by Layna Snow
Hey, how was work? Soph typed, seeing the exhaustion in the other girl’s face.
“Good!” the blonde smiled, and Sophie could tell that Em liked her job. “I just got us a new designer for the store. She is so good and I love her stuff. I wish you could tell me where you were so I could send you something!” The girl said.
Sophie wished so too, but she couldn’t. It was a secret and although Em knew most of what went on and could guess the rest, she wasn’t allowed to be in the loop. I know, but I wouldn’t fit into anything anyways. My stomach is growing so much! In fact, soon she’d have to buy new clothes. It probably helped that her shirts were loose before. The main problem was that her boobs were growing as well and there wasn’t a lot of room for them as it was!
“Oh yeah! I’m sure you’re getting excited! When can you tell the gender of the baby? Have you had an ultrasound yet?”
No, no ultrasound. It would still be a while before she could have the doctors tell her the gender, but she knew already. She was having a girl.
And she’d name her Annie after her sister. It only made sense, and really, that was the only way to fulfill the deal she made with the Devil. The deal that would force her to give up her child in 20 years.
That wasn’t going to happen! The guys and the Hunters would come up with something!
“That sucks!” Emily said, clearly misjudging the cause of her sadness. But that was alright, Emily didn’t need to know everything.
Over the last while Emily had asked her constantly about Sin. The other girl wanted Sophie to be happy.
Sophie wasn’t even supposed to know about Sin’s mission! But Thane couldn’t lie to her, even though Gage had told him to keep it a secret.
She knew that Sin ended up in the same lab that Axel now worked at as a guard.
Apparently two people in one place was a waste of resources, but there wasn’t anything that could be done about it now.
He was safe and alive and she could only hope that he came home soon.
So, what’s happening with you? Dating anyone? Sophie asked, knowing that Emily had met a nice guy from Toronto when she was last there. Soph didn’t think anything would come of it though. The blond girl was still hung up on Nate. And Sophie completely understood why. She would never be able to get over Thane and Sin.
“No. Jason asked me out but I couldn’t say yes. I don’t know. I just don’t feel anything for him. I want to be excited and like I can’t wait to talk to him, but I don’t feel that way. I want to get swept up off my feet again. I don’t think anything like that will happen. Nate was special and maybe I won’t find another like him.”
Sophie felt bad for her friend and wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do. She didn’t even know what happened.
Emily sighed, running her hands though her hair. “I’m not supposed to say anything but I was contacted by someone who asked me to keep an eye on things. I knew that something was wrong with Seth, Cay and Mel from the beginning. I mean, Mel wasn’t normal and she didn’t come from a commune! And then when someone tried to kill her, I just knew that something was wrong and it wasn’t Nate. So after this person from the FBI called me and talked to me, I realized that I could help out. But I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. When Seth and Cay came to see me that day we all got shot at, I knew something was wrong and so I sneaked away to call my contact.”
Huh. Sophie wouldn’t have thought of Emily as a spy. She didn’t really keep secrets well. Just look what happened with her pregnancy news. But, she kept this one!
So he dumped you for helping the FBI? That really didn’t make sense. Soph didn’t know much about Nate but she didn’t think he was that much of a weirdo.
Emily laughed and shook her head. “No, he dumped me for lying to him. He said that couples worked together. I didn’t know what to do so…I didn’t do anything. I didn’t want to get on Agent Winters’ bad side!”
Oh shoot! All this time Emily had been working with the Hunters and no one knew? Sophie wondered if Gage even had a clue! Axel was a weird secretive man who made decisions and set things up in a way that people couldn’t figure out. It seemed unreal that he would have picked Emily to do this, and that all this with Nate stemmed from it.
But you still love him? After a fight like that, it would be easy to hold resentment. It was even difficult for Sophie to get over the things that Sin had said and she knew that they weren’t true.
Emily nodded sadly. “But he doesn’t love me. He is dating again and he wouldn’t do that if he loved someone else.”
Sophie wasn’t sure that that was true.
Emily sighed. “I have to go, though. I’m really glad that things are going well for you. Keep me updated.”
Sophie smiled and said her goodbyes, knowing that she couldn’t actually keep her up to date, but it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t lose this friend and she would do her best to make sure things work out.
Signing off, Sophie got up and turned to the door to find Thane standing there. He looked at her hesitantly before coming in.
“Sorry.” He said gravely and Sophie laughed silently. Was he so worried about interrupting her that he just waited for her to be done instead? What a sweet, surprising man!
“It’s alright. So what happened?” Sophie signed. Thane had learned sign language so that she’d be able to communicate with him better.
It was the best present ever!
Thane had been at a meeting with the other main Hunters. She found out that there were hundreds of people working behind the scenes but only the top level were in the meetings. The room would have been awfully crowded otherwise.
