Avenging Angel

by Cynthia Eden

  “Just the way I was seen on the video,” Tanner cut in. “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t her.” How many times would they have to say it before it sank in for the guy? “A demon is behind the attacks. He took her face, and he took mine, and he was trying to set us both up.”

  “Why?” Jonathan demanded. “Why the hell would he do all that?”

  “As soon as I find him, you can be sure I’ll make him tell me that.” But Tanner already had suspicions. Why set up Marna? Maybe because the killer had wanted to draw her out. To cut away the safety of her secrecy and push her into the spotlight. The cops had yanked her from her solitude. Left her out in the open.

  What would have happened to Marna at the police station if Tanner hadn’t gotten her free?

  The suspicion gnawed deeper at his gut. Had getting Marna to the station been the plan all along?

  Get her there. Make her vulnerable.

  Only maybe the demon hadn’t counted on Tanner getting Marna out so quickly. Getting her out and running with her.

  When I ran, you had to set me up, too, didn’t you?

  Because the killer had wanted to separate Marna and Tanner.

  “There was no evidence left behind,” Jonathan muttered. “The scene in that alley was so clean. Everything pointed back to her.”

  “Cops know,” Tanner began as that gnawing suspicion dug deeper, “how to clean up scenes.” And even how to stage them.

  He mentally flipped back through the possibilities.

  You’d need a high-level demon to pull off a glamour trick like that.

  A demon who knows his way around crime scenes.

  One who had access to all the case files.

  Another piece of the puzzle slid into place. “The patrol unit . . . that kid called in our location. He read out my badge number.” By doing so, he’d painted a giant bull’s-eye on his back. Someone with access to that radio line had known exactly where Tanner was.

  And exactly how to set him up.

  “A cop?” Jonathan whispered, eyes wide, and Tanner knew his partner had reached the same conclusion he had.

  He and Marna were being set up, all right, and the demon had probably been working right beside him, and he hadn’t even noticed the guy.

  Or the woman.

  Jonathan yanked at the cuffs. “Unlock me!”

  Tanner dug the key out of his pocket. But he didn’t free Jonathan, not yet. “Who were you selling her to?”

  Jonathan’s jaw clenched. “I wasn’t selling her, man. Get that part straight. I’m a good cop, okay? The captain . . . shit, she told me to find her. Pope saw her in the video, and she knew that you’d been hiding her. Hell, she’s the one who told me what your lady was.”

  An angel.

  “Captain Pope isn’t human.” Did the guy realize that?

  Marna just watched them as she rocked forward on the balls of her feet. He could feel the tension rolling off her.

  Jonathan swallowed. “I was beginning to suspect that was—”

  “She’s a demon.” Tanner just didn’t know how strong she was.

  “Sonofabitch.” Jonathan’s gaze darted to the boarded-up warehouse windows. “She probably followed you. Probably set the whole department after you.”

  She’d said that she was gonna clear his name. She’d told him to go.

  Don’t trust a demon.

  There was only one demon he’d ever trusted in this world. His brother. The captain had been desperate to find out where Cody was.

  And I told her.

  Fuck.

  What in the hell was going on?

  “Let me out of these cuffs!” Jonathan demanded, lurching forward. “Let me help!”

  Tanner stepped toward his partner. Marna stopped him. “When Jonathan came to your apartment, he shot his way inside.” Her hand felt silken soft against his skin. “When I ran, he followed me, shooting.”

  The panther snarled and tried to push past the man’s control.

  Eyes wide, Jonathan scurried back. “Warning shots! I wasn’t aiming at her, I swear. If I had been, I would’ve hit her!”

  Was that supposed to lessen his rage? The bastard had shot at her.

  “Yes, he would have hit me,” Marna said, sending a hard glance his way, “just like he did before.” She shook her head. “I don’t trust him, and I don’t want that human free.”

  Yeah, well, after a bullet, who could blame her?

