She raised an eyebrow. “So, you have slept with another angel?”
Kas laughed at her unsubtle show of jealousy. “Nope. My brother’s lady was descended from an angel. She had a bit of Grace in her when they, um, found out the two don’t mix well.”
Mariel accepted the reply with a hearty chuckle. “We will need to work on a way around the problem.”
She crawled over and laid her head on his midsection. Brushing aside her hair, he brooded. The soul incompatibility was an unwelcomed reminder of their differences. He didn’t give a damn. He wouldn’t give her up.
First, he had to protect her.
“Mariel,” he began, hating reality for intruding, “you need to update the angel board.”
“What?” She sat up, brows raised. “No. I do not work for them any longer.”
Kas skimmed his fingers down her delicate neck. “You don’t, but those dicks don’t know that yet. Keep up the pretense you’re still on their team.”
Mariel gaped at him. “You are serious. Why would I?”
“The Bound Ones do it every damned day, beautiful. At least you won’t have to go centuries with those bastards calling the shots. Trust me to find a way to free us all.”
…
Mariel rechecked the weapons she’d strapped on. The guns and extra clips rested snug against her hips while her twin facons remained hidden by the high cut of her boots. Kas’s dagger, the one she’d used to cut Kaonos’s throat, was slipped into the belt around her waist. The glint of silver was dulled by blood—and would remain so.
Kas had also dressed after their desperate lovemaking. He’d earned her trust a thousand times over. And her love, Creator help her.
They hadn’t used the term, but the feelings they shared ran soul-deep. With him by her side, she’d contact the angel board in spite of her anger.
He nodded, and she retrieved the orb. The protective box creaked.
For him, she would complete her primary mission to stop the Renegades. Once she was done, each member of the Directorate would learn there was no safety, no hole, no army to save them from her wrath. The orb warmed, and she sealed her hatred behind a mental door.
“Mariel?”
She paused at the sound of Azriel’s surprised tone. Her skin prickled. “Kaonos is dead.”
Other voices murmured in the background, accentuating his sharp intake of breath. “Explain.”
“Kaonos attacked. I defended myself.”
“You killed him?”
“I did.” At least the final blow was hers, a gift from the God of All. “He did not seem concerned if he killed me first.”
More noises came as the angel board debated. She connected the voices to the faces she knew. All six board members were dead men. She’d see to it.
“Where is he?” Azriel didn’t disguise his anger.
“Kasdeja took him to Mastema.” Her disinterested tone matched the level of sympathy she held for her dead boss. “A body was required, remember?”
“Damn you,” he seethed. “Kaonos was our messenger. You killed the wrong angel.”
Mariel’s control nearly snapped. “Did I? He was to arrive with word of the sacrifice, but he acted as if I was the one chosen to die. Perhaps he misunderstood your directive.”
“Tread with care, soldier. I like not your impertinence.”
How had she been so blind? They mocked her loyalty, her sorrow. She concentrated on not crushing the orb as if it were Azriel’s skull.
“Where was the half-breed during the altercation?”
Her mouth clamped shut. Kas’s participation was a sticky area.
“Your silence says much. The Nephilim did not intervene, because he no longer serves us.”
The half angel in question crossed his arms and glared at the orb. She shook her head. “That is not what happened.”
“A loyal servant would stop the fight. His goal, you recall, was to return one of you to his new masters.”
“Why would it matter to the assassin which of us was killed?” she asked. “He is your servant, is he not? He would merely follow orders to deliver a body to the Renegades to assure his position in the organization, right?”
“Your opinion matters not,” Azriel said, each word clipped. “The abomination has allied himself with our enemy. He will follow his sire into oblivion. See it is so.”
The angel board did not care about her, her fellow soldiers, or their own special teams, especially the Bound Ones. And by his admission, the board had known of Kas’s parentage before this began. She wanted to punch him in the face.
“My words were poor, Azriel. This mission has me fatigued, but I see your wisdom.” She stared at the far wall of her bedroom. “I will take care of Kasdeja.”
