Page 44 of Angel's Vengeance

He tried again.“Neela, I have to?—”

Then the screams erupted out of her, deafening ear-shattering wails that were the telltale mark of any dying animal.And the siren’s song to any predator within a ten-mile radius.

Shit.

Rhode held her down in the manner of all battlefield wounded, knowing full well comfort was not part of the operation and wishing with his entire being that he could offer it to her.

On instinct, he held her limbs still, straining to contain her writhing body so she wouldn’t ...Wouldn’t what?Hurt herself further?So he might prevent her from inadvertently biting her tongue lest she choke on the blood and leave the dark magic with less active prey to devour?Fuck!

His mind whirled, cursing every ounce of angel fire he no longer had because he’d used it in service of his own worthless protection earlier in hand-to-hand combat.But hadn’t she healed him once before?Something about their supposed bond, something?—

While Rhode focused on the charred skin flaking off her inner thigh, a notion he’d just glossed over clung to his paranoid list of solutions.Prevent her from biting ...

Biting.

Tongue.Mouth.

A kiss.

He didn’t know what propelled him to consider the idea fully, but out of options, time, and security, he lowered his mouth to the ruined skin of her thigh just above her kneecap and sealed his lips to her.Instinct had him sweeping his tongue over the shriveled skin.Once, twice, then a third time, kissing the site with a sad, yet urgent reverence.

Then she stilled.The screaming stopped.The femoral artery beneath his tongue slowed its frightful pace by a degree, then another.A sudden flush of warmth infused his chest and cheeks but not the kind his angel fire recognized.

This was a new power.One he’d never asked for and had violently tried to reject but was commanding with a general’s call.

Between one kiss and the next, the skin beneath Rhode’s lips warmed and smoothed out, until his mouth met a healed strip of new pink skin.He dragged his tongue higher, kissing the next patch and the next.Soon, the anticorrosive properties of the metal he governed had taken shape, enrobing Neela’s skin in a protective layer that absorbed every ounce of vile tarnishing magic that had been heaved at her.

Magic, he realized, that very muchdidaffect her when she was in the mortal world during the day.

A fact she’d swore to him was not possible.

Rhode sat up a bit, pulled the tattered remains of her dress back down, and cupped the side of her neck.She was breathing normally again, those full lips of hers flushing a deeper shade of berry as color returned to her cheeks.Her eyes tracked him as he methodically examined every part of her, checking for any corrosive magic he might have missed.

But his gaze returned to those lips and then to the questions floating behind her shaken eyes.

“You kissed me,” she said, no doubt addressing the first of many unusual occurrences of the evening.

“I did.”He nodded solemnly, struggling to keep his warring thoughts in check.When he couldn’t do it any longer, he leaned forward and claimed her mouth.It was a hard brush of lips and a quick, solid reassurance that health had returned to both of them.

Trust, however ...

He broke the kiss.“And you lied.”Rhode pulled away, setting her as far apart from him as he could without hurting her, and stood.“I shouldn’t be surprised that treachery tastes so sweet.I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth, however.”

At that, Neela vaulted upright.“What are you talking about?”

Rhode found his phone in his back pocket, hit a button, and brought it to his ear.While he waited for the call to connect, he glared at her.“I won’t abandon you again, but nor will I let you live without explaining why.”

When the call was answered, he stepped away to make the arrangements that needed to be made.When he returned, Neela was on her feet, with her hands stretched out before her, palms open and pleading, but he turned away before he could see more.

“Why?Why what?I don’t understand, Rhode.”

“Why you told us you couldn’t be wounded or killed when I just witnessed how you very much fucking can be.Why those charmers expected you to be here but came prepared to dispatch both of us.”He stalked toward her, a desperate fury overcoming him as he gripped her throat and angled her mouth to his but held her a breath away.“Why you begged for my touch, for supposedhappiness, just long enough to ensure that an adequate amount of the day had fled so your fellow demons could attack me.”

It was the silence that finally did him in, both from her stammering lips and his vengeful soul caving in after being denied the answers it was starving for.Hurt flashed hot and heavy across her features, but it was no match for the fury that punched through his ragged chest when it replayed the betrayal perpetuated by his own soul bond.

Rhode dropped his hand and softly pushed her away from him.Despite nearly losing her leg, she didn’t stumble.She merely stood there with a gaunt expression that was almost as hollow as he felt.

“Titan and Iron will be here soon.They’ll escort you.”

---