No Shadows Fall (35 page)

A polite cough made him start, and Gabriel pushed himself to his elbows, opening his eyes. As his gaze fell on Michael, Gabriel’s mouth dropped open. It was entirely possible he was drooling, but Gabriel wasn’t about to check. He was too busy staring at his lover.

Michael knelt on the blanket, a light blush coloring his cheeks. He was naked, his hands clasped loosely together in his lap. His arms were tanned a darker shade of olive to the rest of his body, and his cock was half-hard. The muscles in his body were taut, and the small amount of dark hair on his pectorals and the trail that led from his navel to his cock drew Gabriel’s gaze.

Gabriel shifted, his swim trunks now uncomfortably tight. “Hey.”

Michael moved a little, spreading his legs, his cock twitching. Gabriel’s fingers twitched as well as he forced himself not to grab Michael and rub himself all over him.

“Hello.” Michael smiled shyly. “Are you enjoying your day?”

“Oh aye. I’m enjoying this view even more, though.”

“Which view is that, Gabriel?”

Gabriel waved a hand at Michael. “You. Fuck, you’re so fucking hot.”

Michael’s blush darkened. “Language, Gabriel. In any case, I do not feel warm.”

Gabriel bit his lip so as not to laugh. “I mean, you’re really, really handsome.”

“Oh.” Michael ducked his head. “You are very kind.”

“And I’m very horny, and I’m getting naked right now”—Gabriel shoved his swim trunks down and kicked his legs to get them off—“because fucking hell, I need to have me some of that. That being you,” he added hastily as Michael opened his mouth, his confused expression alerting Gabriel to the fact he was about to ask what Gabriel meant.

The confusion evaporated, and Michael’s shy smile widened. “It has been some time,” he said. “I confess, I was too scared to try anything sooner. In truth, I was not sure that such overtures would be welcome yet.”

Gabriel crooked a finger. “More than welcome. C’mere,
solnyshko
.”

“As you say.” Michael crawled up the blanket to Gabriel, and Gabriel lay back, wrapped his arms around his lover, and kissed him.

Michael kissed back with great enthusiasm, and Gabriel groaned, wriggling a little to get his hard cock where he wanted it—pressing against Michael’s. As hardness rubbed against hardness, both Archangels moaned, and Gabriel’s hips jerked reflexively as Michael slid his fingers around to clutch at a wing joint.

“Michael,” Gabriel gasped, working a hand between them to wrap around both their cocks and stroke. “Fuck yes, Michael!”

Michael whimpered, thrusting into Gabriel’s hand, writhing into him, every move and touch and sound only fueling the fire of lust in Gabriel’s brain and body. Gabriel knew it wasn’t going to take long for him to come; to judge from Michael’s reactions, he didn’t think it would take long for Michael, either. It had been a few months since they had last had sex, and Gabriel had missed it.

It wasn’t just the pleasure of rubbing against one’s sexy, muscled lover, cock against cock, body against body, mouths pressed together, not in a kiss, just panting and gasping with need and desire. It was the intimacy, the closeness, the connection of the physical side of their love that Gabriel had missed. The bond between him and Michael flared, and their Graces reacted to that burst of energy as they rutted together like wild, hungry animals in heat.

Michael gave voice to a low cry, clutching at Gabriel, biting down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Before Gabriel could say or do anything, he felt the hot slickness of come on his hand and that was enough to send him over the edge into orgasm as well.

They lay together, pressed as close as they could get, and Gabriel released their cocks and lifted his hand to his mouth, licking it clean.

“Mm, Michael-come, my favorite,” he purred.

“Gabriel, must you?” Michael asked, burying his face in the crook of Gabriel’s neck.

Gabriel laughed. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

“It is all right.” Michael nuzzled Gabriel’s neck.

He was still hard, Gabriel thought, still hard and still wanting. He could feel Michael’s cock was hard as well, and Gabriel rolled on to his side, his mouth finding Michael’s in a hungry kiss. As they kissed, Gabriel slid his hand down to Michael’s thigh, lifting his lover’s leg up to his waist. Moving just enough to get his cock where he wanted it, Gabriel moved his hand to Michael’s ass, and kneading one firm butt cheek, he slicked his cock with his power and slowly pressed into Michael’s body.

Michael moaned into the kiss, rocking into the penetration and kissing Gabriel artlessly, raising his hands to Gabriel’s wings and rubbing. Gabriel groaned as well, feeling the grit of sand being rubbed by talented hands on his wings as Michael ground down on his cock. Rocking up into tight heat, Gabriel squeezed Michael’s ass once more then slid his hand up Michael’s back to Michael’s wings.

“G-Gabriel,” Michael panted into the kiss, his voice rough with desire and love. “D-don’t stop… please. Don’t ever stop.”

Gabriel’s heart gave a little lurch at that plea, and he jerked his hips up harder, making Michael cry out, digging his nails into Gabriel’s wingspans. As Michael’s head fell back, his eyes half-lidded and his mouth open as he panted and moaned, Gabriel murmured, “Not going to, love of my life. You’re stuck with me.” And then he bit down on Michael’s neck, hard.

Michael yelled, a wordless noise of pleasure, tilting his head a little to allow Gabriel better access to his neck. Gabriel bit down harder, and as he tasted blood on his tongue, his orgasm crashed through him in a wave. A moment later, he felt warmth on his belly, and he realized that Michael had come as well.

Gabriel pulled back from Michael’s neck, licking the blood from his lips, and slowly slipped out of Michael’s body. He gentled their caresses of Michael’s wings, and he smiled at his lover.

“I love you, Michael.”

Michael’s smile was like the sun coming up. “I love you as well, Gabriel.”

