Blessed Fury: An Urban Fantasy Romance (Angels of Fate Book 1)

by C. S. Wilde

  “Thank you.”

  Ava peered through the window, and her gaze fell upon the old man from yesterday. Across the street, he watched her beneath a newsboy’s cap that clashed with his youngish attire—a black Nirvana shirt this time, but the same ripped jeans and red sneakers.

  “Friend of yours?” Justine asked, then shrugged. “He’s got good taste in music. Also, for an old guy, he’s kind of hot.”

  “I don’t know him, I think.” Ava muttered. “I’m not entirely sure.”

  “Well, whoever he is, he’s blocking me,” Justine said. “Can’t get a peep into his thoughts.”

  The man tipped his hat to Justine, and then went on his way.

  15

  Liam

  Liam had taught a fair share of Selfless how to fight, but Ava topped them all. Only two days of training made her faster and more daring. Yesterday, she smacked three punches on his face, and with her sword, she drew a graze on his stomach that ruined his shirt.

  He’d expected her to fight back, since he attacked her with no mercy. It was for her own good. Ava had almost died because of the path Liam took, the one that would likely lead to his damnation. All because she wouldn’t abandon him like the good Guardian she was. And perhaps, that would doom her as well.

  If Ava died because of him, Gods, he’d never forgive himself. So Liam furiously charged and slashed, but Ava was never able to heal herself or create that golden shield again. Which meant that Kevin became a guaranteed presence during their trainings, especially after Liam cut through Ava’s shoulder blade by accident.

  The scream had erupted from the bottom of her throat, but Ava pressed her lips tight and kept it in, a hand clutched on her bleeding shoulder blade. He’d watched her then, that furious glare on her face, refusing to show weakness. Her blue eyes glinted with suppressed tears as Kevin worked to heal her, and when he was done, Ava didn’t ask for a break. She simply fixed her defensive stance and told Liam, “Attack.”

  He did, of course. Again and again, day in and day out.

  Something wild and untamed lurked underneath his Guardian, and the detective in him wanted to find out more. But they had barely spoken since the werewolf incident.

  He knew this frustrated her. Princess was a Guardian, so talking to her charge was a big part of her job. But what was there to say, really?

  Ava would become the Messenger’s mate, even though she hadn’t confirmed it yet. It was one of those nearly inevitable things people could sense, like the scent of rain when it’s about to fall.

  Hells, Ava should’ve rejected Ezraphael on the spot. He wasn’t even her boyfriend; Princess had said so herself. How could she be considering this?

  Maybe because she was like the rest of them, always obeying, never questioning. Mindless cattle.

  When they did speak, Liam would insist they should at least consider the fact that there’s someone evil in the Order, while Ava, stunning, stubborn, overly-devoted Ava, persisted in calling it blasphemy.

  Liam was so different from her. He knew when to chase the facts, regardless of his devotion to the Gods—if he had any, which in all honesty, he probably didn’t.

  Also, he could catch lies the way a dog catches the scent of meat. Jal might be a lying demon, but he hadn’t been lying when he said an angel might’ve killed Archie.

  Liam pressed the golden symbol of the Gods hanging around his neck, the gift his father, his partner, had given him when he’d first joined the precinct.

  Someone in the Order had murdered Archie, and Liam would find out who.

  Ava worried about him, that much was clear. She had prayed yesterday at night, when she thought the door to his room was closed—Liam had left it slightly open. He’d watched her from behind the slit, her intertwined hands, her soft whispered words as moonlight sneaked through the window and graced her with a quiet, cleansed beauty. He remembered the training room, and trailing his thumb across her skin, the taste of her lips…

  It was just an adrenaline rush, he told himself. But adrenaline didn’t make him almost fuck his Guardian in public space.

  Ava was sleeping this morning when he woke, her breathing slow, peaceful.

  Was she truly closer to the Gods than he was? Could that asshole Messenger be worthier of her?

  Obviously, yes. Liam was far from angelic material.

