On the Prowl (Bad Things #2)(57)

“But he got them,” the angel said, her voice a bit stronger. “He got me. I understand it all now.”

Leo stiffened. “I came for you. I found you, Lila. You can go back to your old life now.” He reached for her. “We’re leaving this place, and you’ll forget everything soon.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She backed closer to Rayce.

Rayce growled. “You heard the lady.”

“No!” Leo shouted. “That isn’t part of the deal. The angel comes with me!” He glared at Rayce, then at Julian. “Panther, you want the deal we made finished, then you tell your wolf to back off. You want your happy ending—you give the angel to me now. If you make me fight you both, the deal is f*cking off.”

The angel—Lila—grabbed Rayce’s arm. “I can’t go back. I feel too much…it will…it will break me. I can’t go back to nothing.” Her body shuddered. “Please, don’t send me back.”

Rayce’s face softened as he stared down at her.

“Wolf, you do not want to get in my way,” Leo warned. “This fight isn’t yours.”

Rayce’s head snapped up. He bared his teeth. “It is now.”

Rose’s gaze flew back to Simon. Her breath whooshed out. “He’s coming back!” While they were dicking around and talking, the guy was regenerating right in front of them. “Where the hell can we get fire?”

“Fire?” Julian repeated. “I’ll just take his f*cking head. I won’t leave a damn tendon connecting him this time.”

And he leapt on Simon.

His claws flashed.

Simon’s body jerked once more. His head rolled.

Julian looked up, chest heaving. “Easy enough.” Blood dripped from his fingers.

Leo sidled next to Rose. “See what he is? Not even in panther form, but he’s still a beast. A monster.”

She bared her fangs. “So am I! Now get the hell out of here before you see just how evil I can be!”

Leo stiffened. “I was going to give your life back to you. That was the deal he made. The angel for you. I can make you human again. I can make you—”

“Keep your deal. I don’t want to be human. I want to be exactly what I am…” She straightened her shoulders and stood to her full height. “I’m the vampire in love with a beast. And you…you can go screw off.”

He blinked. “What? You—”

Rose heard the rush of the wind. She looked up and saw the dark shadow of wings…right before Luke Thorne flew through the hole that Leo had left in the ceiling.

Luke landed right beside his twin. His gaze raked the scene, taking in everyone and everything, including the body that was missing a head. “Did someone have a party…” he murmured, his sly smile flashing, “and forget to invite me?”

“Get Leo out of here,” Rose snapped at him. “He’s been helping that human over there—the one minus the head—your brother has been helping him take paranormals!”

“No,” Leo denied. “I never helped Simon take them! He took them against my wishes—he stopped following my orders because he wanted his wife back! Why can’t anyone ever just let go? Why can’t—”

“Love.” Luke had locked his hand over Leo’s shoulder. “That’s the shit you don’t get. You think you’re on the right side. Full of justice and might, but you don’t understand anything. And there’s about to be hell to pay for that crime.” His powerful wings stretched behind him. He was going to fly away, to take Leo—

And hopefully drop him in an ocean or volcano or someplace where they wouldn’t ever see him again. Only…

“Wait!” Rose yelled.

She felt Julian stiffen beside her. “You changed your mind,” he muttered and there was pain in his voice. “You…want the deal?”

Changed her… “Never,” she promised him. Her gaze met his, held. “Never.”

The pain slid from his face.

“Uh, yes, I’m waiting, vamp,” Luke pointed out.

Her head whipped back toward him. “I need fire.” He could give her fire. “To kill Simon…” She pointed to the body. “I have to use fire.”

Luke’s brows climbed. “He looks pretty dead to me.”

“He isn’t!” Her breath heaved out. “He’s been using angel wings to gain supernatural power. He’s going to come back. I need to burn him—”

“To ash,” Luke nodded. “Yes, you do…especially if he’s been powering up on angel wings.” He cast a pitying glance toward the angel. “Guessing my brother screwed you over, huh? Maybe Team Dark isn’t looking so bad right now.”

“Luke…” Julian growled.

He pointed at Rose. “Grab a board.”

She bent down and picked up one of the boards that had broken down from the ceiling.

Luke snapped the fingers on his left hand.

Fire ignited on the end of her board, turning it into a torch.

“I could have just lit him up,” Luke said as his gaze met hers. “But there are some things you like to do yourself, am I right?”

Yes, there were.