by Eva Brandt
This was a bit of a long shot, and I wasn’t sure I had the authority to forgive anyone’s sins. But ever since I’d come here, I’d been hearing a lot about how important forgiveness was. By extrapolation, forgiveness had power.
Morrigan had told me that angels were merciless, and yet, they put so much emphasis on something they couldn’t technically do. That had to mean something.
It did. It meant more than I myself expected. My chest started burning and my skin started to glow. I gasped as a strange, almost liquid vibration spread through my body. Raphael’s eyes widened and he cried out, “No, don’t!”
But it was too late. I’d already said the words. More than saying them, I had meant them. When I’d come here, I’d blamed my lovers for everything that had happened to me, and I’d had good reasons for it. But now, that was no longer the case. The yachting ‘accident’ which had taken my life had been Lucifer’s fault and maybe, that of those people who’d kidnapped his queen. I would never be able to forgive Lucifer, but Sariel, Azazel, and Yeqon were helping me heal my wounds, so they were different.
The light I’d summoned began to grow brighter and expanded all throughout the dome. It swallowed my lovers’ bodies, and even Raphael’s. If I focused a little, I thought I could hear Ariel protesting outside, trying to get into the dome. But she couldn’t do anything, since my magic had somehow locked her out.
It was nice to be able to overpower an archangel. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something I could sustain and the magic of my forgiveness had another target. I blinked, and the light began to vanish, absorbed into three bodies.
When the dome returned to normal, my lovers were back into their regular forms again. The tentacle around my waist had become an artificial creation of light. “You’re amazing, you know that?” Yeqon said, his voice shaking with emotion. “We don’t deserve this.”
“I think I’m the one who gets to decide if you deserve my forgiveness or not. Nobody else gets a say, not even you.” Turning toward Raphael, I arched a brow at him. “Are we done here?”
Raphael glanced from my face to Yeqon’s, Azazel’s, and Sariel’s. “I suppose you’ve won this round, Delilah. Yes, we’re done. They’re free. I can’t argue against the power of forgiveness.”
I should have felt triumphant, but somehow, I was sad. “I wasn’t aware it was a battle,” I whispered. “What are you fighting for, Raphael? What is everyone here fighting for?”
He didn’t answer, but Sariel replied in his stead. “Themselves. Angels fight to save their own souls, Delilah, even if not all of them realize it.”
His words struck me as ominous, but I couldn’t deny that they were probably true. Demonic power came from sin, but celestial power came from spirit. Demons were passionate, but angels were ruthless.
Therein lay the problem. Demons and angels weren’t that different. It took a single step in the wrong direction for an angel’s path to veer off course. And if Raphael was to be believed, someone had tried to force me to take that step.
“I don’t blame them for wanting to protect themselves. But what have I done to earn their rejection?”
“Angels don’t always reject people because of their actions. They always have a reason to attack, but it’s not unusual for it to make no sense to a mortal.” Azazel took my hand and kissed my knuckles, an excruciatingly gentle gesture that reached into my heart and squeezed. “But their reasons are beside the point. We’ll protect you, Delilah. No one will hurt you ever again.”
They couldn’t make me that promise. There was no way they’d be able to fulfill it. And yet, when they all smiled at me, I believed them. And I made a vow of my own. I swore that I’d never be taken by surprise again, that I wouldn’t allow anyone to damn me.
I’d found something at Watcher Academy, and I would protect it.
Refuge
Despite having admitted that my lovers could no longer be blamed for what had happened to me, Raphael wasn’t willing to let the matter drop so easily. They had still used demonic magic in their outburst of temper and that was forbidden at Watcher Academy.
“I can understand their anger, but I also can’t ignore the issue,” he said. “They still need to be supervised.”
“And what do you propose?” I fumed. “That they stay trapped here, even if they’ve done nothing wrong? They were only trying to protect me.”
