“Pay up.” Saleos held his hand out to Joab. “Was I right or was I right? Didn’t I tell you Michael would resurrect his most prized archangel?”
“Yes, you were.” Joab slapped a hundred-dollar bill into his brother’s hand.
“So how long after you were brought back did they wait before sending you to retrieve the old woman? No need to answer. I know the archangels are cruel despite their claims of being caring and good. And yet, we are the ones who are considered immoral.”
Saleos leaned in closer, holding Jeremy’s gaze.
“And I knew you’d come to do your duty, despite your affection for the lovely Naomi. Some things never change. Duty first, right Jeremiel, my old friend?”
Jeremy’s jaw locked tight as his fingers curled into fists. He wanted to beat the dark angel senseless, drag his and his brothers’ sorry asses to the Lake of Fire, and be done with them. The cool voice of reason whispered in the back of his mind that Saleos was anticipating he’d strike out first.
He thought about Welita. He didn’t dare turn around to check on her. Saleos wanted something, and he’d do anything to get it. Whatever Saleos had up his sleeve, he had to make sure Welita and her family were kept safe and away from them.
“You bet.” He plastered a smile on his face. He was strong, maybe even stronger than Saleos. But not even he could beat all three of them if it came to battle.
“Of course, some things never change, like the time I whipped your ass in the race,” he continued. “I’m sure by now you realize I was holding back all those years.”
Saleos scowled. “That changed as soon as Lucifer turned me. I pity the one who dares to test me. It’s a shame Uriel didn’t follow through on his word, or you and your so-called brother would be like us.”
Jeremy thought of the sacrifice Uri had made so that he and Lash were spared. He’d returned to warn Michael about what Lucifer was doing—creating an army of demons. But most of all, Lucifer had wanted his son, Lash, by his side. By betraying Lucifer, he’d been held captive in the Lake of Fire, the lava slowly eating away his life force until he was dead. Uri’s death had been their salvation.
The porch swing creaked, and Saleos’s eyes flicked up. He gazed over Jeremy’s shoulder, looking thoughtful.
Shit!
Saleos was here for her . . . and probably the entire family. Anything to bring Naomi and Lash down to Earth and directly to him. It was the perfect trap.
Saleos laughed at the horrified expression on his face. “I’m not here to do your job, either. You’ll bring anguish to the Duran family soon enough. I don’t have to do that for you. I’m much too busy for that. Though it would be entertaining to watch you work your destruction. Bringing an entire family and their friends to their knees in one night is impressive.”
Pain stabbed Jeremy’s chest. There was no denying the truth of his words.
“I’m here to make you an offer. Wait.” Saleos lifted his hand when he opened his mouth to say no. “Have I ever lied to you?”
Jeremy was about to answer yes when he paused. His mind whirled, searching for a time, past and present. He couldn’t. His nostrils flared as he gritted his teeth.
“See there? I’ve always been truthful with you, even when you didn’t want to hear it. I showed you the truth when I gave you a glimpse of your ancient past, but you didn’t want to believe, remember?”
Jeremy thought about New Mexico. He’d stopped Saleos in the middle of the highway to give Lash and Naomi time to escape. In one simple word—Hizaher, the Hebrew command to remember—Saleos had opened a window he didn’t know had been closed to him.
“My answer is still the same as it was back then. There’s nothing you can say that would ever convince me to join you. Lash and Naomi are safe and far from here.”
Saleos waved his hand. “They are of no interest to me, you fool. That was Lucifer’s wish, not mine. And he is all but ash. I have bigger plans. But in order to reach them, I need to rebuild. I don’t have the political connections Mr. Luke Prescott, had so I have to build from scratch. Most of the fallen went off on their own after the little stunt you pulled at the Lake of Fire. You may even be impressed if you’ve seen what I’ve built in Vegas. All I’m asking is for you to come for a visit.”
Jeremy let out a breath of relief. Was that it? He didn’t want Lash or Naomi, only him? He could handle that.
