Page 47 of Bellamy

“Why would I ever want to leave you, sweet Bellamy?” he asked in a smart-ass tone, pushing to his feet. We stood close, but the glass divider kept us from touching. A mocking expression crossed his face. “I heart you.”

“This is some joke to you, huh?”

“The only joke here is how hard you’re fighting your attraction to me.”

I banged on the glass again before shoving away and turning for the stairs. I fumed with each step. It sucked to want someone so much but to not trust a single word they said.

“Bellamy.”

I stopped but didn’t turn around.

“I wanted to see you,” Phoenix said, the sarcastic tone gone. “That’s why I came here. I couldn’t bring myself to seek you out, so I went to the cliff. It was outside of town but close enough to feel like you were near me.”

I swallowed the sudden tightness in my throat. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t expect anything from you.”

My sternum squeezed as I fought the urge to look at him. “Might as well make yourself comfortable. You’ll be here a while. I’ll bring you some food later.”

“Stale bread?”

A strange ache stabbed my chest. “Maybe an apple to go with it.”

“Can’t wait.”

Before I could convince myself otherwise, I went up the basement stairs and closed the door behind me.

***

Lazarus was quiet.

Mountains rose around us in our spot hidden away from the world. The sun shone for once, a rarity in our sleepy seaside town. The summer air was warm, and I breathed in the smell of sun-warmed earth and grass, mixed with the saltiness of the sea.

Our little cove was like a slice of paradise, and I sometimes came out there when I needed the peace associated with the gentle waves.

This moment though? Far from peaceful. I was too on edge. Lazarus had just learned Phoenix was my mate… and that said mate was in our basement, still alive and kicking.

His anger, however, was aimed at Alastair.

“Bellamy was held captive in the underworld and you didn’t inform me?” Lazarus asked him. With his short white hair and hard expression, he looked exactly as he had all those years ago when I’d first met him. Young. Decently muscled. But cold.

“I had it under control,” Alastair answered.

“That’s your Pride speaking,” the angel hissed. “Your brother’s life was in the balance, and you did nothing!”

“Wow, Laz.” Castor crossed his arms. “You sound like you actually give a damn. Shocking.”

There were things I disliked about Lazarus. I hated when he kept shit from us, and yeah, we’d argued over the years. The training from when we were younger had been brutal too. But I’d never forget the night he’d rescued me from the brothel—a place that had only caused me heartache. He’d shown me kindness when I’d needed it most.

Lazarus ignored Castor and addressed Alastair instead. “I expected more from you. You let him be tortured for days, all in the hopes that a demon would save him.”

“What would you have rather me done?” Alastair’s cool demeanor slipped as anger filtered in. “Hand over Light Bringer? You would’ve skinned me alive for that. Or how about going on a rescue mission, one Asa was more than prepared for, and possibly losing several of my brothers in the process? Neither of those choices was viable. I saw a third option and took it. I made a judgment call.”

“You should’ve told me the moment he was taken,” Lazarus growled. “Perhaps I could’ve done something.”

“Like what? You have enough on your plate right now trying to rebuild the celestial realm.” Alastair’s gaze sharpened. “Besides, didn’t you tell me once that you can’t ‘drop everything’ each time I call on you? You’re the commander of an army of warriors. You have your own life. You can’t babysit us all the time.”

“Watch your tone with me.” A storm brewed in the angel’s eyes. More like a blizzard.