Wings of Redemption (6 page)

She stared at him with her lips parted, her hair flat against her arms and her red shirt plastered to her skin. Water streamed down her face and neck. Lacy panties were visible through her now semitransparent white pants. Rain ran like a white curtain off the edges of his wing, framing her.

Despite the rain pounding him, he stared, a long-absent heat filling his body. Good heavens, what an erotic sight she was. Perfect, feminine curves.

Except for her shivers and the way her eyes widened as lightning flashed.

He hooked an arm around her shoulders and, keeping his wing over her head as best he could in that position, ran with her to the nearest pavilion.

When they reached sanctuary under the sprawling pine roof, he kept her close with both arms. Her shivering persisted. He reached forward with his wings and crossed them behind her back. As he held her in a tight cocoon, her face warmed the crook of his neck and shoulder.

Once again, damn him, he didn’t care who she was. Not Saffron Morin. Just Saffron, for now. Beyond the sheets of rain that surrounded them, the world waited.

He lifted her chin and kissed her.

Let the world wait.

Chapter Six

Despite being soaked through by rain cold enough to be snow, Saffron was warm. She molded herself to Kes and kissed him back, giving herself over to the moment. Considering the way he’d gone icy on her earlier, he deserved something far less friendly. However, she couldn’t bring herself to care, for the time being. She wanted what he was giving her now.

His lips possessed a curious power to banish all sense from her head.

He brushed her dripping hair from her face and dropped his kisses to her throat. She stared at the knots in the pine boards overhead and counted to ten, giving herself one last chance to remain on the same planet where she was a Morin and he was an archangel who wanted her father dead.

No such luck. That reality had dissipated and they were alone under a pavilion in a downpour.

The rain had given his hair a darker hue and flattened it to his head, but the water beaded on his feathers as if his wings had been sprinkled with sticky crystals. He returned his attention to her mouth and kissed her so deeply, she stopped thinking entirely. His hands traveled over her, pausing here and there, gripping her tight. Her body heated inside and out.

She mirrored his touches, exploring warm skin under soaked cotton and smooth, curving muscle. When he squeezed her, she squeezed him in return. His feathers rubbed against her arms, but she retained enough mental clarity to resist snuggling against them. Unless he clearly invited otherwise, she didn’t dare, lest the moment fall to ruin.

He smoothed his hands over her backside and pulled her hips against his. The contours of the apex of his thighs left little doubt how far ahead of the kiss he was thinking.

Of course, thinking and acting were two very different things. The intensity of the rain lessened a degree, making the buildings beyond the garden more visible. If demons really did have sharper vision than humans, she and Kes had just given anyone looking out over the garden quite the show. And where was that fire-eyed bodyguard?

Kestrel eased back, but his hands remained on her arms. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just wondering if we’re on exhibition.”

“Most definitely.”

Oh, great.

“Is that such a bad thing?”

At his teasing tone, she couldn’t help but smile. “Well…”

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m not shy.”

“Indeed not.”

“We should get back to the tower.”

“Yeah.”

He stayed right where he was and leaned in for another kiss. However, at the exact moment their lips connected, lightning illuminated their surroundings, followed a split second later by thunder that vibrated in her chest.

Her inner wimp took over. Inviting death by screaming at the gates of a demon colony? Easy. Dealing with lightning? She’d rather crawl under a rock.

Actually, clinging to an archangel was a considerable improvement over the rock option, though it still made her a wimp.

“On second thought, the tower is out for the time being.” Kes glanced toward the stone buildings ahead of them on the garden path. “How about we make a run for warm food and a fire?”

She shook her head. “We need to stay here. The lightning.”

“You’re cold.”

“Not really.” She rested her head against his chest.

He chuckled, a self-satisfied sound. “Be that as it may, we’re going. It’s safer inside.”

“But—”

Kes’s arms tightened and he ran with her out from under the pavilion. In a second, they were flying fast but low enough that his wings brushed the flowering bushes on the down stroke, scattering pink, red, and white petals.

They landed on a patio next to a stone building covered with wild grapevines and Kes led her through a recessed entry. Demon fire lanterns filled the dim foyer with an amber ambiance, and muted voices drifted from farther inside the building. As the door shut behind them, she relaxed and placed a hand over her pounding heart.