“Nothing.” He said, shrugging. She knew that he was worried about Sin. She was too. Not too long ago they got a message about a change in Axel’s plan. Apparently things were heating up and he was getting further into the facility. He was gaining respect and getting accommodations. They were ready for him to enter the next phase of the operation and they’d need Sin’s help.
It was scary to sit on the outside and wonder about what was happening. She was always afraid that when someone approached her, it would be to tell her that something went wrong. She finally knew what it was like to be an army wife, and she hated it. She wanted her man back home.
“He loves you.” Thane growled, pulling her up in his big arms. She knew that Sin loved her, but it was nice hearing it from Thane. A part of her was nervous that Sin would come back and not want to be with her anymore.
Really, they knew each other for such a short time.
Apparently Sin had added in a coded message just for her. Every correspondence had it.
Sin loved her.
It always warmed her heart when Eden showed her the little communication. She had no idea what else it said but she knew her code. Every time he said babe, it was really Sin telling Axel that he loved her. And she was fully and completely appreciative of Axel for including it in his official responses when he sent them.
“I love you both.” She whispered, pressing her lips to Thane’s neck.
He held her closer and nuzzled the top of her hair. “Love you too. Will keep you. Always.”
Sneak Peek of Fallen in Disguise: Fallen book 3
On the surface, it appeared to be a research centre in the middle of Israel that focused on curing cancer using gene splicing. They called it The Zeus Institute for Curative Medicine, this location dubbed Homeland—as in the basis of Christianity and therefore institutionalized ethics. In reality, it was the first lab that the Alliance for Humanity created to do experimentation on living things in order to gain money and power.
Axel knew this because he and his team had been researching the facility for a year before he decided to go undercover to gather information. He needed to know how to best take down the people in charge when he demolished Homeland. He refused to let it spring up again somewhere else. He also needed to free the innocents.
“L975373,” Sam, a fellow guard, yelled, his voice slightly shrill. H
e turned back to Axel with a smirk. “L975373 is one of these things. They allow her to walk about but you need to put her in her place or she will walk all over you,” he offered as if he was imparting the secret recipe to his family’s chilli.
He expected a tall, fit dangerous woman whose claws could cut through metal. What entered the hall instead was a tiny Asian girl who looked no older than 17. Why let her guard anything?
The shiny black hair was cut short with blunt fringe which framed her soft face. Large black/brown eyes met his, if only for a second, in stunned terror before looking down at her clenched hands. Which brought him to the fact that she didn’t wear an outfit like theirs, but a grey shapeless number with her designation stitched onto the front.
This was the dark figure he noticed scurrying into the hallway when he came down on the elevator.
Her vulnerability made him want to protect her until her head came back up, her eyes hard and disgusted.
How could anyone guard their own kind, stopping them from escaping and leaving them in filth only to be experimented on? How could the girl, her gender only more at odds with the ruthless decision, ally herself with these monsters.
It removed all of the protectiveness he had felt and left him with apathy. It let him observe her better, to catalogue impressions.
She might be the one that Sam had sex with earlier. She might have given her small body to the enemy, and for what? Did she like the idea of being with someone stronger? Did she feel attraction to his sickness? Maybe she got better treatment if she gave herself to the Humans.
“L975373, this is the new guard. I wouldn’t try to tempt him, he doesn’t seem to like you much, and he could probably squish you like a grape. Now, we’re going to watch you hose down that Fallen. He’s gotten mouthy lately.” He snickered.
L975373 nodded silently, and turned to walk back to where she came from, but he could tell her body vibrated with fury. Did Sam?
Around the end in the hallway, more cages sat, these were slightly different, as if to hold stronger beings. There were bars through some of the glass, and he wondered what each of the beings were.
“Oh, the little pixie brought some friends! I see you hired reinforcements. I already claimed back door action if she was double-teamed. You can’t bring new players to boot me out. So not fair! The coach shall hear about this!” A familiar sarcastic voice called from behind a glass cage. Axel could tell despite the months of incarceration Adrian was no worse for wear. Axel was surprised that he still had all his parts.
“Now, 678472. You know that the more you talk, the colder the water.” Sam laughed and gestured to the imp.
L975373 then pressed a button in the keypad twice before holding it, causing the ceiling to let a drudge of water fall down.
“What about their clothes and bed?” Axel asked, as everything got soaked.
The man beside him laughed again. “He’s going down to the lab anyways. The team will send someone up to wipe things down and change things out. He’ll just have to stew in here until after supper through, until he gets taken down.
The girl released the button and the water slowed to a stop, which left a satisfied Sin standing in the middle.
“Ohh baby. That hurt so good. A little colder next time, huh? I might have gotten a tad excited.”
Maybe it was a bad idea for Gage to send Adrian in. They might have fared better with Thanatos.
Wing A already seemed troublesome.
Glossary of Terms
Angels: Heavenly beings that were created fully formed and do not feel emotion.
(6 classes)
--Archangels: Three main Angels that are only second to God (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael).
