Angel Betrayed (The Fallen #2)(31)

He needed her. If he told her the dream was bullshit, the woman might tell him to f*ck off. “Do you still want our deal to work?”

Her gaze held his. Not black now, but that false brown stare of hers that could look so warm and trusting. “Yes.”

“Then you stay with me.” Because he’d been telling her the truth. Rogziel would come for her, sooner or later. “I get Az, then I’ll make sure you get your freedom from Rogziel.”

He could see the hope light her face. Demons had hope? Yes, they did. Sometimes they had more hope than angels.

But then her eyelashes flickered. “I don’t know where Az is anymore. I can’t help you—”

Ah, honesty. Trust might even be coming soon. “Yes, you can.” He released her and stepped back because if he kept touching her, they’d be f*cking soon.

Now wasn’t the time to f*ck, no matter how tempting she was.

Hunt.

“Rogziel caught Az,” he said.

“Uh, yeah, I know—”

“How’d he do that? How’d he know where my dear brother would be?” He lifted a brow because he already knew the answer. “Rogziel can always find those on his punishment list, right?” That was supposed to be the way for the punishers. No need to waste time searching for prey; not when you had a built-in homing device for them.

But Seline shook her head. “No, no, we always have to hunt those that Rogziel targets.”

Sam didn’t let the surprise flicker on his face. That wasn’t the way the game worked. Seline wouldn’t know that, though, and the humans that Rogziel had on leashes sure wouldn’t understand how a punisher’s power worked.

“Finding Az was almost an accident.”

Sam cocked his head. “Some say there are no accidents. No coincidences. Everything happens the way it was meant to be.” If you subscribed to that philosophy, he’d been born to Fall, and to kill.

Seline shrugged, but the move didn’t look careless. “Rogziel had another Fallen in his sights, a guy named Omayo.”

Sam didn’t let his expression alter. “What happened to him?”

“Before we could move to capture Omayo, Az literally fell into our laps. You could say our focus of attack shifted then.”

Az’s Fall had been recent. He would have still been weak when Rogziel caught him. What a stroke of luck for the punisher. “You want me to help you, then you stay by my side and you give me every bit of information that I want on Rogziel and that group he’s got helping him.”

Now she slipped back. Fear didn’t flicker across her face, but hesitation sure did. “What will you do to them?”

Because she cared about some of the humans there?

“Alex was a jerk, don’t get me wrong.”

A jerk who’d tried to kill her.

“But the others . . . they’re just trying to do what’s right. They’ve lost people they love. They know that evil has to be punished and—”

And he was bored. She sounded like some pupil reciting a lesson she’d learned at school—a mantra that Rogziel had no doubt taught her. A nice way to brainwash his recruits into being good little killers.

“Don’t worry,” he said, lifting his hands and holding them, palm out, to her. “I won’t touch them.” Yet. “Just give me the information you know, help me to find Az, and I’ll make sure you get what you want most in this world.”

Her stare judged him. One moment. Two. Then she gave a small, grudging nod.

Good.

He didn’t let the satisfaction show on his face. Even if she hadn’t agreed, he hadn’t planned to let her go. The deal wasn’t truly about Az or Rogziel.

I just want her.

He turned away, knowing she would follow. He climbed onto the motorcycle and revved the engine. “We need to see Omayo.” He’d give the messenger angel a heads-up. After all, Omayo had never done anything to anger him.

Omayo had just lusted too much for humans. Not for their bodies, but for their emotions.

Then he’d fallen and gotten slapped with every feeling he could possibly want.

Giving Omayo a warning that he’d made Rogziel’s list only seemed fair. Besides, Sam also knew that Omayo still had an in with a few angels. Messages always had to be exchanged, and even the Fallen could still manage some jobs.

He’d warn Omayo, and in payment, Sam would see if he couldn’t get a message sent to someone who would lead him to Az.

Run, brother, run fast—because I’m coming for you.

Seline slid on the motorcycle behind him. Her hesitation was brief, barely a second, but he still felt it, and then her soft hands slowly slid around his waist.

He spun the motorcycle around, kicking up a cloud of dirt, and headed back for the city. As they drove, her hands tightened more around him and her body pressed closer.

He smiled.

The succubus wouldn’t realize how she truly fit into his plans, not until it was too late. By then, there’d be no hope of freedom for her.

You can’t make a deal with Death.





Seline eased off the bike. She could still feel the vibration in her thighs. Her steps were a bit unsteady as she hurried down the sidewalk.

Omayo’s apartment waited less than a block away. “How did you know he was here?” she asked Sam.