through, I need it.” She popped one into her mouth and pulled a pan from the rack hanging above the stove.
After breakfast, he flipped through the pages of Jeremy’s address book, looking for a name of interest.
She sat beside him, a mug of coffee in front of her, eyeing her cell phone. “I feel like I should call Kirin and update him. Even though he sure as heck hasn’t been sharing information with me. But I don’t know what I’d tell him at this point. I know he’d yell at me for consorting with dangerous individuals.” She flashed him a wry smile, then set the phone on the counter and leaned closer to the book. “Find anything?”
Her heat pulled at him. Why was he so sensitive to it? So drawn by it? Now he was aware of her physically, the smell of her shampoo and her unique scent, and the way her blond hair curved around her neck. When he’d held her, protected from pain by his wings, he’d gotten lost in her.
He focused on the book again. “I know some of these names.”
She pointed, her finger drawing an imaginary line beneath the name Silva. “Ooh, Jeremy was pissed at this guy. He scribbled his name out. Is Silva powerful enough to change the orientation of a fetus?”
“I’ve never heard of him.” Which was odd considering how small the Caido community was. Archer flipped through the rest of the pages. “He’s the only name in here that Jeremy crossed off. Something big made him do that.”
He grabbed up the phone. When a man answered, Archer said, “Silva, please.”
“He’s busy,” the man snapped. “If you care to leave a message—”
“No, I care to talk to him. I understand he can perform…services.”
Had the man coughed or snorted? Archer couldn’t tell.
“Silva is not currently performing services . Call back another time.”
Lyra had moved close to hear, surrounding him with her heat and scent. He could barely think.
“I understand that his abilities are beyond any regular Caido’s, and I’m prepared to pay handsomely if he can provide this highly sensitive service. I’ve heard great things about him, but you know what…it’s probably beyond his skills anyway.”
Silence for a moment. He knew some Caidos had egos that knew no bounds.
“It’s an advanced service?” the man pressed.
“A very unusual one. So unusual I can’t discuss it over the phone. But if he’s busy—”
“Who is this?”
“Grayson Winter.” Just in case this Silva knew who Archer was.
“Wait a minute.”
Archer turned to Lyra, who was smiling her approval. Embers flickered in her eyes. Even her Dragon was beautiful.
The phone clicked. “He’ll see you at two. You can tell no one you are coming here.”
“Understood.”
“If you have pen and paper ready…”
Archer wrote down the address and hung up.
“That was brilliant, using his ego against him. So we…” Her voice trailed off as she saw his intense gaze. “Your eyes are glittering.”
He brushed her hair from her face, leaving his fingers resting against her cheek. “There is something else I haven’t told you about Caidos.”
She leaned slightly into his touch. “What?”
Pain throbbed at the nerve endings of his skin, his desire, hers, twining together like barbed wire.
“Being in angel form inures us to pain. There’s a nice side effect: I can feel desire without pain, too. But I can’t hold it for long.”
Her pupils dilated. “You mean I can touch you, want you, and it won’t hurt?”
“If the wings don’t bother you.”
“Hell, no.” She shook her head, but her expression darkened. “But it hurts you when you transform, as you call it.”
“It’ll be worth it. For one time.”
He slid off the stool and removed his shirt, then bowed and willed his wings to come. They drove through his skin, but he didn’t care about the pain. When he straightened and opened his eyes, she was standing, too, watching him.
They stepped toward each other simultaneously. He ached, but not from
After breakfast, he flipped through the pages of Jeremy’s address book, looking for a name of interest.
She sat beside him, a mug of coffee in front of her, eyeing her cell phone. “I feel like I should call Kirin and update him. Even though he sure as heck hasn’t been sharing information with me. But I don’t know what I’d tell him at this point. I know he’d yell at me for consorting with dangerous individuals.” She flashed him a wry smile, then set the phone on the counter and leaned closer to the book. “Find anything?”
Her heat pulled at him. Why was he so sensitive to it? So drawn by it? Now he was aware of her physically, the smell of her shampoo and her unique scent, and the way her blond hair curved around her neck. When he’d held her, protected from pain by his wings, he’d gotten lost in her.
He focused on the book again. “I know some of these names.”
She pointed, her finger drawing an imaginary line beneath the name Silva. “Ooh, Jeremy was pissed at this guy. He scribbled his name out. Is Silva powerful enough to change the orientation of a fetus?”
“I’ve never heard of him.” Which was odd considering how small the Caido community was. Archer flipped through the rest of the pages. “He’s the only name in here that Jeremy crossed off. Something big made him do that.”
He grabbed up the phone. When a man answered, Archer said, “Silva, please.”
“He’s busy,” the man snapped. “If you care to leave a message—”
“No, I care to talk to him. I understand he can perform…services.”
Had the man coughed or snorted? Archer couldn’t tell.
“Silva is not currently performing services . Call back another time.”
Lyra had moved close to hear, surrounding him with her heat and scent. He could barely think.
“I understand that his abilities are beyond any regular Caido’s, and I’m prepared to pay handsomely if he can provide this highly sensitive service. I’ve heard great things about him, but you know what…it’s probably beyond his skills anyway.”
Silence for a moment. He knew some Caidos had egos that knew no bounds.
“It’s an advanced service?” the man pressed.
“A very unusual one. So unusual I can’t discuss it over the phone. But if he’s busy—”
“Who is this?”
“Grayson Winter.” Just in case this Silva knew who Archer was.
“Wait a minute.”
Archer turned to Lyra, who was smiling her approval. Embers flickered in her eyes. Even her Dragon was beautiful.
The phone clicked. “He’ll see you at two. You can tell no one you are coming here.”
“Understood.”
“If you have pen and paper ready…”
Archer wrote down the address and hung up.
“That was brilliant, using his ego against him. So we…” Her voice trailed off as she saw his intense gaze. “Your eyes are glittering.”
He brushed her hair from her face, leaving his fingers resting against her cheek. “There is something else I haven’t told you about Caidos.”
She leaned slightly into his touch. “What?”
Pain throbbed at the nerve endings of his skin, his desire, hers, twining together like barbed wire.
“Being in angel form inures us to pain. There’s a nice side effect: I can feel desire without pain, too. But I can’t hold it for long.”
Her pupils dilated. “You mean I can touch you, want you, and it won’t hurt?”
“If the wings don’t bother you.”
“Hell, no.” She shook her head, but her expression darkened. “But it hurts you when you transform, as you call it.”
“It’ll be worth it. For one time.”
He slid off the stool and removed his shirt, then bowed and willed his wings to come. They drove through his skin, but he didn’t care about the pain. When he straightened and opened his eyes, she was standing, too, watching him.
They stepped toward each other simultaneously. He ached, but not from
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