Raphael pursed his lips and shared a look with Ariel. She’d joined us in the dome, but had said nothing, remaining silent and stoic. To a certain extent, I couldn’t blame her, since my lovers had done a fair amount of damage to both her and Raphael. But even if the archangels were right to be wary, I still wouldn’t allow them to treat Sariel, Yeqon, and Azazel as if they were criminals and murderers.
I had enough experience with Watcher Academy by now to understand the necessity of compromise. “Look, if you think supervision is that important, we can all stay in the dome one more day. You can keep watching us fine that way, right?”
“You want to stay with them?” Ariel asked, frowning slightly. “The dome isn’t the most comfortable place in the realm.”
I shrugged. “I don’t mind a little discomfort. I’ve had worse.”
“That’s exactly it, Delilah,” she protested. “You were just attacked. It might be safer to return to your quarters.”
“I appreciate the concern, but if I did that, I’d keep fretting and worrying about what’s going on here. I’ll be fine.” She didn’t seem convinced and I turned toward Raphael, hoping he’d listen. “I wouldn’t ask this if I didn’t think I could handle it, Archangel Raphael. Please.”
“Very well,” he replied. “I’ll allow it. There’s no clear rule that forbids another angel from staying with prisoners in the dome.”
That was a loophole, but I was too happy about having been given permission to stay to care.
It was only when Ariel and Raphael left that I realized my impromptu sleepover in the dome would be a little problematic. Like the archangels had said, the dome hadn’t been built with comfort in mind, so there was no furniture. I supposed angels didn’t always need it and they hadn’t bothered here at all.
Besides, I still had my injuries to worry about. I hated having to agree with the archangels, but once I was no longer focusing on their presence, I realized they’d been right and that I was still in pain.
My lovers immediately noticed. “Come sit down,” Azazel said. “You’re still hurt.”
And then, much to my surprise, he pulled out several of his feathers. Sariel did the same, as did Yeqon. I was so shocked I didn’t immediately react, not until the feathers expanded, creating a small bed.
The notion that they’d mutilated themselves to create a bed for me was so appalling it snapped me out of my shock. “What do you think you’re doing? Stop hurting yourselves!”
“Relax, Delilah,” Sariel explained. “Extracting our feathers isn’t pleasant, especially when they are used in something questionable after that. But that doesn’t always happen. When we’re happy to share our magic with someone else, it’s not really painful.”
“It stings a little when we extract the feathers, but after that, it’s actually pleasant,” Yeqon explained. “Like we’re blending our energies. Trust us on this one, okay?”
I was still a little uncertain, but they were the angels here, not me, so I trusted that they knew best. And so it was that we ended up curled in the middle of the transparent dome, on a bed of feathers. They set me down on my back, but it wasn’t painful. The magic in the feathers soothed me, sliding into my body and mending my wounds.
We didn’t speak. It was better, safer to just lie there in silence. I didn’t want to think about everything that had gone wrong as of late.
Having some peace sounded like heaven—actual heaven, not this ridiculous, twisted version of it that was my reality.
My lovers seemed to instinctively know what I needed, because they petted my hair in silence and shielded me with their wings.
But
none of us could pretend forever, and they were still very tense. In hindsight, it had been stupid of me to think that my presence alone would magically make them feel better.
“Are you all right?” I finally asked, feeling silly and inadequate.
“Are we all right?” Yeqon repeated in disbelief. “We’re not the ones who got mauled after leaving a class.”
“I know that,” I replied, “but I received medical attention and I feel better. You’ve been here, in your cursed form, accused of something you didn’t do.”
“We’re used to things like that, Delilah, and we’ve had much worse,” Sariel pointed out.
“That doesn’t make it any better,” I shot back.
“Maybe not, but knowing you’re safe now and with us is more than enough,” Azazel offered.
I still wasn’t completely convinced and they must have noticed because they released me from their arms. With a sigh, Sariel got up on his haunches. “You hate our cursed forms, don’t you?”
