reflected his six wings.
And it felt right.
He leaned into the guardian’s throat, ignoring how her fingers tried to pry his off. “This is not the way of angels.”
Tien dared smile. “This has always been our way.”
Chapter 31
Severn
The sound of the door latch rattling roused him. Mikhail must have left early and returned. Gods, what time was it? Harsh light spilled into the habitat. Severn raised a hand to shield his eyes. Two figures filled the doorway.
Angels.
His heart lodged in his throat.
“Get dressed, demon.” One of the guards tore the sheet from the bed, exposing Severn’s nakedness, complete with demon wings he hadn’t been awake enough to hide. The angels loomed closer, angelblades glinting in their hands. He scrambled for the opposite side of the bed and tumbled off the edge—damned wings flapping uselessly.
Hands gripped his arm and hauled him to his feet. The guard roughly threw him back against the bed and sneered. “Disgusting.”
He raised his hands. “All right… okay…” Unarmed, naked, and outnumbered, there was little he could do but keep them from killing him by staying low and compliant.
“Cover yourself,” the other guard barked, bigger than the one crowding Severn, with wild dark chestnut hair and hard eyes. Severn would get no sympathy from them.
Where was Mikhail?
The dark-haired guard threw Severn’s clothes at him. Severn gathered them up and hastily stepped into the trousers. The smaller angel—still a match for Severn—lifted his angelblade, making sure Severn saw it hovering inches from his face.
Why wasn’t Mikhail here? He must have left… Had these guards waited for him to leave? Had Mikhail known they’d be here…?
Had Mikhail deliberately left Severn alone?
No, he was too honest for that. Their love was too true for fresh betrayal…
“Hurry!”
Severn folded his wings away and illusioned them from sight, then tossed on the shirt, focusing on the collar laces as his thoughts raced.
Mikhail’s behavior yesterday had been… odd. He’d been kind, and nice, and things that Mikhail wasn’t known for. Severn had doubted it, but then relished it, and now… Now, he wondered if Mikhail had been that way because he’d known yesterday would be their last day together. Had he sent the guards?
“Where’s Mikhail?”
The dark angel chuckled. “Right now? Having his emotions ripped from him.”
Severn’s fingers stilled at the shirt laces.
The lighter angel snickered. “Oh, he went sniveling to Tien, begging to be free of you. Didn’t you know, demon?”
No… Mikhail wouldn’t.
Severn straightened, and the light angel stepped back, his blade raised, tip dangerously close to Severn’s chin.
But angels didn’t lie.
And yesterday had been so good, so special. Severn had known then that he didn’t deserve it, and now he knew why. Mikhail had abandoned him. The realization almost choked him. But he couldn’t listen to these guards. They had their own motives. He had to hear the truth from Mikhail.
Severn batted the blade aside. “Get that blade out of my face and take me to Mikhail.” The light angel lunged. Severn ducked his blade’s slash, but the dark angel slammed into him, captured his arms, and swung Severn around, kicking out the backs of Severn’s knees, causing them to strike the floor. He pulled on the angel’s grip, trying to free his arms, but the bastard held on.
“The Mikhail you knew is gone,” Dark hissed against his cheek.
Cold metal touched Severn’s wrists.
No, this couldn’t happen. Without Mikhail, they’d kill him. Or perhaps because of Mikhail? He moaned out the hurt. Would Mikhail betray him so? Wasn’t it all Severn deserved for breaking his heart? It might even be justice. But angels did not lie. And Mikhail was righteous. But he’d changed. They both had.
And now Mikhail had surrendered his love to become the cold-hearted creature Severn feared.
Severn flung his head back. His skull smacked into Dark’s face. The angel barked, and the pressure on Severn’s wrists loosened. He unleashed his wings and flapped them wildly, buying him space and time to climb to his feet and turn on the guards.
The lighter angel launched himself forward. Severn ducked and delivered an uppercut into the angel’s gut, instantly winding him. He shoved him aside.
Pain tore down his left wing. Blood scented the air.
Severn whirled with a roar and tackled Dark low in the chest, slamming him into the wall. He plastered a hand over his face, pinning him still. “Cut my wings, you feathered fucker, an’ I’ll rip yours off.”
He sensed more than saw the lighter angel dart back in. Twisting, Severn backhanded him, but not before the edge of his blade sliced through Severn’s