After the things hed seen in his mind, he believed her. She attacked in gloom, a phantom who delivered no warning. Without a doubt, there was no crime she found too vile. That didnt mean he was going to heed her demands. You might think yourself powerful, but you cant defeat us all. War is what youll get if you continue to issue such warnings.
Whatever, warrior. I said what I wanted to say. You just better pray this is the last time you see me. The shadows thickened again, enveloping her and leaving absolutely no sign of her presence. Until, right next to his ear, he heard, Oh, and one last thing. This was my courtesy call. Next time, I wont play nice.
Then the world around him crashed back into focus: the buildings at his sides, the trash bags littering the concrete, the inebriated male now passed out cold. Finally, Wrath calmed.
Aeron remained on alert, eyes scanning, body ready. He listened, heard only the deliberate drags of his own breath, the patter of human footsteps beyond the alley and the song of night birds.
Once more his wings expanded and he shot into the air, determined to find Paris and return to their fortress. The other Lords had to be notified. Whoever the bloodthirsty female was, whatever else she could do, she needed to be dealt with. Soon.
CHAPTER TWO
AERON! AERON!
At the fortress, Aerons booted feet hit the balcony that led into his bedroom. Jolted by the unfamiliar female voice, he released Paris.
Aeron!
At that third ear-piercing feminine cry of terror and desperation, both he and Paris spun to face the hill below them. Thick trees knifed toward the sky, obscuring visibility, but there, amid the dappled greens and browns, he could just make out a figure draped in white.
A figure rushing toward their home.
Shadow Girl? Paris asked. How the hell did she make it past our gate so quickly? And on foot, no less?
Aeron had explained what happened with the woman from the alley along the way. Thats not her. This voice was higher, richer and far less confident. The gate I dont know.
Weeks ago, after he and Paris had recovered from battle wounds inflicted by Hunters, they had erected an iron gate around the fortress. That gate stretched fifteen feet tall, was wrapped with barbed wire and had tips sharp enough to cut glass. It also vibrated with enough electricity to send a human into cardiac arrest. Anyone who attempted to climb it wouldnt live long enough to reach the other side.
Think shes Bait? Paris tilted his head, his study of her intensifying. She could have been dropped from a heli, I guess.
Hunters had been known to use beautiful human females to lure the Lords out into the open, distract them and capture them for torture. This one certainly seemed to meet the criteria, possessing long wavy hair the color of chocolate, skin as pale as a cloud and a curved, ethereal body. Aeron couldnt make out her facial features just yet, but he would bet they were exquisite.
His wings unfolded from their slits as he answered, Maybe. Damn Hunters and their perfect timing. Half his friends were gone. Theyd traveled to Rome to search the Temple of the Unspoken Ones, ruins that had recently risen from the sea. They hoped to find anything that would lead them to missing godly artifacts. Four artifacts that, when used together, would then lead to the location of Pandoras box.
Hunters hoped to use that box to lock the demons back inside, destroying the Lords since man could no longer live without demon. The Lords simply hoped to demolish it.
There are trip wires out there. The more Paris spoke, the more Aeron noticed a tremor in his tone. Because of Shadow Girl, as Paris had called her, there hadnt been time for him to bed anyone in town, so his strength must be draining. If shes not careful Even if she is Bait, she doesnt deserve to die like that.
Aeron!
Paris fisted the balcony railing and leaned down for a better look. Whys she calling for you?
And why was she using his name with such familiarity? If shes Bait, Hunters are probably out there right now, lying in wait for me. Ill try and help her and theyll attack.
Paris straightened, face suddenly bathed in moon-light. Bruises had formed under his eyes. Ill get the others, and well take care of her. Of them. He was off before Aeron could reply, striding out of the bedroom, boots thumping against the stone floor.
Aeron kept his focus on the girl. As she continued to race upward, closer and closer to him, he realized the white cloth draping her was actually a robe. And the back of it, which he hadnt been able to see before, was bright red.
