Page 7 of The Nephilim's Touch
“I hope you’re okay with me touching you,” someone whispers, then there’s a light pressure on my face. The warm cloth instantly soothes me.
“I don’t know who you are, but you can touch me anytime.”
They squeak when I circle my hands around their waist. I’m enjoying the peace and quiet with my eyes closed, but I want to see who disturbs my slumber so sweetly. Also, why on earth are they sitting on me?
Slowly, I force my eyes open and suck in a breath. There’s a halo of light illuminating their pretty black hair that just dusts their shoulders. It looks so damn soft with gentle waves. Brown eyes take me in as I imprint every detail of them into my memory. Their plush lips part and a pretty pink tongue pokesout to moisten them. They’re slight build, but there’s muscle there, too.
“Are you an angel?” The words blurt out before I can stop myself.
They shake their head and give me the smallest smile. “Close.”
What the hell does that mean?
“I’m Gabe. He him.” Gabe still hasn’t moved, and I don’t want him to. His t-shirt is covered in blood.Myblood, I realize. He drops his gaze to my chest, right where the countdown device sits and his cheeks go pink. “I was told you’re Van. Nice to meet you, finally.”
“Hopefully, all the stories were good ones.” I smirk, knowing full well he’s probably heard all of my worse parts.
“They certainly entertained me.” The cutest grin graces his face, and I swear the halo gets brighter.
There’s a pop to our left and the familiar crackle of energy I know to be Warwick fills the room.
“Well, I knew what to expect from you, Van.” My brother crosses his arms over his chest and frowns at the two of us. “But Gabe, I thought you’d be able to resist my brother.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” Gabe says, going even pinker and scrambles to get off me.
“Aw, I want you to stay, angel,” I tease, as I tighten my hold around his hips.
Warwick ignores me to address Gabe directly. “You are straddling my brother. What do you think it looks like?”
Gabe squeezes his towel so hard the water drips into my chest. “I couldn’t reach anything from the side of the bed and he was passed out and?—”
Wick’s lips twitch, and he doubles over. “I’m just giving you a hard time. I’m glad that of all the people to find him, it’s you.”
“I didn’t find him, he sorta?—”
“Poe shoved me through the veil right into Hex.” I growl, causing Gabe to shiver on top of me. If he doesn’t watch it, he’ll make me hard and I’m fighting as it is.
Wick’s glee fades away. “I wish you would have just faced the consequences earlier. Now you have to deal with this.” He waves a hand towards me and I assume he means the countdown.
“I’ve never been one to make things easy on myself.”
“I know.” Warwick runs a hand through his hair and gives methe lookthat says he wants to talk, and I owe him that. I owe him a lot.
The moment I release Gabe, he slides off me and scurries away with his bowl of water. I almost wish he’d stay.
Wick sits on the bed and I have to wonder if the frame will hold up, I’m already a lot of weight on it.
“You can’t keep doing this shit,” he says. He clutches the edge of the mattress like a lifeline and refuses to look at me. “I’m tired of being punished foryourfuck ups. It’s exhausting.”
My stomach tumbles and I push myself up to sit, but my nerve endings are on fire and I have to grit my teeth. “What has Poe done?”
“Not him,you.” Wick pokes me in the stomach. “I’ve had to get double the deals since you ran away. You’d think Poe would have figured out you just don’t give a fuck back when he assigned me my crossroads at fifteen because of you.”
“I give a fuck,” I mumble.
“Funny way of showing it.” Wick’s never ever talked to me like this. We’re as close as can be. He’s the rational thinker while I’m… me.
I squeeze his shoulder. “You don’t understand. Poe?—”
