The memories flooded his mind while Mariel held his unwavering gaze.
“I was forced to fight my three brothers for food, told to kill prisoners with my bare hands, ordered not to shed a tear.” Gripped in his dark past, Kas forced venom into his voice. “I. Never. Did.”
His childhood had once been relatively normal. His mother had doted on him, although he’d long ago realized the risk she took in showing him affection. His sire had shown about as much warmth and comfort as a crocodile.
To his sire, Kas lacked real angelic power. Mind reading was an offshoot, an accident of the gene pool, a secondary talent. But since Nephilim were half angel, which meant the offspring developed one gift, it was the only talent he would ever have.
A disappointment.
Weak.
Mariel watched him with piercing eyes that reflected the world and revealed nothing beneath. How could a few words from her bring back so many memories? Old memories. Unwanted memories.
“Your assistance with my attackers required an equal response,” she said. “I removed your pain. We are even.”
Kas accepted the reply and turned his attention to the dead bloodsuckers strewn across the vacant field. Dammit, he couldn’t leave them in the open. He pulled his phone and thumbed a button.
“Corben, need a cleanup.” He waited until the ghoul grunted an acceptance. The creature preferred eating human flesh, but vamps were close enough. “Greektown. Near the construction site for those luxury townhomes.” He hung up.
Mariel cast him the stink eye. “You deal with the dark jinn.”
He couldn’t care less if her angel sensibilities disliked ghouls. Corben’s crew had a cleaning business that came in handy. “We need to go.”
“I have not forgotten what you did,” she said, though he wished she hadn’t.
Not one of his proudest moments, but he needed answers, and after a few nights of fighting against his willpower, he’d settled for convincing himself he wanted to see her again to dig into her mind.
“Can’t blame me for seeing an opportunity,” he said, feeling like one huge dick.
Mariel appeared ready to let him have it, but then she shook her head and walked away. What was she going to say? Hell, he was lucky she hadn’t stabbed him. Breaching her mind without permission was not the best Oh, hey. Nice to see you again message. He followed behind her.
What was it about the woman that had him unbalanced? Coming upon her brawl had slammed him with worry. A ridiculous reaction, since Mariel obviously had soldier training, but the instinct to protect her, and to kick every vampire ass out their fangs, had nearly overwhelmed him.
She shouldn’t have that effect on him. He stared at her and was bombarded with conflicting emotions—to strangle her for putting herself in danger or to reward her with a kiss for wearing that deliciously tight outfit. It was for him, right?
Kas stumbled over the cracked pavement.
No. He’d never kiss an angel unless the act guaranteed Ascension, and even then he’d hate every second. Angels were cold, heartless, big black holes sucking joy out of the universe. Yet he’d kissed Mariel twice. Twice!
“We need to talk,” she said.
Right. He peeked at his watch. He’d originally planned to find a quiet place where they wouldn’t be disturbed. He pointed to a parked food truck. “Over there.”
A wary expression flitted across her face, but Mariel proceeded toward the location.
“Order something and we’ll find a place to eat and talk.”
“All right.” As she studied the menu, she nibbled on her lower lip.
With his head flashing images of the two of them smooching it up, heat circled low in his gut and wound down between his legs.
Don’t look at her ass. Don’t look at her mouth. Don’t look at her flat four-pack abs, idiot.
If she were hideous, this wouldn’t be a problem, but she was gorgeous, tough, and a badass.
Big problem.
Chapter Ten
Mariel could have refused to eat food from the botulism container on wheels, but he took a chance hunger would prevail. Energized from the fight, they now required a heavy caloric refill. He watched as she scanned the menu hanging by a chain and then waited as she ordered a well-done hamburger and bottled water.
“Gimme a couple of cheeseburgers, medium rare, all the toppings,” he said from behind her.
With the danger past, he’d calmed. His gaze burned into her back and then dipped to her hips. When she peeked over her shoulder, he eyed the menu.
“Bag of potato skins, a corned beef sandwich with mustard, a Coke, and three of those chocolate chip cookies,” Kas finished.
Mariel and the cashier gawked at him.
“What?”
“Did you miss breakfast and lunch?” she asked.
They waited while their meals were prepared, but he used the time to peer at the angel when her attention was diverted. When Kas’s visual perusal finally made his way back to her face, Mariel studied him with equal intensity.
“Why do you stare at me?”
Busted. He offered a lopsided grin. “I make you nervous.”
“No.”
“Wasn’t a question.” Kas took a step closer. “Want me to stop?”
She gulped. “No.”
One more step and they were sharing air. “Dangerous woman. Mysterious woman.”
He brushed wisps of hair away from her cheek, and her eyes began to close.
“Thanks for waiting,” interrupted the oh-so-cheerful cashier.
For the love of…
Kas sent a dark glare at the worker and paid the bill. He jerked the bag with their meal off the counter and balanced the drinks with his arm.
“We need a private place,” Mariel suggested. It was an offer he wanted to jump on, but not for the reason she expected.
They crossed the street and entered a three-story building under renovation. Plastic sheets flapped over the windows as they headed up the stairs to the roof.
