On the Prowl (Bad Things #2)(61)
“You blame yourself for everything, don’t you?”
“For all the pain you’ve felt…” And there had been so much since she’d ended her human life. “Yes,” he rasped. “It’s on me. It will always be on me. I can’t undo it, but I can stop it from happening again. I can make sure that I don’t cause you to suffer more. When you walk away from me, you’ll be safe.”
“And what will you be?”
Empty. Broken. Alone.
A killer. “What I was always meant to be.”
Her hair began to blow, tossing back against her face. Her clothes pressed to her body. He hadn’t yet made the helicopter blades spin, so that rush of wind wasn’t coming from him. If it wasn’t from him…oh, bugger. “Rose, get back in the chopper.” He lunged for her.
“Now you want me back?” she demanded and retreated a step. “I’ve had a really shitty day, so you need to make up your mind, panther.”
Leo landed at her side. “We had a deal.” His face was flushed and twisted in anger. “And no one breaks my deals.”
Rose spun toward him.
He locked her into his arms and shot into the sky.
“No!” Julian bellowed. No, that SOB wasn’t supposed to take her away. He slapped at the controls and the blades began to spin, faster and faster. The chopper lifted into the air and he raced after Leo.
Chapter Eighteen
Leo landed on a beach—a star-shrouded beach that was far too familiar to Rose. “Luke’s island?” She jerked away from him and her shoes sank into the wet sand. The waves rolled onto the beach. “What, do you seriously have a death wish or something?”
“Maybe.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I also don’t have much time. Your lover would have found a damn chopper to use so he’ll be here soon. Another problem to deal with.”
“You aren’t hurting him!”
He sighed. “You don’t want me to hurt him, he doesn’t want you hurt…this love thing is so annoying.”
Rose glared at him. “What do you want? Why did you take me?”
“He took you…because of me.”
Rose spun at that soft, sad voice, and she saw the angel step from the shadows. Luke was right by her side. Actually, he was penning Lila to his side.
“Good,” Leo snapped when he saw his twin. “At least someone knows how to hold up a deal.” He motioned to Luke. “I get the angel, you get the vamp, and we’re squared away.”
Lila shuddered.
“She doesn’t want to go back,” Rose said, whirling to glare at Leo. “You heard her before! You can’t make her go back.”
“You don’t understand what’s happening here.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Her mind…she’s confused. Angels can’t handle the load of emotions that humans—and other paranormals—have. She’s feeling, for the first time ever, and Lila doesn’t understand how dangerous that can be.”
“I understand plenty,” Lila responded. Her voice was lilting and warm. Exactly the voice that Rose imagined an angel would possess. “You’re the one who doesn’t get it. You think you can make things right, but it’s too late.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I can’t let it be. I can’t fail you.” He pointed to Luke. “Send her to me, and I’ll send the vampire over—with the same gift I always promised Julian she would get.”
Gift? “No,” Rose said, then she shouted, “No! I don’t want any gift from you. I don’t want a human life. I don’t want any kind of magical do-over. I want what I’ve got.” In the distance, she heard the whir of an approaching helicopter. “I won’t change.”
“Rose…” Luke’s voice drifted to her. “Are you sure? Do you know what you’re giving up?”
She knew. She turned to face Luke. “Shifters aren’t supposed to love humans. That’s one of your precious rules, right?”
He gave a grim nod. “Shifters are too brutal, they can’t—”
“They can love vampires, though. Can’t they? Because a vampire can handle a beast.”
Leo’s hand curled around her shoulder. “You’d give up my gift for a shifter? You’d lose your life for him?”
He didn’t understand. The angel was right. He was the confused one. “I’m not giving up anything. I’m choosing. And I’m choosing him.” Julian had just better stop being a dumbass and choose her in return. She turned her head and stared at the angel. “So there’s no trade here. Lila is free.”
Luke exhaled. “I wish that were the case.” He rolled back his shoulders. “But I hold no dominion over the light. He does.” His eyes glowed in the dark. “I thought you still wanted to be human, Rose, so when Leo came to me, desperate because the angel had vanished with Rayce, I found them. I brought them back here.”
A growl came from the darkness. Rayce’s growl. “A shitty move,” Rayce called out.
Leo inched closer to the angel.
Rose heard the pop and crack of bones. Somewhere in those shadows, Rayce was transforming.
“I hold no dominion over her,” Luke said again. “But he does…and since I’ve brought her here…”