Angel's Shield (4 page)

Chapter Three

“We can share the bed,” Haniel said, setting his backpack on the
floor.

Jeremiel rubbed his face. “Is it just me, or did she seem really
skittish?” He picked at his bandage, ignoring the twinge that told him he
should leave it alone.

Haniel shrugged. “She did, but don’t forget, she’s letting two strange
men sleep in her house. That would make any woman skittish.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” Jeremiel said, sitting
on the bed. The quilt was faded blue and very soft. He looked out the window. A
large tree blocked most of the view, but he could just make out the glitter of
stars beyond the branches.

“She knows you’re an angel.”

Jeremiel tensed. “Not for certain, she doesn’t.” He kept trying to
forget how startling it had been to touch her hand, how the heat had surged up
between them.
Why would I feel so much for a human?

“She suspects, and that’s good enough.” Haniel sat down next to
him and gently took his arm. “It’s probably scabbed enough to get rid of the
bandage.”

Jeremiel let his best friend peel off the white cloth. Messing
with it earlier had made one of the scabs sore, but it would heal quickly. It
always did—one of the perks of being an angel. After tossing the bandage, Haniel
sat close enough for Jeremiel to feel the warm length of his body. His friend
was familiar and welcome, but also unsettling. “I don’t know what I’d do
without you,” he murmured, leaning into him. He grabbed his hand and squeezed.

Haniel’s hand tightened on his. After a long moment, he replied. “I
need you more than you need me. I can’t fly anymore. I’d probably have thrown
myself off a cliff if not for you. Or let myself fade.”

Jeremiel’s heart skipped. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Not now, I wouldn’t.” Haniel laughed quietly. “But if you weren’t
here?” He trailed off.

Jeremiel abruptly drew him into a tight hug. “I’ll kill you if you
try to do that.” He buried his face in Haniel’s neck, relishing the warm scent
of his friend.

Haniel embraced him. “I wouldn’t do that, not as long as we’re
together.”

Jeremiel let himself relax slightly, ignoring the weird flutter of
nerves that told him most straight men didn’t tell their best friend such
things. He didn’t care. After all, angels and men were not the same, not at
all. If what he felt was stronger than friendship, who could possibly judge him
for it?

****

The next morning, he woke up tangled in Haniel’s arms. It had
taken him a long time to fall asleep, especially after his friend had dropped
off right away. He’d lain in the dark, listening to Haniel breathe, thinking
about the softness of Charmeine’s hand. His cock throbbed, keeping him awake,
but he wouldn’t touch himself while he was in bed with Haniel. No way. It
seemed to take hours for his hard-on to fade and for his brain to turn off
enough to fall asleep. Now, though, he ached all over again. Each time Haniel
shifted, his hip rubbed against Jeremiel’s dick.

When it happened again, Jeremiel stifled a groan and tried to ease
away, but Haniel had him trapped under the quilt, arms and legs wrapped up
tight. “Haniel,” he whispered quietly, not wanting to startle him. “Wake up.”
Morning sunlight filtered through the old stained glass at the top of the
window, throwing rainbows across the wall. The colors touched the bed, too, as
though God wanted to decorate their slumber with rainbows.

“Hmmm,” Haniel mumbled, finally rolling away.

Jeremiel sighed in relief, reaching down to adjust himself. “We
should get up.”

Haniel grumbled. “Sleeping.”

“Uh-huh.” Jeremiel stretched. “You’re a big faker. Were you awake
all this time?”

“Maybe.” Haniel rolled back over and shoved his face into Jeremiel’s
shoulder. “This is the first time we’ve slept in a bed in months. I’m not
getting up yet.”

A sudden knock startled both of them. Jeremiel froze, hands
gripping the comforter. “Charmeine?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Listen, I have to work from lunch until after
dinner today. Are you staying another night? You want me to bring you something
to eat later?” Charmeine called through the door.

“Hang on,” Jeremiel called, just as Haniel said, “Yes, thanks!”

Charmeine laughed. “Um, okay.”