“There,” he said. “Much faster than walking.”

“You have rose petals in your feathers.”

He shook out his wings as if she’d told him he had bugs. Water shot everywhere. Droplets hit the lanterns and sizzled.

“It was cute.” She folded her arms. “Would have made a great close-up picture, too.”

“
Cute?
”

“Look at that,” an unfamiliar voice said, “a drowned archangel. Drowned human, too.”

Saffron turned. A demon in a chef’s coat stood in the archway that appeared to lead into a dining room.

“Nice,” the demon said. His gaze traveled down her body.

Oh, damn! Her soaked white pants provided a clear view of her panties! Why hadn’t she chosen jeans? Brilliance, thy name is Saffron.

Kestrel cleared his throat, stepped forward, and extended his wing in front of her body.

The demon held up his palms. “Hey, a guy of any species can’t
not
look at someone so…”

“Could we get some towels, please?”

“Yeah, sure.” The demon grinned, seemingly unfazed by the glowering archangel. “Coffee?”

“Please,” Kes said, tension remaining in his voice. He met her gaze. “Saffron?”

“Coffee for me, too, please,” she told the demon. “Uh, thanks.”

The demon winked and sauntered off. He called over his shoulder, “Have a seat by the fire.”

Kes led her through the archway. “We’ll go home for dry clothes as soon as it’s safe to fly. In the meantime, they make really good soup here.”

Several demons, all dressed in casual colors as opposed to the Guardians’ black uniform, sat at round tables around a small dining room that seemed big and private in the dim lighting. Staying behind the screen of his wings, she followed Kes to a corner fireplace. The flames—demon fire, redder than normal fire one would strike with a match—radiated plenty of heat. She snubbed the nearby table and sat on the floor directly in front of the hearth.

“Comfortable enough?” Kes sat down beside her, one of his spread wings coming to rest against her back.

“Aside from looking forward to dry clothes, yeah.”

They ordered soup from a young demon woman who managed to give Saffron a hint of a smile along with a pile of towels. The coffee arrived. Kes poured an obscene amount of sugar into his.

“Sweet tooth?” Saffron wrapped a large white towel around herself.

He shrugged. “Using psychic talents drains energy. I use mine involuntarily all the time, so I’ve adapted well, but it’s impossible to overdo the caffeine or sugar.”

“Lucky.”

“Not if I don’t like sugar in my coffee.” He grinned.

She stared into her own brew, which was pale from the extra cream she’d added. “I don’t know how you did that.”

“Did what?”

“Fly us through the storm. I hate to admit it, but my phobia paralyzes me.”

“I wanted to get us both to a safer place.”

“We could have been struck.”

“The odds were in our favor, especially compared to staying outside.”

She shivered and inched closer to the fire. “How can you even stand the idea of going out in a storm? You said your father was killed by lightning.”

His lips thinned and he stared, unfocused, at the flames.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” she asked.

“It’s not something you want to hear about.” He straightened his shoulders. “Like I said, considering he got to live a full life and didn’t die at the hands of poachers, I have no complaints. The only thing he missed out on was a couple decades of decline.” He paused, then his voice grew bitter. “Mom was already dead. Part of me thinks he deliberately got caught in that storm. No archangel wants to grow old and lose the ability to fly, especially after outliving his mate.”

“He couldn’t have done that to his child.”

“I was nearly three hundred years old, not a fledgling.”

“Still. And what about your psychic talent? Didn’t you see his death coming?”

“No. He spent that morning visiting a group of archangels who lived outside the colony, far out of range. Suicide must have been a last-minute decision.”

“It
could
have been an accident.”

“Yes, it could have. But I don’t think it was.”

“Either way, I’m sorry.”

He fell silent and stared into the flames, his expression drawn and grim and…determined.

The back of her neck prickled. “You’re not thinking of doing the same thing someday, are you?”

His eyebrow quirked.

“Don’t you dare!”

“Why not? It’s quick and far more dignified than shriveling away. I’d rather die in the sky than in a bed.”

“Did your father say anything to you before he…?”

“No. Like I said, it must have been a sudden decision.”

“And why do you suppose that was?”

“Huh?”

“Because he knew you would have tried to stop him. That you would be upset. I’m sure your long lives don’t make losing family any easier.”

