Of course, he had nothing to be self-conscious about.I raised myself up a little higher on my elbows, drinking in the sight of him, desperate to satiate this thirst that was consuming me. I'd never wanted anyone like this before. I'd never felt so much like my whole body was screaming with desire.Holding out his arm out straight to one side, he dangled his jeans and boxers in the air, letting them drop from his hand onto the floor. He was enjoying this now, letting the demon take over, but I didn't care. The teasing was a turn-on. The way he was looking at me was a turn-on.Dropping to his knees at the bottom of the bed, he crawled up until he was over me, his hands positioned either side of my shoulders. Leaning down, his lips found mine again, and he kissed me deep, hard, licking his lips afterwards as if he was savouring the taste just as I was. Again, and again he kissed me, and my hands snaked into his hair, holding him there, not wanting him to stop. I tried t

I frowned, putting the bag of bread to one side and shuffling over on the bed until I was sat next to him. His fingers were still absent-mindedly tracing the perfectly-neat script on the page.'I don't get it,' I said. 'Why didn't Saul kill her? I mean, she gave him some pretty shit news, to be fair. If she'd told him he would be victorious, I could understand. But she basically told him he was fucked and that he was going to lose the battle. Why did he let her live?''Because she was kind to him,' Ethan said. 'She could see he was completely terrified and she offered him comfort in his darkest hour. He might have been her enemy, but she knew that he had been manipulated by the Angels, like so many others. Ironic really that the man they sent to destroy the line of the Endorians, was the one who helped beget it.'My eyes widened. 'Wait, do you mean...'Ethan chuckled. 'Yeah. Saul and his three sons died in battle the next day, but his daughter – a daughter

I carried the two tiny cups of espresso back to the table, sliding in beside Ethan so I could see through the window. In the distance, the spires of the Duomo rose high above the Piazza, the sky behind it a tranquil clear-blue backdrop contrasting with the crowded chaos below.'Can I ask you something?' I said, wincing as the hot coffee scalded my lips.'If I say no, you're still going to ask me anyway, right?''Of course.' I shrugged, putting the cup back down on the miniature saucer and taking a deep breath. I knew how this was going to sound before I even opened my mouth, but I knew I had to say it. I had to know. 'The last time you broke into the Vaults,' I said. 'When you hid the Gospel there. Who helped you break in?'Ethan said nothing for a moment, his eyes not leaving mine as he took a sip of his coffee.I swallowed. 'I mean, you said yourself that you need a maledicti to get in and keep the Erelim distracted. So, who was she? The one that helped yo

He was tall and lithe, dressed all in black, with cargo-trousers, black heavy lace-up boots and a black crew-neck vest top that showed off his well-toned arms. Around both wrists he wore matching hematite chain bracelets and his glossy, black hair was tied back in a Samurai-style topknot. His face was thin and angular, but handsome, and he carried himself in a way that demanded attention as he strode confidently towards where Juliette stood.As he reached Juliette, she dropped her hands to his shoulders and pressed her mouth against his. He accepted the kiss, I noticed, with a small hint of disdain and he pulled back almost instantly, dismissing her attentiveness with a glance at me over her shoulder. She spoke in a hushed tone into his ear, flourishing it with a coquettish giggle and looking back towards me as if she had just told him some fabulously-funny joke. His face, however, remained impassive. Stepping around her, he approached me, stopping just a couple of metres away,

'Which, of course, you can do,' said Blake. 'After Helel has done what we require of him. I take it you have the book?'Oscar sniffed long and hard, swallowing down whatever shit he'd been storing inside his nostrils. 'Yeah, I've got it,' he grumbled, thrusting the holdall into Blake's eager hands, before looking down at Ethan, his expression almost apologetic. 'Sorry, lad, I really am, but I told you a long time ago that you couldn't hide from this.'Ethan glared at him, the full weight of his stare feeling like a shroud of ice that chilled my skin, even though it was directed solely at the demon who had double-crossed him.'I should have known,' he said, his tone laced with venom. 'Tell me, Berith, how long did it take you to betray your friends once Blake had wormed his way into your soul? When their bodies were still warm, or did you wait until they had turned to dust?''That hurts, Ethan, that hurts me right here.' Oscar thumped his fist against his chest. '