Page 9

Malachi’s healing session with Ezekiel had been far less intense than the previous one.

Since his fellow Slayers had already been nearby and on alert, they were able to arrive quickly, and their foes had been fewer in number than usual.

Danny sat next to him at the long table in the dining room of the Aspen safe house, leaning against Malachi’s arm with his eyes closed.

They’d be spending the night there, but in the morning, Malachi would bring Danny to their temporary home in the Rockies lair.

Michael still hadn’t given him the location of their final home, but he hoped that if Danny had a preference, Michael would take that into consideration.

Everyone from the day’s battle was chatting with one another, but not about the fight.

They had endured plenty of battles that, when they had the chance to interact away from the chaos, they focused on more pleasant topics.

“Hey, Mal.”

Ezekiel leaned closer to him. “Are you allowed to share the source of Danny’s lineage yet?”

“Is that what you guys have been gabbing about?”

Malachi shook his head. “I would, but Michael hasn’t told us.”

Danny yawned, his eyelids fluttering open as he straightened in his chair. “It’s so annoying.”

He stretched his arms above his head while yawning even wider. “I’d like to know the reason behind all this mayhem. It’s exhausting.”

Michael chose that moment to sweep into the dining room.

It wasn’t as if he had pulled up in a Mercedes and then come through the front door.

However, he loved making a grand entrance. Therefore, materializing somewhere else in the house and then strolling into the room as if from nowhere was his preferred way of appearing.

“Good evening, everyone.”

Michael took a seat at the head of the table. “I trust you’ve all recovered from this afternoon’s melee?”

The room murmured and nodded in response. “Good,”

Micahel continued. “I apologize for taking so long to arrive. I was seeing Lucifer off on his journey back to hell with his new resident.”

Danny grunted. “Sorry I missed that show.”

Malachi draped an arm over Danny’s shoulders. His poor baby would need him more than ever while he recovered from the treachery of his family.

Michael regarded Danny. “It pains me that you had to endure your sister’s horrific betrayal. She sprouted from the basest life forms, so her destiny was always going to result in damnation.”

Danny smirked. “Not sure that’s how genetics work, but okay.”

He frowned. “I still can't believe she was willing to trade me for a rock. I mean, she was always the worst, even before she was crawling with demons. However, I think social media is what finally plummeted her into true darkness.”

Michael’s lips quirked in what might have been amusement, an expression so fleeting Malachi almost missed it.

“Your family’s unique character makes more sense now that I've confirmed your lineage.”

Michael folded his hands on the table. “I believe you’re now ready to learn of your celestial heritage.”

Everyone at the table leaned forward slightly, even Cassiel, who typically feigned disinterest in Michael’s pronouncements.

“Danny Rutherford,”

Michael began, his voice taking on a resonant quality that made the crystal glasses on the table vibrate slightly, “you are a direct descendant of Gabriel, the Messenger.”

Michael’s words were met with complete silence. Danny’s jaw fell open, and even Cassiel’s usual snark seemed to have abandoned her as she stared at Danny with wide eyes. Malachi wasn’t sure what to think.

“I’m sorry, what now?”

Danny's voice came out as a squeak. “Gabriel? As in, the Gabriel? Horn-blowing, announcement-making, Mary-visiting Gabriel?”

Michael nodded solemnly. “The very same. He’s the mouthpiece of the Divine Spark. He doesn’t get out much, but the one time he did, he made it count. Your bloodline traces back through centuries, his powerful angelic essence lying dormant within you until the time was right for it to awaken.”

Michael turned his palms upward. “But as we know, where there is light, so must there be dark.”

Danny gasped. “Emma.”

Michael dipped his chin. “I’m afraid so.”

“Of course,”

Cassiel breathed. “No wonder the shadows were so desperate to get him. Gabriel’s blood amplified by the grail would’ve given them power over—”

“Everything,”

Michael finished grimly. “The rogues and shadows would have gained dominion over both realms, heaven and earth.”

Michael's eyes locked with Malachi’s. “Your mate carries the most potent celestial bloodline since the Nephilim of old.”

Malachi gave Danny a squeeze, his mate still staring wide-eyed, undoubtedly in shock from the startling revelation.

“So…”

Danny blinked repeatedly. “Is that like royalty?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

Michael offered Danny a smile, something he rarely graced anyone with. “Gabriel's essence grants you certain abilities that will manifest as your connection to your heritage strengthens.”

