by Cynthia Eden
He made her want more.
Love. Life. Wasn’t that what normal people had?
“Scared, Seline?”
Her lashes lowered. “How long ago did you fall?”
“Centuries.”
Exactly what she’d thought. “And are you the same man now?”
Silence. She glanced up and read the surprise on his face. “Are you?” she pressed.
“ No. ”
Seline nodded. “I didn’t think so. We’ve all done things we regret. The past can’t change. Only the present matters.” And you can’t think about the future. Don’t think about it—and keep that witch away from me!
It was hard enough to keep going some days without knowing that a fiery future waited.
She pulled Sam down beside her. Seline took his arm and wrapped it around her body. He fit her well. Better than any other man ever had. Within his arms, she felt safe. Finally.
Her breath eased in and out slowly, and the minutes ticked by. Sleep tugged at her, and she began to slip into dreams.
Then she heard his whisper in her ear.
“I don’t regret why I fell. If I had to do it again, I’d still kill them all.”
Her eyes squeezed shut even harder. “Did they—were they innocents?”
“No, but the women and children they slaughtered were. Trust me, those bastards deserved exactly what they got.”
And, wrapped in his embrace, she wondered just what she deserved.
Tomas locked the door of his motel room. Sweat trickled down his back. He was being hunted.
He peeked out of the sagging blinds. The early rays of sunlight streaked across the sky, making the heavens look blood-red.
Heaven wasn’t supposed to bleed. Bad things are coming. He understood the omen.
He grabbed the phone off the bedside table. He knew when he was in over his head.
Fucking now.
One ring. Two. There was only one guy who could help him. Provided, of course, that the bastard wasn’t just in the mood to stand back and watch him die. After their last encounter—one that had ended in fists and fire—there was really no telling.
But then Sammael answered his phone.
“Sam! I’m in trouble . . .” Not that Sam usually cared about that, not for anyone, but . . .
I’ll make a deal with him.
“Tomas?” There was a murmur in the background. Sounded like a woman’s voice. It figured the Fallen would be fucking.
I’d be screwing, too, if I didn’t have someone aiming for my head.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s me . . .” He glanced out of the blinds again. He didn’t see anyone, yet. But he probably wouldn’t see them coming. Good hunters never showed themselves until they were ready to make the kill. “I’ve got a problem, and I don’t really care how much I have to pay, but I need some help.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I-I’m being hunted.”
There’d been some coyote shifters who’d gone after Fallen before, or, more specifically, after their angel blood. Because it was so pure, their blood was very, very powerful.
But this was different. He’d caught the scent, and he knew. “It’s one of our own,” he snapped at Sam. “One of our own is gunning for me.”
“Where are you?” Sam didn’t sound surprised or worried. Nothing new there. Emotions were supposed to hit angels when they fell to earth, but Tomas hadn’t noticed that Sam ever felt much of anything—other than boredom.
“Anahuac.” He’d been sinning his way through most of Mexico. What was the point of falling if you couldn’t enjoy some sin? “At a rundown dump of a motel three miles from the main cantina. Are you in New Orleans? Are you—”
“I’m in Laredo. I can be there to meet you in a few hours.”
Something thudded into his door. Something very hard and very big.
His hand clenched around the phone. “I don’t think I’ve got that long.”
The door began to splitter apart.
I don’t have any time at all. The devil was already at his door.
The line went dead. Sam stared down at his phone. He’d known Tomas was in Mexico, but the Fallen didn’t exactly move with the times. Having a cell phone would have been too much to ask of Tomas . . . Maybe next time you’ll buy a phone so I can warn you when a psychotic bastard is picking us off.
If there was a next time.
He glanced at Seline. “We’ve got to go.”
Seline’s delicate face was tense. “Another Fallen?”
Sam nodded. “And Tomas knows that he’s being hunted.” Which meant they didn’t have much time. Judging by the way that call had ended—not much time at all.
They dressed and ran for the door. Sam spared only one glance for the heavens above him. Blood-red.
Sailors thought that sign mistakenly meant a storm was coming.
It really meant an angel was dying. You could always see the blood in the sky before it hit the ground.
He jumped on the motorcycle. Seline wrapped her arms around him.
I’m coming, Tomas.
But he was afraid he wouldn’t be fast enough.
CHAPTER TEN
More demons met them in Anahuac. One man, one woman—both with matching grim expressions carved on their faces.
Sam pulled into the dusty motel parking lot. The guy seemed to have connections all over Mexico, connections that he used without even the slightest hesitation. The demons had guided them to the motel. It seemed they’d heard screams but had arrived too late.
Too late.
The place appeared deserted, probably not a good sign. No other cars were in the lot, and the door to the motel’s main entrance swayed drunkenly in the breeze. It looked like even the desk clerk had cut and run.
Seline walked slowly toward room 12. The door had been busted down. Shards of wood littered the ground. She stepped over the wood and crept just inside the entranceway. The room itself was a total wreck. Furniture smashed. Bed overturned. Mattress slashed.
But no dead Fallen.
No Fallen at all.
“You think he left willingly?” One of the demons asked from behind her.
