raffe

I look up to say something but he puts his finger to my lips and whispers, __on__ talk. You__l just spoil my fantasy of rescuing an innocent damsel in distress as soon as you open your mouth.

Raffe arches his brow at me. __ou should be with a nice human boy. One who takes your orders and puts up with your demands. Someone who dedicates his life to keeping you safe and well fed. Someone who can make you happy. Someone you can be proud of._ He waves his hand at the Watchers. __here__ nobody like that in this lot._ I glare at him. ____l be sure to pass him by you first before I___ settle for__ __hoose him._ __ou do that. I__l let him know what__ expected of him._ __ssuming he survives your interrogation,_ says Howler. __ig assumption,_ says Cyclone. ____ like to be there to watch,_ says Hawk. __hould be interesting.

You__e smarter than you look,_ I say to Raffe.__ut not as smart as he thinks,_ says Howler.__ can see discipline has broken down during your vacation,_ says Raffe.__eah, it__ all that lounging on the beach with nothing to do but drink and watch women.

Here and there, plumes of dark smoke reach into the sky like the fingers of a drowning man reaching up for the last time.

Who knew?_ he says. __ had no idea that someone could be such a thorn in your foot during a death march and still be irresistibly attractive in some magical, undeniable way.___o is that what people call sweet nothings? Because somehow, I expected it to be a little more . . . complimentary.___on__ you know a heartfelt declaration of love when you hear one?__ blink dumbly at him with my heart pounding.He caresses a lock of my hair out of my face. __ook, I know that we__e from different worlds and different people. But I__e realized that it doesn__ matter.___ou don__ care about the angelic rules anymore?___y Watchers have helped me realize that angelic rules are for angels. Without our wings, we can never be fully accepted back into the fold. There will always be talk of taking a newly Fallen__ wings and transplanting them onto us. Angels are perfect. Even with transplanted wings, we__l never again be perfect. You accept me just the way I am, regardless of whether or not I even have wings. Even when I had my demon wings, you__e never looked at me with pity. You__e never wavered in your loyalty. That__ who you are _ my brave, loyal, lovable Daughter of Man.

He leans down, and his lips hover a hair__ breadth from mine. I close my eyes, feeling the tingle of anticipation.Then he presses his lips to mine. His warmth spreads out from my lips down into my chest and stomach. Time stops, and I forget about everything else__ the apocalypse, my enemies, watching eyes, monsters in the night.All I feel is the kiss.All I am is Raffe__ girl.

Just this once,_ he says almost more to himself than to me. __ust one moment._ Then he leans down and kisses me.

My head seems to be rumbling. Then I realize it__ the sky. It__ thunder. Suddenly, warm raindrops fall on us, spraying us until we__e completely wet. Raffe ignores it and continues to kiss me. We hold each other, pressing tighter and harder together. We fly in each other__ arms in the rain over a smoldering hell.

You don't even like me, remember?" That's what I try to say. What actually comes out of my mouth is closer to a baby's first attempt at babbling. "Shh." He runs his fingertips along my cheek, caressing my face. "Hush. I'm right here." He looks at me with deep anguish in his eyes. Like there's so much he wants to tell me but feel it's too late now. I want to stroke his face and tell him that it will be okay. That everything will be all right. And I wish so badly that it would be.

NO!" Raffe grips me as if he can bind my soul to my body. An upside-down view of the doorway shows up in my field of vision. Smoke waft through it. Although the pain obscures Raffe's warmth, I feel the presure of his hug, the rocking of our bodies back and forth as he repeats the word, "No.