Angel Betrayed (The Fallen #2)(51)

“I said, don’t touch me!” Another blast of power. Harder. Stronger. Az hit the floor this time.

Her hands were shaking. Sam sure needed to hurry the hell up.

Because Az was already rising again. He stood on his feet, stared right at her, and said, “Help me. ”

She blinked. “What?” Her hands were still up in the air.

“Help . . . me.” His blue gaze burned with intensity. His hand lifted, but it was in a beseeching gesture, not one that looked like an attack move.

“You’re here to kill me,” she whispered, not taking a step toward him. Did she really look gullible?

He shook his head. “Here . . . followed . . . to protect you.”

She needed a weapon more powerful than, um, herself. Hurry, Sam. Just where was he?

“Woke up . . .” Az rubbed his head. “Didn’t know who I was.” The words came stronger. “Didn’t know where.” His hand waited between them, still open to her. “Then you saved me.”

Technically, she’d been about to serve him up to Sam, but Seline didn’t bother to point out that pesky detail. “You’ve been killing angels.”

Again he shook his head. “I haven’t killed anyone.”

The crazy thing was that she actually wanted to believe him. Huh. Maybe she wasn’t so good at understanding angels and their half-truths.

“I didn’t even know my own name,” Az told her, “not until you said it.” And she remembered the confusion in his eyes.

But she also remembered the fire. “Nice try, jerk. But you burned me in that warehouse.”

“Not me.” He shook his head. “I didn’t stir the fire.”

“Then who did?”

The thunder rumbled again. Louder. Closer.

“Help me, and I’ll give you anything,” he whispered.

“Help you? How am I supposed to help you?” The delusional, psychotic angel wanted her help. Figured. Sometimes, she felt like she had a beacon for crazy. That would explain Rogziel.

“My brother is the one killing. Not me. I know because I remember what he’s done.”

It sure felt like someone kicked her in the gut right then. Keep him talking. ’Cause if he was talking, then he wasn’t killing her.

She didn’t take Az for a multitasker.

She also didn’t take Sam for the killer on this one. “I’ve been with Sam, and he hasn’t been killing anyone.”

“Have you been with him every moment?”

No, not every but—

“He’s slaughtered before. That’s what I remembered first. He killed so many.” Az’s hand fisted. “I have to stop him. You can help me.”

Help the guy kill Sam. Right.

“Anything—I’ll give you anything if you help me.”

So that was why he’d been following her. He thought she’d be the perfect tool to help eliminate Sam.

Hmm. Anything from a powerful Fallen. Tempting.

But, no. “Sorry, bud, I’m not—”

For sale.

Her words were drowned out by Sam’s roar. Jeez. Freaking finally.

Then she saw Sam racing toward the broken door. Sam—and his blood-soaked chest. What the hell? He’d been shot, over and over again.

Not thunder. The sound that she’d heard had been gunshots.

And he’d still come back for her. Now that was impressive. Damn straight she wasn’t going to turn on him.

“Get away from her,” Sam snarled as he advanced on them.

“I’m not here to hurt her,” Az said, rolling his shoulders. “I am just here to send you to hell.”

Sam smiled, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Where do you want to be when two Fallens go at it?

Not there. Seline tried to inch toward the open window. She figured Sam would have this. He’d better.

She’d just reached out to touch the windowpane when the room exploded.





Rogziel smiled when room 12 blew up. The explosives had been so carefully placed after Tomas had been contained. The devices had been hidden well, and activated with just a press of a button.

Humans could be very useful and so clever with their toys.

He knew the blast wouldn’t kill the Fallen. Just as he knew that the bullets his man had fired into Sam’s body wouldn’t slow the guy down for long.

Not long, just a few precious moments. That slowdown, that weakness was just what he needed.

Time to take out two sinners.

The smoke billowed, and Rogziel stalked toward the motel. The only humans around worked for him. His team—one that he’d ordered to seek cover in the nearby woods. All the innocents were gone.

Suffer, sinners, suffer.

The blast had blown Sam out of the motel room. He lay in the parking lot, some of his flesh torn away. His clothes burned as he pushed himself to his feet. He stared at the wreckage and screamed, “Seline!”

Interesting. Another way to punish.

Rogziel flew forward. “She won’t walk away from that.” Not weak Seline.

Sam’s head whipped toward him. The smoke and fire had covered Rogziel’s scent, just as he’d planned, and Sam hadn’t even been aware that the true threat was so close. Rogziel saw the fury in the Fallen’s eyes, and he said, “She won’t walk away, and neither will you.”