Feathers and Blood (boyxboy)

Chapter Twenty-Four

There was no way I was going to let Luke march into that battle. Not without a protest from me, anyway.

"You're already tempting your father!" I shouted at him once we were in the privacy of his bedroom. "And an attack on Lyssios is just going to end in more bloodshed."

Luke sighed. "What would you suggest I do, then? We have to get that dagger back."

I lifted my chin. "Why can't you just send one demon to get it? You know, a little espionage?"

He smiled weakly and sat down on the bed, shaking his head. "I can't. There's no way I'd trust a demon with that much power."

"What about Nyx?"

He frowned. "He's still weak. I'd trust him with the power, but not the mission itself. At least not any time soon. And we need the dagger now."

Scowling, I took my place next to him. "Why didn't you use it before? Wouldn't it be helpful?" I let my head rest on his shoulder.

"Because we can't risk killing each other. Not the siblings anyway. If any of us were to die, not only would we all be hurt, but Lucifer would exact revenge. The fact that Lyssios stole it shows how desperate he is."

I looked at him tremulously. "If they have the dagger, that means no one's safe. Not even you."

Luke kissed the top of my head. "I'll be okay. I've been fighting for millennia. My main concern is your safety."

I pulled away quickly. "No," I snapped. "Don't you be worrying about me tomorrow. Focus on the battle. You've got to survive. Promise me."

His tail slunk around my waist and pulled me back towards him. "Okay," he agreed. "As long as you promise you won't worry for me."

That was much easier said than done. I'd been with Luke enough to know that he was a hothead. He had virtually no control over himself when he was angry. And no matter how good he was, three fourths of his intelligence went out the window when he was fighting.

"I promise," I said dully.

"Hey!" Luke said encouragingly, punching my arm. "It'll be alright! I've been in worse situations before."

I stared at him for a while. He was so attractive. Pronounced jawline, beautiful black eyes... He wasn't very tall, but he was strong. I lacked all of those things. Looking at him sometimes made me feel insecure. There was no way I could ever hope to look as good as he did. What did he see in me?

"Jess?" Luke prompted softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I replied, a little too quickly. "I'm fine."

"I love you."

He said the words so simply, as if there was no other possible feeling he could have for me. As if that revelation didn't rock my whole world. How could a King, regardless of the species, love me?

"I love you, too," I stammered.

Silence fell between us, but it wasn't awkward. Instead, it calmed me as I basked in his gaze. When he looked at me, I felt safe. All thoughts of Antias vanished as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

The kiss quickly escalated. His hands roamed all over my torso, pressing up against my chest and slowly pushing me down onto the bed so that I was laying on my back. I was about to let myself go limp when I was suddenly revived by a sudden burst of strength.