Page 40 of Seraph's Tears
I shivered at his touch.
“Put the blanket back around your shoulders,” he directed, plucking at it. “You’re getting goosebumps.”
“I don’t think these goosebumps are from the cold,” I muttered, but obeyed. Even though I felt better, parts of my blood were still ice in my veins.
“I will heal,” he promised. “And I would’ve pulled away from you if it had been unbearable.”
I raised one brow at that. I couldn’t imagine my morose, honorable seraph admitting to pain.
“It would never grow unbearable,” he added, softer now. “Because they are your tears.”
My heart melted. I arranged myself on the rug, still on my side, and wrapped one arm around his lower chest, taking care to avoid the burns. “I don’t fully understand.”
“We don’t, either,” Gabriel admitted. “It was a shock when we saw the ocean for the first time.”
“Do oceans not exist in your world?”
He shook his head. “Rivers, a few lakes, that sort of thing. There is a sea, and it is…what do humans call it? Brackish? We know to avoid getting wet there. The Gar do not have such a weakness, and they have used saltwater against us in war. But that is nothing compared to the ocean or, I suppose, human tears.” His voice turned wryly amused.
“That’s why you think Daniel died,” I said. “He didn’t just disappear while crossing an ocean. He disappeared while crossing a poisonous ocean without a ship to give him rest.”
Gabriel nodded. “But that doesn’t matter here, with this, or with you.” He tapped his chest. “I would do it all over again. There are mere burns, my Eve. Nothing compared to the fright I experienced while searching for you.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I said again. “I didn’t know.”
He frowned, face turning thunderous. “Do not run off like that again.”
Part of me balked at receiving such an order. The other part of me knew he was only acting so fierce and demanding because he’d actually been frightened.
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his creased brow. “I’ll stay safe,” I promised.
“Good.” He eyed me, as if still considering whether he could take me at my word.
I yawned, then clapped a hand over my mouth.
The tension eased from his face. “You’re sleepy. And I’ve kept you awake with my needs and stories.”
I laughed. “Your needs? I believe I was the one who received the most pleasure.”
He rose to his knees, powerful and strong. His flaccid cock hung between his legs, the evidence of his pleasure still on its crown. It glistened in the firelight, pearlescent with the hint of colors, like his wings in sunlight. It was oddly beautiful. He reached down and gathered me in his arms, his wings flaring backward as a counterbalance.
“You’re coming to bed with me,” he decided.
“Oh, I am?” I laughed and leaned against the smooth, unharmed part of his chest as he got to his feet and strode to his bed.
“Yes,” he stated. “You’re sleepy, and this bed is closer. You’re cold, and staying by my side will keep you warmer than that horrid little box. Thirdly, I need to stay close to make certain you don’t develop one of those nasty human diseases.”
I sighed as he carefully set me on the soft bed and pulled down the blankets I had made up that morning. “Very well. If you insist.”
He snorted. “I certainly do.” He crawled in after me, wrapping me in his arms, and tucked one wing over us. And promptly fell asleep.
I thought I’d stay awake long into the night. I was lying beside Gabriel. After he’d put his tongue inside me. His wings draped over me like another blanket. How would I ever be able to sleep again? But his heavy, even breathing and the weight of his arms and wings lulled me into slumber.
Chapter Fifteen
Eve
I shrieked with delight even as the wind blew tears from the corners of my eyes. I sniffed and wiped the trail from my temples before they splashed on his skin. “Do it again!”
