face contorts into that of a maniac’s—mouth twisted in a sadistic laugh, eyes wild—before smoothing into the mask of a saint.
Just like you, little girl.
Terrified, I spin around and start running away. The hallway zooms past in a blur.
Gabriel streams toward me. Dark, wet blood masks his entire face, the whites of his eyes too pure in contrast.
He tends to his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart—
I try to scream, but the sound stays lodged in my chest, burning.
Burning.
Gabriel’s skin catches alight. He doesn’t seem to notice. The only thing he cares about is holding me.
Comforting me.
Bringing me to the light. But if I so much as touch him, I’ll be consumed in flames.
Zachary breathes on the back of my neck.
I spin around, body convulsing with horror.
He reaches for me, face flickering from saint to demonic sinner a thousand times a second, until it’s nothing but a smudgy blur.
A hand clamps over my mouth, and muffles my terrified yell.
My eyes fly open.
A dark figure ducks down and slowly transforms into Apollo.
“Shh,” he murmurs, putting a finger over his mouth. “It’s just me, pretty thing.”
I watch him with my heart thundering away in my chest.
He crouches beside my bed and puts his head close to mine, nuzzling the side of my throat.
But I can’t shake the feel of Zachary’s hot breath on the back of my neck, and that leaves me paralyzed.
“About that raincheck?” Apollo whispers into my ear.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Trinity
Maybe I’m still dreaming. I must be, because Trinity the Wimp would never follow Apollo anywhere in the middle of the night.
Never in a million years.
Right?
Because rational me knows that he’s trouble, despite the cheeky grin he keeps sending my way, despite how he looks like he’s bursting to tell me something juicy.
So I’m dreaming then. Which makes all of this much easier to process. Like when he says he hears someone coming, and suddenly presses me against the wall like we’re in a spy movie and this is just an excuse for him to kiss me?
Well, don’t think I don’t know what he’s trying to pull. His lips barely touch mine before I’m convinced this whole thing is an elaborate ruse.
But then I don’t care anymore, because he’s kissing me, and fuck my life, he’s a good kisser.
We’re partially hidden in one of the alcoves on the ground floor. I think he was leading me to the kitchen courtyard, even though I’m sure it would have been way too cold to be out in the open this time of night.
He barely gave me enough time to grab my slipper-boots, and all I’ve got on is a thin sweater and a pair of yoga pants that have started wearing out at the hems how I’ve stepped on them countless times before.
“I didn’t hear anything,” I murmur in lieu of a protest when he starts kissing my neck. “Are you sure there’s someone—?”
He presses two fingers against my lips, silencing me as he grins down at me. “Nah. Just wanted to kiss you.”
My tummy flips over at that. I bite the inside of my lip, and he must take it as a sign, because he ducks down again and captures my mouth with his.
When he kisses me, it’s as if we only have seconds left to live.
His hands slide down my hips, caressing my ass through my thin pants. But he never squeezes, never gropes, never shoves anything anywhere. It’s like he’s exploring a foreign new land he’s only ever heard of in fairy tales, and is determined to drink it all in.
But despite the fact that all we’re doing is kissing, despite how I’m sure that’s all he wants, my body responds to him like he’s announced he’s going to pop my cherry.
When his hands skim up my waist and begin exploring my breasts, my nipples instantly harden to tight buds.
He stops kissing me and leans back, staring down at my breasts like he’s never seen a pair in his life.
Right—and he never looks through any of those porno mags in the Brotherhood’s lair. As if.
His warm breath chases shivers through my body as he slips his hand under my sweater and scoops my breasts into his hands, weighing them in his palms.
My head falls back. I sigh as he strokes my skin and moan when he ducks his head and sucks one of my nipples into his mouth. But as soon as it disappears into his hot, hungry mouth,