Page 12 of Conquest (The Four Horsemen #1)

11

Russia

Conquest took hold of Raziel’s arm, stopping the Angel from falling on his face as he tripped. They were walking along the banks of the Moskva River and if he fell in, Conquest wasn’t jumping in to get him.

“Get your head out of that book,” Conquest told him. Why the Angel wouldn’t just absorb the information like a normal Immortal, Conquest had no idea. Instead, he’d been insistent they buy it like fucking tourists, so he could read it.

“Did you know that the Red Square isn’t named that because of all the red? The fact that the buildings around it are red is pure coincidence.”

“Fascinating,” Conquest deadpanned.

“After the seventeenth century the Russians called it ‘Krasnaya Ploschad’ which comes from the word ‘krasnyi’ which originally meant beautiful in Russian, until it later came to mean red.”

Raziel stopped so abruptly Conquest almost smacked into him.

“Keep moving,” Conquest growled.

“Can we go visit the Red Square?” Raziel asked. His blue eyes were completely guileless and Conquest was not so easily manipulated.

“No.”

“Please?”

Conquest was here to drown his target in the river, and send the body floating into the section that passed through the Kremlin. Right that second, he wanted to join it.

“…thirty minutes. That’s it.”

“Raziel, get down from there.”

“No!” Raziel was determined to do this. “I’m going to-” His foot slipped and he quickly grabbed the statue’s foot that was in a stirrup and hanging out from the horse’s flank to stop himself from tumbling to the concrete below. “Ow, whoops. I’m going to get up here!”

“You’ll fall.”

Raziel instinctively tightened his hold at the thought. “You’ll catch me,” he said, with a lot more confidence than he felt. He would, right? “What was this guy’s name again?” He had tried to pull up information about him but all that had appeared was the fact that the statue was completely made of bronze, and built in 1995. Interesting, but not particularly helpful.

“Marshal Zhukov.”

Raziel heaved himself up and grabbed the reins, using them to anchor himself while he got a proper foothold in the stirrup. “And who is he?”

“He was a Military Commander of the Soviet Military Forces.”

“And the horse?” Raziel glanced down and immediately wished that he hadn’t. “This is really high up.”

“I told you to get down. What about the horse?”

“What’s his name?” Raziel bounced himself a few times to get momentum and then flung himself up so that he had a leg either side of Marshal Zhukov’s upper body. He wrapped his arm around the statue’s neck to keep himself upright.

“He doesn’t have a name.”

“Are you sure?”

“Raziel, get down!”

“His name is now Lance.”

Raziel looked around the open area in wonder. It was beautiful from up here. The sun and shadows danced with each other as the mortals walked in the large square. Despite the warmth of the sun, many of them were wearing coats and warm clothing. Some stopped to look at the statue, others walked straight past.

Raziel wondered what it was like to live as a mortal. Who were these people? Where were they going? What were their lives like?

“Get down, now, or I’ll leave you here.”

Raziel huffed. He could have stayed up here for hours, just watching. He pursed his lips in concentration as he tried to find a way down. There wasn’t an easy way to do so, he suspected because it wasn’t made to be climbed.

He caught a glimpse of Conquest below and froze. The wind was rustling the Horseman’s short hair, and his single stud earring glinted in the sunlight. Coupled with the cape flowing behind him and his armor he looked like a warrior. A magnificent warrior. Strong, sure, confident. And he wanted to kiss Raziel. Raziel still wasn’t sure why, but he did like the kisses and the touching a lot.

Conquest scowled at him. “What?”

Raziel’s cheeks went red. “Nothing.” And he still hadn’t found a way down.

Well, if he was going to go this was as good a time as any. “Catch!” He pushed himself off the statue and leapt.

Raziel glanced around at the mortals milling about the hospital hallways. The smell of antiseptic was strong, as was the blood and grief. There was a feeling in the air of something hollow, broken, like all the happiness had been sucked out.

He didn’t like it here.