Seline’s gaze darted around the chaos of the room. “Doubtful,” she muttered. But this wasn’t like the other scenes. The victims hadn’t been taken away. They’d been slaughtered where they stood.
Sam had entered the room seconds before her, and now he crouched near the window. His fingers were smoothing over what looked like deep grooves in the floor.
She inched closer to him. Very deep grooves. The kind of grooves that were made when something clawed the floor.
Just as something had clawed the other victims. “A Fallen couldn’t do that,” she said.
He looked up at her with a hooded gaze. “No.”
“Shifter?” Her best guess.
“Only one with very big claws.”
My what big claws you have . . .
The better to rip you wide open.
She took a slow breath. Did folks even realize that the old Red Riding Hood tale was based on truth? A hungry wolf had gone after Red one day. No matter what the stories said, she hadn’t made it back to Grandma’s house in one piece.
“A bear?” Yeah, bears had big claws. She frowned at those claw marks. They’d sunk deep into the wood, and they were so wide. “A tiger?”
“It’d have to be something bigger.”
That wasn’t good to hear.
Sam stalked toward the open door. The demons backed up, being sure to give him plenty of room. Smart demons. Sunlight fell on him and threw shadows in his wake. His hands rose to his sides, stretching far out, and he looked for all the world like he was trying to feel—
“He hasn’t gone far.”
The demons glanced at each other. Seline ignored them and crossed to Sam. She touched his shoulder, being careful not to let her fingertips reach his scars. “How do you know?”
He turned his head, and his gaze met hers. “Before he fell, Tomas was a guardian. Guardians al
ways leave a distinct trail in their wake.”
A guardian angel—those were supposed to be the nice ones. Pity she’d never had a guardian on her side. “You actually see this trail?” She rose onto her toes and peered over his broad shoulders.
“No, I feel it.” He caught her hand and pressed a quick kiss to the back of her palm. “And I want you to stay here while I go find him.”
“Bad plan,” she said immediately with a hard shake of her head. “Where you go, I go, remember?”
He stared back at her, face determined. “I’m not going far, and I don’t want you out in the open while I hunt.”
Still, bad. “But I don’t want to be a sitting duck!” Az was after her. What if he decided to pop back in while Sam was gone? He’d already used that separate-and-attack technique before. She didn’t want to give him another shot at her.
Sam jerked his thumb toward the demons. “They’ll watch your back.”
Like she trusted them. Never trust a demon you don’t know—her motto. And even then . . . be careful. Since she had demon blood, she knew just how tricky her so-called brothers and sisters could be. “I want to come with you. I can—”
“You’ll slow me down.”
Blunt and pretty brutal. She managed not to flinch, but she was pretty sure her cheeks heated. “I’m not without power, you know.”
“But you can’t come close to fighting the ones hunting out there.”
Did any more of her pride need a hit? Maybe he should just call her useless. Sure, her demon power scale might not be the best, but she could fight in other ways. Like she hadn’t spent years fighting Other.
Was inept written on her forehead?
He released her hand. “I have to go. Tomas could be out there, hurt, and I need to find him.”
Right. She had to suck it up and deal with the situation. Put on your big-girl panties. “Go. I-I don’t want to slow you down. Help him.”
His eyes narrowed a bit, but then his attention shifted away from her as he pointed at the demons. “Guard her with your damn lives—or else I’ll make sure you lose them.”
Black eyes wide, they nodded quickly.
Then he was gone.
Seline rubbed her palms on her jean-clad thighs. One demon immediately took up a position near the door. Seline eyed the guy. Please. She could take him. No kind of protection there. But at least there were three of them in the room. Three against . . . well, whatever might come.
She spun around and let her gaze sweep the room once more. Maybe she’d find a weapon, or some kind of clue. Something.
Her shoes padded over the deep claw marks.
Sam didn’t hunt. Or, rather, he didn’t leave the motel so that he could go racing across the town after Tomas.
He hadn’t lied to Seline, not really. Even Fallen could never truly lie. He’d felt the slight shift in the air that told him a guardian had passed by, but he had no idea where that guardian was now. The trail didn’t work like that.
Usually, the only way to tell if an angel was close . . . you had to smell them. Those who hadn’t plummeted and burned smelled like damn roses. You could always smell ’em before you saw ’em.
But Tomas didn’t carry that scent any longer, and Sam wasn’t sure where the guy was or even if Tomas was still living.
The threat was close, he knew that. Tomas might have escaped. He hoped the guy had. But either way, it was time to spring his trap.
So he walked away from Seline. He left her open and vulnerable in that unsecured motel room because he knew Mateo had spoken the truth about what he saw. The witch couldn’t lie about the visions that came from his scrying mirror.
Az was fixated on Seline, for whatever reason. Sam wasn’t the type to spend his days running, so he wasn’t going to grab Seline and race away with her.
His jaw clenched as he waited in the shadows and watched that motel.
He wasn’t running, but, dammit, he was going to use Seline as bait . . . because he had what his brother wanted.
So fucking come and get her, Az.
The bait couldn’t be more tempting. Now he just had to wait for his bastard brother to make his move.