Gabriel rested his forehead against Michael’s. “You know, yeah, that we’re on an open beach with naught between us and passing ships but the sea?”

Michael instantly turned crimson and reached for something to cover them with. Gabriel burst out laughing.

“Oh, Mishka. You’re so adorable. No one can see us.”

“As you say. I am not convinced, however.”

Gabriel laughed some more. “I love you, you silly sausage.”

“Silly?” Michael sounded offended. “I am not silly.”

“Sure you are. Everyone is. It’s totally normal. If you weren’t silly from time to time, you wouldn’t be you. You wouldn’t be Michael, the Archangel I love. ’Cause I do. I love you more than salt.”

“More than… pardon?” Michael looked at Gabriel, his brow furrowed.

“Okay, see, there’s salt in everything. Salt in the air, in the sea, in sand, in blood, sweat. Salt’s purity, too, rock salt repels minor demons, yeah? So, that’s a lot of salt. I can’t quantify how much salt. So, I love you more than the amount of salt in existence.”

Michael shook his head fondly and kissed Gabriel’s cheek. “I do not quite understand this analogy, but I understand the sentiment. Thank you,
da bao
.”

“You’re very welcome. Did you want to go back up to the house?” Gabriel asked.

Michael nodded. “If you are not opposed.”

“Nope.” Gabriel didn’t bother to move. He just teleported them straight to the bedroom instead. “It’s damn awesome being me,” he said, stretching on the bed.

“Language. And yes, I am glad you are you. I am even more glad that you are healed.” Michael ran gentle fingers over the fresh scars on Gabriel’s side. “Do they trouble you?”

“Nah, not really. They itch a bit, but that’s normal. I went swimming and that felt bloody good. And the whole rubbing my wings in the sand, that was amazing. You should try it. It feels incredible.”

“Perhaps.” Michael smiled at Gabriel again. “So, Raziel made a suggestion which I support.”

“Oh aye?”

“Yes. He suggested we have our formal meeting every two years instead of every thousand. He felt that we would be better served by this as humanity and existence change more rapidly than they did before the industrial revolution.”

“Aye, makes sense,” Gabriel approved. “I’ll go along with it.”

“I am glad. He also suggested that we spend more time together as a Brotherhood, just enjoying each other’s company. Not working together, for there are many times that will happen in the future, as it has done in the past. Simply being together. Dinners, drinks, things of that nature.”

“Aye, I’ll go along with that too.” Gabriel nodded. “All good ideas and plans. Let’s do it.”

Michael nodded, and his eyes went distant. Gabriel could feel his lover communicating with Raziel, and he waited patiently for their telepathic conversation to finish. Finally, Michael’s eyes cleared and he smiled.

“Forgive me. I did not realize how long that would take.”

“Nothing to forgive. What did he say?”

“He was pleased. The whole Brotherhood agreed unanimously. So he will work out a schedule and send them out for formal meeting times and locations in the next few days.”

“Okay.” Gabriel stretched then pulled Michael into his arms and kissed him soundly. “We’ve got just over a decade left on this century. I’ve decided we’re going to have a quiet one, and it’s going to be full of you and me having loads and loads of hot Archangel sex.”

“Must you phrase it in such a manner?” Michael asked plaintively as he blushed.

“Aye, I must. You blush like a red, red rose, and it’s adorable.” Gabriel kissed the tip of Michael’s nose.

Michael wrinkled his nose, unfurling his wings and twining them loosely with Gabriel’s, pushing against Gabriel’s wings with his spans. “You are odd, sometimes,” he said. “But I would not have you any other way.”

“Good, ’cause I’m not sure I could be any other way.” Gabriel gazed at Michael fondly, running a hand slowly up and down Michael’s back. “So, here’s to the rest of eternity together.”

“I like the sound of that.” Michael reached up to run his fingers through Gabriel’s hair. “I like the sound of that a lot.”

Gabriel turned his head to kiss Michael’s palm.

“Amen.”

L.J. L
A
B
ARTHE
is a French-Australian woman, who was born during the Witching Hour, just after midnight. From this auspicious beginning, she went on to write a prize-winning short story about Humpty Dumpty wearing an Aussie hat complete with corks dangling from it when she was six years old. From there, she wrote for her high school yearbook, her university newspaper, and, from her early teens to her twenties, produced a fanzine about the local punk rock music scene. She loves music of all kinds and was once a classical pianist; she loves languages and speaks French and English and a teeny-tiny smattering of Mandarin Chinese, which she hopes to relearn properly very soon. She enjoys TV, film, travel, cooking, eating out, abandoned places, urbex, history, and researching.

L.J. loves to read complicated plots and hopes to do complex plot lines justice in her own writing. She writes paranormal, historical, urban fantasy, and contemporary Australian stories, usually M/M romance and featuring M/M erotica.

L.J. lives in the city of Adelaide and is owned by her cat.

Book 1 of the
A
RCHANGEL
C
HRONICLES

You would never know it from his flamboyant lifestyle, but Gabriel’s not just the cheerful, fun-loving adoptive father of a pair of indulged young adult humans. He’s an Archangel, commander of Heaven’s legions of Seraphim, and despite his apparently easy virtue, he’s harboring a serious crush on his superior officer, Michael.

For years Michael has devoted himself to developing a team of humans, the Venatores, to aid in the fight against Hell. He’s been pining after Gabriel for centuries without hope, believing himself to be too serious to attract the other Archangel’s interest. He’s happy to discover that he’s wrong, but their burgeoning relationship is stymied by a major problem: an egomaniacal human is recruiting demons and fallen angels in a bid to take over the world. It’s up to Michael and Gabriel, and the rest of the Brotherhood of Archangels, to beat back the forces of Hell before the Earth is overrun.

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