Page 51 of Alastair

Daman smirked before making a show of standing from the chair and approaching the pool’s edge. Warrin watched his every movement, his book forgotten.

My eyes, however, were drawn to the jagged scar marring the center of Daman’s chest where Belphegor had thrust a sword into him during the battle in Hoia Baciu. Warrin had given half of his own heart that night to save him.

And Lazarus had helped. He had stayed with the two of them and performed the ritual that joined their hearts, burning through much of his own mana. Afterward, he had exited the cabin and nearly collapsed with exhaustion. They hadn’t seen that.

But I had. And it had confused the hell out of me.

Why go through the effort if he didn’t care about Daman? If he didn’t care about us? Lucifer hadn’t been released from his cage at that time. So he couldn’t say the reason was because we were the only way to win the war. And Asa had been powerful but not so much so that the angels couldn’t defeat him without our help.

Lazarus was the one person I’d never been able to pick apart and see all the layers hidden beneath. The one person whose moves I couldn’t predict. He was a puzzle. Normally, I liked puzzles. More so, I liked solving them. But Lazarus left me at a loss. There were too many missing pieces.

“Al?” Bellamy asked. He had walked outside at some point during my contemplation with a fruity drink in his hand. The blue liquid had a cloud of dark red from the vial of blood he must’ve just added. “You cool?”

“Yes.” I quietly cleared my throat and met his eyes. His hazel irises swirled as Lust tried to read my desires. “Careful with the drinking. We may be sent to battle at any time now that Lucifer is moving his pawns across the board.”

“Which is preciselywhyI wanna drink.” Bellamy took a sip, then smacked his lips once. “Mm. So good. Besides, if a battle breaks out, this’ll help me fight better. I’d say it helps me fuck better too, but that’s one area where I need no help.”

Phoenix materialized beside him and snatched the drink from his hand. “Thanks, doll.” He then teleported to a chair in the shade beside Warrin’s, his tail slowly flicking as he took a drink.

Bellamy stared at his now empty hand before smiling. “Damn that demon. He needs his goddamn ass spanked.”

“Pretty sure he’d like it, B,” Daman said from the pool.

My thoughts wandered back to Lazarus—irritatingly enough. The angel had kept his distance. Not surprising since he’d always been that way, however, the difference now was it bothered me.

“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” I told them before taking to the sky.

The sun hadn’t yet set, but it would within another hour. Even still, the evening was on the warmer side. The warmth was nice, but I missed winter—breathing in the cold, crisp December air and seeing colorful lights bounce off the snow, as Gray would’ve had the mansion decorated for Christmas by now.

For so long, prior to Asa’s awakening, our only concern had been fighting shades and hunting monsters—sometimes powerful witches—that aimed to harm mortals. Low on the danger scale compared to the present war. Longing pierced my chest, and I quickly pushed it aside.

We would have those days again. Days where we didn’t have to worry about one of us not making it home.

My wings carried me toward a small house surrounded by verdant woodland on three sides with a seaside view. The overwater bungalow had a white exterior and straw roof to give it a cozy island feel, even if the male temporarily calling it home was more on the cold and prickly side. The blue-green sea of the Mediterranean glistened beyond the back deck.

I landed in the powdery white sand and approached the front door. I knocked twice, then stood in place. Waiting. Which I hated. I knocked a third time. Still nothing.

“Where are you?”I asked Lazarus, resorting to our telepathic link. He often said not to invade his thoughts unless I needed something. Well, now I needed answers, so he could deal.

No response.

A waterfall rushed from nearby, sounding like it was coming from the other side of the tree line. Curious, I stepped away from the door and headed that way. As I drew closer to the trees, light bled through the branches. I traveled about twenty feet through the undergrowth before stepping out into a private lagoon.

It was like a slice of paradise. Clear blue water that darkened toward the depths, large rocks perfect for sunbathing on, and the same white sand that surrounded the bungalow. The waterfall cascaded from a low overhang of vaulted grey limestone, probably only ten feet in diameter.

Movement from the corner of my eye drew my attention.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Fairly certain my heart stopped too.

Lazarus stood waist-deep beneath the waterfall, eyes closed as he tipped his head back. Naked. My jaw nearly unhinged. He angled his face toward the stream before shaking his head and slicking a hand over his white hair. Dozens of scars cut across his back, some deeper and more jagged, while others were thin slices.

As my stare lowered to the small of his back, it was hard to breathe. Each inhale was like sucking through a clogged straw. The water distorted anything lower than that, but that somehow only made it more sensual.

He slowly turned around, his eyes still shut as he washed.

I should’ve looked away. Or made a noise to announce my presence. Doanythingother than inappropriately stare at his wet, naked body. But it was like I was under a spell. My blood shot through my veins like liquid fire, my heart knocked against my rib cage hard enough to crack one of them, and my cock stirred. The latter shocked me, but not enough to snap me out of my daze.

The trail of his wet abs and V-shaped muscles tempted my gaze lower… and lower, dipping below the surface of the water.