“Abilities?”

Danny perked up. “Like what? Trumpet playing? I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument.”

A collective groan sounded from everyone. Danny glanced around the room, his brow wrinkled. “What? I was being serious.”

Michael’s lips twitched. “Your gifts will be more aligned with Gabriel’s nature. Communication, revelation, clarity of vision. Already, you possess an extraordinary capacity for perceiving truth. Have you not always been able to see through deception?”

Danny tilted his head. “I mean, I guess so? I’ve always had this weird knack for knowing when someone’s bullshitting me.”

He snorted. “Fat lot of good it did with Emma, though.”

“Your sister was corrupted by forces that specifically mask their true nature,”

Michael explained. “But as your powers awaken fully, even such deceptions as those will become transparent to you.”

Malachi rubbed Danny’s shoulder. “That also explains why you weren’t afraid of me when I first shifted. You could sense my true nature beneath the form.”

“That’s right! I did know.”

Danny smiled. “So what else can I do? Or will I be able to do?”

Michael leaned forward slightly. “In time, you’ll develop the ability to communicate across vast distances—not only through words, but you'll be able to communicate across vast distances, perhaps even between realms. The veil between worlds will thin for you. And most importantly, you’ll be able to see the true nature of beings. Their essence will be revealed, regardless of what form they present.”

“So I'll be like a supernatural lie detector?”

Danny's eyes sparkled with excitement. “That’s actually pretty cool.”

Malachi’s heart surged with pride—but also joy. Not because Danny was special, but because Danny felt special. He wanted his mate to have the life he’d never dared hope for.

Danny grabbed Malachi’s sleeve and tugged him closer, whispering in his ear, “Will Michael think it’s rude if we leave right now so we can spend some quality time in our room?”

“You’re excused,”

replied a smug Michael.

Danny jumped. “Bionic hearing. I’d better be more careful.”

As Malachi and Danny said their goodbyes on the way out, Malachi cast a glance at Michael, hoping it conveyed his deep gratitude for everything. Danny wasn’t the only one who felt special.

Back in their room, Danny waited impatiently for Malachi to finish showering. He had rinsed off earlier when Ezekiel performed a healing session on Malachi, so now Danny was stuck waiting. He had considered joining in, but there wasn’t enough room for both of them. There was barely enough space for Malachi alone.

Malachi appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, nude and ready for action. Danny did love the fact that gargoyles didn’t suffer from annoying bouts of shyness. Who needed to waste time on that nonsense?

“Hey, gorgeous.”

Danny leaned back on the bed in a seductive pose. “See anything you like?”

He’d shed his clothes the second Malachi stepped into the shower.

Malachi tossed the towel onto the floor. “Like? Try fucking adore.”

As Malachi moved across the room, his muscular thighs accentuated his rugged physique, his generous cock at half mast atop his heavy balls as he approached Danny with a predatory grace.

“Wait!”

Danny shot to a sitting position, and Malachi almost stumbled over his own feet. “I have a request.”

“You know I’ll give you whatever you want if it’s mine to give.”

Danny chuckled. ”Oh, trust me. It’s definitely yours to give. What I want from you is some hot, gargoyle action.”

Malachi’s eyes widened. “You want me to shift? Now?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Danny nodded eagerly, his heart picking up a rapid beat. “I’ve been thinking about it since that first time I saw you transform. Your gargoyle is magnificent.”

He licked his lips. “I want to know what it feels like to be with you that way.”

Malachi hesitated, his brow furrowing. “I don’t want to frighten you.”

“Frighten? We’re fated mates.”

Danny crawled to the edge of the bed, rising to his knees and reaching out to trace his fingers along Malachi’s chest. “I’m descended from one of the most powerful angels. I think I can handle my big, strong gargoyle.”

Malachi’s eyes darkened, and Danny could tell he wanted to shift as much as Danny wanted him to.

“Are you certain?”

Malachi’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. “I've never been with a human, not even part-human, in that form. It’s more…”

He coughed into his fist. “Primal.”

Danny dragged his fingers down Malachi’s sculpted abs, following the trail of hair that led to his growing erection. “I'm counting on it.”

Malachi stepped back, the air around him beginning to shimmer with the now-familiar heat haze that preceded his transformation. Danny sat back on his heels, watching in anticipation as Malachi’s skin hardened into living stone, his shoulders broadening impossibly as massive wings unfurled from his back. His face metamorphosed, features becoming sharper, more angular, eyes shifting from deep green to glowing amber.