“Ooh, Vegas, why didn’t you—No!” After decades of asking, you’d think Saleos would take a hint and stop bothering him about joining forces. Saleos was as arrogant now as he had been as a human in Ai. “The answer is and will always be no.”
“Don’t be so quick to turn down my invitation, Jeremiel. Joab, give our old friend a taste of what we’ve discovered. And I”—he whipped out a smartphone from his pocket—“will make sure to have a video recording of the occasion. Who knows, it may just go viral. It’ll make a great recruitment tool.”
“Don’t bother. I’m—”
Jether’s arm flew around him. Jeremy gasped as Jether crushed down on his chest, holding him still. He felt every inch of Jether’s rock-hard body on his back. His heart raced. He couldn’t even move. He could barely breathe.
“Don’t you think . . . you should . . . take me out to dinner first?” he gasped.
Joab placed himself in front of him. “Oh, we will. Relax. You’re going to enjoy this. Neshamah!”
Jeremy looked at him, confused when Joab said the Hebrew would for soul. Was something supposed to happen?
Joab growled with frustration. He cupped Jeremy’s head between his thick hands.
“Neshamah!” Joab repeated, demanding Jeremy’s soul to appear.
This is nonsense. Whatever they were trying was obviously not working. If he flicked his wings quickly, he could get Jether off him, then—
A jolt of electricity smashed into the center of his being. His body jolted as he’d been struck by lightning. A strange warming sensation crawled up his legs and up his torso.
Jether let go, freeing his arms. Jeremy made a motion to rip Joab’s hands off his face. He thought he did, but nothing was moving. It was as if his body wasn’t there. He couldn’t feel it.
Stunned, he looked up at Joab’s smug smile. Slowly, Joab leaned in as if he was about to kiss him and whispered, “Shayna.”
Sapphire eyes widened as darkness fell over his eyes like a curtain, shutting him away from the world.
What did he do? What did he—?
22
“Jeremy.” A soft voice echoed in the darkness.
Naomi? She shouldn’t be here. Lash promised to keep her away.
Struggling to open his eyes, he attempted to lift his head. Nothing moved. His entire body felt weightless, like it was floating and he had no control over it. He listened out for Saleos and his brothers’ voices. He couldn’t hear anything but white noise and Naomi’s voice repeating his name.
A strange calm washed over his body. It was like he was being rocked into a gentle sleep. The heartache he’d carried with him over the past few weeks was gone.
Slowly, he felt something cold under his feet. A prickling sensation spread from his legs through his body, as if he were waking up from a deep slumber.
“Jeremy.”
A hand rested on his bare chest. His heart hammered against his chest at Naomi’s touch. He knew it was her. She was the only one who could make his body react that way.
Fingers glided down his biceps until they reached his hand. She held his hand, gently pulling him forward.
Slowly, the heavy weight on his eyes lifted, and he was able to open them. They were in Naomi’s mountain cottage. White mist rolled down the hall, filling the rooms.
“Naomi?”
She turned, and pale blue eyes twinkled as she held onto his hand, leading him to the bedroom.
“Naomi, where’s—?”
“Shh,” she whispered as she stepped through the bedroom’s entrance, the thick fog swallowing her.
“Naomi, where are y
ou?”
“I’m here . . . right where you wanted me.”
The fog slowly lifted as she neared him. The sheer pink gown fluttered as she moved to him. His eyes drank in every inch of her beautiful body.
“Am I dreaming?”
She pressed her body against his and kissed him. His body lit on fire. He felt the cool material against his skin, her nipples hardening against his chest, her soft lips moving on his.
“You tell me,” she murmured as she moved forward.
He fell back onto the bed. As Naomi straddled his hips, a dull ache throbbed against his temples. There was something he had to remember. What was it?
He moaned as Naomi’s taut nipples brushed teasingly against him. She kissed his neck, nibbling the tendon at his shoulder, and then traced her tongue down his chest.
He weaved his fingers into her hair, lost in her touch, her kisses, and her sweet scent. As she worked her way down his chest, the ache in his head stopped and all he felt was bliss.
