Winged Things

Illium / Aodhan, 2400 words, Explicit. Illium quickly took in the building—well, shack’s—contents. One bed. Cold fireplace. Stone walls, steep roof. Narrow, shuttered windows showing only the faintest glimpse of the mountain landscape through the falling snow, which was growing thicker every moment...

Illium gave her a discreet boost into the air when it was time for them to head homeward. He made it seem that they were just playing a game, that Elena was being tugged along for fun. She wondered that he wasn’t anchored down by the weight of the stone in her abdomen, her blood like lead.

They’d barely reached Manhattan when she felt the crash of the wind in her mind, the whisper of the sea. Hbeebti, I see you have been playing with your Bluebell in my absence.

Elena’s clenched heart slammed into thudding joy as she searched for her archangel. Where are you?

A sweep of air, Raphael soaring down from the night sky far above. Spotting Raphael, Illium lifted a hand in a wave before zooming off in another direction. Now look, Elena said with a mock scowl, you’ve scared him off.

You’re Bluebell is made of sterner stuff. I’ve asked him to check a border line. Winging down then up, Raphael grabbed her by the waist.

Elena folded her wings instinctively to her back and locked her arms around his neck. You remember.

Old memories on his face, of a love between a young angel and a mortal woman, of an archangel forced to make a cruel decision. It is a hard thing to hurt a boy you’ve watched grow to manhood.

Elena couldn’t imagine the horror of that day, Raphael and Illium both caught by angelic law and left with no way out. If Illium’s lover hadn’t spoken… But she has, and in so doing, sealed both her and Illium’s fate. Did you keep him busy most of the day on purpose? Illium had run down his packed schedule for her as they tried to stave off boredom while watching the security footage.

It is the one gift I can give him on this day. Holding her with one arm around her waist, he cupped her jaw and cheek with the other. Dmitri intended to set him another task when he saw the two of you together in Vivek’s domain.

First impression: Precious cinnamon roll

Impression now: Precious sinnamon roll

Favorite moment: Can’t chose just one. The butterflies, anytime he’s exasperated by Illium, when he tried to eloquently explain Galen’s training methods after he was released from the medica and eventual settled on being likened to a pancake, every scene in Archangel’s Heart, his dry, subtle humor kills me every time it’s revealed.

Idea for a story: Horror movie night!

Unpopular opinion: I find him more attractive than Illium

Favorite relationship: Him and Bluebell, obviously, but I also love his and Elena’s relationship.

Favorite headcanon: This is hard because I don’t usually think about headcanons. Ummm he has one hell of a temper that I don’t think we’ve seen just yet.

Sorry this took so long to answer, work was a disaster yesterday and I wanted to really think about my answers because I love Aodhan so much.