by Tessa Cole
What the hell?
I pressed my fingers to my lips, stunned, as the return-to-normal temperature chilled the sweat slicking my body.
He’d left to protect me?
And then he’d kissed me.
I had no idea what that meant.
Chapter 9
For the next few hours I paced my room, trying to concentrate on devising a safe plan to use myself as bait to catch the wraith, finding a way out of this mess, or hell, just staying calm. But the pain in my biceps where I’d been branded was definitely growing stronger and my mind kept jumping back to Marcus’s kiss.
God, he’d kissed me.
Sure, when we’d first been partnered together, I’d had fantasies about what that would be like. He was sexy and confident and there was a spark between us.
Boy, was there a spark.
My cheeks heated at the thought.
But I never thought it would actually happen. And that didn’t mean it would happen again or that it should. He was right that I wanted nothing to do with the supernatural world. So why did it bother me that he’d disappeared from my life to protect me from it?
Maybe because he hadn’t given me a choice? Or was it because he’d let me believe that I’d messed up his life? Although I had screwed it up, and we hadn’t been anything to each other when he’d left. We’d been partners. Nothing more.
And did I want it to be more?
More meant staying in contact with the supernatural world when this was all over. More meant possible continued encounters with Gideon and the risk of revealing my angelic nature.
My stomach rumbled and I checked the time. A little after six. Dinnertime. I should eat. Take care of myself.
But I resisted the urge to rush out of my room. Going in search of the cafeteria now was a terrible idea, no matter how much my body thought it agreed with Jacob’s command. Yes, Gideon could want to initiate the plan to capture the wraith at any moment, but facing that monster hungry was better than walking into a room filled with angels. Yes, there was only one investigative team stationed in Union City, but this was also a research facility. I didn’t know how many other people were stationed here and I had no idea how many of them were angels. I was willing to bet, however, there were more than the two I’d already met.
I pulled out my phone for a distraction and checked my messages. Only two. Thanks to a childhood of fearing everyone and constantly moving, I wasn’t close enough to anyone to be missed right away.
The first message was from my captain, telling me Gideon had demanded I be put on temporary medical leave and was taking me into protective custody, and the other was from my partner, Hank, telling me to get better soon. Hank’s message sounded awkward, which didn’t surprise me. We hadn’t gotten close in the four and a half years we’d been partners. Everyone had heard what had happened with Marcus and no one had wanted to get stuck with me, including Hank, and the new-partner-tension had never eased between us. The middle-aged, slightly overweight cop was probably glad I was out of his hair.
I managed to kill another hour and a half flicking aimlessly through the TV channels and doodling on the notepad I kept in my purse instead of brainstorming solutions to my problems. There wasn’t any safe way to use myself as bait, not with how powerful the wraith was. The guys had worn him down trying to free Zella, which was the only reason I could think of as to why it had fled, but I was pretty sure Zella’s fight before we’d gotten there had helped. Without her and without being able to use lethal force, the guys were at a serious disadvantage.
My stomach growled. Again. After eight. Here was hoping enough people had visited and left the cafeteria that I’d be able to get food without being noticed, and that the unpredictability of a JP agent’s job meant food would still be available.
I left the room, took the elevator to the first floor, and headed deeper into the new section of the facility — as instructed — to find the cafeteria. Ahead, the hall opened into an area sunk a few steps down. Tables ranging from two-person to eight-person with chairs neatly pushed in filled the space. Natural-feeling light — since it couldn’t actually be sunlight because it was after dark — illuminated the front half of the cafeteria with a comforting glow, while the back half of the cafeteria was in shadow, closed down for the night.
The far wall was a bank of windows and a door leading to a patio, and to the left, creating a separation between the cafeteria and a sunroom-style glassed-in section with tables and chairs, stood a wall made of massive rocks. They were stacked to create nooks and crannies that held lush verdant plants and pathways for miniature waterfalls. The waterfalls trickled into a pool at the bottom that wrapped from the front around to the back. To the right were the standard cafeteria stations with metal counters and two fridges at the end, closest to the stairs, with glass doors.