“Much better.” The smug tone further soured her stomach. “The time has come to rid ourselves of those rebels. Tonight, we will remove them from existence. Tonight, we move.”
The orb cooled. Now that the Directorate was ready to attack, she turned a worried gaze to Kas. An angel platoon could press, maybe defeat, the Renegades, but the KOS on Kas was her task. One she had zero intention of doing.
She glanced at the orb and threw it. The device flew across the room, struck the wall, and smashed into millions of shiny pieces. After tonight, she’d never need it again.
“Feel better?” Kas asked, resting his hand on her shoulder.
“Only if that were Azriel’s head.” She sighed and peeked at him. “What now?”
He wrapped her in his strong embrace and then rested his chin on her head. “If they’re going to attack, I want to keep an eye on Rahab. I can’t read his mind, but I can watch to see if he’s preparing. Don’t know if they had other informants on the payroll.”
“No. Stay away from him, Kas. Your sire is a serpent that would not hesitate to strike down his son.”
He planted a kiss to her forehead. “I won’t pick a fight unless he starts it. Don’t worry. Just keep out of sight until Heaven makes its move.”
Their lips met, and she returned his passionate kiss. Arguing with him wouldn’t work, so she offered what she could.
“I’ll be back, beautiful,” he said as he passed his thumb across her bottom lip. “We’ll both get what we want.”
Kas gave her one last hug then left the cottage. The silence closed in on her, taunting her. If anything happened to him, she would die from heartbreak.
Hurrying through her room, Mariel searched for her cell phone. When she found it, she went to her writing desk and ran her fingers through the file folders. The one she needed was at the bottom of the pile. She scanned the information and texted the number she’d sought.
“Kas on KOS. Backup ASAP.”
Her heartbeat raced. After so long, she remembered how it felt to count on a team. She might not care if she died, but she couldn’t bear it if Kas did.
“Who is this?” the recipient texted back.
She typed a quick reply to Tanis, leader of the Bound Ones. “No time. Inbound unit to enemy.”
“Address.”
Mariel provided the information in a flurry of taps.
“No reason to trust intel,” Tanis wrote.
She hesitated. If she were in his place, she’d think the same. What would make the other Nephilim and their guardian act? They likely saw her as responsible for leading Kas astray, and waltzing into a Renegade ambush wasn’t something she’d do.
Her fingers danced across the buttons. “I love him.”
Kas had crept through her shadowed heart, found the woman hidden in the darkness, and surrounded her in light.
She wouldn’t allow him to die.
She wouldn’t lose the man she loved.
…
Kas watched the descent of a Renegade as the angel banked in the air, tucked his massive obsidian wings close to his body, and dove toward the expansive backyard. Before he splattered the ground in feathers and gristle, the wings fanned out, and he landed whisper soft.
Had Mariel retain
ed her wings, he didn’t doubt she’d look every inch the angel most humans imagined. He turned away from the Renegade and glanced at her cottage. This thing between them came at a jacked-up time. When he gained the information he sought, he’d return with her to the team and remove the lock around their powers. Only then, as a free man, could he give Mariel all he had to offer. His love.
“Kasdeja.”
He glanced over his shoulder and found Rahab standing with his hands clasped behind his back. Kas faced him and copied his sire’s casual posture.
“Your first task for us was completed,” Rahab said, slanting his eyes. “It seems my earlier opinion of your capabilities needs reconsideration.”
“If that’s an apology, shove it.”
“I do not apologize.” His sire’s eyes narrowed more. “You are my son. Had you returned a failure, your ineptness would have reflected on me.”
Kas stared his sire down, not surprised the bastard cared about his own reputation over the possibility his son might not have returned.
“How did you defeat the angel?” Rahab asked.
Now he paid attention to his inner alarm. “Tell me why you reacted like I’d smoked your best friend.”
