Broken Halo Read online

  Ari didn’t think that was in the cards for him. Olin had made it very clear that Ari was undesirable—that Ari should’ve been grateful that a guy like Olin had even considered going out with him.

  Why again did a small part of Ari miss Olin?

  “Please let me go.” Ari shoved at Gavril’s chest, the side that wasn’t smeared in healing paste. “You are not about to get fresh with me in this…this house.”

  Gavril’s smile was downright sinful. “This isn’t my house. It’s just a place I used for my escape.”

  Ari stopped struggling as Gavril’s words sank in. “Escape from where?” Did he really want to know? No, he didn’t. Ari just wanted to get out of there, out of Gavril’s strong, sensual arms.

  Large, feathery wings shot out from behind Gavril, making Ari squeak. “From Heaven.”

  Ari had seen a lot of things over the course of his life—fire-breathing dragons, deranged vampires, shifters with silver poisoning, men giving birth—but the sight of Gavril’s wings mystified him. “Are you an angel?”

  “Babe, I’m no angel,” Gavril said with a handsome smile. “I have scars to prove that.” He sniffed at Ari. “Why do you smell like puppy pee?”

  “Let. Me. Go.” Ari ground his teeth, angry at the fact that he was so turned on by Gavril. He was usually a timid man, but not at the moment. He just wanted out of Gavril’s impressive arms.

  Gavril released him so fast that Ari almost fell on his butt. A whiskey bottle appeared in Gavril’s hand and a cigarette between his lips. Both were bad habits, but oh god, Gavril looked hot as all get out right now. A true bad boy that Ari would do well to steer clear of. Why was he always attracted to the wrong men?

  Gavril lit the cigarette and tossed the lighter aside. He inhaled a deep lungful of the smoke before blowing it out as though he was in some kind of cigarette commercial and showing the viewers how enjoyable the bad habit was.

  Ari waved a hand in front of his face and coughed before turning on his heel and stepping over trash to get to the front door. He had to get out of there before he did something he would regret.

  Like beg Gavril to kiss him. That would not be a good idea. Not at all.

  He made it to his Jeep and slid inside, slamming the door closed. Ari shivered as he stared out the windshield, which had a light coating of snow covering the glass. Gavril stood naked on the porch, smiling at Ari before he winked and then took a swig from his bottle.

  Ari’s gaze lowered to Gavril’s exposed cock. Get your mind out of the gutter.

  Swallowing tightly, Ari drove over the overgrown lawn, smashing the tall grass beneath his wheels. He headed down the driveway a little too fast. He jerked onto the main road and was nearly hit by a semi.

  Ari shouted, corrected his course, and cursed his stupidity as the driver laid on his horn. Ari was a very careful driver, yet he’d allowed Gavril to get under his skin.

  But not anymore. That was the last he would see of Harry Crouch, the drunken angel who’d stirred fire in his blood and left Ari completely confused about his feelings and the fact that he’d had any feelings toward Gavril to begin with.

  Chapter Two

  With nowhere to go, Gavril flashed to Aiden and Rudy’s cabin. They were the closet thing he had to friends.

  Then again, Gavril had been tortured for thousands of years and wouldn’t know friendship if it walked up and slugged him on the jaw. But he felt…safe in their presence.

  The back door swung open, and Rudy walked out with a bag of trash in his hand. He spotted Gavril and groaned. “What’re you doing here? We’ve been rid of you for nearly a month, and now you want to come back?”

  “Shut up and invite me in,” Gavril snarled. “It’s cold out here.”

  Gavril didn’t feel the cold. He didn’t feel anything, and that was what killed him the most. His heart held no love, his soul shattered thanks to Preston. The demon leader might’ve dragged Preston away, but the angel would be back. Gavril’s luck was the worst, and getting a reprieve from zealot angels wasn’t going to happen. Even if by a miracle Preston never got free from the underworld, someone else would come after him.

  “Not with that nasty attitude,” Rudy said. “You need to learn some manners.”

  “Fine, would you please shut the fuck up and let me in?”

  “Who’re you talking to?” Aiden asked as he appeared at the door. The bear shifter took one look at Gavril and cursed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Do I need to get the cattle prod?”

