Avenging Angel (The Fallen #4)(71)

Now he was supposed to kill him.

Footsteps thundered toward them. Tanner looked up and saw Marna stumble around the corner. Her hair flew out around her. Her eyes—had they ever looked so dark before?

She saw him, saw Cody, and her face hardened with fury even as she put a hand to her chest.

He could see the blood on her shirt.

“F-found him,” Cody whispered again. “G-got to me . . . wearing b-bastard’s face.”

What bastard? Tanner couldn’t ask right then. Sometimes, being in the panther’s body sucked. He leapt off his brother and tried to catch another scent in the air. Someone else had to be there, someone else— But the only other scents were older.

Ash and blood.

Marna began to stalk toward Cody. Tanner leapt between them, positioning his body.

Marna froze, and her lips parted in surprise. “Tanner, what are you doing?” She’d sure healed fast. The attack would have killed most folks. All humans—and most supernaturals he knew wouldn’t be walking around so soon after taking a knife to the heart.

He hadn’t even known she could heal this fast.

Her eyes were almost pure black, he could see that, even in the darkness. Sam hadn’t been lying. The rage was building inside of her. Hell, if someone had just shoved a knife into him, maybe he’d be feeling the rage, too.

But it wasn’t Cody.

The panther snarled, trying to tell her that.

Marna’s eyes widened. “You’re protecting him? After what he did to me?”

Not Cody.

Screw this. He had to shift back. Had to change so he could make her understand. He let the burning transformation sweep over him. Barely heard the crunch and pop of his bones. He needed to speak. The man had to take over. He had to— Mid-shift, when he was most vulnerable, that was when the bullet hit. It came hurtling toward him and thudded into his chest. One hit. Then another.

Silver. He could feel the hot scorching inside of his flesh.

Another thud. A lancing pain hit his knee and Tanner fell.

The shift kept burning through him, but it had slowed now, thanks to that silver. The one firing on him knew exactly what he was doing. He knows all my weaknesses.

Tanner’s hands slammed onto the ground. He still had his claws out, but they were no good against bullets. Tanner tilted back his head and saw Marna rushing toward him. Her mouth was open and she was screaming— “Stop!”

A tremble seemed to shake the ground beneath him. He blinked, then looked up again.

A bullet had frozen in the air. A bullet that was just inches from his forehead. As he stared, the bullet dropped to the ground.

Marna reached him, but she didn’t help him up. She positioned her body in front of his. Her hand lifted. Pointed to a nearby rooftop. “I see you.” Her voice was darker. Far harder than he’d ever heard before. And from her hand, a blast of fire erupted, rushing right up to that building.

A scream sounded.

She’d made a hit. Good for her.

Tanner used his claws and dug the bullets out of his body. He ignored the pain. What did it matter? He needed to get Marna and Cody out of that alley. Needed to sew up his brother before Cody bled to death right there.

And Marna—Marna was walking away from him. Stalking toward that now burning building. An empty warehouse, its roof blazed in the night and lit the sky. Firefighters would be called to the blaze. There was no freaking missing the way that fire was churning. Before the rescue squad arrived, they’d have to be long gone.

“No more,” Marna said as her steps quickened, and, at her back, he could see those strange, shadowy wings once more as they stretched out behind her.

He tossed the bloody bullets to the ground. Pushed to his feet. She wasn’t going in alone— “T-Tan . . . ner . . .”

His brother’s voice. So weak. He glanced back. Cody’s face was ashen. The scent of blood was so thick around him. Blood and . . . flowers.

Death angel.

“Stay the hell away from my brother!” Dammit. He spun back around, torn. “Marna!”

She didn’t stop. She was almost at the blazing building now.

“Marna!” If he left Cody, Tanner knew that his brother was dead. The angel of death would take him. And if he didn’t go after Marna . . .

What would happen to her?

He had to choose. He couldn’t save both. There wasn’t a way. He couldn’t— I can sure as shit try. He grabbed Cody. Slung him over his shoulder. Tried to rush after Marna, but his wounds slowed him down. Can never heal fast enough from silver. Never— Marna disappeared into the smoke. She’d gone into that damn inferno. He tried to move faster. He yelled her name again.

And the windows of the building exploded out as the flames flared even higher.





Marna was beautiful by firelight. He watched her through the flames, loving the way they licked around her form. She’d pushed out with her power and blocked the fire from touching her body.

Could fire ever hurt something so beautiful?

Her eyes were black now, and they burned with a dark fury. She couldn’t come up to him. The ceiling would collapse on her before she ever got there. So he could sit back, watch, and wait.

The fire wouldn’t hurt him, either. His scream had just been to lure her closer to him. To make her see . . .

She couldn’t count on the shifter. When the chips were down, he wouldn’t choose her. He’d choose his brother, even when it looked like his brother was nothing more than a killer.