“Walk with me.” His sire turned away from Mariel’s home and strolled toward the open backyard. Kas followed across the soft lawn, but kept a few yards between them.
His sire turned slowly, and his expression was colder than he’d ever seen. “Kaonos was well placed within Heaven. His rank allowed him to work closely with the Directorate. It was a position that served many purposes, including our own.”
He faked surprise. Mariel had told him everything. “That asshole was your spy.”
“Yes. A very capable informant who understood our goals.” Rahab walked up to him. “Kaonos will not be easy to replace. Yet there are others above we can recruit.”
The Directorate had to realize they had traitors in their ranks. If they didn’t, Kas suspected the angel board would get exactly what they deserved—a loss of power and, hopefully, a few stab wounds for their neglect.
He resumed walking. “That’s your big play? Spy versus spy until one side makes a real move?”
The Renegade halted. They had crossed the expanse of the yard. Kas turned and saw Mariel’s house in the distance. When he returned his attention to his sire, the angel’s hard gaze darted to the house then back to Kas.
“You have an opportunity with us that will not come again,” Rahab said. “With my guidance, your mind reading would be unstoppable. Your teleportation is a boon. Free from the binding, you could flourish in our organization. At my side, no one would dare question you.”
The freedom carrot again. He stared at the angel who’d created him and pushed images of his brothers, of Tanis and Mariel, forward in his mind. They meant everything.
He forced a cold grin. “Why do you follow orders at all? You’re as strong as Mastema, right?”
Rahab inhaled sharply and widened his eyes. “He is our leader.”
“And?”
“Cease your questions.” His sire stalked away.
Kas caught up and whipped Rahab around. “Don’t taunt me with power, old man. Your boss doesn’t impress me. He’s lived in shadows while I’ve suffered under his enemies. I won’t align myself with a coward.”
The Renegade moved fast, gripping his throat. “You speak treason, boy.”
“I never saw him fight off a throng of armed soldiers solo,” Kas gritted out.
“Is that a compliment?” His sire’s laughter split the night. “I am no fool.”
Kas didn’t fight the vise hold. “I wouldn’t waste my breath on such a lie, you pompous ass. When you free my brothers and me, you’ll gain four pissed-off Nephilim with powers the board fears.”
“And?”
“And I want to stomp on the board’s broken bones while they’re still alive.” He tugged at the arm holding him in place. “Screw Mastema’s hide-and-seek bull. I’ve earned the right to unleash hell.”
Rahab’s eyes glowed, but his noose grip slackened. “I do not enjoy this game you play, Kasdeja.”
“Not a game. A promise.” He glared at his sire. “Don’t dangle freedom in front of me then say I have to obey your weak-assed leader. I’d rather serve your black heart before I put my life on the line for Mastema.”
Kas’s pulse hammered his temples as even the mild night air seemed to still.
Rahab released him. “Mastema has ruled since Lucifer went to Hell.”
“Hiding under rocks. Some victory, Pops. The Directorate still rule. Your gang of feathers are still outlaws. I’m not buying his leadership skills.”
Kas rubbed his throat and headed toward the in-ground swimming pool. He’d pushed every fucking button of his sire’s ego. He only needed one, just one, to accept what he suggested.
“Mastema has…not been as successful as I would have liked.” Rahab joined him in the pool area. “Many battles we should have won, we did not.”
Careful to keep his eyes on the glistening water, Kas prayed that was doubt he heard.
“Renegades have an oath: ‘Unto death, should thou desire it.’ It speaks to our loyalty in our commander, whether or not he heeds my counsel.”
Kas shrugged. “Nephilim under Mastema’s control would make him damned powerful. Powerful enough he wouldn’t need to listen to anyone.”
He watched the muscles bunch at Rahab’s jaw.
Staring at the pool, his heart did jumping jacks. As casually as he could manage, he added, “Then there’s you, his wingman. Probably suck as a leader, too.”