Jeremiel shoved at his friend, trying to untangle his legs from
the sheet. “We’re staying,” he told her through the door. One look at Haniel’s
face told him his friend had no intention of going anywhere for at least a day
or two. “We’ve decided to take a vacation.”

“Okay,” she replied slowly, as if what he said made no sense.

He continued. “But you don’t have to feed us. We can get something
for ourselves. We don’t want you to wait on us.” He managed to sit up, shoving
the quilt aside as he fought the confusion that seemed to have taken up
residence in his brain. What the hell was wrong with him?
Too much blood drained from your brain to your dick
, he decided.

Haniel snaked an arm around his waist. “Calm down.”

Jeremiel rubbed his face. He wanted to lie back down and go to
sleep. Why was he so reluctant to leave this place? It wasn’t like him. He
usually wanted to keep going. He dug his toes into the cool hardwood floor,
frowning uneasily. Haniel patted his hip absently.

“It’s no problem,” Charmeine called back. “Listen, can I open the
door? I can barely hear you.”

Haniel answered before Jeremiel could. “Yeah, come on in.”

Jeremiel lunged for the quilt just as the door opened. He did
not
want her to see his morning wood. He glared at Haniel as she stepped inside.

“Oh,” she said, as if the two of them in bed together told her
something. “Sorry.”

Jeremiel had no idea what that something could be, but the look on
her face had him scrambling to explain.

“It’s the first night we’ve been able to sleep in a bed in months,”
he said, scratching his stubble when the explanation didn’t seem to relax her.

She stared at his hand. He slowly brought it down to his lap. Her
face was pink.
God, she’s pretty,
he thought.

“Are you leaving for work now?” Haniel asked, shifting onto his
elbow.

Jeremiel wanted to push him, tell him to be still, but that would
just make more of a spectacle of them in the bed.
Because we aren’t already
a spectacle, hmm?
he berated himself.
Embarrassment is my middle name.

“No, it’s only eleven. I’ll be leaving in a half-hour or so.” She
cocked her head at them. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, I slept great,” Jeremiel hurried to answer. She rubbed at
her arms, clearly uncomfortable.

“We’ll be down in a minute,” Haniel offered, sitting up.

The quilt moved, pulling across Jeremiel’s cock. Charmeine’s eyes
flicked down, then up again, her skin going pinker.

“Was there something you wanted?” he asked gently, when she didn’t
speak. Or leave.

She shook herself. “Um, no. Sorry.” She backed out of the room. “I’m
going to have some breakfast. Come on down when you’re ready.”

When the door shut behind her, Jeremiel turned on Haniel. “Are you
crazy?” He grabbed the quilt and dragged it off his friend. Haniel stared at
him, hair mussed. Dick hard and poking through his boxers.

Jeremiel looked away, his face heating.

“Sorry,” Haniel said, his voice low. “I, um, wasn’t thinking.”

Jeremiel took a deep breath. “Maybe we should talk about this.”

Haniel laughed shortly. “About what? The fact that ever since we
touched Charmeine I’ve been wanting to touch you, too? That I want her more
than I’ve ever wanted a female?”

Jeremiel went hot, then cold, then hot all over. “Jesus, Haniel.”
He was
not
going to turn around and look at him while they had this
discussion.

“Yeah, exactly.” The bed rustled.

Next thing he knew, Haniel was sitting next to him.
Leaning
into him.

“I could feel you, you know,” he said quietly. “It’s okay.”

Jeremiel’s heart gave a sick thump. “Why didn’t you roll over?”

“I liked it.” Haniel shrugged. “I don’t care if that makes me gay,
or whatever.”

Jeremiel swallowed. “I like Charmeine.”

“So do I,” Haniel replied immediately.

“What are we supposed to do with that?” Jeremiel asked, clenching
his fists. His morning erection was finally gone, thank God for small favors.

“I say we stay here for a little while. Rest up.” He took a deep
breath. “See what happens.”

“See what happens,” Jeremiel echoed, confused as fuck. He laughed
quietly. “We’re really messed up.”

Haniel bumped their shoulders together. “Yeah, well. So what if we
are?”

