He was staring at me, momentarily forgetting I annoyed him. Among other things. How do you know these things?
I told you.
Remind mewhat do you write?
I didnt bother to disguise my irritation. He remembered my crackpot mother, but my lifes work was easily forgotten. Old Testament mysteries, I said in a testy voice. Theyre tongue-in-cheek, of course, and a little sarcastic, but
Theres your answer. Uriel is as pitiless as a demon, and he has no sense of humor.
I got sentenced to hell for writing murder mysteries? I demanded, incensed.
Probably. Unless you have other dark secrets. Have you killed anyone? Erected false idols? Committed adultery? Consorted with demons?
Not until today, I muttered.
Im not a demon.
Close enough. I know what I saw downstairs. You may be an angel, but youre a vampire as well. My head was about to explode.
Were not vampires. Vampires dont exist. Were blood-eaters.
Im afraid I rolled my eyes at such nit-picking. Whatever. Im not saying I believe you. Im trying to keep an open mind about it.
How broad-minded of you, he said, his voice acidic.
Besides, youre not very nice for an angel, I observed. I thought angels were supposed to be sweet and, er . . . angelic.
Youre thinking in modern terms. An angel is just as likely to be the instrument of divine justice with a flaming sword to smite the unworthy.
And what kind of angel are you, precisely?
Fallen.
I should have gotten past being shocked by now. Fallen? I repeated, no doubt sounding a little slow on the uptake.
I think youve heard enough for now, he said. Humans have a limited capacity to absorb this sort of thing.
Who the hell are you to tell me what I can or cannot absorb? You havent even begun to explain the blood and Sarah and
He gestured with one beautiful, elegant hand. It was a strong hand, which surprised me. Angels didnt do any manual labor, did they? So they ferried people to heaven and hellthat didnt require any particular
strength. And what
It was like someone had turned out the lights. Suddenly I was drifting in a cocoon, soundless, lightless, no sharp edges or uneven surfaces. I struggled for just a moment, because it felt like death, and I didnt want to find myself in even worse trouble; then I heard Raziels rich, golden voice in my head: Let go, Allie. Just let go.
So I did.
I LOOKED AT HER, NOT moving. I didnt want her here, didnt want her anywhere around me. Shed slid farther down on the floor, her head resting against the seat cushion of the couch, and she looked . . . delicious. That is, if I were someone else. She was not what I needed. I poured myself another glass of wine and leaned back, surveying her as dispassionately as I could.
Which was easier said than done. For all the distance I was putting between us, I couldnt ignore the fact that shed saved my life, as surely as Id saved her from Uriels pit of hell; and the unfortunate truth was that we were bound together, whether I wanted it or not. I most definitely didnt want it, and the timing couldnt have been worse.
I was thinking too much, forgetting the rule of blind obedience, the rule that Uriel tried to force down our throats, usually with little success. If Id just tossed her and left, my life would be much simpler, and the Fallen wouldnt be bracing for angelic retribution on top of everything else.
It was just as well she didnt know much about Uriel. There was no doubt he was one scary motherfucker, and she was probably scared enough as it was.
Though she hadnt looked scared. Shed simply taken in the information Id given her, with no drama, no hysterics. I was used to a little more Sturm und Drang when I told people they were dead. Shed just blinked her warm brown eyes and said, Crap.
I stretched out on the other couch, looking at her. I was feeling better than Id felt in months. Azazel was right, damn it. Id needed the Source, rich blood filling all the empty places inside my body, repairing the broken parts, bringing me back to life. A little too much life, in fact. Because I wanted to fuck Allie Watson.
Hear that, Uriel? I sent the thought outward. Fuck and mother fuck. Deal with it.
She stirred, almost as if she could read my mind. Impossiblethat Grace was given only to a bonded mate. I could read her anytime I wanted to, but there was no way she could know what I was thinking.
I shouldnt bother trying to feel her thoughts. I was already too attached to her, whether I liked it or not. One thing was certainI was not going to have sex with her, even if I wanted to. Hands off from now on, at least while she was awake.
Old Testament mysteries. I snorted. No wonder Uriel had judged her. She was just lucky it had been my turn. She wouldnt have stood a chance with Azazel or any of the othersthey would have tossed her without a second glance.
Which would have been a shame, I thought lazily, watching the rise and fall of her breasts beneath the loose white clothes Sarah had provided for her.
Shed saved me last night in the forest. If she hadnt listened, if shed run, the Nephilim would have ripped her apart and then devoured my paralyzed body.