Page 41 of Wicked Savior
Gabriel unfolds his tall body from the only piece of furniture in the room and starts toward me. His stride is graceful, but his demeanor is threatening. A dark-haired predator sheathed in an expensive blue suit.
“I told you to stop, but you didn’t listen. You thought you could play god and revive a dying race or create new, improved humans. What is that saying about the best laid plans…” He looks at me, but I shrug, not knowing the answer to his question.
I take a cautious step back. The look in his bright blue eyes has surpassed fanatical. Crazy lives inside him now. Slowly reaching down, I feel for my dagger. My fingers slide along the seam of my jeans, but there’s nothing there. Panic sets in. Where is it? An image of it sitting on the bed flashes in my mind. It’s at The Abbey.
I take another couple of steps back up the stairs. If I can reach the portal before him, I have a chance to get out of this without playing my last card.
A dangerous glint enters his eye. “Where’s that beautiful golden dagger you like to wave in my face? Forget it somewhere?” The thick muscles in his legs bulge as he shifts into a slight squat.
Knowing he’s going to launch himself at me, I spin and run up the stairs, letting a little of the goddess slip into my form to lend speed to my legs. I make it to the top step, but a hand grabs my ankle and jerks me to a halt. This is it. With no other recourse, I reluctantly begin the change.
He eyes me warily. “Faster than I expected. That’s good. Especially where you’re going.” He jerks my head to the side and plunges a needle into my neck. Damn, I didn’t have enough time.
ChapterTwenty-Three
LUCIFER
Arden finishes stocking the cabinets and gives me a puzzled look. “The fact that you’ve never seen her eat is strange. I can’t go a day without coffee or chocolate. And those are just the basics.”
An uneasy feeling settles on my shoulders. “I don’t eat,” I inform her with a shrug. “Although, I have to admit, I enjoy a good cup of coffee or a glass of bourbon.” Had she really not eaten or drank? Wait, wasn’t she in a coffee shop right before the angel grabbed her off the street? The moment plays in slow motion, and I exhale in relief when I see the name of the shop. Definitely coffee. But later, she refused to drink coffee at the warehouse because it made her bounce off the walls.
“Yeah, but you’re… you. You were originally an archangel and probably weren’t designed to eat food,” she replies haltingly, her eyes narrowed in thought.
I scoff. “Designed, really?”
Pink splashes across her cheeks. “Or created. Whatever. I doubt you were born like me,” she says defensively.
“True,” I admit, having never really thought about it. I simplywas. “I’d like to return and see if she’s awake.”
Arden closes the cabinet and dusts her hands together. “All done. Let’s go.”
The minute we step into The Abbey, I see Vargas. He’s pacing back and forth in front of the portal. “Vargas? What’s happened?”
Vargas’ eyes widen until they’re as big as saucers.
A hand grips my arm and swings me around. “Did you say Vargas?” Arden asks hoarsely. “Can you see his spirit? Talk to him?” Tears fill her bright green eyes. “Can we talk to him?”
We. She’s referring to Solandis and herself. Vargas is vigorously shaking his head.
I turn until I can grip her hands in mine. “Arden, I promise. After I find Evren, I’ll sit down and discuss this with you. But right now, you have to promise me you’ll say nothing to Solandis or anyone outside of the cadre. Promise me.” I can’t ask her to keep it from everyone, but if there’s anyone who knows how to keep a secret, it’s the cadre.
The hope in her eyes flares higher. “I promise. If you see him, tell him I love him. And my training is going to shit. They all take it way too easy on me.” Her eyes dart around the room as if she can catch a glimpse, but she can’t see him.
“Thank you,” I tell her, then lean in close. “And you just told him yourself.”
A broad smile sweeps over her face.
“I’ll be back later,” I promise her.
Vargas sends me coordinates, and I step outside the sanctuary doors and shimmer directly to them. When I get there, I draw my sword, but there’s nothing to see. Literally nothing but a desert in front of me.
Vargas appears beside me. “Gabriel took Evren.”
Enraged, I look around but see nothing. “The last time I saw Evren, she was sleeping. Gabriel couldn’t have come in and got her, which means she left, didn’t she?” I’d left Vargas to watch over her while I was gone.
“She returned to the warehouse,” he pauses. “Gabriel was waiting for her. He injected her with something to make her unconscious, then brought her here.”
“Then where the hell is she?” I grit out, barely able to keep my voice down.