  “Tanner, man, listen to me.” Jonathan’s voice was desperate now. “Don’t do anything crazy, okay? Don’t do anything like—”

  “Like let my animal side out?” Perhaps it was time the guy saw just what he could do. Tanner let his claws break free.

  Razor sharp. Ready to kill.

  Jonathan scrambled back some more. His back almost brushed the wall. “Please, man, I—”

  “Come near her again,” Tanner told him, “and you’ll see just how dangerous my beast can be.” Jonathan’s bullets wouldn’t have killed her, but Tanner couldn’t stand the thought of Marna in pain.

  She took his hand, not even seeming to see the claws. She’d been so afraid of them before. But now . . .

  “Let’s get out of here,” she told him.

  They needed to haul ass. Needed to find Cody and make sure the captain wasn’t going after him next.

  How many more dead bodies? Blood was starting to fill the streets in the Big Easy.

  “I can help you!” Jonathan’s stare was fierce as he gazed at Marna. “Just give me a chance to make things right.”

  But she wasn’t looking at him. She’d already turned away and headed for the door, giving them both a view of her slim back.

  “Why doesn’t she have wings?” Jonathan’s voice. Quieter now. Curious.

  Afraid?

  Tanner stared down at his claws. Long. Lethal.

  Monster.

  “Because they were sliced away.” He tossed the key to the cuffs, threw it toward the far wall. By the time Jonathan freed himself, they’d be long gone. He marched toward his partner. Kept his claws out. “A shifter’s claws can slice through just about anything.”

  He could smell Jonathan’s fear. The panther liked that scent.

  Tanner brought his claws up to Jonathan’s throat. “You ever shoot at her again, and you’ll see just how sharp they truly are.”

  A fast nod. “I-I swear, I—”

  “Stay the hell away from her.” Because he wouldn’t play so nicely the next time.

  Then, because Jonathan had shot at her, Tanner punched him once more. The guy hit the floor, and Tanner knew he’d be out for a while.

  That would give Tanner plenty of time to disappear with his angel.

  “Sorry, partner, but I just don’t trust your ass.” Right then, there were only two people he trusted.

  His brother—and his angel.

  Bastion stared down at the male human. Paul Hodges. Weak. Helpless. His body was bruised and battered, and connected to a dozen different beeping machines.

  Doctors and nurses rushed around him. Some barked orders. Others grabbed for needles. Tubes.

  They were trying to save the cop.

  They weren’t going to succeed.

  Bastion stepped closer. The male’s eyes were closed. Drugs poured through his system, but . . .

  The cop’s body twitched.

  You know I’m here.

  The dying always knew when an angel was close. Paul’s eyelids began to jerk.

  The cop would die young. Leave behind no family. A few friends. He’d drift right away.

  But his life had served a purpose. Did he realize that? He’d been useful.

  A tool.

  A broken tool, one that had been cast away now.

  Bastion eased closer to the bed. No one else there could see him. Only humans were in the room.

  They could only see his kind when their time was at hand.

  “We’re losing him!” one of the nurses shouted.

  No, they’d already lost him. They just didn’
t realize it yet. He’d been lost from the moment his patrol car had stopped on that dark road. He should have stayed away from the shifter and the lost angel.

  Should have kept driving.

  But . . . really, there was no changing fate.

  Paul’s eyelids flew open. His stare locked right on Bastion. He tried to scream.

  Impossible, of course, especially since he had a tube shoved down his throat.

  “Time to go,” Bastion told him and lifted his hand.

  But Paul began to thrash violently. His head shook, back and forth, and his right arm flew out.

  His fingers clenched round a scalpel. Someone screamed.

  The cop tried to use his weapon on Bastion.

  Strange. He hadn’t expected the human to fight so fiercely.

  Paul’s eyes were stretched wide, and fear rolled from him in waves.

  A doctor wrestled the scalpel away from him. “We’re trying to help you!” the man shouted.

  Trying, failing.

  Paul kept fighting. Tears slid from his eyes and a mewling sound broke from his throat.

  Bastion’s hand lowered over the man’s chest.