  This had been a mistake. Gavril should’ve never come here. It wasn’t as though he and these two were on good terms. Gavril summoned his whiskey bottle and curled his lip. “Just…fuck off.”

  Gavril’s thoughts turned to Dr. Ari Bjord. He might’ve been out of it when the doctor had arrived, but he’d heard the human saying his name.

  And who in the hell had sent that doctor in the first place?

  “Are you gonna be a problem, or are you pulling some stunt?” Rudy tossed the bag of trash into the nearby can.

  “Don’t even go there,” Aiden said. “He’s not coming in.”

  “He’s naked and cold,” Rudy pointed out.

  “And a huge pain in the ass,” Aiden retorted. “He’s ungrateful, spiteful, and has no regard for anyone but himself.”

  Gavril lifted his whiskey bottle as the snow fell lightly around him. “I’m standing right here and can hear you.”

  Although it shouldn’t, it bothered Gavril to hear the less-than-redeeming qualities about himself. This was how he’d acted for the past millennia, because that was how he’d been treated. Like complete shit. He wasn’t used to kindness, which made him, once again, think of the doctor.

  “I know you can hear us,” Aiden said with just as much heat in his voice as Gavril was using. He sighed and looked down at Rudy. “Thank my mate for this.” He stepped aside to allow Gavril entrance, but gave Gavril the stink eye. “One false move and—”

  “You’ll cattle prod me.” Gavril walked into the toasty kitchen and looked around. Angels had no need for nourishment, but whatever was cooking on the stove smelled divine. They didn’t have to eat, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t.

  Aiden walked right up behind Gavril and snarled, “While you’re a guest in our home, wear some damn clothes.”

  Humans were such puritanical creatures. With a single thought, Gavril dressed himself in a pair of jeans and a thin shirt. He kept his feet bare.

  “Do angels eat?” Rudy asked as he went to the stove and stirred the pot.

  “Depends on what poison you’re cooking.”

  Aiden gave a low growl.

  “Fuck,” Gavril said. “Does everything I say offend you?”

  “Your mere presence offends me.” Aiden walked over to Rudy and placed his hand on the small of the human’s back. It was such a simple gesture, one Gavril longed to feel. He’d never had a connection to anyone. Not unless he was being tortured.

  Aiden handed Gavril a cup of hot cocoa. Just because Gavril didn’t eat or drink didn’t mean he was ignorant of things. He knew what hot chocolate was. He’d just never tasted it before.

  When the hot liquid touched his lips, Gavril sighed. The drink was thick and delicious. “Um…thank you.”

  Aiden’s brows shot to his hairline. “Did you just thank me?”

  It was the first time since his creation that Gavril had uttered those words, and now he regretted saying them. He’d been honest with his gratitude, and it had been hard for him to utter those words. He didn’t like being teased because, in the past, teasing led to torture, though he knew that wasn’t Aiden’s intentions.

  “Fuck you. Is that better?” Gavril set the mug on the table, although he wanted to drink every last drop. It tasted a hell of a lot better than the concoction he guzzled down to mask his whereabouts.

  “We should get one of those clickers that you train dogs with,” Rudy said from the stove. “Maybe we can train Gavril that way.”

  “Or cattle prod hi
m every time he acts like an asshole,” Aiden grumbled.

  “Then he’ll never be conscious.” Rudy ladled something into a bowl and handed it to Gavril. “Sit and enjoy. You better not talk shit about my stew.”

  Gavril ignored their unwitty banter. He deserved it. Gavril had been nothing but a pure prick to the two men and was surprised they’d even let him inside, let alone fed him.

  Gavril sat at the table and stared at his bowl as the steam rose upward. He recalled Ari’s fingers tracing across his open wounds that Preston had given Gavril. No one had ever touched him with gentleness before. He rubbed his chest, where the doctor had placed his delicate fingers. And those eyes. There had been so much kindness in them that they scared Gavril.

  Ari’s voice had been soft and soothing, even when he’d been talking shit to Gavril. His tone had been as tender as a lullaby. Yes, Gavril knew what a lullaby was. He’d often gone to maternity wards and looked over the sea of newborns, touching their foreheads and imparting whatever purity he had left.