“Had I led our forces, victory would have been mine long ago,” the Renegade spat back. “Now, I would press our advantages, strike succinctly, and leave my enemies dead to nourish the soil.”
His sire was delusional, but Kas let the madman rant. When he was unbound he’d educate dear old Dad on real retribution.
“What is the purpose of this conversation, Kasdeja?”
The question centered him. “I don’t like you, don’t trust you, don’t want to be near you. Yet you’re the rusty halo who’ll turn me loose on those bastards upstairs.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m in this for me. Deny me my revenge, and I’ll take it out of your ass.”
A smile ghosted over the Renegade’s lips. “Should I be warmed by your honesty?”
“Want me to lie? Say I’m thrilled you pulled a Darth Vader with that ‘I am your father’ crap?” He arched a brow. “Screw you. We happen to share the same goals. Don’t get clingy.”
His sire’s laughter rang out. A moment later, all humor vanished from his expression. “Say nothing of our conversation to anyone. Especially the woman.”
Years of training kept him from tensing at the order. “Wasn’t planning on taking to Twitter.”
Rahab’s wings rustled in the breeze. “Do you care for her?”
Kas’s skin tingled where the Renegade’s eyes studied him. “About as much as I care for any angel.”
“Good. Wasting emotion on her would not be wise.”
“She’s a colleague. Nothing more,” he said, fighting the gnawing sensation of dread.
“Excellent. Soon, she will no longer be a concern.”
At Rahab’s ominous tone, frost settled over Kas’s spine. He glanced at Mariel’s home, the interior now dark. “She won’t?”
The angel’s gaze trailed to the house. “We deal harshly with traitors.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mariel entered the side door of the mansion and hurried through the hallway. The guards who normally patrolled the entries and exits were nowhere to be found. The odd change knotted her gut. She slipped through room after empty room then backtracked and crossed the wide foyer, heading toward the upper levels. As her boot hit the first step, she glanced up at the landing and stopped dead.
Mastema leaned on the railing, his calculating eyes watching her. On either side of him, a row of Renegades stood at attention. Her throat constricted as forebod
ing crept in and awareness bloomed.
“You have saved me the trouble of summoning you,” the leader said.
She stared, unable to speak.
“We have much to discuss.” Mastema waved his hand. “Seize her.”
Before her reflexes kicked in, two angels appeared and anchored her arms. Her will to survive rode an upsurge of adrenaline.
She slammed her boot into one aggressor’s knee and heard his bone snap. He released her on a howl, but she wasn’t yet free. The remaining angel wrapped his hand around her throat and lifted her. His eyes glowed, but before he hit her with whatever his Grace could do, she fired her own power.
“Bitch!” he screamed.
Mariel brought her leg up and grabbed a facon. The long dagger never hit its mark. The weapon was knocked from her hand and slid across the polished tile floor. Pressure squeezed her throat, and she struggled to breathe. She punched out, and her fist connected with the side of a very hard jaw.
The massive angel blocked her next swing and then struck her. The force rattled and dizzied her vision. He moved again, this time to slam her onto the floor.
Agony speared her at the moment of contact. Oxygen exploded from her lungs. She sucked in as much air as she could, but again, fortune abandoned her. The angel’s heavy boot crashed into her right side and broke several ribs. The pain joined the fire at her shoulders and back in a mad flight to sink her in darkness. Mariel repeatedly blinked to clear the gray and black circles ruining her sight.
A punch to the side of her face lit the spot in red-hot torture. She curled onto her left side, and her hands scraped the smooth floor, seeking leverage.
Her attacker kicked her across the room. She struck the wall with a loud crunch. Blood rushed into her throat, and a coppery tang coated her tongue.
“Hold.”
Mastema’s command came to her through muffled hearing. She spit blood and scooted back until the wall brushed her pulsing scars. Her T-shirt stuck to her where the material hadn’t ripped.
“That was a minor taste of what will come,” he said. “I have known about your feeble attempt at espionage from the moment your superiors chose you for the task.”
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