“You’re safer here.”
God, sometimes I hated his simplicity.
“I’m safe with you. You said so three months ago.”
“And at that time, I believed it. But now, I don’t know that I’m enough to keep you safe.”
“What are you talking about? Of course, you are.”
“Caleb is building an army, Cassandra. It’s not just the few demons I believed were stupid enough to follow him. He promises rogues the chance to rule the world with him if they help recover two things—the Sword and you. One of those things I’m not willing to lose for pride. I may be one of the strongest demons, but I can’t fight off an army. And I’m no good to you if they get to me. Here, I have an army to fight with… one that has the same goal. Regardless of our hatred for the angels, we have the same goals right now.”
“But we don’t even know if Caleb still wants me. Maybe he’s moved on and found a new queen. Maybe—”
Hunter jumped up from the bed and glared down at me. “I’m not willing to take a chance with you on maybes. Ever. You’re to stay here where I can keep you safe. Is that understood?”
I clenched my teeth and mimicked his glare. He was the stubbornest man I’d ever known, but I also understood I’d never win this fight. We’d had the discussion before. His resolve hadn’t budged an inch. Especially with everyone else siding with him. Not one person under this roof would see my side of it. Not my mom, dad, or even Nora.
“Fine,” I yelled, turning my back on him. “Go save the world while I sit here and learn to knit or something.”
The mattress lowered near me, and before I knew what was happening, Hunter spun me around by the shoulders to look at him. His face was inches from mine as he held me in place.
“My only care in this world is you. The rest of it can go to Hell. I don’t give a shit. But I will not lose you, Cassandra.”
His kiss was demanding, possessive, harsh against my lips until I melted into it. Then it turned soft and sweet, a mark of love.
I knew it was his love for me making him obstinate about this. Caleb had promised he would come for the Sword and me. He wasn’t one to forget his demented goals, regardless of how much I tried to convince myself and everyone else otherwise. But none of that changed the fact I was going stir-crazy being stuck day after day, not knowing when or if anything would ever happen. It also didn’t stop the moments of resentment I frequently had toward everyone in the Sanctuary. A passing reaction? Maybe, but I couldn’t seem to control it anymore. After Hunter left, I decided to burn off some of that pent-up frustration by beating the shit out of something.
CHAPTER TWO
The Sanctuary’s training facility could have been used for Olympians. It was the size of a football stadium on the inside alone. Fluorescent beams of light shone down from the cathedral ceiling to light the room up like a sports arena night game. The entire floor was constructed of a hard padding, making it sturdy enough to maintain footing, but soft enough for a tough landing.
Steel glistened from the lights reflecting on the far wall, showcasing swords resting on perfectly aligned pegs from top to bottom. Next to them various shields were lined up, all with the same emblem depicting two angels, their wings spread out creating a barrier to the sun, as if to guard it. The display symbolized the army of the angels, and the insignia was on everything inside and outside the Sanctuary, twisted in wrought iron on the entrance gates, sculpted in the architecture over the entrance doors, as big as the sun itself. Angels’ clothing, armor, and even the angels themselves displayed the mark on their skin. I wasn’t sure if the tats were a branding ritual or just the cool angel thing to do, but they all wore it. I vowed to ask one of them if they had anything in a half-angel look, but I had yet to get that personal with any of them.
A set of double glass doors in the middle of one wall led to a huge outdoor training area. About the same size as the indoor facility, it was cordoned off by a tall, thick, hedge of bushes and paved with smooth concrete that felt like glass under bare feet. A small opening in the hedges revealed a path to a huge underground pool. The water was crystal clear, allowing a translucent view of the decline in depth from one end to the other. There’d been a few times after a hard training session when I’d been tempted to take a dip, but I never acted on it. I didn’t have swim apparel, and if Hunter found out I had skinny dipped within a ten-mile radius of anyone else, it would have started a war.
A couple of freestanding kickboxing bags were located on the far side of the room, which really sucked because they were my targets. Two angels were battling it out on the floor in front of them. No secret, I’d come to hate the angels. I probably should have been struck down by a bolt of lightning for even thinking that, but I couldn’t help it… they’d made me this way. I’d been like the girl with cooties during school. Every time I entered a room, they’d turn their noses up at me and leave unless Hadraniel forced them to stay. I wasn’t welcomed into the Sanctuary. I was tolerated. Sometimes I wanted to scream at them that my veins pumped the same blood as theirs, but I knew they wouldn’t see it that way. They were blinded by the darkness that dimmed the light of my pure blood. I guess taking down the devil had no bearing with them. So, to hell with all of them, was my motto. I was way past defending who and what I was to anyone.
I grabbed a towel from the racks by the door and with my spine straight and chin up, I made my way to the bags. I hadn’t even made it to the middle of the room before the two angels noticed and stopped to watch me walk across the mat. I recognized Aviar, the shorter, stockier of the two. We’d run into each other a couple of times in the Sanctuary, and now, similar to all the other times I’d seen him, his lip curled up in disgust at the sight of me. His opponent, however, I’d never seen before. Evidently, he didn’t know who I was either because he watched me with fascinated curiosity rather than blatant scorn.