Near the back, almost out of the light, Amiah and the woman from the team who’d whisked Zella away sat huddled around a table eating, their voices hushed.
I turned around before hitting the steps and darted into a dimly lit hall, hoping they hadn’t seen me. I didn’t want to deal with Amiah. She had to have known Marcus was a werewolf because of me and I had no doubt that her anger over that said she had strong feelings for him.
Great. I had no idea what I was going to do now. I could wait in the hall for her to leave, except she could easily see me when she passed by and with my luck she’d have business in this direction. My best option was to go back to my room and wait half an hour or so. Surely she’d be done by then.
Footsteps squeaked on the tiled floor, coming from the cafeteria. I hurried further down the hall and around the corner into a wide band of soft light emanating from a large window. Beyond the glass was a hospital room complete with high tech, beeping equipment. Zella lay on the bed, her tattered, bloody wings in metal braces extended and supported, holding them in place, and her complexion gray. The scar on her face was mostly covered with a bandage, while the other side of her face was puffy and red with the formation of a massive bruise. Both of her eyes were swollen shut so I couldn’t tell if she was awake, but from the slow steady beep of the heart monitor, best guess was that she was heavily sedated.
Beside her, Gideon sat holding her hand, her knuckles pressed against his lips, his expression barren, not even icy, just stunned and aching, as if he’d been stripped raw and this was what remained. His clothes were still covered in blood, and a wide streak painted the side of his face into his hairline, as if at some point he’d swiped his hand through his hair without realizing it was covered in blood.
I shifted to sneak away, but his gaze lifted and locked on me, and I found myself going forward instead of back and opening the door.
“How is she?” I asked. The room was cold, but I suspected that was Gideon’s worry and not the actual temperature.
“They’ve stabilized her, but she has to go back in for surgery.” His attention swung back to Zella, and he lowered her hand to the bed but kept a hold of it. “She’s resistant to magic. It’s part of her unusual ability to create charms and what made her such an asset in the war. But it’s not selective, so Amiah’s healing magic barely works on her.” He drew in a ragged breath. “She isn’t certain if she can save Zella’s right leg or her wings.” His voice choked on the last word.
“Oh, Gideon. I’m so sorry.” The horror of that made my throat tighten.
“She didn’t deserve this. She was already in self-imposed exile, so ashamed of what she— of what we’d done. Of what we’d had to do.” The muscles in his jaw tightened. “She’s already paid too much. She’d paid it all back in the war.” His thumb traced the raised flesh on the back of her hand.
“Her scars?” Duh, of course her scars, but the question slipped out and I couldn’t take it back.
“A nephilim with a powerful fire magic,” he said, and heat flickered across my senses. “The animal nearly burned her alive.”
The heat flickered again, Gideon trying to control his rage. But I
didn’t need my empathy to see how upset he was. It was clear in the disgust and anger hardening his expression. “Those abominations murdered too many. Angels, supers, humans. I couldn’t protect nearly enough and I couldn’t protect her.” His grip on Zella’s hand tightened. “Be glad you’re too young to remember those times and you never have to face one of those monsters.”
I nodded, forcing myself to stay put and not flee in the face of his barely controlled rage. He didn’t know what I was and running would only make me look suspicious. But God, I needed to get as far away from him as soon as possible. “So you think this has something to do with the war?”
“Three members of my squad are dead and Zella would have been next if we hadn’t shown up,” he said. “I wouldn’t call that a coincidence.”
Neither would I. “Who’s left in your squad?”
“You mean should I warn them, Officer Shaw?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
“Sorry, I’m sure you did. I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t.”
“I warned them after the first two and again while Amiah was working on Zella.” His gaze lifted to mine and he studied me.