“Naomi,” he moaned when her tongue slid down each of his cut abs, outlining each of the muscles there. The delicious pressure in the pit of his stomach grew as she went lower.
Lower she went, her lips worshipping his body, until she took him in. He cried out. His body ready to explode.
His hips rocked against her as she latched on to him. Faster. Faster. Suddenly, his body went into spasms. There was a jolt and a rush of cold slammed into him.
Seconds passed before he was able to open his eyes again. Blue skies stared back at him.
Saleos’s face hovered over him, smirking.
“Well, that was interesting.”
Jeremy ignored the offered hand and stood up. He swayed and latched on to the mailbox to steady himself. Pain thrashed against his skull like he had a major hangover.
So this was their little trick? A stupid wet dream. He already did that on his own—not that he wanted any more of it.
He rubbed a hand over his face. Something was off. He blinked, looking at the sky again. The sun was low and in the opposite direction. And he swore he could smell barbecue.
He turned to Welita’s house. She was on the porch swing, picking at a plate of food. Sitting next to her was Megan. A toddler with black pigtails sat on Megan’s lap. He smiled at Naomi’s namesake. Naomi had talked nonstop about how her niece had been named after her.
“Orale, Lalo, that hamburger patty is too big. You’re eating all my paycheck right there,” Chuy said, looking into the barbecue grill.
“It’s not for me,” Lalo replied. “It’s for Emma.”
“Is my monster burger ready, Uncle Lalo?” Emma jumped off the tree swing and ran to him.
“Almost,” Lalo said, rubbing the top of her red hair.
Jeremy frowned. He’d only been out for what felt like a couple of minutes. The Durans were eating dinner. He spun around to Saleos.
“What did you do?” he growled.
“See for yourself.”
Jeremy stared at the smartphone Saleos held out to him. A small voice inside of him told him not to look at it. Walk away and focus on his job. He was sure Saleos would leave the Durans alone.
“Scared?” Saleos arched his eyebrow, amused.
He scowled and snatched the phone. Tapping the screen, he started the video. His jaw dropped at what he saw.
After Joab whispered in his ear, his head dropped to his chest. He had expected to see himself fall to the ground. Instead, within one second, he saw himself lift his head with a huge grin on his face. He looked at Saleos and his brothers as if they were old friends.
They took to the sky, joking with each other and chatting about growing up in Ai as they flew. He looked at the time on the video, shocked that they flew for hours. Then a familiar building popped onto the screen. It was the Stratosphere Tower. They’d flown to Vegas!
He heard Joab and Jether laughing behind him when the video showed him making a bet with Jether that he could touch the top of the Luxor Pyramid with his finger without stopping. The video shook with Joab’s laughter in the background as he recorded Jether and Jeremy racing. The laughing turned to cursing when Jether crashed into Joab and Jether was suddenly hurling downward, landing with a big splash at the Bellagio Fountain. People around the fountain clapped and snapped pictures thinking it was part a show. The strip disappeared as the screen went black for a couple of seconds. Then the video showed them landing in front of a casino that appeared to be out in the middle of nowhere. After they’d turned into their human form, Saleos explained he owned the business and that it catered to a special clientele.
Jeremy’s face reddened when he realized the type of clientele Saleos catered to and the services offered. He fast-forwarded the video, horrified how he couldn’t remember the hours he’d spent with one girl after another. They took turns sitting on his lap, rubbing their hands against his chest, and nibbling on his ears while he played poker with Saleos and his brothers.
He paused the video when a dark-haired girl with pale blue eyes pulled him away from the table. The video followed them into another room, closing in on them when the girl nibbled on his neck and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Then she kneeled and slid down his zipper, saying his name. And he whispered, “Naomi.”
“No! That’s a lie!” Jeremy smashed the phone to the ground, shattering it.
“Jeremiel, Jeremiel.” Saleos clicked his tongue. “You can’t even believe what your eyes see.”
“You put this together. You found someone who looks like me.”
“It was all you, my friend. I know you sense it.”
