Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers) (14 page)

His jaw was tight and he stood up from his seat as the bus came
to its next stop. “Anyway. This conversation’s over.”

I followed him off the bus, quickening my steps to keep up with
him. I wasn’t letting him get away now. “He killed you and sent you to Hell. He
told me that much. I saw his memories last night, like I was reading his
mind—saw them, experienced them. Then he freaked out and left.”

He stared at me over his shoulder incredulously. His legs were
long enough that if he really wanted to put distance between us and escape me,
he could. “I just bet he did.”

“It was when he was only fifteen. You two worked for someone
named Kara. You sold the cadavers to a medical school, but you kept the jewelry
to sell to help fix his eyesight. And you...” I strained to remember what I’d
seen. “You wore a gold cross around your neck. Makes me think you were
religious.”

His expression was now a mirror image of how Bishop looked at
me last night after the memory meld. “I’d stop talking now if I was you,
gray-girl.”

Stop? But I’d just gotten started. And I was on a roll. I had
to keep pressing. There was something here—some connection I knew was vital.
“Bishop changed his name to show how much he wanted to forget the past. Kraven’s
your last name, isn’t it?” I was guessing now, but I knew I was right. “James is
your first name. Just because you go by your last name doesn’t mean that you’re
forgetting who you were. You remember. Come on, tell me something.
Anything.”

“Why?” There was the faint echo of pain in his voice. “So you
can understand
him
better? Sorry, I’m not really in
the mood to help pave your way to true love, sweetness.”

True love? Maybe in my wildest dreams. But I’d never been a
dreamer, I’d always been a realist. Even now. “You’re kidding, right? He’s an
angel who’s been around for years and years. He’s an angel of
death—
an assassin. How could I ever seriously think
somebody like him would be interested in me beyond his...inconvenient
addiction?” It hurt to say it out loud, even if it was the truth.

“Interesting choice of words.”

“I mind melded with him yesterday and heard everything. If he
feels anything for me, it’s the result of his soul’s bizarre bond to the gray
that attacked him.”

“He did say something like that. Nice and neat explanation,
isn’t it? But if you think that’s all it is between you two crazy kids, that
should be freeing, right?” He groaned. “You have bigger problems than whether or
not my little brother holds a torch for you. Way bigger if you don’t find that
missing soul of yours.”

I stopped walking and looked around, trying to pinpoint my
location. “Where are we?”

It wasn’t as densely populated here on the east side of the
city as it was closer to my house downtown. This wasn’t the stop I would have
gotten off at to go to Crave. We’d gone farther than that—I hadn’t even realized
I’d missed my stop until now.

However, I did see something I recognized. On the lawn of a
huge house on a large lot we were walking past was a for-sale sign with my
mother’s name on it.

“House for sale,” Kraven said, watching me check out the
property. “Looks expensive.”

“I wonder if this is the house,” I said, staring at it through
the iron gate at the end of the driveway. “My mother said she can’t sell
it.”

Suddenly, I gasped as a wave of hunger crashed over me,
stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. It was enough to make me drop to
the ground, hard enough to bruise my knees. I couldn’t find my breath. I reached
up to grasp one of the iron bars to keep me from collapsing completely.

Kraven eyed me cautiously. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I can’t...” I struggled to breathe properly, to think, but I
couldn’t. I shook from head to toe. It was as if there was something inside me,
a ravenous beast that wouldn’t let me think or feel anything but emptiness,
hunger, stretching wide and cavernous—never full, never satisfied. What I
usually felt was only a pale version of this.

If I didn’t feed soon, I was going to die.

It was the only clear thought I had.

Was this what Stephen warned me about? Was this stasis?

I was moving, but not through any choice of my own. It took a
second for me to register what was happening. Kraven had picked me up, thrown me
over his shoulder and was rapidly running away from the house. He didn’t put me
down again until we were a couple blocks away, near a line of stores.

I stood on shaky legs next to a small Italian restaurant.
Through the glass windows, a few tables with red tablecloths were clearly
visible—people eating, drinking wine, enjoying themselves.

It helped to move away from the house, but not as much as I’d
like it to. Some people walked by us, moving toward the entrance to the
restaurant—two of them, a man and a woman. When Kraven let go of me I
immediately made a move toward them, not able to control myself.

