Fear The Fall: Fallen Hunters Series

by Melissa Winters

  I walk right past them, but Zeke’s arm shoots out, stopping me.

  “What are you doing?” he hisses. “You can’t just bust in there.”

  “Why?” I whisper, my brow peaked in confusion.

  His eyes dart around at the humans, seeming to convey that we can’t use our typical abilities while in their presence. Which only reminds me of why I haven’t hunted with them before. I’d momentarily forgotten, but what does that matter anymore?

  I have done everything in my power to conceal my celestial heritage, because it’s the law, but I’ve been banished from Heaven. Their law no longer applies to me. If I’m going to be stuck on this Godforsaken Earth, I’m going to embrace exactly what I am.

  I lean in close. “Maybe we shouldn’t hide anymore.”

  With that, I kick open the door that separated us from the demons. Quickly scanning the room, I note that there are over a dozen of them crammed into this one section of the house. Who knows how many more are lurking?

  “Ah . . . something angelic this way comes,” a red-skinned demon sings, sniffing the air afterward. “And she’s brought dinner.”

  The way he slurps his tongue has Maeve gagging.

  “Sweetheart, you’ll need to push down the revulsion and get your head in the game if you’re going to be of use to me,” I shout at Maeve.

  She growls, glaring at me in response. Good. That was the point of goading her. She needs to be good and pissed.

  “Brothers, we have a show to go with our meal.” The demon claps and the others laugh and jeer at us.

  “You want some? Come get it.”

  The two beefiest of the demons charge my way and I almost laugh out loud. The bigger they are, the harder—and faster—they fall. With a simple roundhouse kick to the jugular and an elbow to the side of the other’s head, they’re both on the floor groaning.

  “Maeve, dagger,” I shout, knowing full well she has a small dagger hidden behind her shirt at her back. It won’t disintegrate these assholes like Solis would, but it will kill them nonetheless. My energy is all that’s needed, and the dagger will act as a conduit. However, that leaves the need for cleanup afterward.

  She purses her lip, wasting time.

  “Now,” I demand, and finally she complies.

  The dagger flies through the air and my hand snaps out, catching it by the hilt. I slam the blade into the heart of the first and then the second, while three more demons rush toward me.

  I kick the closest dead demon into the feet of those heading my way and they topple like bowling pins. Maeve’s blade slashes through skin and marrow to pierce each of their hearts.

  “Are you guys going to help?” I call over my shoulder to the group of hunters, who’ve stood around watching bug-eyed as I single-handedly took out five demons.

  From there, it’s a cacophony of fists hitting flesh and blades slicing through the air as the humans join the fray. Demons drop all around us, and within minutes, the place is silent. The smell of rotting evil permeates my nose.

  “Ugh,” I groan. “This is so damn messy.”

  “As opposed to?” Blaine asks with a raised brow.

  Yet another reason I don’t fight with humans. Too many damn questions.

  “What do we do with all of these? We can’t dump this many bodies in the landfill,” Danny states.

  “You dump demons in a landfill?” My voice pitches.

  “Not usually,” Blaine cuts in, but he doesn’t offer an explanation or go into detail about how they typically dispose of the bodies.

  My guess is that’s always been Zeke’s job, and he’s never really shared what he does with them. It’s not likely he can simply say, “No worries, guys. I used my heavenly sword and disintegrated them.”

  While they all fight about who’s going to clean up, I make the decision.

  “Everyone out,” I yell. “We’re burning the place to the ground.”

  Several sets of eyes turn to me in confusion.

  “Won’t that draw unnecessary attention?”

  “As opposed to?” I throw Blaine’s words back in his face. “This entire area is deserted. By the time the fire department arrives, the place will be toast. They’ll never uncover any of the demons’ remains.”

  “What about the humans they killed here? Don’t their families deserve closure?” Maeve practically spits in anger.

