No Shadows Fall (34 page)

Uriel was loud in bed, Raziel thought in fond amusement as Uriel’s moans and groans of pleasure became loud cries for more, please, fuck, yes,
yes!
As Uriel clenched down on Raziel’s cock when Raziel was balls deep inside him, Uriel came and Raziel groaned, thrusting harder and faster until he came as well.

They collapsed on the bed together, panting, still touching each other, their sweat drying as a cool breeze blew in through the open windows. Raziel nuzzled Uriel’s shoulder as he ran his hand slowly over Uriel’s chest.

“You’re a shouter, babe,” he said.

“I’m a what now?”

“Shouter. Screamer.” Raziel grinned. “In bed. You make a lot of noise.”

Uriel shifted to look Raziel in the eye. “Is that a bad thing?”

“No.” Raziel kissed him.
“No. I love it. I love that it’s me that does it for you.”

“No one else, baby.”

“Even better.”

I
T
DIDN
’
T
really take Gabriel that long to heal, once he was conscious. However, the fact that he was, in his opinion,
perfectly fine
, didn’t stop Michael and Raphael from fussing over him like a pair of mother hens. The day the bandages came off, Gabriel spent half an hour standing in front of a full-length mirror, examining the scar from the wound and the stitches that were still in place. He poked at it experimentally, and, pleased that nothing hurt, he reached for a pair of scissors.

He had been in the process of cutting out the stitches, tongue poking out between his teeth as he contorted himself in order to reach the more awkward spots when Michael had found him. Michael had yelled for Raphael, taken away Gabriel’s scissors, and proceeded to scold him for an hour without taking a breath. Gabriel was very impressed at Michael’s orating ability, but he felt that really, Michael was overdoing it just a little bit.

Raphael concurred, taking out the remaining stitches himself. As Gabriel poked again at his scar, Michael had thrown his hands up in the air in despair.

“Mishka, I’m
fine,
” Gabriel said for what felt like the fortieth time.

“You are not fine! You nearly died, Gabriel. What would have happened, then, hm?”

“I guess I’d be dead?”

That hadn’t been appreciated, for Michael had gone pale, drawn himself up, and marched out of the bedroom.

“He was really worried,” Raphael said as he slathered salve onto the scar. “He cried a lot, Gabriel. You were out of it, which is probably just as well. He thinks he let you down, and that he was too weak to save you.”

Gabriel frowned, trying not to fidget. Raphael’s touch was beginning to tickle him. “But it ain’t his fault.”

“I know that, you know that, God Himself knows that, but Michael cannot come to that logical conclusion.” Raphael finished and gazed at Gabriel seriously. “How would you react if the situation were reversed?”

“I’d tie him to the bed until he got the all clear from you,” Gabriel said. Then he frowned. “Okay, fair enough, I get it. Am I allowed to go outside?”

“Yes.” Raphael nodded. “Light exercise only, though. You can do a little more each day.”

“Thanks.” Gabriel tugged on a T-shirt and made his way out of the bedroom and down the short flight of stairs in the tower to the garden outside.

Eden was, as always, beautiful and serene. The city was silent, devoid of humanoid life save those few of angelkind who remained while Gabriel healed. There was the song of many different varieties of birds, however, and the hum of bees as they moved ecstatically from flower to flower, gathering nectar. There was also the trickling sound of water, coming from the many fountains in Eden, and the rustling of trees and grass as a light wind wove through the branches and fronds, creating its own music.

Michael was sitting on the grass beside a pool with a simple rock fountain, letting water trickle over his hand. He did not look up as Gabriel moved to join him, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the water. Gabriel could see carp and other brightly colored fish that he didn’t recognize swimming around, and he wondered what was so exciting about them that Michael couldn’t tear his gaze away.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel began. “I hate being cooped up is all, you know that. I didn’t mean to upset you. I totally didn’t realize how much you’ve gone through while I’ve been recovering.”

