by Rose Wulf
Knox looped her arm around his shoulders and said, “Says the moron shacking up with an angel.”
And then they were both gone.
****
“Kai. Um, come get me?”
Kai stopped walking and caught Belle lightly by the shoulder when Gwen’s awkwardly uncertain words echoed in his head.
“What is it?” Belle asked quietly as they stepped out of the path of the passing civilians.
“Gwen,” Kai replied. “She must have escaped.” He frowned for a moment as he honed in on the location. And it wasn’t what he would have expected, but he supposed he should have. “Las Vegas.”
Belle huffed out a breath of frustration. “Sin City,” she muttered. “Of course.” She reached out and slipped her hand into his.
Kai wasted no time transporting them to the small motel outside Las Vegas proper. Fortunately, when he’d honed in on the location he’d also sensed a familiar demonic energy nearby. Knox.
It seemed he was going to owe the demon one.
“Gwen, thank goodness!” Belle exclaimed, rushing to the other woman’s side as soon as they appeared. “Let me scan you, hold still.”
“Belle,” Gwen started.
“Hush. Let me focus.” Still, Belle paused, and Kai could see the regret in her eyes despite that she wasn’t looking at him. “But, for what it’s worth, I’m so sorry.”
Kai turned to Knox as Gwen mumbled something about not needing an apology. Knox was resting with his back against the motel room door and, Kai noted, both of the lights provided by the motel were on. Flooding the room with as much light as possible.
“Thank you,” he said. “How did you hear she’d been taken?”
Knox shook his head. “I didn’t. I was looking for the other one, Madelyne.” He paused and straightened, his expression somber. Kai knew what he was about to say. “I found her.”
The distinct sound of Belle’s gasp resounded through Kai’s body much the way a tidal wave overran a beach.
“But you should know,” Knox continued, never looking away from Kai, “that Creed was holding both of them at the building where the Archangel was when I sensed him.”
Interesting. That could only have meant that Creed wasn’t directly responsible for Madelyne’s situation. This mystery Archangel was. Just as he’d suspected.
Kai ground his teeth and fought not to dig his nails into his palms. One of his own, one of his praised superiors, was directly responsible for Belle’s mourning. For the suffering her beloved sister had endured. It was so far beyond an insult to every angel ever. And Kai would see that he died for his sins. Preferably by his own hands.
Aloud he managed to maintain his cool. “How did you get in?”
Releasing a breath and relaxing faintly, Knox said, “Luck. I thought to look there and realized the angel wasn’t in. Figured it was the only chance to poke around I’d get, and it didn’t take me long to hone in on Creed’s ugly stench.”
“Madelyne’s there?” Belle asked, coming to stand beside Kai and drawing Knox’s attention. “You’re sure?” The hope, the pain, in her voice shredded him.
Knox inclined his head. “I saw her with my own eyes. They were chained up next to each other.”
Belle lifted her hand to her mouth and water reflected in the dim lighting over her eyes.
“It’s true,” Gwen said softly. “I think she was trying to tell me to escape, but … she couldn’t speak very well…”
The first tears spilled over as Belle turned to Gwen. “She was awake?”
“Briefly,” Gwen said.
Kai rested a hand on Belle’s shoulder, and she caught it in both of hers, holding tight. But she didn’t break down. She didn’t collapse or even wobble. He knew how hard that fight would have been for her.
“Knox,” he said, turning his gaze to the demon, “I have to get to Madelyne. But I could use a little backup.” And he could, in fact likely should, call Isabella. But this felt far too personal to involve the entire armada.
Knox raised a brow. “Absolutely.” He jerked his chin to Gwen and asked, “But who’s watching her?”
“Leave that to me,” Kai replied.
Chapter Seventeen
“Um,” Gwen interrupted, “excuse me, but, the warding didn’t work so well last time.” Her apprehension was clear in her voice, and Belle found she couldn’t blame her. Though she doubted Kai appreciated that.
“Don’t worry,” Kai said, releasing Belle’s shoulder. “That’s only the first line of defense this time. Both of you rest here, but keep on your guard.” He didn’t say another word before he and Knox vanished.
