Page 42 of Archangel’s Lineage

He was pretty sure something inside him was stunted, a bit of growth that had never taken place. Probably needed therapy for that, but after a lifetime of being watched and touched by others, he’d had his fill of medical personnel of any kind. Didn’t matter if they were kind or not; he could barely even grit his teeth through his appointments with the physiotherapists and Tower healers.

“Here you go, boss.” The cab driver pulled up in front of a black building with a black door and blacked-out windows. “Look, man, I ain’t the type to get into no one’s business, but you really sure you cool?”

It still surprised Vivek when he realized that some people were just nice. Like Jim and Nellie, the only people he considered family though they shared no blood, were nice. Good thing he had them in his life or he’d have grown up a misanthrope who believed the worst of everyone; but as it was, he only expected the worst of most people.

After paying his bill with a simple scan of the sleek watch he wore under his suit jacket, he shifted to exit the taxi... and flashed his fangs at the driver.

The man’s jaw literally unhinged. “Holy shit!” A grin wide and dazzling. “Go get your freak on, my man!”

He mimed a high five motion before he pulled away. His words told Vivek he had an excellent idea of what lay behind the walls of the black building. No surprise; cabbies in New York knew everything. Several were informants for Vivek. He’d made a mental note of this cab’s medallion number almost automatically. Never knew when it might come in handy.

Turning onto the deserted street that wasn’t actually deserted if you looked into the alleyways and shadows, he made his way to the door. The driver needn’t have worried. No one approached Vivek. Mortals might not realize who he was, but the angels and vamps all knew him. Word on the street was that he must have “connections”—or a skill so rare as to have been Made despite his physical condition.

No one wanted to mess with a vamp that hooked up.

He wanted to snort. Yes, he had friends despite himself—Ellie was the reason he’d even been considered for Making. He never forgot that, or how she’d set him straight when he’d attempted to turn her offer into some sort of savior deal. Ellie respected him—enough to not pull any punches when he was being an ass.

A man needed friends like that.

But connected or not, here and now he was the threat. People who’d lived hundreds of years tended to forget about modern weapons—like the souped-up stunner in his coat pocket. Or the poisoned sword built into his cane. Because of course Deacon was going to build a sword into his cane, and Vivek had decided it had to be poisoned, because that might do enough harm to a rampaging angel to give him a shot at escape.

The stunner would definitely down an angel. He’d tested it on a Tower volunteer—and the angel had cursed him for days in the aftermath. It hadn’t taken her down for long, though. Five minutes max. But five minutes was plenty of time for a man who knew how to hot-wire almost any vehicle known to man and had plenty of other tricks up his sleeve.

Five minutes could mean a lifetime.

He hadn’t brought along his gun, the twin of which had caused a scar on Raphael’s wing that had turned into a permanent pattern after his feathers regrew. Good thing the archangel wasn’t holding a grudge. That gun meant serious business—and had felt too heavy-duty for tonight’s task.

Tonight, he wanted to make friends, not enemies.

Reaching the black door, he rang the weathered bell that hung over it, then waited. The slot in the door slid back a moment later, dark eyes scanning him. The slot shut, then the door opened to reveal a dimly lit interior, black carpet against black walls.

The bouncer shut the door behind him.

Vivek tipped the vampire because that was just good strategy. People talked to those they liked, and Vivek’s understanding of that was why he was now number two in the Tower’s information network.

Jason was number one, and no, Vivek wasn’t jealous. He was in awe. The black-winged angel was Raphael’s spymaster for a reason; he seemed to divine data out of thin air at times. He was also generous with his knowledge now he’d seen that Vivek knew what he was doing, too.

Jason was the quietest angel Vivek had ever met, but he didn’t think he was flattering himself to believe they were becoming friends. A slow process, Jason on the opposite end of the social spectrum from Illium, but Vivek was more than content with the progression. It was obvious Jason took relationships of any kind seriously—if and when they did turn the corner into true friendship, it’d be the real deal.

The spymaster had already taught him never to disregard a young or weak vampire. “Often, they are the very people whose presence is forgotten in what can be opportune circumstances from a spymaster’s point of view.”

Tonight, Vivek paused long enough to give the bouncer a chance to speak.

“Thanks.” Tip disappearing into a stylishly cut pocket of the navy suit he wore with a black T-shirt, the buff man flashed him a grin, fangs glinting. “You’re in luck tonight.”

When Vivek raised an eyebrow, the vampire said, “Katrina’s here.” Breathless voice, his skin flushing. “The mistress in the flesh.”

Lightning flashes of exhilaration chased away the heaviness that was a constant in Vivek’s blood. “In the public salon?” As far as he knew, the owner of the Boudoir was always on the premises, but he’d never once spotted her in the seven months since he’d first discovered this place.

Katrina was a whisper, an enigma created of people’s fantasies.

Vivek knew the reality was apt to be a disappointment, but he couldn’t help himself. He was a man who liked to find answers. And come what may, he had to speak to her tonight.

There were no other options left.

27

“I don’t know if she’s still in the salon,” the bouncer said. “She came to speak to me for a moment earlier. She especially came to find me.” It was obvious he hadn’t expected the consideration from the woman at the head of an empire of carnality and excess. “I’m not sure where she is now.”

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