as if she’d slapped him. “No, I’m pursuing him for justice. He needs to come before the Ruling Council to answer for his crimes.”
“And what happens if it seems he might slip away again? Will you take justice into your own hands? Because that sounds awfully close to revenge in my mind.”
He stared at her for a moment. “Perhaps we should enter the room. You appear fatigued. I believe the time for sleep is upon us.”
Nyalla snorted and turned to swipe her keycard. He could shift topics and evade the conversation, but he’d never be able to ignore what she’d said. There was nothing wrong with vengeance in her mind, but clearly Gabriel needed to think through his motives, and decide whether he was as much of a stickler for the rules he’d always claimed to be, or if there was another side of him.
Flicking on the lights, she looked around the room. Everything was still neat and tidy from Gabriel’s housekeeping efforts earlier. It was still early, but after everything she’d been through today, Nyalla was feeling like she wanted to curl up on a soft mattress with a good book, or perhaps some television.
And why did her mind immediately put Gabriel in bed beside her, reading a book of his own, or snoring lightly with his arms wrapped around her? He was an angel. She wasn’t going to get him drunk and she wasn’t going to seduce him. As if she evencouldseduce him. This wasn’t Nils, a Fallen who was reluctantly coming to terms with sexual desire. This was Gabriel, the most straight-laced, rule-focused of all the archangels. He might kiss her, joke about his occasional erection. He might drink beverages, and eventually eat food, but there was no way he would ever indulge in sins of the flesh. Even now that he had a body purpose-built for such activities.
And that thought had her eyeing his purpose-built body. Wow. Just wow. He was so…. Jacked was the word Terrelle used? But it was more than his muscles. It was his crazy dark hair, his eyes that shifted from blue to green to gray even as a human. It was that sexy scowl that made her legs go weak and wobbly.
“You take the bed,” she told him gallantly, forcing the tantalizing images of him sleeping next to her from her mind. And definitely forcing the images of him making love to her from her mind. “I’ll take the sofa.”
He scowled. Oh, Goddess, he was so sexy when he scowled.
“No. I willnottake the bed.” He stomped over to the sofa and plopped down swinging his legs up. Nyalla stifled a laugh. His shoulders were so broad that half his body was hanging over the edge. His legs were draped over one of the sofa arms at the knee.
“Get. In. The. Bed.” She made her words as stern as possible given how close she was to a fit of giggles, then pointed dramatically. “You don’t fit on the sofa. I do. Now stop being honorable and be sensible.”
He gave her a side-eye, arching up a dark eyebrow. Then he sighed and got to his feet. “You are a very bossy human woman. And I find it very hard to argue with you. You win.”
The angel went into the bedroom, pausing at the threshold and looking back, as if he wanted to say something. Then he gave her an embarrassed smile and wished her goodnight, leaving the bedroom door open.
She heard him moving around in there, then the squeak of the mattress, followed rapidly by the rhythmic sound of his breathing. Getting up from the couch, she took a quick peek inside, transfixed by the man sprawled fully-clothed across the bed, his arms crushing a pillow against his chest. How she wished she was that pillow. Tip-toeing in, she pulled a tank top from one of the dresser drawers, then went into the bathroom and changed for bed. She’d need to pick up a toothbrush for Gabriel in addition to the clothing. And probably a razor. He could hardly use hers, and after a day, he’d have some whisker scruff. Although Gabe with whisker scruff would be incredibly sexy. Whisker scruff, and that scowl. Oh, wow, the idea was turning her on. And there was no way she was going to take care of things herself with Gabriel just one thin wall away. What if he woke up and caught her rubbing one off on the couch? Would he think her sinful?
What did she care what he thought? He was an angel. He was a sanctimonious jerk of an angel, according to Sam. But in spite of what the imp had told her, Nyalla liked Gabriel. He had a sweet, honest kind of innocence about him. And it wasn’t just his scowl that was sexy. When he looked at her with those gray-green-blue eyes, she felt special. She felt like maybe down deep inside he considered her an angel too.
With a sigh, Nyalla plopped down on the sofa, using a beach towel as a blanket. It was going to be a long night. This sofa had to be the most uncomfortable thing she’d ever slept on. Or not-slept on. It didn’t help that she knew Gabriel was in the next room, with the pillow bunched up under his head and his legs sprawled across the mattress. She’d rather be in there with him, but that wasn’t to be. What was her weird fixation with angels anyway? Her brief affair with Nils had ended badly, and she’d sworn to only date humans, or possibly werewolves, from that point on, but here she was lusting after an angel who was sleeping innocently in her bed while she tossed and turned on the sofa.
Yes, it was going to be a very long night.
* * *
Around midnight, she just couldn’t take it anymore. There was no way she’d get any sleep on this horrid couch, and she needed to be well-rested if she was going to deal with a Gormand. The bed was huge. Gabriel was fully clothed. She had on a tank top and underwear. They could certainly sleep next to each other without being overcome with passion. Getting up, she crept into the room, sliding in next to the angel and tugging the blanket over her legs.
An arm came around her waist and hauled her over, wrapping her tight against a warm body. He mumbled something into her hair, then sighed.
Okay. Nyalla lay awake for a while, just enjoying the press of him against her, then she drifted off to sleep, feeling content.
