“I paid for it.”
“Angels have money?”
“I won the money.” His lips twitched, but his gaze remained hard. Intense. “Turns out, I’m good at cards. That’s a useful skill in this town.”
She had to laugh. “Taking up vices, hmm? Like gambling?” She was making small talk. Why was she doing that? Why hadn’t she just yanked out the amber and—
“I’m enjoying the darker side of life.”
Of course. “Luke said you would.” She turned her back on him. Paced a little. Rubbed her shoulder. The wound had healed but an ache lingered. Bullet holes took longer to recover from than bone breaks. “He said you were up for all manner of sin.”
Suddenly, Malik was right in front of her. Angel superspeed. Nice.
Staring straight at her with his killer blue eyes, Malik said, “Not all sin interests me.”
Okay, no way could she miss the lust in his gaze. Lust that was directed at her.
And she wasn’t going to even pretend she didn’t feel an attraction to him. Dark and deadly—totally her type. The fact that he kept trying to save her—well, that was sweet, in an angel-like way. Though she could save her own ass, and had been doing so for centuries, thanks so much. It was still a fun, new experience to have someone else actually taking bullets for her. So, yeah, she was tempted to step toward him. To put her mouth on his and just see what would happen but… “Look, angel, I’m not here to become the latest in your string of lovers. You jumped out of the clouds, you fell hard, and then you got an appetite for pleasure. Wonderful. And, yes, sex with me would probably blow your angel mind, but I’m not much for—”
“I don’t have a string of lovers.” Flat. Hard.
Her eyes narrowed at his words. He sounded almost truthful. She put some space between them in a move that was not a retreat. “Luke said you’ve gotten an appetite for sin—”
“Luke Thorne.” Anger there. And his eyes shined brighter. “You and I both know that truth isn’t his friend.”
Yes, but she also had the idea that the angel wasn’t being honest with her, either. “Can angels lie?”
His smile flashed. “Told you already, I’m not an angel any longer.”
Because he was fallen?
“I like pleasure. I like the rush of winning. I took in over a million dollars my first night here. And the longer I stayed, the more I won. I needed that money. Needed it to gain the attention of the man I sought in Vegas.”
She’d listen to his story and not get distracted by the line about him not having a string of lovers. Besides, who he fucked didn’t matter to her. Not her business.
She glanced down at her wrist. At the lone tally mark there. She had a job to do. That was all that mattered. But he wasn’t running. And she had time to kill. So why not hear his story? Especially since his tale seemed to involve her sister in some way. A sister she hadn’t seen in more years than she could count. “I’m going to assume the man you were after was the vamp you dropped from the sky? Merius?”
A nod. “Merius was an angel once.”
An angel turned vamp. And her sister had been involved in that transformation. Crap. This is going to be one hell of a mess for me to clean up. As usual.
“I thought you’d bitten him.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Nope. For the record, I’ve never bitten an angel. Call me virtuous, but I’ve stayed away from the forbidden fruit.” She would not admit how very tempted she’d been to take a bite out of him during their flight.
Truth be told, she was still tempted. Her fangs were sharp, and when she focused, she could hear the powerful beat of his heart. Something about his blood was calling to her.
You know what can happen when a vamp drinks from an angel. Keep your shit together and your mouth off him.
“I was afraid that Merius would go after you.”
Now she shook her head, even as a strange warmth filled her chest. “You’ve got some unhealthy obsession going on, you know that?”
He took a step toward her.
She held her ground. “I’m trying to piece things together, so let me see if I have everything right in my mind.” Josephine paused a moment. Was it her imagination? Or had he just gotten a little bigger? His muscles definitely looked more defined, and she could have sworn that his shoulders stretched even more. “You were told to watch me because folks upstairs had the idea that I’d been snacking on an angel—”
“Merius.”
“Right. The blond in the alley.” She winced. “He’s just really not my type. I don’t go for blonds, and I tend to like O negative.”
Malik didn’t smile at her joke. Fine. The joke hadn’t been funny. It technically hadn’t been a joke. Blonds didn’t do much for her. Now an intense, dark-haired guy like Malik—
No. Do not.
She cleared her throat. “You watched me, trying to make sure I didn’t get all bitey with other angels—”
He took another step toward her. “I watched you to make sure you were safe.”
Her lips pressed together. Josephine swallowed. Then, very calmly, she replied, “I can take care of myself.”
“So I’ve seen.”
Had he really seen everything? “Just how much watching did you do?” Not like every single moment. Surely the guy had been busy with other charges? Or with whatever the hell angels did in their spare time? Played harps? Knitted?
“I watched you kill. I watched you fight.”
Do not ask. Do not— “What about fucking? Did you watch me do that, too?”
Okay, now his eyes were blazing. But he didn’t answer.
Oh, jeez. “Dude, you need to not do shit like—”
“I did not watch.” His hands had fisted at his sides, and those shadowy wings of his had spread behind his back. “Though I did want to rip apart the men who touched you.”
That sounded like jealousy. And from what she’d always been taught, jealousy was a big no-no for angels. All emotions were against their rules. “Since when do angels act that way?”