The Doctors and Nurses walked around with a clear purpose, their steps sure and steady. Raziel knew they couldn’t see him, and that they would instinctively move around him, especially with Conquest striding ahead of him. But this entire place scared him on a visceral level and he found himself ducking around the mortals, avoiding touching them.

He didn’t want any part of this place to leave with him, even if it was merely a simple touch.

“What are we doing here?” Raziel asked. He gasped and pushed himself against the wall as a group of Doctor’s came rushing down the hallway, a stretcher with a person being wheeled with them. The scent of blood was stronger now, the stench of death and despair heavy around them.

He turned and ran straight into a cold wall of muscle. Conquest looked down at him, raising a single brow.

Raziel peered around him, into the room Conquest had stopped in front of. It contained a single person. They weren’t strapped to anything, and didn’t have any of the myriad of machines that lined the walls of the room attached to him. A tray of empty food containers had been placed on the bedside table. The man appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” Raziel said flatly.

“Think of them like a deck of cards.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

Strong hands gripped Raziel’s upper arms and he was marched further into the room.

“They’re serving an important purpose,” Conquest said.

“To bring about the apocalypse.”

Conquest grinned, but the look wasn’t in any way comforting to Raziel.

“Knock down the cards that are the pillars and the entire empire comes crumbling down.”

“By empire you mean humans?”

“Precisely.” Conquest approached the bed. “Their entire system is built on people that are undeserving of their titles.” He grasped the tube that was sticking out of the man’s hand and pulled it out. Blood spurted across the floor, hitting Raziel’s shoes. “Greedy sycophants who are only interested in serving their own needs and filthy desires.”

“Couldn’t you say the same about a lot of Demons and Immortals?” Raziel asked bitterly.

Conquest’s mouth lifted in the corner, a devilish smirk. “You would think, but no. Mindless, senseless cruelty isn’t the same as violence. Demons kill because they enjoy it, because it fuels them. These mortals kill because it’s a means to an end. There’s no joy, no pride, no fun.”

“So it’s okay as long as you enjoy it?” Raziel scowled. That distinction didn’t mean anything to him. Murder was murder, plain and simple. It almost seemed worse if it was for enjoyment.

Conquest beckoned Raziel, crooking his finger. “Demons pick their prey carefully.” He paused. “For the most part. Some don’t, but Diablo takes care of those who kill indiscriminately.”

“Lucifer killed that waiter with no remorse,” Raziel pointed out. How was that not indiscriminate murder?

“He wanted a drink.”

Raziel felt like he was arguing with a wall. How could Conquest not see? “That’s not a good enough reason for murder!”

Conquest sighed. “I can guarantee you that Diablo didn’t just pick that waiter on a whim. There’s every possibility that the mortal wound up in his court.”

Raziel felt so confused. It was like every other Immortal was twenty steps ahead of him, and he had no chance of catching up.

“Would you prefer to die for nothing? Would you prefer to know that you didn’t mean anything to your killer? That you were merely collateral?” Conquest asked.

“When you kill there’s collateral!”

“When we kill we bring the world one step closer to burning. They will all die, therefore none of them are insignificant. They serve a purpose, Raziel.”

“I don’t agree with that!”

“You don’t have to. Now step out of the way.”

Raziel did, because he knew he couldn’t stop Conquest. The mortals had shown Raziel cruelty as well, but surely there were some that weren’t worthy of death, some that were worth saving.

Conquest leaned over the man and pressed his palm against his forehead. The man woke instantly, eyes wide.

Conquest put a finger to his lips. “Ssh.”

The man opened his mouth to scream and Conquest sent a stream of purple energy down his throat. The mortal convulsed, and the machines around him began screaming, beeping rapidly.

Conquest let go and straightened when the man stopped struggling and lay flat on the bed, his eyes unseeing. The monitor was now one long beeeeep and the sound pierced Raziel’s soul.

“This is wrong,” he said quietly.

Conquest pushed Raziel against the window of the room, even as Doctors and Nurses rushed into the room to try and revive the mortal.

“Would you like to see what he’s done in his short, pathetic life? His death was a mercy, Raziel. He should have suffered far more than he did.”