  As she slept, a strand of strawberry-blond hair brushed her face. He walked quietly to her, his steps mute. Liam had experience on how to approach someone in silence, a skill that saved his life many times before. He gently swept the strand off her face, and Ava smiled softly. He couldn’t help but smile too.

  Liam didn’t like Ezraphael. He seemed like a pompous bastard, but in the end, it was Ava’s decision. It might be a stupid decision, but it was hers to make.

  Liam looked down to his heart and poked it, like Archie used to do.

  How I wish you were here, old man.

  In all this mess, one thing was certain: Liam would avenge Archie. Whether Ava, her Messenger, or the Gods approved it or not, he didn’t care.

  Ava moved and grumbled, and he quickly stepped away, standing where the sofa began.

  She blinked and stretched, inhaling a deep breath. She arched her back, which pushed her breasts against the shirt he’d given her, the mark of her nipples clear beneath the cloth.

  Liam looked away. Whatever connection he had to her, sexual desire, kinship; it would have to be ignored.

  Princess frowned when she spotted him. “Were you watching me?”

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  He ran a hand through his hair and looked out the window. “I don’t know.”

  She seemed to consider that. “I’m here to help you, Liam.”

  “Are you?” he countered.

  Guilt slashed through him. He knew she was. Ava had proven her devotion to him nonstop since the day they’d met. He might have called her princess to irritate her at first, but as he got to know Ava, he realized he called her princess not because she was frail, or pretty—but Gods help him, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. No, now he called her princess because Ava had become precious to him. Also, her new partner looked remarkably cute when she was annoyed, which was a damn good reason to tease her.

  “I’m here for you,” she stated from below her earth-colored eyebrows. “Always.” This without an eye-blink.

  Liam’s throat bobbed at the upcoming words. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

  Ava’s lips parted slightly, her brow scrunching with annoyance. “How many times do I have to tell you? I chose my path. I knew the risks. And I will keep helping you, regardless of my commitment to the Messenger.”

  He winced. “So it’s that serious, huh?”

  Ava looked at the ground. “It’s my duty to the Gods. Perhaps a duty to myself and also to Ezra.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “There’s milk and cereal. I’m heading off to the precinct. You know the way.”

  Inside the blue padded training room, Liam ordered Ava to run a hundred laps and after that, they practiced her attacks. Princess was better with defense but being good at only one thing had never won a fight, not when it was a werewolf, a bloodsucker, or a freaking demon against her.

  They began basic battling, and their swords clanged as they charged against one another. She did her series well—attack, push, step back, charge—but if she were to fight demons or In-Betweens, Ava needed to be much faster.

  Kevin watched them from a bench on the left side of the room, his darting gaze following their moves.

  Liam wished Ava could tap into the power he’d witnessed. She would need it for where they were going after they were done here. He suspected that adrenaline had brought her abilities to surface, the feeling she had no way out. So Liam attacked her as if she was his worst enemy, any trace of mercy gone from him.

  Today, Ava’s life would depend on her fear of losing it.

  Two swift moves, two moments
where Ava failed in her defenses. Two deep cuts, one on her thigh, another on her back.

  She fell to her knees, blood flowing from the cuts, but again, she didn’t scream. She held the cries inside her throat, her mouth clasped, her entire body shaking. Like a fucking Valkyrie.

  “By the Gods, Liam!” Kevin shouted as he ran to her.

  He rested one hand on her back and another on her thigh. Ava’s blood ran down the gaps between his fingers.

  A soft shine glowed from Kevin’s palms as he worked tirelessly on her cuts until finally, Ava was healed. The only clue she had been injured was the dried blood on her ripped clothes.

  Dark circles contoured Kevin’s eyes, and his cheeks were slightly sunken in, the cost of too much healing. If he’d been a Dominion, the side effects wouldn’t have been this extensive, but a human body could only withstand so much angelic power.

  “Ava, I’m not trying to hurt you,” Liam said, his tone soft. “It’s just that I already lost one partner, and I can’t lose another. You have to be ready.”

