When Judah awoke to find himself in his tiny room on his tiny bed, he cursed up a vicious storm. He sat on the edge of the mattress and planted the heels of his hands into his eyes.
The lightest of touches settled on the top of his head. He sensed it was Yahweh, but the usual peace he felt when in His presence was absent.
“Locke is right.” Judah couldn’t control the harsh tone in his voice, and Yahweh’s hands lay heavier on his skull. He ignored the added weight. “Eight nights is not enough. We need more time; he needs more time.”
“Judah, do you truly believe I have such little faith in him?” Yahweh pulled Judah’s hands away from his face, but Judah kept his eyes closed, unwilling to let His light beyond his red-tinted lids. “I believe he already loves you, though you must realize the emotion of love is a foreign concept to him. He has only just begun to heal, to open his heart. He has stolen yours already, has he not?”
Judah nodded, his throat tight and thick.
“But you have yet to say the words.”
“He knows,” Judah choked out.
“Perhaps, but saying the actual words can sometimes lower the floodgates. They can open the emotional window to the soul.”
Yahweh’s thumbs flattened against Judah’s forehead before His hands drifted over the arch of his wings. “You have spent a long time as my faithful servant. I cannot give you more than the eight nights. However, I can give you more time.”
Judah startled. “What? How?” He would have looked up, but Yahweh held him fast, palms pressed to the sides of his head above his ears.
“Do not let anyone but Locke see you. Let this be a secret between the three of us.”
“Thank you, Father. We will keep the secret.”
“I’m sure you will. Now close your eyes.”
Judah did as he was bade, the calm he didn’t feel before finally settling inside him.
Piercing, bright light interrupted Locke’s slumber. He groaned and threw the covers over his head. When the bed dipped, he jerked backwards, blankets flying, heart pounding. A vision of white downy feathers within a golden glow sat on the edge of his bed.
Without thinking, Locke stretched out his arm and let his fingers ghost down one magnificent wing. Kitten’s-fur soft, the color similar to a heavy snow blanketing the winter world.
The wing fluttered, and Locke drew back sharply, almost falling over in his haste. The angel turned.
“Judah?” It seemed wrong to use his nickname.
The angel nodded, lips turning upwards as he reached for Locke. He tugged at Locke’s body, positioning him to lie flat. On hands and knees, Judah climbed onto the mattress. He straddled Locke, sliding his forearms under Locke’s armpits. Those beautiful, snowy wings spread fully before descending to cocoon them. The feathers tickled Locke’s bare arms, making him thankful he’d stripped to his skivvies when he’d woken earlier.
The angel’s finely woven, ivory robes glided smooth as satin across Locke’s skin whenever he shifted. Their legs touched, calf to thigh. Desire raced as Judah crowded him, lowering his body until he covered Locke completely.
Warm breath blew into his face, hints of honeysuckle and strawberries Locke wanted to drown in. He longed to taste the full, smiling lips just inches from his own, but with the way Judah had captured him, he could barely move.
When his patience reached its breaking point, he spoke. “Kiss me. Please.”
And Judah did, but not how Locke wanted. He could only be the passive partner as Judah laid peck upon peck to his forehead, eyes, cheeks and chin.
“Enough,” Locke growled. “Stop teasing me.”
And Judah did. Mouths collided in a less-than-subtle assault. Tongues licked, dueling in first one mouth and then the other. Lush and full, presses hard and soft, another, and another, and another.
Judah’s fingers slid to the back of Locke’s head and cradled it, keeping them in perfect position. All too soon, Locke’s face was turned, his chin tilted up, baring his throat. Judah took the opportunity to plant damp, open-mouthed kisses upon his stretched neck before traveling downward in a curious route. Each sweep of tongue left behind a cool path.
The wispy tease of fabric ghosted over Locke’s heated skin as Judah moved lower still. Hands relocated from head to shoulders, mouth from neck to clavicle to breastbone. One, two depressions followed by Judah’s tongue swirling across an already-tightened and protruding nipple. Lips danced about Locke’s torso, each point a laser pinprick raising goose bumps in their wake.
Then nothing.
Freed from Judah’s embrace, Locke reached up and caressed the angel’s smooth cheeks, taking in the ethereal beauty. His hair was lighter in color, and longer, his skin paler, as if the ivory robes and white wings washed him out.
The hard lines he had in his corporeal form were gone, and Locke found he missed them. They gave the man he’d come to care for character…reality.
