Epilogue

MICAH

" D o we really have to do this?"

"Yes," Nox said patiently as he pulled up outside Dimitri's house. "It'll be good for you to clear the air properly. You miss Dimitri's friendship, he misses yours. You can sort this shit out once and for all."

I poked him in the ribs. "Aren't you supposed to just agree with everything I want?"

Nox laughed heartily. "Only if it'll make you happy in the long run, little angel. Mending fences here will definitely make you happy. Short-term awkwardness for long-term happiness."

I knew he was right, which only pissed me off more. "You irritate me."

"You love it." He was correct. "Now come on, before someone comes out to ask us why we're sat outside like a couple of weirdos."

"Too late for that," I said as the front door swung open. Lucky appeared, a massive grin on his face as he waved wildly. "Well, here goes nothing. "

"We're so happy that you're here," Lucky said as we made our way up the path. He was bouncing on his toes, practically vibrating with excitement. "Hope you're hungry; we might've gone a bit overboard."

"Starving," Nox said, resting his hand against the small of my back as he tried to calm the nerves roaring through me.

It was stupid of me to be nervous, especially after recent events, but Dimitri had been a vital part of my life once before, and I'd fucked it up royally. What if I managed to do the same this time?

I realised belatedly that I hadn't spoken or moved. Lucky stopped bouncing, a small frown forming on his face. I recovered quickly, offering him a smile. "Thank you for inviting us. We've been looking forward to it."

"Liar," Dagon said appearing behind Lucky and ignoring the elbow he threw into his ribs. "If it helps, Dimitri's a bundle of nerves too. He doesn't wanna fuck this up."

Hearing that did help. It was all very well us trying to mend fences, but that would only happen if we were both willing to pick up the tools. If Dimitri was worried about it going wrong too, then that was a good sign. It meant we both cared about getting the same outcome: clearing the air so that Dimitri could feel comfortable visiting the Seraphim again. They all missed him as much as he missed them. It had been the tension between us that'd kept him away.

I didn't want to be the reason for that any longer.

"Hi." Dimitri waved at us awkwardly as we stepped into the living room. "Thank you for coming."

"Are all angels, or former angels, this polite?" Nox asked, his lips twitching .

"Nope," Dagon said, going up to Dimitri and placing a smacking kiss on his cheek. "This fucker is usually anything but polite. Like I said though, he's nervous."

Dimitri looked at the ceiling, his mouth moving like he was counting backwards from ten. "Thanks for that, Dagon."

"You're welcome," the demon sang. "Always here to help!"

I had to hide my smirk behind my hand, but from Dimitri's wry smile, he'd caught it. "Yes, he's always that irritating, but I love him anyway."

"I get it," I said, thumbing at Nox, who was helping Lucky to pour drinks. "Mine is just as bad. I swear, he's only happy if he's winding me up."

"Or when I'm fucking you," Nox called over from the makeshift bar area. "That makes me pretty happy too."

Now I was the one closing my eyes and counting back from ten. When I opened them, Dimitri was smiling in understanding. "Want to find somewhere quiet to get this over and done with?"

B eers in hand, Dimitri led me into the garden. We sat at a small bistro table, taking two of the three chairs around it. "You know, I shouldn't have been surprised that you had two mates."

Dimitri looked at me quizzically. "Why's that?"

I shrugged. "You've always had a big heart, Dimitri. All angels like to care and protect others, but you took it to a whole new level. I can't imagine Dagon was always willing to let you be the caretaker."

"He wasn't." Dimitri took a long slug of beer before continuing. "It was the source of most of our arguments, to be honest. I wanted to shelter and protect him, while he wanted to do the same with me."

"I'm sorry that I was the cause of your other arguments." I didn't need him to tell me that; I knew it was true. "I deeply regret everything, Dimitri. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would choose differently in every situation. I never would've done anything to risk our friendship. Of everything, that's what I'm most sorry about."