Michael looked up at that. His eyes were glassy, and Gabriel realized with a start that Michael had tears in his eyes.

“Hey,” Gabriel reached out, taking Michael’s hand in his. “We’re together, yeah? Here, in Eden. And I’ll get stronger and stronger every day, and we’ll walk and talk and cuddle, and it’ll be good.”

Michael nodded and took a deep breath. “As you say.”

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said again.

“It is not your fault, Gabriel.” Michael gave him a small smile. “I have been told—frequently, this month—that I worry too much. I suppose that I do, in truth, but I feel that I am entitled to do so in this case. Our bond is so young and our relationship so new—in angelkind’s terms of time—I was very frightened. I do not want you to suffer a relapse.”

“Raph explained it to me,” Gabriel twined their fingers and gently squeezed Michael’s hand. “I understand better now. Anyway,” he went on, “if I did die, I’d just ask God to bring me back. He could do it, after all.”

“And what if He said no, Gabriel?” Michael shook his head. “It is not a risk I am willing to take. Not with you.”

“Then I’ll be extra careful from now on.”

Michael nodded. “All right.”

“Raph said I could take a walk,” Gabriel began, “would you come with me? I’d like it an awful lot if you did.”

“Then I would be glad to.” Michael smiled and stood up. Gabriel got to his feet with a grunt and then he stretched, raising his arms above his head and standing on his toes.

“Ooh, that feels
fine,
” Gabriel said as his muscles stretched and a crick in his neck popped. “Bloody damn awesome.”

“Language,” Michael scolded.

Gabriel laughed and lowered his arms, taking Michael’s hand in his own again. “I missed that. The scolding.”

Michael looked at him, confused. “You are very strange. One would think that scolding would be more annoying than not.”

“Nah. It’s adorable.” Gabriel started walking, staying very close to Michael. “I take it that Ish and the boys didn’t want to come here?”

“They did not, you are correct.” Michael let go of Gabriel’s hand and slid his arm around Gabriel’s waist. Gabriel smiled and slipped his own arm around Michael’s shoulders. “Ishtahar still does not feel she deserves to return, and the boys said that if she does not, then they most certainly do not.”

“Well, one day they will. And it’ll be a great day.”

“As you say.”

They walked along a gently curving boulevard, lined with marble columns. Some of the columns were covered with vines bearing bright orange flowers, hummingbirds and bees hovering around the plants in delight. The sun was warm, and Gabriel felt very good.

“I hope I get the all clear from Raph soon.”

“Why is that?” Michael asked.

Gabriel leaned into him as they walked. “’Cause much as I love it here, I’d much rather be alone with you on our island.”

Michael’s embrace tightened a little. “As you say. I confess that I would prefer that as well.”

“So, soon as he says I’m back to one hundred percent, we’ll go home?” Gabriel asked, aware how plaintive he sounded.

“Yes.” Michael leaned up to kiss Gabriel’s cheek chastely. “I would like that very much.”

“Love you,
solnyshko
,” Gabriel said.

“I love you also,
da bao
.”

R
APHAEL
HAD
finally given Gabriel the all clear, and it was with a great deal of relief that Gabriel and Michael had gone to the island of Belle Coeur. In the Southern Hemisphere it was summer, and the golden sunshine was a welcome change from the cold of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. While the temperatures had been moderate in Eden, there were too many memories in the first city on Earth, too many ghosts lingering in the marble buildings and the cobbled boulevards. That, coupled with Gabriel’s desire to be alone with his lover, had made him eager to leave.

Now, Gabriel was walking down to the beach, a blanket draped over one shoulder. He wore only a pair of swim trunks, not because he wanted to, but out of respect for Michael’s sense of decorum and modesty. Michael was still not convinced that someone with a pair of binoculars couldn’t see Gabriel if he was naked on the beach, no matter how many times Gabriel had told him that the island itself was invisible to human, angel, and demon eyes, let alone his naked body.

