Page 19

It was dark as Reuban guided the SUV toward the hill hiding the hut, headlights cutting through the shadows.

Reuban gripped the steering wheel as they got closer. Kross would be twenty-eight and then some. Which also meant he was able to wake Josie.

He regarded his angel in the passenger seat, filling him like a steady hum of power, grounding him despite the chaos in his chest. He felt her craving—her desire for his touch, for everything he gave her.

She locked it away behind a wall of power but not one he couldn’t easily penetrate now.

He had direct access to all of it. To the heat beneath her resolve and the way her energy pulsed with a need she’d never admit.

He pulled the SUV to a stop at the base of the hill, the engine’s rumble fading into the quiet. He reached for his phone and dialed Kildare’s number, the line ringing twice before he picked up with a, “Hello, King Know-It-All.”

He quirked a brow at the odd name. “We’re back,” he announced. “Larena and I have clothes for everybody.”

“Everybody?”

“Since we’re meeting with an archangel tonight, I figured we wouldn’t mind dressing appropriately. Is Kross fully grown now?” he asked when sensing an OCD anal joke coming on.

“What should we expect when we get there?”

“Oh, he is definitely fully grown,” Kildare said with soft pride. “He’s nearly a head taller than Krave.”

“He exaggerates,” Krave accused in the background.

“He’s quite a force,” Kildare continued. “All of us in him, but more. And he’s eager to meet you. We’re under the oak, around a fire that he built himself.”

“Using my boy scout method or yours?” Reuban asked, grinning.

“What do you think?”

Reuban chuckled and exhaled, relief washing through him as his emotions remained a tangled storm. “We’ll see you in five minutes.”

He hung up and turned to Larena. “They’re under the oak, around a fire that Kross built himself. He’s fully grown.”

Larena’s blue-green eyes met his, fierce and unyielding, but her small hand reached out, gripping his arm with a strength that shouldn’t exist in her delicate form.

Her power flared, a sharp, angelic force that cut through the chaos of his emotions.

“You will be steady, Kollaborator,” she said, her voice a low command, her grip tightening. “For him. For all of us.”

Reuban steadied himself when his body demanded things that would require more than a minute to have with her.

They stepped out of the SUV, the cool air hitting Reuban like a balm as he grabbed the bags of clothes from the back, their weight steadying him further.

Larena fought with him about sharing the load and he finally obliged with a goofy grin when she mentioned not wanting a bossy husband.

As they climbed the hill, he finally had to know. “Does this mean you think we’re married?”

She shot out a tiny laugh. “Married,” she mocked. “To a Kollaborator King? The Angel of Mothers?” She flashed glances at him, her perfect little mouth toying with a smile. “Do you even hear yourself?”

“I do hear myself,” he said, the descent down the other side of the hill suddenly a distraction.

“It was a joke,” she mumbled innocently. “My King.”

His cock jerked at her tone. “I see,” he said, wishing he was eating her pussy while discussing it. “My Queen.”

“Hmm,” she lightly doubted. “But you already have a Queen.”

He nearly tripped over his dick at the bottom of the hill at catching a tinge of something that boiled his lust. Possessive jealousy.

“What Raviel has ordained, I cannot undo. But I can assure you that the King you awakened and created belongs to nobody but my Angel of Mothers.”

“Your Angel of Mothers,” she dared, her smile reaching her pretty eyes. “You think you own me now?”

“I think I own…” Reuban’s brain and legs quit working when his gaze landed on the group at the small fire across the courtyard.

“Holy shit,” he whispered, seeing Kildare smiling next to Krave who threw punches at a tall, broad man’s iron-ribbed stomach.

His bright, exuberant laugh brought a rush of emotions that stole Reuban’s breath.

“Is he only wearing a sheet?” Larena fussed quietly.

He was. And the firelight picked up deep brown hair with hints of gold, dark eyes shimmering with joy.

His skin seemed to glow with a golden sheen, and his sharp jawline carried Kaos’s edge, but softened by a boyish grin.

And that chest and those strong legs… Wow.

“He’s a fucking god of radiant storms,” Reuban whispered, his heart pounding as he hurried forward.

Kross suddenly turned, his eyes landing right on him. His Little King froze for a moment then broke into a run with a booming, “Uncle Reuban!”

Before Reuban could steady the storm of emotions, the man who he’d held in his arms four hours earlier lifted him off his feet in a tight embrace.

Reuban hugged him back, his chest tight as fierce pride and love flooded him.

