A_Taste_of_Decadence_ARE

by Blake_Harte_Quinn_Ryan_Rylon

  She looked around one more time at the place she’d worked for so long and didn’t have a moment’s loss for it. She’d always hated it. This just gave her an excuse to leave now instead of later. After all, she’d just committed a felony by destroying files and data from a government-owned lab. They might not be watched like most labs, but she’d still get in trouble. She had savings and could find another job in something she actually liked.

  “Lily! What the hell are you doing?” Glenn roared.

  “I quit.”

  “You don’t get to fucking quit!” Spittle flew from his mouth, and his face turned beet red.

  “Actually, yes, I do.” She lifted her chin and tried not to let her fear show. She just needed to get out the door, and then she’d be safe. Glenn didn’t even know where the sample drawer was. It would take another tech looking around for everyone to realize what she’d done. Frankly, she’d cleaned everything up enough that they may never notice.

  She walked past him, and he grabbed her arm, forcing her against the wall.

  “Fuck you, you bitch. You’re mine. You can’t just leave.”

  Panic seized her for just a moment before her body hummed with energy. She growled and pushed back, her body glowing gold. “Back off, Glenn.”

  Glenn’s eyes widened and he back-pedaled. “You’re….you’re one of them.”

  He knew about them? “What do you know?” Was Glenn in on this? Why did he want the dust analyzed so badly?

  “I don’t know anything, I swear.” She narrowed her eyes and he paled even more. “I promise! The guy just came in and said I needed to get you, specifically, to look at it. I swear!”

  “What guy?”

  “I don’t know, but he flew away! Flew! Holy shit. I think I need to sit down.”

  Bile filled her mouth. “What did he look like?” Please, don’t let this be a setup. Why it would be Shade, she didn’t know, but already, her heart hurt.

  “I don’t remember. He had brown...wings…though. Oh, God. He had wings.” Glenn crumbled on the floor in a dead faint and Lily relaxed.

  Brown wings. So, it hadn’t been Shade. Why would an angel want a lab to know that angel dust existed? She needed to talk to Shade and tell him…but what good would it do? If Shade knew about this, he was using her.

  And she’d let him.

  Lily kicked Glenn in the shin—ah, that felt nice—and his eyes fluttered open.

  She shifted the box in her hands and glared. “I’m leaving, Glenn. You can’t tell anyone what happened here. Or…or you’ll be sorry.” Oh, that’s just great. What B-list movie could she quote next time? She’d have to work on her delivery.

  Glenn nodded, tears running down his cheeks. “I promise. You were never here. I don’t know anything about any dust.”

  Lily nodded. Thank God Glenn was a weasel and easily intimidated. She’d made it to her car and started driving toward home when her adrenaline crashed and her body shook.

  He’d lied.

  She was sure of it.

  No. She didn’t know the whole story. For all she knew, it could be a huge coincidence. She snorted and angrily wiped away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. The traitor. There were no coincidences. Not in her world—old or new.

  Somehow, she made it home and stumbled inside. She’d quit her job, accidently revealed herself to Glenn, might have found a conspiracy, and Shade might be lying.

  All in a day’s work.

  She set her unorganized box of work things on the floor by the kitchen door, kicked off her shoes and fell on her couch.

  What had she done?

  She wasn’t impulsive. She made lists of her lists before she made any decisions. Now look at her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she choked on her sobs. She promised herself she’d buck up and get over it soon, but, right now, she needed a good cry.

  Only ten minutes passed, and a knock at her door brought her out of her misery. Who could that be?

  She shuffled over in her stocking feet, trying to wipe the tears from her face, and opened the door.

  She bit back a sob.

  Shade.

  “Lily? What’s wrong? Have you been crying?” He walked in and pulled her into his arms.

  She stiffened and backed away.

  “Lily?”

  “Why are you here, Shade?”

  He blinked and frowned. “I stopped by your work to pick you up for lunch, but Glenn said you had quit.”

  She nodded then walked away from him. She couldn’t look at those blue eyes anymore.

  “What’s wrong, sprite?”

  “Don’t call me that,” she spat.

  “Lily?”

  She went to her coat, pulled out the vial, and threw it at him. “Got something to tell me, Shade?”

  He realized she found out the truth about his assignment, and looked at it, shamefaced.

  If possible, her heart broke even more.

  He knew.

  “Lily, I can explain.”

  “Oh, save it. Just get out. I can’t even look at you.” She turned, went to her fridge, and then she poured herself a glass of milk.

  “It’s not how it seems.”

  “God, you sound like a man caught with his pants down.”

  “Lily, listen to me.”

  “Why, Shade? Why?”

  “Because I love you.”

  Her body went numb. “No, you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to stand there and say you love me to get out of this. You knew, Shade. You knew about the dust in my lab. Didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Stop it! You fucking knew who I was before you even came upon me in the park, and I believed that you had met me by accident. I thought you actually saw me and not something I could do for you. Oh, God, how stupid you must think I am. I slept with you, Shade. I fell in love with you, and all of it was a lie.”

  Shade’s eyes filled with tears as he took a step closer. She felt numb. She couldn’t bring herself to care. Their relationship was based on a lie, and that wasn’t something she could just get over.

