by Cynthia Eden
She grabbed his arm and spun him back around to face her. “I’m not making up a story.” Her shoulders tensed at the exact same moment she saw Dorrin’s nostrils flare. “And, unfortunately, I’m about to be able to prove the truth to you.”
Because they weren’t alone. She could feel Malik behind her. She could detect his rich, masculine scent.
Dorrin’s gaze jerked over her shoulder. “Is he with you?” His voice was barely a whisper, and she noticed that his hand had dropped to his holster. Unlike most cops, his gun wasn’t loaded with standard issue police bullets.
She didn’t answer his question. Not right away. Mostly because she wasn’t sure. “I think we’re frenemies.” No, that was the wrong word. What was the word for a lover who was an enemy? Was there a word? Lenemy?
“He looks like he wants to rip me apart.”
She considered things. “I think he usually looks that way.”
Dorrin grunted. “I don’t see wings. Just a beat-up leather jacket.”
“The wings aren’t out all the time.”
“Huh. I don’t think he likes the fact that your hands are on me.” Dorrin’s narrow gaze was still directed over her shoulder. “Jealous much?”
“I can hear you both,” Malik snarled.
Dorrin shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if angels had enhanced hearing.”
“We do. And I’m only about five feet away. A human could hear you.”
She didn’t look back. She wasn’t ready to face him, so Josephine just didn’t. “When I left, I’m pretty sure I told you to stay the hell away from me, Malik.”
Dorrin’s gaze whipped back to her, then to Malik.
“This isn’t staying away,” she added. “In case you’re unclear on what staying away means. This isn’t it. This is more stalking.”
“I wanted a chance to explain. I think I deserve that.”
She wasn’t so sure he deserved anything. “At least I didn’t pretend you weren’t my target.”
“Uh…” Dorrin winced. “This feels awkward. Like I’ve stepped into a lover’s spat or something.” He cleared his throat. “Jo, are you screwing the angel? ‘Cause, you know, when I was in the penthouse, I did smell—”
“Stop while you’re ahead,” she snapped at him. Werewolf senses. A blessing and a curse.
He stopped.
Malik didn’t. She heard the angel advance. She could feel him getting closer. Her body was way too hyper aware of him. That crap needed to stop. He was sent to kill you. What are you going to do? Jump him again?
“I should warn you.” It was Dorrin who spoke up. Dorrin who put a rough edge in his voice. Dorrin who suddenly seemed protective as he moved around her and faced off with Malik. Well, she assumed they were facing off. She hadn’t looked at Malik yet. Dorrin was still talking, angrily blasting, “Josephine doesn’t forget, and she doesn’t forgive.”
That line was familiar. She was pretty sure she’d delivered it to Dorrin once upon a time. She’d been hired to track him down years before, back when he’d been running wild in Alaska. Not a Luke job. More freelance. He’d been suspected in two murders. Savage, brutal attacks that many thought had to be the work of a rogue werewolf. When she’d found him, Dorrin had sworn his innocence. Boasted that he could catch the real killer. She’d given him two hours. If he hadn’t proven his innocence in that time, if he’d been trying to trick her—
Well, that’s when I tossed out my old, “I don’t forget, and I don’t forgive,” line. It had been effective. Still was.
“So if you cross her once, you’re dead to her.” Dorrin’s delivery was flat. “Considering that she can’t seem to be bothered looking at you, I’d say you’re dead.” Then there was a quick rush of wind.
Don’t look back. Don’t.
But she did. Curiosity had always been a major weakness of Josephine’s. She knew her own flaws.
Dorrin had whipped out his gun. He had it aimed dead center at Malik’s forehead.
“Never killed an angel before,” Dorrin murmured.
“And you’re not about to kill one now.” In a lightning-fast move, Malik ripped the gun from Dorrin’s fingers. Like really—really fast. Faster than she’d seen him move before. And Malik aimed that gun right back at Dorrin.
Her head tilted. Malik seemed…bigger again. Was that her imagination? Or was it because of the deep, twisting shadows that seemed to surround him? Shadows that shouldn’t be there. It was daylight, distinctly sunny out. But shadows surrounded him.
“If I wanted you dead…” Dorrin lifted his claws. “I would use the personal touch. I’d cut your head right off your neck.”
He did like that method.
But…
“Stop,” Josephine said with a sigh. “He’s not the enemy. Or at least, Malik isn’t your enemy, Dorrin.” He was hers.
Dorrin looked him up and down. “Pity. Because I’m getting a bad vibe from this one.” He glanced back at her. “Very bad. If this guy’s an angel, I’m a freaking cat.”
Her stomach twisted. Dorrin liked to talk about bad vibes. Bad mojo and a dozen other bad things. His grandfather had been a practitioner of hoodoo down in Mobile, Alabama. A curse gone wrong had been the reason Dorrin wound up linked to wolves. The family tree had been shaken. Hard.
She put her body between them, the better to have Dorrin not lunge for Malik’s head. Not that she was protecting the death angel. She was trying to protect the detective. Those shadows around Malik were looking pretty grim. “Try using your best behavior, angel,” she advised, keeping her voice curt. “Dorrin is a detective, and he’s going to tell us what he learned about the jerk who came gunning for you last night.”
