by S. J. Day
“Is Abel’s report on my desk, too?” Raguel asked.
“He hasn’t filed one yet. Just the herald has come in.”
The archangel frowned. Abel was unfailingly prompt with all his reports, which were voice recordings made on the scene that were later transcribed onto celestial scrolls for future reference. While some handlers required time to absorb the loss of a Mark, Abel found }solace in the act of witnessing the Mark’s sacrifice for divine consideration. Some Marks were forgiven their trespasses, regardless of the number of indulgences earned.
Raguel moved to his office. He briefly skimmed the various items that had been left on his desk for perusal and approval. He flipped through several mock-ups of advertisements for his numerous ventures, pausing briefly on two options for invitations to the grand opening of Olivet Place. It was fortunate that the tengu had been vanquished prior to the ribbon cutting. Then he picked up the disk labeled Mariel.
Something niggled at him.
“Ms. Bowes!” he yelled.
“Yes?”
“Confirm Cain and Ms. Hollis’s whereabouts.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll see to it immediately.”
Eve never thought she would be happy to hang out in a Motel 6. Her personal preferences were much more upscale. But right now, she was looking forward to the tiny room off Highway 10 as if it was the penthouse suite in the Mondego.
She climbed out of the passenger side of the Focus and stretched. An aftereffect of the mark’s release of adrenaline was the lingering sense of physical restlessness. Emotionally, however, she just wanted five minutes to enjoy some chocolate.
Pulling the motel key from his pocket, Alec unlocked their ground-floor room and ushered her inside. The space was small, about the size of Eve’s guest bathroom. The two double beds barely fit inside, with the bed farthest from the door pushed up right against the bathroom wall and the nearest bed having scarcely enough room to fit in the window air-conditioning unit. The decor was motel classic—busy-printed coverlets that hid stains, nondescript wallpaper, and a three-paneled painting of the beach above the two headboards. A small fridge sat by the dresser and the sink waited beyond that, conveniently—though unattractively—built outside the shower and toilet area.
Alec set the keys and their purchases next to the television and pushed his shades onto his forehead. He leaned back against the dresser and crossed his arms.
Eve sank onto the edge of the bed nearest the door. “Can you pass me a Kit Kat?”
He reached for the bag. Digging inside, he laughed. “What the hell did you buy?”
She thought back to her time in the store. “I’m not sure. For a while there, I freaked out.”
Alec straightened and dumped the contents onto the other bed. Eve stood and surveyed the pile.
“Antibacterial dish soap?” He arched a brow at her. “Floral air freshener. Unscented baby wipes. Two packages of lime-flavored gelatin. Beef jerky. Facial tissue enhanced with lotion.”
She picked out the chocolate and the cell phone, arranged the pillows on her bed, and sprawled against the headboard. A moment later she was munching on what she considered to be manna from someone’s god. She plugged the AC adapter for the phone into the outlet in the base of the nightstand lamp. Then she dialed her parents’ house.
It rang three times before, “Hello?”
Eve breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of her mother’s voice. “Hey, Mom.”
“Where are you calling from?” Miyoko asked. “The Caller ID says ‘unknown caller’.”
“Long story. How are you?”
“I’m okay. Your dad isn’t. He’s mad.”
Darrel Hollis’s version of mad was a long-suffering look. He never raised his voice, never got physical. Eve suspected his blood pressure was on par with her new Mark stats. “Oh? About what?”
“The city turned off our water and started digging up the yard. They have to fix a leak. I told your dad it was time to resod anyway.”
Eve smiled, relieved that the mark system had moved so promptly. “Tell him to look on the bright side,” she suggested. “This might save you money on your utilities bill.”
“Your dad says I’ll spend the savings on the new yard, so he’s not getting ahead.”
Her mother’s love of horticulture and feng shui had led to a desire for a curving stone walkway flanked by lush flower beds. Her dad, on the other hand, thought their straight cement pathway was just fine.
“He’ll get over it,” her mother dismissed. “Want to come over for dinner?”
“I can’t to night.”
“You have a hot date?”
Eve laughed softly. “Not even close. I have to work.”
“That’s good. A woman should always be self-sufficient—” Eve’s father said something in the background. “Your dad says congratulations on the new job.”
“Tell him thanks for me. You’re not going anywhere today, are you?”
“No. Why?”
“No reason. I’ve got to go now, Mom. Did this phone number show up on your caller ID?”
“Yes, the number is here. Just no name.”
“Okay. Call me if you need me.”
“Evie-san . . .” Her mother’s voice took on a concerned tone. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. There’s just a lot going on right now.”
“Take your vitamins,” Miyoko admonished, “or you’ll get sick. Stress weakens your immune system.”
“I will. Talk to you later.” Eve snapped the phone shut and stared at it for a long moment.
“Are they all right?” Alec asked.
She nodded and bit into a Twix bar.
“I want to stake out the masonry,” he said. “Are you up for that?”
She was up for anything that gave her something to do besides contemplate how screwed up her life was. “Why did we come back here, then?”
