STORY EXCERPT

Raziel lifted his head when he heard the crunch of snow and felt a presence growing closer. Jerking to his feet, he quickly pulled out his flask then drained the contents, the concoction instantly refilling. 

Yuk! The stuff tasted like foul mop water, and not even the hella ton of bourbon he mixed in to try and dilute the nastiness helped. It was like putting deodorant on musty pits, but Raziel had to drink the shit to mask his location. 

Because if Bashar caught up to him, the angel would make good on his promise to behead him. 

Since Raziel didn’t feel the familiar electrical current in the air to indicate another angel was present, he relaxed. 

A human drew closer, in full winter gear, a backpack strapped to his back. He was muttering under his breath, slapping his cellphone against his hand. 

“How are you not working?”

Raziel faded into invisibility, watching intently as the human pivoted in slow, uncertain circles. The man squinted at the deepening shadows, visible puffs of warm air escaping his mouth.

“I don’t remember any of this.”

He must be lost.

The sun was already setting, and soon the woods would grow too dark for a human to properly navigate. The natural inhabitants would wander out, and not all of them would be docile creatures. But as Raziel watched the stranger, his gaze swept over the man’s handsome face, thinking to himself  that he wouldn’t mind fucking the guy.

As far back as he could remember, Raziel had been drawn to humans. They were fascinating, with many complex emotions. Unlike angels, most of whom were as frigid as the air around him. 

Raziel snorted. It wasn’t as if he would know since celestial beings weren’t supposed to have sex. 

With anyone. 

Not even by their own hand.

Which was why Nephilim were an affront. Their existence was proof an angel had defiled him or herself. 

And Raziel defiled himself any chance he had. If he wasn’t meant to have sex, then why did he derive so much pleasure from it? Made no sense to him. 

The human froze in place, his wide eyes scanning the surrounding woods. “Is someone there?” he called, his voice steady but his hand tightening around his phone.

Raziel was stunned. How had the man detected him? That shouldn’t have been possible. There were only a few who could see or sense angels while invisible, like babies of any species or powerful beings. 

The human was neither. 

“I’m lost,” he called out. “The compass on my phone isn’t working. I just need to be pointed in the right direction.”

I’ll point you right to my bed, gorgeous.

But if the man didn’t stop shouting, he would attract the wrong attention. Raziel could sense three wolves nearby, hungry and more than willing to eat a lost hiker. 

Remaining invisible, he flashed from beside the tree he had been leaning against to directly behind the human male.

Carefully, he reached out, hesitated for a brief moment, and then touched the very ends of the stranger’s red hair. Raziel had always been a sucker for redheads. They had such fire and passion, especially when it came to sex. 

With that single touch he knew who this man was. Cody McGillis, who was a mere twenty-nine years old and the new veterinary technician in Midnight Falls. 

A noble profession. 

Cody stilled. “Who’s there?”

Continue straight and I will guide you back to your car.

“I’m not taking directions from someone I can’t even see,” Cody argued.

Once again Raziel was stunned. The human wasn’t frightened. Did that mean he knew about the preternatural world? 

“I would advise you to follow my directions if you don’t want those wolves that are closing the distance to catch up with you.”

“Wolves?” Cody’s breath came out a little faster. “But you could just be saying that to get me to follow you.”

It seemed Raziel wasn’t the only paranoid and mistrusting person. He’d just met this human and—

A gut-wrenching urge to grab Cody and never let him go struck Raziel.  

No. He took a step back, his feet crunching in the snow. Cody spun around, his gaze darting. 

In disbelief, Raziel stared at the man before him, the reality pressing down on him like an inescapable force. This human was his mate.  

But… Angels didn’t have mates. How could they when they were supposed to remain pure? How could fate be so damn cruel? Raziel was being hunted by the most vicious angel to ever be created and couldn’t offer Cody shit.  

First Ethan and now my mate. The list of people he had to deny was growing. And now Bashar had two people to possibly use against him to force him to comply. 

Raziel would put Cody’s life in jeopardy if he claimed the human. He was a danger to his son and now his mate.

“Please, show yourself,” Cody called again, his voice trembling. 

Long shadows bled into the forest, and the pale glow of the moon barely softened the cold emptiness Raziel sensed around them.

For the second time in his existence—the first just days ago—he felt confusing emotions stir inside of him.

And he wasn’t sure how to handle them. 

Hatred, rage, fear he knew all too well. They were constants in Raziel’s lonely, miserable life. Sadly, not even when he’d slept with Ethan’s mother had he truly felt anything other than mutual pleasure. 

Raziel was filled with so much bitterness, so much anguish. He was broken, unlovable, and carried many scars from Bashar’s brutality. Friendship was a foreign concept to him, and so was vulnerability and tenderness.  

The sound of howls made Cody spin in circles, his eyes wide. The rapid thrum of his heartbeat echoed in Raziel’s ears, and the sharp scent of fear hung suspended in the frigid air, distinct and undeniable. 

“See, I wasn’t lying,” Raziel said. “Now are you willing to take directions from me?”

“Whatever you are, you’re a complete jerk!” Cody stomped away but glanced behind him a few times, like he was checking to see if the wolves were closing in on him.

Even though it was the worst idea, Raziel revealed himself. “Happy now?” 