--Warrior Angels: Angels that are created to be skilled at fighting. They hunt Demons that enter earth. They are overseen by Michael.
--Angels of Justice: Angels that are created with the ability to read souls and allow them entrance into Heaven or banishment into Hell. Work in the Temple of Justice and are overseen by the Archangels.
--Angels of health: These Angels are able to heal those deemed worthy of health. They are overseen by Raphael.
--Messenger Angels: These Angels are able to translocate themselves to different places in order to give messages. They are overseen by Gabriel.
--Fallen Angels: Often called the Fallen, they are Angels that have committed one of the 7 deadly sins. They are sent through the Heavengate and their wings are removed. Once exiled from Heaven, their emotion are no longer suppressed.
Demons: Creatures that are created by Lucifer and reside in Hell. They have different powers, but are not thought to contain a soul.
(Countless kinds, often thought of in a hierarchy)
--High Demons: they are Demons with thought, reason, cunning, and ambition. They have a brain similar to Humans and are more powerful. There are many kinds, and not all have the same powers or looks, but are often humanoid.
----Xérnal: Messenger Demons that look like aliens. They have grey skin and their head is rounder on top, small jaws, with flat faces. They are tall, skinny and their three fingers excrete a hallucinogenic chemical. They probe information from your brain. Thane and Adrian call them Plate Faces.
----Seltar: Mostly female, who have black skin with blue lightning-like markings. They are reptile in appearance, and have exaggerated S sounds in their speech. The female eats the male for mating. The males can control electricity, and create storms.
--Lesser Demons: More animalistic. They do not have rationality, do not have complex thought.
----Hoard Demons: This is a name that Adrian and Thane give the Demons that seem to attack in hoards. They are like insects, swarming an enemy. They hunt for food, and sometimes send one out to scout. They are bald, zombie-like beings who are double jointed and can crawl on walls. They do not have speech capabilities.
----Spider Demons: Named by Adrian and Thane for their spider-like appearance. They are about 100 pounds and have a hard exoskeleton. They lay their eggs inside their prey for their young to consume.
----Furry Demons: This is what Thane and Adrian call Demons that are large, covered in fur and have a snout like a bear, but wider. They have two club-like arms and four legs.
Hidden: Creatures often found in mythology or paranormal lore.
--Shifters: Shifters are Humans that turn into an animal. They each only turn into one, and it’s genetic. They aren’t restricted by the phases of the moon, but they have to connect with the animal often. Their animal is a spirit inside them, it is a companion and they share instincts. It cannot be transferred or infect others.
--Werewolves: A Werewolf is not a Wolf-Shifter. Instead of turning into an animal, a Werewolf can only turn into a therianthropic hybrid, a partial shift into a non-Human, non-animal being. This is caused by bites from other Werewolves and is dependent on the phase of the moon.
--Vampires: Beings that need blood to survive. They have a virus that changes Human’s genetics. The only way to become a Vampire is to have most of your blood removed, and then receive enough of the Vampire’s blood. They live a long time and can see in the dark. They feel weak during the day and can’t stand the sun. They do not need to sleep in a coffin, and holy items do not affect them. They have a soul.
--Witches: A Human with powers. They get their power from the earth which can be funnelled into spells. They can be either gender. It is genetic. They do not need familiars. Witches that cast bad spells get dark souls, which will not allow them into Heaven.
--Incubi/Succubae: Incubi are males, while Succubae are females of a race of beings that get energy and power from sex with another person. They need to feed on energy occasionally in order to survive but also eat regular food. The older the being, the less energy they have to consume.
--Valkyrie: Secluded race of women warriors who are known for their chemistry ability and poison making. They are faster, stronger than normal humans and are only ever women.
--Siren: A race of being who can co
ntrol with their voice. They are able to influence and hypnotise for short moments. It doesn’t work well on beings with good mental shields.
Hunters: A secret group of Humans/Hidden/Fallen that fight against those who hurt the innocent. Led by Axel. They have seven Alpha members who oversee others.
Alliance: Officially called The Alliance for Humanity, the group is comprised of Human/Hidden/Demons that use Humans/Hidden/Fallen for various reasons: experimentation, slavery, political gain, and to gain power. Ruled by Kellen Tolk, a Werewolf with unknown power and ties.
About the Author
Layna Snow has been writing stories since she was a child, always fascinated by mystery, suspense, and the supernatural. As an adult she has become intrigued by romance of all types.
Her books are diverse, just like the people in her stories, making each uniquely written, with different tastes and different levels of darkness.
Layna has lived in Canada her whole life, looks for the beauty in the world, and can't live without coffee, her cats, or writing.
She believes that since each person is unique, and each relationship is unique, all books should also show a different take on love.
Who doesn't love love?
For more info on Layna Snow, extra content, or other books please visit her website. Also, please leave a review where you bought this book and on Goodreads! It helps more people find my books!
https://laynasnow.wixsite.com/author
Or find me on twitter!
@Laynasnow13