The light in his eyes, however, remained. Brilliant. Breathtaking. The normally deep brown was now a mix; the brown, lightened to a honey gold, was interspersed with a pale blue. A curl of hair hung below Judah’s ear. Locke scissored the piece, sliding it between his digits. He was mesmerized by the texture and longer length, a stark contrast to the thicker, shorter strands he’d grown used to.
“What is it?” Judah asked.
Locke smiled, seeing Judah’s singular raised eyebrow. “Nothing, well…everything. You’re so different in this form. Beautiful…”
“But?”
“But it’s not you, at least not the guy I fell in…for.” Locke bit his tongue at his almost slip. He didn’t, he swore to himself, not yet.
Judah gathered his wings and settled beside Locke on the bed. Cool air rushed across Locke’s torso, making him shiver. Judah pushed him to roll onto his side so they’d face each other. He draped one wing over Locke like a blanket, a super tickly one that instantly warmed him.
Locke scooched closer, tucking the top of his head under the angel’s chin. He fisted the white robes causing them to split apart and reveal a slice of smooth chest. Locke released the fabric and, with two fingers, caressed the triangle of flesh.
Why does he make you different as an angel?
“Hm?”
Locke was sure he hadn’t spoken as he repeated his thought aloud.
“I don’t think of myself as being different, though you are right. Once, I did wonder the same thing as I watched my brothers emerge from death to become angels. Maybe in giving us a second chance, He models us into what most would consider a divine image. But whenever we were needed here on Earth, we always reverted to our original forms.”
“I like the original. Wait. What about your tats? The owl and the wings on your back?”
“These?” Judah chuckled, waving the wing over Locke, the ends brushing his skin and making him laugh.
“Not those,” Locke rolled his eyes. “On your back, you had an amazing set of wings tattooed.”
Judah’s brow furrowed and he looked at Locke skeptically. “There were wings tattooed on my back?”
“Yes,” Locke said, exasperated. “I saw them on Friday night. Remember when you came in to change for Temple. You stood in the closet and pulled off your shirt. I thought I’d about died and gone to… Well, you know. Hey! Why didn’t you just show up already dressed?”
Judah patted Locke’s cheek before laying his palm to the front of Locke’s shoulder. His thumb caressed the bare skin making Locke sigh. “You didn’t know yet what I am. I had to appear as if I was coming from work, like you expected. If you saw them, Father was probably giving you a clue.”
“So, since I didn’t get it, he let you get stabbed?” Locke huffed.
Judah’s fingertips smoothed across Locke’s forehead. “Do not be mad at Him. Without His intervention, I wouldn’t have you.”
Locke grinned. “When you put it that way, how can I stay mad?”
“Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For allowing me to come into your life and help you. For allowing me to love you.”
“You…do?” Locke choked, unable to say the word.
Judah nodded. “I love you.”
The admission bulldozed through Locke’s defenses, bringing a fresh turmoil that locked his breath in his chest. Twice, in such a short period of time, people he cared for had said those words. The ones he’d dreamed about hearing all his life, until he gave up.
Was he so cynical he couldn’t accept them now? He welcomed them from the Foster Doctors, and even said them in return.
But Judah was another matter.
Saying he loved the man—the angel—would rip Judah from Heaven. He seemed prepared to leave, but he’d also be leaving his family behind. Who was he, to come between brothers? They clearly loved each other.
Judah palmed Locke’s cheek again, fingers wiping away escaped tears. “What are you thinking?” He searched Locke’s face for answers.
Locke opted to skate around the issue and asked instead, “What will your brothers do without you?”
“Continue the fight against evil as we’ve done for two millennia.”
“Won’t you miss them?”
“Very much, but I suspect they’ll visit. We’ll have friends here to help fill the void. And I’m pretty sure Nate will be joining us in the near future. Have you noticed him with Elijah?”
“Yeah. What’s up with that?”
Judah laughed. “Guess we’ll find out in a few years.”
“He’ll make them wait until Elijah’s eighteen, right?”
“I believe so. Possibly longer.”
“Elijah won’t be happy.”
“Elijah might not realize he’s being made to wait, but Nate definitely won’t be happy with the delay. Father will have His reasons, whatever they may be.”
“If it’s anything like me, God’ll make them wait until Elijah needs him the most. I just hope…” Locke rolled to his back.
