Page 140 of Grave Beginnings

“Someday, you’re all going to have to explain everything to me. This need-to-know BS is not sitting well.”

“But will you sleep if I tell you a lot of scary shit tonight? Or can I take you to my place, which is heavily warded, and wait to unload everything until you’ve had proper rest?”

When he put it like that… “Okay.”

I fell asleep on the drive, only rousing when Angel parked in an underground parking garage and tugged me inside. The building really looked like a mall, inside and out, with a huge, open courtyard in the middle and two floors. Angel’s place was on the second, though from what I could tell, no one else was around or awake, and that was fine with me. The building might have echoed the appearance of an indoor mall, but it was tomb quiet at this hour. The carpeted walkways muted our steps, and unlike most apartments, when we walked by, we weren’t even close enough to jiggle doors with the air pressure.

The long section that used to be small shops popped with only a handful of doors. The rest of the place had been rebuilt into walls with painted murals on the outsides of them. I stared at the one outside Angel’s place while he unlocked the door, thinking it looked a lot like a forest, or maybe a jungle.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said as he dragged me inside.

Any vibe that it had been a store at one time was gone. In its place was an industrial, high-end apartment. It was long and narrow, stretching back to reveal a window with a huge set of blackout curtains, but it wasn’t much more than a studio. Abigstudio. But he had a good-size kitchen, a small, round dining table, and a living area that doubled as a bedroom as his couch was pulled out into a made bed. I got the impression that he didn’t spend a lot of time lounging in the living room as he didn’t have a television or any sign of other electronics beyond his work computer, an alarm clock, and a tablet plugged in beside the bed.

“Nice,” I said, peering around the apartment. The bathroom itself could have been in a spa, with a giant soaking tub separate from the oversized walk-in shower.

“I’ll give you a full tour later, if that works for you.” He tugged me into his arms. “Do you think you can rest now?”

“What if that thing comes for me?”

“It’s not getting through Xavier’s wards. And even if it did, it’d have to get through me.”

I sighed into his arms. Was it too soon to voice what I wanted? I leaned into him, letting him wrap his arms around me. It wasn’t fair to like him this much already, even if we were fated mates. Shouldn’t it take longer? Usually, it took me a while to connect to people, but with Angel, he and I fit.

“I don’t want to lose you either.” I recalled those few minutes being separated from him across the Veil. If I’d ended up in one of those tubes, would he have found me? I shuddered at the idea. “I hate the idea of you facing scary things because I brought them into your life.”

“I faced a lot of scary things before we ever met. Now you give me a reason to win all those fights that isn’t only willpower.”

I gave him a goofy grin. “You like me.”

“I do,” he agreed. “In one piece. Come to bed.” He tugged me toward the giant sofa bed.

“I don’t have any pajamas here,” I said absently, but shucked off my shoes and jeans, unwilling to sleep in them.

“It’s okay.”

Was it? He picked up my stuff, folding it and putting it on a chair, stripping himself back down to boxers before he climbed into the bed. I copied him, taking off my shirt and folding it.

“Is it still there?” I asked, turning my back his way.

“Yes.”

Did he hate it? Was there someone to ask about it? “Should we be worried?”

“Maybe tomorrow. It hasn’t moved.” He held out a hand for me, and I took it, crawling in beside him.

“Oh, this is comfy,” I said, surprised that it was a firm pillow beneath us, and instantly sank into his arms.

“Good,” Angel said, painting soft kisses on my shoulder and cheek. “Sleep. Turn your brain off for a bit. Please.”

“You’re tired too,” I said, as if he needed that pointed out.

“I am.”

“You’ll be here when I wake up?”

“Yes,” he promised.

And that was enough for me. I closed my eyes and relaxed into him, the scent of him surrounding me, and I fell asleep.