“Oh yeah. That’s the stuff right there.”

Danny’s cock firmed right up at the sight. “You're fucking stunning.”

Malachi loomed over him with his gargoyle physique, all rippling stone muscle and a feral gaze. He cupped Danny’s cheek with his enormous palm, his thick fingers wrapping around the back of Danny’s skull.

“I’ll keep my claws and tail spikes retracted so they won’t harm you.”

Danny scooted closer, pressing his body to Malachi’s solid frame. “Good call. Not in the mood to be shredded.”

Malachi descended on Danny’s mouth, his lips touching Danny’s carefully at first, then with more insistence. Danny parted his lips under the gentle pressure, welcoming Malachi’s exploration. At first, he was startled by the difference in the kiss. His mate’s tongue was rougher, but also forked, each side moving independently.

So many possibilities.

The kiss deepened, and Danny melted into Malachi’s powerful embrace. When they broke apart, Danny could barely catch his breath.

“God, even your kisses are different like this. The woodsy smell is stronger, too. More pungent.”

Their first time together, Malachi’s natural scent had caught him off guard.

Malachi stilled.”I hope it isn’t repugnant.”

Danny shook his head vigorously. “Not at all. It was addictive already, but this is even more captivating.”

Malachi smiled, his thin gargoyle lips exposing his large fangs. “Good. Your floral scent does the same for me, drives me wild. Everything is more intense in this form.”

Malachi let out a rumbling purr. “Our senses, my strength, my need for you.”

Danny’s heart ticked up a notch. “And my need for you.”

Malachi scooped Danny up and laid him on the bed before lying down beside him so they faced each other. Malachi brushed Danny’s stray hair back from his face.

“My baby, so small and perfect.”

Danny arched up against him, their cocks trapped between their bodies. “I’m not that small,”

he protested, grinding his hips against Malachi’s stone-like body. “At least where it counts. But I’ll take perfect.”

Malachi’s booming laugh vibrated through Danny’s chest. “Fair enough.”

He enveloped both their cocks with his large hand, the rough texture of his palm creating delicious friction as he stroked them together.

“Fuck,”

Danny gasped, his head falling back against the pillows.

Malachi’s eyes glowed brighter as he increased the pace, his massive wings spreading behind him like a canopy. His tail curled around Danny’s calf, the warm, pebbled appendage anchoring him as pleasure built at the base of his spine.

“I want more.”

Danny reached up to caress the angular contours of Malachi’s face. “I want all of you, Mal. Like this.”

Malachi’s glowing eyes flashed with heat. “Cock or tail?”

Danny swallowed hard. “Both?”

Malachi yanked Danny to him, nipping softly at his neck, dragging his long, textured tongue across his throat. He kneaded Danny’s ass, gripping his ass cheeks and spreading them open. Danny encouraged him by draping his top leg over Malachi’s hip, although he was barely able to reach that high.

As soon as Malachi plunged his tongue into Danny’s mouth, his tail slid toward Danny’s ass, taunting his exposed hole with a decadent promise. The knobby end was thicker than the already generous girth of Malachi’s cockhead, but being the size queen that he was, Danny didn’t see a problem with that. Although, he’d never been more thankful for his newfound natural slickness.

Danny pressed back against the bumpy knob, anxious to feel it inside him.

“Eager little baby.”

Malachi chuckled as he pushed forward, the knob breaching Danny’s tight rim with delicious pressure.

Danny gasped, digging his fingers into Malachi’s shoulder, the tough skin barely yielding to his desperate touch. Danny rocked on the bulbous appendage, the burning stretch sending sparks of pleasure radiating to his core. He writhed and moaned, the ridges of the tail teasing his rim and banging his gland with every short, stabbing thrust.

Malachi worked his ass good and hard, the way he’d always wished someone would. His cock ached for relief, and he whimpered against Malachi’s chest. Malachi growled, an enticing sound that he now associated with his mate.

Malachi’s tail slowly retreated from his ass, but Danny clenched, not ready to lose the blissful sensation of being stuffed so full.

“Let me go, baby. I need to be inside you, fill you with my seed.”

Danny held back from pointing out that he was already pretty full, but at the same time, he had no idea if Malachi could get off from tail-fucking. With great reluctance, he complied, allowing Malachi to pull out slowly.

