Page 22 of Viper

It had been smart of Viper to do so. “It’s good that you stepped in. Archangels are dangerous. Fallen archangels? His danger factor will be off the charts.”

Luka caught her gaze with his. “Which is why I want you to stay away from Viper.”

She blinked. “You say that as if I follow him home.”

“You have nothing to do with him, I know. But in purchasing certain properties, he’s on the edge of your life. That’s too close for my liking. I have nothing against their kind, but I don’t want them near you.”

Ella rolled her eyes. “You think all guys are too close to me for your liking. You can’t tell me who I can and can’t talk to.”

“I just did.”

“And you think I’ll heed and obey?”

He exhaled heavily, put-out. “No. You don’t fear me like other people do.”

Because she had nothing to fear from him. He’d never hurt her.

“Just give Viper a wide berth, Ella. That’s all I ask. Now, tell me all I’ve missed since I last saw you.”

“Well … ”

CHAPTER FIVE

Driving through the chain-link fence of his compound Sunday evening, Viper noticed a number of his brothers gathered in a circle. He parked his bike among the others outside the clubhouse and then switched off the engine. Tugging off his safety helmet, he frowned. Voices were yelling—voices that came fromwithinthe circle of people.

Having set both his gloves and helmet on the bike, he dismounted it. He didn’t actually need protective gear. None of them did. It would take more than a traffic accident to severely injure them. But blending with humans often meant following their rules so as not to attract the attention of their law enforcement.

As he strode toward the gathering of people, he noticed that Jester stood off to the side. “What’s going on?” Viper asked him.

“So—and don’t ask me how, because I don’t get it—Hustle managed to convince Rivet to stake his bike during a game of poker,” Jester explained. “A game he then lost. Rivet, naturally, doesn’t wanna part with his pride and joy. Hustle doesn’t see how that’s his problem.”

Viper sighed. Honestly, his brothers had been easier to manage when part of the holy host. Since they’d fallen, they’d become more mercurial—a result of not only their inner entities twisting but the lessening of action, combat, and adrenalinesince retiring from their old positions. Half the time, he’d swear they started shit with each other out of boredom.

Viper waded in, shrugging his way through the crowd. “All right, enough.”

The yelling stopped, and the two glowering angels took a step back from each other.

His club was made up of two breeds of angel. Both kinds were powerful, though one was slightly more dangerous than the other. Unlike angels who sported wings or halos, the two breeds here didn’t boast typical physical traits that made them identifiable. A fortunate thing, since not one of their kind would be welcome by the demon population.

Rivet pointed at Hustle. “Heneeds an ass-kicking.”

“Because he won at poker?” asked Viper.

“No, because hecheated.”

“I resent that,” Hustle piped up.

He shouldn’t, since he probablyhadcheated.

“Resent it all the fuck you like,” Rivet sniped. “I’m not handing over my bike to you or anyone else. I would have won if you’d played fair.”

In the crowd, Prophet sighed. “When does he ever play fair?”

“He said he would this time,” Rivet claimed.

Jester frowned. “You didn’t suspect he was lying, considering he’s a person you can always rely on to bullshit and swindle people? Seriously?”

Rivet ground his teeth. “I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt.”

---