Kross pulled back, his grin wide as he turned to Larena and scooped her off her feet in a hug that made her sputter and gasp. “Our very own Angel of Mothers!” he praised. “Thank you for your gift.”

“What gift?” she demanded, her small frame stiff in his arms, blue-green eyes wide as he set her down. She shoved a bag of clothes against his torso. “Do take these into the hut and put them on immediately before the heavens lose another third of the angels to temptation!”

Kross laughed and clutched the bag, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief. Kildare stepped up, his red wings shimmering in his skin, voice warm with amusement. “You imprinted on him from birth, Larena. He’s carried your guardianship since the moment he came into this world.”

Kildare turned to Reuban, his smile widening while Kross hurried toward the hut with the bag.

Reuban felt his need to be everything they all hoped for as he went, and his desperation to do it all perfectly staggered his breaths.

Dear God, his pure heart was almost too much to bear.

As was the fear of what their enemies would do to him if they didn’t protect it.

Krave joined them, his divine winds a faint ripple in the air as he crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips. “Kid’s got spirit,” he said, his voice low, open pride in his tone.

Kaos stood a few paces away, his snow-white frame rigid, black hair spilling over his shoulders, eternal gaze fixed on the fire at his feet. He felt Kaos’s emotions—a deep, shadowed longing, and the shared anticipation of Josie’s waking. And something more.

They were all gathered at the fire when the hut’s door creaked open, and Kross emerged looking like a god-level-ninja in black. His shoulder-length hair was exactly like Kaos’s and framed his face. But it was his mother that colored his skin with her life-warming blood.

The whoops and hollers erupted and brought a flush creeping up his neck as he approached. Krave pierced the air with a sharp whistle and Larena gave a sharp laugh.

That shy grin tugging at Kross's lips--that was the stuff heartbreaks were made of.

“Watch out, you’ll light the wrong fire and burn the forest down,” Kildare teased, his voice warm as he laughed.

Krave added, “Yeah, don’t start a blaze we can’t put out, Hot Pants.” His winds rippled playfully, stirring the air around Kross.

Larena crossed her arms, her sea-colored eyes narrowing. “I believe he just wrapped up temptation and put a bow on it,” she said, her voice sharp but tinged with amusement, adding another shade of red to Kross’s face as he joined them at the fire with the fattest grin.

Kaos stepped forward, his galactic gaze locking on Kross. “It’s time to wake your mother.”

All talking stopped as Kaos turned and headed for the hut, his silent force drawing the group to follow.

Dear God.

This was it.

****

A tidal wave of anticipation led the way as they entered the hut behind Kaos. Inside, the dim glow of a single lantern cast soft light across the dirt floor, the air heavy with the scent of old wood and ash.

Everybody gathered around the small cot where Josie lay in perfect form, covered by a wool blanket, her still, pale face a stark contrast to the vibrant woman Reuban remembered.

Her dark hair framed her head like a halo, the sight bringing a surge of grief that sent him seeking the strength of Larena's small hand.

Kross stepped forward and Reuban felt the deep love and need to heal and protect his mother.

He knelt beside the bed and gently took her hand in his large one.

Reuban held his breath when the golden sheen on Kross’s skin shimmered then radiated into Josie’s hand, followed by his soft whisper, "It's time to wake up, Mother. "

Her chest hitched with a broken gasp — and Krave’s breath tore free like a drowning man as he collapsed to his knees near the bed.

Her eyes fluttered open, the green of her gaze finding Kross’s. She stared at him for several seconds, brows furrowed as she slowly moved up on her elbows, intently studying him.

“Hello, Mother.”

Josie’s gasp cut sharp, followed by a huge sob and gush of tears. “You’re…” She reached out and stroked his face, her mouth pressed together in agony. “You’re my son?”

He nodded and she sucked in lungful’s of air, pulling him to her with a sob. “How long have I been gone?” she wailed.

“Only eight hours,” he whispered, stroking her head with his hand.

She eased him back, wiping her tears, confused before her gaze froze. "Kaos?” she gasped sharply, panic in her shaking breaths.

Kross moved and Kaos knelt next to her, getting pulled into her sobbing arms. “You’re alive!” she wailed, petting his head then kissing the side of his face over and over. “How?”

“Our son is very powerful, my Queen,” he murmured hotly at her ear.

She reached for Kross again and pulled him into their hug. “He’s so beautiful,” she choked. “Just like his father. Who I love with all that I am!”

She suddenly released them and jerked her gaze around, searching. “Krave!” she half screamed, both arms reaching and shaking.