that. Not like you’re saying goodbye.”
“Here, let me.” There was a wobble in this voice, but with the first light touch over my cheeks I found faith, and love mixed in with all the bitterest flavors. “Hold on for us, Deyva.”
Zach kissed me gently, but determined, as if I wasn’t broken in front of him, bleeding to death, shredded by Belial’s claws.
“Good, keep going,” Az said.
A warm hand stroked my horns as Zach kissed me over and over, sweet presses to my lips, little hiccuping breaths full of tears as he waited for me to respond. Stavros was close, that was who else was touching me, pressing an endless well of hope into every careful brush of his fingers.
I groaned as Zach pulled away, a weak sound, all I could manage in the moment, but it was enough for my men.
“Oh, thank God,” Stavros breathed, pressing kisses to the crown of my head. I knew I was a mess. I must’ve been coated in Belial’s blood as well as my own, but Stavros didn’t care. Of course he didn’t.
Zach moaned gratefully, and then his hands gripped my cheeks, kissing me thoroughly, not minding that I couldn’t answer, but pouring in relief and worry, pride and regret, and most of all love. I gasped as he pulled away, my eyes opening and a smile wobbling as I stared up at him. We were inside the gate of Bethel, Zach was streaked with blood and soot, and all around us stood the worried citizens of the town.
“She’s going to be alright?” someone asked softly.
“She’ll be fine. She needs our care,” Azariah said, beaming down at me. He looked especially battered and my brow furrowed at the sight of the wicked gash along his cheek. “Don’t. Don’t look at me like that. You’re burnt, you’re cut open, you can barely breathe. Don’t look at me like you’re about to waste your energy on me, I’ll be fine just as soon as you are.”
“Let’s get you to the church, to home,” Stavros murmured, before pressing another long kiss to my head.
“Kais?” My voice sounded awful, and all three of the guys surrounding me grimaced at the wet and broken noise.
Zach stepped aside, looking over his shoulder at Kais, who was sheet-white as he stared back at me.
“You still sort of look like something we found on the side of the road,” Az said gently. “Let’s get you more patched up before we finish the reunions.”
“Fuck you a little bit,” I managed to squeeze out, as Azariah carried me carefully up the street.
Kais let out a relieved huff of breath as Az’s lips twitched. I knew that angel. He thought it was funny to call me roadkill, even if it was kind of the truth.
“Shouldn’t we take her to the house?” Zach asked as Azariah headed for the main church doors.
“She’s gonna make it, you’re gonna make it,” Azariah said firmly to me as I whimpered with the motion of him running up the steps. “But it’s going to take some prayer, and I want to make sure God doesn’t have any excuse for not listening.”
Kais shoved open the doors ahead of us, Zach and Stavros running up to the altar dais to clear space for the five of us.
“Should we really leave the others on their own?” I asked, wincing as Azariah knelt to the dais floor, lowering me onto the dense carpet.
“As soon as Belial fell back into the cavern, it started closing up around him. There are only stragglers left, and they were running home last I saw,” Azariah said, looming over me. His wings were crooked and I reached a gory hand up before my eyes widened at the sight of my stained skin.
Zach knelt at my side, a deep bowl of holy water resting next to my head. “Let me clean you up a little.”
“But you should—”
“Shut up, succubus,” Azariah murmured, leaning over on my other side, turning my face away from Zach and toward his.
“You need to heal too,” I whispered.
“I will.” Az ducked and I sighed as his mouth covered mine, one long, firm press, full of desperate love and tender affection. I hummed into the kiss, sighing as Zach started to clean my arm closest to him. Azariah pulled away, just briefly, and looked at Stav, who knelt behind my head. “We need to undress her, but very gently. I’ll feed her while you two clean her up.”
Stavros nodded, petting my horns, running his thumb over a