Continuing my walk of shame with style, I winked in their direction and said, “Boys,” in acknowledgment.
Aviar’s lip somehow found its way even further up his face, while he leaned over and whispered to the other guy. Had he forgotten I could hear everything he said, or did he simply not care? “That’s her,” he said. “The Demon Lover. I’m outta here. I suddenly have a need to shower.”
“Good call, Aviar,” I said as I walked past them and set my towel down near one of the bags. “You smell like shit. I was fighting my gag reflex way back there.”
I deliberately turned my back on the pair and took off the T-shirt I had on over my sports bra, knowing the silence from behind me probably included a couple distasteful gestures from Aviar.
“You coming, man?” Aviar asked his friend.
I sat on the floor and started to stretch, my back still to them. The clang of metal echoed in the room, as they unceremoniously put away the sparring swords, or so I guessed. A few seconds later, I heard one of the glass doors leading to the outdoor training area open and close. I exhaled in relief as I stretched, relaying my hatred for the angels over and over again in my head. The animosity always gave me a motivational boost in training.
Standing, straight and tall, I threw a roundhouse kick at the bag, my foot connecting with a solid smack.
“Good form,” a voice behind said, startling me. No, honestly, it scared the shit out of me. On instinct, I swung around, fists ready. The guy who had been sparring with Aviar raised his hands in surrender. “Whoa. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”
His eyebrows rose at the question. “Uh… I was here first.”
“Yeah, I’m not blind. I thought you left with Aviar. Aren’t you afraid you’re going to catch something from me?”
“Are you planning on throwing things at me?” he asked with a smile.
“Why? Are you going to give me a reason?”
“Not unless you want me to,” he said with a chuckle. With hand extended, he stepped toward me. “Hi,” he said, “I’
m Braydon.”
I took a step back and deliberately ignored the gesture.
“Seriously, why are you still here, Braydon? I know you know who I am, and I also realize the angels would rather cut off their wings than make nice with me, so what’s the deal?”
He dropped his hand, finally recognizing I wasn’t going to shake it, crossed his arms, and leaned his shoulder against the bag next to him, all without taking his eyes off me. “Well, I guess I’m not like the others.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Oh, really? So what are you, like Rebel Angel? The Troublemaker of Saintdom?” Without realizing it, I mimicked his stance, now leaning against the bag behind me with my arms crossed over my chest.
“Depends on what you consider trouble.” The smile was gone as he spoke, and I wondered exactly what point he was trying to make. His eyes glinted green, and it almost seemed as if they were twinkling directly at me, confirming his mischievous ways. I didn’t need that to tell me this angel was trouble. His whole appearance screamed rogue, from his messy, chin-length chocolate waves and five o’clock shadow, to his lean, muscular build that seemed to swagger even when stationary. I had to admit, he was very attractive, but he had the look of one of those guys your mom warned you about and your dad refused to let in the house. He wore dangerous like a neon sign across his chest. I so shouldn’t be thinking that was sexy as hell.
Our gazes met, and I realized I was blatantly checking him out as if he were a sculpture in an art museum. Braydon smiled in an I-got-your-number sort of way, and I knew I’d been caught. My cheeks warmed. What was happening? Was I some kind of schoolgirl?
“I’ve never seen you around. Are you new here?” I asked, trying to regain my composure.
“No, I’ve been at the Sanctuary for years. Until today, I was on day shift guard duty. They just switched me to nights.”
“Oh yeah? Guarding what?”
“Ahhh, that’s top secret angel stuff, Cassie,” he said with a smile. “If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.”
I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. “Oh, please.”
“You want to know, don’t you,” he teased as he pushed away from the bag and took a step toward me.
“No,” I lied.
“Yes, you do.” He came even closer and said conspiratorially, “I’ll tell you what. If you can take me in a sparring match, I’ll reveal the secret.”
I giggled… couldn’t help it. Something about this guy made me relaxed and comfortable with him, despite only having met him. Too comfortable. Maybe it was curiosity, or just plain excitement, a break from the droning days of my life the last few months.
“I told you, I don’t want to know.” Maybe if I didn’t have the cheesy smile still plastered on my face, it would have been more believable.
“Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t be much of a fight anyway.”
He was goading me. I knew he was, but it didn’t stop my pride from jumping out of my mouth. “Oh, really?”
“Well, yeah, I mean little ol’ you, taking me on? You wouldn’t have a chance.”
“Oh, really?”
“You said that already.”
Okay, if this guy wanted to play, I was going to give him a game he’d never forget. Dropping the smile, I narrowed my eyes and flashed my own set of blues. “You really are trouble, aren’t you, Braydon?” He granted me a cocky arch of his brow. “You know the best way to deal with a troublemaker?” I hinted.
“How’s that?”
I made him disappear, a nifty little demon power I’d perfected during my last two months of boredom. Positioning myself in back of where his shoulder had been, I made him reappear. Before he had a chance to get his bearings, I whispered up to his ear, “Kick his ass.”
