1
"This is fucked up," Maia murmured, rolling onto her back in the soft bed at the Sapphire Knight’s secret rebel compound.
Her body ached like crazy, her iron-poisoned wing throbbed, and her mouth was dry, but she felt clear. She feltgood.
"What’s wrong?" a panic-rough voice demanded, and Maia squinted through the sunlight that blazed through a crack between curtains.
Azrail stalked across the room, his dark gold face set in a dangerous expression. He'd clearly been in the middle of getting dressed, trousers low-slung on his hips and a shirt clenched in his fist. Maia not-so-subtly let her eyes travel from his deadly face and sleek blue-black hair, past his inked shoulders, to the tempting sight of his muscular chest and toned stomach.
"I slept well," she replied, mostly distracted by the way his muscles moved when he stormed over to the bed. Her wings rustled without her permission, light gleaming on the silver-teal gossamer. "It's weird."
Azrail let out a growling sigh, dragging a hand through his hair and not helping Maia’s distraction one bit. Did he not know how devastatingly hot he was? "You scared the shit out of me, Maia."
A smile curved her lips. It had only been a week since her breakout/rescue from the palace, and things were definitely still tentative between her and her mate, but she was feeling optimistic about their relationship. Optimism—another weird thing that didn’t fit well inside Maia.
"It's cute how ready you were to leap to my defence," she told him, batting her lashes in his direction. "Very valiant."
"It isfartoo damn soon for you to be joking about being in danger," Az replied, his voice dropping an octave and sending a chill down her spine. "Have a care, sweetheart," he added, perching on the bed and reaching for her, his palm cradling her cheek.
"I'm fine," she assured him, unable to keep the genuine smile off her face. "Better than fine, actually. I feelawake. Do people go around everyday feeling like this? Not groggy or rough, but bright and optimistic? Strange, lucky bastards."
Az snorted, blue eyes lightening a shade. "You're asking the wrong person, Mai."
Maia softened at the name, reaching for his arm and tugging him in for a kiss. If her hand slid up his bicep and then down his chest, lingering on the dips of his carved muscles, well ... her hand slipped.
"You seem to have lost your shirt, Knight," she said against his lips, loving the feeling of his smile against hers.
"Tragic," he replied, his hand travelling down her face to brush her neck. "I can only apologise for my shocking state of shirtlessness."
"Mm," Maia murmured, her hands exploring his back now as he leaned over her, laying her back in the cushions. His scent filled her senses, the taste of honey and cloves on her tongue. "I suppose I can forgive you. But you'd better make it a pretty apology, Knight."
Az laughed, a dimple appearing in his cheek. Maia wanted to freeze the two of them in this moment forever, to let nothing ever mar the bright amusement and contentment they were wrapped up in.
"My gravest apologies," he said dramatically, lips finding her neck, then her collarbone. "For the insult and injury I dealt you with my bare torso."
"A very,verydeep injury," Maia agreed, biting her lip when his lips found her weak spot.
"Saints, Maia, don't say deep,or I'll lose every bit of control I have," Az groaned against her skin, his hair brushing over her like silk.
"What word would you prefer?" she mused, fighting a moan when his broad hand glided down her side to her thigh, nudging it wider so he could fit between her legs. "I have an impressive vocabulary, I'll have you know."
Azrail snorted, a hot breath raising goosebumps on her chest as he kissed a line between her breasts. She was dressed in very little—usually in whatever scant underwear she had the energy to dress in after her mates were done with her at night. The past week had been very educational in fae and beastkind biology if nothing else. Maia was an incredibly learned woman .
"Oh, I know," Az purred, teeth scraping the curve of her breast through thin cotton. "You have a very dirty mouth."
A thrill went down her spine at his tone of voice. "My mouth is capable ofmanythings, Azrail," she replied, carnal and soft, delighted with the quiet groan he couldn't quite bite back.
She ran her hands from the dip of his spine, up hot, smooth flesh to grip his shoulder blades and tug him up to her, kissing him hard. She was still surprised that she got to kiss him at all, that he even wanted her, that the cruel words he'd said to her had been complete and utter shit. He hadn't felt sick when they'd kissed before; he'd wanted her, and been terrified of it.
A roar of argument came from the courtyard outside the building, and Az groaned as they broke apart, listening for words among the voices.
"I know your moral compass will take a hit," Maia said, sinking her fingers into his dark hair and holding tight, "but I vote we ignore that, stay here, and fuck so hard we can't hear them anymore."
"Maia," he groaned, so deep that it raised the hairs on her arms. "Fuck, you're fatal for me."
"So that’s a yes...?"
"I wish," he sighed, dropping his head on her shoulder. "Come see what's going on with me?"