Then I’ve got you. And any shifter that had been dumb enough to pair up with his brother in the blood bath.
A twig snapped behind him. Sam smiled . . . trying to sneak up on me?
That wasn’t going to—
Seline heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. She was on her knees near the bed. A Bible lay on the floor. An old, worn Bible that looked as if it had been read many times. Her fingers hovered over it as the rumble faded.
Then the attack came.
The male demon flew through the air and thudded into the wall on the right. Seline jumped to her feet as the woman—Rosa—screamed.
And fled.
Seriously? She fled?
Can’t trust a demon.
Rosa jumped out of the window and hauled ass. But when Seline got a good look at the man in the broken doorway—tall, blond, strong, and with the shadowy image of black wings stretching from his body—she thought about running, too.
But in the next instant, Az was in front of her, and Seline knew that she wasn’t getting away.
Okay, Sam. Now’s the time for you to haul that sorry hide of yours out here.
Because she knew a setup when she was shoved into one. She wasn’t stupid, and she’d gotten pretty good at reading a Fallen’s twisted truth.
She threw up her hands and sent a burst of power right at Az. “Don’t touch me!”
Her power slammed into him, and he stumbled back. Right. Take that. She truly wasn’t weak. If folks wanted to be dumb and think she was . . . their funeral.
She blasted him again. Again. He retreated a few clumsy steps. A furrow appeared between his brows, and his arm lifted.
“I said, don’t touch me!” Another blast of power. Harder. Stronger. Az hit the floor this time.
Her hands were shaking. Sam sure needed to hurry the hell up.
Because Az was already rising again. He stood on his feet, stared right at her, and said, “Help me. ”
She blinked. “What?” Her hands were still up in the air.
“Help . . . me.” His blue gaze burned with intensity. His hand lifted, but it was in a beseeching gesture, not one that looked like an attack move.
“You’re here to kill me,” she whispered, not taking a step toward him. Did she really look gullible?
He shook his head. “Here . . . followed . . . to protect you.”
She needed a weapon more powerful than, um, herself. Hurry, Sam. Just where was he?
“Woke up . . .” Az rubbed his head. “Didn’t know who I was.” The words came stronger. “Didn’t know where.” His hand waited between them, still open to her. “Then you saved me.”
Technically, she’d been about to serve him up to Sam, but Seline didn’t bother to point out that pesky detail. “You’ve been killing angels.”
Again he shook his head. “I haven’t killed anyone.”
The crazy thing was that she actually wanted to believe him. Huh. Maybe she wasn’t so good at understanding angels and their half-truths.
“I didn’t even know my own name,” Az told her, “not until you said it.” And she remembered the confusion in his eyes.
But she also remembered the fire. “Nice try, jerk. But you burned me in that warehouse.”
“Not me.” He shook his head. “I didn’t stir the fire.”
“Then who did?”
The thunder rumbled again. Louder. Closer.
“Help me, and I’ll give you anything,” he whispered.
“Help you? How am I supposed to help you?” The delusional, psychotic angel wanted her help. Figured. Sometimes, she felt like she had a beacon for crazy. That would explain Rogziel.
“My brother is the one killing. Not me. I know because I remember what he’s done.”
It sure felt like someone kicked her in the gut right then. Keep him talking. �
��Cause if he was talking, then he wasn’t killing her.
She didn’t take Az for a multitasker.
She also didn’t take Sam for the killer on this one. “I’ve been with Sam, and he hasn’t been killing anyone.”
“Have you been with him every moment?”
No, not every but—
“He’s slaughtered before. That’s what I remembered first. He killed so many.” Az’s hand fisted. “I have to stop him. You can help me.”
Help the guy kill Sam. Right.
“Anything—I’ll give you anything if you help me.”
So that was why he’d been following her. He thought she’d be the perfect tool to help eliminate Sam.
Hmm. Anything from a powerful Fallen. Tempting.
But, no. “Sorry, bud, I’m not—”
For sale.
Her words were drowned out by Sam’s roar. Jeez. Freaking finally.
Then she saw Sam racing toward the broken door. Sam—and his blood-soaked chest. What the hell? He’d been shot, over and over again.
Not thunder. The sound that she’d heard had been gunshots.
And he’d still come back for her. Now that was impressive. Damn straight she wasn’t going to turn on him.
“Get away from her,” Sam snarled as he advanced on them.
“I’m not here to hurt her,” Az said, rolling his shoulders. “I am just here to send you to hell.”
Sam smiled, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.
Where do you want to be when two Fallens go at it?
Not there. Seline tried to inch toward the open window. She figured Sam would have this. He’d better.
She’d just reached out to touch the windowpane when the room exploded.
Rogziel smiled when room 12 blew up. The explosives had been so carefully placed after Tomas had been contained. The devices had been hidden well, and activated with just a press of a button.
Humans could be very useful and so clever with their toys.
He knew the blast wouldn’t kill the Fallen. Just as he knew that the bullets his man had fired into Sam’s body wouldn’t slow the guy down for long.
Not long, just a few precious moments. That slowdown, that weakness was just what he needed.