Page 121 of Starborn Husbands

Bowed before the seraph are two red Centaurus heads. A tidal wave of light moves under my skin. He’s here. My man’s here. Erick’s kneeling at Daniel’s feet, dressed and armed this time. He has two swords crisscrossed at his back and all tender grace has left him, exchanged for dangerous tension.

Yesterday, he was Mr. Cool Dad, but now he’s Major Erick, a mercenary of the Gods, and mate to Seraph Daniel. As much as I didn’t think so at the time, it was their version of a family meet and greet. This is all business.

Not foolish enough to make the same mistake again, I bow along with Merrick.

“You may rise,” Daniel says. The guy never takes a day off from being war general. Same dark jacket lined with blood-red silk. Same tall boots muddied from storming across the fields of the Garrison. “State your business.”

Zhang’s gaze on the seraph never wavers. Fuck he’s hot when he’s doing princely work. Right now that work is me. “I came to negotiate. I want my husband back.”

Merrick’s fists clench and a growl rumbles from his throat.

“He belongs to Heaven now. Once he’s trained, he could be sent on business to the Pleiades,” Daniel says.

Zhang spins. The pain creased on his face isn’t something I know how to deal with. This is all my fault.

“Then I want to become a mercenary of Heaven too. May I have permission to ascend, Grand Seraph?”

“Denied. You’re not ready. Return after another enlightenment.”

Enlightenment my ass.

“If I may, Grand Seraph?” Gemini says. “The Nebuli was looking forward to Treyu’s services as conduit, most specifically our nebula.”

“It’s my understanding that the Guild is happy to be rid of one less troublesome Orion, and I can’t imagine that the Pleiadian king is sorry either,” he says.

I can tell by Gem’s brief pause that he’s cursing the way my reputation precedes me. “The experience he would gain would make him a better servant for Heaven. We would understand that he belongs to Heaven while he served the Nebuli. It would only be a delay until his husband could join him.”

“Why is it that you think I care about their love life? His first priority is serving the Gods. If there’s time to spend with his husband down the line, he should count himself lucky.”

Everything’s slipping away. I had something good. Something pure. I should have known that I don’t get to have anything pure, mostly because I ruin good things. We were going to have eighteen starlets together.

Eighteen. No that’s not right. That was his Earth husband. Gross. Did we even talk about starlets?

Gemini’s warm eyes flicker to Erick, kneeling at Daniel’s feet. “What if you were away from your mate for a century or more, hmm?”

The angel hesitates. Gem, you fucking genius you.

“I would do what the Gods wanted me to do. I serve my father first,” Daniel says.

Erick coughs, though, it sounds suspiciously like he saidbullshit.

Daniel glares at his mate, Erick falls deadly silent. “Fine, I wouldn’t like it, but I would do it because I wouldn’t have a choice and neither do you. Erick, stop it.”

This time Erick hasn’t done anything, but whatever’s going on, Daniel grows increasingly agitated.

“They can feel each other through their mating bond,” Merrick explains quietly, but Daniel’s head spins like the fucking exorcist. “Sorry.”

The seraph stands and his jacket unfurls, coming to life like another person. He approaches Erick and uses a beckoning finger to indicate that he should stand. Erick’s gaze is glued to his angel husband, and I don’t know how the fuck he’s so brave in the face of absolute terror, but he doesn’t waver.

Daniel, on the other hand, is near to trembling. It depreciates his all-consuming vibe, but only by a little. Pretty sure it’s only going to be Erick who’s treated to the threadbare blanket of mercy he has. A wordless conversation transpires, all the while Daniel seethes.

The deadly angel’s hand whips out in time with one raven-black wing, gripping his mate under the chin with bruising fingers while his wing curls around Erick’s body protectively. “Fine, if you promise to stop it.”

“Promise, Master.”

What just happened? Were they speaking telepathically?

Daniel gathers Erick to him with his wing as if Erick might be the one taken away for one hundred years and possessively folds him into his jacket.