The hint of heat in the room vanished and ice returned to his eyes and posture. Not enough to eliminate the sense of soul-aching exhaustion radiating from him, but enough to make my nerves thrum with worry. Everything within me screamed to flee. Take care of myself. That’s what Jacob had commanded. Risking discovery wasn’t taking care of myself.
But neither was facing the wraith on my own.
The brand’s burn was increasing and I knew that couldn’t be good.
The immediate threat of the wraith’s danger won out over the chance of discovery, and I stood my ground. I pressed a palm to the brand. God, would it just stop hurting for one minute?
Gideon’s eyes narrowed, his attention on my biceps. “How bad is the pain?”
“Almost as bad as when it first appeared.”
“He’s using the unnatural connection to look for you. We don’t have a lot of time.” A hint of the ice melted in his eyes. “I’m sorry you’re experiencing a perversion of an angelic brand. The connection is supposed to be pure, soul-deep.”
“And compelling,” I said, unable to keep the bitterness from my tone. How long would it take before the wraith found me? And how long after that before its brand made me do horrible things?
“Compelling because the bond is transformative for angels, attuning souls together in a connection closer than even a vampire’s claim on a human. Mates, if they concentrate, can find each other, sometimes they can even communicate mentally with each other, on very rare occasions they can overhear each other’s thoughts without trying,” he said, with a hint of awe. “The bond is so strong, it even enhances an angel’s magic.”
I shuddered. Was that what the wraith was doing with me? Using me to somehow enhance his magic?
“The two souls belong together, have always been destined to be together, and the mating brand physically represents that knowing.”
“I really hope I haven’t always been fated to be mated with this wraith.”
“If you were, your brand wouldn’t hurt and it wouldn’t look like it was infected.”
I didn’t want to check to see if the welt had gotten worse. It sure felt like it was worse.
“I have no doubt the brand was forced upon you.”
“And that still doesn’t mean you can get rid of it.” A part of me hoped he’d correct me, say he’d been wrong when the mark had first been discovered, and tell me he could get rid of it.
But from his grim expression, I knew his answer hadn’t changed.
“Which leaves us with catching him and putting him in hibernation.”
Gideon’s frown deepened and he pursed his lips. “Marcus thinks you’ll be a liability.”
Of course he does. “Marcus knew me when I was a rookie. I’m not a rookie any more.” Although given the kiss, I was pretty sure me being a rookie had nothing to do with his fears. Regardless, we all knew, including Marcus, that using me as bait was the best, most expeditious plan.
“You’re right, you’re not a rookie, and you didn’t have to step in and help Jacob, but you did.”
“Yeah, about that—” I’d already gotten a dressing down from Marcus. I really didn’t want another one.
“It was foolish but courageous,” he said. “Still, you shouldn’t have done it.”
“I couldn’t let Victoria torture him.” Marcus hadn’t really accepted that line, but I was still hoping Gideon might. Except his expression didn’t change and I couldn’t read it to tell what he was thinking. I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “I’m a cop. I serve and protect.”
Still blank.
“We also need all hands on deck to capture the wraith.”
He gave a tight nod that I took as agreement.
“We might need all hands just to kill it,” I said.
The ice returned. “I told you killing it isn’t an option.”
“You saw what it did.” I glanced at Zella, my body aching just looking at her. “Killing it might be our only option.” And I knew he already knew that. “I know I’m not reading this situation wrong. I understand the consequences.” Yes, I didn’t want to die or go insane, but I wasn’t a fool, either. Gideon’s squad might be safe and in hiding, but what would that make the wraith do? Start killing innocent people indiscriminately? That wasn’t a price I was willing to pay.
His gaze slid back to Zella. “I’d hoped I was done with horrible choices.”
