Page 111 of Daman

“You too, War.” I gently bumped his side and was rewarded with another light chuckle.

God, I loved him.

“No fucking way.” Bellamy came over and dropped down in front of me.

“Go away.” I pushed his face to the side. “You’re too close. I have a dragon beside me, and I’m not afraid to use him.”

Warrin shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“Since when?” I asked. “You were prepared to bitch-slap Lycus earlier for holding my hand, but you’re okay with this pervert?”

“Pervert?” Bellamy put a hand over his heart. “Your wickedness astounds me, D. Now sit still and look at me.”

“No.” I tried pushing him away again. “Don’t make me punch your face. I know how much you love it.”

But then it happened. Our gazes met. And Bellamy’s eyes, which had never been able to settle on a single color for as long as I’d known him, finally did.

They were a pale blue, like ice reflecting the sky.

Warrin’s eyes.

My throat threatened to clamp shut as my heart swelled. Tears blurred my vision, and I blinked them away. Why it made me so emotional? Because for so long, secretly, I had wanted to know I was capable of actually desiring someone, that I had the ability to open my heart to not only a lover, but to my brothers as well.

I didn’t want to hide from them anymore.

Bellamy smiled. “About damn time.”

Warrin turned my face toward his and softly kissed me. His lips slightly trembled against mine. Or maybe it was mine that trembled against his. He tasted like spruce trees, berries, and snow. He tasted like home.

“Mykotya,” Warrin murmured, resting our foreheads together.

Battle drifted closer with each second that passed, and I wished that time would stand still so that we would never have to leave this moment. After we broke the kiss, I laid my head on his shoulder.

Gusion sat across the fire from me. Two leather straps intersected across his bare chest, concealing daggers, and the glowing stone hung around his neck. His wings gave me pause. The bottom of one looked as though it had been ripped off.

“It happened during my first battle with Lucifer, after I betrayed him,” he said, catching me staring. “I can still fly, but not well.”

“Is that what you meant earlier?” I asked. “When you said Balaur was the wings that made you soar? You rode him into battle.” I cuddled into Warrin’s chest, recalling our flight together. I hoped we’d get the chance to do it again.

The fallen angel smiled. “You’re quite perceptive, son of Asmodeus. Your father was observant as well. He kept to himself and watched people. Studied them. He was also very jealous of Azazel, Lucifer’s closest companion. That’s why you were given Envy. The curse placed upon all of you firstborn sons derived from your father’s worst traits.”

“My dad was sleepy all the time too?” Gray asked before giving a jaw-cracking yawn, his brown eyes watering with the action. “I don’t remember him being like that when I was little.”

“No.” Gusion lightly laughed. “Belphegor’s worst trait is his failure to act when he needs to. He often stood back and let the others do unpleasant tasks for him. Even now, he sends the demon Phoenix to do the grunt work, like the attack in the Caribbean. But not tonight. He’ll be by Asa’s side when they invade this forest.”

“Why are we just sitting around doing nothing?” Lev asked. “We should be training, getting into position. Forming a plan.”

“We need to preserve our energy,” Gusion answered. “Wearing ourselves out before the battle even begins will result in immediate failure. The enemy is too strong. I’ll tell you when you need to be ready.”

“How big is his army?” I asked. “Can you see it?”

Gusion thought for a moment. “Shades make up most of his number, though powerful beings also travel with him. Belphegor, Phoenix, and some of the Nephilim he’s recently welcomed into his ranks. His mission is to get the key at all costs, killing anyone who gets in the way.”

“Will we have enough fighting on our side?”

“Only time will tell.”

His response irritated me. For someone who claimed to know everything, he was vague as fuck. “Have you seen the outcome of tonight? Who wins?”