“I don’t get it,” Gwen declared after a prolonged beat. “How is this different?”
Belle opened her mouth to voice her pointless agreement when a flash of green preceded another arrival. And she understood. Kai had pulled Jaelyn off her now fruitless search and put her to use the way he most trusted she would abide by.
Protecting Gwen.
“Hi, Jae,” Belle said as Jaelyn appeared.
Gwen sucked in a breath and stood. Belle was glad to note she did so without wobbling since she hadn’t managed to do much healing on her yet.
Jae offered them both a small smile. “Kai asked me to protect you both while he’s hunting the demon.” She flicked a glance to Gwen and asked, “Would you rather I wait outside?”
Belle looked over at Gwen, too, curious to see her reaction.
Gwen shook her head and held out her hand. “Let’s take this opportunity to start fresh,” she said. “I’m Gwen.”
Jae’s smile broadened, and she took the proffered hand. “Jaelyn.”
****
“This is it,” Knox declared as he and Kai appeared outside a two-story industrial building. It wasn’t much to look at on the outside, and if Kai hadn’t been looking deeper, he’d never have noticed the subtle warding. Angel repellent.
Angels warding against angels. I guess it’s come to that now.
“I can’t sense inside,” Kai said. “It’s warded.”
Knox looked between him and the building for a moment. “Huh. Guess that shouldn’t be surprising.” He paused. “Feels empty. But I can’t imagine Creed ditched it after learning it’d been found.”
“Unless it’s not his house,” Kai suggested. “Either way, you need to break the wards.”
Knox nodded and moved forward. There was a moment of fiddling and then he pulled open the main door. With a glance over his shoulder at Kai, he added, “Just a sec.”
Kai waited as Knox disappeared inside the building, temporarily beyond his ability to monitor. This was risky. Even if Creed had abandoned the building, whichever angel had set up these wards would know the moment they fell. Their success would hinge entirely on speed and whether or not this Archangel traitor was willing to expose themselves.
A burst of dark energy shattered one of the exterior windows, thereby shattering the warding as well, and Kai moved forward. Time was of the essence.
“Which way?” he demanded as soon as he reached Knox.
“Through that door,” Knox said, indicating the nearly invisible door across the way. “Then right and straight down.”
Kai led the way, pulling his sword free and slicing through the electronic lock. They didn’t have the time for dallying. The room beyond the door was as sparse as the entry space, though multiple doors led off the far wall. But Knox had been there in person so Kai followed his instructions and soon found himself rounding a sharp corner at the base of a set of stairs.
He had split-second warning before Creed plowed into him, his entire body encased in dark energy that acted not only as a shield but also as a demonic battering ram.
So he’d rather shield his secret. Kai was almost disappointed.
Sounds of another brawl assured him that Creed wasn’t alone. The fact that Creed was engaging in this battle told Kai who wore the pants in his relationship with the Archangel.
“You’ll never walk outta her
e alive, angel-boy,” Creed snarled as they sprang apart. He’d landed crouched in a ready battle position, fingers splayed. “And I’ve been waiting for this day.”
“Your last? Most people try to avoid that day,” Kai returned, standing tall with his sword at his side. He’d have this fight over already if it weren’t for Knox. As much help as the demon had been, Kai wished he could simply expand his wings and purify all idiots in the room. But he wasn’t going to kill someone who’d gone out of their way to help him—successfully, no less. So he’d have to fight this the old fashioned way. And that might be a good thing.
Creed barked a laugh and hauled one arm back. “Aren’t you cute,” he taunted as he threw his arm forward. A ball of dark, burning energy surged forward, arcing through the air rapidly. On a perfect collision course with Kai’s face.
Kai calmly swung his sword up. It flared bright, brilliant blue and the blade sliced effortlessly through the sphere, dissolving the halves before they could do any harm. “Afraid to get close now that I’ve drawn my sword?”
“Why don’t you come at me and find out?” Creed cracked his knuckles threateningly.