And I did. Using only a portion of the power within me, I connected the bottom of my foot with Braydon’s ass, which happened to be nice and firm, I noted. Then, I launched him across the room until the wall broke his momentum. He hit so hard, he slid to the ground in a comical sort of way.
For a few moments, he lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, and I almost thought he was down for the count, but then he shook his head and glimpsed over his shoulder at me. The gleam in his eyes brightened as a smile crept across his lips. “You fight dirty.”
I smiled back. “I’m half demon. Or haven’t you heard? That’s what we do.”
“Oh, no, I’ve heard. I think it’s sexy.”
I rolled my eyes.
He chuckled. “Okay, you proved your point. You’re much more powerful than you look. Can you help me up? I think you actually sprained my ankle.” He winced as he turned toward me, holding his ankle.
“Seriously?” I laughed at him. “You’re weaker than I thought.”
“Now that’s just mean,” he said, faking a pained expression. “C’mon, give me a hand, Cassie.”
“No.”
“No? Really?”
“I think you owe me something first.”
He looked at me for a minute, before it dawned on him. Once it did, he laughed. “I thought you didn’t want to know?”
“I don’t, but a deal’s a deal.” I crossed my arms and leaned back on the bag in the same place as we’d both done before.
“Principled. I like that in a woman.” When I didn’t react to his flirting, he said, “And tenacious obviously.” He sighed. “I guard the Sword. Now will you help me up?”
I don’t know why, but his revelation hit me like a vat of ice water over my head. My heart jolted into overdrive, and I couldn’t catch my breath fast enough to keep up. I lowered my arm, holding it against the bag behind me, anchoring my body to keep me upright. The word Sword repeated in my head as if it were bouncing off my skull like an echo.
“The Sword?” I asked in a breathy whisper.
Braydon eyed me closely. “The Sword of Final Death, yes. You okay?”
“Yes.” No. God, what was wrong with me? “Can I see it?” The words flew out of my mouth before I even knew why I was asking. It’s not as though I didn’t know what it looked like. I’d held the damn thing enough to know what it looked and felt like. I hadn’t seen it, other than in my dreams, since the angels took it from me to lock it away after I’d come from Hell, but all of a sudden I needed to see it and touch it.
“If you don’t help me up, I won’t be able to see it either because I’ll be stuck here for all eternity, crouched by the training room wall, crying like a baby.”
I stared at him until I was finally able to shake my obsessive thoughts about the Sword. “As much as I’d like to see a grown angel cry,” I said as I approached, “this might be the ammunition the others were begging for to pin my wings to a cork board.”
“You have wings?”
“No,” I said while crouching on the floor next to him, reaching my arm around his back. “But I think they’d find a way to improvise.”
One minute I was stooped next to Braydon, helping him to his feet, the next I was lying on my back, the wind knocked out of me. He hovered over me, pinning me to the mat.
“What the fuck?” I said, once I’d caught my breath. Braydon’s cheesy smile above me was enough explanation.
“You’re not the only one who knows how to play dirty, beautiful,” he said.
“You are so going to Hell.”
He laughed. Hard. I couldn’t help but crack a smile, even as I shook my head. I wanted to be mad at him, but if anything, I should have been furious at myself for letting my guard down. That’s no fun.
“Your ankle’s not even sprained, is it?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Nice.” I pushed at his chest. “Okay, you can let me up now.”
He didn’t move. “Why go for the demon?”
“Excuse me?”
“Hunter. Why’d you choose to be with a demon instead of being with an angel?”
He was serious. No more smiles. Braydon stared at me with such intensity, I thought he might be soul-searching for an answer. The comfort level I’d had before wit
h him vanished as quickly as it had come.
“Get off me, Braydon.” I squirmed beneath him. I didn’t want to use my power on him again, but I would if it came down to it. “I’m serious.”
“Just tell me, and I’ll get up. It’s a simple question.”
“No. It’s not. Besides, I never planned on being with Hunter, the Demon. I had no idea what he was. Hell, I didn’t even know what I was. We just sort of ended up together. Also, it wasn’t as if I had angels knocking down my door either, for God’s sake.” I don’t know why his question bothered me as much as it did. I’d never had to try to explain my feelings for Hunter before. Not to anyone. The only people I associated with knew the story and accepted it. Well, except for Hadraniel, but he didn’t accept anything. “This is stupid. Get off me.”
“What if you did?”
“What if I did what?”
“What if you had angels knocking down your door? Would you open it?”
“You have two seconds to remove yourself from her before I do it for you.” Hunter’s voice thundered from across the room.
My eyes widened in horror. I didn’t even have time to catch Braydon’s reaction before he was suddenly ripped off me and flying through the air.
“Time’s up,” Hunter growled. In a blink, he was standing next to me.
The noise was deafening. A bang followed by a grunt, and then a loud crash of metal.
Angel Of Fate (Fate Series Book 3) Page 2
