by S. J. Day
“I know what that’s like.”
“I’m surprised Cain is getting involved in Adrian’s business.”
“That’s my fault. I got suckered into this and I’m flying blind. I didn’t even know the Watchers... Fallen... vampires—whatever—were still around until last night and I’ve been scrambling to catch up. Since he’s my mentor, he has to tag along, too.”
“He looks a bit more invested than that.”
“Yeah…” She smiled, but kept her personal life to herself. “It’s complicated.”
“Which is why I work alone.” He poured a half-glass and set it in front of her.
Eve toyed with the stem a minute, then asked, “Why are we both here in Arcadia Falls? Is the location tied to the hunt in some way?”
“I’m here because of the resort rental situation. No one expects me to keep regular hours or stick around long term. If the vamp is here in the community, it’s because Adrian, Raguel, and Cain are all running their operations from Anaheim, so there’s a high concentration of angels in the area. Since Raguel owns this property, maybe the vamp thinks that ups his chances of catching an angel here. As for you, I don’t know. Maybe Raguel knows something about this location that roused his suspicions...?”
“I wouldn’t know. He enjoys withholding vital intel from me.” Eve took a drink and was surprised to feel warmth as the alcohol moved through her. The mark prevented mind-altering substances from having any affect. “Do you know why angel blood is in such demand?”
“No, but it has to either cause a rush—like a drug—or be power-enhancing, because it’s commanding a hefty price on the black market.”
“I’d expect so, considering the risk.”
“There’s no risk to you,” he said, his handsome face austere. “I’ve got your back.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you. Do you have any leads?”
“I’ve been looking at Jesse. I know Twilight is all the rage with kids these days, but she might be emulating someone else with those veneers of hers. One of her girlfriends? Or a boyfriend, maybe? I’ve been trying to figure out who she’s hanging out with, but it’s tough to ask questions about a girl that age and not look like a pervert.”
She glanced aside at him. “I can help with that.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“In the meantime, we’ll be better guarded tomorrow night onward,” she improvised, taking the first steps toward the door. “I doubt anyone will come for us so soon after we’ve moved in.”
Tim fell into step with her. “I agree. There’s reckless, and then there’s stupid. I don’t think we’re lucky enough to be dealing with the latter.”
“Figures.” She smiled at him. “At least the neighbors are nice.”
* * *
It was three o’clock in the morning, the devil’s hour, when Eve knew her house had been breached. The security system was on and silent, and all the doors and windows were locked, but she felt the disturbance in the goose bumps that covered her arms. She slid her legs off the side of the bed, and looked at Alec, who reclined against the headboard beside her.
His gaze met hers and he reached for her hand, his arm flexing in an inherently graceful display of taut muscles rippling beneath olive-colored skin. He offered a reassuring smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was worried about her. She wished he’d be more worried about himself.
Eve stood and padded barefoot toward the open bedroom door. She was dressed in clothing that gave her full range of movement—loose flannel pants paired with a spaghetti-strapped bra top. She’d prefer to have her Doc Martens on, but they needed their visitor to be as unguarded as possible. They were mortals trying to trap an immortal; they needed all the help they could get.
Moonlight from the guestroom windows cut alternating swathes across the carpet, affording her enough illumination to walk without fear of running into anything. That didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid of something happening to Alec while she was helpless to protect him. Her heart was racing and her palms were damp, physical reactions that the mark would have prevented. She missed the rush of aggression and bloodlust that came from the mark, as well the heightened senses that would have allowed her to hear even the minutest of noises and to sniff out her quarry. As it was, she wasn’t blind in the strictest sense, but she was definitely guessing.
A shadow darted across the landing in front of her. Eve stilled and played the role she and Alec had agreed upon. “Hello?” she whispered. “Is someone there?”
Behind her, Alec faked a loud yawn and called out, “Angel? What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Getting some water.”