She wasnt wearing shoes, and when her bare toe slammed into a rock, she fell, that mass of chocolate hair cascading around her face. There were flowers woven through the curls, some of the petals missing. There were also twigs, but he didnt think shed placed those there intentionally. Her hands were shaking as she reached up and pushed the strands away.
Finally, her features came into view and every muscle in his body jumped, tensed. She was exquisite, just as hed supposed. Even splotchy and swollen from tears as she was. She had huge sky-blue eyes, a perfectly sloped nose, perfectly sculpted cheeks and jaw, both just a little rounded, and perfect lips that formed a lush heart.
Hed never met her before, he would have remembered, but suddenly there was something almostfamiliar about her.
She lumbered to a stand, grimacing and groaning, then started forward. Once again, she fell. A pained sob escaped her, but still she persisted, rising, edging toward the fortress. Bait or not, such determination was admirable.
Somehow she managed to dodge all the traps, weaving around them as if she knew where they were, but when she hit another rock and tumbled to the ground for a third time, she stayed down, shuddering, crying.
His eyes widened as he studied her back. The redWas thatblood? Fresh, still wet? The metallic tang of it drifted on the breeze and reached Aerons nostrils, confirming his suspicions. Oh, yes. It was.
Hers? Or someone elses?
Aeron. No longer a scream, but a pathetic wail. Help me.
His wings expanded before he could think things through. Yes, Hunters would purposely injure Bait before sending her into the lions den, hoping to gain sympathy from the target. Yes, hed probably end up with arrows and bullets in his backagainbut he wasnt going to leave her out there, injured and vulnerable. Wasnt going to allow his friends to risk their lives to saveor destroyhis little visitor.
Why me? he wondered as he shot from the balcony. Up, up he soared before falling toward her. He zigzagged to make himself less of a mark, but no arrows whizzed by and no gunshots sounded. Still, rather than land beside her, he increased his speed, reached out his arms and scooped her up without ever slowing his pace.
Perhaps she was afraid of heights and that was the reason for her sudden stiffening. Perhaps shed expected him to be killed before ever reaching her and, when hed actually managed to latch onto her, had stiffened from terror. Either way, he didnt care. Hed done what hed set out to do. He had her.
She began flailing weakly against his hold, grunting in shock and pain. Dont touch me! Let me go! Let me go, or I swear to
Be still, or by the gods, I will drop you. He had her by the stomach, her face aimed toward the ground. That way, she could see just how far she would fall.
Aeron? She craned her neck to see him. The moment their gazes connected, she relaxed. Even smiled slowly. Aeron, she repeated on a sigh of pleasure. I was afraid you wouldnt come.
That pleasure, undiluted and untouched by malice, surprisedand confusedhim. Women never looked at him like that. Your fear was misplaced. You should have feared I would come.
Her smile faded.
Better. The only thing that disturbed him now was the radio silence from his demon. As with Shadow Girl, images and urges should have bombarded him by now. Worry about it later.
Continuing to zigzag, he flew into his bedroom, not stopping on the balcony as usual. He needed cover as quickly as possible. Just in case. Except, just as he was retracting his wings, they slammed into both sides of the doorway and fire rushed from the tips to the arches.
Aeron ignored the pain as he skidded to his feet. When he righted himself, he strode to the bed and gently laid his charge atop the mattress, facedown. He ran a fingertip along the ridge of her spine and her heart-shaped lips parted on an agonized groan. Hed hoped shed been doused with someone elses blood, but no. Her injuries were real.
The knowledge wouldnt soften him. Shed probably inflicted the damage herselfor allowed the Hunters to do itjust for the sympathy it would evoke. No sympathy from me. Only irritation. As he stomped to his closet, he drew his wings into his back, but broken as they now were, they wouldnt fit under their flaps. That only increased his irritation with her.
He didnt have rope and didnt want to leave the room to find some, so he grabbed two of the neckties Ashlyn had given him in case he ever wanted to dress up. He returned to the bed.
Her cheek pressed into the mattress, her gaze tracking his every move, as if she couldnt help but peer at himand not in revulsion as most females did. She watched him with something akin to desire.
An act, surely.
