Runaway Devil

After another night of sleeping in the truck, I had had enough. We were worn out from traveling, and my ass hurt from sitting all day, every day. I spotted a diner one our way through a podunk town, much like my own, and I needed a cup of coffee. When you’re deprived of all comfort, it’s the little pleasures that keep you going. And a good cup of coffee was all I wanted. Knowing that I couldn't keep up with this driving, I contemplated risking flying during the day. Alec could read my face and stopped me before I got the thought out.

“With your wings? Karau, they would spot you a mile away.” I rose my eyebrows and placed my hand on my chest in mock offense.

“Something wrong with my wings, angel?”

As he glanced my way his eyes warmed to molten honey and I could practically feel them on my skin. I instantly regretted my playful challenge and turned away so he couldn’t see the color in my face. Wings were an intimate part of our anatomy, and I should have known that joking about them would invite embarrassment.

I felt his consciousness rub against my own as he asked for entrance. I granted it, still trying not to look at him, and he flooded my mind with images of the previous night. His hands tearing at my skin, his tongue tasting me, his lips against my feathers. A jolt shot through my core, settling like a ball of excited energy in my lower stomach. My breathing picked up and I gulped, crossing my legs.

He kept his face neutral, focusing on the road, as he tortured me without laying a single finger on my skin. I closed my eyes and adjusted my hips in my seat. He showed me on top, our bodies covered in bite marks and sweat. My thighs burned as I rode him, grinding my hips and clawing at his chest. I left deep angry marks that would be gone by morning.

"Pity,” I thought to myself. The idea of seeing my marks on him got me even more heated. The windows dripped with condensation, the whole cabin of the truck felt like a greenhouse. Alec growled, wanting me to look at him. I smiled and complied. He was growing impatient beneath me, his grip on my hips tightened along with the rest of his body. My eyes rolled back as my lower stomach tightened. My wings snapped open with my release, thumping against the front and rear windshields.

He showed me what I looked like through his eyes, in all my glory. He stared at my sweat-slicked skin, my wings outstretched, my face flushed with pleasure.

And suddenly it was gone. It took me a solid ten seconds to peel my eyes open. It felt like I was in a haze, my cheeks burned and my eyelids drooped. We were sitting in a parking lot. I looked at Alec, who was watching me with a wicked smile on his smug face.

"Where...?"

"Didn't you want to go in?" he pointed behind us, at the diner I had spotted. "We've been making great time, we can afford to sit down for a cup of coffee."

The diner was cold, almost like they were trying to keep their geriatric customers from falling asleep in their oatmeal.

The booth was sticky and I could feel something jagged under the worn cushions. I glanced around the diner, sipping on my coffee. It was almost empty, brunch hour had passed, and the staff could finally breathe again. The sunlight shining through the floor to ceiling windows glared off the chrome accents, giving me a headache. But it was still nice to sit down with a cup of coffee. The last time I had a nice cup of coffee was at Hanks.

Alec and I hadn't talked about it yet. But I wasn't going to bring it up. When someone dies, you don't remind their loved ones. Giving him space was what I knew how to do, so that was the plan.

"You know, we've been hanging out for a while and I don't know much about you," I said, setting my mug down.

"Is that what we've been doing? Hanging out?" He couldn't keep his smile from his voice and I suddenly felt awkward. I didn't know what we had been doing, it was a complicated situation.

"You know what I mean, jackass."

"You keep talking like that and granny over there is gonna want to have a word with you," he nodded, gesturing over my shoulder. I turned and found an old woman starring me down with the nastiest stink eye I had ever seen. I raised my brow at her and took a deep breath, restraining myself from decking an elderly woman.

"Come on, give me something."

"Oh, I can give you something—"

"Alec." All playfulness left his eyes. He leaned back on in the booth and took a deep breath.

"Fine," he took a long sip from his mug and looked like he was hunkering down. "I was drafted when I was young, they snagged me at sixteen. Made it through boot camp, basic training, and eventually made it to specialized skills training. But I was pulled and my commanding officer recommended that I check out this program, for unique soldiers." I could tell that he was barely scratching at the surface, but I knew not to push.

I raised my brow. "Unique?"

"The bounty hunter types. We work alone, quickly, and quietly. And it helps if you've got something extra."

"You haven't been too quick with this one," I grinned at him and I could tell he was fighting a smile.

"Not all angels have gifts, but you knew that. They saw my fire as an asset too valuable for the infantry." He sounded like he was reciting something he heard over and over again. "So I worked for the military for a little while, it was decent." he shrugged and stared at his coffee. "But then I was auctioned off to the highest bidder. A privatized entity with an obscure connection to the military. They happily relocated me, more room for new recruits."

We were both faceless soldiers, from opposing sides, in a sea of blood and sweat. And there we both were, sitting across from one another, drinking coffee at a shitty diner. The thought made me smile, so I reached out to Alec, sharing it with him. He returned my smile, his was small and sweet.

My phone vibrating in my pocket dulled the moment. I reached for it, not expecting anyone to be reaching out. Beth's name was scrawled across the screen and I got a bad feeling in my stomach.