Angel in Chains (The Fallen #3)(79)

The too-close shrieks of the sirens filled his ears. Jade was right. They had to leave. Vengeance would come second. Protecting her was his first priority.

He took her hand and turned away from Bastion. His gaze swept the scene. Mateo had vanished. No real surprise. But he’d be finding that witch soon.

Or he will find us.

Az could see the cop cars and fire trucks circling in now. He hoisted Jade into his arms. Her hands slipped around his neck and her body . . . felt so right. She always seemed to fit against him perfectly. “Hold tight,” he told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

He lunged forward, but Bastion moved in an instant and blocked him.

“Where is she?” Bastion whispered.

He did not have time for this.

“You know she’ll be weak. If a foe comes at her again . . . Marna won’t survive another attack so soon after the loss of her wings.”

He wanted to tear Bastion apart, but Jade’s fingers were lightly stroking the back of his neck and some of the tight fury eased from him. Relenting, but still planning for some vicious payback, Az growled, “At midnight, meet us at Sammael’s club.”

A fire truck raced onto the street.

“She’ll be there,” he promised.

Bastion nodded and his wings arched as he rose into the air. The humans wouldn’t see the angel.

But the cops and firefighters would sure try to bust him and Jade.

Police cars were swarming the scene now. Az ran forward. He leapt onto the hood of one patrol car, denting the metal, then he propelled forward and up, racing fast, so fast . . .

The humans would never be able to identify him. They’d only see a blur.

Jade held him tighter and the rest of the world faded away.





Sammael didn’t need to hear the intruder to know that someone had slipped into his home.

After all, there was very little that went on without his notice.

But the fact that some * had come sneaking into his house, while Seline was there, well, that pissed him off.

No one messed with Seline.

“Sam?” Her voice was sleepy, sexy, and it instantly made him hard.

Oh, soon enough for that, but first . . . Sam pressed a kiss to the soft silk of her shoulder. “Sleep, love. I need to tend to some business.”

Her brows drew together. She knew all about his business.

He kissed her again and let his fingers skate down her arm. He could hear the faintest tread of footsteps on his stairs. His intruder had gotten past the magical safeguards that he kept in place on his house.

Not a human. But then, humans seemed to instinctively stay the hell away from him.

He climbed from the bed. Waved his hand and instantly had a pair of jeans on his body.

“Want me to call Beelzie?” Seline asked, and he glanced back to see that she was sitting up in bed, her eyes wide and worried.

“No. I’ve got this one.” Because he knew the identity of his visitor. If he didn’t have a faint friendship with the guy—even though he’d been on this earth for centuries, he could count his friends on one hand—Sam would have already attacked.

He stalked forward. Yanked open the bedroom door. And found Mateo standing in his hallway.

A rather blistered, ash-covered Mateo.

Sam lifted a brow. “Been visiting hell again, have you?” Shaking his head, he asked, “Why don’t you just give up that place and—”

“We have a problem.” Mateo’s voice was flat and cold. His gaze drifted over Sam’s shoulder, probably to find Seline.

The guy had always watched her a bit too much.

Sam shifted his body to block the view. “You’re damn right we do. Some bastard caller just busted into my house.” Mateo had been the one to put the charms and protections in place. It figured that he’d be the only one who could slip right past them.

Mateo’s jaw hardened. “You’ll have to stop him. No one else will be strong enough.”

He knew Seline could hear every word they said. “Stop who?”

“Azrael.”

Fuck. “What’s happened?” He didn’t let any emotion show on his face. Thanks to his time in heaven, he knew just how to camouflage his feelings.

“It hasn’t happened yet. It will happen.” Mateo exhaled and the scent of smoke deepened around him. “I’ve seen what’s coming. I know what he’ll do.”

“Yeah? Well then cut through the BS and tell me. Because I never f*cking liked riddles.” And he didn’t like the hard gnawing in his gut, either. Even since his fall, he’d planned to get back at his uptight, rule-following ass of a brother. Then Az had started hunting him. Az the *.

Sam had thought he’d have to kill Az during those days.

But since his own fall, his brother had changed. Az had sacrificed. Nearly given his life in order to protect Seline.

So he’d let the guy keep living.

Had that been a mistake?

“His human will die tomorrow, and when she does . . .” Another long sigh from Mateo, only this one carried the scent of death. “He’ll break.”

Sam found he couldn’t speak.

“When Az breaks, he’ll go after anyone in his path. He’ll kill everyone, do anything.”

No, no, this was bullshit.

“She dies tomorrow,” Mateo said again, “and that fate won’t change. It can’t. So you and I damn well have to figure out a way to stop him.”