Jesse materialized before her, a slender figure dressed in black with a serrated blade in her hand. She put a finger to her lips, then smiled, showing her fangs.
A brush of air against Eve’s nape caused her to pivot slightly. Pam stood between Eve and the master bedroom, her petite figure hunched in an abnormal way. Her fingers were splayed and curved, revealing thick claws. Eve’s gaze shot back up to the woman’s face, noting a feral snarl and pointed canines.
Jesse made a soft noise to catch Eve’s attention, then beckoned with the knife.
As Eve moved again, the fine hairs on her arms stood on end and her breathing quickened. She was a step away from reaching the landing at the top of the stairs when an arm snaked out from one of the guestrooms, grabbing her by the biceps and yanking her backwards into a rock-hard torso.
“Back off, bitch,” Tim snapped. Whether he spoke to Jesse or Pam, Eve couldn’t tell. But then he wrapped his hand around Eve’s neck and she felt the razor sharp nails at the tip of his fingers.
The teenager blew a bubble of gum and popped it. “What now?”
Pam growled, her gaze darting back and forth.
Alec appeared in the master bedroom doorway. He leaned into the doorjamb, crossed one ankle over the other, and drawled, “Which one of you wants to get their ass kicked first?”
Jesse looked at Tim. Eve felt him move, then a plastic bag and tubing sailed past her, tumbling through the air from his free hand to the teenager. Jesse caught the package deftly.
“Get his blood,” Tim said.
Eve hadn’t expected that. She looked at Pam. “Are you with them?”
The sound that came from the other woman’s throat was agonizing to hear. Eve looked at Alec, but his face gave nothing away. He was better at bluffing under pressure than she was, but then, he’d had a lot of practice. Still, he wouldn’t look at her. She knew he couldn’t while she was absolutely vulnerable and in the hands of a vampire. He’d go nuts and that would put her in more jeopardy than she already was.
“Those aren’t veneers, are they, Jesse?” Eve asked.
“Nope.”
“Jesse…” Pam’s voice was sandpaper rough. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to,” Jesse said, resuming her forward movement toward Alec.
Pam blocked her way. “I can’t let you touch him, Jess.”
“Can’t?” the teenager cried, sounding both furious and plaintive. “Because Adrian ordered you to be a good doggy and do what you’re told? Fuck him, Mom. Fuck all the Sentinels. We have a right to do what we want.”
“We have a responsibility to do the right thing.”
“What is ‘the right thing’? Protecting him—” she gestured at Alec, “—and the other angels that treat us like animals? Just because our ancestors crawled back to the Sentinels and became work dogs, doesn’t mean we’re stuck with their choice. We can still join the Fallen. We can still be immortal.”
“I’d be happy to turn you, Pam,” Tim purred. “Lycans take the Change better than mortals. You’ll like it.”
He sounded far too smug for Eve’s tastes, but she’d heard enough anyway. She shoved her hand between them and fisted his balls. Vampire or not, testicles were always a good target. He roared and stumbled back. Startled, Jesse dropped her guard. Pam tackled her daughter, falling to the floor just as Alec vaulted
over them.
Eve hugged the wall, knowing better than to get in his way.
Launching into the vampire, Alec caught him up and smashed him into the far wall. They grappled, the combatants discernable only as a flurry of violent movement in the dark. Then a body was hurled over the bed, crashing into the closet door in an explosion of shattered wood.
A figure stepped into the moonlight slanting through the window. Tim’s face was revealed, his handsome features contorted by both his vampirism and fury. Eve hunched low, prepared for a blow.
The muffled report of a silenced gun had Eve dropping to the floor. She watched, wide-eyed, as Tim’s body erupted into flames. He writhed against the wall, his claws ripping into the drywall as if trying to crawl out of his own skin. His flesh sizzled off his bones, dropping to the floor in burning chunks.
An outstretched hand came into her line of vision, snapping her out of her horrified fascination.
