Page 52 of Princess of Bael

Ezra studied me, his brow pinching. Then he dropped his hand and sat back on his heels across from me.

The canopy of feathers remained around us, reminding me of a soft nest. I almost reached out to stroke the texture but didn’t want to indulge in something I shouldn’t. He might be my mate, but that didn’t make him mine.

“Your actions are a result of my own,” he said after a beat. “Your need for revenge is something I caused. Therefore, this situation is one we created together. Which is why we’ll fix it together, too.”

My lips parted, his words not ones I expected to hear. The Ezra I remembered was condescending, conniving, and cruel. But this version of him was almost…compassionate.

He’d just shared equal blame with me for Kristina’s death.

And I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“In order to fix it, we need to eat. Even if we don’t feel up for it,” he added quietly. “I made subs because they’re easy and provide what we need without being too elaborate. If you prefer something else, I’ll see if I have what I need to make it. But we have to eat, Kayla. If not tonight, then in the morning.”

I had no idea he could be so reasonable. It sort of turned everything inside out, like he was showing me a side of him not meant for anyone else.

My goose bumps returned, a sense of unease making me shiver. This was too intimate. Too comforting. Too terrifyingly real.

I didn’t want to share this moment with him. I didn’t want to feel my heart racing at his nearness. I didn’t want to experience the warmth in my veins. I didn’t want to cravemore.

I just wanted this to end. To fix our problems and kill him.

Except the latter no longer appealed to me like it once had. I still despised him, but knowing he’d suffered as a result of our bond had weakened my desire for vengeance. Because he’d already been punished. Just in a way I’d never anticipated.

“All right, I’ll eat,” I finally said, craving a distraction. Food might make me sick, but it would be better than feeling all this warmth toward him.

I also needed a break from his wings. They were too enticing, causing his scent to circle and claim me in a manner I didn’t want to acknowledge.

A pang touched my chest as he stood, releasing me from his feathery cage. But I ignored it and inhaled, hoping to replace his cologne with a new fragrance.

Unfortunately, the woodsy aftershave remained, filling my mind with images of foliage and the sun stroking the autumn leaves.

I closed my eyes. In all my thousands of years, I’d never met a male who’d seduced me on scent alone. Hell, it’d been near impossible to find any who’d even remotely satisfied me.

Yet Ezra’s essence left me drunk in his wake, my throat and mouth begging me for another taste.

I swallowed instead, denying the urge, and stood to follow him toward the chairs.

At least eating will make me stop salivating over the Archangel,I thought, taking a seat.Bon appétit, I guess.

Ezra

We ate in silence,a soft sort of companionship seeming to fall between us. Afterward, I started reviewing Kayla’s notes.

She’d listed hundreds of names, including Nephilim, angels, and demons. Beside them she’d noted their types and known power changes.

I reviewed every detail while she focused on the maps again, circling areas in the human realm where notable Nephilim lived.

“This is impressive,” I finally said, unable to hold back the surprise in my tone. “You remembered all these details from talking with Ashmedai?”

She didn’t respond for a beat, her attention on a map of North America. Then she blinked up at me.

“A lot of the observations are mine, not Ashmedai’s. So they were easy to recall. The Nephilim are new since I don’t know much about them and can’t sense their auras. Some of the demon details are enhanced as well, but most of these are my notes.”

Something about her phrasing clued me in to an important detail. “Can you sense power shifting in demons and angels?”

I didn’t know much about how her own abilities had grown during our time apart. When I’d first met her, she’d possessed a childlike control over fire. Now she possessed a beautiful array of skills that I’d only begun to learn about her.

She glanced up at me. “Yes. Can’t you?”