Judah caressed Locke’s cheek, then guided his face towards him. “What?”
“It sometimes doesn’t take much to sour your perspective. Maybe Elijah will get tired of waiting and decide to go out with someone else. What if that someone else hurts him? Or something goes wrong and Elijah swears off relationships, gets mad at God or Nate for not being there when he needed them. It won’t matter what they ‘used’ to be, only what now is.”
“I understand your fears, but neither of us knows what the future will bring. Even Father can only react, He is not omniscient.”
“Really?” Locke was shocked by this revelation.
Judah snorted. “All-seeing, yes. All-knowing, not so much. He relies heavily on His scouts and on Joseph’s predictions. Joseph’s dreams have saved many lives when we were able to decipher their meaning in time.”
“So the technicolor dreamcoat story is true?”
Judah laughed and pushed up, bracing himself on one forearm. He gently brushed Locke’s bangs to the side, combing them to stay put. Locke stared up at him, but the angel was watching his hand as it slid down Locke’s cheek. The smooth pads of his fingers continued their wayward trek southward along Locke’s collarbone.
The simple touch stirred deep desire. It rose through Locke, invading each cell, settling under his skin and along each nerve ending. He gasped as Judah ran his fingertips over a peaked nipple, the areola tightening into pebbled skin.
Judah circled his nipple several times before he lowered his head and kissed it. The swipe of his tongue drew a heated moan out of Locke. The angel bestowed ample attention to first one bud and then the other. When Locke gave pleased voice to a suckle or bite, Judah spent extra time exploring what else he could do to earn more of Locke’s delight. All the while, Judah whispered encouragement for Locke to tell him what he liked or wished for Judah to do.
None of the men—boys, really—he’d ever been with matched the desire radiating from Judah. Never had he felt like someone’s one and only.
Like someone’s whole world.
Locke covered Judah’s hand where it rested on his chest, moving it to lay over his heart.
“I…” He couldn’t seem to say the words. They stuck in his lungs, crushing his willpower.
Judah saved him again, shaking his head. “Just let me, okay?”
Locke sucked in his lower lip and nodded. He grabbed hold of the angel’s robe when Judah dipped his head and kissed him thoroughly. Lost in the press of lips, Locke tried to reach the small area of exposed skin at Judah’s throat. His fingers tangled in some knot, and when he pulled his hand away, he discovered they were long satin ties.
Pushing to his knees, Judah threw one leg over Locke. The ties dangled from a point mid-chest, and as Judah looked down at them, he laughed. “I’d forgotten about those.” He drew the satin length through his fingers, and then crossed his arms, reaching to points over his shoulders. Another set of long strings appeared as Judah pulled. His robes pooled around his waist when the last knot came undone.
Now nothing impeded Locke’s view. He admired the broad expanse of hair-free chest, the defined abdominals. Eagerly, he shoved the robes to the floor, allowing him to see a neatly groomed thatch of pubic hair and an impressive erection jutting from its curls.
Locke wanted to touch that shaft of smooth skin harboring steel, but he hesitated. After all, Judah wasn’t Jay. Right?
“May I?” He bit back a groan at his stupid formality.
Judah chuckled and shook his head. Locke frowned, hating to be denied, but then Judah’s wings expanded, seeming to fill the room’s width. Locke gasped at the magnificent sight. At his beautiful angel.
With a solid downward thrust, those wings threw a gust of air across Locke’s face, helping Judah rise to his feet. Judah bent down and removed the blanket covering Locke, pushing it to the bottom of the bed before returning to ease Locke’s underwear over his equally hard cock.
As Judah moved to kneel, Locke held up his hands. “Wait.” He scrambled off the bed and stood in the center of the open floor. He indicated with an open palm to a spot in front of him. “Could I look at you? Touch you, like this? I might never get this chance again to see you in this form.”
Judah showed him his pearly whites, setting his wings to beating. He took to the air and landed gracefully before Locke. “Ani ohev otcha. I love you, Locke. I’m yours to touch and see.” He extended his arms, allowing Locke the time to explore, but instead Locke walked forward into an embrace.
Serenity surrounded Judah’s heart, suffusing his entire being. A sense of rightness hit him low, coiling in his gut.
It had never been like this. There’d been hurried encounters in the darkest of nights. Lips and teeth pressed tightly together to hold back any sounds they might make. He didn’t look into faces, saw only flashes of pale thighs and buttocks as skirts were raised. Fists clenched in bedding and clothing, not daring to touch any more skin than necessary.
