I slumped, thoroughly exhausted, my muscles soft.
Michael didn’t slump. He scooped me up and turned me back around, golden eyes shining. He took my hand and placed it over his heart. “I do have feelings. I may not express them often, and I certainly don’t articulate them well; nevertheless, you can wound me.”
I didn’t know what to say. It was the most romantic thing I’d ever heard. “Forgive me,” I said.
He blinked. “I forgive.”
So easily and with no buts or ands or explanations.
He smiled. “We have about twenty…” He paused, tilting his head.
Footsteps approached. Over the top of his right wing, I saw a group of angels descending the steps, walking right into the baths. They didn’t stop to look around before they stripped naked and dived into the baths. The last one that came in did look around. With Michael’s back turned to the angels inside the baths, I peeked over his wings. The angel stopped and widened his eyes, but recovered quickly and ripped his black armor off his chest. I kept staring. His chest was covered in scars. He tapped his belt and raised an eyebrow.
Slowly, I ducked behind Michael’s wing.
“Hello, mortal,” one of the angels in the bath said.
Laughter rang in the place.
Michael stretched his wings around me. “I didn’t know they’d come here.” He spun us around. Now, my back was turned to everyone, and I was naked, covered under his wings. Michael propped up his foot, effectively making a chair for me. I sat on his thigh. He leaned his elbows over the pool’s edge, and let his head fall back, all the tendons and muscles in his corded neck straining. His strong jaw, biceps, triceps, and whatever else he packed in strength I couldn’t name made my nipples perk and butterflies stir in my belly.
“Report,” he said and squeezed my thigh.
“Um, it was excellent.” I blushed profusely.
Michael laughed, as in belly laughed, his body shaking.
“Why, Commander,” the scarred angel said, “are you having a rest again?”
“Report, Uriel.”
Oh my God, that was Uriel. I’d never get used to this.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Uriel felt a power strong enough that it could open rifts at will, at any point. I agreed with his assessment. There were too many coincidences with the Marked not from my Court appearing on the streets. I didn’t believe in coincidences. The theories, however, would have to wait, because a colony of the Ras, humanoid bat creatures like the one that tried to take Julia from me, had consumed mortals in a small town bordering Raphael’s Court. During Uriel’s report, Julia remained quiet, her fear stuffing my nose, offending me and making me want to train her harder so she could face any enemy at any time, fearlessly and boldly.
Towels traveled over to me, and I lifted my gaze, scanning the room full of my males, awaiting orders. “Eyes down, or lose your head.”
They found the water interesting, all heads bowed, though not without snickering. I hauled Julia up and wrapped her in a towel as quickly as possible, daring anyone to look. “I’ll meet you upstairs.” I nudged her.
Once Julia left, I pursed my lips. “How many?”
“Three thousand, give or take. They were still pouring down the rift when the scouts fled the scene.”
“Did all the scouts make it back?”
“No.”
“How many made it back?”
“Just Alcona.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. A high-ranking female officer made it back. Female battle angels are rare. “Replace the other four immediately and send those four back out toward the Court of Sunder. Did she say anything else?”
“No Lucifer in sight.”
“Do you think the Ras will come here?”
“Alcona thinks so. She theorizes they stopped to eat before the mission.”
“What do you think?”
“I am hopeful they will come.”
“Hurrah,” the group shouted.
My beautiful creatures. Always ready to bleed. I paced the length of the baths. “Marked?”
“No, Commander. Just Ras.”
“Not Lucifer’s style. Jeanaya, ring the city’s bells, open the gates, and receive all the civilians. We have no account of Raphael or a count of his fleet. Since they’re splattering eggs, we can presume they won’t attack directly until we’re wounded and tired from battling the Ras. Do we tire?”
“No, Commander,” they said in unison. “We rest when you die.”
“And when do I die?”
“Never.”
I clapped once. “Prepare the Court for battle.” Windows slid open, and my males flew out. I walked the few steps and ascended to my floor, closing the windows behind me. Shouting came from the house as Uriel directed soldiers. In the dark hallway, I walked to my chambers and opened the door.
The scent of cinnamon over vanilla hit me first. Julia, still in the towel, stood in the middle of the room, her feet hovering several inches above the floor, her skin pale, eyes on me but not vacant. She stared directly at me, sweat beading her brow, a pained expression on her face. She was fighting Lucifer. What a brave girl.
I closed the door behind me, my power lashing out, lifting all the furniture in the room. We stood there, not like lovers, but enemies, as Julia’s eyes went vacant and hid the soul that belonged to me. She opened her mouth and spoke, her voice hers yet his at the same time, both feminine and masculine. “Mickey,” she said.
I approached her and cradled her face, then shook her. “Julia.”
“Mickey,” she said.
“Don’t call me that.”
She smiled and bit her tongue. Blood gushed between her teeth.
I forced my thumb into her mouth so he couldn’t hurt her. My wings, as if not attached to my back, spread and wrapped around her, blocking the world so I could exist inside our darkness for as long the evil wrecked her mind. “Lucifer, hear me. If you take her, I will sever your head from your shoulders and place the two on opposite ends of the mortal realm so they will never
