Page 109 of Angel Betrayed

Az stepped forward and found his path blocked by Keenan. “You’re not going anyplace.”

He didn’t want to hurt Keenan. “I’ve got a millennium on you. You don’t want to get in my way.” Blood loss or not, he could still take Keenan out. He didn’t have to play by angel rules any longer. He could fight as dirty as he wanted. He was leaving. Even if he had to go through Keenan in order to get away. “Rogziel is hunting Fallen.” He probably had Sammael right then. “I’m stopping him.” I’m the only one who can kill Sammael. Rogziel didn’t get to end his brother’s life.

“You’re so full of shit.”

Az blinked at the vulgarity. Keenan had truly fallen far.

“You think I believe a word you’re saying? You just want to find Sammael and attack him.”

It was a bit more complicated than that, and he wasn’t explaining his plans to the Fallen and his vamp. “Sorry, Keenan, but I have to go.” And he blasted out a path with his power. Not at Keenan. A blaze of fire that charged toward the vampire.

Nicole screamed, and the sound cut into Azrael. Keenan lunged to her aid and jumped in front of her to protect her body from the flames.

That frantic jump cleared Azrael’s path. He let the fire circle them, but didn’t let it touch Nicole’s skin. After all, he didn’t want to hurt the vampire. Not anymore.

Not that he expected Keenan to believe that.

Keenan pushed his power at the flames, forcing them out, and Azrael smiled as he pumped up his own power and disappeared.

Sam glared down at Tomas as rage boiled in his blood like acid. A punishment angel had been close enough to attack Seline. She’d been alone and unprotected because of this prick.

“Please,” Tomas gritted out. “Sierra’s human. She doesn’t—she doesn’t even understand what’s happening.”

“And you want me to die for her?” Who the hell did Tomas think he was talking to?

Tomas stared back at him. “I’m planning to kill for her. I was hoping you’d be willing to kill, too.”

Sam hesitated as he met Tomas’s gaze. Despite those words, Sam didn’t trust him.

“Um, who’s Sierra?” Seline’s voice was soft behind him. Her fingers seemed to burn right through Sam’s shirt.

“His charge.” Sam didn’t drop the weapon. “Before he fell, Tomas here was a guardian angel, and he was supposed to guard her.”

“She’s psychic,” Tomas whispered. “Her destiny…Sierra was going to see things. Change the world. I was supposed to protect her.”

Yes, yes, he knew this story. “But you wanted her too badly, huh?” Guardians were always closer to falling than most angels. All that time being around humans and seeing their emotions.

Tempting.

“You understand want, don’t you, Sam?” Tomas cut his eyes back at Seline. “You let the enemy get fucking close.”

“No, he did not just say that to me,” Seline snapped.

Sam smiled. “You must want to die.” Fair enough, he could accommodate the guy. Sam sliced with the claw. Not deep or hard enough to kill, not yet, but just enough to cut open the skin.

“Save her.” Tomas wasn’t fighting. Interesting. Tomas was powerful, in his way. “Kill me, fine. I probably got that coming to me. But save her.”

“Rogziel really has this woman?” Seline questioned as an edge broke her words.

Tomas nodded, and the move made the slice on his throat widen. “Don’t even know—ah…jeez, ease up!—how he got her, but he’s keeping Sierra at that house until I get back.”

“You’re telling me that Rogziel will hurt an innocent human?” Sam wanted to know. Not the way of the punishment angels. At least, not those who still had wings.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying!” Tomas’s stare glittered. “I’m saying he’ll slice her up, he’ll enjoy it, and he won’t give a damn about her being innocent or not.” And his eyes were still on Seline. “Isn’t that right?”

Sam slowly eased his hold on Tomas. He glanced at Seline. She was okay. He’d gotten to her in time. So why did his chest still ache?

Seline swallowed and nodded. “I don’t—I didn’t think angels could do the things he’s done. There was a vampire. Karen.” Her lips trembled. “I did some checking on her. She hadn’t killed anyone, but Rogziel had said Karen knew where his real prey was hiding. He said he’d make Karen talk.” Her eyes squeezed shut. “By the time I got to the scene, there wasn’t a whole lot left of Karen. All I could do was hold her hand before she died.”

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