“That isn’t for you to decide!”

Conquest tipped Raziel’s head up with a finger under his chin. “It has already been decided. We aren’t here by accident, and we’ll finish what was started.”

“Started by who?”

“It’s a good question, isn’t it?”

Conquest bent and claimed Raziel’s mouth. He swiped his tongue across his bottom lip and pushed inside. Raziel melted against him, unable to fight against the onslaught of pleasure. Conquest lifted Raziel and he instinctively wrapped his legs as far around the Horseman’s hips as he could go.

“I’m going to fuck you,” Conquest whispered, rocking his hard length against Raziel’s rapidly hardening one. “Right here.” He licked up the side of Raziel’s neck. “Look at them, look at how hard they’re trying to bring back a man full of sin. They waste their energy, just as you do.”

“I don’t-” Raziel gasped as Conquest plunged a hand down his pants. He knew it was wrong, knew he shouldn’t let Conquest do this, especially not here.

He closed his eyes, throwing his head back. He couldn’t say no. Everything about Conquest called to him. He wanted the Horseman’s hands on him all the time. He knew he would let him do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He would drown in the depravity with a smile on his face.

Without looking, Conquest sent a zap of energy in the direction of where Victory was trying to sneak up on them to steal their food. She whinnied and a tail snapped against the back of his head, stinging.

“What is this called again?” Raziel asked, so focused on his food he was barely noticing anything around him.

“Pirozhki.”

Victory’s snout came into view and Conquest flicked her on the nose. She snapped at him with her teeth and then swooped in, managing to grab one of the fried buns before strategically retreating.

Raziel moaned as he swallowed a piece. “I think I’ve just died.”

“You can’t die.” Right then, Conquest wanted to fuck him so hard he just might give in. He’d never been into food play before - why would he when he’d never bothered to eat it - but he was reconsidering. The way Raziel responded to food, Conquest wondered how much he might fall apart if he used it to pleasure him.

“What is this one called?”

“Pelmeni,” Conquest said. The small dumplings were filled with pork and Raziel was shoveling two into his mouth at a time. “Come here.”

Raziel didn’t bat an eyelid, simply slid onto Conquest’s knee, his back to Conquest’s chest, as he continued to devour the food. “They don’t have any ice-cream. Can we go get some from somewhere?”

“They do, it’s called Morozhenoe.” Conquest planted his feet on the ground and pushed up, ramming his hard dick between Raziel’s cheeks. Raziel squeaked and took hold of the edge of the glass table in front of him. Conquest bounced Raziel on his lap a few times before the friction wasn’t enough.

He stood, placing Raziel’s feet on the ground. He shoved the Angel’s head down onto the table, holding him there with one hand, his cheek pushed against the glass. A quick tug to the band of Raziel’s jeans and they fell to a pool around his feet. Just looking at Raziel’s smooth, pert ass was enough to make Conquest’s dick ache.

Conquest unzipped and freed himself from the confines of his suit pants. He bent forward, sliding the tip of his dick along the crease of Raziel’s ass. He bit down on Raziel’s shoulder and whispered into his ear. “Look at all these people around you, going about their day. No idea what a dirty slut you are, how much you want to be fucked right now.”

Raziel whimpered, squirming and pushing back against Conquest’s dick.

“Should I let them see you, see how much you want it?” His head caught on the rim of Raziel’s hole and he pushed in, just an inch. “Do you want this? Want to be fucked? Beg me.”

“ Please.”

Conquest pulled out as he scooped some of the cream onto two fingers. “You’ll have to do better than that. I want to hear you beg, Raziel.”

“ F-fuck me, p-please.”

“Mmm, lovely.” Conquest shoved two fingers into Raziel, right down to the third knuckle without warning.

Raziel’s grip turned white on the table, a breathless cry falling from his lips.

“Is this what you want?” He pressed down harder on Raziel’s head, and angled his hand so he could slip a finger into Raziel’s mouth and pull on his cheek.

“Y-yes.”

