Steel

Chapter 27

"Let me guess, you have a penthouse in New York as well," I hummed absentmindedly as I stared out the windows of the taxi, watching the massive steel skyscrapers pass us by. We'd landed in New York City at around 11 pm, and while I thought it would've been dark, it was far from it. The city was bathed in a golden light, defiant against the night. It shimmered with life, with people bustling about and bars packed to the brim.

"No, actually I don't," Grey murmured back, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand. I turned to look at him beside me, furrowing my brows in surprise.

"I have three. I rent two of them out, though. The third is my personal favorite, and I refuse to share it," he chuckled cheekily, cerulean eyes glimmering with reflections of the city lights.

"How many places do you own, exactly?" I rolled my eyes playfully at him. He tightened his sharp jaw a little, pursing his lips in thought.

"Not sure, actually. I got into some property investments back in the early 2000s. I have my favorites that I keep private, but the others I either rent to celebrities and politicians or sell to the highest bidder," he shrugged, as if such a statement were commonplace.

"Sometimes I forget you're not my age," I snickered and his lips broke into a dazzling grin.

"Only by a few centuries," he retorted playfully and I huffed, looking back out at the glorious city passing us by. It looked so different in my dream. All of this golden light- it had been snuffed out like a candle, covered in inches of silver ash. I could see it so clearly in my head, even now when I was awake.

"Try not to think about that, love. There's still time," Grey murmured softly against the nape of my neck, pressing his lips against my skin. Sometimes I forgot how adept he'd gotten at empathizing with me. It's like I just loved to forget who I was dealing with. To me, he wasn't some centuries old ridiculously powerful Fallen who happened to have control over death. To me, he was just Grey. The same annoying guy who'd sauntered into my organic chemistry class and called me a cheesy Latin name he knew I wouldn't understand.

"When will Siena and the others get here?" I sighed, changing the subject. Grey withdrew his lips from my neck and sat up a little straighter.

"Not sure. Probably soon. Michael wants all the heavyweight here as soon as possible," he explained gruffly. I turned to look at him, amused.

"Heavyweights?" I snickered.

"Yeah, all the angels he knows are going to make huge dents in Hell's Army. The ones who have some weight to throw around," he eyed me playfully.

"So who? You, me, Siena, Barachiel-?" I trailed off, waiting for him to finish.

"You and I, Siena, Ravenna, Barachiel, and Zadkiel," he replied.

"Ravenna? I guess I figured she wouldn't be fighting all too much since she doesn't have wings. And Zadkiel?" I questioned. Grey shook his head quickly.

"Ravenna has wings. You just haven't seen them yet. She has demon wings. Like you saw on Siobhan. Zadkiel isn't as strong of a fighter as Siena or Barachiel, but he's a good strategist," he explained. I huffed, pressing my lips together.

"Where exactly is this penthouse of yours? I'm exhausted," I mumbled annoyedly and Grey chuckled under his breath.

"We're almost there. You'll like it. It has a great view of the city," he replied softly as I leaned back and rested my head against his shoulder. He draped an arm lazily around me and rested his cheek against my head.

"When do your places not have great views?" I quipped sarcastically and I felt his chest rumble in a snicker.

"Fair point. I have great taste," he shrugged nonchalantly.