Another step. He was so close now that he could have reached out and touched her. But he didn’t.
Did she want him to?
A very strong maybe.
“Since you,” Malik said simply.
She was connecting dots and getting a tight knot in her stomach. “Why did you fall?”
“After Merius became earthbound, I knew he wouldn’t stop until he found the vamp who’d bit him.”
They needed to revisit a point. “Just so we’re clear on how things work, a bite alone won’t change someone. You’d need the vic—um, in this case, your ex-angel buddy—he’d need to take some of the vamp’s blood, too.” Just saying those words made her aware that she hadn’t told him about her own little blood donation. But she’d only been doing that to help Malik when he’d been hurt. Still…
Consideringly, Malik said, “Merius was first bitten very long ago. But…when he was attacked recently, when his wings were taken, it’s believed that is when you—I mean, your sister—showed up again. He was alone. Badly injured. She must have given him the blood then.”
Now things were making sense. “Celeste probably didn’t realize he’d change. She just wanted him to heal.” Typical. Her younger sister had always been more of the do-gooder type.
When she wasn’t battling her demons, anyway. Celeste did good. Josephine…
She did bad. Very well.
“Heal?” Malik repeated the one word. “She wanted to help him?”
“Yeah…” Just woman-up and tell him. “I did the same thing for you, okay? I’m a born vampire, not made, so my blood is extra powerful.” For several reasons and she wasn’t going to explain all of those reasons at that exact moment. “If Celeste saw your buddy Merius—”
“He is not my buddy.”
“Whatever, if she saw an angel dying, she was probably just trying to aid him. You know, give him enough blood to kick-start his body’s healing process.” That story sounded good
to her.
But Malik was staring at her with an unblinking gaze. “You did the same for me?”
He’d finally let that part sink in, huh? “Yes, in case you missed it, your body was full of bullet holes and your wings were battered. I just gave you a little pick me up.”
His eyes widened. “You gave me…your blood?”
“Yeah, so…” Okay, might as well spill. “For the next—oh, long while—you’re probably going to find me extra attractive. Pretty much irresistible. You’ll think that I’m the stuff of your best fantasies—”
“I’ve always thought that.”
What? She choked, then cleared her throat. “It’s not really you wanting me. It’s a side effect of my blood. It will make you more…” How to put this? “You’ll wish you could fuck me.” There. Better to just be bold and put the truth out in the open.
His eyes glittered. “I’ve wished that for a very long time, blood or no blood.”
He wasn’t playing games. She wasn’t used to that kind of man. Her head tilted. “Did you fall because you thought Merius was going to hurt me?”
“My first order of business was stopping him. I made sure I caught his attention at the casino he’d taken over.”
An ex-angel turned casino boss? Interesting career development.
“I won. Over and over. I kept winning until he pulled me in for a one-on-one chat.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t just fly your way straight to him.”
“He had guards. A lot of them. So I tried a different technique.”
Fair enough. Her tongue swiped over her lips. Why were they so dry?
Malik gave a little growl.
Her breath hitched. She should tell him the desire wasn’t real but…
He’d said he’d wanted her for a long time. Maybe what he felt was real. And maybe she should just do her job and turn the guy over to Luke. Why not? “What was your plan with Merius? Were you going to kill him?”
“If he planned to hunt you, I was going to stop him.”
Now he was being tricky with his words. “Is that a yes? Or a no?”
His gaze slid over her body. Lingered in places that made her breath come a little faster. “Why do you care?” Malik’s bright gaze rose and caught hers. “Everyone knows you’re an assassin.”
Her hands went to her hips. “Judge much?”
His lips thinned.
Time to get back on track. “So you went for a heart-to-heart with Merius. The talk ended with you dropping him out of the sky.”
A shrug. “I forgot he’d lost his wings.”
Bullshit. She waited for a better response.
“Fine. Merius said he was going to find you.”
“I’m not the one he wants.”
“He knows that now.” Malik shrugged. “So he won’t be a problem any longer.”
He’d be a problem for her sister. Wherever the hell Celeste was this time. “So what’s your next step? Or are you finished?”
He didn’t speak.
Josephine exhaled slowly. “Wonderful. If you’re done, then you can head upstairs, and this mission will be over.” Her hand slid into her pocket. Found the amber there. It was warm to the touch. It was—
He surged toward her. Moved even faster than he’d moved before. Jeez. Was his strength and speed increasing the longer he was earthbound? Or had her blood given him a boost?
“What’s in your pocket?”
Her hand slid out of the pocket, leaving the stone inside. “Are you ready to go back to where you belong?”
He stared straight at her. “I’m exactly where I belong.” The way he said those words, the way he looked at her…had a man ever gazed at her with so much raw need?
It’s the blood. Just the blood.
“I’m not going back, Josephine. My work isn’t done.”
“So…” Stop lusting after him. He’s an angelic stalker, for shit’s sake. “What’s next on your to-do list?”
“May I touch you?”
Her lips parted.
“I wanted to ask…because I very much want to touch you.” A pause. “I very much want you.”
