Page 28 of Beyond the Storm

Storm:Hey, Sleepy Gray. You’re still too good for this guy.

I laughed and shot back a response.

Me:Fuck you.

Gray nuzzled my arm. “You’re the one who’s too good for me, I think.”

“Keep lying like that and I’m going to tickle you until you piss yourself.”

He offered me a small smile. “It’s true though.”

“Well, Ithink you’re full of shit. You are the best person I know.”

“Nuh-uh. I’m not.”

“Why do you think that?” I asked.

“My dad’s still locked up in the celestial prison.” Gray chewed his bottom lip. “Part of me wants to go visit him. Another part never wants to see him again. Does that make me bad? I don’t wanna be bad. Maybe that’s why I don’t know how I feel about him. If I admit I still love him, that would kinda be forgiving all the mean things he’s done. And if I say I hate him… well, hating anyone is really mean too.”

“Come here, you precious thing.” I pulled him on top of me. “Look at me.” He did. “You’re not bad, Gray. You may be mischievous and my favorite little hellion, but there’s not an evil bone in your body. You love with your whole heart. You’re sensitive and sweet. Want to know the most important thing?”

He nodded.

“You and I…” I ghosted my lips across his. “We fit perfectly together.”

“We kinda do, don’t we?” He smiled against my mouth. “We’re here now because I saved your life from the manan-thingy.”

“The manananggal.”

“Yeah. That thing.” He pecked a kiss to my chin, jaw, then my cheek. “You got its goo on your shoes.”

I tugged him closer and kissed him. He giggled against my lips.

He was right though. If not for him and his brothers that night, I would’ve been toast. Gray had been saving me ever since that night. He’d saved me from myself. Saved me from the darkness that had tried to take me over since that dark night when I lost my unit—when I watched my best friend be torn apart.

Gray was my angel, not because he had wings or was the son of one. It was because he had saved me in every way.

“I like it here,” he said, trailing his fingertips along the collar of my shirt. “Even better that I’m with my favorite person.”

The bright beam of the lighthouse shone toward the dark sea before circling back around. In the distance, a ship’s horn sounded. I had lost my way so many times in life, unsure if I’d ever move on from the twisted shit in my head. But he had found me and shown me a world of sunlight. I wanted to be that for him too. His safe place. His warmth.

“I’d be lost without you,” I whispered, cupping the back of his head. I loved the wildness of his blond hair as I threaded my fingers through the strands. My little Nephilim of chaos.

“I guess I’m your lighthouse too.” Gray’s expression smoothed, became more tender. “Just like you’re mine. We guide each other to shore.”

The End

Bellamy & Phoenix

A glimpse into their happily ever after.

Bellamy

“I want you to fuck me like you hate me.” Phoenix turned to look at me from where I had him pushed against the wall, my dick deep in his ass and our bodies slick with sweat.

I’d lost count of the times I’d railed him that weekend. We had fucked earlier that day, showered, and then explored the town. We’d eaten lunch at a nice seaside restaurant and found a secluded section of the sunny beach to make out and rut together. A blowjob might’ve, most definitely, been involved—him on the receiving end because pleasing him thrilled me like nothing else did. Then, we’d enjoyed the Mykonos nightlife and party scene before returning to the hotel and fucking again. And again.

It was how we’d spent most of our days since the war ended. Traveling, sex, romantic shit, and more sex. I couldn’t get enough of Phoenix—enough of this life with him.