She looked up and found the gate guard from Adrian’s place. “Adrian sent me to help Pam,” he explained.
Alec climbed out of the ruins of the closet. “I forgot how bad it hurts to be mortal.”
The guard arched a brow as he helped Eve to her feet. “Adrian didn’t mention that part.”
“I didn’t tell him.” Which turned out to be a good thing. If he’d known, then Pam would have known, and then Tim would have known through Jesse.
Pam…
Eve scrambled into the hallway. She hit the light switch. The sudden flood of illumination revealed walls splattered with crimson. Jesse lay on her back, chest heaving. Half her throat was missing. Blood gushed in rhythmic pulses from her ruined neck, spreading across the floor in a thick, glistening puddle. Beside her, Pam sprawled with eyes open and sightless. The handle of Jesse’s dagger protruded from her heart.
The guard joined Eve in the hall. Dressed in loafers, slacks, and V-neck sweater, he looked too polished and powerful to be anyone’s pet.
He lifted his arm and pointed his gun at Jesse. “Your mother will be missed.”
“Fuck you, lycan dog,” she gurgled, blood running from the corner of her mouth. “Tell Adrian… we’re both free.”
He pulled the trigger.
* * *
“You are like a tornado, Ms. Hollis,” Raguel began, staring at Eve. “You always leave a path of destruction and chaos in your wake.”
Alec’s mouth kicked up on one side. They were presently crammed into the guest bedroom nearest the upstairs landing. Zaphiel sat on the mattress, while Eve stood at the foot of the bed next to Raguel. Alec grabbed a corner and settled in to enjoy the show. No one flustered Raguel like Eve did.
He watched as the archangel pointed at the blood in the hallway, then at the destroyed closet, then at the burn marks that shadowed the torn wall.
“Hey,” Eve complained. “I didn’t do any of that!”
“You arranged this confrontation, did you not?”
“Noooo… You and Zaphiel arranged this mess.” She looked at the cherub. “What exactly did you expect would happen when the vamp came after us?”
“I expect you to clean this up,” Raguel interjected. “Since I need you both to stay undercover to manage the neighborhood reaction to the mysterious speedy departure of three residents at once, you can oversee the repairs during that interim.”
“Thank you for your help,” Zaphiel said, before shifting out.
Raguel moved toward the door. “You may use your expense account, Ms. Hollis, to pay for the necessary repairs. I expect it will take at least three weeks to cement your cover story and settle the other residents. I will speak to Abel about removing you from rotation during that time.”
The archangel departed as quickly as the cherub had.
Alec frowned. “That’s it? Raguel usually likes to lecture us for an hour or more.”
“I knew it,” she said quietly. “The whole thing was too convenient. Too fast. Too easy.”
“Speak for yourself, angel. Seeing you in the hands of one of the Fallen damn near killed me.”
She looked at him somberly, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. “We didn’t get our marks back. We’re still mortal.”
“Lucky for them.” He pushed away from the wall. “They wouldn’t want to see how pissed I’d be if I didn’t get you into bed first.”
Eve began to pace, which meant she was thinking hard.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, hating to see her upset. “Are you still worried about me?”
“When we lost all the bonuses of the mark, did we lose all the restrictions, too?”
“I hope so. I could use a drink right now.”
She gave a shaky exhale and glanced at him. “Tim gave himself away. Why? Pam was the backup Adrian talked about the phone and she didn’t reveal herself. Tim was the one we were looking for, and he walked right up to me at Terri’s party. He said he worked alone. If he’d been one of Adrian’s seraphim, he would have had a lycan or two with him somewhere. Wouldn’t he naturally assume I’d know that?”
“What are you thinking?”
“If he wanted his soul back… if he wanted to go back to Heaven after all these years on earth sucking blood, would he make a deal with an angel to earn his way back into God’s good graces?”
Alec inhaled sharply. “Maybe. But what would Raguel or Zaphiel get out of it?”