“Doesn’t look like we’ll be disturbed,” Kas said, sitting cross-legged on the synthetic shingles.
After a moment, Mariel copied him but kept her legs at an angle, likely for easy reach of those nasty twin blades tucked in her boots.
Kas removed his mountain of a corned beef sandwich and sliced through it with his dagger. “What do you do when you’re not fighting with vamps?”
He looked up and saw her eyes focused on his mouth. When he bit into his sandwich and his satisfied moan slipped out, she bit her own lip.
When she switched her attention to her meal, Kas stared back, more thoughts of kissing flashing in his head. Ridiculous, stupid, reckless thoughts. Ones he’d better wipe from his brain if he expected to go through with his reckless plan.
Mariel wasn’t for kissing.
Mariel wasn’t for him.
“I cannot read minds, but your expression has me curious,” she said.
He finished the sandwich and switched to a burger, but then her cheeks deepened to a reddish shade. He leaned into the slight gap between them. “Nice blush.”
She gulped her bottled water, and he attempted to ignore the responses her proximity awakened. Responses angels had taught him to dread, and for good reason. Emotions were a pain in the ass.
“The vampires sought to take advantage of someone,” she said with nonchalance.
“But not you.” He angled his head. “Those bloodsuckers had no idea they’d picked on a warrior angel.”
Mariel’s body stiffened. “That is not who I am. Not…not any longer.”
Kas considered her face. She didn’t look away, which pleased him. He might not be using his power to probe her thoughts, but he could read people fairly well. He’d upset her.
“Ask any human or Other what an angel is, and they will describe a being with wings,” she continued. He opened his mouth, but she silenced him with a dismissive wave. “My birth and my former occupation are simply facts on a timeline. I exist, but I am n
ot an angel. Not the kind people believe in.”
“You’re an angel,” Kas said, starting on his next burger. “Lacking feathers doesn’t change shit. If the angels told you otherwise, they sold you a pile of crap. You didn’t matter. You weren’t worthy. Blah, blah, blah.” His eyes narrowed. “If you had one drop of human blood, they’d call you an abomination—like me.”
Not one word passed from her partially opened mouth, but he was certain he’d correctly summed up her life sans wings.
“You ever want payback?” Kas asked. “Ever want to level a beat down to the Directorate for your wings?”
“Of course,” she said without hesitation. “If the opportunity was within my power, I would.”
A grunt of agreement was all he gave. The angel board ruined lives and deserved a kick from karma.
Mariel adjusted her position so her chest pushed forward. She tossed her bobbed hair away from her neck. Kas drank from his plastic cup to hide his smirk. She was back to temptress mode.
What was her mission? With her message delivered, she shouldn’t be here, with him. Unless her boss had ordered her to keep him interested. And he was interested—in her.
“Must be tough,” he said. At her slight frown he added, “We’re both on the outs with the angel board. The lifestyle ain’t exactly primed for making friends, or keeping a lover.”
Mariel’s skin tone deepened before his eyes.
Will you look at the blush she’s sporting.
Her face registered shock and confusion, both worthy of the mental fist bump Kas gave himself for disconcerting her. “Do you…do you have a…a lover?”
He watched her through his lashes. “You offering?”
While she wrestled with a reply, need roared through his blood, and his chest expanded to accept more air. God, it was all he could do to breathe until she spoke.
“We are…not here to talk about me.”
Not getting out of this that easy. He wasn’t ready to dismiss his interest in his stunning companion. “Kiss me, and then we’ll get back to talking shop.”
Mariel froze like a thief under a spotlight. “What?”
He wanted her to make the move. “The price for more convo is a little lip action. A kiss to continue.”
Kas suspected she’d stick one of her blades through him first. Her hand twitched, and he prepared to dodge to either side.
Mariel placed her meal aside and—on hands and knees, for chrissakes—moved closer. The neckline of her top drooped open to reveal a hint of breasts hidden in a black bra. He went motionless as her face neared his.
And with the slight press of her mouth to his, all thoughts scattered. He willed himself not to move, not to scare her away, as she timidly parted her lips and lapped at the tip of his tongue.
Sweet. Baby. Jesus. Kas tried to disconnect from the desire crashing over him, but Mariel grew bolder. Firm strokes explored the inside of his mouth, drawing him out of his stone-like resolve. He succumbed to the passion she shared, moaning under her bold kiss, then raising his arms and pulling her against his body.
She trembled in his hold and pressed her small breasts into his torso. Fingers entwined in his hair as if she was afraid he’d let go. Not likely. An army of demons couldn’t break his grip. He ran his palms over her back, but she broke their kiss and scooted away, and his mistake hit him.
Shit, shit, shit. He’d forgotten her scarred skin. They both gulped in shaky breaths. Had he hurt her? He prepared to ask, but she found her voice.
“You requested this meeting,” she said, recovering first.
He searched her face and found no hint their kiss had affected her. Back to business wasn’t what he had in mind, but the reprieve suited the moment. A clear head, that’s what he needed now. “The Renegades want me. I want my freedom. Other than signing on the dotted line, what else do they want?”
