For Want of an Angel
The Fallen Warriors Series
Rosalie Lario
In a world where angels rule over humans, twelve outcasts dare to defy expectation, warring with their angel brethren to prevent the extinction of mankind.
They are The Fallen.
Book 3
Fallen angel Aaron has found the woman of his dreams, an alluring nephilim who has no clue what she really is. By taking her as his mate, he can preserve his strength and immortality...something he’ll need in the fight against the angels who seek to destroy mankind. But first he must convince her that he and his Fallen brethren are not the evil beings they have been made out to be.
Samantha Benson has the ability to interfere with electrical signals, an attribute which makes professional thievery the perfect career for her. As if her special abilities weren’t enough to deal with, a fallen angel lands right before her and tells her she has angelic blood. He also expects her to believe the Fallen are really the good guys, and that the rest of the angels plan for human annihilation. Surely the sexy-as-sin Fallen is lying. But if so, then why do his words hold the undeniable ring of truth?
As the Fallen plan to infiltrate a secret prison built by the angels, Aaron must not only convince Samantha that mankind needs her help, but also that the two of them are meant to be together...forever.
*****
For Want of an Angel
Copyright 2012 by Rosalie Lario
Smashwords Edition
*****
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
Editorial Services provided by Kim Bowman, Freelance Editor.
License Notes
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*****
Chapter One
A heavy burst of September air buffeted the rooftop of the building Aaron perched on, cooling the bared skin of his torso. Street and building lights illuminated the Chicago night sky, casting shadows over the empty streets. Curfew had come and gone, and nowhere was that more evident than in the downtown area of this sprawling metropolis. He’d visited here once or twice before the veil separating the human world from the angelic one had fallen, and he’d found a surprising sort of beauty in witnessing the bustling streets at night. No more. Now that the angels had subversively assumed control over mankind, there was nothing but the cast of artificial lighting and an eerie sort of quiet.
Unless he counted the lone woman who slunk through the empty streets, taking refuge in the shadows darkening the side of the museum upon which he now crouched.
Rule-breaker.
If the fact that she dared to go outside past curfew wasn’t enough of an indicator of that, the clothing she wore would be. A black turtleneck sweater, serviceable black boots, and black leggings that clung to every curve. She wore a backpack on her shoulders, and she’d secured her chin-length, wavy blonde hair to the nape of her neck with a tie. The woman practically screamed cat burglar.
Which in fact she was.
“Just my type,” he murmured to himself.
A tremor of awareness prickled his spine—another angel was nearby. Alarm wound through his body, tensing his muscles like bowstrings. He hadn’t been expecting any friends...but he dearly hoped it wasn’t a foe.
He jerked his head to the side to see Zach and Jason flying toward him, their majestic black wings beating in unison.
Thank heavens.
The last thing he needed tonight was to attract unwanted attention.
Aaron watched his brethren approach, until finally, with a snap of their wings, they touched down. The two angels absorbed their wings into their bodies and then crouched down beside him, taking cover near the overhang of a rooftop A/C system and peering down three stories to the ground below.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked.
Zach let out a dry chuckle, though his gaze remained planted on the woman who now slid along the side of the building with her back pressed to the wall. “Checking in on your progress.”
He shouldn’t be surprised. Zach and Jason almost always accompanied him on missions. The three of them had been friends since their early childhood, and their bond had only intensified once they’d been damned by their people. Unfortunately, Aaron’s current mission wasn’t one that his best friends could help him with. No, he was definitely on his own for this one.
“How did you find me?” Aaron asked them.
“How else?” Jason shot him a rueful glance. “We flew around downtown until we picked up the essence of heaven.”
Jason’s words sent a bolt of possessiveness through Aaron’s body. His muscles stiffened and a growl crept up his throat. He swallowed it back. Jason had meant no disrespect. He only spoke the truth. The female who even now attempted to break into the museum did have an irresistible aura. It was how they’d first discovered her identity to begin with.
And as Aaron had already established with his brethren, she was all his.
“I have to hand it to the female,” Zach said, amusement coloring his tone, “she has spunk.”
That she did. In spades. What gumption it must take to risk being discovered outside after curfew. And then the fact that she dared to steal, when all form of crime was supposed to be extinct. If she were ever caught by the Consortium—the elite system of human guards that had been put into place to do the angels’ bidding once the angels had taken reign of Earth—her punishment would be harsh and immediate. She must be aware of that.
The fear that she would get caught almost urged Aaron to swoop down and claim her now, but he held back on the temptation.
“When are you going to get her?” Jason asked, almost as if he’d heard Aaron’s internal struggle.
“I want to see how she does it first.”