Now he refused to look away. Wanted to see, needed to feel. Soft curves, hard lines, bumpy imperfections which only served to enhance beauty. Each drag of his fingers brought sounds of delight to his ears. Tiny ohs, little ahs. A gasp, a grunt. All rose in a chorus which sang to his soul.
Locke tightened his hold, shifting and rubbing his erection against Judah’s thigh. Judah’s cock pulsed as it came in contact with Locke’s belly. A shiver rippled through his other half, so Judah folded his wings around Locke, overlapping them to form a barrier from the cooler room.
Locke sighed and leaned into him, his hands drifting up Judah’s back and caressing the skin beneath the joints where his wings attached. A quiet moan escaped him at the gentle touch in an area that had never received such attention. Locke continued to brush his fingertips across Judah’s skin, the motion both soothing and stimulating. He placed his hands on Locke’s shoulder blades. Slowly lowering them, his palms ghosted over Locke’s lean frame, learning the shape and texture of muscle and bone, stopping only once he reached the swell of Locke’s ass.
With measured movements, he inched downward until he could cup the rounded buttocks. One cheek per hand, he spread his fingers and squeezed the firm flesh. Locke released a breathy squeak followed by a groan and pressed even closer. Another wriggle of hips, another rub of his cock against Judah’s leg.
Judah bent his knees, sliding his hands to Locke’s thighs, and lifting him. Locke wrapped those fine, toned legs around Judah’s waist, swung his arms around Judah’s neck. The added height brought them face to face. Locke placed one hand on the back of Judah’s skull and crashed their lips together.
Gone was the soft and gentle. Locke demanded and Judah gave. He’d do anything Locke wanted, especially if it led to Locke finally saying the words he longed to hear.
While Judah wouldn’t tire of holding Locke’s weight, the way Locke wiggled and squirmed, rubbing his erection on Judah’s stomach, Judah had to extend his wings, beating them to keep his balance. He cracked open his eyes to get his bearings before turning towards the bed. When his legs hit the mattress, he knelt on it and lowered Locke to the sheets.
Locke refused to let him go, the whole time kissing him. If not Judah’s lips, it was his chin, throat, cheeks, ears. When fingernails scratched his scalp, Judah pulled Locke’s hands away, forcing them to the mattress, and holding them there.
Locke bit his lower lip, a sexy, teasing smile gracing his red, swollen mouth. His eyes danced with mirth, bright with lust and hunger.
“You’ve got me,” Locke said, breathy and low. “Now what are you going to do with me?”
Judah grinned down at his beautiful man. “Hm… Let me get back to you on that,” he teased in return. He let go of Locke and propped himself on hands and knees. Dropping his head to Locke’s chest, he placed a single kiss over his other half’s heart.
Locke’s hands landed on the back of his head, trying to push him lower. Again, Judah took those truant paws and held them. With his love immobilized, he shifted down the bed and nuzzled the juncture of thigh and torso, breathing in the scent of his soulmate.
One more deep breath in, and slowly let out, and then Judah took Locke to the heavens.
The morning sped by, resting in bed. When Locke’s stomach growled, they padded barefoot, wearing only boxers, into the kitchen. Judah insisted Locke sit in his lap while he ate. The position allowed him to run his hands up and down Locke’s back or simply hold on to his hips. Occasionally, he’d swipe a piece of food from the plate and feed it to him.
One hard suck on his fingers when Locke captured his hand, sent a jolt of pure want to his cock. There followed a wriggle of hips, further teasing Judah’s stiffening erection. Soon the “encouragement” went too far, and Judah growled, scooped Locke up, and carried him back to the bedroom. He tossed Locke to the bed, swiftly advancing, and making him pay for his crimes. With the way Locke panted and moaned, their cocks brushing together, Judah was certain his mate would take whatever punishment he chose to give. And what he really wanted was Locke’s mouth on him.
Tucking his wings tight to his back and holding Locke securely, he rolled them. Wide-eyed, Locke straddled him, a sexy smile curling half of his mouth. His brows lifted.
“Your turn to teach, Motek.”
Locke gaped, and then slapped Judah’s chest. “Mo who?”
Judah grinned, rocking his head side to side. “Not mo-who. Motek. It means sweetheart.”
