body drawing in, needing to be held—
Instead, cold fingers crawled up the back of her neck. “You could join me.”
Arriane lurched away. Her skin crawled.
“Join me as my soul mate, Arriane. Join me and take your place among the ranks of Hell.”
TWO
INFERNAL DESIRES
A rriane recoiled. “No,” she whispered, certain of its impossibility. “I could never.”
Tess’s blue eyes pleaded with a fierce intensity. “We can end our secret affair and proclaim it to the universe.”
The way her voice boomed, echoing off the rafters in the barn, made Arriane nervous.
“Don’t you want that?” Tess cried. “Don’t you want to be together, to snap the arbitrary shackles that prevent us from being our true selves?”
Arriane shook her head. This was unfair. Tess was out of her mind. She had the most sublimely beautiful soul Arriane had ever seen, but this time, she had gone too far. If she cared for Arriane at all, Tess would already know what her lover’s answer would be.
But then—
Arriane wavered, allowing herself for a moment to see the situation from Tess’s point of view. Of course Arriane wanted to love Tess openly. She always would. What else did she have to do to prove it?
No! How could Tess ask this of her? To side with Hell over Heaven! That wasn’t love. That was insanity.
“Maybe the rules are right,” Arriane said tentatively. “Maybe angels and demons shouldn’t—”
“What?” Tess cut her off. “Say it.”
“Lucifer would never allow it,” Arriane finally said evasively, turning away from Tess to pace the barn. She passed the horses in their stables. The cows in their pen. Everything had its place. She looked across the barn at Tess and had never felt further away from the soul she loved the most.
“Lucifer might allow it—” Tess started to say.
“You know how he feels about love!” Arriane snapped. “Ever since …” But she trailed off. That old story didn’t matter, not right now.
“You don’t understand.” Tess laughed a false laugh, as if Arriane were failing to understand something assimple as an arithmetic problem. “He said that if I brought you with me—”
“Who said?” Arriane’s head snapped up.
“Lucifer?”
Tess stepped away, as if afraid, and for a moment, Arriane thought she saw something in the rafters of the barn. A stone statue … a gargoyle. He seemed to be watching them. But when she blinked he was gone. She found Tess’s wild eyes again, and she felt betrayed.
“You told him?”
Now Arriane marched toward Tess, stopping just short of her lover’s breast. It heaved with surprise at being confronted, but Tess did not back away.
“How dare you,” Arriane spat, spinning on her heel.
Before Arriane could run out of the barn, Tess grabbed hold of her wrists. Arriane wrenched away, feeling Tess’s fingers drag against her skin.
“Leave me be!” Arriane shouted, not meaning it, but Tess wasn’t listening anyway. She came at Arriane again, yanking on the sleeve of her gown so hard the fabric ripped.
“Yes, I told him!” Tess bellowed, shouting right into Arriane’s face. “Unlike you, I don’t care who knows!”
Arriane pushed her. She pushed her so hard, Tess fell backward into a tower of stacked milk pails. They toppled over, falling on her with a clatter, splattering her pale skin with a few white drops.
Tess kicked the pails away and rocketed to her feet.And then—Arriane had not been expecting this—her wings bloomed out behind her shoulders.
They
never
exposed their wings to each other; it was something they’d agreed on ages ago. It was too plain a reminder that their love was not meant to be.
Now Tess’s broad demon wings filled the barn with shimmery light. They were the gold of the last moment of a sunset, tall slopes that rose high behind her shoulders like twin mountain peaks. They beat lightly at her sides, fully extended, rigid, with the tips curled slightly outward in Arriane’s direction.
The
Instead, cold fingers crawled up the back of her neck. “You could join me.”
Arriane lurched away. Her skin crawled.
“Join me as my soul mate, Arriane. Join me and take your place among the ranks of Hell.”
TWO
INFERNAL DESIRES
A rriane recoiled. “No,” she whispered, certain of its impossibility. “I could never.”
Tess’s blue eyes pleaded with a fierce intensity. “We can end our secret affair and proclaim it to the universe.”
The way her voice boomed, echoing off the rafters in the barn, made Arriane nervous.
“Don’t you want that?” Tess cried. “Don’t you want to be together, to snap the arbitrary shackles that prevent us from being our true selves?”
Arriane shook her head. This was unfair. Tess was out of her mind. She had the most sublimely beautiful soul Arriane had ever seen, but this time, she had gone too far. If she cared for Arriane at all, Tess would already know what her lover’s answer would be.
But then—
Arriane wavered, allowing herself for a moment to see the situation from Tess’s point of view. Of course Arriane wanted to love Tess openly. She always would. What else did she have to do to prove it?
No! How could Tess ask this of her? To side with Hell over Heaven! That wasn’t love. That was insanity.
“Maybe the rules are right,” Arriane said tentatively. “Maybe angels and demons shouldn’t—”
“What?” Tess cut her off. “Say it.”
“Lucifer would never allow it,” Arriane finally said evasively, turning away from Tess to pace the barn. She passed the horses in their stables. The cows in their pen. Everything had its place. She looked across the barn at Tess and had never felt further away from the soul she loved the most.
“Lucifer might allow it—” Tess started to say.
“You know how he feels about love!” Arriane snapped. “Ever since …” But she trailed off. That old story didn’t matter, not right now.
“You don’t understand.” Tess laughed a false laugh, as if Arriane were failing to understand something assimple as an arithmetic problem. “He said that if I brought you with me—”
“Who said?” Arriane’s head snapped up.
“Lucifer?”
Tess stepped away, as if afraid, and for a moment, Arriane thought she saw something in the rafters of the barn. A stone statue … a gargoyle. He seemed to be watching them. But when she blinked he was gone. She found Tess’s wild eyes again, and she felt betrayed.
“You told him?”
Now Arriane marched toward Tess, stopping just short of her lover’s breast. It heaved with surprise at being confronted, but Tess did not back away.
“How dare you,” Arriane spat, spinning on her heel.
Before Arriane could run out of the barn, Tess grabbed hold of her wrists. Arriane wrenched away, feeling Tess’s fingers drag against her skin.
“Leave me be!” Arriane shouted, not meaning it, but Tess wasn’t listening anyway. She came at Arriane again, yanking on the sleeve of her gown so hard the fabric ripped.
“Yes, I told him!” Tess bellowed, shouting right into Arriane’s face. “Unlike you, I don’t care who knows!”
Arriane pushed her. She pushed her so hard, Tess fell backward into a tower of stacked milk pails. They toppled over, falling on her with a clatter, splattering her pale skin with a few white drops.
Tess kicked the pails away and rocketed to her feet.And then—Arriane had not been expecting this—her wings bloomed out behind her shoulders.
They
never
exposed their wings to each other; it was something they’d agreed on ages ago. It was too plain a reminder that their love was not meant to be.
Now Tess’s broad demon wings filled the barn with shimmery light. They were the gold of the last moment of a sunset, tall slopes that rose high behind her shoulders like twin mountain peaks. They beat lightly at her sides, fully extended, rigid, with the tips curled slightly outward in Arriane’s direction.
The
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