“You’re…trying to help me?” Malik’s voice was a little strangled. A little shocked.
“Right now, I’m trying not to knee you in the groin.” Keeping her voice at a flat level was killer. “Dorrin was right, you see. I don’t forgive, and I never forget.” And that was slang for…You burned this bridge, baby. No going back with me. He didn’t just get to screw around with her.
“Josephine, I want to explain,” Malik muttered.
His explanations. Check.
Dorrin sighed again. “Lover’s spat. I hate shit like this.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I need to know who came gunning for him.”
“Yeah, well, I got nothing for you. I told you, I didn’t recognize the scents in there. I got you, and that was it.”
The very fact that he hadn’t recognized the scents was something, though. A very big something. “I need you to get over to Lawrence’s place. See if you detect the same unrecognizable scents there.”
“Lawrence? Aw, hell, you mean he’s—”
“Very dead, yes,” she told him with a nod. “So if you could figure out who killed him, I’d appreciate it.”
Dorrin opened his hand. “I want my gun.”
Malik handed the weapon back.
Dorrin grunted. “I’ll see what I can find at the witch’s.” His mouth hitched as he seemed to consider things. “What’s loose in my city?”
She wasn’t sure yet. “Whatever the guy is, I think he can fly.”
Dorrin didn’t show a hint of surprise. “Considering the attack was in the penthouse, I figured that was a given.” His brows beetled. “Angels can fly.”
Yes, they could. But angels were not high on her suspect list. “So can dragon shifters. So can gargoyles. So can the Fey.”
“Fucking hate Fey,” Dorrin immediately said. Typically the response of most paranormals. “All of their games and illusions. You can’t trust shit when they are around.”
No, you couldn’t.
Why was Malik growling behind her?
“Step back, detective.”
And why was he using that lethal voice on Dorrin? Didn’t he get that she was trying to play nicely with the cop? They could use an ally.
She blew out an exasperated breath. “If you get info, you know how to contact me, right?”
&n
bsp; Dorrin turned away. “Sure thing, Jo. I just howl at the moon.”
Yeah, he did. And the tourists would freak, but at least she’d hear him.
He strode away, only glancing back at Malik a time or three—suspiciously.
“Josephine…” Malik’s hand touched her shoulder.
She immediately jumped away, as if she’d been scalded. She almost felt as if she had been—his touch had been scorchingly hot. “What part of ‘stay the hell away’ did you fail to understand?”
“I—”
“Your stalker routine has got to stop. Unless you’re coming to kill me, I don’t need you dodging my steps.” There. Drop the mic and walk away. She spun on her heel and headed in the direction Dorrin had just taken—
Only her path got blocked by an angel. Oh, yes, he was definitely moving faster. His muscles were bigger, his shoulders wider, and those shadows swirling around his back were looking extra intense and grim. Something was happening with Malik. Something that made her nervous.
“I…misled you.”
Seriously? “I figured that bit out already.”
“I didn’t want you to fear me.” He looked all tormented and anguished. Whatever.
Her chest still burned. “I don’t fear much in this world—or in the next one. So don’t give me some BS line about wanting to make me feel safe around you. Because I’m not buying it.”
“I didn’t choose to be a death angel.” His voice roughened even more. “I didn’t choose that life at all, but I didn’t question it. Not for centuries. I did my duty. I followed the rules. I did everything right.”
“Well, give yourself a cookie. Make it chocolate chip.” She shouldered around him—
“Then I was told to watch you.”
“Right, and you just got all stalker crazy on me—”
“You made me ache.”
“Even better. You got horny and you decided—”
He’d caught her wrist. Turned her back around to face him. He pulled her hand to his chest. Put it over his heart. “You made me ache here.”
She was not going to fall for that line. Would. Not. Fall.
“I knew in the first instant that I would never take your life. Leo might have believed that I was keeping watch so that I would report back if you tried to bite an angel, but I had different intentions.”
His gaze was so bright. “What were your intentions?”
“To protect you.”
“I don’t need protecting. I can fight my own battles just fine. Been doing it for a while now.” Try centuries.
“I know.” His lips quirked. “I saw you. Your strength made me admire you more.”
He’d gotten turned on because she could kick paranormal ass? “Are you crazy? I’m the killer. I was assassinating paranormals by the time I was in my teens! Taking them out left and right. But you’re acting like I was—I was—I don’t even know what you’re acting like I was—”
“Determined. Focused. Beautiful. Deadly, yes, but—”
“You have issues.” Serious understatement.
“I saw you, and I stopped caring about duty. I saw you, and I knew there was more to the world than just following orders. I saw you, and I knew I would do just about anything to have the chance to touch you.”
He was touching her right then.
“To touch you, but not to kill you. That has never been my plan.” His fingers dropped from hers. But her palm stayed pressed to his heart. The fast, drumming beat was oddly reassuring. “Though I can’t say, my love, that your intentions toward me have been the same.”
Screw this. “I’m not turning you over to Luke.”
Malik’s lips parted. Sensual lips.
“Happy? Like you didn’t already know that?”