Cody stopped and spun around, the quick movement causing him to trip over an exposed root and fall toward the ground. Without thinking, Raziel flashed behind the human and steadied him, the weight of the man’s warmth startling against his skin. Slim and slight in his arms, Cody brought with him a rush of feelings Raziel had no idea how to handle.

Snatching his hands back, he flashed ten feet away, causing Cody to hit the ground with a grunt. 

Oops. 

“If that’s your idea of chivalry, you have a lot to learn.” Cody grunted, trying to turn over, but all he managed to do was look like a flipped turtle. His large backpack was preventing him from doing anything other than flailing his arms and legs. 

 “Kitten, there isn’t a chivalrous bone in my body.” Raziel manifested his flask, flicking his wrist at the same time to put the human on his feet. 

ADULT EXCERPT

“My turn,” Raziel snarled softly. He pulled Cody up the bed until they were gazing at each other, their harsh breaths mingling, their mutual desire clinging to the air between their mouths. 

On instinct, he curled his legs around his mate’s waist, their kiss just as savage as they felt, if not more.

The anticipation rippled between them until it turned into rushing water, rolling over them in a million droplets of desire, urging them closer together. 

A demanding knee separated Cody’s legs. 

“Lube!” He thankfully had the wherewithal to remember. 

As his mate leaned down until his lips brushed Cody’s ear, Raziel said in the deepest, most sinful voice, “I’m about to blow your mind, kitten.”

He had no idea what that meant, having lost the ability to focus. The sultry voice drugged him. 

Kneeling, he hitched Cody’s legs over his bulging arms, looking like every gay man’s fantasy. Swirling eyes burst with color. A cocky smile hovered, and an air of confidence was displayed as Raziel scooted a little closer. 

Cody hoped that, in blowing his mind, Raziel didn’t try to enter him dry. 

“Relax, babe.” He winked. “Do you trust me?”

“Not around bacon.” Cody curled his fingers into the bedding, bracing himself for pain. 

“You were cooking my most favorite thing in the world, hon.” The head of his dick slid over Cody’s ring of muscle. “You’ll have to arm yourself with your spatula every time you make it.” 

He fucked his way into Cody’s ass, yet there wasn’t any pain or friction. Even more incredible, the ring of muscle relaxed, as if his mate had stretched him already. 

“How did you do that?”

Raziel rocked his head back, his lips parting on a long, pleasurable moan. His body welcomed the angel like he was coming home. They fit perfectly, two halves of a whole. 

Cody felt himself blush at the unintentional pun. 

 “I just knew your pretty blush would cover your entire sexy body.” Raziel’s grin widened, his features softening.

Cody opened his mouth to protest, but the words tangled in his throat as Raziel’s cock moved deeper, filling him completely. The stretch was intense, sending a surge of heat through his body, grounding him in the moment. 

“You don’t see yourself the way I do,” Raziel murmured, his voice thick with sincerity.

The soft snort was involuntary. “I still don’t believe you think I’m gorgeous,” he murmured, trying to keep his voice steady.

Raziel leaned down, their lips brushing lightly. “You have no idea how stunning you are, how much you undo me.”

The kiss deepened, slow and tantalizing, as if every unspoken word was being poured into it. He curled his fingers into Raziel’s shoulders, clinging to him like a lifeline. The world outside the room disappeared, leaving only the warmth of Raziel’s body and the overwhelming intimacy between them.

Pulling back just a bit, he met Cody’s gaze, his swirling eyes dark and unreadable. “Believe me yet?”

Cody licked his lips, his voice low and teasing. “Getting there. I might need more convincing.” 

Raziel’s mouth curved into something dangerous, his hips rolling slowly, pulling a gasp from Cody. “Then I guess I better bring my A-game.”

Each stroke sent waves of pleasure through Cody’s body, building a pressure that was both exhilarating and overwhelming. A soft moan escaped, his head tipping back against the pillow as Raziel trailed his lips along his jaw.

Cody arched beneath him as his mate’s cock drove inside of him, the friction sending sparks skittering along nerve endings. The connection felt electric, raw, and unbreakable. Lost in the moment, he dug his nails into his mate’s back before realizing what he’d done, and then he quickly withdrew his hands.

“Put them back on me, kitten. I love that I make you lose control.” The angel’s eyes, and voice, turned darker. “The pain you inflict doesn’t hurt.” 

Cody didn’t want to ruin the moment by protesting, by arguing that Raziel had been through enough. But the angel knew what he wanted, what he could tolerate. However, instead of digging his nails back in, Cody slid his hands down Raziel’s back, tracing the curves of his wings where they met his shoulders. The silky feathers quivered under his touch, drawing a low groan from his mate.

“Raziel…” he breathed, his voice barely audible over the sound of their bodies moving together. He kept moving his hands until he noticed the tension under his fingertips.

Looking up, Raziel’s eyes were closed, his features pinched. 

Cody started to worry. “What’s wrong?” He slowed, watching the man closely, his concern growing. 

His mate widened his mouth, his fangs glistening, a sound escaping Raziel, something between a growl and a groan. 

“Don’t worry, Cody. I-I can fight it.” His voice was low, gravelly, his wings flexing and catching the air, their movements sharp and restless.

What is he talking about? Fight what? 

“It’s just so much harder to fight than the last time.” 

Confused, Cody pressed his hands into Raziel’s chest, forcing him to slow until he stopped. Heat radiated from the angel’s skin, and Cody’s palms tingled from the contact. “Tell me what’s going on.”