Page 101 of Hunted By Fear

The words get stuck in my throat, but I force them out. “I will not bond with you.”

The pain is instant, burning through my veins as if someone injected lava into my veins.

I turn and leave, headed back down the long corridor. I hear her stumble behind, groaning and panting, but still managing to follow me.

“Asta,” she calls for me, and it takes everything not to turn around, to go back to her and hold her. To undo what I just did and accept the gift from the universe, but that’s my own weakness, my own longing, and this isn’t about me.

No, this is for the best.

We make it to the stairs before she gives in. I hear her knees hit the floor and feel the fear that takes over as she crumbles.

She has no idea what this is; she has every right to be terrified. The urge to go to her is so intense it’s like breathing; it would be natural.

But I can’t even stop to explain for fear of what I might do. Instead, I walk into the shadows and let them take me anywhere but here.

Leaving my mate… ex-mate lying on the floor of the dungeon, crying and confused.

Maybe I’m the one who deserves death…

Ileft after wanting nothing more than to be granted access to Hell, to Aeri. I left.

I didn’t say anything to any of them, instead leaving in a hurry because if I didn’t, I wasn’t sure what would happen.

I’d been around plenty of people—demons, mortals, angels—yet I’d never seen anyone but myself naked. I understood the basics of the woman’s body from books, sculptures, and my own imagination, so why had my body reacted to her the way it did?

My heart rate went through the roof, my palms were sweaty, and my lungs seized up. But despite all of that, I couldn’t look away; I couldn’t stop my eyes from moving over her skin even though I knew it was a sin, and worst of all, I was hard as a fucking rock while doing it.

Despite what people seem to believe, angels can sin, and we do it quite often. Rome is awonderfulexample of just how free we are to do whatever we want.

It wasn’t always like this, but ever since Lucifer and the others fell, things changed.

Father has hidden away, allowing whatever to happen, not only on earth but everywhere else as well.

I still know it’s a sin, though.

She’s my charge, my friend, and on the run from another angel who has spent the last ten years ruining her life, and I was picturing fucking her!

Fuck!

I yank at my hair as I pace the length of my apartment over and over again, my mind unable to think of anything but Aeri. When I close my eyes at night, it’s like I’m back there. It’s so clear that I’ve given up on even attempting to sleep at this point. I thought it would help, but I think it’s only making it worse because now all I can think about is how she must feel with me just disappearing.

Did I hurt her feelings?

Did she even notice with everyone else there? I shake the thought away as soon as it crosses my mind because that’s not who Aeri is; I can almost guarantee she noticed.

My wings burst out of my back, my powers surging as I lose control at the thought of her being sad because of me.

I need to go back. I make it to the door before I shake myself from that idea and move back to the living room.

I can’t get back in without Lucifer, and right now his mental shields are up, meaning I couldn’t reach out to him if I wanted to.

Thinking of Aeri before showering is a bad idea. My cock throbs, and while masturbation isn’t exactly a sin, I’m pretty sure it’s at least frowned upon to get off thinking about the mortal you're supposed to protect. Not to mention, as much as I might hate it, she is Rome’s per the contract, andthatmakes it a sin. Not to mention the fact that she’s Lucifer’s mate…

Fuck.

Unfortunately, it’s either handle it or walk around with my cock aching all day.

I might not have ever pursued relations with anyone, but I know my own body. Standing under the lukewarm spray from the showerhead, I’m embarrassed by how fast my body responds as I wrap my hand around the base of my cock and let my eyes fall closed to picture her.