  “I understand.” Her tone was hoarse. She tried to smile but failed, and it broke something in him.

  Gods, Liam wanted to hold her, to beg for her forgiveness, and he also wanted to kiss her senseless. He shook his head, sending the thoughts away.

  Wobbly, Ava stood up. Kevin took the cue to hurry back to his bench.

  She pointed her sword at Liam and said, “I’m ready.”

  He admired her, this harmless Guardian and fierce warrior all in one. Then he attacked.

  Just before their sword clanged, Ava charged at him with all her might. Like something had snapped behind those sky-blue irises.

  Ava attacked hard and at once, pushing him back, and almost slashing a deep gash on his leg. She didn’t give him time to breathe, clang, clang, clang. There it was, that fire he’d seen rumbling beneath her meek surface.

  They ran, jumped, and furiously clashed. Sweat coated his face, and it coated Ava’s too. His muscles ached, his breathing was ragged, but oh, this was fun!

  “Oy!” Kevin shouted from his bench. “You do know I can’t heal anymore, right? For at least two days! I’m fucking drained!”

  They didn’t care.

  She charged, and Liam slammed his blade against Ava’s so hard that sparks splintered from the hit.

  “Bloody hell!” Kevin yelled, hands slammed on his head. “You two stop! Now!”

  They kept pressing their swords together, the screech of metal against metal piercing Liam’s ears.

  Ava could’ve won if he hadn’t been stronger or more experienced. Soon enough, her muscles began to shake. She fell with one knee to the floor but kept the strength in her block. She smiled through gritted teeth, that wilderness burning beyond the peace and devotion to the Gods.

  “Well done, princess,” he said through hushed breaths, leaning his weight onto his sword, onto her. “You could kill an In-Between this way.”

  Ava gaped at him as she held her block, her blade crisscrossed with his. “You called me princess.”

  Liam rolled his eyes, but a soft smile creased his lips. “Only because you hate it.”

  The adoring way in which she looked at him said thank you. So she liked to be called princess? Women could be a fucking puzzle.

  He stepped back and lowered his sword. From the bench, Kevin exhaled in relief.

  Ava stood and watched Liam intently as they moved in a circle, the tips of their swords nearly brushing on the floor. Two predators waiting to attack.

  “What do you think, Kev?” Liam asked, his attention fully on Ava. “Is she ready?”

  Kevin shrugged. “Well, it’s not like you have a lot of time on your hands.”

  Ava frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Kev found a blip in the radar two days ago,” he said. “It’s a small blip, but it could lead to something.”

  “A blip?”

  He and Ava still moved in circles, like perfect clockwork. “There’s somewhere you and I need to go.”

  “And where’s that?”

  He stopped and sheathed his sword, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. “Go shower, then meet me upstairs.”

  She sheathed her sword and crossed her arms. “Liam, where are we going?”

  He gave her a weak smile. “Where your boyfriend told us to go.”

  16

  Ava

  “Why are we following Ezra’s orders?” Ava asked as they walked through wide streets towered by abandoned warehouses. Dusk had started to settle, drenching the half-decayed constructions in an eerie blue-grey.

  “Maybe I’ve decided to obey the Gods,” Liam said mockingly, his tone low.

  She stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m not that naïve.”

  “Well, we are investigating illegal vampire action in sector thirteen.” He nodded forward and kept walking. “That makes it official business, doesn’t it?”

  He unsheathed his sword and scanned the surroundings as they went, his muscles clenched. She followed him, grasping the hilt of her sword a little too tightly.

  “And unofficially?” she asked.

  “Archie had an informant named Drake,” he whispered. “I tried looking for him, but his coven has moved. Two days ago, one of his own was killed here by another Selfless.”

  “The blip in the radar.”

  He nodded.

  A clanking sound sprouted from the left, and Ava’s muscles tensed. Liam closed his stance and pointed his sword at the origin of the noise, his movements graceful and quick.

  A tin can rolled from behind a dumpster, followed by a black cat that jumped atop it.

