Broken Angel

Chapter 6: Forgiven

ALEXIUS

Even when we were angry with one another she would always come here. I never stopped her and she always stayed.

Walking into my room, I found Gabi sleeping on my bed facing away from the door. She looked soft. So, unlike what she usually conveyed—power, strength, authority. Her long hair was splayed out over the pillow with the blanket securely tucked underneath her chin.

They didn’t have to sleep, but it helped when they needed to heal. And she needed to heal right now.

Her wing was still broken because of me. She tried protecting me and got hurt in the process. Even after I pushed her away she still protected me. Me, someone who didn’t deserve her loyalty after all these years.

Crawling up the bed I tucked myself in behind her and wrapped my arms around her. I craved her every second of the day. I just wanted to be around her; breathe the same air she was breathing. I f*****g adored her. Aurora and Alec adored her. Penelope adored her.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, burying my face in her hair. She always smelled like honey and cinnamon, like cookies fresh out of the oven on a cold winter day.

There were so many reasons I needed to apologize for that they were all a jumbled mess in my mind. I would make it all up to her. I had to. She deserved better.

Her scent filled my head and lulled me to sleep. It was serene having her in my arms. I didn’t have to worry whether she was safe because she was right here and I could keep her safe—not that she would ever need anyone to do so. So, I fell asleep knowing that my heart was within my grasp.

******

I wasn’t sure how long we had slept for, but when I woke up, she was facing me and resting her head on my chest.

My fingers traced her back meeting the small indents where her wings would sprout from. She fidgeted in my arms and then settled in again with a soft sigh.

This was what I was depriving ourselves of. The comfort, the closeness, the affection.

Years ago, I called my brother Adonis a dumbass for shutting Jo out. How hypocritical of me to do the same to Gabi and last longer.

I could lie and say the only reason was because of what had happened with Penelope, but that would be a blatant lie. Every time I saw her, I wanted her. The simplest of tasks gave me a new mental image I saved for later. Even when she was angry with me it just turned me on more.

Furious Gabrielle was a goddess.

There was no way I could keep track of how many times I f****d my fist thinking of her over the years. To hear her contented sighs as she was wrapped around me, underneath me, on top.

Then the guilt and shame settled in once my orgasm washed through me.

Gabi was an Angel. She was the epitome of all things holy and I had just jerked off to her image.

I wanted her. But not at the expense of herself.

Laying there I watched her chest rise and fall, the slight flutter of her eyelashes, her golden-brown hair cascading in waves at her side.

How the f**k did I ever get so lucky? I must have been a saint in another life because the person I was before I met her didn’t deserve her. Penelope was right, I was a w***e. I slept around with countless women never bothering to get half of their names.

I pulled Gabi in closer, resting my chin on her head afraid that this was a dream and she would disappear.

Jesus, I would remain celibate just to have her in my life. I never thought those words would cross my mind, but here I was.

“I’ve missed you,” I hear a small muffled voice beneath me. Those words unraveled me. I wanted to hear more. I wanted to listen to her say she missed me and loved me and wanted me just as much as I craved her.

Pulling back, I looked down and noticed that Gabi’s eyes were still closed. She may have been dreaming. Did Angels even dream?

Before I could understand what was happening, her arms tightened around me and her lips began moving again, but her eyes remained closed. “I miss you so much. I’ve never been dependent on anyone, but I want you around all the time. I miss your help on my assignments, the way you smell, your kindness, I even miss sparing with you. Please forgive me already because I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” she finished off burying her face in my chest.

I laid there in stunned silence. She was definitely awake and more than coherent. Her words cut through me like a blade and I deserved every ounce of remorse that came along with them.

I was the one that should have apologized and begged for forgiveness. I was the asshole who pushed her away when losing my sister should have made me realize that I needed to keep Gabi close.

I took her for granted. Took her for granted due to her immortality and invulnerability because she would always be here. But even that was a bold-faced lie.

Reaching for her chin, I lifted up her face so I could look at her. Gabi finally opened her eyes and I was met with those hazel orbs that held all the world’s secrets. My heart was thumping in my chest so hard I felt like it would burst at any second, she did that to me. I was sure that Gabi could hear it even if she didn’t have heightened senses.

“I forgave you a long time ago. I just never forgave myself,” I told her honestly.

She brought her hand up and hesitated before setting it back down. Holding it in my hand I placed hers over my cheek reveling in the warmth that spread throughout my body. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have stopped it even if you tried,” she said to me as her thumb ran over my eyebrow.

“Are you saying you could beat me?” I joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. I was tired of my eternal sour mood. It was clear now that Penelope wasn’t gone, the twins were loved and taken care of and I could have Gabi without losing anything else.

“We both know I’d drop you like a fly,” she smiled at me for the first time in years. When Gabi smiled, I hated how it wasn’t directed at me. I was selfish and I only ever wanted her to look at me like that.

I dramatically fell back on the bed. “I’m offended!”

“Don’t be. I’d feel bad every second of it,” she replied with a laugh. God, just hearing her laugh and watching her smile and knowing that I was the one who caused it made me feel like I was on top of the world.

Rolling on top of her she began in a fit of giggles as she attempted to push me off. This was the version of Gabi that I loved, full of life and radiating happiness. I loved every version of her, including the one that could kick my ass in a match.

I held myself over her by one arm as my other hand pushed away her hair from her beautiful face. “Are we okay?” I asked her, because I had to know. I needed to know that even after everything that we would still be fine. That we could flourish together. That my niece and nephew could see what real love was even if their mother wasn’t with them.

Gabi’s face froze. I looked deeply into her eyes hoping that whatever came next wouldn’t break me, but I wasn’t expecting the answer she gave. “You broke me. And I’ve never been broken,” she responded in a hushed tone.

I stilled, my hand still caressing her face as she leaned into my palm. I thought for a second, no matter what Gabi thought, she would never be broken, and I needed to reassure her. “You never will be. You’re stronger than that, and even I can’t break you.”

Slightly lifting herself off the bed, Gabi kissed my lips like she’d never done before. My self-control was that of a toddler, so I claimed her soft lips with my own. Her fingers weaved through my hair tugging on the strands as I slipped my tongue past her lips and met hers in a frenzy.

Two seconds into making out and I was sporting a raging hard on that I had to force myself to stop. With a big sigh, I pulled myself away, resting my forehead against hers as we tried to catch our breath.

Once I’d gained some semblance of control, I kissed the corner of her mouth. “I f*****g love you Gabrielle.”

Studying her face, I hadn’t expected her to say it back after everything I put her through. Her eyes were shimmering with slight hints of green before they crinkled into a smile. “I love you Alexius.”

******

Lounging around throughout the day was blissful. I never thought doing nothing with the person—or Angel in this case—you love could be so cathartic. We had never been free to do nothing, especially with Gabi’s duties pulling her away at any second. But being here with her, watching Alec burst out laughing after he sprinkled cosmic energy over Poochie was relaxing.

“I have to talk to my brother,” she murmured.

“I think he’s with the Aurora,” I responded. Azrael had been looking into getting her the equivalent of his scythe in order to temper her gifts and channel them into the object. If he was successful, then she would be able to touch as much as she liked without the fear of sending someone off.

Gabi shook her head. “Not Azrael. Zach.”