The blunt question took me aback and I paused for too long. Sariel didn’t say anything about it, but I could tell it bothered him.
“It’s not that,” I replied, getting up as well. “I just don’t want you to be forced from one body to the other. It can’t be easy on you. And besides, this is about more than just your transformation. I’ve seen you in that shape before, and you weren’t going crazy then.”
“After the incident with Sandalphon,” Sariel said. “I remember.”
“Yes. Raphael brought me here because I was worried about you.”
“It looks like the story keeps repeating itself, huh?” Yeqon mused. “You shouldn’t have to worry about us, Delilah. You have your own problems to worry about.”
We were going around in circles and I didn’t want to argue with them, not anymore. “This is stupid. Let’s not fight about who is supposed to worry most, okay?”
“All right, sweetheart,” Yeqon answered. “You have a deal.”
I should have been happy with that. I should have been satisfied with knowing they were fine, or at least, recovering from their ordeal. But they were still so close to me, closer than ever before, and the magic coming from their feathers still buzzed through my veins.
“Seal it with a kiss?” I heard myself ask.
Yeqon gaped in visible shock, but Azazel nodded. “We can do that.”
The kiss he gave me was even chaster than I’d expected. Not that I’d thought they’d suddenly start a passionate make-out session under these circumstances, but a little more enthusiasm would have been appreciated.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss—or at least tried to. My lack of sexual experience put me at a distinct disadvantage. But I was nothing if not determined, and I managed to crawl into his lap, grinding against his groin.
For a few seconds, I thought I’d won, because he was obviously into it. His erection nudged my pussy, making my body heat up. He licked over the seam of my lips, demanding entrance to my mouth.
I gladly gave it, surrendering to his domination. But Azazel didn’t take advantage of the opportunity I’d given him. He soon broke the kiss and tore himself away from my embrace. “Delilah, we can’t. You’re still hurt.”
“I’ll be fine. We don’t have to do anything too strenuous. I’m perfectly safe when I’m with you.”
Behind me, Sariel let out a slow breath. “This is crazy. You’re supposed to be resting. Why are we even considering it?”
“Because you know it’s right,” I replied.
Maybe they agreed with me, because after that, they abandoned their attempts to resist me. They didn’t delve in for another kiss, not immediately. Instead, they evaporated my clothing, just like they had the first time we’d had sex. Once I was naked, they lay me on the bed of feathers again. This time, though, I was face down.
“Relax and let us take care of you,” Yeqon murmured.
His words were almost like a magic spell. I still ached to touch them and kiss them, but instead, I closed my eyes and allowed them to do whatever they wanted.
My faith was not misplaced. Azazel leaned over my back and started pressing gentle kisses over my spine. Resting against the feathers had felt amazing, but experiencing his touch directly was even better. When his tongue trailed over the edges of my incipient wings, I felt as if he was reaching straight for my soul.
Meanwhile, Yeqon lay down by my side. He took my hand, threading our fingers together. I opened my eyes to look at him, and couldn’t help a shiver of arousal at the smile of sexual promise he shot me.
His iridescent wings glowed, the bright light almost blinding, flashing against the edges of the dome. The feathers beneath us started to move and vibrate. They seemed to gain a life of their own, zeroing in on every part of me my lovers couldn’t reach.
I’d never been ticklish, and that turned out to be a good thing, because if I had been, this would have gone downhill fast. Then again, these feathers weren’t like regular ones, and when they traveled over my body, I could feel my lovers’ energy slide into me.
I could understand at that moment what they’d meant about willingly sharing their magic with someone else. This simple act, the light touch of a feather, carried a striking echo when imbued with the essence of a Watcher’s will. And the craziest thing was that like this, it felt as if I was being touched everywhere at the same time. My nipples, my bellybutton, my neck, my arms—every part of me was vulnerable to Yeqon’s teasing games.