Today, however, had dawned far too glorious for Gabriel to want to argue about anything, certainly not something as trivial as swim trunks. As Michael went to take care of the most urgent of his paperwork in the study in the main house, Gabriel had headed outside.

He found a spot with shade from a large palm tree and laid down a ground sheet, using his power to secure it to the sand. Then he spread out the blanket, and with a happy sigh, dropped down onto it, sprawling on his back. Unfurling his wings to their full stretch, Gabriel closed his eyes and wriggled happily, rubbing his wings in the hot sand. His wings were far longer than the width of the blanket, and he wriggled a little at the pleasure of feeling the sand on them. The grit of the sand felt like tiny loofahs on his spans and feathers, and the heat from the sun made it feel as if he were rubbing his wings in piping hot, wing-length sponges.

It was quite possibly the most wonderful sensation in the world—after sex, of course. Gabriel reveled in it, wallowing in the hot sand upon his wings, alternating between scratching his feathers on the sand and burying them beneath it. He raised his arms above his head and closed his eyes, his toes curling with the pleasure of a light, hot scrubbing on his wings.

Flying was as pleasurable as this, he thought, and swimming too, but there was something to be said for the ecstasy of having his wings scrubbed and rubbed and scratched in such a way. He felt like a large cat, the urge to purr making him laugh at himself as he tensed and relaxed the muscles in his back, grunting happily as cricks in his neck and spine popped and relaxed. Oh, it was glorious, this, and Gabriel was quite prepared to spend the entire day in such a way.

A gentle breeze blew off the sea, carrying with it the scent of brine, and Gabriel hummed, thinking that a swim in the crystal-clear blue water after his sand bath would be wonderful. The simple things in life, he reflected, reminded him just how lucky he was to be alive.

The scar from Raphael’s stitching and the injury itself was itchy, and it took everything in him not to scratch it. Gabriel knew the newly healed skin would be easy to break if he put his mind to giving some serious scratching to the area, so he forced himself not to think about it. Instead, he focused on the feeling of sand on his wings, sun on his toes, and shade on his face.

After three or four hours, Gabriel sat up, sand flying in all directions from his wings as he gave them a shake. The sea looked cool and inviting, and Gabriel was unable to resist its siren call. Besides, sea water was good for aches and pains, he reasoned, so it should help that damn itch in his side.

Cursing Azazel, spears, surgery, stitches, and all things that caused itches that shouldn’t be scratched, Gabriel got up and bounced down to the water. He ran into the waves, giving voice to a loud, exuberant whoop of pure joy and dived into the water and surfaced several feet away. He ran his hands through his hair, chuckling with delight as a pod of dolphins swam close and sea birds dived and soared overhead. The dolphins rubbed their cool skin against his body, and Gabriel grabbed the nearest fin and let the creature carry him along at ever-increasing speed through the water.

And then, as he felt himself grow a little weary from his exertions, Gabriel unfurled his wings again and stretched them out, the feathers floating upon the surface of the sea. He lay on his back and felt the comforting caress of many dolphin bodies beneath him as they carried him slowly around the protected cove in which they swam. Finally, they helped him toward the shallows and he walked out of the water, thanking them for swimming with him and thanking the birds for flying with them as they all swam together.

If there was bliss on this Earth more so than this, then Gabriel was certain he didn’t know what it was.

The sun was high in the sky now, and Gabriel squinted at it, gauging the time as being two hours after lunch. He pulled a knife and some fresh fruit to him with his power and ate, sitting on the blanket beneath the palm tree once more, watching the sea. His mind was full of happy non-thoughts as he ate, and finally sated, he set aside the skins, pits and the knife, pulled a bottle of chilled water to him from the fridge in the kitchen of the house and drank deeply.

Then he flopped down onto his back again and proceeded to rub his wings up and down on the hot sand once more. Closing his eyes, Gabriel let his mind drift.