Conquest added a third finger into Raziel’s ass and began a brutal pace, fucking Raziel so hard with his fingers that the table wobbled, and Raziel’s feet lifted in the air. The Angel was letting out constant cries of pleasure as he tried to hang on and the sounds of them went straight to Conquest’s dick until he was about ready to explode. He needed to get inside the Angel, now.

Conquest made short work of lathering his length with the cream and pushing into Raziel’s tight heat. He groaned as he bottomed out. He took hold of Raziel’s slim thighs and held on tight as he fucked Raziel, hard and fast. He changed his angle until he was hammering into Raziel, hitting his prostate on each thrust. “Feel how your ass invites me in? It wants to be fucked. You want to be fucked.”

Raziel simply cried out yes, yes, yes on every thrust, like a prayer.

“I could fuck you every day, every second, and you’d still want more. Do you feel empty when I’m not inside you?” Conquest licked up Raziel’s back, tasting the salty sweetness of the Angel’s sweat. “Does your hole squeeze, trying to entice me back in?”

“Yes. Yes, please.”

“Come for me, Raziel. I want to hear you scream.” Conquest brutally thrust into Raziel, not letting up the fast pace. “Do it, now!”

Raziel shrieked, spraying all over the table. Conquest bit into Raziel’s shoulder, his entire body shuddering as he came as well.

* * *

Hawaii

Conquest watched from a distance as Raziel splashed in the waves at the edge of the sand. At Raziel’s insistence Conquest had bought him - actually fucking paid for, like a mortal - a colorful Hawaiian print t-shirt and rainbow patterned board shorts. He looked like a unicorn had thrown up on him.

Conquest was supposed to be in the city of Maui, making plans with Famine and creating turmoil in the peaceful city - a turmoil that would be blamed on their closest allies. Instead, here he was on Makena Beach watching an Angel, who by all rights should have been kept locked away from the horrors of the world, enjoy his first experience in the ocean.

Conquest knew that War was right about this. He needed to let the Angel go; at this point there was nothing to be gained from keeping him. He couldn’t even say with all honesty at this point that the Archangels would even bat an eye if Conquest returned him broken. They coveted him for a reason, but did they really care if he was sane? God had shown in the past that sanity was not what he prized; only usefulness.

And the way Diablo was nipping at their heels with his Hell creatures and lesser Demons only made his work more difficult. He had successfully managed to avoid them, Raziel remaining none the wiser. But Conquest knew that Diablo was warming up, feeling them out. He wouldn’t stop, and it would become a problem. Conquest needed to find out why he wanted the Angel, and how to distract him with something else.

“Con, look!”

When Raziel had started calling him that, Conquest had no idea. He was sure he had War to thank for it. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Raziel to cut it out.

The waves lapped at his booted feet as he turned his gaze to where Raziel was pointing.

“Those are box jellyfish. Don’t touch them.”

“Why not?” Raziel’s fingers were closing in on the creature and Conquest prepared himself to have to step in.

“They’ll sting you.”

Raziel jumped away from it, knocking into Conquest’s legs. Conquest steadied him, hands on his shoulders. He kneaded Raziel’s soft flesh and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. The shiver Raziel couldn’t conceal was refreshing. The Angel didn’t hide his emotions, and Conquest enjoyed knowing that there was no deception in his eyes whenever Raziel looked at him.

Raziel turned those gorgeous big blue eyes in question up at Conquest, and he couldn’t resist leaning down for a deep kiss.

Raziel twisted instantly and twined his arms around Conquest’s neck, reaching for him, surrendering beautifully.

“Come,” Conquest said, leading Raziel further into the water.

“You said I shouldn’t go in the water because I can’t swim.”

As if Conquest would ever let his Angel drown. He lifted Raziel into his arms. “Wrap your legs around me.” Their bodies slotted together like they were made for one another. “Hold onto me, you’ll be fine.”

Raziel’s head swiveled to and fro, watching the water as it steadily rose around them, his eyes wide and fascinated. “It’s cold.”