Marcus hurried around the corner at the end of the hall, stumbled when he saw me, then growled and picked up his pace heading toward me. Heat and humidity warmed the air. It wasn’t sweltering like it had been before and I prayed it would stay that way. My pulse picked up and a strange mix of emotions churned in my chest. Desire, embarrassment, confusion, fear. None of which were going to help me, so I gritted my teeth and ignored them.
“Summer confirms the coalescence snare spell is the real deal,” he said to Gideon, without looking at me. “It’ll solidify the wraith into its humanoid form so we can cuff it.”
“Good. Tell Kol and Jacob to meet us in the cafeteria in ten. We can make our plans there while I eat. But first I need a change of clothes.” Gideon stood and brushed his lips against Zella’s forehead.
“Come on,” Marcus said, before Gideon had straightened. “I’ll show you to the cafeteria.” Without even a glance at me, he stormed away and I scrambled to catch up.
We returned to the main hall and down the steps into a thankfully empty cafeteria. Marcus pulled out a chair at a rectangular table with six chairs and sat, his arms crossed. I pulled out a chair opposite him.
He shifted, his gaze flickering to me, barely making eye contact before flickering away.
My lips tingled with the memory of our kiss. We should probably talk about what had happened. Except I had no idea what to say, and I had no idea what the kiss had meant.
He shifted again.
Come on. Just start a conversation. It couldn’t be more awkward then sitting here. “So, ah—”
He jerked to his feet and paced to the rock wall.
So much for conversation. Fine. I still hadn’t eaten anything and Jacob’s compulsion to take care of myself was still gnawing at my insides. It was probably best anyway not to talk about what had happened. I’d screwed up his life, and he’d walked out on me without a word. Not that we’d had anything but a professional partnership to walk out on, so I had no right to be mad.
Jeez. Deal with the biggest problem at hand, then deal with Marcus. If things didn’t go well with the wraith, Marcus’s kiss would be the least of my worries.
I headed to the closest of the two fridges with glass doors and peered inside. It had packaged sandwiches, wraps, salads, sliced fruit, and yogurt. The fridge beside it was filled with an assortment of beverages including… was that blood? Well, the Joined Parliament did employ vampires. I grabbed a sandwich labeled t
urkey club and a bottle of water and returned to my seat as Kol sauntered down the stairs.
A panty-melting smile curled his lips and lit his eyes, making my pulse stutter, and he slid into the chair across from me, where Marcus had been sitting.
“How you holding up?” he asked, his voice sliding across my senses. He had to know the affect he had on a woman just by talking to her. It didn’t even look like he was trying. Without his focus on the business at hand, this was his natural, sensual self, lounging in a fold-up metal chair, exuding sexual invitation.
“Well enough to get the job done,” I said, my voice breathy.
He straightened in his chair, frowned, and the sense of sexual invitation eased. “Sorry, it’s been a day. I usually have better control than that.”
“Have you eaten, Kol?” Marcus growled from close behind me, making me jump. He dropped into the chair beside me, crowding into my personal space but not touching me.
“I have,” Kol said.
“Good.” Marcus pushed my unopened sandwich closer to me. “Pick your jaw off the table, Shaw, and eat.”
“And you back the hell off, Diaz,” I snapped back. If I wanted to drool over the sexy incubus — which I wasn’t — I had every right to. Yelling at me, kissing me, and then storming off didn’t give him the right to be mean.
Marcus glared at me. I glared back. Finally! I was done with being afraid and tearful. Now I was pissed. Now I could get something done.
Marcus snarled.
I stood my ground. Probably the stupidest thing I could do with an angry werewolf, but I didn’t care. He shouldn’t have kissed and run.
“What the hell?” Gideon said. It sounded like he was near the stairs, but I wasn’t going to look away from Marcus first.
Marcus snarled again, wrenched his gaze past my shoulder to the stairs, and shifted his chair away from mine.
“Oh, you made the angel swear,” Kol said under his breath.
Gideon marched past our table to the fridge with the sandwiches. “I need you on this, Marcus. Don’t make me bench you.”