“Mmm…Turn over for me, baby.”

Danny didn’t hesitate, rolling over, then pushing up on his hands and knees. The position was one that always made him feel vulnerable and exposed, but with Malachi, he felt safe.

Malachi palmed Danny’s ass cheeks again, kneading and squeezing the globes before spreading them open.

He paused, not saying a word. Danny felt Malachi’s heated gaze on his hole, and imagined his mate staring at the glistening opening, slick and wet, ready for Malachi to claim.

“I wish you could see this.”

Malachi breathed the words like a prayer. “Your hole red and swollen, waiting to swallow my cock, to grip me with your tight heat until I scream your name.”

Danny dropped his head between his shoulders, sweat dripping from his hairline. “Damn it, Mal. Do it already. Fuck me like you mean it.”

Malachi surged forward, filling Danny in one powerful thrust that drove the breath from his lungs.

The stretch was intense, almost too overwhelming, but Danny's body welcomed the invasion, his already stretched opening adapting to accommodate his mate’s impressive size.

“So tight,”

Malachi gritted.

He wrapped his thick fingers around Danny’s hips, clutching him with a punishing grip as he fucked Danny hard and fast.

Danny gasped, his arms trembling as he fought to stay upright. “Fuck, Mal, you’re splitting me open.”

Malachi leaned over his back, cocooning him, driving his cock even deeper into Danny’s passage. Danny fell to his elbows, panting, barely able to catch his breath.

Malachi whispered in his ear with a throaty rumble, “Taking it so good, baby.”

Danny cried out as his orgasm barreled through him right as Malachi’s movements became erratic.

With a roar, Malachi froze, his wings flaring wide as he emptied himself into Danny’s trembling body.

The primal sound echoed through the room as his massive form shuddered against Danny’s back.

Danny collapsed onto the mattress, Malachi's weight pinning him deliciously to the bed.

He felt utterly claimed, marked inside and out by his mate.

The sensation of Malachi’s stone-like body against his sweat-slick skin was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Cool yet somehow radiating heat.

“I’m wrecked,”

Danny gasped when he could finally form words again. “But in a totally good way.”

Malachi nuzzled the back of Danny's neck, his rough tongue laving the sensitive skin there. “I didn’t hurt you?”

“Not at all. I’m not only filled with gargoyle cum, but elation.”

Danny sighed, the sound muffled against the pillow. “I’m pretty sure I saw through the veil between worlds, though. I think one of my Gabriel powers just kicked in."

Malachi chuckled as he carefully withdrew and shifted back to his human form. “I highly doubt it, but I’m flattered nonetheless.”

Danny rolled over, wincing slightly as his well-used muscles and ass protested. “Hot damn, I’m going to need another shower.”

He groaned. “And possibly a wheelchair.”

“I warned you it would be intense.”

Malachi stretched out beside him, gently brushing Danny’s damp hair from his forehead. His adoring gaze was like a gentle embrace.

“I love you, Danny. You’re not only my mate, you’re a sweet, clever, compassionate, adorable, beautiful man who I’m so blessed to have for eternity.”

Tears burned in Danny’s eyes, the declaration from Malachi surprising him, even though he felt the same way.

“Eternity? You want me for eternity?”

He hadn’t known that literal forever was an option, but decided to save that conversation for another time. Right now, it was about them and their most perfect and magical romance.

Malachi pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then drew back, locking eyes with him. He brushed the back of his hand along Danny’s cheek.

“For eternity.”

“Me too, Mal.”

He drew his eyebrows together, irritated with himself for his weak attempt at declaring his love for Malachi.

It occurred to him that he’d never told any man, and barely anyone else, that he loved them.

At least a decade had passed since the last time he’d uttered those three words.

Malachi still gazed at him lovingly, so he didn’t seem to mind. But Danny couldn’t take it. His mate deserved better.

He cleared his throat. “What I mean is that I love you, too. It might take me a while to be as eloquent as you are when it comes to expressing my affection. Sarcasm? Snark? Complaints? I’m your guy. I’m sorry that I’m not very good at being romantic right now, but I’ll try to do better.”

Malachi gathered him in his arms. “Just be yourself, baby. That’s all I care about. I love you the way you are.”

Aaaand… I’m back to crying.

Danny fell asleep wrapped in the comfort of Malachi’s arms, the way he knew he would for always. Who knew that being kidnapped by rogue demons could be the best thing that ever happened to him?