Evangeline. Eve. Angel. A nickname only Alec had ever used. He still said it with the rumbling seductive purr that had gotten her into this marked mess to begin with.
Montevista gave her a wry look. “Only you would have multiple high-level contracts out on you, Hollis.”
“Maybe the Nix and the wolf met after the explosion, and became friends. Maybe Asmodeus and Grimshaw were friends,” Eve said, “and Asmodeus is trying to help his buddy out in the revenge department. Maybe the Nix jumped ship to Asmodeus so that he had a valid excuse to hunt me.”
“There’s a hell of a lot of ‘maybes’ in there’ Alec bit out. “And friendship is relative to demons. Favors aren’t free. Asmodeus would’ve had to be paying a debt or getting something in kind.”
That didn’t sound good to Eve.
“That would have to be a huge debt or gain to make Asmodeus go after someone important to Cain,” Montevista pointed out. “Grimshaw came after Hollis in vengeance for the death of his son. Asmodeus has no excuse, and he knew he’d piss off Jehovah and Sammael at once.”
Eve sighed. The battle between Heaven and Hell wast a free-for-all. For the most part, Celestials and Infernals lived alongside each other in a wary truce. Satan’s minions were ordered to stay under the radar, so they could do the most damage. Marks were only assigned to take down rogue demons. Montevista was right. Something big had motivated Asmodeus to break the rules in such a major way.
“Unless Sammael told Asmodeus to do it,” Sydney suggested quietly. When everyone stared at her, she shrugged.
Montevista broke the silence. “She’s got a point.”
“I hadn’t run over his dog yet;’ Eve reminded.
Dog. Ha! Since the damn creature had been the size of a bus, Eve’s mind could barely connect “dog” to her road kill in the same train of thought.
“This has to be about more than Sammael’s damned hellhound,” Reed insisted. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Everyone and everything else— including pets—is expendable.”
“So he wants something? I don’t have anything valuable.” Her gaze darted between the two brothers. “Except for both of you.”
Alec and Reed fell silent, both physically and mentally. They knew she was a liability to them.
Eve refused to stay that way.
Reed turned back to the stove. Alec began routing orders through the mental switchboard system eaàh archangel had to everyone in their firm. She moved into the living room. She was still within seeing/hearing distance, but the space helped to give her mind a break. Tuning the others out, Eve settled onto her down-filled sofa and contemplated the mess that was her life.
The Nix and Grimshaw’s kid hadn’t been the only Infernals in the kiln room that disastrous night in Upland. There had also been a gaggle of tengu— Japanese gargoyle-type demons. Since the Nix and the wolf had both lived to be killed another day, it was reasonable to wonder if the tengu might have found second lives, too.
Alec shifted over to her and settled into a seated position on the edge of her glass-topped coffee table. The thick denim of his blue jeans did nothing to hide the fine form of his long, muscular legs.
“You’re going to get in trouble for using your powers so much,” she admonished.
For seven weeks a year, each archangel was given free rein to use his powers to facilitate in training new Marks, a duty they rotated between them. But the rest of the year using their gifts meant facing consequences. Suggesting they live secular lives was God’s way of fostering empathy for mortals. Eve thought it was a recipe for resentment.
Smiling, Alec said, “I’m not a firm leader yet. The same rules don’t apply to me.”
“Isn’t that always the case?”
He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. “I’ve double checked the security measures we installed against the Nix the first time around, both in this building and in your parents’ house. I’ve also assigned a security detail to guard the perimeter against any new threats.”
“Can they get rid of that nut job on the corner?”
“What nut job?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t seen him. The guy who looks like an evil Santa Claus? Preaching fire and brimstone with his acoustic guitar?”
He stared at her.
“The dude with the big sign that says ‘You are going to burn in Hell’ ?“ When he continued to gaze at her blankly, she shook her head. “Are you shifting around so much that you haven’t checked out the neighborhood in a while?”
Alec was gone in a blink. A split second later he was back in the same spot.
“I see,” he said. “He’s harmless.”
“He’s annoying, and he’s been there for days.” She snapped her fingers. “Hey, maybe God will take a trade between him and me?”
Eve was only partially kidding. The whole marked system was jacked, in her opinion. There were millions of religious zealots around the world who killed in God’s name every day, but they didn’t get marked.
Instead, the Almighty used the impious. It was like boot camp for sinners and nonbelievers. God seemed to be saying, See who you shall hang out with f thou shalt not change thy blasphemous ways?
“Not a fair exchange,” he said, with a hint of a smile. “You’re worth a hundred of that guy.”
“That’s your opinion.”
“Clearly I’m not the only one who thinks so, since he’s out there and you’re with me. I’m also going to talk to Abel about lowering your caseload for a while.”
Eve’s brows rose. “Won’t that put a burden on the other Marks in the area?”
“Somewhat.” –
“You can’t ask me to do that and live with the consequences.”
“I’m not asking you.”
She considered that for a moment, her fingers drumming on the armrest. “Being an archangel suits you, I see.”
“Don’t,” he warned.
“Infernals are swarming into Orange County— possibly because of me—and you want me to sit around while other Marks deal with the mess? They already don’t like me.”
“They’ll get over it.”
“Easy for you to say. No one hates you for working with me.”
“You wouldn’t do anyone any favors by getting yourself killed.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Her smile was grim. “I can think of a few people who want me dead.”
“Not funny, angel.”
She sighed. “You know me. I’m a big scaredy-cat. I don’t want to jump into oncoming traffic, but I can’t hang out here watching Dexter reruns and eating Ben Jerry’s while other people are facing a horde.”
“Argue all you want, it’s still not happening.”
“Gadara would put me out there.”
