Angel Betrayed (29 page)
Sam pointed to the ground. “A spell has her locked in.” A thin line of white powder circled the woman. “I don’t think this one is too strong, but we can’t take any chances on it being a trap.”
“The wolf could come back!” The redhead screamed. “You have to get me
out of here!”
out of here!”
“The beast has gone after Tomas.” Sam frowned at the line of powder. “It won’t be back till he’s dead.”
The redhead blinked. If possible, her face paled even more. “Dead?”
But Sam didn’t answer. He pushed Seline back a bit. “I can burn through it.”
Like there weren’t already enough flames around them.
“Burn?” the woman whispered. “Wait, don’t—”
There was no waiting. The flames were already around her, burning in a bright circle, following that trail of white powder and enclosing the woman.
Sam stalked toward the flames. “This is gonna hurt.” He reached through the fire. “To get out, you have to walk through the flames.”
Seline’s jaw dropped. “She’s human, Sam! She can’t!”
He glanced back at her with one brow raised. “That’s why it’s gonna hurt.” His arm was on fire.
The woman was sobbing.
“Take my hand,” Sam ordered. “Take it now or you’re dead.”
Seline could barely see through the flames. But she thought the woman reached for Sam. In the next instant, the woman was flying right through the flames. No, Sam was yanking her through. When the redhead hit the ground, Seline immediately started slapping out the flames that licked around the woman. She ignored the blisters that burst onto her own skin.
I can heal. She can’t.
“Now get her out of here,” Sam said as the flames burning his flesh died away.
Seline looked up at him. “And leave you here alone? No way.”
“Delia was right. Rogziel’s long gone.” His eyes still shined black. “But when he comes back, I’ll be waiting for him.”
Not such a fantastic idea. “You can’t! You don’t—”
He lifted the bottle Mateo had tossed to him. Then, slowly, he pulled the claw from his right pocket. “I’m going to cut his fucking head off.” His eyes darted to the woman. She stared at him as if he were a monster. Couldn’t the woman recognize a hero when she saw one?
Seline yanked the redhead up to her feet. Time to teach this chick some hard and fast facts. “An angel risked his life for you.”
Sierra swiped away the tears on her cheeks. “An . . . angel?”
“A hellhound is chasing Tomas because he came back for you. That wasn’t a wolf, okay? It was a
hellhound.
” She shoved Sierra toward the broken door. “Now be smart, and run. Run really, really fast.”
hellhound.
” She shoved Sierra toward the broken door. “Now be smart, and run. Run really, really fast.”
Sierra looked back at her with dazed eyes. “Th-thank you.” Then she ran, really, really fast.
Seline turned to Sam.
“You need to run, too,” he told her.
Probably. “Maybe I’m just not into playing it smart.” She closed the distance between them. “I’m
not
leaving you.”
not
leaving you.”
He shook his head. “You want freedom. This is your chance. Take it.”
Didn’t he see? Didn’t he get it yet? “I think I want you more.” The stark truth, and one that scared her to death.
Sam’s eyes widened, and a burst of blue appeared around the darkness of his eyes. “Seline?”
Her lips started to lift in a trembling smile.
“You want him?”
Azrael demanded from right behind her.
Azrael demanded from right behind her.
Aw, hell. Angels and their too-fast—
“Then just see exactly what you’re getting . . .” Before she could even look over her shoulder, Azrael touched her.
And Sam roared.
Hello, Death.
She stared down at the men. She could hear the laughter, but couldn’t understand their words. Their clothes were . . . different. Old. Foreign.
Another time, another place.
But Death was there.
Seline saw Sammael leap from the sky. His wings, strong, black, so powerful, thrust behind him. The men were staring with wide eyes, looking all around.
But they couldn’t see him. Not yet.
Then he touched the first man.
The man with the red hair screamed, and the sound chilled Seline’s blood. She’d never heard a cry filled with such terror. The redhead fell to the ground, his body frozen, his face twisted in agony. He was the first, but not the last. Far, far from the last.