“Bathroom break.”
“Gotcha.” Eve chewed with gusto.
Alec’s arms crossed, causing his T-shirt to strain around his biceps in a way that melted the chocolate in her hand. As she licked her fingertips, he watched her with a guarded expression. “Are we fighting?”
Eve shrugged. “I’m just waiting for you to finish your explanation about your brother.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Okay, then.”
He exhaled in a rush. “I don’t want to talk about him with you.”
“I got it.”
She turned her head to look out the window. The sounds of the nearby highway blended with the sound of blood rushing through her veins. She inhaled and smelled the familiar scent of Alec the instant before he climbed over her and caged her to the bed.
“Hey,” he murmured, tossing his sunglasses onto the nightstand tucked between the two beds.
“Hmm?” She stared up at him, admiring the fall of dark hair over his brow. Every part of her tingled with awareness. Determined not to act as devastated by his nearness as she felt, Eve stuck the other Twix in her mouth.
Alec lowered his head and bit off the protruding end of the candy bar. A low sound of pleasure rumbled up from his chest. She watched him turn the act of chewing into foreplay, the steady clenching of his jaw a surprisingly erotic sight.
They swallowed in unison. Their lips parted in tandem. Then his tongue was stroking across hers. She shivered beneath him. Sexual tension and chocolate, could anything be more divine? Alec’s hand moved to her waist and anchored her, his hips sinking between her thighs as she opened them.
Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer. His body mantled hers, his warmth and strength became hers.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Eve didn’t know what he was apologizing for. His curtness earlier? Or maybe everything?
She pushed her fingers into his thick, silky hair. It felt so good to be held. A tear slipped down from the corner of her eye, then another. Tears that had been lying in wait since she’d
found Mrs. Basso that morning.
Alec rolled to his back, taking her with him. He draped her over his body, whispering soothing words of comfort. In her mind, another soul touched her. She didn’t know Reed at all, but that didn’t matter. She found solace in the evanescent feel of him.
Together the two brothers gave her the brief respite she needed.
CHAPTER 18
Reed flinched away from the nails that scraped down his back. He stood with his forehead resting against a granite shower stall, one arm hanging at his side, the other pressed against the wall above his head. Steam swirled around him and scorching hot water sluiced down his spine.
“Leave me in peace,” he growled, his lower lip throbbing from the sting of Sara’s bite.
“The team is ready to go,” she said. “They’re waiting in Ontario, California.”
She was docile now, appeased and somewhat contrite. It didn’t matter. He hated her in that moment, hated how she made him feel about himself, hated that she’d seen motives he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. But most of all, he hated that Eve was in pain and he’d had to feel it while buried deep inside another woman.
He shouldn’t give a shit about Eve. What did he know about her?
Sadly, the excuse had no validity. Cain didn’t know any more about Eve than Reed did, but Cain loved her.
Reed shut off the water and accepted the towel Sara offered him. She wore a short white silk robe and her silver-blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders. She couldn’t look more angelic. “You are truly worried about her,” she said.
“You should focus less on her and more on the reason why there’s cause for concern.”
“I am focused,” she retorted. “That is why I am accompanying you.”
“Like hell.” He scrubbed his head with the towel.
“You forget your place.”
Dropping the towel on the floor, Reed brushed past her and moved into her office. He retrieved his clothes and dressed with deliberation. There was no point in arguing. He was in full control of his gifts. The archangels, however, paid a price for using their powers. Reed could be in California in a blink of an eye. Sara had a long flight ahead of her.
“I want you to fly with me,” she said.
He glanced at her and smiled.
Her gaze hardened. “We were good together.”
“Occasionally.”
“Then why are you so distant?”
“You manipulate me, Sara.” He crossed over to the wet bar and used the mirror there to adjust his tie. “I’m just an object to you.”
“You used me, too.”
“You’re right, I did.” He had once been foolish enough to hope that she might help him achieve his own firm. They could work together, he’d thought, and thereby be twice as strong. Then he realized that not only would she never allow her “boy toy” to achieve similar stature, she also didn’t want to add to her competition. Perhaps more so than her six counterparts, Sara saw the other archangels as impediments in her relationship with God. “We both got something out of it.”
“Then, why her and not me?”
His gaze met hers in the mirror’s reflection. “You don’t love me,” he scoffed.
“I am not talking about my feelings. I am talking about yours.”
A bark of laughter escaped him. He returned to her. “I don’t love her.”
She studied him with narrowed eyes. “But you want her.”
“And you’ve hit on Cain in the past.” His hands gripped her forearms through the silk, his thumbs stroking rhythmically. “Do I hold that against you?”
Her hands went to his waist and he released her, backing up. He pulled on his coat and waistcoat, then slipped on his shoes. “Let’s not make this more complicated than it has to be.”
“It could be wonderfully simple,” Sara said. “We could work together.”
Reed paused in the act of buttoning his vest. Why would she offer help now when she wouldn’t before? “Doing what?”
“Getting Cain away from Raguel.” Her arms crossed. “It would leave the field open for you.”
