Daniel #3
“No!” he said quickly. “No, of course not.”
Chaol gave him a rakish, lopsided smile. “Good.” He glanced outside, and then refocused his attention on Daniel. “Now, let me tell you the rumor I heard earlier today.” He settled more comfortably against the wall, half-turning to face Daniel. Their legs brushed.
Daniel bit back a smile. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“Maybe, but you’ll want to hear this.”
Daniel gestured toward him. “Okay, shoot.”
“I heard from a couple of demons that the reason all the gates to Hell are closed is because an angel entered through one and started killing all the demons in the area.”
Shock zipped through Daniel. “Wait, what? An angel? Really?”
Chaol inclined his head. “That’s what I heard. One of the demons I spoke to said the angel cut her arm off before she could get away. She said he had golden eyes and that he was sucking some kind of red smoke from every demon he could get his hands on.”
Daniel frowned. He had his doubts about whether it was true, but supposing it was, why would an angel be attacking demons in Hell? “Is there a chance she was mistaken? Maybe he wasn’t an angel.”
Chaol shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve never seen an angel, so it’s hard to say.”
In all his years in the guild, he’d never heard of an angel appearing to anyone. The Bible had stories about them, of course, but beyond those, the guild’s records about them were sparse at best. No one had ever seen one. Daniel wasn’t convinced they were even real. But if they were…
“Do you think he could help us get out?” Angels were supposed to be the good guys.
One elegant brow arched, and Daniel knew what Chaol was going to say before he said it.
If the angel was killing demons, he wouldn’t help Chaol get to the surface.
And if Daniel turned himself into a demon, he’d be no safer than any other demon.
No, whatever this angel was doing down here, Daniel doubted he would be an ally.
And truthfully, he didn’t like the idea of bringing Chaol anywhere near a murderous angel who was targeting demons. The thought of something happening to Chaol made Daniel’s stomach turn.
“No, never mind,” he said glumly. “If he’s hunting demons, you wouldn’t be safe.”
Chaol’s dark eyes softened. “And you’d care?”
Daniel’s mouth went dry. “Yeah,” he croaked. “Yeah, I’d care. So—if we hear about some golden-eyed guy nearby, we’re running the other direction.”
Chaol’s lips twitched. “Deal.” He glanced back at the darkness beyond their little fire. “I think the wraith is gone. You should try to get some rest. We should reach the outskirts of Pandemonium tomorrow.”
“How will we get through the city?” Daniel couldn’t imagine walking through crowds of demons unbothered. He wasn’t supposed to be there at all. How would they react to him? What if a big group overwhelmed them, and he and Chaol got separated?
“Some demons won’t care that you’re there,” Chaol said. “Some will want to antagonize you or frighten you. Just stay by my side. We’ll try to avoid the most crowded parts of the city.”
That didn’t exactly fill Daniel with confidence.
There were too many unknowns. What kind of demons would be there?
How dangerous were they? How many would take an interest in a human soul wandering the streets?
He opened his mouth to ask all of those questions and more—but Chaol’s hand sealed over his mouth.
“Sleep,” Chaol said. “Let me worry about tomorrow.”
Daniel tried to turn his head to free his mouth, but Chaol’s fingers tightened against his cheeks, holding him in place.
“Sleep,” he said again.
With a sigh, Daniel slumped against the rock and rested his head on the wall beside him. Chaol gave him an approving nod, and the last thing he saw was Chaol’s inky black, glittering gaze before he closed his eyes.
Warm palms slid under his shirt, lifting it over his head and tossing it somewhere in the dark abyss around them.
Daniel bit back a moan as Chaol dragged him into his lap, spreading his legs wide and wrapping his arms around him.
His snow white wings curled around Daniel’s back, leathery and tough and plastered against his bare skin. The heat of them almost burned him.
“Touch me,” Daniel pleaded, clinging to Chaol’s broad shoulders.
“Yes,” Chaol rasped, and it sounded triumphant. His clawed hands fell to Daniel’s hips, guiding him into a fast, frenzied rhythm.
He blinked, and the scene changed. Laid out on a soft surface, their bodies lit by a flickering fire somewhere nearby, Chaol’s naked body blanketed his own.
Daniel wrapped his legs around him, and hot pleasure shook through him.
Their sweaty limbs tangled, and Chaol’s white wings arced up toward the starless sky.
“Chaol,” he moaned, throwing his head back. Teeth pierced his skin, but he felt no pain.
“Mine.” Chaol’s lips smeared crimson blood across his skin. “My darkling, all mine.”
“Yes, yes, yours.” The words felt right, like something was slotting into place, and Daniel gave himself over to the pleasure and heat building between them.