An angel falls for a human...in more ways than one.
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The year is 970 B.C., and the Angel Cathetel has never felt lust, love, or heartbreak.
Then, Cathetel meets Asher.
Asher is a human, and unlike any other mortal under Cathetel's watchful eye...
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The room fell silent, save for the crackling embers of the dying fire and my ragged breath. My heart raced in my chest as though I were sprinting. My cheeks were suddenly hot.
"What do I make you feel?" Asher repeated.
His voice was cool as he lounged in his bed, but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. I'd seen that look the night before. It was dark, and beckoning, and...hungry.
I was suddenly incredibly eager to please him.
What does he make me feel? I'd never questioned how I felt about anything. There'd never been any need for introspection. I was an instrument of the Lord, damnit. Ergo, all of my feelings were holy and justified.
"You confuse me," I answered at last.
Asher smirked in amusement. "I confuse you?"
"The Big Guy"—I gestured vaguely upwards— "created Angels on Day 1. I've been around the block a few times. I know everything there is to know about the universe. But I never know what you're thinking."
Asher's eyes glittered in the lamplight.
"I mean, you've had me running around all day." True frustration colored my words. He'd made me drain my angelic strength on three possessions, to the point that I couldn't even get my wings up. Humiliating. "Even after I did everything you asked for, you push me away. Why? No clue. Yet I'm still here, like a schmuck. I still want your bony, finicky ass."
A smile splayed across Asher's lips. "You said that Angels don't fall in love with humans."
"We're not meant to," I muttered.
"Why not?"
"I'm made to serve." I recited the order that had been engraved within my mind upon my creation several millennia ago. "I'm not made for love."
"Few of us are," Asher said softly.
And as he locked his eyes with mine, his knees fell open.
The hair on my arms stood on end. It was a clear invitation.
I whispered: "You said I couldn't kiss you."
"I said you can't kiss me without permission," Asher corrected. "Second rule: You need my consent to do anything to me."
"Do I have your consent to kiss you?"
"No," Asher said, but he did not take his eyes from mine. "But you can touch me. If you want."
"Where can I touch you?" I breathed.
"Come here." Asher grinned wickedly. "I'll show you."
