Page 70 of Angel Betrayed

He jumped on the motorcycle. Seline wrapped her arms around him.

I’m coming, Tomas.

But he was afraid he wouldn’t be fast enough.

Chapter Ten

More demons met them in Anahuac. One man, one woman—both with matching grim expressions carved on their faces.

Sam pulled into the dusty motel parking lot. He seemed to have connections all over Mexico. Connections that he used without even the slightest hesitation. The demons had guided them to the motel. It seemed they’d heard screams but had arrived too late.

Too late.

The place appeared deserted. Probably not a good sign. No other cars were in the lot, and the door to the motel’s main entrance swayed drunkenly in the breeze. It looked like even the desk clerk had cut and run.

Seline walked slowly toward room 12. The door had been busted down. Shards of wood littered the floor. She stepped over the wood and crept inside the entranceway. The room itself was a total wreck. Furniture smashed. Bed overturned. Mattress slashed.

But no dead Fallen.

No Fallen at all.

“You think he left willingly?” One of the demons asked from behind her.

Seline’s gaze darted around the chaos of the room. “Doubtful,” she muttered. But this wasn’t like the other scenes. The victims hadn’t been taken away. They’d been slaughtered where they stood.

Sam had entered the room seconds before her, and now he crouched near the window. His fingers were smoothing over what looked like deep grooves in the floor.

She inched closer to him. Very deep grooves. The kind of grooves that were made when something clawed the floor.

Just as something had clawed the other victims. “A Fallen couldn’t do that,” she noted.

He looked up at her with a hooded gaze. “No.”

“Shifter?” Her best guess.

“Only one with very big claws.”

My what big claws you have.

The better to rip you wide open.

She took a slow breath. Did humans even realize that the old Red Riding Hood tale was based on truth? A hungry wolf had gone after Red one day. No matter what the stories said, she hadn’t made it back to Grandma’s house in one piece.

“A bear?” Seline guessed. Yes, bears had big claws. She frowned at the claw marks. They’d sunk deep into the wood, and they were so wide. “A tiger?”

“It’d have to be something bigger than a tiger.”

That wasn’t good to hear.

Sam stalked toward the open doorway. The demons backed up, being sure to give him plenty of room. Smart demons. Sunlight fell on him and threw shadows in his wake. His hands rose to his sides, stretching far out, and he looked for all the world like he was trying to feel?—

“He hasn’t gone far.”

The demons glanced at each other. Seline ignored them and crossed to Sam. She touched his shoulder, being careful not to let her fingertips reach his scars. “How do you know?”

He turned his head, and his gaze met hers. “Before he fell, Tomas was a guardian. Guardians always leave a distinct trail in their wake.”

A guardian angel—those were supposed to be the nice ones. Pity she’d never had a guardian on her side. “You actually see this trail?” She rose onto her toes and peered over his broad shoulders.

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