“It will warm.” Conquest pushed some energy from his crown to heat the water around them, enough for Raziel to be comfortable. Natural water such as this didn’t bother Conquest. It shouldn’t have bothered Raziel either, but the Angel was an enigma.

“You did that,” Raziel said, his voice accusatory. “That’s cheating.”

“You have to be playing a game to cheat,” Conquest said. He moved his hand down, cupping one of Raziel’s ass cheeks. It fit perfectly in his hand. “And it’s only cheating if someone is playing fair. Never play fair, Raziel.”

Raziel frowned, looking away. He took a deep breath. “Will a shark come and eat us?”

Conquest arched a brow. “You forget so quickly what we are. The creatures of this world won’t bother us. They know a predator when they sense one.”

“Would they? Am I a predator, as well?”

Conquest caressed the underside of Raziel’s jaw. “Yes. At our core, all Immortals are. Even the Angels have traits that could never be mistaken for passive. God does not bend those to his will because he is kind. The Archangels rarely use their Gifts to heal.”

Raziel’s lips parted. Conquest dipped his finger inside, just enough to get it wet, and then ran it across Raziel’s bottom lip.

He replaced his fingers with his mouth, cradling the back of Raziel’s head for leverage as he plundered the sweetness of Raziel’s mouth. Raziel squirmed in his grip, sliding their erections together.

Conquest squeezed the cheek in his hand and encouraged Raziel to rock against him. “That’s it,” he whispered into Raziel’s mouth. “Good boy.”

Raziel moaned low in his throat. Conquest growled in response and pushed harder, getting more of the friction he desperately needed. He nipped at Raziel’s chin and down his throat. “I want to sit you on my dick, just like this.”

“Please.”

“You’ll have to wait,” Conquest said. “I don’t have anything and it would hurt you. But don’t worry, I’ll look after you.” He would never leave his Angel wanting. All he could think about was how much he wanted to consume the Angel, until he was the only thing Conquest could feel, until all that was left was this staggering want .

Raziel squirmed in his grip, sliding their aching erections together. He made a low moaning sound that hit straight at Conquest’s core. He growled in response and gripped Raziel’s ass cheek, using it to push harder against Raziel’s dick.

“I don’t-I can’t-”

“It’s all right,” Conquest whispered. He nipped at Raziel’s chin and down his throat. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”

“It feels - I feel-”

Conquest chuckled. He pulled at Raziel’s shirt until it ripped and fell into the water. With a gentle push he arched Raziel’s back and took a nipple into his mouth, suckling it.

“Aah!”

Conquest tugged at the nipple before rolling it around between his teeth. Raziel was panting above him, the rolling of his hips becoming faster and more erratic as his hands moved from Conquest’s shoulders, to his hair, and back to his shoulders, in a loop that spoke of the overwhelming sensations Raziel was trying to deal with.

His Angel was coming apart in his arms and it only served to make his own blood heat, and his climax approach at dizzying speeds.

He gave Raziel’s other nipple the same attention, Raziel’s every reaction to the touch ratcheting up his blood pressure.

When he lifted his head he found that the water surrounding them had begun to bleed a strange green, and bubble lightly at the surface.

“What…” Raziel’s voice trailed off.

“This is you,” Conquest said. He bit at the curve of Raziel’s shoulder, tasting the sweet combination of Raziel and the salt water.

“What am I doing?”

Conquest had no idea. He’d never heard of an Angel Gift like this. He could sense every living creature around them in the water scattering, desperately trying to get away from whatever Raziel was doing. But it wasn’t hurting either of them, and at that point it was all Conquest cared about. If it didn’t hurt, he didn’t have to worry about it.

He pulled Raziel’s mouth back to his and kissed him until his Angel forgot about everything except them. Because they were all that mattered. He swallowed every little arousing sound that Raziel made, torturing them both with the pure ecstasy of it.

He pulled their dicks out of their clothing - Raziel’s shorts; his ruined suit pants - and wrapped a hand around them both.

