Amy Blankenship - Night Light стр 8.

“Like you’ve never gotten your ass beat,” Steven shot back.

Dean stopped and thought for a moment. “No, I haven’t gotten my ass beat but it has been pounded.”

“Argh!” Steven roared, throwing his arms in the air and stalking down another hall.

Nick looked over at Dean, “Any idea where he’s hidden the robe?”

“Under his bed,” Dean answered.

Nick smirked, “Perfect blackmail material, thank you.”

“Sure thing, I like watching him squirm… that and he seems to think I’m constantly going to kick his ass or something.”

“Sadist,” Nick said with a chuckle.

“I’m a fallen,” Dean said. “We don’t have much to keep us entertained.”

Steven approached the priest’s office door and raised his hand to knock when he heard voices on the other side. One he recognized as the priest, the other was female. Lowering his hand, he pressed his ear closer to the door so he could listen.

Jewel paced back and forth trying to stay focused but it was hard. The first thing that came to her mind when she walked into the office was when she’d been attacked by vampires and seen a naked man or shifter… whatever he was. She just spent the last five minutes answering the priest’s questions about the other night but right now she had bigger problems than that.

“You shouldn’t be sneaking around in the middle of the night,” the priest said. “It’s dangerous. What if your father or your betrothed catches you?”

Jewel marched straight up to his desk and practically slammed her palm down on it. “No, they are the ones making it dangerous… climbing out my own window and sneaking past the armed guards that are keeping me prisoner and trying to sneak back in without getting caught.”

“Your father is just trying to protect you.” He tried to calm her down but knew what she was saying was true. Her father was in here every week confessing… washing the blood from his hands and conscience.

“No, he’s trying to force me to marry his business partner to pay back a debt! A debt I had nothing to do with. Isn’t there a law against slavery in this country?”

“But when you and Anthony came in here for the meeting, you said you loved him with all your heart.” The priest pointed out. “That is not the type of thing you should lie about. It’s a disgrace in the eyes of God.”

“Yes well, the two body guards standing behind our chairs… do you remember them? The one behind me was digging the barrel of his gun into my back. I could never love an egotistical heavy-handed barbarian like Anthony. He promised to kill me and my father if I don’t go through with the wedding. And earlier tonight, when I tried to tell father that I didn’t want anything to do with Anthony, he smacked me so hard that I know where the stars are located now, because I could count them.”

Both Jewel and the priest were startled when the office door flew open so hard it banged the wall making several pictures and a gold-plated cross fall.

Steven stood in the doorway glaring at the two of them. However, the darkening bruise on Jewel’s cheek made Steven see red. “You both need to come with me.”

Jewel’s knees felt weak seeing the mystery man still alive. She had thought about him being killed by vampires so many times since running from him. Several times she’d even regretted running to the point of tears. Now that she could breathe easier, she wanted to scream.

Why was it every time she came to talk to the priest in confidence, they had an emergency? She was less afraid of this shifter than she was of her gun toting fiancé and until she heard fire alarms or saw a fang face, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Not this time,” Jewel informed him crossing her arms over her chest.

“I can’t just leave the church unattended,” the old man started but Steven quickly cut him off.

He took deliberate strides closer to the desk as he spoke, “Have you made a deal with the devil and decided to feed your parish to the vampires? Is it you burning their bodies in your boiler room?” When the priest just opened his mouth but didn’t say anything Steven continued, “Or is it the sinners you preach to that have committed mass murder in your basement and dug a tunnel to escape through?”

“Oh my,” the old man gave Steven a grim look. “If I leave the church, how long will it be until I can return?”

“Give me your cell number. I’ll call you within a couple hours. Do not come back until we give the all clear.” He sighed knowing he’d won the argument when the old man started rifling through his drawers getting things he deemed important enough to take with him.

Jewel tried to remain perfectly calm while edging her way toward the still open door. Freedom… why was it she always found herself running from mad men?

“Don’t make me chase you,” Steven gritted out as he jerked his head to the side and locked his gaze on her. “I said he could go home… not you.”

Jewel’s lips parted as she froze in mid motion. How dare he give her an order? She gritted her teeth realizing she’d obeyed him anyway. She raised her chin up a notch in defiance as she came to a conclusion. The moment she got away, she would keep running… from all of them, including her father.

“What are you going to do with her?” the priest demanded indignantly.

“I’m going to do what you can’t do… keep her safe,” Steven yelled not wanting to fight about this. The bruise on Jewel’s face had quite literally shattered his nerves and he’d be damned if he was going to send her back to the man that did it.

“I don’t need another protector,” Jewel turned to leave but stopped short seeing two dangerous-looking men blocking the doorway.

Dean had felt Steven’s distress all the way down the stairs and now that he was looking at the girl who was causing it, he could see why. Reading her soul, he caught a fleeting glance of the elusive angel of death.

“You’re wrong.” He moved so fast, even the two shifters in the room missed it. “You do need a protector.”

Jewel stifled a scream when the man’s palm pressed against her sore cheek and his eyes turned the color of mercury. The cold hand that had been clinched around her heart with icy fingers for so long melted. Suddenly, she was reminded of feelings she had forgotten existed… warmth, safety… love.

The priest leaned back against his desk when the shadow of wings sprung out from the man’s back, flickered brilliantly, then disappeared.

“I’ll be downstairs,” Dean stated as the wind rushed in to fill up the space he vanished from.

Steven didn’t know why Dean had chosen that moment to reveal his power but he was glad the fallen had done it. Jewel’s cheek was healed and the priest looked like he’d just seen the light.

“We need to leave… now,” Nick said from the doorway.

Steven grabbed Jewel’s hand and started for the door, glad the shock had taken the fight right out of her for the moment.

“Wait,” the priest called, making Steven and Nick stop to look back at him. “Was that…?” he faltered, pointing at the spot where Dean had stood moments before.

Steven smiled genuinely at the excitement in the old priest’s eyes. “Yeah… it was.”