Stopping suddenly, she faced him head-on. “You and me alone in a house for a month with no mark standing between us. No restrictions to the normal workings of male and female physiology. What would the natural course of events lead to, God willing?”
As understanding dawned, he grew very still. It took him a moment to find his voice. “Angel…”
* * *
Eve’s heart was racing. The roaring of blood in her ears was nearly deafening. She felt short of breath, bordering on panic. She was standing on the edge of a very sharp cliff and she was gearing up the courage to jump.
Alec’s sudden slow smile did crazy things to her equilibrium. It was joyous, outrageously sexy, and made her weak in the knees. He was gorgeous, wonderful, and in love with her. He was also God’s primary enforcer, he killed demons for a living, and he had an ex-wife from Hell… literally. But what man didn’t have his faults? Her mother always said it wasn’t about finding the perfect guy; it was about finding a guy whose faults you could live with.
Then there was the fact that when it came to making babies, he was the only man she’d ever imagined having kids with. If one child was all they could finagle out of this damned mess of Marks, demons, and manipulating angels, she’d count herself blessed for the first time in her life.
“We can damn well try,” he said, with a hoarseness that betrayed how the idea affected him. He came to her and pulled her close. His hands weren’t steady.
“Some people are afraid to bring children into the regular, screwed up world.” There was a tremor in her voice she couldn’t hide. “We’re talking about bringing one into Hell on earth. And we’re giving Raguel and Zaphiel what they want,” she warned. “We have no idea what their motives might be, what their intentions are—”
“Bring it on.” He wore an expression that dared all comers. “We’re giving ourselves what we want, angel. We can handle whatever we need to when the time comes.”
The tension left her in a rush, leaving her boneless. She sank into him and held on tight.
Alec pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Who says we can’t have it all?”
* * *
They decided to get married in the house, because it was quick and there was a bed nearby. Alec called in Muriel, a mal’akh they both knew and trusted, to perform the ceremony. Eve asked the angel to fetch a simple white crocheted summer dress from her closet at home, but she told Alec to stay just the way he was. He was exactly as she wanted him, no formality necessary.
When he protested, she explained that they’d have to marry again for her family and friends, and he could wear a tuxedo then. For now, the need for
haste was of paramount importance. She’d finally made up her mind and she was ready to get on with her new way of living—accepting her marked fate and taking what joy she could from it. Everyone else was enjoying having her in the marked system, because it benefitted them. It was time for her to get something out of it, too. And really, getting married to the man she’d loved her whole life, with an angel presiding over the ceremony, was all any girl could ask for…
…except for maybe a bit of closure with the guy she was walking away from before they ever really got started.
But Reed was ignoring her. Whatever it was they had, it deserved a farewell and an attempt at separating with no hard feelings. He was her handler, the mal’akh responsible for assigning her to hunts. They’d be working together indefinitely, as well as sharing thoughts and emotions for many years to come.
Through the open bedroom window overlooking the back patio, she heard Alec and Muriel laugh over something. He’d looked so boyish and carefree when she accepted his ring, and she felt a soul-deep surety that this was exactly what she was supposed to do. There were no doubts left, which gave her a sense of freedom the likes of which she hadn’t experienced since becoming marked.
Since they had the house for another few weeks, she intended to live all of her old dreams in that limited time span, making the most of every moment.
Then she and Alec would create new dreams to go with her new life.
Turning around, Eve took one last look at her appearance in the cheval mirror. When she saw the man reflected in the glass, she very nearly jumped out of her skin.
“You scared the crap out of me!” she cried, her hand lifting to shelter her racing heart.
Reed didn’t smile. He sat on the edge of the mattress with legs spread wide and his elbows resting on his knees. Dressed in a black shirt and slacks, he looked like he was in mourning. His gaze was hard and lacked any emotion.
“You make a beautiful bride,” he said without inflection.