Kraven grabbed my arm and held me firm until they disappeared
inside.

I think I hissed at him. Like an angry snake.

“Nice,” he said as he pulled me around to the side of the
building where nobody in the front could see us. “See? This is what I expected
with you being all gray. But no, you normally have to be all innocent and
nonthreatening. Makes it difficult to do my job.”

“Are you going to kill me?” I gasped for breath. “You better.
Because I’m so hungry right now I know I’m going to attack somebody. I can’t
control this.”

“Yeah, right. I’m going to kill you for having a momentary
burst of crazy. If I did that, my little brother would carve your initials into
my spleen before he cut my head off.”

I pressed my hands to my temples. The pressure was intense and
the hunger came in crashing waves, one after another. I could barely stay on my
feet.

I whimpered. “I hate this. I hate it so much.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He didn’t sound happy. Then he grabbed hold of
my arms and pulled me against his chest. “Oh, hell. This worked before, so maybe
it’ll work again.”

The next moment, his mouth was on mine.

Chapter 14

Don’t ask me how it worked, but it did. Something about
kissing the demon, going through the motions of feeding from him, managed to
fool my inner monster. Made it believe it was getting what it wanted.

Kraven’s grip twisted into the front of my coat to hold me
still. My arms were slack at my sides. He had to hunch over to make up for the
difference in our heights.

I kissed him back as if I had no choice. I didn’t. This wasn’t
a conscious decision, it was one of necessity. And slowly, slowly my mind began
to clear.

His hands slid around to the small of my back and he pulled me
up tighter against him. My eyes were squeezed shut, but I couldn’t even try to
pretend that I was kissing anyone else. Kraven’s scent was unique to him—a
pleasant spicy musk with undertones of smoke, like he’d been hanging out near a
campfire for a few hours. He was the same height as Bishop, the same build, but
they were so very different, so very—

Snap!

I was scanning the streets, looking for
something.

No, wait. This wasn’t me. It was Bishop. I
was seeing through his eyes, but it wasn’t a memory this time. It was now,
and all I could do was observe, not feel what he was feeling. He flicked a
glance at Connor, who was crouched on the sidewalk nearby.

“That was close,” Connor said, turning his
copper-colored eyes in Bishop’s direction.

“Too close. Damn Hollow isn’t working
right anymore.” Bishop looked down at the dagger he held. It chilled me to
see that the blade was coated in blood. He’d just killed something. A gray
that was no longer around; the Hollow must have opened up and taken it
already.

Connor rose to his feet, scrubbing a hand
over his shaved head. “Either it works to snatch them away, nearly taking
us, too, or it doesn’t open up at all. Why?”

“Don’t know. Wish I did.” Suddenly,
Bishop’s breath caught. “Go find Zach.”

Connor looked at him with alarm. “What is
it?”

“I sense her. She must be
close.”

“Who? Are you talking about
Samantha?”

Bishop nodded. “She needs me.”

“I didn’t think that location link between
you worked anymore.”

“Sometimes it does. Like now.”

Connor’s gaze grew wary. “You know what
Cassandra said. You should stay away from Samantha.”

“I don’t care what Cassandra said. Go.
I’ll catch up later.” He didn’t stay to argue. He took off at a run,
scanning the streets, looking for something.

Looking for me.

He had this...ability...to find me—from
the first moment we touched. The others didn’t. It was a trait unique to
Bishop. I wondered if it had to do with his particular job in Heaven. That
made sense. An assassin needed to be able to track his prey.

I knew it didn’t work so well all the
time, especially when he got confused. When things got in the way of his
concentration. When I was too far away.

But sometimes...it worked
perfectly.

He was closer than I thought. Only around
the corner from the house with the iron gate. He breezed past it, not
looking twice in its direction.

Two more blocks up the street and Bishop
staggered to an abrupt stop.

He saw me. And I saw myself through his
eyes—it was a jarring sight. I was up against a side wall of the Italian
restaurant, my arms tightly around the demon’s shoulders, clinging to him as
he kissed me.

I didn’t remember grabbing hold of Kraven
like that. But I guess I had.

Keeping his attention on us, Bishop
quickly closed the distance, reaching forward to grab—

Snap!

