Page 45 of Angel Betrayed

Azrael stared back at her, and, oh, damn, oh, no—he was covered in blood.

Now she was covered in blood. His body smashed into hers, and she could feel the wet stain of blood on her chest. And, please, don’t let that be blood on his hand, not on the hand covering her mouth. Don’t let it be.

“Angels…fall…” he whispered. His voice came out sounding a bit distorted and hollow. She tried to wrench her head back and get away from his hand, but there was nowhere for her to go. “They burn,” he muttered. “They…fall.”

He wasn’t saying anything she didn’t already know.

His blue eyes slowly faded to black, and Azrael glanced down at the hand that covered her mouth. “They…bleed.”

She rammed her knee into his crotch. As hard as she could.

He didn’t release her, but his face hardened even more. “I…know you.” Now that sounded like an accusation.

Her stomach knotted. She couldn’t throw her power at him because she was bone dry. Where the hell was Sam?

Hello, come and get your big, bad psycho brother—he’s right here! She punched Azrael. The punch bruised her knuckles but didn’t do anything to him.

Az frowned, and he caught her fingers in a grip that hurt with his left hand.

Hurt but didn’t kill. If he could kill with a touch, why was she still breathing? What was he waiting for?

And why had Omayo been savaged? If Az had gone after him, there would have been no need for torture, not when a light touch would do the job.

“Know you,” he said again, but the words were stronger now. “Erina.”

Seline stopped struggling as her blood turned to ice. Erina had been her mother’s name, well, at least that was what Rogziel had told her.

“You’ll die,” Az said, his voice rough and a little sad. “The Fallen…they’ll all die.”

But she wasn’t Fallen. She tried to shake her head as she mumbled desperately behind his hand. Sam! Get your ass down here!

Az’s gaze rose to the building behind her. No, to the balcony above her. “One down,” he rasped, “but hell wants more.” His stare was so dark now. Too dark. “See,” he urged and leaned forward so that his forehead touched hers.

Pain ripped through her. An agony that tore and twisted and burned because flames were suddenly around her. White, red, and dark orange flames that crackled as they burned the skin from her body. The flames were everywhere, and the fire was so hot it blistered her lungs.

Hell. Somehow, this was?—

“Seline!”

She screamed, and her eyes flew open. She was on the cement, and Sam was crouched over her. His hands were on her arms, and he was shaking her.

“A-Az…” Her throat hurt, and she could actually taste ash on her tongue.

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“H-here.” Her eyes wanted to fall shut again, so she let them. Screw it. Sam was there. He could more than handle Az. Don’t want hell.

“No, sweetheart, no one else is here.”

She couldn’t open her eyes. In that moment, everything hurt too much. “He…said I’d—die. All Fallen…gonna die.”

His lips pressed to hers. The kiss was hot, hard, and his tongue pushed right inside her mouth. The ash vanished, the memory of flames receded, and Seline just tasted him. Her hands lifted and curled around Sam’s shoulders. Her body shuddered against him.

Thank you. She took his power, drinking it in greedily as the fear faded. He kept kissing her. Slow, long kisses.

Sam.

After a time, Sam’s head lifted. “Okay?”

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