by Evans, Misty
Cephiel pointed at the dog. “Nikita dragged me here.”
She panted. “He’s just mad because I interrupted him and his girlfriend. Good thing I did, too. Yeesh. Talk about immaculate conception.”
So didn’t need that mental image in my head. “Why are you here?” I repeated.
“Well, duh. To save you.”
Cephiel eyed Lucifer in his naked state, then frowned at me. “Please tell me you didn’t sell your soul again.”
I looked at Luc. “He doesn’t know, does he?”
“He knows,” Zayfeer said. “He’s just playing dumb.”
My guardian angel’s eyes widened. “You touched the Tree?”
“It was a little more than a touch, but yeah. I know everything. Most everything. I know the real reason God wants to keep me away from Lucifer and why you were tasked with the job.”
“And you’re not going to go along with that plan, are you?”
“I’m the one who can control Luc’s dark side. He needs me.”
Ceph took a step forward, determination written on his face. “Heaven needs you.”
“I’m going to find all the lost angels and bring them to sanctuary. Then, and only then, can we talk about Heaven and my role in it.”
His lips thinned, his jaw worked.
“So.” Zayfeer rubbed his hands together and stepped between us. “About getting out of here.”
Luc sidled next to me and took my hand. To Z, he said, “You’re not coming.”
“I kept your lady safe, Lucifer. You owe me.” Before Luc could answer, Zayfeer turned to me with a pleading look. “With the baby and all, you’re going to need a nanny.”
Nikita and Cephiel exchanged a mortified look. “Baby?” they said in unison.
A strong wind picked up, lashing the branches of the trees and kicking up dirt devils at my feet. Waves crashed along the city’s outer perimeter, rivers forming between the marble outcroppings and running toward us. A pink light glowed around us.
I felt an urging from the angels stuck in the marble. Go. Take Zayfeer. Come back when it’s time.
With one hand holding Lucifer’s, I reached out my other and grabbed Zayfeer’s. Low in my abdomen, the baby fluttered her angel wings. Zayfeer as a nanny. After the day I’d had, it seemed almost…normal. “Arial approves.”
Luc gave me a you’ve got be kidding look, but shook his head at my shoulder shrug and wrapped us in his magic.
I love you, I mentally told him.
I love you, too, came his reply.
A heartbeat later, the three of us, along with Zayfeer, left Nikita and Cephiel standing in stunned silence.
Chapter Thirty – Happy New Year
Somewhere, a clock chimed midnight.
My forehead was cold and heavy. Freezing, in fact. I lay on a hard floor, another cold weight crushing my chest right over my heart.
“Amy.” Keisha’s voice cut through the buzzing in my ears. Music thumped in the background, but softly. “Are you back? Open your eyes.”
I did…and wished I hadn’t.
Gabriel, all seven foot of him, crouched over me. One of his giant hands pressed on my chest, the other on my head. “She lives.”
I knocked his hands away. Took a deep breath. I was lying where I’d fallen when Adam and Eve had grabbed me earlier. “Where’s Luc? Where’s Zayfeer?”
Keisha stood behind Gabe. Adam and Eve were next to her. Emilia and Mikayla loomed over me, too, and Keisha shooed Gabriel out of the way. She helped me sit up. “Are you okay?”
“What happened?”
“You passed out on us.” She winked at me. “That champagne does have quite a kick.”
I hadn’t drunk any champagne. I shot Gabriel a look. If Keisha didn’t know where I’d been, then that meant…“You came on your own, didn’t you? To help me and Luc?”
The archangel’s pale cheeks reddened. “He lives, yes?”
I pushed to my feet. “He should be here.”
Keisha put a hand on her hip. Her grandfather clock, with its skull and bone chimes, bonged and clacked in the background. “What are two talking about?”
In her eyes, I saw the incredible human she was. The incredible voodoo priestess as well. I laid a hand on her arm. “I was in purgatory. Had a few monsters…um, fears…to slay. You put a spell on Lucifer so he could come to me when he lost his magic, remember?”