Beyond him, one of the demons fighting Knox turned to ash, dead and defeated, and suddenly Kai had an almost unobstructed view of Madelyne. Still hanging on a wall, chained at both wrists and ankles as well as around her throat. Her body was limp in unconsciousness, but he could tell she was still alive. That was enough for now.
“You want the little Nephilim?” Creed taunted, seeing where Kai’s attention had shifted. A sneer broke out on his face. “Ah, that’s right. She’s your pet healer’s baby sister. How domestic.”
Ignoring the jibe, Kai returned his glare to his foe. “Trust me, I’m happy to take the time to kill you first.” He followed up his promise by spinning his sword and firing a shot of purified fire at the demon. Not that he expected it to kill him, but it would force Creed to move. And if Creed was intent on keeping him from Madelyne then it would force him to move in one predictable direction.
Creed countered with a block of dark energy, throwing himself to the side to avoid the resulting blast.
Exactly as Kai had anticipated.
****
“Do you really think you can heal her?” Jaelyn asked. Belle had opted to work on healing Gwen in order to distract herself from worrying in Kai’s absence. She certainly had a whole load of things worth worrying about, what with the man she loved having run off to potentially face a dangerous Archangel in the name of rescuing her long-suffering sister. If even one of them made it out of there alive, she’d be lucky.
And if either of them didn’t … she’d be devastated.
So she did the only thing she could do. She healed. Gwen was more than complicit, still not at full strength after her abduction and too many teleports. More fortunate, Jaelyn was apparently feeling chatty. A double-layered distraction.
“Yes,” Belle said confidently. “It’s going to take most of the time we have left, but I can do it. The progress I’ve already made assures me.”
“That’s amazing,” Jaelyn murmured. “I’m so glad.” There was something wistful in her voice, but Belle wasn’t sure she should push it. She didn’t know what Jae and Isabella may have discussed, though she imagined Jae’s current semblance of freedom was contingent upon her avoiding Ben Manning. In truth, she felt bad for Jae. It was hard to tell the heart what to do; a fact Belle was all too aware of.
“I guess I owe you a thanks,” Gwen said, rolling her head to face Jaelyn. “You know, since you’re the one who got this ball rolling. It’s not like I wanted to die.”
Jae smiled. “I couldn’t ignore something so tragic. And Ben was…” She swallowed heavily and said, “So upset. I had to do something.”
Releasing a breath at the slight discomfort Belle glimpsed in Gwen’s eyes she said, “Jaelyn … now that we’ve all had a moment to breathe, can I ask you something?”
Jae nodded. “Of course. But first, let me apologize. I was out of line before.”
Belle smiled her acceptance and asked, “Do you love him?” Sure, it was none of her business, but she’d pretty much say anything to keep this conversation flowing. With her hands stacked over Gwen’s heart, both she and Gwen were stuck on the motel bed, largely immobile. Conversation was the only option.
“I do,” Jae said. “And I’ve decided to accept whatever consequences there are for that.”
If you only knew how much we have in common, Jae…
Belle’s eyes widened at that thought. Had she made that decision? Had she forgiven him so completely? Her heart ached with his absence; she wanted to cry at the possibility that he wouldn’t come back to her. And now when she thought back to the day they broke up, to those horrible things he’d said that had cut her so deeply, most of her anger was self-directed. How had she not seen through that? In retrospect, with the knowledge of the possibility that it wasn’t true, it was so glaring. No wonder he hadn’t been convinced his words would do the trick.
“That sucks,” Gwen declared, jarring Belle back to the moment. She nearly jumped, she’d been so lost in herself. “I mean, why do angels have to have so many anti-love rules? Isn’t Cupid supposed to be an angel?”
There was a stretch of silence and then Belle and Jae both started laughing. Belle nearly dropped her hold.
“Cupid?” Jae repeated, her blue eyes dancing with amusement. “Oh, he got in so much trouble when he went and made a name for himself with the humans. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still locked up for it.”
“And he actually thought he could disguise himself with that cherub look,” Belle offered, still grinning. “I wish I’d been around when that happened. But I hear it’s been incredibly romanticized since the actual event.”