  “Have you gone upstairs or downstairs to see what’s left of those people?” She doesn’t answer, so I decide to fill her in. “You won’t find anything to determine who they were, and neither would the police. Demons devour every part.”

  “They could case the place for fingerprints.”

  I laugh bitterly. “I understand your need for closure, but sometimes people don’t get closure. What’s more important for the greater good? Identifying a dozen or so dead people, or keeping the human population in the dark about literal demons roaming among them? You open that Pandora’s box, and there will be much more bloodshed on your hands.”

  Danny’s face pales and Maeve’s turns a bit green, but nobody argues with me past that.

  “Out. I’ll take care of this,” I order, and they all obey.

  We didn’t bring gas or anything else that could help to light this sucker on fire, so my power will be necessary. I call upon the wind and draw a storm to me. Within moments, lightning strikes overhead and thunder rolls. I throw my hands into the air and summon the energy down around me. A bolt strikes the house, and I direct the flames to encircle the room filled to the brim with the dead. In a matter of moments, the house is on fire and flames are licking at my legs.

  I walk through the door just in time for the house to begin to crumble to the ground.

  It’s all happening far faster than what’s humanly possible. Damage this great would result from something more in line with an explosion, but that’s exactly what my powers created.

  How I’m going to explain this to Blaine, who seems too curious for his own good, is beyond me, but right now, that’s not my problem. I might be playing with fire, but I won’t be the one burned in the end.

  Believer

  “What was that?” Blaine asks, gesturing to the crumbling house. “That’s not possible. You couldn’t have survived that.”

  Just as I thought. Blaine can’t leave well enough alone.

  “Did you search the place? Do you know what those demons had hiding within those walls?” I raise a brow and when he doesn’t answer, I continue. “Didn’t think so.”

  “That storm came out of nowhere,” Blaine changes tack, but I stay right with him.

  “What? Now I control the weather?” My hands fly up in the air. “It’s freaking New Orleans, Blaine. I don’t control the erratic weather patterns.”

  “She’s right. Cut her some slack. She just cleaned up a mess you weren’t going to.” Zeke joins the conversation. Finally. “I, for one, am grateful for it. If not for that lightning strike, we’d have some explaining to do when people stumbled upon a house filled to the brim with corpses. Not all human, I might add.”

  “Something is off.” Blaine hurls the accusation at me. “What you did in there”—he shakes his head—“something’s off.”

  Zeke’s in Blaine’s face before I can even think about intervening. “Knock this shit off. Whatever you think is going on, it’s in your head. You can’t handle the fact that she’s more skilled than you.” Zeke shrugs. “Deal with it. We’re going home.”

  Zeke grabs my hand and leads me away from the group. When we’re out of earshot, my head turns toward his. He doesn’t look at me. I’m trying to gauge just how pissed off he is. After that overshow of power, he’s going to have to do damage control. We can’t allow Blaine to go snooping around my business, and I know that’s just what he’ll do. He’s asking too many questions, and after tonight, he won’t stop unless Zeke steps in.

  Using persuasion is dirty, but in times like these, it’s imperative. I put him in this position, and I wouldn’t blame him for being a
ngry. We walk the whole way back to my house and not once does he look at me.

  I sigh. “I’m sorry, Zeke, but what choice did I have? That place had to be destroyed.”

  “It’s not just the house, Tori. You blatantly kicked that door down and incapacitated five demons before any of them could blink.”

  “I never wanted to fight with humans.”

  His head snaps to mine, fury radiating from him. His clenched jaw and narrowed eyes make me want to retreat, but I don’t.

  “You’re the one who insisted,” he says through gritted teeth. “I asked if you were sure.”

  “Well, I wasn’t,” I yell. “My life was just flipped upside down, and then that human girl practically challenged me.”

  He groans. “Leave Maeve out of this.”

  “Now you’re defending her?” My hands fly up in a what the actual fuck expression. “You know what? You should go,” I say, turning away from him and heading inside.

  I’m halfway up the stairs when he comes bounding up behind me.