Jeremiel didn’t respond. What could he say? It wasn’t like he was
going anywhere. After they’d fought the demon at Castle Archangel, no one could
separate them. Haniel had given up everything for him. Jeremiel would never be
able to repay that. And really, who would care that he wanted to kiss his best
friend right now? He glanced over. Haniel fidgeted, eyes dark. Not thinking,
Jeremiel reached up and touched his mouth. Haniel’s lips were really soft.

“Fuck,” Haniel breathed, eyes fluttering shut.

Jeremiel leaned in. When Haniel’s mouth touched his, he shuddered.
“What are we doing?” he asked, lips touching.

“Shut up.” Haniel slid his fingers into Jeremiel’s hair and
deepened the kiss.

Jeremiel’s brain went offline. He gripped Haniel’s arms, cock
going hard and aching all over again. He kissed his friend until he didn’t know
where he was anymore. Haniel held him steady, kissing him back with such
intensity that he felt their connection down to his toes.

“If Charmeine were here, we would kiss her like this,” Haniel
whispered, startling Jeremiel into immobility. He bit at Jeremiel’s lower lip. “And
this.” He licked inside.

“Oh my God.” Jeremiel couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The idea
of
sharing
her was more than he could take.

“She’d probably be shocked, but also intrigued,” Haniel continued,
kissing down Jeremiel’s jaw. “She wants us both. Did you see her looking at us?
She’s down there in her little kitchen, thinking about us right now. Wondering
if we’re touching each other.”

“What are you saying?” Jeremiel asked breathlessly.

“Can’t you feel it?” Haniel asked.

Jeremiel couldn’t feel anything except the pounding of his heart. “I
feel you,” he murmured.

“She’s our mate, Jeremiel.”

Jeremiel went still, lips against Haniel’s cheek. “Impossible. She’s
human.”

Haniel pulled him closer. “I wish it were impossible. Why is her
name Charmeine? That’s an angelic name.”

“She’s human.” Jeremiel slid his hand down Haniel’s arm, gripping
hard, as if he were about to slide off a cliff and only his friend could save
him.

“I’m not so sure about that.” Haniel kissed him again and Jeremiel
couldn’t stop him. Didn’t want to.

“Angels don’t mate with humans. They don’t mate with two people,
either. They pair up,” Jeremiel said against Haniel’s mouth. He trembled. What
was happening to them? His skin was on fire. “Trios are a myth.”

“Anything’s possible. Look at me. I’m mostly broken, but I’m still
here,” Haniel said, pulling away again.

“Stop that.” Jeremiel grabbed his hands, then slid an arm around
his neck. “You’re not broken. You’ve never been broken. Even if you never fly
again, you’re still
you.
” From the look on Haniel’s face, his friend
didn’t believe a word he said.
Fuck this.
Jeremiel turned, climbing on
top of him and pushing him down onto the bed. He shoved his cock into the
hollow between Haniel’s hip and abdomen.
God, so fucking good.
“Shut up.”

Haniel closed his eyes and bucked up, his own hard-on bumping
against Jeremiel’s. “This part of me isn’t broken, just everything else.”

Jeremiel bit his neck. “I said, shut up.”

Haniel panted, hips moving urgently. “You have no idea what you’re
doing.”

“Neither do you,” Jeremiel retorted, holding him down. He kissed
him again, stubble scraping against his chin. He thought about Charmeine, how
her face would go pink if she saw them like this. How her eyes would go wide
and then her mouth would open, but she wouldn’t be able to speak. She’d just
stare at them. He thrust faster, the thin fabric of his boxers chafing the
sensitive head of his dick. He didn’t care. From the look on Haniel’s face,
neither did he.

“Fuck me,” Haniel said, hazel eyes glittering in the sunlight. “I
want to feel alive again.”

Those words sent him over. Jeremiel groaned, every muscle in his
body locking as his cock pulsed. Haniel trembled, then he grabbed Jeremiel’s
ass and arched his back as his climax took over, too. Jeremiel felt the heat of
it on his skin, against his hip and thighs.
So hot,
he thought, his dick
jerking painfully as his body tried to shove more pleasure through him. “Jesus,”
he muttered, going limp.