Revenant held up his hand, cutting his brother off. “When Blaspheme chooses to make the trip over to Heaven, I’ll be here to welcome her back. But I don’t belong there.”

“Rev —”

“No,” Rev said, cutting Reaver off again. “We both know it. It’s okay. I’m fucking ruling hell, and it’s what I was meant to do. It’s all cool.” He held up his glass and clinked it against Reaver’s. “To us. Dysfunctional family and all.”

Reaver laughed, and in that moment, Revenant marveled at just how well everything turned out. Everyone at this get-together, plus countless others, had played roles in getting Reaver and Revenant where they were today. Revenant owed these people a huge thank-you. Not that he was going to get all mushy on them. But maybe he’d refrain from threatening to kill anyone for a day or so.

Blaspheme waved from where she was standing next to Limos’s mate, Arik, as he flipped burgers and hot dogs on the grill.

“Looks like we’d better join the party,” Reaver said.

Party. The word hit Revenant like a sucker punch. He’d attended several parties, but he’d never been invited to one, let alone been welcome at one. But here he was at a shindig thrown by his niece and nephews, and they had actually asked him to be here.

“You ready, Brother?” Reaver asked.

Reseph must have turned on the music, because suddenly Rodney Atkins was singing about going through hell and getting out before the devil knew you were there. Revenant looked over at the porch, where Reseph gave a crisp salute and cocky smile.

“Yeah,” Rev said, “I’m ready.” Ready, for the first time in his life, to be part of a family.

Thirty-Four

Three months later…

Blaspheme stood on the balcony of the home she and Revenant shared on the Italian coastline, her face to the warm morning breeze. She still couldn’t believe she lived here with him, and that all her worries were gone.

And it definitely hadn’t sunk in that she was an angel. A true, Heavenly angel.

She hadn’t entered Heaven yet; to do so would activate all her angelic powers and instincts, but it would also render her unable to enter Underworld General. There was no way she could let that happen.

The False Angel enchantment had worn off, leaving her with a limited range of angelic powers and gorgeous violet-tipped white wings that were actually functional. Revenant had taught her to fly… and to make love while riding the thermals.

So for now, she was content with the way things were, and hey, since Revenant wasn’t exactly a traditional angel, either, they made a good pair.

She felt him approach, smiled when his chest pressed against her back as he slipped his arms beneath hers and wrapped them around her midsection.

“I missed you when I woke up.” He pressed a kiss into her hair. “I was planning to wake you. With my tongue.”

Her knees went weak. “Now that is an alarm clock I’d pay good money for.”

He rested his chin on her head, tugging her even closer as they both looked out over the sparkling water. “There’s always tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” She placed her hands over his and relaxed against him. “I was thinking… shower? Ten minutes?” She felt the growing swell of his arousal press into her rear, and she casually rubbed against it.

“One minute.” His husky morning voice deepened further, and she grew hot between her thighs.

“You’re very impatient,” she mused.

“And you’re a tease.”

She shrugged. “I guess some False Angel habits are hard to break.”

“That’s one I don’t mind you keeping.” He dropped a hand between them, and she felt a cool breeze hit her rump as he lifted the hem of her robe and positioned his erection at her core.

“I think you like my new habits better,” she said as she opened herself to her newfound Heavenly powers and generated a low, pulsing vibration that buzzed through every cell. As Revenant entered her, he felt it, too, and he gasped.

“Fuck,” he moaned, slamming home with an impatient thrust. “I like. Too much, I think.”

Ditto, she thought, because she sure as hell couldn’t speak. Already she was climbing the peak of ecstasy, and oh, yes, she loved exploring these new talents with Revenant. Last night she’d discovered that she could stimulate him without even touching him. She’d made him come in his leathers the moment he’d flashed into the house from work. He hadn’t even gotten a hello out before he was shouting in pleasure.

He’d punished her for that by taking her to the floor and licking her until she begged him to let her climax. Then he’d dragged it out for another five torturous minutes and had used his own power to pummel her with sex, as if she were being caressed by a hundred tongues and being made love to by two thick shafts. A dozen climaxes later, she’d lain in a boneless puddle of bliss until Revenant carried her to the bedroom and held her, petting her and whispering beautiful things she’d never believed a stone-cold warrior would say.

The salt air caressed her face as her climax blasted through her, taking Revenant with her to the highest plane of existence. Their souls merged, tangling together in the way of angels so that their orgasms became one. It churned between them, suspending them in endless pleasure that lingered for an hour, until she realized she was on the verge of being late for work.

Again.

“We… have to stop… doing that,” she said through panting breaths. Her arms trembled as she gripped the balcony railing, and it was a miracle they hadn’t broken the thing with the intensity of their lovemaking.