Soon the men could see Sam. Seline didn’t understand how or why, but they were staring at him. Pointing. Screaming.
He . . . laughed?
More men fell. He cut right through them. Killed, touched, until none were left living.
When the dead littered the ground at his feet, Sammael tilted back his head, stared up at the heavens, and smiled.
More.
“Seline!”
Sam’s roar jerked her back to the present just as he pulled her away from Azrael. She realized that only a moment had passed, barely a second.
Sam’s roar jerked her back to the present just as he pulled her away from Azrael. She realized that only a moment had passed, barely a second.
It had felt like an eternity.
Sammael put his body between her and Az. “What the fuck did you do?”
“Relax,” Az said, voice tight. “She’s completely unharmed. You know the touch doesn’t work on those with angel blood. Most of the demons who run on this earth have blood so diluted, it doesn’t matter, but she’s . . . fresh.”
Her hands were shaking. Seline stared at Sam’s back and saw the shadow of his wings.
And when he fired a fast glance over his shoulder, she saw his rage. Seline rose to her toes, craning to see over his strong back.
“I just wanted her to see exactly who you are,” Az said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “She thinks that she wants you? Well, she needs to know just what it is that she wants.”
Azrael’s voice grated in her ears.
Sam must have thought the guy’s voice grated, too, because he slammed his fist into Azrael’s face to shut him up. “Don’t fucking touch her!”
“Why?” Az hadn’t moved. Blood streamed from his nose. “Because you didn’t want her to know just what you were? Didn’t want her to see how much you enjoy a kill?”
In a flash, Az was beside her. “Those men weren’t marked for death. He decided to kill them, and he did.”
Sam growled. No other word for it. He
growled
. “They had murdered a village. Slaughtered the children. Raped the women, then killed them when they were done. And you wanted—what? For me to turn the other cheek? Hell, no. Death for death. Eye for—” He broke off, seeming to finally realize just what Az had said before. “See?” he repeated quietly, and his gaze found Seline’s. “He . . . showed you?”
growled
. “They had murdered a village. Slaughtered the children. Raped the women, then killed them when they were done. And you wanted—what? For me to turn the other cheek? Hell, no. Death for death. Eye for—” He broke off, seeming to finally realize just what Az had said before. “See?” he repeated quietly, and his gaze found Seline’s. “He . . . showed you?”
Not just rage in his voice now. Fear.
She lifted her hand toward him. The slight edge of cruelty was still on his face. It would probably always be there, in the curl of his lip and the hardness of his eyes. But he was more than cruelty and rage. So much more. Why hadn’t she seen that in the beginning?
“Can you really trust him?” Azrael murmured, like the devil whispering in her ear. “Don’t you want to leave him? Now’s your chance, succubus, run. I’ll hold him back. Get your freedom.”
Sam flinched.
Very, very slowly, Seline turned her head to meet Az’s stare. “I trust him with my life. And you can just go and fuck off.”
The ceiling trembled above them. Cracks raced across the sagging tiles.
“You should have run when you had the chance,” Az told her with what looked to be a sad shake of his head. “Now we’ll all—”
The ceiling caved in—no, fell in because Rogziel had just blasted his way through as he hurtled toward them.
“Hell’s waiting,” Rogziel called out, raising his bloody hands, and lightning flew across the room. One bolt slammed into Azrael’s chest. Another hit Sam’s back. The scent of burned flesh filled Seline’s nostrils.
Burned flesh . . . and brimstone.
The hound’s teeth were at his throat. Tomas shoved up, but he choked on his own blood. The witch was thrusting a knife into the beast’s side, but the hound wasn’t letting up.
They’d run. Used as many spells as they could, but every time they appeared, the hellhound was right on their asses.
Can’t outrun a hound. Not once the beast gets your scent.
The hound would only stop by a master’s command—or when it brought down its prey.