  “Stop it, Tori. Don’t even think about pulling this bullshit. I won’t let you push me away. Not after what just happened.”

  “What happened was me taking care of business, Zeke. What I was born to do,” I throw over my shoulder, stepping into my room and plopping down on my bed.

  “Never in front of humans. You know better.”

  “I know nothing,” I scream. “I’m damned to this place, and the only thing I can cling to is hunting. Now you want me to give that up to fight with some pathetic humans?” I blow out a harsh breath, preparing to send him packing. I’m wiped out from the hunt, and this conversation isn’t going to go well tonight.

  “You’re going to give us away, Tori. You have to be smarter.”

  “You know what, you’re right. You should run away from this,” I snap. “You have no idea what trouble I’ll bring you. Do us both a favor, Ezekiel, and forget I exist.”

  He bends down, grabbing me by both elbows and pulling me to my knees so that we’re face to face. His chest heaves as he attempts to control his mounting anger.

  “That’s never gonna happen, Tori. I don’t scare so easily. You of all people should know that once I’ve got something in my sights, I’ll move Heaven and Earth to have it.”

  “I don’t know that,” I bite. “How would I? I barely know you.”

  “Do you believe all of the lies you tell, Tori? For two damn years I’ve pursued you.”

  “And I’ve told you to go away,” I shriek, growing more annoyed by the second.

  He lowers his mouth to my ear. “Except when you don’t. You play games, Victoria, and you know it. As much as you try to pretend it never happened, I see you wanting to fall back on that time we shared. You want this as much as I do.”

  The truth in those words is frustrating. I try to do right by him, but he won’t let me. I allow him in, and he tries to change me. It’s a no-win situation for both of us, when neither wants to give in fully.

  “You can’t do this, Zeke. It’s not fair. I’ve done everything to keep you at arm’s length, for your own good. But you never listen.” I shove him away from me. “You break down my walls and I give in, only for you to try to change me. This is me. I’m not altering who I am for anyone. Especially not for some ragtag group of humans.”

  “I don’t need your protection, Tori. And I sure as hell never asked you to change. I just want you to be safe,” he yells. “I just want you.”

  The room is shrouded in darkness, save for the sliver of light filtering in through the window. The vulnerability displayed by Zeke has me breathing heavily and my eyes dropping to the floor. This is so unlike him, and it’s not fair that he feels this way without knowing everything about me.

  Can you really start a relationship based on half-truths and unforgivable circumstances?

  “If you knew why I fell, you wouldn’t think so damn highly of me,” I admit, keeping my gaze lowered to the ground.

  Zeke’s fingers tip my chin up so that he can look directly into my eyes. “I don’t care about your past, Tori. I want your future.”

  “Don’t say things like that,” I whisper, our mouths mere inches apart.

  Zeke forges on with his declarations. “Eternity’s a long time to be alone. I want to know everything about you. I want you by my side every day and in my bed every night.”

  My breath hitches, the power of his words instigating shivers under his touch and leaving me wordless.

  “Let go of whatever’s holding you back. Let me make you feel good.”

  What he offers, I know better than to accept. It’ll only bring us both pain in the end. I meant it when I said I was broken. There’s a piece of my heart that was stolen, and I never got it back. I never will, because the man who possesses it is the epitome of selfishness. He’s the keeper of souls and destroyer of life.

  “I’m not whoever hurt you, Tori. I’ll take care of you.”

  His words have me feeling reckless. The need to mean something to someone trumps all the reasons I’d concocted to keep my distance, and without thinking, I act.

  I crash my lips to Zeke’s, begging entrance to his mouth with my tongue. He opens to me immediately, groaning at the desperate feeling of our tongues colliding. I shimmy out of my leather pants while his hands trail from my hips up my side, raising my shirt along with them. He pulls it over my head, so I’m left in only a black thong and matching lace bra. My hands pull at Zeke’s shorts and he helps me by stepping out of them.