“I have no family to leave behind. It makes sense for me.”

“You have friends.”

“Yes.” He set down his empty coffee mug and ran his fingers through his wet hair. “However, I’ve done a good job of distancing myself from them. I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but it’s for the best.”

“No, it’s not.”

He turned his head and stared at her.

“It’s selfish.”

“Old age is a significant portion of your lifespan. Not so for me. A couple decades is nothing.”

“I don’t care how long you live. Every day is precious. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t care that you lost a couple decades with your father.”

“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”

“So be it.”

The demon woman returned with bowls of tomato, cheese, and basil soup along with crackers on wooden trays. This time, there was no hesitation in her smile. She touched Saffron’s arm. “Give him hell. He needs it.”

“Thank you.” Saffron shot Kes a smug grin.

“Fantastic,” Kes muttered. “They’re joining forces.”

The demon bared her fangs and hissed at him, then turned to Saffron. “Let me know if you need a pan to hit him with.”

“I will.”

The demon nodded, her expression grave, and retreated.

“For the record, the possibility has crossed my mind. That’s all. I won’t be that old for a while yet, and I’ll make my choice then.”

She shook her head. No use arguing further. She’d made her point. And who was she to give him her two cents on such a personal matter? Hopefully, his friends would keep him close and he’d make the right decision.

“I have every intention of being a feisty old lady.”

He stirred his soup and smirked. “Oh?”

“I will live through whatever is happening here and I’ll be one of those one-hundred-year-olds who still works every day.”

“That’s a plan I can get behind.”

The warmth in his voice made her pause with her spoon halfway to her mouth.

“I suppose you’ll own your family’s feather collection when you’re older.”

Warm. Cold. Like a caress followed by a gunshot. She rubbed her neck as if she had physical whiplash. “No.”

“No?”

“I will inherit the collection, but I don’t want it. Like I told you, it horrifies me.”

“What will you do with it?”

“I don’t know. I may sell it.”

“It should be destroyed.” The words dripped venom.

She winced. “As horrible as the collection is, it’s valuable and important to my family. My sister will have a say. I don’t want anything to do with it, but I don’t have the right to just destroy it.”

He glowered.

“It won’t be my choice for a while yet, and I’ll make my decision then.” She threw his own words back at him.

To her surprise, he grinned. “Well played.”

They finished their soup in silence. By then, the fire had dried her clothes, at least in the front. However, his wing kept her back warm. Uncertain how he’d react, but willing to risk it at this point, she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

He encircled her waist with his arms. “Saffron. I have a suggestion.”

“Hmm?”

“For as long as you stay in Eden, let’s set the Morin-archangel complication aside.”

“Set it aside?”

“A little harmless delusion.” He ran his fingers through her hair and down the back of her neck. Slow. Firm. “So we can spend our time focused on other matters.”

His tone clearly referred to matters other than her graveside dance. The sensual recollection of their kiss on the pavilion swept over her and her heart tried to kick its way out of her chest. She couldn’t resist the temptation for more of Kes’s warm side. “I think that sounds like a plan.”

…

Kestrel did his absolute best to keep his mind out of the gutter and tend to business. When the storm passed, leaving a small patch of blue sky in its wake, he flew Saffron to the tower. Once dressed in dry clothes—she chose a bright blue shirt and jeans this time—he flew them to the medical center and landed on the flat area of the roof.

She’d gathered her hair in a loose bun. As she walked ahead of him toward the doors, he admired the exposed skin of her upper back. A beauty mark dotted the right side of her neck.

He was going to kiss that spot and make his way down her spine, sans the blue cotton. However that would have to wait.

“Hello, Saffron. Kestrel.” Cherie met them in the pristine lobby. Dressed in a knee-length white coat, the human doctor tucked her short blond hair behind her ears and took Saffron’s hand. “I’m Dr. Cherie Williams, but Cherie is fine. I understand you’ve become the subject of Kestrel’s morbid quirk?”

Saffron nodded.

“Well, if it’s anything that can be addressed here, we will do so. Not to worry.” A familiar disarming smile illuminated Cherie’s face. The human’s bedside manner never failed to put even the most suspicious of the demons at ease. “Kestrel, will you wait out here, please?”