Page 105 of Angel Betrayed

And Sam understood. What was said and what wasn’t. Some angels couldn’t even twist the truth that well.

Tomas was such an angel.

“You know Rogziel’s crossed the line,” Sam charged. Az was still there. Not moving. Just watching. Waiting. Because he understood what it was like to be Rogziel’s captive?

Because he wanted to find out where the bastard was so he could rip him apart first?

No dice. Rogziel’s mine.

“Yes, I know.” Tomas lifted his shirt, and Sam saw the deep claw marks that criss-crossed his stomach. “He let his pet play with me for a while.”

“The hound?” Keenan demanded. “The hound is back?”

“He doesn’t just have one hound.” Tomas shoved his shirt back down. “He’s got two. The second bastard is even bigger than the one I saw at the motel.”

That wasn’t good to know. Sam took a step toward Tomas. “Where’s Seline?”

“Two hounds?” Az groused. “Two?”

Kill him. The spear was still in Sam’s hand. It would be so easy.

“If you want her to live, you’ll come with me now.”

Angels could twist the truth…

“We’ll all come,” Keenan decided, and his shadow wings flared.

But Tomas shook his head. “Sorry, that’s not how it works.”

Then he lunged forward and grabbed Sam. “When it comes to angels, you were always too trusting.” Then a familiar chant filled Sam’s ears.

Mateo.

Sam didn’t fight. He could have broken free. But if he had, then Seline might suffer. In the instant of time that he had, Sam broke the head off the spear and curled his fingers around the claw. The wood fell to the ground.

Az’s tense face vanished. Keenan shouted Sam’s name.

And the world became a swirling vortex of dark gray smoke.

“Something you should know,” Sam grated as wind howled in his ear like demons screaming.

Tomas grunted.

“Mateo knows better than to sell my ass out.” He drove his fist into Tomas’s chest. “He’s too smart for that.”

The wind stopped howling. The smoke vanished. Sam and Tomas dropped onto the ground. But in an instant, Sam was back on his feet. On his feet, and with his weapon pressed against Tomas’s throat. “Obviously,” Sam told the dumbass, “you’re not.”

Tomas glared up at him. “How the hell did you do that?”

He used his left hand to yank at the charm around his neck—a charm Mateo had given him ages ago. “Let’s just call it my little get-out-of-jail free card. It’s real handy for breaking spells.” He let the dragon claw slice Tomas’s throat. “You take me to Seline, now, or you die.”

Seline glared down the long, winding road. The sun was rising slowly in the sky, and she was already baking. No one was on the road. That freaking Fallen had dumped her in the middle of nowhere. No phone. No people. No help.

No Sam.

And, oh, damn, she was worried about him. What if Az killed him? What would she do then?

Her shoulders hunched even as her head tilted back, and she stared helplessly up at that stretching expanse of blue sky.

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