“True.” Zach placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “We’ll need to know how well she can operate under pressure, if she’s going to provide us aid in our mission.”
Zach’s words sent a shiver of fear coursing through Aaron’s body. Much as he might like to, he couldn’t forget that his mission wasn’t for pure pleasure. Though she didn’t know it yet, little Samantha Bensen would play an integral part in their efforts to save mankind.
“What is she doing?” Jason asked.
Aaron’s gaze locked on his mate as she stopped in front of one of the doors leading into the side entrance, slipped her backpack off her back, and slid it down to the ground.
“Good question.”
“Looks like she’s praying,” Zach commented.
Zach was right about that. Heedless of the fact that she might be spotted by a wandering Consortium Guard at any moment, she’d folded her hands in front of her and dropped her gaze to the ground. Breathless with anxiety, Aaron watched as the minutes rolled by without her moving from her spot. One, two, three.
Suddenly, without warning, a strange vibration made his eardrums pop. Aaron opened his mouth wide to compensate for the change in the air pressure.
“Did you feel that?” Jason asked, tugging on his earlobe.
“Yes,” Zach responded. “Felt like—”
“Wait.” Aaron held up his hand to silence his brethren while he processed the change in what he felt. “Can either of you feel her essence anymore?”
Zach’s mouth dropped open and he shook his head. “No. I still see her, but no trace of her aura.”
“Me either,” Jason said. “Can’t believe it.”
Neither could Aaron. He redirected his gaze toward his intended.
A nephilim who could mask the angelic half of her aura.
Never would he have believed it had he not seen it for herself.
“Your mate becomes even more interesting, Aaron,” Zach said, a note of wonder in his voice.
Fully conscious of the fact that his bewildered expression must match those of his brethren, Aaron nodded in acknowledgement. “That she does, brother.”
That she does.
*****
It’s a fine night for a robbery, Samantha Bensen thought wryly as she slunk her way along the side of the art museum. Truth be told, any other night would be just the same: fraught with danger. Stealing stuff was much easier to do when one could hide under the cover of other people, but ever since the angels had taken over rule of Earth and instituted a curfew for humans, she didn’t have that luxury. The only other option was to steal during the day, but not even she was that crazy.
So here I am. Plastered to the side of a building and counting on her admittedly extraordinary luck to keep her safe.
Of course, she’d never attempted to pull off anything quite so large and dangerous as this museum.
You’d be so proud of me, Dad.
Or he’d rip her a new one for even attempting such a dangerous stunt. Never could tell with that man.
The thought brought a bittersweet smile to her face. Her beloved stepfather, Harry, had passed away over eight months ago, but in many ways the pain of his loss was still fresh in her heart. Whether that was because he’d been the only person left in her life after her mother died when she was fifteen or simply because of his larger-than-life personality was anyone’s guess.
Samantha came to a stop in front of the side entrance she’d chosen for her entry after casing the place just about nonstop for the past month. Sliding her pack off, she took another furtive glance at the empty streets and then knelt.
“This one’s for you, Harry.”
Clasping her hands together for control, she bowed her head and concentrated on compressing her energy into one tight ball in the pit of her stomach. It was a tedious process, one that required intense meditation, but the result was spectacular. Somehow by concentrating her energy, she was able to affect electrical systems. With considerable practice, she’d discovered she could dismantle security systems like the one protecting the museum. The fact that she’d ever figured out she could do this at all was somewhat of a miracle, but Harry had wasted no time in putting her skills to good use after her mother had mysteriously died while on duty cleaning rooms over at the massive angel tower being erected in Lincoln Park.
“Something’s not right here, Samantha,” Harry had told her, and he had been right. The Consortium had blamed her mother’s death on a construction accident, claiming that some materials had fallen on her and crushed her, but something about the incident had rang false to Samantha. As a result, she and Harry had come to distrust the angels—who claimed their only interest was in protecting humans—and they’d gone off the grid. Petty thefts from neighborhood stores, thanks to her breaking and entering skills, had provided them with the food they needed to survive, and they’d been able to trade food on the black market for the other necessities of life.
And now it’s just me.
“Shush. Concentrate,” she admonished herself. She’d had a tough time with that lately.
After lord knew how much time, Samantha felt the shift in the air pressure that signified her modification of electrical energy. When her ears popped, she cracked her jaw and picked up her backpack. After withdrawing her laser glass cutter, she powered it up then dug out her suction handle. Standing, she attached it to one of the large glass panels lining the side of the building and then cut a big rectangular square into the glass. The handle allowed her the perfect grip to maneuver the glass out and to the side, leaving a hole big enough for her to scoot through. Better yet, the whole process took a couple of minutes flat. Amazing how easy it was when you had prior experience.