“It’s not a good idea.” Even though she wanted his hands on her in the worst way. A man protecting you from flying bullets? Sorry, but it had been brave. Bravery was one of her turn-ons. Bravery, bad-assery and blood. Her three Bs. “If you’re looking for action, you should head back to that line of new lovers—”
“Told you. There isn’t a line. Not a line, not a string. Not anything.” His lips tilted the faintest bit. “There is only you.”
No way. Couldn’t be true.
“Angels don’t have sex. Lust isn’t supposed to be big on our list.”
She could feel the lust pouring from him. Or maybe that was her own need because she would be straight-up lying if Josephine didn’t admit—to herself—that she wanted him. Tall, sexy, built. Virgin angel.
Maybe she was the one with the appetite for sin.
Oh, wait, yes, she was.
For total clarification, she asked, “You haven’t had sex since you fell?”
“I was waiting for you, sweet Josephine.”
She laughed. Probably the wrong response but… “I’m many things, but I’m not sweet.” No one ever made that mistake. “And charm isn’t going to work on me. My job is to take you back to Luke. So you can fake some kind of desire for me—”
“There is nothing fake about the need I feel.”
She swallowed. “You can spin some big story about how you’ve watched over me—”
“It’s been my solemn duty for a long time.”
Like she was going to believe that. Sure, it would be great to think that during all of those terrible, dark times in her life, she hadn’t been alone. That this big, sexy angel had been keeping an eye on her. Only…
That hadn’t happened. “I don’t remember getting help from you.” She thought of all the battles. The wounds. The times that Josephine had been sure she wouldn’t be the one surviving. “So I’m not sure why you feel like BSing me.” Once more, her hand reached for the amber. “But your time is up.” She spun away from him.
“I couldn’t touch you. I was never more than a shadow.”
Why was she still listening? Why even bother? Why?
“When you fought the Fey King, and his men riddled your body with bullets, I stood in front of you.”
Bullshit.
“No more than a shadow,” he snarled again, and she could feel him behind her. A dark heat of wrath. “The bullets went right through me and into you.”
She swallowed. This wasn’t a particular memory that she enjoyed. It was better left in the dark recesses of her mind. With all of the other shit she hated.
“You fell right before him. Your blood was everywhere. I was screaming for you to get up—”
She cleared her throat. “Sounds like having a guardian angel isn’t really very beneficial. I mean, if all you can do is watch…”
“The king wanted to end you himself. Finlay had his guards fire wooden bullets at you, and he was so sure one of those bullets had lodged in your heart. He closed in with his knife, ready to take your head.”
Malik had been there.
“I thought you were going to die. I screamed and fucking screamed, but it did no good.”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
He was staring down at his fisted hands. “A shadow can’t touch. A shadow can’t make a difference.” Then he looked up at her. “That’s what we are, you know. That’s usually all the humans and the paranormals see. Sure, sometimes, if they try hard enough, they might feel us. A surge of warmth. A sense of peace. But all they see is the shadow. And when that’s what you see, it’s easy to convince yourself that nothing is there. That you’re alone.” His eyes gleamed with a maelstrom of emotion. “You were not alone in that dirty warehouse. I was not going to let you die alone.”
Her chin notched up. “I didn’t plan to die that day.”
“No.
” Now she could almost hear a glimmer of pride in his voice. “I don’t even know where you found the strength. There was so much blood, but when he came for you, when Finlay got close enough—”
“The Fey King was the one to lose his head.” She knew how this story ended. She’d ended it. She’d grabbed the knife right from the bastard’s hand. Shoved it at his throat. And carved deep, leaving only a few tendrils of flesh still connecting his head and body by the time she was done. “For the record, I let those bullets hit me. Just as I deliberately lured Finlay and his men to that warehouse. Do you know how hard it is to get the Fey out of their realm?” Talk about a challenge. “I knew Finlay would keep his men-at-arms around him. My mission wasn’t to kill them. It was just to take him out. So I needed him to come to me.” She’d let the bullets hit her, she’d bled, but no way had a bullet touched her heart. “I played the dying victim for him, and then he died for me.”
“I knew you’d have ten more years before you were called up again.”
That was the cycle. Luke’s cycle.
And…shit, ten years had passed. The angel had fallen at the same time. Coincidence? Doubtful. She’d learned there were no coincidences. Luke had taught her that lesson.
“I wasn’t going to stand by and watch you bleed again.”
To be clear, she pushed, “You fell…to protect me?”
“I fell for reasons of my own.”
If he’d fallen for her…dammit! She whirled toward him, lifting up her wrist. “You are my last target. I take you in, and I’m done.”
His gaze dropped to her wrist. “Take me back…not kill me?”
“Not yet. Death isn’t on the table yet.” Not this time. “Not if you come back with me. I was given forty-eight hours to bring you back. I told you already, this is a retrieval mission.” But only until those forty-eight hours are up.
His attention was still on her wrist. “The last mark is for me?” He laughed, but the sound was mocking. Bitter. “Figures. But if that’s the way I end…” He focused on her. “Then I might as well enjoy the ride to hell.”
He leaned toward her. Her hands pressed to his chest.
“You didn’t ask…before you touched.” His voice was low.
Shit. This was out of control. She was out of control. He was—