Page 38 of Run Like the Devil

“You all look tired. I have a camp just ahead, and I rarely have any company. Why don’t you all join me?”

“Like fuck,” Hale said with all the tact he normally used.

Still, he wasn’t wrong.

I jabbed my finger into Tyrus’ side, and he responded with a sigh before releasing me. It gave me the freedom to shift to the side to see the woman, though Tyrus didn’t give me room to move past him.

She appeared young, with large green eyes that managed to mix innocence and danger all together. Long hair so pale it appeared white went to her lower back, impossibly straight and somehow clean. In some ways, she reminded me of Azael.

Well, minus all the whole evil killing thing.

I narrowed my eyes. Maybe minus that, maybe not…

“Following random chicks in the fog is how people get drugged and robbed,” I said. “It works with men, but I don’t have a dick to urge me to take that risk.”

The woman smiled, her lips pale, no sign of makeup on her. She seemed oddly fitting in a simple white dress and barefoot, like an ethereal spirit that could lead any man to his doom.

“The Path is treacherous for those who don’t know the way. I’ve been here a long time, so I can offer you some guidance.”

“Why would you do that?” Tyrus asked.

She shifted her gaze to Gorrin, a meaningful look there. “Call it a favor for old times’ sakes.”

Gorrin let out a soft curse, so quiet I almost doubted I heard it. “Koller? Is it really you?”

The woman smiled brightly. “I didn’t know if you’d recognize me.”

“What are you doing here?”

She shrugged, then gestured farther down. “That is a story to be told when sitting. Just down the path you’ll see a fire. Follow it.”

“We can’t leave the Path,” Tyrus said.

“It is not far off—close enough to still see it. Trust me, you will want to stop. I owe at least that much to Gorrin, after all.” She didn’t wait for anyone to say anything else before turning and wandering out, into the fog and tree line.

Gorrin turned toward me, the others doing the same until we looked like a team having some huddle-up.

“So,” Hale said. “Who’s the crazy barefoot chick in the fog?”

“Koller. She was an angel.”

“Was?” I peered in the direction she’d gone even if I couldn’t see her anymore. “What does was mean?”

“She was cast out of the Plains.”

“Like you?”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t cast out. I opted to take a different form to rule in the Chasm. Koller did something unforgivable and Hubis removed her angel nature, turning her human, then cast her to Earth. Last I heard, she was there. I have no idea how she got here.”

“Why does she feel like she owes you something?” Tyrus asked.

“Because I was the one who fought to ensure she wasn’t simply destroyed.”

His story made my heart beat faster. Why? I wasn’t really a jealous type.

I knew Hale had fucked damn near everything that walked and Tyrus had had more than his fair share of partners. Why was it then that the idea of Gorrin having been romantically involved with someone in the past made me want to hiss at Koller and bare my teeth?

“Were you…” I asked before I could stop myself.

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