  “Yes, Lily. I knew your lab had the dust. That’s why I came here, but you’ve got the rest wrong. Yes, my job was to find out what you knew, but as I did that, I found out who you were. I got to know the real Lily, and I fell in love with her. All of that is real, Lily.”

  She held back the tremors and lifted her chin. “How can I believe anything you say?”

  He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her waist, and rested his head on her stomach. She didn’t touch him. Couldn’t touch him.

  “Lily, you’re mine. I hated doing it. Hated it, but there was nothing else I could do. I had to put the fate of the angels before my own wishes.”

  “And, in the process, before me.”

  Shade nodded and gripped harder. “That ended. I fell for you, Lily.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I love you. I’d do anything for you. Don’t you understand how much it hurt to lie to you? I hated every minute of it, but I had to do it. If I could go back, I’d change it.”

  “Don’t say that. Don’t talk to me like I don’t know what hurt means. I loved you.”

  “I love you, Lily. You’re my true half.”

  Something inside clicked, as if a missing piece of her had been found. It was as if she’d finally understood their connection…why’d she’d fallen for him on the spot. Her heart ached to reach out and be with him. “What does that mean?”

  “You’re my soul mate. The other half of my life. The one I’ll spend eternity with.”

  For just a moment, she let herself picture that future with him. The one with angels and babies and smiles, but that would be a lie. He’d chosen to lie to her and had made love to her under false pretenses. That wasn’t forgivable, even to a lonely lab tech like her.

  “If that were true, then you wouldn’t have done what you did. Leave now.” Grief filled her. Grief for a future lost, a love that wasn’t mean to be.

/>   “Lily.”

  “No. Out.”

  “But, you may not be safe.”

  “I’m not safe even with you here. You’ve already proven that.”

  Hurt crossed his face, but she couldn’t care about it. Because if she did, she’d fall to her knees and into his arms. She had to be strong.

  Shade rose, a dejected look on his face. “I’ll still protect you.”

  “Find someone else. I don’t trust you.”

  He flinched, and, for a moment, she felt bad, but she had to get him out of her home before she did something crazy like kiss him.

  He nodded, trailed a finger down her cheek, and walked out the door.

  She watched the door close and held a hand up to her cheek. She could still feel his touch. With a sob, she lowered herself to the floor and wept.

  Chapter 17

  Shade walked into his home blindly. He’d royally fucked up and he had no one to blame but himself. Yes, the council had ordered him to do what he could—anything he had to as ordered—to protect the angels. In doing so, he’d hurt the most important thing in his life.

  Had it been worth it?

  Hell, no.

  God, the look on her face when he’d told her the truth. It had broken him. He’d fallen to his knees and begged her, yet she hadn’t wanted to look at him. She’d destroyed him by revealing he’d destroyed her.

  Now, she was alone, just like him, and she had no one to protect her.

  Shade went to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He gulped it down quickly, letting the liquid help quench his thirst, though he didn’t taste it.

  He’d lied again.

  He wouldn’t leave her alone. He couldn’t. No, he’d never force her. God, no. He wouldn’t let her be on her own with a new and scary world out there. For God’s sake, she didn’t even know what being a brownie meant!

  He took another sip of his beer and sat on the couch, his head in his free hand. How the hell had things taken such a turn?

  Oh, yeah, because he was a jackass. Why did he have to lie to her? She’d closed off, her eyes devoid of the warmth he’d fallen in love with. She didn’t trust him. The fact that they’d said they loved each other was now tarnished because of his deceit.

  He felt worthless.

  “Self-pity doesn’t help anyone,” Ambrose admonished.

  Shade glared at his friend and took the last swig from his bottle. “It’s not self-pity.”

  Ambrose raised a blond brow.

  Shade cursed. “Fine. It’s a little self-pity. Just let me continue for a moment, okay?”

  Ambrose leaned back in the armchair. “From the look on your face, I take it our dear Lily found out the truth.”

  “She’s not our dear anything.”

  “Ah.”

  “Dammit, Ambrose, I really fucked up.”

  “Yes, you did. At first, it was unavoidable.”

  Shade closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pang deep down in his soul. Yes, it hurt that he’d lost something precious. Oh, God, his heart ached, but what was worse was that he’d hurt Lily in the process. That was unforgivable.

  “I should have said something sooner.”

  “Yes, you should have.”

  “Thanks for cutting me some slack,” he said dryly, not believing it anyway.

  “Why should I?”

  “You shouldn’t.”

  “At least on that we agree.”

  Shade closed his eyes and pictured Lily’s wide green eyes. Damn.

  “Once you had developed feelings for the woman, you should have told her, but you were scared.”

  Shade stiffened, the words cutting deep, but he didn’t contradict Ambrose. After all, it was true.

  “I left her alone, Ambrose.”

  “I know. It’s something you’ll have to rectify. Soon.”

  Shade looked at the man, a sudden urgency riding him. “What?”

  “I’ve just been to the council.”

  His pulse thudded in his ears. “The whole council or just Striker?” Fucking brown-winged leech.