Raziel whimpered, desperately pushing into Conquest’s hand, sliding their dicks together. Conquest’s hand sped up and Raziel’s movements turned frenzied as they edged closer and closer to that pinnacle of pleasure.

The water was hissing and bubbling around them now, as though it were directly connected to Raziel’s emotions. Conquest kissed him harder, needing to get closer. There was something about the unintended chaos around him that made his dick impossibly hard. He wanted to tear Raziel’s shorts off, wanted to bury himself so deep they would be one.

When Raziel tightened and came with Conquest’s name on his lips, Conquest exploded with a loud bellow, coating them both before the ocean washed away the evidence.

They stayed pressed together for a long moment. As their panting calmed so did the water, until it was once again a clear blue, and calm waves lapped over them.

Raziel giggled. “That was fun. We should go swimming more often.”

* * *

England

Raziel trailed his fingers across the surface of the Trafalgar Square fountain. “It’s so clear.”

He laughed when Victory jumped into the fountain and began splashing. The mortals walking around the fountains whispered and pointed to where the water was seemingly moving by itself.

“Get out,” Conquest growled. He pulled up the sleeve of his suit jacket and checked his watch. “We’re leaving now.”

Victory kicked her back legs, covering both Conquest and Raziel in water.

Raziel giggled, shaking his hair out. He climbed into the fountain with Victory and made his way over to the mermaid and dolphin statues. He touched the statues in wonder. Were they real? Could they be found in the ocean? “I thought mermaids weren’t real.”

“They aren’t. Both of you, get out.”

“So why are they here?” Raziel asked, ignoring his order.

“I have no idea. Raziel, if I have to ask you one more time,” Conquest said, scowling, “I’m coming in to get you. You have one guess what I’m going to do to you if that has to happen.”

Raziel grumbled under his breath as he pulled himself out of the fountain, soaking wet. Victory was making unhappy noises as she followed suit. Raziel was in agreement. They were having fun, it wasn’t a crime.

He stood in front of Conquest and held his arms out. “Dry?”

Conquest scowl darkened and he turned, walking away.

Raziel slowly lowered his arms, unsure. His body tingled and suddenly he was dry. He gave a small secret smile as he ran to catch up. “I want to meet the Queen.”

“No.”

“But we could, if we wanted, right?” Raziel said. He caught up and slipped his hand into Conquest’s. Conquest faltered for a moment, before he tightened his hand around Raziel’s and kept walking. “Like what you did with the President.”

“We’re not visiting the Queen.”

“…”

“Stop pouting like that.”

Conquest sent out pulses of energy as they walked back through Trafalgar Square, as he hunted for his target.

“The Queen was really nice, don’t you think?”

“Sure.” He couldn’t even recall if he’d spoken to her. His focus had been entirely on his Angel and the absolute joy he seemed to take in everything. He didn’t belong in the harsh world of the Immortals, he didn’t fit. It made no sense, but Conquest was never letting him go.

Raziel bounded happily over to Nelson’s Column, nestled between the two Trafalgar Square Fountains. He touched a hand to the base of the column and closed his eyes. “ Column, dartmoor granite,” he murmured. “ Statue, craigleith sandstone. Bronze relief panels, eighteen feet square.” His eyes opened. “The whole column is one-hundred sixty-nine feet tall!”

Conquest took Raziel’s hand and threaded their fingers together. He used their joint hands to pull Raziel to him. “Raziel,” Conquest said quietly.

“Yes?”

“Hurry the fuck up, we need to get going.”

Raziel rolled his eyes and pulled away. He turned and skipped away to one of the four bronze lions that surrounded Nelson’s Column. “These are made of bronze. They sure like their bronze here.” He looked up and scrutinized the statue and Conquest knew what he was going to do even before he moved.

Raziel scrambled up the pedestal and placed his hands on the mane of the lion. He peered at the feet and frowned. “The paws don’t match.”

Feeling a headache starting to form - he hadn’t even known he could get headaches - he moved closer in case the Angel decided to play a game of trust again.

“Get down.”

“In a minute. Are lions this big in the wild?”

“If I say yes will you get down?”

