Page 102 of Alastair

“Time for you to get out of bed.”

“No. Too tired.”

My heart swelled as I smiled again.

The smell of Alastair’s skin grounded me, spicy and earthy. The council’s pending decision hung over me like a dark cloud. But I wouldn’t think on it. Wouldn’t dwell on what might happen.

“Alastair…” I trailed light kisses from his mouth and jaw, stopping at his ear. “Don’t make me spank you.”

“Always bossing me around,” he mumbled before giving me a lazy kiss. He was falling back asleep.

Oh well. Letting him sleep for another hour wouldn’t hurt.

***

“This is the worst Christmas Eve ever,” Gray said, kicking at the grass. “We should be watching movies and baking cookies. Sitting in front of the Christmas tree and lookin’ at the pretty lights. Enjoying a toasty, warm fire and drinking hot chocolate. But no. We’re on our way to a scary place with endless pits of doom and bogs of nasty, smelly water.”

“We’ll celebrate when you get back, angel.” Mason wrapped his muscular arms around him. “We can eat sweets and watchKrampuswith Dino-Steve.”

Gray beamed at that. “Okay. But Simon has to watch it with us. I wanna scare him. It’s been too long.”

Simon rolled his eyes before latching on to Galen’s waist. “Watch out for those pits of doom, big guy. Wouldn’t want you to get swallowed up.”

“I have wings. I can just fly back out.” Galen tenderly cupped Simon’s face and bent to kiss him. “Behave while I’m gone.”

“Pfft.” Simon straightened his glasses that had gone askew with the kiss. “I always behave.”

Humans weren’t allowed in the realm of the lost. Their souls were too susceptible to the void of nothingness. If they stepped into purgatory, they wouldn’t step back out. So Mason and Simon weren’t accompanying us. The other mates refused to stay behind though. I saw no reason to fight the decision. I wouldn’t win that argument anyway.

“Sorry I’m late!” Raiden landed in the grass in front of Baxter’s villa—ten minutes past our meeting time. He held a red plastic container with a green plaid ribbon on top. “Had to let these cool before I iced them.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Soft gingerbread cookies,” he answered. “Mephistopheles loved the ones I brought him on Halloween. These are the same, but instead of pumpkin-shaped, they’re gingerbread men.”

Titan landed beside him, holding a glass dish with a chocolate cake that was covered with plastic wrap and topped with a red bow. “And this is a Yule log.”

“It’s fuckin’ delicious too,” Raiden said. “Sponge cake with peanut butter frosting between the rolled layers and covered in rich chocolate ganache. He put raspberries on top.”

Michael eyed the cake, his curiosity and love of sweets briefly showing. He then shook his head. “Now that everyone’s here, we should go. Though… I almost think I should stay behind.”

“Why?” Alastair asked.

“I’m the one who took his wings.” Michael had done what he thought was right at the time. Traitors had to be punished. Yet, he carried guilt over it too. He never took joy in hurting others, even when his position required him to. “He may not be willing to talk with me around.”

“You need to be with us,” I told him. “As a member of the council, you have the authority to agree to any terms he may have in exchange for the information.” Because it was only reasonable for Mephistopheles to want something in return.

Everything came at a price, especially during wartime.

“Very well.” Michael withdrew a silver ring from his pocket and placed it on the middle finger of his right hand. The stone in the center of the ring softly transitioned between blue and purple as the magic within pulsed. “Everyone, gather around.”

Lucifer was the only angel who could teleport. But Michael’s ring gave him that teleportation ability. And unlike the stones I used that were only good for a single round-trip use, the ring’s magic was infinite. He could use it as many times as he liked. He had lent it to Selaphiel and recently got it back.

Alastair grabbed my bicep. My skin tingled. He offered me a small smile, and I brought him closer to nuzzle his soft hair. Would it always be like that between us? Me responding to his closeness in that way?

I hoped so.

Once everyone formed a link, Michael activated the ring and teleported us from the island. Silence greeted us a second later. So did the shadows of night.