“Now what to steal?” she whispered as she slid her pack back on and made her way toward the nearest landing. Her research on the museum and on what the pieces would go for on the market had yielded a few good options. Now it was a matter of picking and choosing among them.
A low whistle sounded out from upstairs and to her left, and a second later she saw the back of the Consortium Guard assigned to watch over this building as he sauntered near the railing, clearly doing his rounds. The Consortium Guards were humans retained by the angels to do their bidding. Though they technically weren’t police, they were just as dangerous as the police of old had been. More so, maybe, because of their absolute authority over humans. Which meant her decision was made for her.
Taking a hard right, she ran to the nearest staircase and vaulted up the stairs, heading straight for the Renaissance Art section. Based on the path that the Guard traveled, she guessed he’d just checked this area, which should give her more than enough time to pick and choose her loot. Hopefully she was right and her luck would hold, because otherwise the consequences would be dire. The Consortium had done away with prisons since there wasn’t supposed to be crime anymore, which meant they had nowhere to put her if they caught her stealing. The thought of what they’d do to her in such a case was frightening, to say the least.
After bypassing a collection of ornamental vases, she found what she sought. A case of Renaissance jewelry. It lay right next to a wall containing a row of illuminated stained glass windows. Decorative religious pendants were displayed beside elaborate necklaces and earrings with bright-colored jewels. Spectacular...and technically worthless now that society had done away with money and instituted a monthly point system in its place. But in the black market, there were those who sought to collect these types of items, just so they could look at them or wear them in private. Which meant they were the ticket to the counterfeit passcard she wanted. A new identity awaited her, just one glass case away.
“Here goes nothing.”
Samantha scooted her pack off her back and dug out the glass cutter. Thanks to her ability, the alarm protecting the case was now disabled. It took mere moments for her to cut a hole in the glass and scoop out all of the contents of the case. She shoved them into her backpack.
“Perfect,” she whispered. Part of her longed to linger and collect more loot, but if there was anything Harry had taught her, it was to get what you came for and get out. Greed would ultimately get you caught.
Time to go.
With a grin, she zipped the backpack closed and turned. A man stood not less than ten feet from her.
Before she could stop it, a startled cry tore out of her throat.
“Hush,” he said in a low tone. “You’ll alarm the Guard.”
Samantha slapped her hand over her mouth and examined the intruder, who stood in a non-threatening posture, his heavy-lidded gaze directed right at her. He wore only a pair of dark jeans and boots, his chest bare. And oh, what a chest it was. The thick, bulging muscles of his pecs tapered down to corded ab muscles that disappeared under the top of his jeans. As if he sensed her appreciation, his biceps flexed, and she had to stifle the moan of pure desire that wound through her. Lusting after an intruder was not good, especially when you were a trespasser yourself.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she whispered. “And why are you only half-dressed?”
He laughed, a low, husky sound that practically made her shiver. His topaz-colored eyes flashed with something that look
ed dangerously close to desire. “I’m here watching you remove those priceless items...and I must say, very impressive.”
Samantha followed his eyes down to the backpack in her hand before shooting her alarmed gaze back up to his. Caught red-handed.
Oh shit.
Chapter Two
Aaron gazed across the space separating him from his mate, fighting the animalistic urge to stalk forward and yank her into his arms. She didn’t know him. Not yet.
But she would.
“I...I can explain,” Samantha stammered.
“No need.” He held up his hand, cutting her off before she could proceed with her bumbling attempt at an excuse. “I’m no friend of the Consortium.”
“Oh...well that’s good.” She tugged her pack onto her back, but her look of relief quickly morphed into one of suspicion. “So what are you doing here, then?”
Aaron took advantage of the distance between them, slowly letting his gaze wander over her from head to toe. Heavens, but she was a beautiful woman. Her wavy blonde hair was streaked with shades of honey, and her soft blue eyes spoke of intelligence tempered by years of hard living. Though her turtleneck covered much of her skin, it was tight to her flesh, showcasing ripe, full breasts and a trim waist. The spandex leggings she wore outlined strong thighs and slender legs.
In short, she was perfect...and he wanted her desperately. But telling her so at this very moment would only send her screaming from the room.
“I was simply passing by,” he told her instead.
“Passing by?” she repeated, her gaze wandering down to his bare torso. With visible effort, she snapped it back up to his face and snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure. If you’re not Consortium, then you must be here to steal something too.”
Aaron blinked at her. “Eh?”
She nodded decisively. “So that’s it. You’re a vagrant and you saw the broken window so you decided to take advantage.”
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