Raziel narrowed his eyes. “But then how will I know if you’re lying?”

“You’ll have to guess.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you are a killjoy?”

Conquest held his arms out. “It’s been mentioned. Now.”

Raziel jumped off, landing perfectly in Conquest’s waiting arms. He grinned up at Conquest and used his arms as leverage to push up and give him a quick kiss. “C’mon, you’re wasting daylight. We better go,” Raziel said solemnly.

Murder. Conquest was going to murder him.

Conquest had absolutely no idea how he had been talked into this. He was going insane. Soon there would be a place for him at Diablo’s table.

“Do you think if they stopped really fast, we would fall out?”

“No.”

Raziel stood from his seat on the double decker bus and looked over the edge.

Conquest grabbed the back of his t-shirt and twisted it in his fist, keeping a firm hold. “Get back in your seat.”

“You said we wouldn’t fall out!”

“I did not say to stick your head out the side.”

Raziel sat back with a huff. Conquest wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held on, removing the risk of him getting back up again. Why they were on this monstrosity was beyond him. Raziel had flashed that absurd look at him, and here they were. Ridiculous.

Raziel got out his tourist book and flipped it open. He hummed to himself as he flicked through the pages. “What’s Harry Potter? It says there’s a place called Warner Bros. Studio and we can take a tour.”

“Absolutely not.” Conquest would rather put an apple in his mouth and spread himself out over Diablo’s banquet table.

“But-”

Conquest grabbed the book and threw it off the side of the bus. Raziel tried to go after it but Conquest refused to let go of his shoulders. It was good fucking riddance.

“That was my book!”

Conquest spread his legs and relaxed back into his seat.

Raziel frowned in a way Conquest was sure was supposed to be menacing, but just looked like a child throwing a tantrum. Raziel shifted, moving out from under Conquest’s arm. He twisted and lay his head in Conquest’s lap.

Conquest laid a light hand on Raziel’s neck, the other stroking the strands of the Angel’s hair. “There’s a chocolate store around the corner,” Conquest found himself saying.

“Chocolate?”

“Yes. They make statues out of chocolate.”

He had not pulled the details from Raziel’s stupid book when he’d found the Angel had fallen asleep earlier that day when he had been waiting for Conquest to finish disposing of his newest target. The protections Conquest had placed around him, and Victory, would have kept him safe, but he did need to speak to the Angel about better vigilance.

Raziel climbed up onto the railing, staring in delight at the river running below them. A ferry was passing just underneath the London Bridge and it was full of mortals. “I want to get in.”

“You can’t swim.”

Raziel glanced back to where Conquest was standing close behind him. “No, but I could learn. And you can hold me, like you did in Hawaii.”

“The water is filthy; I’m not getting in that.”

“I read,” Raziel said, recalling what he’d read in his book before Conquest had so rudely tossed it over the side of the bus. “That it’s cleaner now that it’s been in something like fifty years.”

“We’re not getting in,” Conquest said adamantly.

Raziel hopped down from the railing. “We could have a shower afterwards,” he said, grinning slyly. He did enjoy it when they got clean together. Getting dirty would just give them another excuse, right?

Conquest cupped his cheek and slid a finger into his mouth. “We can have a shower now, if you’re feeling frisky.”

Well, that was more than tempting. Raziel was starting to feel a little empty whenever Conquest wasn’t taking him. He wasn’t sure if that said something about him or not.

“I could fuck you right here,” Conquest said huskily.

Raziel’s heart jumped, heat flooding him, a flush of arousal and embarrassment in equal parts as he remembered Russia. It wasn’t as though it had really been public sex, either time, considering that no-one could see them. But they had been surrounded by people all the same.

“You like that,” Conquest said, walking Raziel backwards until his back hit the railing. “You want me to bend you over right here, fuck you so you scream loud enough everyone on the river can hear you?”

Raziel whimpered, his eyes closing as his body ached with need.

Well, maybe they weren’t going to get in the water, but Conquest would still make him dirty, and they could still take a shower together afterwards.