“Wait,” Gwen interrupted, moving as if to sit up for a beat. “You mean Cupid is real?”
Belle looked over at Jaelyn, not sure how best to answer that herself.
“Yes and no,” Jaelyn said. “The source of the stories is a male angel who disguised himself as a cherub and went around causing … a mess, if you will, among humans. That was a very long time ago, and most of the truth has been lost.”
“For one thing,” Belle said, “he didn’t make anyone fall in real love. Real love is impossible to control, even for an angel.”
And somehow the conversation, while not being at all related to her situation, had wound its way straight back around to reminding her of it. How had that happened?
Gwen groaned and rolled her eyes up to stare at the ceiling. “I’m so confused.”
****
Creed stumbled back, reaching up and wrapping a hand—as well as dark energy—around the bleeding stump of his left arm. Kai scowled, the tainted blood dissolving on his blade. He’d nearly hit the bastard’s heart that time but Creed’s reflexes were unfortunately sharp. So he’d sacrificed his left arm in favor of dying at Kai’s sword.
This time.
“You want the bitch that bad,” Creed growled, “you can have her. I’m not dying for some unconscious Nephilim.” He disappeared in sudden shadows before he’d finished speaking, the end of his words echoing in the air without the physical presence of the mouth that had spoken them.
Breathing heavily from exertion, Knox asked, “You think the angel’s gonna come wipe us out now?”
Kai frowned and sheathed his blade. “Let’s not find out. Keep watch.” He moved swiftly to Madelyne, burning away her restrictive chains and catching her slight form in his arms. Madelyne had always been the thinner of the sisters, as opposed to Belle’s perfectly curved figure, but she’d worn it well in prime health. Now she was barely more than skin over bones, and if it hurt his heart to see her so malnourished, he hated to think how Belle was going to feel. If he could have gotten away with it, he’d have taken Madelyne to Angel Clinic instead of Belle, to spare Belle seeing her in this state. But that wasn’t an option now.
Something heavy and angry spiked in the air. A precursor to a pr
oblem neither he nor Knox were up to handling at the moment.
“Shit,” Knox cursed, sensing it as well.
“Out, now!”
****
“Belle,” Jaelyn asked after a brief stretch of silence. “Why is there a demon gesturing at us through the window?”
Curious, Belle turned her head to see Knox standing outside. He was indeed gesturing—making himself look rather foolish. But it wasn’t as if he could knock on the door. “He’s with us. Open the door.” Where’s Kai? Why aren’t he and Madelyne with him?
Jae nodded and pulled the door open. “Demon?”
“Knox. And we need to hightail it before the Archangel follows me. I decoy-trailed for Kai, but it won’t last long.”
“Archangel—” Jaelyn began.
Belle cut her off, she and Gwen standing swiftly. “There’s a traitor among them,” she said plainly. “If he’s following Knox we need to leave now. Take Gwen and follow us.” Angel transportation was easier than demonic, and Belle didn’t feel like undoing any of what she’d just healed. Turning her attention to Knox, she asked, “Where’s Kai?”
“Colorado,” Knox replied as Belle stepped outside and he reached for her. The shadows around them sprang up, and it occurred to Belle that she’d never actually been transported this way.
It was strange, she decided.
Everything went dark, and her senses numbed but didn’t shut down. She could tell something was swirling and passing her by, but she couldn’t tell which way was up. Her stomach bottomed out and then her feet landed in grass.
“Sorry,” Knox offered as daylight cut through the darkness, briefly blinding her. “I had to spin us through a couple other trails to make sure we aren’t traceable.”
“It’s okay,” Belle said, swallowing and willing her stomach to settle. A flash of green a few feet ahead and to the right assured her Jaelyn had made the trip.
As soon as they materialized Jae released Gwen and said, “I won’t linger. I’ll inform Isabella of the possible interference of an Archangel. Pray if Kai’s hurt or knows more.” She disappeared quickly, likely before her trail had closed, thereby leaving one continuing trail and, Belle hoped, taking any followers with her.