Dimitri and I had grown up together. Trained together. Fought together. Died together. It was my stupidity that had ruined that bond we'd spent so long building.

"I forgave you for that a long time ago," Dimitri said eventually. "It's hard to hold on to that anger knowing it's ended happily for me. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for asking you to help me save my mates so many times. I didn't take into consideration how it might make you feel, seeing me with them."

"It's fine," I said quickly. "Honestly, it's fucking embarrassing for me to look back on, especially now I'm mated to Nox. What I felt for you isn't even in the same universe as what I feel for him. No offence."

"None taken." Dimitri gave me a soft smile, one I hadn't deserved from him in a very long time. "I'm happy that you're happy, Micah."

"Me too." I twisted in my seat to see Nox watching us through the window. Not out of jealousy, but to make sure I was okay. I smiled at him. "At first, I thought fate had fucked up, but it hadn't. Nox is my perfect counterpart in every way."

My mate grinned at me, his gorgeous features seeming to light from within. Yeah, I was one lucky angel.

NOX

It was late by the time we left Dimitri's house. Once he and Micah had cleared the air, they'd returned indoors to help Lucky load the table with dish after dish. Micah had also emphasised many, many times that Dimitri was welcome to visit the compound, and the other Seraphim, as often as he liked.

It was funny, but I didn't feel a shred of jealousy as I watched my mate joke with Dimitri. How could I, when I had a front row seat to how much Micah loved me? To how he constantly sought me out, smiling when he found my eyes on him?

That angel loved me. Me, and only me. I didn't need to feel jealous.

Apparently though, Micah hadn't got the same message. He was pouting over the bear hug Dimitri had given me before we left to thank me for being there for Micah.

After letting him sulk for a moment more, I tucked him in tight under my arm. It was such a nice night that we'd decided to go for a walk before driving back to London .

"Why are you still annoyed about Dimitri hugging me? I'll point out he also hugged you, as did Lucky and Dagon."

"Well, it was how long he took about it." Micah sniffed. "There was no need for him to hug you like that."

He'd lingered because he'd been thanking me, not for any nefarious reason. I kissed Micah's temple. For some reason, Micah hating me being touched by the one he'd thought he was in love with for centuries was fucking adorable.

"Don't be jealous, little angel. I only have one type now, and it's you."

"Good," Micah said before grinning at me sheepishly. "I'm being ridiculous, aren't I."

"A little. You know you're the only one for me."

"I do," he said softly, laying his hand on his chest. "I feel your love for me every day, and I'm so grateful for it."

"It'll never change, either," I said, pausing so I could pull Micah into my arms. Where he belonged. "I didn't think I was capable of love until I met you. You really showed me."

"We both fought it," Micah reminded me, leaning his forehead against mine. "We know that the line between love and hate is thin."

"For us, I think it was non-existent," I said, savouring the feel of his breath on my lips. "I think it was chemistry the whole time, we were both just too blind to realise it."

"At least we got here in the end."

"We did. But like I've said before, I think this, us, was inevitable from the start."

Micah's lips twitched. He knew the answer to this question, but apparently couldn't stop himself asking. "Because of fate?"

"No, little angel, because of love." I brushed my lips over his, a promise of what was to come later. "Fate might have led us to each other, but it was you who captured my heart. Your kindness. Your empathy. It was all you, Micah."

He cupped my face, happiness lighting him up from within. "Thank you for showing me who I could be. For being my safe place. For letting me be myself. Thank you for loving me."

My throat thickened. "You've thanked me for some stupid things in the past, but this one takes the biscuit. You can't thank me for that, Micah. Loving you is like breathing—instinctive and impossible to stop."

He crushed his mouth to mine, letting all the words he didn't know how to say pour through the bond.

For millennia, I'd had this horrific pull in my chest, desperately trying to lead me somewhere.

Now I knew, it was leading me home. To Micah.

I couldn't think of a better place to be.

Thank you for reading Conflicted!