Her face reflected shock. “The blood spell? I cast that for him months ago.”
“Months? I thought you just performed the spell tonight.”
She looked contrite. “You two belong together, sweetie, and after you took that trip to Hell, Luc and I decided it might be a good idea for him to be able to track you no matter where you went.”
“He said it happened tonight. Why did he lie about it?”
Gabriel spoke. “He feared for your safety, but knew you would reject any magical attempt to bind the two of you.”
Magic. “The two of us are magic. I’m not hiding from that any longer.”
The magic inside my chest sent up a hoorah.
Adam and Eve exchanged a look. Emilia pushed through the others and threw her arms around my neck. “First Hell, now purgatory. What is going on with you?”
What indeed. I hugged her hard. “I figured out who I am and why I’m here.”
“Ah.” Her eyes lit up. “Does this mean you’re giving up Witches Anonymous?”
Cephiel came into view, Marcia by his side. She leaned in, all ears, and I suddenly knew more about her intentions than I cared to.
“Not yet.” I gave Marcia a subtle back off glare. Cephiel thought he’d been sent to protect me from Lucifer. Little did he know he needed my protection. I wasn’t sure exactly how yet, but my instincts about Marcia screamed danger. “I have work to do on controlling my magic.” And other people’s.
Another chime of the clock reminded me to focus. Motioning Mikayla over, I drew her and Em into a circle and hugged both my sisters. “There’s so much I have to tell you both. About our mother. About our future.”
Mikayla’s brows disappeared behind her bangs. “Our mother?”
“Yep. We’re family now.” I grabbed Keisha. “All of us.”
“You have definitely had enough champagne,” she said. Over my shoulder, she told Gabriel, “Start some coffee. Make it strong.”
Catching Keisha’s hand, I placed it on my stomach. “Can you feel her?”
“Her?” Those big dark eyes widened. Then danced with surprised joy. “No. Really?”
“What?” Emilia demanded. Mikayla looked confused.
Patting Emilia’s shoulder, I broke the circle and backed up. “I’ll explain everything as soon as I find Luc.”
“I’m here.” The crowd parted and the last of the clock’s peals echoed through the house as the fallen angel of my dreams, clothed in his favorite leather pants, biker boots and silk T-shirt, materialized.
Damn. My heart climbed into my throat. Clothes or no clothes, I would never tire at the sight of him in any form.
He caught me around the waist, pulled me close and kissed me. Long and deep. I waited for the Mark to come to life. In this world, it was still a part of me.
It stayed frozen from Gabriel’s touch. Between him and Zayfeer’s ability to reverse the curse, this might just work. I kissed Lucifer back, reveling in the freedom.
When we broke apart, I whispered, “Happy New Year, Bringer of Light.”
He caressed my cheek, stared deep into my eyes. Then he hugged me tight and murmured in my ear, “Happy New Year, Amo.”
Epilogue – Heaven Can Wait
January 1st. A new year. A new everything.
I stared out the window of my bedroom, looking at downtown Eden. The buildings and roads were covered by a blanket of snow. Everyone sleeping off their hangovers, dreaming of a fresh start.
Luc slept with carefree abandon in my bed. Cain and Abel curled protectively around him. We’d been up most of the night, explaining everything to my
friends and family. Making plans. Reaching for each other every few minutes.
There were still questions that needed to be answered, but every time I tried to access the knowledge the Tree had given me, I felt a block. A wall I couldn’t get through in this world.
The information was there, that I was sure of. One way or another, I’d figure out how to get to it again.
But maybe I didn’t need it here. I had what I wanted and what I needed. Like I’d told Emilia, I knew who I was and why I was here now.
The bed creaked and a moment later, Lucifer hugged me to him and set his chin on my shoulder. “I know that look. You’re planning world domination again, aren’t you?”