Kraven staggered back from me and spun around to face the wrath
of his brother. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and braced myself
against the wall of the restaurant. I was dizzy and weak, barely able to stay on
my feet. Barely able to process what just happened.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bishop’s words held deadly
malice. His narrowed eyes glowed bright blue. But he finally shoved the dagger
in his grip into the sheath on his back.

For a second there—based on the murderous look he’d given
Kraven—I’d been positive he’d completely lost his mind and was about to slice it
through his brother’s chest.

When I inhaled again, my hunger returned—and it was totally
focused on the angel this time. I felt his warmth from where I stood, propped up
against the wall. I fisted my hands at my sides to keep from automatically
reaching for him. Kraven’s kiss was enough to take the edge off, but the desire
was still there.

I needed more time to get my head together. I squeezed my eyes
shut and tried to calm myself.

“Um, what am I doing?” Kraven began, more maddeningly amused
than concerned by the angel of death glaring at him. “My
job,
of course. Why? Whatever did it look like?”

“Your job, huh?” Poison dripped from the words. But when Bishop
turned to face me, the anger slipped from his expression. “Are you all
right?”

“What?” I blinked at him, stunned. It was the last thing I
expected him to say after his furious arrival.

He touched my face, stroking the long, dark hair back that had
fallen across my forehead. That breath-catching tingle of electricity flowed
between us immediately.

“Oh, give me a break,” Kraven said drily. “I wasn’t forcing
myself on her if that’s what you’re thinking.”

My cheeks began to burn as I remembered Kraven’s lips against
mine.

“What happened here?” Bishop asked sharply.

“I had to kiss her. Obviously.” The demon leaned a shoulder
against the wall nearby. “She was having another soul-sucker meltdown like at
Crave the other night.”

I was shaking now. “Please, Bishop...”

His breath caught. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry, but...you’re too close to me right now.” My brain
was growing fuzzy at the edges. My vision narrowed on his mouth.

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple jumping as he did. He slid
his hands to my arms, gripping them firmly. His gaze sank into mine and he was
close enough that I could feel the rapid beat of his heart. It was just like
last night in my room. Dangerous.

But there was one six-foot-two difference tonight.

“Uh-oh. I think you’ve caught him in your spiderweb, gray-girl.
Allow me to lend the hapless fly a hand.” Kraven grabbed the back of Bishop’s
shirt and yanked him backward and out of my orbit of hunger. His warmth
disappeared in an instant, and the cold rushed in on all sides.

There was still a spark of something unhinged in Bishop’s
eyes—something uncontrollable. Then he swore under his breath and raked a hand
through his messy mahogany hair as he looked away from both of us.

“Exactly,” Kraven said, nodding. “Best keep you two crazy kids
apart.”

Bishop glared at Kraven before his expression cooled. “Want to
tell me what’s going on here?”

Still weak and shaky, my legs finally gave out and I slid down
the wall all the way to the ground. But at least I could think again. “You
missed the part where I nearly attacked somebody a minute ago. I’m losing it,
Bishop. Little by little. And it scares the hell out of me.”

His gaze, now guarded, moved back to me. “What are you doing
out here tonight?”

I let out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t just stay home and wait
for other people to solve my problems. I’m looking for Stephen, of course.
Luckily, Kraven was keeping an eye on me when my control took a nosedive.”

An unpleasant smile cracked through his expression and he shot
a withering look at the demon. “My big brother, so attentive. Especially when it
comes to you, Samantha.”

Kraven spread his hands. “I’m here to help.”

“Let’s try this again.” Bishop held his hand out to me, and I
eyed it wistfully and warily. “It’s okay. I’m better now.”

“Really?” I chewed my bottom lip as I took his hand and let him
pull me to my feet. He let go of me immediately, regretfully, and tore his gaze
from mine to look at his brother again.

“Ah, that charming look of death,” Kraven said. “I know it
well. But, really, you shouldn’t be jealous over a simple kiss between me and
your girlfriend. You know.
Another
one.” He glanced
at me. “What was that tonight? Strawberry lip gloss? I approve.”

“Thank you for helping me.” My cheeks burned. “Also, go to
hell.”

“Been there, done that.”

Bishop fixed him with a steady look. “Why would I be jealous?
It was so good of you to sweep in and save the day like the hero you are.”

Even I recognized sarcasm when it was spread on that thick.

The problem was, it was true. Kraven had helped me. He
had
saved the day.