Cain. Of course. Reed’s jaw clenched. Raguel would no longer have such a heavy advantage over Sara without him.
“I’ll think about it,” he said, then he shifted to Takeo.
Eve splashed water on her face, then leaned into the counter. Her eyes stayed fixed on her own reflection. It was safer than looking through the open bathroom door at Alec in the shower. They’d received a discount on the room because they didn’t need a bathtub. She hadn’t considered that they might get a glass-enclosed shower stall.
“Angel?”
Her fingers dug into the counter. “Yeah?”
“Can you hand me a washcloth?”
She looked at the towel rack on the wall next her. Pulling a rolled washcloth free, she took a deep breath and entered the bathroom. Alec stood with arms akimbo and feet planted slightly apart. He faced her head-on, his mouth curved in a wicked smile. Surrounded by steam and dripping with water, he was the embodiment of her hottest sexual fantasies. Ripples of lust flowed over her skin, building with every passing second.
“You’re rotten,” she scolded, tossing the washcloth over the glass.
He caught it with a wink. “Care to join me?”
“I showered this morning.” She set one hand on a cocked hip. “Besides, we’ve yet to have sex that didn’t last several hours. We don’t have that kind of time.”
“A quickie?”
“I’m marked, too, if you’ve forgotten.” Eve pulled open the glass door. She touched him reverently, brushing her fingertips over one dark nipple. His sharp inhalation made her smile. “I could probably ride you for days and call it a quickie.”
Alec caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll take a rain check.”
Revved up with nowhere to go, Eve returned to the bedroom. She busied herself with cleaning up the second bed, returning their convenience store purchases to the bag. That took about half a minute. Then she sank onto the mattress and gazed about the room.
“A stakeout.” She reached for the nightstand drawer. As was to be expected, a Bible waited there. Eve pulled it out with a resigned sigh. Part of her had always believed it was fiction, or at least highly fictionalized. More like fables than absolute truths. But it was hard to deny the whole of it, when part of it was naked in the shower.
Eve reached to close the drawer. She paused at the sight of the postcards inside. They were generic cards for the motel, worn from frequent handling and boasting a photo taken many years back, if the cars in the picture were any indication. But it wasn’t the image that arrested her, it was the card itself.
Alec came out of the bathroom whistling. He wore one towel low around his hips and used another to scrub at his hair.
“Hey.” She caught his gaze. “We never figured out what was up with that invitation I received for the tengu building.”
His arms lowered.
“You didn’t tell Gadara about it either,” she noted.
“I’m not used to sharing every little detail with someone.”
“Are you sure it’s not because you don’t fully trust him?”
“I’m sure.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Okay, so I’m playing devil’s advocate here—”
“Sammael doesn’t need any help.” Alec tossed one towel on the bed, then pushed the one around his waist to the floor.
Eve glanced at the window, wondering if the sheers covering the glass really offered any privacy, or if some lucky gal was getting an eyeful. During the day they were opaque, but it was the other side of dusk now and their lights were on.
“What if Gadara orchestrated the tengu thing?” she suggested.
“Why?” He tugged on a pair of boxer briefs. She took in the view with a smile. David Beckham would be out of an endorsement deal with Armani if the advertising team saw Alec in his skivvies.
“As an excuse to keep me out of training?”
“W
hy would he deliberately orchestrate things to keep you untrained? There’s no benefit to anyone.”
“You have a better idea?”
“Maybe a masked Infernal did it.”
“Why?” she tossed back at him. “Kind of stupid to draw attention to themselves, don’t you think?”
“Unless they wanted you out of the picture before you Changed. Dead men tell no tales.”
“Are you telling me that people in Heaven don’t spill their guts?”
“You’re agnostic, angel. Are you sure that’s where you would go?”
Eve blinked at him. “Yikes.”
He held both hands up in a defensive gesture. “Just sayin’. An Infernal would think similarly.”
“The card was mailed the day before I was marked. That’s cutting it close, don’t you think? Why use the postal service? Wouldn’t it have been safer to slip it under my door or something?”
Alec stepped into his jeans. “Good point.”
“Okay, let’s run with your idea. I’m harmless, so they weren’t after me per se; they wanted to get to you. How did they know I was going to be marked? How did they know God had agreed to allow you to mentor me? No matter what—whether it was a masked Infernal or Gadara—it would have to be an inside job.”
“Or a mystery.” He straightened. The hair on his chest and abs was still damp. Eve fought the urge to lick him like a Popsicle. “Don’t forget: Marks are trying to save their souls.”
Eve smiled. “I didn’t say a Mark did it. But you’re thinking it’s a possibility.”
“Did I say that?”
“I’m learning to read between the lines with you. Maybe the situation is something like the Infernals working for Gadara? Satan has to have something to offer, right? And Marks are made up of sinners, not the pillars of society.”
“I’m following, but where is this leading?” Alec pulled his shirt over his head.
“We’re just speculating.”
“I’m not a speculative thinker. Give me facts and proof.”