The hound would only stop by a master’s command—or when it brought down its prey.
Tomas was down. No matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t get up.
The thudding of Tomas’s heartbeat began to slow. The sunlight dimmed. This was it.
He’d Fallen and now he’d die.
He could still hear Sierra’s screams. She’d never know—
The hound’s breath blew over his face, but then, the hound stiffened. The beast lifted its big, ugly head and howled.
The mournful wail shook Tomas’s bones.
The hound licked his throat, drinking away the blood that poured from Tomas’s gaping wounds. Tomas’s hands clawed at the hound’s eyes.
The hellhound leapt back. Howled again, then turned and raced toward the sun.
Tomas couldn’t feel his legs anymore. Or his hands. And that thudding in his ears, so faint . . .
“Oh, fuck.”
Mateo stood over him. “Hold on, angel. You hear me? Your woman is out there. You have to help her. You can’t go any damn place yet.”
Mateo stood over him. “Hold on, angel. You hear me? Your woman is out there. You have to help her. You can’t go any damn place yet.”
Sierra.
His lashes were trying to close.
Mateo chanted. Poured something in his wounds that burned and made him howl like the beast had.
Sierra.
“Why . . .” The word came from his torn throat as a whisper. “Leave . . . ?” He couldn’t manage anymore. He wasn’t even sure that Mateo would understand his garbled speech.
“Why . . .” The word came from his torn throat as a whisper. “Leave . . . ?” He couldn’t manage anymore. He wasn’t even sure that Mateo would understand his garbled speech.
“You’re still living . . .” he thought the witch muttered
barely,
“so only its master’s command would pull it back.” A pause and Tomas understood, even before Mateo said, “The hellhound has new prey.”
barely,
“so only its master’s command would pull it back.” A pause and Tomas understood, even before Mateo said, “The hellhound has new prey.”
Sam rose to his feet, never taking his gaze off Rogziel. “I figured you’d be showing up soon.”
Rogziel’s face flushed dark red and his eyes shone black. “And I
knew
Tomas would bring you to me.”
knew
Tomas would bring you to me.”
“That why you had your pit bull waiting to rip him apart? Death was the guy’s finder’s fee?”
Sam slipped out the small vial Mateo had tossed to him and cradled it in the palm of his hand.
“Don’t worry . . .” Rogziel’s eyes closed for a moment as he inhaled a deep breath. “My
pit bull
is coming home. The hound will rip you apart, too.”
pit bull
is coming home. The hound will rip you apart, too.”
“Maybe next time.” Sam smiled. Azrael stood in the corner, watching, waiting.
Same routine. Never acting. Always just watching.
“This time, I think I’ll rip you apart.” He threw the vial at Rogziel’s feet. The glass shattered, and a thin layer of white smoke rose in the air. High, higher, wrapping around Rogziel.
Same routine. Never acting. Always just watching.
“This time, I think I’ll rip you apart.” He threw the vial at Rogziel’s feet. The glass shattered, and a thin layer of white smoke rose in the air. High, higher, wrapping around Rogziel.
“No!”
the punishment angel screamed as he tried to lunge forward, but there was no place for him to go. He was trapped, in the cage that he’d first created. Rogziel’s fists slammed into a wall he couldn’t see, but it was one that Sam knew he could damn well feel. Sam smiled and pulled out his weapon. “Gotcha.” Time to carve up an—
the punishment angel screamed as he tried to lunge forward, but there was no place for him to go. He was trapped, in the cage that he’d first created. Rogziel’s fists slammed into a wall he couldn’t see, but it was one that Sam knew he could damn well feel. Sam smiled and pulled out his weapon. “Gotcha.” Time to carve up an—
“No.” Rogziel’s hands dropped. His lips twisted in a grin. “I’ve got you.”
“Sam . . .” Seline’s worried voice. “I hear—”
Growls. Snarls. The scratch of claws racing over the floor. The hellhound was coming back.
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