Bishop knew it, too. And while he might accept that it was
necessary, the dark expression on his handsome face made me think he didn’t like
it at all.

I drew my coat closer to help keep out the chill. If I wasn’t
touching Bishop—which was a seriously bad idea right now—the cold of the night
bit right through the fabric and sank straight down to my bones. Being that it
was only October 29, it couldn’t possibly be as cold as it seemed.

The cold is one of the signs of
stasis,
I reminded myself silently.
Just like
the hunger, it’s getting worse.

I bleakly focused on the night sky for a moment, which was
dotted with bright stars. No searchlights. No quests for new team members
tonight.

“Blondie told you to patrol without her tonight—and she also
told you to stay away from gray-girl,” Kraven said, crossing his arms. “Trying
to impress her with your warrior prowess and angelic obedience so you can land a
ticket back to Heaven and a chance to regain your brain. Right?” He glanced at
me. “For the record, he’s still cutting his flawless angel skin to maintain his
sanity without your magical touch. Won’t last forever, though. He knows it,
too.”

“Bishop, no!” My voice broke. “You have to stop doing
that.”

He hissed out a breath. “Sometimes I have no choice.”

I shivered. “What does Kraven mean, it won’t last forever?”

Bishop spoke to me, but his attention was now on the demon.
“Little by little my sanity’s slipping away no matter what I do to try to stop
it. This soul inside me...the more it takes hold of me, the more damage it does
to my mind. And some damage can’t be fixed.”

“No.” I said it firmly, even though my stomach sank all the way
to the ground at this confirmation. “That’s not going to happen to you.”

“No?” He flicked a glance at me, his blue eyes haunted. “You
don’t know what it’s like when the craziness grips me.”

“You don’t think I know what it’s like to start to lose your
mind and your control? We might be complete opposites in a lot of ways, Bishop,
but this much we have in common. Sometimes we lose a battle. But that doesn’t
mean it’s the end of the war. Only if we stop fighting is it really the
end.”

His jaw tightened. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Damn right, I am.” My surge of anger over his fatalistic
attitude had helped chase my own away. “No maybes about it. We’re going to fix
me and we’re going to fix you. Somehow, someway.”

“FYI, I’m not kissing you, too,” Kraven said to him. “So you
can just forget it.”

I shot the demon a look. He wasn’t fooling me with this
nonchalant, joking facade of his. Whenever he dealt with Bishop, there was an
edge to him—to both of them. Something dark lurking under the surface. Barely
restrained animosity.

I continued to wipe at my mouth to remove the taste of Kraven’s
lips, disturbed that the kiss had lasted way longer than it had to due to the
unexpected mind meld. I looked around. “Something about this area triggered me.
Like, out of nowhere. I’ve never felt anything that horribly immediate
before.”

Bishop also scanned the street as if searching for clues. “And
now? How are you feeling?”

“Better. Just—” I turned my gaze to his “—don’t come any closer
to me right now.”

Something slid through his eyes then, something vulnerable,
before it disappeared and his expression hardened again.

Then something else caught my attention.

A woman slowly shuffled down the street toward the abandoned
house at the end of the block. She was making a mournful, whimpering sound. My
blood ran cold. It sounded like she was in desperate pain.

And she sounded exactly like I had only a short time ago.

“She’s a gray,” I said, my voice catching.

At the house, she grasped hold of the bars of the gates and
shook them, as if attempting to break them down to get to the house.

Bishop and Kraven shared a look.

“I can’t go back there,” I whispered. “Whatever’s happening to
her...it happened to me, too.”

The gray was openly weeping as she clawed at the gates, her
shoulders racking violently with her sobs.

“I’ll take care of her,” Bishop said.

My gaze shot to him. I knew exactly what he meant. And it
wasn’t to send her to a psychiatrist to work out her problems. A chill went
through me. “But she’s so helpless right now. You’re just going to kill
her?”

His face was tense. “I’ll talk to her first. But if she’s lost
herself...if she’s gone into stasis...we know what that means. She can’t think
straight.”

I couldn’t help it; I reached out to grab his arm. “Neither can
I sometimes.”

He looked down to where I touched him, his expression
tormented. “You’re different.”

“You sure about that?” Kraven asked without any humor.

“Yes,” he hissed. “So let me deal with this.”

The demon waved a hand. “Be my guest.”