“We’re going to find all the fallen angels and bring them home. Bring them to sanctuary.”
“The back room of the ice cream shop’s going to get pretty full, isn’t it?”
Just thinking about a bunch of angels scooping ice cream and living underfoot made me smile. “We’re going to keep helping the biblical characters, too. Those who got raw deals like Sampson and Delilah.”
He said, “Of course”, but mentally, he was thinking, bloody hell.
I patted his hand. “Cephiel will be in charge of the biblical characters. Gabe, in charge of the Fallen. I’ve got a plan all worked out. You’ll see.”
He drew a breath, let it out slowly. “And the angels trapped in the City?”
“I’ll free them.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure yet.” I rubbed my belly absently. “But we’ll figure it out.”
His fingers intertwined with mine over my stomach. We stood like that for another couple of minutes, then he drew me away from the window.
“In the meantime…” He gave me a wicked grin as he lowered me to the bed. “I have my own plan, witch, and it involves you with far fewer clothes.”
I laughed. The Mark was quiet. My magic was lusty. Seemed it was finally time to confess my sins. “You sure you want to get involved with me? I have a reputation, you know. I jump first, ask questions later.”
He kissed his way down my neck, ran a hand over my hip. “The first step is a bitch, I’ll give you that, but what follows…” I felt his lips smile against the skin of my stomach. “That’s pure Heaven.”
Heaven. As Luc trailed kisses over the rest of my body, my heart and magic purred. “Not Heaven,” I said as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “What we have is pure magic.”
Welcome to Temptation!
Read all the Witches Anonymous Stories!
Witches Anonymous, A Tickle My Fantasy Story (Step 1)
Jingle Hells, Witches Anonymous Step 2
Wicked Souls, Witches Anonymous Step 3
Dark Moon Lilith, Witches Anonymous Step 4
Dancing With the Devil, Witches Anonymous Step 5
If you love Amy and Luc, you might also enjoy
Kali and Rad in the Kali Sweet urban fantasy series:
Revenge Is Sweet, Kali Sweet Book 1
Sweet Chaos, Kali Sweet Book 2
Sweet Soldier, Kali Sweet Book 3 (coming 2013)
Turn the page for a sneak peek at Revenge Is Sweet!
About the Author
Misty Evans is the author of four series: the Super Agent romantic suspense series, the light paranormal Witches Anonymous series, the dark paranormal Lost Worlds series, and the Kali Sweet urban fantasy series.
The books in her Super Agent series have won a CataNetwork Reviewers’ Choice Award, CAPA nominations, the New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award for Best Romantic Suspense in 2010 and the ACRA Heart of Excellence Reader’s Choice Award for Best Romantic Suspense in 2011.
Her Witches Anonymous series has garnered 5-star reviews and was dubbed a Fallen Angel Reviews Recommended Read. Both the Super Agent Series, Witches Anonymous Series and the Kali Sweet Series have been on multiple Amazon Kindle bestsellers lists.
She has short stories in Entangled, A Paranormal Anthology, and Every Witch Way But Wicked. All proceeds from Entangled go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and all proceeds for EWWBW go to Nathon Fillion’s Kids Need To Read charity.
Misty is currently at work on the next books in all her series. She likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters dressed in couture. When not reading or writing, she enjoys hanging out with her husband of twenty-plus years and their twin sons. Learn more and sign up for her newsletter at www.readmistyevans.com. Like her author page on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
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And now for a sneak peek at…
REVENGE IS SWEET
A Kali Sweet Story
By Misty Evans
© 2012
Raj Nudra, Vampire King of the Central United States, was waiting for me.
Seated behind a mammoth black desk, Nudra appraised me with flat reddish-brown eyes. Two of his minions flanked his sides, arms crossed, weapons in plain sight. Low level demons, good for muscle but who couldn’t think their way out of a coffin.