  “Keep your guard up,” he said as they moved on.

  The carcasses of buildings and rusting cars sprawled on the empty sidewalks made the industrial quarters feel like a cemetery. A soft wind spread the tang of saltwater and rust through the streets.

  The harbor mustn’t be far.

  “If we find Drake’s coven, we find Drake,” Liam said. “And then we interrogate him.”

  “You mean you’ll ask for the name of Archibald’s murderer.”

  He nodded without glancing at her. “Knowing Drake, I bet he’ll know who in the Order tried to silence Archie.”

  “Those were a demon’s lies, Liam.” Ava blew an exasperated sigh. “An angel would never harm a human. We are devoted to the Gods’ creations. It’s why we exist.”

  “Why Guardians exist,” he corrected. “What about the others?”

  She shook her head. “That’s sacrilege.”

  “Everything is sacrilege to you.” He nodded behind them, showing her the way they’d come. “You’re free to go, princess.”

  She looked back at the abandoned street and pictured herself in her room, at the Order, where she didn’t need to learn sword fighting or defy the will of the Gods on a daily basis. Then she glanced at Liam, who had stopped to watch her.

  An inch of fear glinted in his clear green eyes, and a longing sensation wafted from him, brushing against her skin in a soft caress. He didn’t realize it, but he was asking her to stay. He needed her to stay.

  A voice in the back of her mind, her own voice, whispered words she couldn’t understand. Ava concentrated, but all she could discern was the question, “Why do you think you’re here?”

  She shook her head and inhaled deeply. “You’re right. If there’s an absurd possibility that someone in the Order has betrayed the Gods, we should investigate.” Heavens, spending so much time with Liam had begun clouding her judgement. “But don’t be surprised when we discover Archibald’s murderer was a demon or an In-Between.”

  He smiled at her, and Ava saw that little boy in Archibald’s living room. “Sure thing, princess.”

  Warmth filled her chest. Ava never imagined she’d come to like that silly nickname, yet here she was.

  They walked on, their careful steps nearly silent, until Liam raised his arm and Ava halted.

  “Listen,” he whispered.

&
nbsp; At first, she couldn’t hear a thing apart from the wind coursing through the empty streets. Then grunts in the distance. The clanking of a blade on concrete.

  They hurried through abandoned factories that echoed their steps, immense man-made caves with hollow halls, until they reached a red-bricked compound with broken windows and a missing roof.

  Voices came from inside.

  Two piles of rusting machinery stood by the entrance, and Ava and Liam hid behind them before peeking into the warehouse.

  A Warrior, clad in an obsidian bodysuit and kilt, faced a vampire female. The guns and daggers he should have been carrying laid strewn on the floor. All he had was his sword, which he pointed at her with a shaking grip.

  Ava’s instincts urged her to run the other way. Warriors were skilled fighters. They rarely feared anything, but this one was terrified.

  Ava angled her head left and understood why. A headless body clad in black was splayed behind the vampire woman, twisted in all the wrong angles. Ava followed a track of blood on the ground that began on the severed neck and went past the Warrior. There, not far behind him, was his fallen partner’s head, staring at Ava with milky eyes and an open mouth.

  Before she could cry in horror, Liam held her gaze. His stare oozed assurance, and Ava knew that as long as he was here, she would be fine. So she swallowed back the scream and nodded.

  The remaining Warrior kept pointing his shaking sword at the vampire female. “You’ll pay for your sins, creature.”

  The woman laughed ice daggers. She wore a dark green Victorian dress decorated with black ruffles on the hem of her skirt and on the edges of her corset. Her orange-red hair was tied in a loose bun atop her head. The woman’s clothing belonged to the 1800s, but she might be much older than that. Her skin was a flawless porcelain, and it reminded Ava of a doll her mother had once given her.

  This vampire might be strikingly beautiful, but when she snarled through red lips, her neon-blue eyes fixed on the Warrior, Ava saw her true nature: a bloodthirsty beast. The headless body behind her proved that.