  Paul shrank back. The fear in his eyes deepened.

  Paul looked at Bastion, saw him for exactly what he was, and the cop was terrified by that sight. Why? Paul hadn’t led a bad life. No agonies waited on the other side for this man.

  Yet the human feared.

  He fears me.

  Bastion’s wings stretched behind him. The human stared at them with . . . recognition?

  A low, long humming filled the operating room.

  “He’s flat-lining!”

  And the human’s eyes stayed open. Terrified.

  Another soul to take.

  Bastion’s wings spread more as he rose. He wondered . . . when had he begun to dread his duty?

  To resent the souls?

  I want more.

  An image of Marna flashed before his eyes. Not the Marna he’d known before. Quiet. Innocent.

  Perfect.

  The Marna he’d seen just a little while ago. Moaning. Eager. Flushed with pleasure.

  I want more.

  The doctors and the nurses gasped when a long, thick crack ripped across the ceiling.

  I’ll have more.

  And he left, without taking the soul of Paul Hodges.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Where are we going?” Marna asked as she hunched down into her seat. They’d headed away from the city, and the only light that she saw now came from the heavy, thick moon that hung low in the sky.

  Twisting trees surrounded the narrow road. To the left, dark water glinted in the moonlight.

  “We need to find Cody.”

  The demon doctor. Her fingers pressed against her legs. When she’d been so afraid and angry earlier, she’d been able to start the fire once more. She’d felt the hot rush of power, and it had left her feeling . . . restless.

  Tense.

  Edgy.

  Her gaze returned to the window once more. Past those trees, she saw only the lines of the swamp.

  I lost my life in a swamp like this. No, not like—this place was where she’d lost her life.

  The exact spot waited just a few miles away.

  A girl didn’t forget the worst moment of her life. Not when she got to re-live it over and over again most nights.

  “I hate the swamp.” The words slipped from her as she glanced back at him. She did hate it. The musky smell. The dampness. The death. Maybe some looked at the savagery of the swamp and saw beauty, but she’d never see it. Because she could never forget.

  “Don’t worry. We’re not staying long.” She saw his nostrils flare and his body seemed to tense. “We’ll find Cody, make sure his ass is safe, and then we—”

  They’d rounded a corner. Driven down deeper into the swamp. And now they could see the blaze. Had that been what he’d scented moments before?

  A fire, only one that was burning far brighter than the flames Marna had created back in New Orleans.

  Tanner slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

  Marna’s breath ached in her lungs. The fire was coming from Cody’s cabin.

  Memories rushed through her mind. Inside that cabin was Cody’s makeshift clinic.

  I woke up there. Tied down.

  Tanner and Cody had been afraid to let her loose because they’d been worried that she’d touch them.

  And kill them.

  Only she hadn’t been able to kill anyone.

  The vehicle lurched forward as Tanner pushed the SUV to drive even faster. She grabbed for the door and held on tight as they raced toward the flames.

  Was Cody inside that cabin? Demons were supposed to be able to control fire, so few ever died in flames. Unless . . .

  Unless someone was there to make sure a demon died.

  Cody . . . he wasn’t a bad demon.

  Smoke drifted into the sky, and Marna could have sworn that, even in the vehicle, she felt the heat from that fire on her skin.

  Cody had saved her. Stitched her up. Protected her.

  And now the one haven she’d ever had burned before her.

  Tanner slammed on the brakes, and the SUV screeched to a jarring stop. He leapt from the vehicle and ran toward the blaze. Hands shaking, she followed him.

  “Cody!” Tanner yelled his brother’s name.

  Marna didn’t speak. She knew Tanner would be able to smell his brother, hoped he could, anyway, even over the harsh scent of fire and smoke. He had those great shifter ears, so he should be able to hear if Cody—

  Tanner’s head whipped to the left. Toward the thick line of vegetation bordering the swamp. His nostrils flared, and he took off running.

  At first, Marna didn’t move. She’d never wanted to go back into a swamp again. But if Tanner needed her . . .