Mariel frowned as if his question was a surprise. “Your talent is desired. Your assassination skills.”
“There are four members of the Bound, three with more powerful talents and the same skills.” Yeah, that was bitterness in his tone.
“You will have to ask the Renegades.”
“Then set it up.”
“What?”
“No offense, but enough with the messenger. I want to meet the one sending the message.”
She should have been happy, yet she looked anything but. The Renegades were getting what they wanted. Instead of rejoicing her good fortune, her features turned serious.
“If you are not careful, you will end up dead.” Mariel squared her jaw. “They are not a joke. They will demand your loyalty. They will test your resolve. They will not allow you to change your mind later.”
Kas fought off a surge of disgust. “You may think I’m some noob angel just learning how to prune my feathers, but that ain’t me. Set up the meeting. I’ll watch my own ass.”
She mashed her lips together. “See that you do, because I will not.”
Mariel pulled out her phone and sent a text. The reply came less than a minute later.
“They have granted your request.”
Holding back his temper, Kas nodded. He was heading into enemy territory without his brothers. Mariel wasn’t an ally, but she’d worried enough to shoot two warnings to him about her associates.
“What’s your deal?” He shook his head. “I get you’re against the Directorate, but why do you care if the Renegades accept me, or kill me?”
Her eyes dipped, and Kas leaned to the side to peek at her downturned face. Damn. If they had met some other way, had been different people, he would have tripped over his tongue to ask her out.
“I only want you to understand your choice. Renegades are still angels, though they are fallen,” came her low reply. “If they see weakness, or perceive weakness, then you are expendable.”
“Yeah, figured as much.”
Mariel’s gaze softened, but then the look vanished. “You are a stubborn man.”
He shrugged. “You been talkin’ to my father.”
“Your adopted father, Tanis?”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Stubborn is one way he’d describe me. He’d also toss around adjectives that would crinkle your ears.”
The throaty laugh she released wrapped him in warmth, and he regretted she’d been left with only his enemy for allegiance. If he made it out of this mess alive, maybe she’d find the Bound a better choice.
“I’ll watch my own ass when I meet your friends.” Kas gathered their empty containers and walked past Mariel. Facing the roof door, he paused and added, “But I appreciate the heads-up.”
…
As they left the building, Mariel ran a finger over her tingling lips as she walked beside the half angel responsible for the sensation. She craved another kiss, felt the desire tighten her stomach. He had awakened a part of her that longed to be free.
And she hated it.
Her kind buried feelings, because they interfered with logic. Even now, misgivings about the order to gain Kas’s trust and acceptance burrowed deep inside her. What kind of spy fumbled an assignment because of a mere press of lips?
The phone in her hand vibrated. She read the message and stopped walking.
“Got a problem?”
She read the text again and apprehension filled her as she glanced at the Nephilim. This would not go well. “A requirement has been added.”
He crossed his arms. “What kind of requirement?”
A second message, followed by a third, buzzed her phone. Mariel groaned at the details sent. No, this would not go over well at all.
“A demonstration of good faith.” She hesitated. “A test of your intentions toward the organization.”
Kas’s expression clouded over and his silver eyes took on a cobalt tint. With tension in his jawline visible, he scowled down at her. “You better be shitting me.”
“They have sent an assignment for you.” She thumbed the phone display. “Frances Bailey, who sits on the Council for
Supernatural Affairs, has staunchly opposed a permit submitted for review.”
“Lemme guess. Your buddies’ permit.”
She gave a distracted nod as she reconfirmed the message. “You are to read her thoughts and learn if she can be swayed to change her mind.”
“And if she can’t?”
Mariel sighed, tucking the phone away. “That was the last of the text.”
Kas lowered his chin. The half angel’s body language spoke of restrained anger and defiance, but the grim set of his jaw brought an unexpected response.
“I’ll get the info, and then I’ll meet the guy jerking my chain,” he said.
Chapter Eleven
The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center loomed above Woodward Avenue and cast a wide portion of the area in shadow. Kas headed for the fourteen-story administration tower, home to the Council for Supernatural Affairs. Mariel matched his pace, but he doubted her fury matched his.
Testing him hadn’t come as a bombshell. In a reversed role, he’d have done the same to a potential recruit. What had his temper on speed dial was the sinking suspicion that another no from Councilwoman Bailey wouldn’t be acceptable. He’d been an assassin for too long to ignore the subliminal message: no equaled death.
He arrived at an elevator and tapped the button for the thirteenth floor. Part of him was glad the building’s jar-tight security required he leave his weapons in his truck. After Cain’s blood brother wasted several members of the council, the Bound Ones had suffered some bullshit profiling by law enforcement.
On the ride up, he took inventory of his wits. Kas and Mariel rode the elevator as if they were strangers, looking at their feet or at the wall display. That sucked, because he continued to play his reaction to her over and over in his head. Forget professionalism, forget the lust. He’d been lured from his geek world by a woman who didn’t know what a meme was.
No, he couldn’t fall for her. They worked for opposite sides in Heaven’s pissing contest, and he wasn’t sure how his one-man-army act would play out. Hell, if she got hurt…
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