Chapter Twenty-Nine
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
Severin lay stretched out on the bed, one arm tucked behind his head and the other sprawled across his stomach.
Unfortunately, Yuri lay beside him, having refused to let the demon claim the bed for himself. Severin had tried to scare him off, first by curling his foot around Yuri’s, then by slowly brushing his toes up the angel’s calf …
The angel had responded by promptly building a fortress of pillows and spare blankets between them. If that hadn’t been dramatic enough, he’d wrapped his wings around himself like a cocoon and vanished inside.
But that had been hours ago. Now the fire had long settled to embers, its crackling like gentle music as Severin stared up at the ceiling.
He was no stranger to insomnia, though it was made worse by the fact that his skin burned every time he considered the angel lying across from him.
If that alone hadn’t been enough to keep him awake, the vespers certainly would have.
They scratched against the window, claws digging into the weathered wood as they pleaded to be let inside, whispering his name over and over again as he fought to ignore their voices.
Severin, Severin, Severin …
He exhaled through his nose, wishing the infernal creatures would disappear. He’d drawn the curtains, but still he felt the vespers waiting for him just behind.
“Play for us,” they commanded. “Show the humans your song.”
A spark of heat snapped through his chest. There were enough vespers that their pull was strong, their suggestion winding around him until nothing felt like a better idea than escaping the warmth of this room to venture into the frigid chill awaiting him outside.
He sought a distraction, anchoring himself to the sound of the fire. And when that wasn’t enough, to the soul that rested within his own. He focused on her steadiness. On the tension that left her body as she slept soundly.
He thought of Aurelie sprawled out in the night, twisting in the sheets with the blankets tangled low across her hips. One bare leg stretched free, the pale line of it disappearing beneath the quilt …
The image of her bare skin clung to him, as cloying as honey and just as difficult to scrub away.
Never would he have expected their bond to be so powerful, nor had he anticipated finding himself so easily entangled in her, as curious about the girl as he was entertained.
He’d wanted so desperately to resent his bonded. To despise her for the ridiculous beliefs and the treatment she had for his kind.
So why couldn’t he get her out of his mind?
Severin was almost thankful for the sudden screech of vesper claws dragging down the window, tearing him from his thoughts.
He rose, and the chill of the floor bit at his bare feet as he made his way across the room.
He forced his attention onto the sound, sifting through the rain until he was certain he could make out the gentle buzz of its wings.
Then he silenced it, smiling his satisfaction as the vesper hit the ground with a yelp, its wings stilled.
Served the bastard right.
He turned back, unconvinced he’d find sleep but desperate to try, when he saw two silver eyes staring up at him.
Yuri was awake.
Of course he was.
The angel had untucked himself from his makeshift cocoon to lie on his back, one arm tucked behind his head as his eyes followed Severin’s every movement.
“Can’t sleep, either, Pigeon?” Severin asked. “Need someone to help warm you up?” He had little desire to make conversation with the angel, though he couldn’t help but enjoy how every word out of his mouth made Yuri writhe.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I have every intention of finding out.”
Severin supposed he couldn’t feel too smug about how easily he grated on the angel’s nerves. Not when Yuri’s very presence had his own blood simmering.
“Shall I set my hand on sacred text and swear that I’m a good boy?” Severin sat at the edge of the bed. “Not every demon is horrible.”
He scoffed. “Aren’t they?”
“No more horrible than the angels.” A familiar rage burned through him. “Can you tell me that you honestly trust every angel you’ve ever met? That they’re all pure of heart, or whatever bullshit you believe you are?”
The crackle of the fire was the only immediate answer, and yet he gritted his teeth when the angel’s stare never wavered.
He didn’t want to look into those eyes. Didn’t want to be scrutinized by a piece of shit angel.
So when it became clear that Yuri had no intention of giving an answer, Severin flopped back onto the mattress.
“As riveted as I am by every conversation with you, I’m going to try to sleep. So if you don’t mind—”
“I don’t believe I’m pure of heart. Nor do I believe that every angel is, either.
” Yuri sat upright, fingers combing through his hair.
“Maybe you’re right that there is still goodness to be found among some demons, but I won’t for one moment believe that you’re one of them.
I can’t know how your bond makes you feel, but mine tells me to protect Aurelie with everything I am.
If you’re playing with fire, demon, just know that I will be the one to burn you for it. ”
The smile that curled Severin’s mouth was a feral thing. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise.”
