Page 52 of Angel Betrayed

“Not him,” Sam corrected. “Her.”

Anthea’s head lifted slowly, and she stared at the man who walked before her. Her husband was dead. His eyes—green and empty—would haunt her forever.

“Why?” The one question was torn from her. “Ron never hurt anyone. He wasn’t meant to die yet, he wasn’t!”

“You weren’t meant to be with him.” Cold, callous, and the words fanned the rage that was slowly splintering her apart.

“He was the only one I was meant to have!” The pain, the burn, the fall—everything had been for him.

“You had a duty. Angels serve.” His eyes were arctic. “They don’t fall.”

She had to force her hands away from Ron. Not there anymore. His body remained, but his soul was gone. Ron had been a good man. Loyal. True. He would have paradise waiting for him.

“If angels fall,” the bastard continued, “hell waits.”

She rose to her feet.

“Was he worth it?” He cast a dismissive glance at Ron. “Everything you could’ve had—was he truly worth the sacrifice?”

“Yes,” she hissed. “He was worth everything.” And she attacked.

The low growl reached her ears too late, and Anthea realized that he’d just been baiting her. Setting the trap. Distracting her.

This time, her scream held as much fear as rage.

The beast leapt for her, and his razor-sharp claws went straight for her heart.

Chapter Eight

The motorcycle roared down the highway, zipping in and out of the line of cars. Seline’s arms curled around Sam, and, with every mile that the bike ate up, he cursed beneath his breath.

Anthea hadn’t answered her phone. Not her cell. Not her home line.

She was the only other Fallen in the city right then. Keenan, a Fallen that Az had mistakenly tangled with before, had headed to Mexico with his little vamp. To be safe, Sam had put in a fast call to Keenan and warned the guy to watch his ass.

But Keenan always did.

Anthea…sweet, gentle…she never saw the threats in the world. Not until it was too late.

He spun the bike into the quiet neighborhood that Anthea had used as a refuge. Small flowers waited near the entrance, swaying lightly in the breeze, welcoming the home owners and their guests. He’d been to Anthea’s home only once. He’d come to make certain she was safe, but she hadn’t wanted his protection.

She’d just wanted the human who was at her side. A man she called husband, and a man that Sam strongly suspected had no real clue about his wife’s past.

She fell for love.

Anthea hadn’t been the first to lose her heart to a human. She wouldn’t be the last.

Her tidy brick home waited at the end of the street. More flowers surrounded the sides of her house.

And her car waited in the driveway. Her car—and a black Jeep.

The husband’s vehicle.

Sam had done his research before he’d slid out of Anthea’s life. Ron, her husband, had checked out. A doting human who was crazy for his beautiful wife.

Sam killed the engine and leapt off the motorcycle. Seline hurried behind him, or tried to. He threw out an arm to block her. “Let me check first.” Because he knew what he could find, and he didn’t want her to walk inside another blood-soaked room.

“No.” Her chin came up. “I can handle this.”

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