And yet, that desirethere was something familiar about it. Something unsettling. Thats what hed noticed earlier, he thought. When shed called his name, that same desire had been evident and deep down, hed known hed encountered it before. When? Where?
From her?
He continued to stare down at her, and Wrathwas still silent, he realized. This was (supposedly) the first time hed ever been in her presence, yet his demon still wasnt flashing her sins through his mind. That was odd. Had happened only once before. With Legion. Why, hed never figured out. Gods knew his baby girl had sinned.
So why was it happening again? With possible Bait, no less?
This woman, had she never sinned? Had she never said an unkind word to another? Never purposely tripped someone or stolen something as simple as a piece of candy? Those pure, sky eyes said no. Or, like Legion, had she sinned but for whatever reason, flew under Wraths radar?
Who are you? His fingers wrapped around one of her fragile wristsmmm, warm, smooth skinand anchored it to a bedpost with the tie. He repeated the action with her other wrist.
Not once did she protest. It was as if shed expectedand already acceptedthat she would receive such treatment. My name is Olivia.
Olivia. A pretty name. Fitting. Delicate. Actually, the only thing that wasnt delicate about her was her voice. Layer after layer ofwhat was that? The only word he could think to describe it was honesty, and so much drifted from her, he was knocked backward.
That voice had never told a lie, he would bet. It couldnt have.
What are you doing here, Olivia?
Im hereIm here for you.
Again, that truthit was a force that flowed into his ears, through his body, and sent him staggering. There wasnt room for doubts. Not a single one. He was simply compelled to believe her.
Sabin, keeper of Doubt, would have loved her. Nothing pleased the warriors demon more than tearing down anothers confidence.
Are you Bait?
No.
Again, he believed her; he had no choice. Are you here to kill me? He straightened and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down at her, waiting.
He knew how fierce he looked, but again, she didnt react as females usually did: trembling, cowering, crying. She fluttered her long, black lashes at him, seemingly hurt that hed maligned her character.
No, of course not. She paused. Well, not anymore.
Not anymore? So. At one time, you meant to slay me?
I was once sent to do so, yes.
Such honesty By whom?
At first, I was sent by the One True Deity to merely watch you. I didnt mean to scare your little friend away. I was only trying to do my job. Fresh tears filled her eyes, turning those beautiful blue irises into pools of remorse.
No softening. Who is the One True Deity?
Pure love lit her expression, momentarily chasing away that sheen of pain. Deity of you, Deity of me. Far more powerful than your gods, though mostly content to remain in the shadows, and so rarely acknowledged. Father to humans. Father toangels. Like me.
Angels. Like me. As the words echoed in his head, Aerons eyes widened. No wonder his demon couldnt sense any wickedness in her. No wonder her gaze felt familiar to him. She was an angel. The angel, actually. The one sent to kill him, by her own admission. Though she didnt plan to end him anymore. Why?
And did it matter? This delicate creature had been, at one point, his appointed executioner.
Suddenly he wanted to laugh. As if she could have overpowered him.
You couldnt see her. Would you truly have been able to stop her, had she gone for your head?
The thought hit him and he lost his amusement. She was the one who had been watching him these many weeks. She was the one who had followed him, unseen, driving a pained Legion away.
Which begged the question of why Wrath wasnt reacting as Legion always did. With fear and even physical agony. Perhaps the angel controlled which demons sensed her, he considered. That would certainly be a handy ability to possess, keeping her intended victims ignorant of her presenceand intentions.
He waited for brutal rage to fill him. Rage hed promised to unleash on this creature time and time again should she ever reveal herself. When the rage failed to appear, he waited for resolve. He must protect his friends at any cost.
But that, too, remained hopelessly out of reach. What he got instead? Confusion.
You are
The angel who has been watching you, yes, she said, confirming his suspicions. Or rather, I was an angel. Her eyelids sealed shut, tears catching in her lashes. Her chin trembled. Now Im nothing.
Though he believed herhow could he not? That voice Seriously, he wanted to doubt her about something, anything, but couldnt manage itAeron extended a shaky hand. What are you, a child? Man up.