The demon’s smile didn’t fade, but something behind it grew sharper. Deep beneath skin and bone, a hatred old and razored twisted within him. Rage had lived in his blood for so long that at first he didn’t notice how it struck, uncoiling like a beast awoken.
It would be so easy to turn on him. To drive his dagger down through Yuriel’s heart, or slice his pretty white wings into pieces.
It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d killed an angel, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
There was a sharp pop from the hearth, followed by the loud thud of a vesper that struck the window. Only then did Severin rouse from the predatory tension that had him locked onto Yuri.
He wanted to fight. Wanted to watch that gilded blood gleam until the angel had dried out.
But not now. Not yet.
He rose before the fury could take him completely, in need of distraction as he stalked to the window and tore back the curtains with more force than necessary, opening it to deal once and for all with the vespers outside.
He was surprised, however, to find that it was Vexara who rushed in.
“Vex!” Yuri was on his feet before Severin could blink, crossing the room in an instant.
The tiny vesper trembled as he scooped her into his hands, her wings torn and silver blood smeared across her arms. Outside, others hovered with claws stained in the same shade, scraps of Vex’s hair clenched between their fingers like trophies.
Severin snarled, swatting the Nyxaris away with a sweep of his arm. One hissed, while another laughed and darted forward. Severin shut the window before it could slip inside, ignoring the vesper’s wail as he caught its foot in the sill.
Most Nyxaris were rather like his friends. These ones, however … He had a bad feeling about this lot.
The angel knelt by the fire, cupping the tiny creature in his hands. “What were you thinking, wandering about in this storm?”
Vex was soaked and trembling so hard she could barely speak. “Th-they’re not like the others,” she rasped, her voice like leaves scraping stone. “They favor another demon. One who lives deeper in the woods.”
“Kieran.” Severin’s muscles locked tight. He turned immediately, ensuring that every window was latched.
“They’ve told him you’re here,” Vex fretted, arms huddled around her tiny frame. “That you’re bonded to … Where’s Aurelie?”
“Sleeping two doors down.” Firelight painted Yuri’s jawline sharp as he turned his glare onto Severin. “What do they want with you?”
“Remember that prideborn I fed your blood to? I imagine they have some questions about their missing friend.”
Irritation cloyed thick enough to taste. “Light, you’re unbelievable.”
“I warned you that we never should have stopped.” Severin grabbed his coat from where it was drying, grimacing at its dampness.
He settled for only his boots and breeches, nerves beginning to hum.
“Kieran isn’t enough of a fool to try to have me killed, so they must be curious about Aurelie.
I’m going to see if I can stop them before they get any closer.
Take her, and get as far from these humans as you can if you want them to survive. ”
“I’m not your servant boy,” Yuri spat. “And loath as I am to say it, you’re part of this bond. My life is in your hands, and there’s no way I’m letting you face a horde alone.”
“I’m touched by your concern, but you’ll only get in my way.” He checked on his flute, relieved to find it drying nicely. “Did you see any other demons, Vex?”
The vesper shook her head. “I couldn’t stay long enough to see. When the others saw me…” Her fingers slipped to her wings, which she stroked with a quiet whimper.
Yuri frowned, and suddenly the pale light in his palms brightened until it rivaled starlight.
Vex’s breathing slowed with every passing second, the cuts along her skin fading while the crookedness of her wings began to straighten.
While she still looked haggard and her wings needed more time to heal fully, the vesper no longer looked as though she’d fall apart with a breeze.
Severin’s eyes, however, were not on her.
“I thought you were a Soldier,” he said, staring at the light radiating from Yuri’s skin.
The angel’s expression was unreadable. “I am a Soldier. Through and through.”
As tempted as he was to needle further, the room had gone too still. He’d lowered his voice without thinking, and every nerve coiled as he realized why.
The vespers had gone silent. They were no longer clawing to get inside, nor did Severin hear any calling for him. In fact, he barely heard them at all.
Magic bristled beneath his skin as he stretched his senses outward.
The beating of their wings was no longer distant, but echoing in the space around them, as if they’d gotten inside the inn.
He focused, and past the sounds of their flight, muffled by the mud, he heard footsteps.
“They’re here.” He crossed the room in two strides.
“Take the back exit, and be quick about it. If they know I’m bonded, they’ll be coming for her. ”
This time, he didn’t wait for the angel to argue. Severin unlatched the window and slipped through.
The wind met him like a blade, and all at once dozens of gleaming teeth grinned at him from the trees.
The Nyxaris were no longer toying with his mind, or requesting he come out and play.
They were hunting, and Severin was their prey.