Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

chirped angel song, and as his fingers dug into the meat of Cole's back, tears shined in Cole's eyes. A hopeful tweet shivered from between Raziel's lips, and Cole bent down to cover his mouth to taste him once more.
    The lovemaking was slow, just as promised, and Raziel's toes curled along with his wings. The pleasure wove in and out of his senses, and the gasps and breathy groans Cole fed into their kisses did nothing to dampen his need. The kisses took on a hungry edge the minute Raziel began raising his hips, meeting each of Cole's thrusts, welcoming him so deep within his body. Hands were a little harder, the rhythm a little faster, and Raziel's heart raced, pounding loudly in his ears, offering the counterpoint to the angelic song he kept offering up whenever Cole's lips trailed down his throat.
    It was Heaven, his own personal moment of Heaven, as light and pleasure overcame him. Nothing but the presence of the Almighty could compare, and for that moment, he lost sight of God, seeing only Cole, only their mutual pleasure. When he came back to himself, he could hear his own angelic song still echoing in Cole's bedroom along with Cole's shout of release. The light faded slowly, the heat receding until it only remained inside his passage and in the lingering tingles that jolted across his skin.
    For a few moments, all he heard was their panting breaths, but then a flutter of a whimper escaped him. "Cole..."
    "Stay with me," Cole whispered, his voice desperate in a way that broke Raziel's heart, even as he tightened his grip, holding Cole even tighter against him.
    "Always," he promised, his voice trilling with a purr of lingering pleasure. "I'll never leave your side."
    The words seemed to quiet whatever fears Cole felt, and Raziel twittered softly as they shifted, their bodies parting with a final wet caress. He'd never understood emptiness until that moment, but Cole instantly tugged him onto his side and pulled his arm until he was spooned against Raziel's chest. He'd seen Cole sleep with Daniel this way in the beginning, and his wings fluttered out behind him before curling in, one at his back and the other protectively around his charge. Cole cuddled back against him, refusing to let go of his arm, and the strange ache of Raziel's soul was soothed by the closeness.
    He smiled and kissed Cole's shoulder. "Sleep," he breathed with another kiss to Cole's neck. All he received was a rumble of wordless agreement before Cole became heavy against him, but his heart still soared with pleasure and happiness. All these nights, he had watched Cole sleep—thousands upon thousands of nights—but tonight he wasn't perched on the footboard or sitting in the chair by the windowsill. Tonight, he had Cole in his arms, and he would carry the memory with him forever.
    ****
    "Do you remember what happened when angels and humans last coupled?"
    Raziel sat up, his mind heavy with lingering slumber. His eyes scanned the room and fell upon an angel, bathed in Holy Light, standing near the windows, his wings outspread and arms crossed. He swallowed thickly, a flush creeping up his face. Raziel knew who had come to level judgment on him. "Chamuel."
    Chamuel smiled at him. "Do you remember, Raziel?"
    "I remember." Raziel glanced at Cole's sleeping form, the human unaware of the angels' conversation. He slipped from the bed, refusing to talk with Chamuel while holding his ward in his arms. "But he is no woman for me to seed and breed giants with. Where is the harm?"
    "Where is the harm?" Chamuel shook his head. "Raziel, they are our charges. We watch over them. We do not kiss them. We do not couple with them. We do not prevent their deaths when the natural order says they are meant to die."
    Raziel's wings shivered at the reprimand in those words. "If I am not supposed to intervene on my ward's behalf to save him from himself, then what am I supposed to do? Watch him die when I could help?"
    "There are limits to our calling." Chamuel stepped closed, cupped Raziel's cheek. "You have broken many rules, my friend, and you cannot escape punishment. Was it worth it? Was he worth it?"
    Pain tore at Raziel's heart, tears filling his eyes. He looked over his shoulder at Cole, and he remembered his whispered promise to the man before sleep had taken him. He couldn't fight Heaven, though. Raziel didn't want to leave, but Chamuel would make him. There wasn't much choice. For angels, there was never any choice. He drank in the sight of Cole, and