  Her shoulders straightened. She could do this. No, she would do this.

  She followed her panther shifter into her own hell. The trees were gnarled, hunched, and insects chirped all around her as she followed the pounding thud of Tanner’s racing feet. He was shouting his brother’s name again, so she knew he must have caught Cody’s scent.

  Not in the fire.

  Cody had escaped. He’d gotten out. He’d—

  Tanner’s footsteps stopped. They just seemed to disappear. Marna frowned and slowed. He’d been up to the right. She’d heard his shout from that area moments before.

  Marna hurried forward. Raced to the right.

  But saw only more thick trees. More heavy vegetation. He’d been there. Hadn’t he?

  Only now he was gone.

  The insects chirped louder.

  Try to fucking fly now.

  The voice from her nightmares whispered through Marna’s head. She looked up, across the water, and saw the spot that had marked the end for her.

  Fall.

  The ground wasn’t blood-soaked anymore. The remains of her wings didn’t litter the earth, but the area was black. Everything in a ten-foot radius had died, marking the place where an angel had lost her wings.

  She turned away, not wanting to see that place. “Tanner!” He had to be close by. He was—

  “Marna . . .” A whisper. One that came from behind her.

  Not Tanner’s voice. Her blood chilled.

  Tanner lunged forward and flew through the air. His body slammed into his prey’s, and they fell to the ground, twisting and hitting the earth with a heavy thud.

  “What the hell?” Cody demanded. “Get the fuck off—wait, Tanner?”

  His brother was alive. If he weren’t so happy about that fact, Tanner would be kicking the jerk’s ass for scaring him so much.

  Tanner climbed to his feet. “Who did it?”

  Cody pushed off the ground and glanced around with a heaving chest. He’d been running, and the guy hadn’t even seemed to hear Tanner’s shouts. Tackling him had been the only option available. “What are you talking about?” Cody asked, giving him a fast, sideway
s glance.

  Huh. Now why was his voice so cautious?

  Tanner shook his head. “Don’t play dumb. You were never good at that bit.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Your place is torched. Flames are shooting up into the sky, and you’re running like the devil’s chasing you. What. Happened.”

  Cody didn’t meet his gaze. “Someone was coming after me. I needed to throw ’em off. To make ’em think—”

  Hold up. “You set the fire?”

  “You know I’ve always been good with flames.” Cody carefully looked over Tanner’s shoulder.

  Tanner glanced back and expected to see Marna rushing up behind him.

  Only she wasn’t there. That sick rush of fear began to fill him again. “Who was after you?” Come on, Marna. Get over here. She’d been right behind him.

  “You don’t want to know.” Now Cody was backing away. “You’ve got enough shit on your hands, bro. This time, I can clean up my own mess. You don’t have to play hero.”

  But he’d always taken care of Cody. That had been the—

  “Story of my life,” Cody muttered, taking another step back. “I screw up, but you’re the one who suffers for it. Not this time.”

  “Tanner!”

  Marna’s voice. She was . . . scared. Tanner inhaled. Caught her scent. Only, she wasn’t alone. “Marna!” He didn’t even spare another glance for his brother as he took off through the swamp.

  “I’m sorry.” Cody’s voice followed him. “I’ll make it right. I swear I will.”

  But Tanner didn’t turn back to him. The brother he’d nearly died for—he left him alone in the woods.

  She tried to calm her racing heart as she stared at the angel who’d confronted her. Bastion. Why was he there? What did he want?

  Bastion’s gaze wasn’t on her. He stared at the blackened ground. “I thought you’d died.” His voice was hushed.

  She didn’t move.

  “I found the blood and your wings, and I thought you’d been killed.” His hands were clenched.

  Anger? Fury? From him? There was no denying the rage vibrating in his words, but—but he still had his wings. He shouldn’t feel emotions like that.

  Bastion glanced up at her, and his eyes seemed to burn. “I wanted to kill then.”

  Death angels carried out their duties. They didn’t want to take souls.