  “The whole of it.”

  “And? What did they say?”

  “That Lily is a problem that must be rectified.”

  Shade jumped to his feet. “What do you mean?”

  Ambrose shook his head. “They don’t trust us to finish our assignment. They’ve put a hit out on our girl.”

  Shade saw red, his body shaking. He held back his fists, not wanted to punch the messenger. “They want us to kill my true-half?”

  “No, they want someone else to do it. They’re sending him soon.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking me. What would killing her accomplish?”

  “Striker is adamant.”

  “That fucker wants to kill her because of a speck of dust?”

  “And they don’t even know yet what she truly is.”

  “Oh, God. If they found that out…” Shade didn’t even want to think about that. What would they do to her if they found out she’d transformed into a brownie? Death might be a kinder fate.

  “Shade, we won’t let them harm her.”

  Relief at his friend’s words filled him. “So, you’ll go against the council with me?”

  Ambrose nodded. “I will go up against Striker. I don’t believe we know everything, but I do know that he has a vendetta against us both. He must not be allowed to wield this power. I will protect Lily for you and also because she should not die because of the greed and pride of one angel.”

  “Do you know who they’ve sent?”

  The other man shook his head. “No, but Striker will send them.”

  “Shit. That fucker is going to have her killed because he wants to get at us. She doesn’t know anything she shouldn’t because she’s a supernatural.”

  “But they don’t know that, Shade. For all they know, she’s a human who’s stumbled upon the dust of an angel and is about to go to the nearest news station with her findings or sign a book deal. They’re trying to head things off before it gets worse.”

  “And killing her will stop that?”

  “In Striker’s mind, yes. He’s poisoned the rest of the council with his venomous lies. He wants her dead, and unless we can stop it, he’ll get what he wants.”

  “Then we have to go to her.”

  “Agreed, though it won’t be easy protecting her.”

  Shade snorted, ignoring the pain settling hard as a rock in the bottom of his stomach. “I don’t care what we have to do. She will not be harmed even though she doesn’t trust me.” Again, he ignored the pain. “I will do all that is in my power to protect her.”

  Ambrose sighed. “I’m sorry you had to lie to her, Shade.”

  He closed his eyes, wishing he could turn back time. “Me, too.”

  They ran to Ambrose’s car, and Shade prayed they weren’t too late. If she died because of his world, he’d never forgive himself. He’d thought he lost a part of himself when he lost Cora, but his green-eyed beauty just might make him lose the whole of it.

  * * * *

  “I want her dead! Do you hear me? Dead!” Striker spat at his second in command, Law.

  Law, a gray-winged angel with dead eyes, blinked slowly. “You’re telling me this…why?”

  Striker balled his fists, rage rising within. “Because it’s your job!”

  “Uh, no, not so much,” Azel, his third, said. The angel flexed his black wings, a bored look on his face. “We don’t kill little humans because you can’t get the job done.”

  “You do what I say! I’m the leader.” Why didn’t they get that?

  “We follow you because of your position in the council,” Law explained. “You’ll get us what we want—the warriors and council dead. Other than that, we’re not your lackeys.”

  Striker paced away. “I need this human dead. It’s the only way. With her dead, Shade will fall apart, taking Ambrose with him.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Azel said.

  “Of course it does. You
’re too stupid to understand.” Shit. Maybe not the best thing to say to two of the deadliest angels out there. These two had been by his side during the Angelic Wars. Their form of torture was legendary, so much so, that Striker had faked their deaths in an elaborate fashion so they could continue their pain play in private. He suppressed a shudder. He really didn’t want to think about what type of kink they enjoyed.

  Striker gave them a brilliant smile. “I didn’t mean that.”

  Please, don’t kill me.

  Law took a metallic sculpture—a priceless one, though Striker held his tongue—and bent it with one hand. The scraping sound brought bile to Striker’s mouth. He could imagine his neck being bent in that same contorted position. Not good.

  “I hope you didn’t mean that,” Law said, his dead eyes boring holes into Striker.

  “I didn’t. I swear. But…um…where was I? Oh, well, Lily, the human, needs to die. The council ordered it after I pushed. With her dead, they will look toward Shade and Ambrose with disdain and maybe even demote them. Then they’ll be easy pickings for you.”

  Azel nodded, dumber than a bag of bricks. “Fine. Whatever gets us closer to our goal. I’ll kill the human. Won’t take but ten minutes as long as that ass, Shade, is gone. He is gone, right?”

  Striker nodded vigorously. “Yes, I just saw them. She threw him out for good. She’ll be easy.”

  Law cocked his head. “So you say.”

  Striker spread out his wings and growled. “I’m the leader. You would do well to remember that. Come closer for your reward before we start.” The two looked at each other but did as he commanded. With that, he flicked a switch, and the room filled with an electrical charge that struck the two in front of him, strategically placed on metal sheeting in the floor. An angel must do what he could to remain in power.

  The other angels screamed in pain and Striker flicked the switch again. “Do you understand me now?”

  The others nodded, blood seeping from their mouths. They were too stupid to realize that they could just walk around the setting and not get hurt again. For that, Striker was grateful.