Locke straightened, the cleft of his ass, even encased in underwear, perfectly surrounded Judah’s cock in a warm and welcome clasp. “Okay. I like it.” He paused, a glint of mischief gleaming in those bright eyes. “Does that mean I get to come up with a pet name for you?”
Judah rested his palms on Locke’s thighs, idly caressing the flexed muscles. He noticed how soft the hair on Locke’s legs was. “If you’d like.”
“Hm.” Locke tilted his head upwards, pushing downwards, and dragging a groan from Judah. “I like Angel, but it’s too obvious, and I’m pretty sure I heard Gabriel use it.” Locke’s fingertips traced the muscles of Judah’s chest while he talked. The light sensation doing nothing to dampen Judah’s rising ardor.
Locke poked him. “What does Ari called you?”
“Hammer?” Judah tried to capture the poking digit, but Locke pulled his hand away, escaping with a triumphant smile.
“Yeah. Hammer. For Maccabee, right?”
“Correct,” Judah said, trailing off into a moan as Locke’s fingers toyed with his nipples. The increasing spikes of pleasure had Judah rethinking his earlier desires. Locke could put his mouth there instead, and he’d be entirely happy to indulge in bliss for a while.
Chuckling, Locke continued the sweet torture. He rolled Judah’s nipple and made him think at the same time. “How about Baby or Honey?”
Judah groaned, accidentally digging his fingertips into Locke’s legs. He apologized by soothing the abused muscles with long strokes. “I’m not a child or a food.”
He glanced at Locke’s groin and saw the telltale bulge tenting the loose fabric. “How about you lose the shorts, Motek?”
Again, Locke’s sly grin appeared. “I like how you think, sexy.” He shimmied out of his boxers.
If anyone was sexy it was his precious soulmate. Judah held his hands up to help Locke kneel into the same position. When flesh once more connected with flesh, they both moaned, and Judah decided he’d never had a better idea.
Locke took up a cadence of thrusting his hips, sliding the cleft of his ass along Judah’s cock. He kept going, each movement driving Judah’s pleasure higher, but it wasn’t enough.
Judah groaned. “Locke. Please.” Not sure what he needed, only that he needed more.
Locke inched backwards, his balls and cock slipping alongside Judah’s in a decadent slide. Once aligned, Locke wrapped his hands around both their shafts and began working them. He’d never done this before, the sensation brand new and riveting. The way their circumcised cocks looked together, felt together, shot pulse after pulse of pleasure into his belly, his balls, his brain.
Locke had loved Jay taking him deep into his mouth, but this was… He couldn’t put words or voice to the way he felt, only knew it needed to continue to the finish.
Beads of precum bubbled and dripped from their slits. Locke ran his thumbs through the slick fluid and smeared their cocks with it. Judah snagged the back of his neck and hauled him down for a desperate kiss. Mouths parted, tongues lapped, teeth nipped at already swollen lips.
The awkward angle forced Locke to release his hold on their dicks, their bellies becoming the point of friction. Locke rocked forward, pushing his torso down to increase the pressure on their cocks. With breaths shallowed and panting, and Locke’s heart racing, they gripped each other’s bodies to keep the other from moving too far and lessening the escalating pleasure.
“Jay,” Locke groaned, another surge of lust assailing him.
“Take what you need, Motek,” Judah said, the words strangled and cut off by the shortness of breath.
“Yes,” Locke hissed, grinding into Judah faster. The passion and want increased and spiraled. Locke let it carry him higher.
“Love you,” Judah whispered, and Locke’s orgasm slammed through him at the declaration. He threw back his head, thrusting his cock harder against Judah’s, dragging the ecstasy out for as long as possible. He was helped by Judah’s strong grip on his hips pulling him in tighter and guiding his movements.
“Don’t stop,” Judah demanded, keeping Locke moving until he gave a final firm pull, groaned loudly, and spilled his release between them.
They shuddered from both the euphoria and the aftershocks. Locke glanced at their bellies and laughed at the amount of semen coating them. He swiped a forefinger through the mingled cum and stuck it in his mouth, humming at the taste.
“I’ll take your word for it,” Judah chuckled, grimacing when Locke offered him some.
Locke giggled, shivered, and collapsed onto Judah’s chest. His angel shifted beneath him and those downy wings wrapped around him. A wave of joy washed over him. He contemplated how lucky he was, how he’d never expected to be loved like this…
How he wouldn’t mind having this forever…
If only he could say the words.
* * * * *