Jeremy closed his eyes. He did do it. He felt it.
“It’s not possible. I would remember doing such things . . . unless . . . ”
“Unless we helped you to forget. Does that sound familiar? Have no doubt; it was you there. All we did was numb your inhibitions a little. We didn’t force you to do anything you didn’t want to do. They were your thoughts, your desires. What you did was of your own free will.”
He shook his head. Saleos was making too much sense.
“We’ve tested this out with other angels,” Saleos continued. “It only lasted an hour or so with them, especially if they fought against it. We thought for sure it would only last a few minutes with you. As you saw”—his eyes flicked to the screen—“it was much longer. Hours. I almost ran out of space on the phone. It’s as if you wanted to forget.”
“No, you did something else to me. Some new black spell you’ve discovered.”
“When will you stop denying your true self, Jeremiel? Admit it, for these few hours you were happy. You were the real you. I can give you more of that. I can give you your heart’s desire. I’m the only one who can.”
Jeremy opened his mouth to say no once again when he paused. The sense of relief, the release from the dull ache that sat in his chest, was slowly returning. He wanted to escape it. He didn’t want to feel it anymore.
Maybe . . .
A loud clap of thunder reverberated through the darkening sky. He jolted back when he saw Gabrielle hovering over them, her powerful wings flapping. Her face was hard.
Jeremy bowed his head, ashamed to look at her. Never in all his time as archangel had he ever had anyone come for him while he was on the job. She didn’t trust him.
I don’t trust me either.
Her green eyes glittered as she landed beside him.
“Ah, Gabrielle. We meet again,” Saleos said.
“Leave to your duty, Jeremiel,” she said before turning to Saleos. “And you, take leave to the hellhole you crawled out of.”
“You grow more stunning each time I see you . . . and strong.” Saleos eyed her wings. “Much stronger than many of the archangels—even Raphael.”
Saleos lifted his hand to her cheek. “He doesn’t deserve your affection.”
“Leave her alone,” Jeremy growled. Before he could tackle Saleos to the ground, Jether and Joab took his arms, dragging him away from their brother.
“Ga
brielle doesn’t need help from you or anyone else, isn’t that right, my dear?”
Slapping his hand away, her chest rose and fell as she glared at Saleos.
“Don’t you dare touch me again.”
“Do you know Raphael’s problem? He’s a weakling. He couldn’t possibly begin to know how to satisfy you. Pity that you waited so long for him.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ll hear no more of it,” she snapped.
“We have a long history together. Of course I know all about you and your desires.” His dark eyes drifted down to her lips. “Those lips have never been kissed, have they?”
Jeremy struggled against the dark twins’ hold as he tried to get to Gabrielle. “You stay away from—”
Gabrielle lifted her hand, silencing him. He froze, shocked when she moved closer to Saleos.
“I have no fear of you,” she said.
“I can see that. Lucifer always did say you were the most stunning of all angels. And he was right. Beautiful. Powerful. Raphael is a fool.”
“You will not speak of him. Leave this place or I’ll—”
Saleos jerked Gabrielle to him and kissed her. The demon twins grunted in approval as their brother ravaged her lips. His arm molded into the arch of her back, bringing her closer to him as he deepened the kiss.
Jeremy yanked his arms, trying to release himself from the twins’ iron grip. He watched as Gabrielle’s hands beat against Saleos’s chest for a moment. And then, she stopped. Her body went slack and she melted in his arms.
What the hell? What black power did he possess to make one of the most powerful and loyal archangels fall under his demon’s spell?
Saleos pulled away, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.
“That’s what I thought.”
Gabrielle paused, her reddened lips parted and breathing frantic. Emerald eyes gazed up at Saleos, confused.
“Gabrielle, are you okay?” Jeremy asked.
She slowly turned to Jeremy with a bewildered expression lingering on her face. When their eyes met, she blinked. She sucked in a breath as if realizing what had happened. Lifting her hand, she whirled around and slapped Saleos.
Jeremy (Broken Angel #4) Page 12