  I bite my lip as my own hands go to my back, undoing my bra and allowing it to drop to the bed. A tug at my hip drops the thong to the floor. I’m bare to him, and his eyes devour me.

  “You’re going to kill me,” he groans into my neck, as he trails kisses up the curve to below my earlobe. “I’ve wanted this again for so long.”

  A part of me is screaming to stop before we go too far, but this feels too good to be anything but right. Maybe I’m weak. Maybe I’m not worthy, but right now, I feel alive for the first time in a long time. His expert hands massage and explore places that nobody but Zeke ever has.

  “I can’t promise you much, but I can give you this.”

  His brow arches. “What are you offering, Tori?”

  “Physical only. Nothing emotional. No titles. No promises.” I search his eyes, waiting for his acceptance of my terms. “Can you accept that?”

  “It’s not what I want.”

  “It’s all I can offer.”

  He inhales deeply, eyes closing on the exhale. When he opens them again, I see his resolve. He may not like it, but he’s not turning me away. “For now.”

  I lean forward. “Love me,” I whisper into his ear, taking his lobe between my teeth and biting lightly.

  He pulls back just a bit, looking into my eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” I say, lying back and pulling him with me.

  I’ve only been with him, and it started as one night born from a sheer need to erase the memory of someone else. This time will be nothing like that time.

  Whereas the memory brings shame, I want to remember this time as though it were my first. I want Zeke to wipe away my past with his touch alone. No thoughts of another.

  “Where are you, Tori?”

  “Huh?” I say, my eyes meeting his.

  “Your mind was somewhere else. If we’re going to do this, I want you here. With me.”

  That vulnerability is back, despite the alpha in his tone. I lean up and place a kiss on his lips, trying my best to reassure him.

  “I’m here. With you.”

  His eyes look back and forth between mine, and he must find what he’s looking for, because he finally relaxes, closing that gap between our bodies. In one smooth thrust he cements our new arrangement.

  Sex is one thing I can’t fuck up.

  Riptide

  My legs shake as my fists clench. To say I’m nervous is a gross understatement. I’m petrified. You don’t break the laws of God and go unpuni
shed.

  I’ve been summoned to a hearing, and there’s no doubt as to why. I gave my angelic name to a human, and every time he calls it out, I go willingly. I’m only to go to Earth on God’s command, not at the request of mortals. Yet I have done just that.

  Our names are sacred, as we’re bound to answer the call. It’s the way we communicate in Heaven. Visualize and call out. It’s that simple. Now, a human knows my face and has my name. What’s worse is that I relish every moment with him. I pray every day that he’ll call to me.

  Thunder rumbles and I know that God is furious.

  In a blink, the council appears, surrounding me on all sides. Their disapproval radiates through me, but it’s my brother Michael’s condemnation that shames me most. My head bows as I fall to my knees before him.

  I listen as he calls out my transgressions one by one. Hearing all the ways I’ve betrayed God and my fellow angels is worse than I could’ve imagined. It’s painful.

  Yet I don’t regret a single one of them.

  “And therein lies the greatest betrayal of all, Victoria,” Michael chastises, reading my thoughts. “You’ve fallen for a human.”

  My head snaps up, shaking back and forth violently.

  “No. I don’t . . . I can’t . . . it’s not like that.”

  “Did you or did you not interfere with fate and give your name?” Michael asks in a booming baritone that shakes the cloud I stand upon.

  “Under duress, Michael. He caught me off guard.” My words spill out in a jumble of pathetic excuses that no angel would buy, let alone Michael, God’s right hand.

  My words fall short, which is evident by the always stoic archangel’s frown. Michael isn’t one to show any sort of emotion, and his clear disappointment stings.

  I’m dismissed for deliberation, and one hour later the verdict is handed down.

  Guilty.

  A guilty verdict would typically result in damnation based on my infractions, but Michael and the council see fit to spare me. My punishment is devastating, but more lenient than I deserve. My rapier is confiscated, and I’m banned from Earth.