  Which wasn’t much. But the newborns had always brought him a sense of peace, especially after a session with Preston or one of his followers. Gavril had always remained invisible whenever he visited, but he allowed the babies to see him. He loved how they smelled and their serene sleeping forms.

  Rudy touched Gavril’s shoulder, startling him. “Hey, you okay?”

  Gavril waited for some kind of sarcastic quip from Aiden, but the bear shifter didn’t say a word as he sat down at the table with his own bowl of stew.

  Gavril forced himself not to fidget in his seat. He grabbed his spoon and dug into the stew, ignoring Rudy’s question as he moaned at how good the food tasted.

  Rudy grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Gavril reached for his whiskey bottle, but Rudy snatched it away. “Drink your hot chocolate.”

  “Are you always this damn bossy?” Gavril curled his lip.

  “I have a feeling your acerbic attitude is nothing more than a shield you hide behind because you don’t know how to take kindness,” Rudy said. “Try being pleasant while we’re eating. Please.”

  Gavril gritted his teeth, biting back all kinds of unpleasant remarks. Rudy was right, and Gavril hated that he was right. But it wasn’t a shield Gavril hid behind. It was a thousand-foot wall. He was used to being punished for showing any signs of weakness. People thought of angels as harp-playing cherubs. If they only knew the truth about Gavril’s pantheon.

  Angels were vengeful creatures who took joy in smiting those who opposed them. They hated humans for being God’s favorite. And that was the crux of Gavril’s problem. He truly cared about humans, and Preston despised Gavril for what he considered his biggest weakness. He’d called Gavril a traitor, had locked him away for thousands of years, had whipped him until Gavril prayed for death.

  For a long time Gavril questioned his sanity. No one cared for him, yet he’d suffered for caring about a race that didn’t even know who he was.

  That had to be the definition of insanity.

  But as he sat there enjoying his stew, staring at the happy look on Rudy’s face and remembering how Ari had come into that decrepit house, risking his safety to help him…

  A teeny, tiny glimmer of hope washed through him that he hadn’t suffered in vain. “Do you guys know who Dr. Bjord is?”

  Aiden gave a slow nod as he cast a suspicious eye at Gavril. “He’s the new doctor in town. Why? You gonna harass him next?”

  “You better not,” Rudy piped in. “He’s a really sweet guy.”

  Gavril focused on his stew, or what was left of it. “No,” he said, reminding himself that Rudy had asked politely for there to be peace while they ate. “I’m not going to harass him.”

  “Then why did you ask about him?” Rudy tore off a piece of the warm loaf of bread he’d placed in the center of the table. He spread butter over the chunk then handed it to Gavril. “Do you need a doctor?”

  Rudy’s gaze flickered to Gavril’s chest, where Preston had wounded him. Gavril cleared his throat as he thought about the night Preston had kidnapped Rudy and beat him so badly that Rudy had barely resembled a human. “I’m sorry Preston hurt you.”

  The room fell silent. Gavril ran a hand over his head. Being “polite” was just too much for him. Things felt awkward as he waited for someone to say something.

  When no one did, Gavril grabbed his whiskey bottle and flashed from the cabin. He lit a cigarette, dragging the smoke in, and let it fill his lungs. He didn’t have to worry about all the nasty things that tobacco caused, but the sense of calmness they brought helped him.

  Making himself invisible, Gavril stepped onto Ari’s back porch. The doctor stood on the lawn, his arms wrapped around himself as he watched a little puppy sniff around the grass.

  “Come on, Rocky. I know you can do it,” Ari encouraged in the soothing voice he’d used on Gavril. “Go potty for daddy.”

  Daddy? Gavril wanted to laugh at the absurdity. But he didn’t. Instead, he watched how gentle Ari was with the little guy. The scene made something in Gavril’s chest ache. For a fleeting moment Gavril wished he was the puppy, that he was getting that much love and attention.

  “Good boy!” Ari ran over to Rocky and scooped him up, rubbing the puppy’s belly as he continued to praise him. “As soon as I clean up your mess, I’ll give you a treat.” He set Rocky down, and the puppy scampered over to Gavril.

