Chapter 36

He was half-naked. With nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair now wet with little drops of water making their way down his temple and disappearing into the crook of his neck. 

She was aware that she was basically ogling him. But how could she not? 

His well defined chest seemed like it was curved out of marble, and the same applied to every other angelic inch of him. He walked towards the walk-in closet. And she took the time to observe how majestic his strides were. His wings were also wet but not dripping. She wondered exactly how long it would take to dry those. But then stopped and turned to her. 

" Oh, I almost forgot. Sheila asked me to pass on her greetings to you, she's the dressmaker you went to yesterday, " 

He had come across her in the town along with her parents. They were very loyal distributors of farm produce to the Triecan so he had decided to go over and greet them. 

He waited for Flame to respond but she did not. 

" Did you hear me? " He raised his brows, focusing on her. And he wondered why she wasn't answering since she was looking at him. She was looking RIGHT at him. 

Then he realised what exactly was going on. And it thoroughly amused him. He walked over to her, surprised at just how enthralled she seemed to be. Then he spread his wet wings and folded the behind his back when he was right next to the bed. 

She shrieked as she jumped aside, but the harm had already been done.

" What is wrong with you! " she shouted as she wiped the splashes of water off her face. But Nuriel just stood there with an amused expression on his face. 

" I was simply saving you from your wild imagination, " he casually stated. And Flame put on her best glare and faced aside. 

" I don't know what you're referring to. "

" I'm sure you don't. But let me give you more of my good advice m'eudail, " his husky voice was laced with a seductive tone. 

" If you keep looking at me like that, I will not be in control of my actions. "

She tried to hide the blush that just insisted on appearing. She had had one of the toughest childhoods imaginable yet a few words from a dangerously attractive angel had her blushing like a shy schoolgirl. 

" Do you need a towel? there are still a few drops on your forehead. " she realised that he had his hand on the towel he had on and she immediately shook her head.

" Just go get dressed will you " he smiled as he turned to head back to the closet. Which was now officially theirs since he had ordered for her clothes to be placed inside. 

" Well in case you didn't hear me the first time, Sheila sent her greetings. "

" I heard you! "

" You're a pathetic liar. "

She waited for him to be completely out of sight before she silently laughed to herself. Realising that the more she stayed around him, the more she liked him. And each time he showed a new side to him that she did not even know existed. This was a battle with herself, and she would surely lose. 

And if she was being completely truthful with herself, she did not mind that. 

Not in the slightest least.

                           ✳️❇️✳️❇️✳️

Nuriel dressed in a pair of black silk pants. His wings already dry from the heat radiator that had been installed in his closet. He stepped back inside his sleeping chambers to find Flame still awake. 

He walked over to the bed and got in. Flame kept her focus on the pages of her book. He was shirtless again and she was almost certain that it was on purpose. He wanted to tease and taunt her. And he was succeeding. 

" Do you mind? " he asked as he placed his hand on her back, she gasped. Weary as to what his intentions were. Then he leaned her to the front a bit and spread out his wings completely. 

" Oh, " .

She had to stop thinking that everything he did had a sexual intent behind it. Because if not then life was going to be very difficult. 

She took the time to study his wings. They were so white, and she craved to touch them. To run her fingers across the feathers and feel the warmth that was buried within them. But she hesitated to do so. 

Nuriel watched her, and he knew what she wanted, so he took her hand and placed it on his wing. 

" Whenever it comes to me, you are free to do whatever you may wish to, "

She smiled more to herself than to him. His feathers were so soft. 

" Sooo, are we like bedmates now? " she asked jokingly. If it were up-to her she would have slept on the couch that had been somehow brought in to replace the one she had burnt down. Not because she didn't want to be in the same bed with him. But because it felt like too much of a temptation. 

" We are more than that....a lot more, " 

She sensed what was coming and where that was leading. So she opted to change the subject.

" Hey, Sheila told me about a prophecy. Why didn't you tell me about it? "

" I was going to, the day I took you to the record room. But you stormed out. "

" Is it real? "

" It is. "

He spent a few minutes explaining how they had found it. It was after Aurelia had left for war. And at times that was all they had to keep them going. 

" And by the way, I was wondering, you're immortal right? "

" I am. Why? "

" Well, that means that I'm gonna grow old and die, leaving you here all by yourself. "

He chuckled at her words. Though if it were true he doubted he would have been able to handle it. 

" Fairies live a very long existence. And even if they did not, bonding you to me would ultimately make you immortal. "

So she was basically going to live forever. That did not surprisingly make her as happy as she knew she ought to have been. Nodding at his reply she decided to just go to sleep. So she placed the book on the table and sank into the covers. 

" Goodnight angel, " she uttered. Awaiting his response which never came. Then she felt him as he placed a soft kiss on her temple. 

" Goodnight m'eudail, "

Yet again he watched her as she drifted off to sleep. He could not recall the last time he had done that simple action. Before she came along he rarely even spent time in his chambers. But he was not brave enough to let sleep overcome him. Which made him feel somewhat hypocritical about giving Flame the advice which he himself did not follow.

                                 💮🌼💮🌼💮🌼

" Send more warriors to the uninhabited areas, and tell them to remain out of sight in case the culprit is around, " Nuriel sent the message to angel Victor through their mind link. 

" Immediately my king, " Victor sent back. 

There had not been anymore deaths in the kingdom but they were still on guard. He had finally informed Flame as to what was going on. She was stunned at first, but he had assured her that it would pass. Though even he was beginning to get worried, it should not have taken that long to catch whoever was behind it. And Bastian was still not back. Which was strange since it had been three days already. It never took him that long to gather information. But Nuriel trusted that he was well and he would return soon. 

" Remind me what we're doing here again? " Flame asked beside him. He had red her to the training quarters. And no matter how hard she tried to think, she could not come up with a logical reason as to why exactly she was there.

" I'm going to teach you how to control your powers. "

" I'm sorry, what? " She stopped on her tracks, basically yanking her arm away from him. 

" I just want you to be able to use them efficiently. "

" Thanks but I'll pass, " she crossed her arms defiantly. She didn't care for her powers, and if it were up-to her she wouldn't even have them. It felt more like a curse. 

" This isn't negotiable. I will teach you and you will learn. "

He wanted her to be capable of defending herself if the need arose. Because from what he had seen, the powers controlled her instead of the other way round. But she refused to even step another foot into the training room that he had ordered to be left unoccupied. And he had to spend his first twenty minutes talking her into accepting his decision. 

" You know, there's someone running around terrorising your kingdom. Don't you think you should be taking care of that instead? "

" I am. Multitasking happens to be a skill of mine. " He smugly answered as he held her wrist and pulled her inside the room. It was large. With weapons enclosed in glass shelves on the walls. She took sight of them, because at the moment she felt like using one on the angel. 

" I really don't wanna do this. "

" You have nothing to be afraid of. It's just a simple training routine, " he assured her. Making her stand in the middle of the room and walking around to stand behind her. She breathed in his scent and it served to calm her. 

" Now close your eyes, " 

She did as instructed. Then he asked her to concentrate on harnessing her power. She didn't. She decided to just close her eyes and pretend to do so. Then perhaps he would eventually give up and stop trying to make her go through that. 

Nuriel laced his right hand with hers, using the other to wrap around her. 

" Stop acting smart. We can do this all day if you wish but we're not leaving here until you get it right, " he spoke next to her ear. It felt as if sparks were flying where their fingers were locked. And though they were not doing anything that could be referred to as sexual, it felt that way.