Embraced (The Eternal Balance #2)(30)

She laughed. “Someone else? Other than me? You know I don’t buy that, right?”

Of course she didn’t. Because it was as impossible as me getting through the pearly gates one day. And yet it wasn’t. “I told you, I keep seeing these…scenes. Fierce, possessive scenarios that Azi keeps forcing into my head.”

“You already told me this. What does it have to do—”

“Sometimes it’s you. I see myself doing things…” My fingers tightened around the wheel. The leather bowed beneath my grip. “Sometimes it’s someone else.”

“Someone else? Like who? Another girl, you mean?” Her tone changed.

“Yes,” I said. “No.” Fuck. “Another female, but I don’t think she’s human.”

“Because that makes it so much better…”

“Sammy…” I took a deep breath. “I think it’s Malphi. I think—I think Azi wants its mate. The demon will try to stop me if I hunt down Malphi.”

“That’s not really better, either,” she grumbled. “And what does that mean? For us? For me…?”

“Nothing. Nothing has changed. I said it would try.” The words sounded convincing, but I wasn’t sure I believed them. The ferocity of what I felt when Malphi appeared in my visions in human form was immeasurable. Sam was everything I wanted. Everything I’d ever wanted. Yet the pull toward Azirak’s mate was magnetism on an entirely different level. If it came down to it, Azi would do more than try. I had a feeling it would succeed.

“If Azi wants this thing,” Sam said, “then technically I’m in the way.”

Azi had feelings for Sam, but it wanted its mate. I was betting Malphi felt the same. That made Sam right.

She was the only thing standing in the demoness’s way…



It took the rest of the day, but still I was relieved when we finally arrived at the bottom of the mountain. By the time we reached the trailhead, the sun was about to go down. I didn’t love the idea of hiking up to the top in the dark. Sitting still wasn’t an option, though. The clock was ticking. We were almost at the end of day two.

We had everything working against us. Sam wouldn’t say it, but the cuff was causing her pain. Every now and then, when she thought I wasn’t looking, she’d wince. That, on top of being number one on heaven and hell’s Most Wanted list, was making her edgy. The more we moved, the less chance that they would find her. Nightfall or not, we were heading up that mountain.

“You ready?” I asked, killing the engine. Sam’s colors were a jumbled mix of confusion, fear, and sadness. I hated that she felt this way. She’d already been through so much. I hated it more because there was jack shit I could do about it.

“To drop in unannounced on the Archangel Michael? Sure. Sounds like a party.” She undid her seat belt and got out of the car. A wispy trail of gray followed her.

I closed the door and locked it, making my way around to where she stood looking up the hill. The trail was narrow and there was a thick chain with a sign hanging down that said that hiking was prohibited between the hours of dusk and dawn.

“Maybe this was a bad idea. If he can’t help us—”

“Then we find Malphi.”

She fixed me with a disapproving stare. “Easy as that, huh?”

I took her hand. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Sammy. Azi will fight me if I go after Malphi. It’ll get messy. But that’s why we’re here. To try and avoid it.”

She sighed and held up her wrist. “Why the hell is an archangel living on top of a mountain in New York? And why would said angel help us? I mean, he’s going to know what you are right off the bat. I don’t see him lending a helping hand to the enemy. How do we know he won’t just try to take me like the other angel did?”

I placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her head so that we were eye to eye. “Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t do that. You should know by now that there’s no black and white. No discernable line between good and evil. If Heckle sent us here, then I’m sure it’s safe.” I almost believed the lie. “I have a demon living inside me, yet I know you’ll swear with your dying breath that I’m not evil.”

“That’s different,” she pouted.

“How so?”

“Because you’re not.” She jabbed a finger in the direction of the mountain. “But he won’t know that.”

“You have no idea what we’ll find when we get to the top. For all we know, Michael is up there because he doesn’t like what’s going on with the others. I will not let them hurt you.” I grabbed her hand and held tight. The cuff glinted in the dying sunlight. “I swear I won’t let this thing take you away. Not when I just got you back.”

She leveled her gaze at me, not buying what I was selling, and holy f*ck was it hot. I moved closer, stopping only when our faces were inches apart. The smell of her overrode my senses, making me forget why we’d come. The closeness of her blotted out the danger hanging over our heads until it was blurred and far off. Her colors changed. She parted her lips. Her mouth pressed against mine, and I waited, breath held and heart hammering, but she didn’t move. Sam stood there, leaning against me, every inch of her a humming vibration that I wanted desperately to feel in every way possible.