Angel's Shield Read Online Free Page B

how startling it had been to touch her hand, how the heat had surged up
between them. Why would I feel so much for a human?
    “She suspects, and that’s good enough.” Haniel sat down next to
him and gently took his arm. “It’s probably scabbed enough to get rid of the
bandage.”
    Jeremiel let his best friend peel off the white cloth. Messing
with it earlier had made one of the scabs sore, but it would heal quickly. It
always did—one of the perks of being an angel. After tossing the bandage, Haniel
sat close enough for Jeremiel to feel the warm length of his body. His friend
was familiar and welcome, but also unsettling. “I don’t know what I’d do
without you,” he murmured, leaning into him. He grabbed his hand and squeezed.
    Haniel’s hand tightened on his. After a long moment, he replied. “I
need you more than you need me. I can’t fly anymore. I’d probably have thrown
myself off a cliff if not for you. Or let myself fade.”
    Jeremiel’s heart skipped. “You wouldn’t dare.”
    “Not now, I wouldn’t.” Haniel laughed quietly. “But if you weren’t
here?” He trailed off.
    Jeremiel abruptly drew him into a tight hug. “I’ll kill you if you
try to do that.” He buried his face in Haniel’s neck, relishing the warm scent
of his friend.
    Haniel embraced him. “I wouldn’t do that, not as long as we’re
together.”
    Jeremiel let himself relax slightly, ignoring the weird flutter of
nerves that told him most straight men didn’t tell their best friend such
things. He didn’t care. After all, angels and men were not the same, not at
all. If what he felt was stronger than friendship, who could possibly judge him
for it?
    ****
    The next morning, he woke up tangled in Haniel’s arms. It had
taken him a long time to fall asleep, especially after his friend had dropped
off right away. He’d lain in the dark, listening to Haniel breathe, thinking
about the softness of Charmeine’s hand. His cock throbbed, keeping him awake,
but he wouldn’t touch himself while he was in bed with Haniel. No way. It
seemed to take hours for his hard-on to fade and for his brain to turn off
enough to fall asleep. Now, though, he ached all over again. Each time Haniel
shifted, his hip rubbed against Jeremiel’s dick.
    When it happened again, Jeremiel stifled a groan and tried to ease
away, but Haniel had him trapped under the quilt, arms and legs wrapped up
tight. “Haniel,” he whispered quietly, not wanting to startle him. “Wake up.”
Morning sunlight filtered through the old stained glass at the top of the
window, throwing rainbows across the wall. The colors touched the bed, too, as
though God wanted to decorate their slumber with rainbows.
    “Hmmm,” Haniel mumbled, finally rolling away.
    Jeremiel sighed in relief, reaching down to adjust himself. “We
should get up.”
    Haniel grumbled. “Sleeping.”
    “Uh-huh.” Jeremiel stretched. “You’re a big faker. Were you awake
all this time?”
    “Maybe.” Haniel rolled back over and shoved his face into Jeremiel’s
shoulder. “This is the first time we’ve slept in a bed in months. I’m not
getting up yet.”
    A sudden knock startled both of them. Jeremiel froze, hands
gripping the comforter. “Charmeine?”
    “Yeah, it’s me. Listen, I have to work from lunch until after
dinner today. Are you staying another night? You want me to bring you something
to eat later?” Charmeine called through the door.
    “Hang on,” Jeremiel called, just as Haniel said, “Yes, thanks!”
    Charmeine laughed. “Um, okay.”
    Jeremiel shoved at his friend, trying to untangle his legs from
the sheet. “We’re staying,” he told her through the door. One look at Haniel’s
face told him his friend had no intention of going anywhere for at least a day
or two. “We’ve decided to take a vacation.”
    “Okay,” she replied slowly, as if what he said made no sense.
    He continued. “But you don’t have to feed us. We can get something
for ourselves. We