If Azazel and Yeqon had kept going like this, I would have come just from their innocent caresses. But Sariel had other ideas. For a little while, he let the others play, making me drift into a state of intense, but lazy arousal.
When he reached for my pussy, I jolted back into awareness, shocked. He was just as gentle as Azazel and Yeqon, and his fingers slid into me with ease. But his hands were just as magical as the feathers, and the end result was that I felt as if he’d suddenly shoved a vibrator inside me.
When he swept his thumb over my throbbing clit, I couldn’t suppress a yelp. He pressed a hand to the small of my back, shushing me. “Relax. Let yourself feel.”
As if on cue, Azazel’s power pulsed a little deeper into the edges of my wings. My vision blurred, but this time it wasn’t out of pain. All I felt was pleasure and the absolute desire to belong to them.
Everything was so right when I was here, in their arms. I didn’t feel trapped, chained, lost, or shattered anymore. I was free.
“That’s it, angel,” Yeqon murmured. “Embrace it. Don’t be afraid.”
I was no angel, not normally, but maybe I could be, for them. Just like I’d forgiven them, maybe they could forgive me.
I didn’t know how long we just sat there, with them caressing my body in and almost worshipful way, but when Sariel finally slid his dick inside me, it felt normal, the natural progression of what we’d been doing and hoping for. Even then, he didn’t start moving immediately. He made sure I was comfortable, holding my hips up himself, since my hands had long ago decided they couldn’t support my body.
And then, I was floating. At first, I thought I was imagining it, my mind drifting away because of how good it felt to be touched like this. I soon realized it was actually happening, and Yeqon’s power was holding me aloft.
This particular magic had a different feel. It was sharper and more intense, and it didn’t take a genius to recognize its demonic nature. But no matter how much I despised Lucifer for having claimed everything that belonged to me, I could never reject a power that was as natural as any other creature that existed in the world. And I’d never reject anything that Sariel, Azazel, and Yeqon offered.
As Sariel started to move in and out of me, Azazel reached for my hair and guided his shaft to my mouth. I happily parted my lips, welcoming the chance to taste him again. When his dick slid into my wet cavern, I let out a muffled moan. Azazel’s grip on me tightened, making my scalp sting. I didn’t mind it. If anything, it aroused me more, and in response, I ins
tinctively squeezed my inner walls around Sariel’s cock.
Sariel hissed, and a surge of magic swept over all of us. I knew that no matter how gentle they might have tried to be, they were reaching the limits of their resistance.
Yeqon swept a single feather over my spine and kissed my shoulder. Then, he was moving away, and I got the feeling I knew exactly what he had in mind.
My guess was confirmed moments later, when I felt Yeqon slide into Sariel. It was easy for them, something they’d done countless times before. The three of them were a unit, and they fit together like puzzle pieces.
And maybe that should have made me uncomfortable or excluded, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. When Yeqon buried his cock inside his fellow Watcher, it was as if he was fucking both of us. Sariel didn’t let out a single sound, but he didn’t have to say anything for me to know what he felt and what he needed.
After all, how could I not sense it? Angel anatomy still confused me, but Sariel must have had a prostate, because Yeqon’s every thrust triggered explosions of pleasure inside him—and inside me. I wanted to share this sensation with them, to tighten this bond we were building until we could truly be a single being without ever questioning it.
Throwing all caution to the wind, I tried to reach back to them, the only way I knew how. My power was untrained, but it was there, and if I’d managed to use it in class, I could do it again, hopefully, in a different, more pleasant way.
At first, I couldn’t quite manage it, as that thought brought back far more distressing memories. I pushed it all away and forced myself to stop overthinking everything. This was a special moment I wanted to share with my lovers. There was nothing truer and more powerful than that. Even if I doubted myself, my worth as an angel, and everything that had brought me here, I couldn’t doubt the fact that my Watchers genuinely cared about me.