Nudra leaned back in his chair, long black hair falling across his shoulders as his feminine lips curved up into a smug smile. “Kalina Dolce, what brings you here? Hoping to score front row seats to the concert?” He pointed to a couple of tickets on his desk and then to a bright orange lanyard with a plastic ID protector. “Or perhaps a backstage pass? Word has it, you were once sweet—no pun intended—on Rad Beaumont. If you’re looking to hook up again…” He let the suggestion hang in the air.
No one had called me Kalina Dolce since I'd left Rome in 1910. Kali Sweet was more modern, more American, and it didn't remind me every day of what had happened to my family and friends. Didn't make me catch my breath in fear when someone called me by it, or make my gut cramp with guilt when I saw it written on a random envelope in the mail pile.
I shut down the bloody memory the name called up. Now wasn't the time to revisit the past. In fact, it was never a good time to visit the past. Under the circumstances, however, I recognized Nudra’s one-two punch. He'd caught me off guard with his use of my old name and knowledge about my relationship with Rad. He obviously had anticipated my visit and planned accordingly.
Blood-sucking bastard.
Rule one when dealing with vampires, always have a ready escape. Leaving the door open, I removed my Bridge badge from the inside pocket of my cape, regaining my composure as I did so. The weight of the shield reassured me. The way the overhead light bounced off the gold reminded me of the responsibility I held. Nudra was king of a bunch of undead vamps. Big deal. I was a member of the Bridge Council and the best damn vengeance demon on the face of planet Earth.
I shoved my badge in his face. Sniffed the air as if he stunk as I flicked the hood off my head. Italian flair, check.
Offense taken, he straightened ever so subtly as I glared down at him. “You've crossed the line with humans again, using them as blood slaves. Trafficking them across state lines and selling them to the highest bidders. That's two strikes this year. One more, and...”
“You’ll send me to my coffin for a time out?”
East Indian charm, check.
“One more, and the next time you see me, I’ll have pliers in my hand.”
His flat eyes sized me up, and then he tsked. “Such an inhumane way to remove my fangs.”
I fished the written warning out of my back skirt pocket and tossed it on the top of his desk. “They're not for your fangs, buddy boy.” American snarkiness, check. “They’re for your balls.”
I grabbed my crotch to emphasize my point before backing toward the door. Rule number two, never, ever turn your back on a vamp, especially when threatening his vamphood.
“I take your balls, you lose your sex drive, and with it your bloodlust will decrease by ninety-nine percent. You’ll stop preying on human girls and boys, and a king with no sac is nothing but a figurehead, so you can wave bye-bye to all this power you’ve amassed. The Council will divide up your kingdom among the other American vampire rulers and your fortune will be doled out to the blood slaves as restitution.”
While his DNA gave his skin a warm tone, the vampire disease paled it. The result was a taupey gray, making it impossible to discern whether or not my words were sinking in.
Nudra leaned forward in his chair. “How surprising the Council sends you, its heart and soul, to do its dirty work.” Instantly, I felt his power rising around both of us. Sexual power, blood lust, desire all mixed together. “I could use someone like you in my organization, Kalina. Someone with your strength, your influence. That zest for humans you have fits perfectly with mine. The compensation, of course, would be exemplary. You would have everything you ever wanted.”
There was only one thing I wanted, and no one, not even God Himself, could give that to me. Once a demon, always a demon.
I stopped in the doorway. “My name is Kali Sweet.” Holding up two fingers, I made snipping motions. “Don't forget it or I’ll tattoo it into your skin when I cut off your balls.”
My nerves jangled as loud as the music in the walls as I moved quickly into the hallway and continued to back toward the stairs. Threatening a vampire king was stupid, but running a human blood slave business was unforgivable, and if it had been me making the call, I would have staked him on the spot. The Council, however, existed for this very reason. Vigilante justice created more problems than it solved.
No surprise, Nudra’s minions darted out of the office after me a few seconds later, weapons drawn. Vampire king bluster, check. Guns won’t kill me, but bullets will slow me down. And they hurt like hell.