  Shit. How had he forgotten that babies—of any species—could see him? Rocky’s tail wagged so fast that it should’ve propelled him into the air. He pressed his paws into the bottom steps and yapped like crazy at Gavril.

  Ari tossed the bag into the trashcan. “I see you’re excited for your treat.”

  Gavril’s heart ached as Ari walked inside, the puppy stopping long enough to bite at Gavril’s foot.

  “What’re you doing?” Ari’s brows furrowed as he reached down and picked Rocky up. “Playing with imaginary bugs?”

  Gavril reached his hand out but stopped short of touching Ari’s beautiful face. He let his hand fall to his side as the doctor walked into the house and closed the patio door, leaving Gavril out there in the cold.

  Gritting his teeth, Gavril swallowed his whiskey and headed down the steps, crossing the yard. He didn’t look back. Why should he? Ari would never want someone as broken as him. And even if the doctor wanted him, Gavril had nothing to offer but the pain he’d suffered for so long that he wasn’t even sure he possessed a heart anymore.

  * * * *

  Ari set Rocky down and walked back toward his glass patio door. He could have sworn…no, he was losing his mind. There was no way he’d felt someone’s presence on the back deck. He’d just had a long day and was feeling the effects of exhaustion.

  That had to be it.

  Still, Ari stared into the backyard as the sun dwindled in the overcast sky. The light snowfall from earlier had grown heavier but only enough to create a light dusting on his deck.

  Rocky yapped and grabbed Ari’s pant leg with his teeth.

  “Okay, okay,” Ari said. “I’ll get your snack.”

  Rocky ran circles around him as Ari reached for the box of puppy treats. He’d already called and made a vet appointment for Rocky. Since the dog had been abandoned, Ari had no clue if he was caught up on his immunizations. He highly doubted it since the previous owner had been so neglectful.

  Anger boiled in Ari. How could anyone simply throw three puppies away like that? If they hadn’t wanted them, all the owner had to do was take them to the vet and say he couldn’t care for them. As cold as it was outside, Rocky and his siblings would have died if Moose hadn’t found them.

  Ari sat on the floor and petted Rocky’s soft fur as the puppy gnawed on the tiny dog biscuit. His fur was dark gray, with patches of deep brown and touches of red. He had no idea what breed Rocky was, but Ari didn’t care. He would shower his new fur baby with all the love he had.

  Gavril popped into Ari’s head for some reaso
n. The guy had been an actual angel. And a surly one at that. But Ari had seen past the guy’s sour disposition. It had been in his swirling eyes. The pain, the loneliness, and the lost hope. Rocky wasn’t the only one who needed some love in his life.

  Had he really just thought that? God, he was doing it again, falling for someone who was broken. Olin had been that way when they’d first met. Ari just couldn’t resist a sad soul. It was as though he had to fix that person, and that need had gotten Ari hurt in more ways than one.

  He picked Rocky up and kissed his wet little nose. “Nope, I’m not gonna dwell on that. What’s done is done, and the past is in the past. It’s just you and me now, buddy.”

  Rocky whimpered and licked at Ari’s face. Ari chuckled as he cuddled the puppy to his chest. “I like that idea, too.”

  His head snapped up when he heard something tap against the glass of the patio door. Ari set Rocky down and got to his feet. Who on earth would be at his back door?

  Ari glanced at his medical bag on the kitchen table, thinking maybe some nonhuman needed help, before he walked across the room. His brows shot up when he saw Gavril standing there, looking so lost that it broke Ari’s heart.

  The guy was also naked.

  Again.

  Ari unlocked and slid the door open. “Can you please put some clothes on?” Because Ari wasn’t sure he could remain professional with a hot, naked man in his home. He was a doctor, not a saint.

  A pair of jeans and a blue Henley shirt appeared over Gavril’s body, but his feet were still bare. He stood there glancing down at Rocky. “I shouldn’t be here.”

  “You’re letting the cold in.” He stepped aside and allowed Gavril to enter. When Gavril passed him, Ari grabbed the whiskey bottle. “You can come in, but your booze can’t.”

  Ari set the bottle on the deck and slid the glass door closed. “How did you know where I lived?” He felt his cheeks burn. “Duh, you’re an angel. I guess you would know those kinds of things.”