“He’s not here”
“And what’s being done about that?” she challenged. “Or are archangels more expendable than I thought?”
Alec reached out and touched her calf with his fingertips. “We’re working on that, too.”
“It’s been two months. I can’t imagine it’s been a vacation for him in Hell.”
“We can’t charge in. It would be a suicide mission.”
“So what do we do?”
“You are going to follow orders. I’m going to work on securing leverage.”
Eve ignored the first part of his statement and concentrated on the last half. “Leverage. As in.. . something you have that Satan wants more than he wants to keep Gadara?”
“Yes. Sammael has to bring Raguel to us. That’s the only way we’re going to get him back.”
“What does Satan want more than an archangel bargaining chip?”
His mouth twisted wryly. “That’s the question, isn’t it?”
He ducked without warning. Something small and white flew through the space his head had been occupying. If Eve hadn’t been gifted with enhanced sight, she would have missed it.
“Watch it, prick!” he barked at Reed.
“Keep your hands to yourself,” Reed shot back.
Eve watched the object hit the balcony screen door and bounce back into the room. It rolled to a stop by the leg of the coffee table. She glanced over her shoulder. “A water chestnut?”
“It was either that or this—” He waved one of her Ginsu knives.
“Thanks for showing a little restraint with your testosterone.” Pushing to her bare feet, she set her hands on her hips. “Now knock it off.”
“You can’t expect us to like this situation,” Alec said.
“I’m not liking it either.”
When she was alone and contemplative, Eve acknowledged that her feelings of loneliness and separation were goading her to accept a situation she never would have in her normal life. Technically, she wasn’t doing anything more than spending private time with both of them, but technicalities weren’t much of a buffer against hurt feelings and possessiveness. She felt disloyal to Alec—even though he couldn’t return her affections—and she was concerned for Reed, who was so edgy about the whole thing.
“Maybe sticking strictly to business is the only option,” she said.
Both men quieted, their jaws taking on stubborn cants. Montevista and Sydney looked at each other with raised brows.
“This isn’t working,” Eve persisted, her foot tapping on the hardwood.
Reed went back to chopping vegetables.
Alec leaned forward again. “Are you going to stay put like I’m ordering you to?”
Eve crossed her arms. “What do you think?”
“Right.” He stood. “So, starting with breakfast tomorrow, you’re back to having a full-time mentor. No more of this shifting in only when you need me.”
“You’re going to be my baby-sitter?”
His dark gaze raked her from head to toe. “Only if I can take you over my knee when you’re naughty.”
I’m still holding the knife, dickhead, Reed bit out.
Eve dropped back onto the couch with a silent groan. The two brothers were going to be the death of her.
If the demons didn’t kill her first.
Eve held a protein shake aloft. “Want one?”
Alec eyed the green beverage with obvious wariness. Dressed in long shorts and a white sleeveless T-shirt with steel-toed boots, he had the bad-boy look down to a science. His shades were hung backward and rested against his nape, tangling with the overlong mane of dark hair that she loved to run her fingers through.
Behind him, early morning sunlight filtered into her living room. Sydney was asleep in the guest room after an all-night watch, and Montevista was outside getting reports from the guards on the street. Beyond her balcony, surfers called out to each other as they hit the waves before the workday.
“You’ve got that look in your eyes,” Alec said, grinning. “You want me.”
She turned her back to him. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“Yes. I want it.” He approached. “I want whatever you’re dishing out. Enough that if you don’t hurry up and give it to me, I just might have to take it.”
CHAPTER 3
Eve held a protein shake aloft. “Want one?”
Alec eyed the green beverage with obvious wariness. Dressed in long shorts and a white sleeveless T-shirt with steel-toed boots, he had the bad-boy look down to a science. His shades were hung backward and rested against his nape, tangling with the overlong mane of dark hair that she loved to run her fingers through.
Behind him, early morning sunlight filtered into her living room. Sydney was asleep in the guest room after an all-night watch, and Montevista was outside getting reports from the guards on the street. Beyond her balcony, surfers called out to each other as they hit the waves before the workday.
“You’ve got that look in your eyes,” Alec said, grinning. “You want me.”
She turned her back to him. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“Yes. I want it.” He approached. “I want whatever you’re dishing out. Enough that if you don’t hurry up and give it to me, I just might have to take it.”
There was a dark undertone to his voice that set off alarms. The old, prearchangel Alec would never say such a threat to her, but the new Alec. . . Not only did he say things that were out of character, she half feared he wasn’t entirely kidding when he said them.
Eve reached behind her and proffered the glass. His fingers curled around hers, warm compared to the chill of the shake. He kept coming until his every exhale disturbed the loose tendrils of hair that always escaped her ponytail. Through their connection, she sensed his pleasure in the smell of her shampoo and the way their bodies fit so well together. The sharing of information worked in reverse, too, so he knew damn well what he was doing to her. When he stepped back, she missed his body heat, but she didn’t miss the darkness in him that chilled her.
There’s something... in me, he’d told her recently, and she believed him. She sometimes felt it. It was ruthless and cold, and it took every opportunity to slither against her.
She poured another glass from the remains in the blender. Her hands shook slightly in response to his proximity. Desire—for sex and/or violence—was the only emotion that affected a Mark’s nervous system. “Let’s go back to the construction site where we first learned about Gehenna Masonry.”
There was a pause, then he said, “Shit. I forgot about the tengu.”
“Me, too, until last night.” In the process of hunting down the initial masked tengu, she and Alec had ended up at a construction site for a new Gadara Enterprises building—Olivet Place. They’d killed the two tengu they found there, but. . . “The building has four corners. Since they like to pack together, I figure they’d want to regroup.”