If possible, his heart raced even faster beneath her touch.
“Because I get it, okay?” And she did. Did he think she—of all the beings out there—wouldn’t understand? Wouldn’t relate? “You didn’t have a choice. You were born as one thing. Told you always had to live a certain way. Had to be a certain way. But you wanted more.”
“Yes.” His gaze bored into her. “I wanted more.”
“So you chose to fall.”
A nod.
“You were my last mark. After you, my slate with Luke was going to be wiped clean.” But she’d known, even before she slept with him that first time, that she wouldn’t be turning Malik over in exchange for her freedom. “You protected me. Shielded me and bled for me. Yes, you’re a damn liar…”
His gaze dropped.
Her hand rose. Slid against his cheek. “But I had time to think about it, and I realized you’re my liar.”
His head whipped up.
Had she meant to put that super possessive my in there? She—
He kissed her. Pushed her back against the nearest wall, caged her between him and the bricks, and he fed on her mouth. An absolute explosion of wild, crazy need.
So, yes, Josephine decided. She had meant the super possessive my. Because as soon as her rage had cooled, as soon as she’d had a moment to think past her pain, she’d realized—
We’re not so different. In fact, Malik might be more like her than anyone else on the whole planet.
She’d never had a choice, either. Hadn’t asked for the curse of her birth. She’d been told she had to always follow the rules. That there could be no questioning. That there could be no other life for her. But she’d peered into the lives of others. She’d seen what they had.
On the outside, looking in…
Just like Malik.
She’d wanted more.
So she’d taken that more.
“I’m sorry,” Malik rasped against her mouth. “Will not lie…not to you…never to you again.”
“You’d better not.” Her nails bit into his shoulders.
“I won’t.” He held her stare. “You are the only thing that matters to me. It’s not about your blood or your bite. It is just about you. You owned me long before the blood or the bite.”
His gaze was clear and direct. She swore she could almost see into his soul. In that moment, Josephine understood that Malik wasn’t like the others. He was different. And that difference made her feel good.
“I will never betray you. And I’d give my last breath before I hurt you.”
“Keep that breath. I don’t want any big sacrifices.” What she did want—that was him. One kiss and her blood was practically boiling for him. She wanted to feast on the guy right there. But they were in some crappy alley, for hell’s sake. “Let’s get out of here. Come up with a plan.”
His eyes were wide. “No more running from me?”
She wasn’t going to make that particular promise. “How about we work on not lying to each other for a while, hmmm?” She pulled back and tried to get a steady breath. “We’ll do this thing one step at a time. And step one is that we have to figure out who else is gunning for you.”
She turned her back on him as her gaze swept the alley. She could have sworn that she’d just heard the soft rustle of a breath. Her senses weren’t as good as a werewolf’s but… “I don’t like this location.” It had been good for a brief, private chat with Dorrin, but now that she looked around, they were basically pinned in there. “We need to leave. Come on.” She had a safe house in the city. One she hadn’t been to in a very long time, but it should work.
Malik followed her without a word as they headed out of the alley. But as they walked, goosebumps rose on her arms. The sun shined down on them, bright and glaring, and Josephine glanced up, shielding her eyes with her hand. Had she just seen something—someone—up there? On the roof?
“What is it?” Malik stilled beside her.
“You picking up anyone else—you know, with those powerful angel senses of yours? Is someone watching us?”
He shook his head. “I don’t sense anyone else.”
So she was just being paranoid. Okay. She was fine with that. Being paranoid had kept her at the top of her game for a
very long time. But…still…her gaze lingered on the rooftop. Something Dorrin said was nagging at her. When he’d listed the potential paranormal suspects, the first being had been an angel.
Sure, he’d probably been trying to tell her not to trust Malik, but…
Josephine nibbled on her lower lip. “Would one of your own hunt you?”
He was silent.
Her gaze slid to him. “Malik?”
“There have been angels who…turned on each other. That’s why Merius lost his wings. He was betrayed.”
Fabulous.
“But the one who betrayed him is long gone.”
“Just stay close to me, okay? And be sure you keep your wings out of sight.” For years, so many long years, Josephine had been the predator.
She’d almost forgot what it felt like to be prey.
***
For a moment, he’d thought that Josephine had seen him. She’d looked up and seemed to stare right at him. He’d found himself holding his breath. Wondering if this would be the time, the moment that he’d anticipated for so long but…
No. Josephine had taken the hand of the angel. They were rushing away.
How amusing. Josephine thought that she could protect the angel. Adorable. What did she believe? That after all of her years of destruction and death, she could somehow tip the scales if she saved one of the good paranormals?
Not happening. There would be no redemption for Josephine. Or for her angel. The bastard would stay fallen. He’d almost gone past the point of no return already. The shadows around the angel were even thicker than they’d been before. Soon, there would be no returning to the other realm.
Malik would stay here.
Where he could be punished.
He just had to lose the last of those damn wings.
That would happen tonight. The plan was in perfect motion. Josephine was so very predictable. Did she not understand just how much he knew about her?
Because he knew everything.
The angel would die soon. And Josephine—she’d lose her last shot at keeping her precious soul.