Angel of Mercy (The Fallen) Read online

  “Oh, do that again, pretty. You taste goooood…” he burbled, and I could see my Grace surrounding him with a staticky glow that faded rapidly.

  “Shit…” I breathed. The bastard actually liked it? This was so not good… Taking a shaky step backwards, I opened my mouth to call for Adam and then remembered he’d left for parts unknown. “Samael!” I called out instead.

  “Calling for that sod? ‘E ain’t got the stones to tangle with Cephas no more,” he chortled before canting his head to one side as if scenting the air. “‘E ain’t comin’ nohow.”

  I looked instinctively to the sky, my heart sinking as I realized there was no sign of Sam anywhere. Where could he be? Maybe it was egotistic to assume that he would be there at my beck and call… after all, he hadnd to, himes Newt been there the last time that I was attacked. But then again, I hadn’t called him specifically that night either and it was my own fault he got sick from the beer. The demon… because that’s how I had started to think of him in my head, seemed unconcerned Sam might appear, and took another step closer, looking even hungrier if that was possible.

  “Adamiel!” I called out, an edge of panic to my voice. I knew he wouldn’t show. I knew it, but I couldn’t help but call for him anyway.

  The name caused him to pause however, eyes returning to the night sky. Long enough for me to break away and run down the stairs.

  “‘Old on there, pretty. I ain’t done with you yet.”

  I wasn’t expecting the tackle, and when he crashed into me from behind, I went down hard, wrenching my ankle on the bottom step as I hit the pavement.

  Cephas flipped me over easily, his slight figure masking preternatural strength. Once again I found myself trapped beneath a man’s body, only that one had no interest in my feminine charms. That one looked like he wanted to devour my soul. Up close I saw his eyes were completely black. That is to say he had no pupils, not missing the white parts altogether. I was right about his teeth, they were much sharper amucan>nd pointier than human teeth upon close inspection. I never wanted to be that close to teeth like that again!

  Leaning close, I could feel his hot, fetid breath on my skin and I tensed for the pain I knew would come from those teeth. Instead he licked up the side of my face with a broad stroke of his tongue, leaving a sticky trail of saliva on my skin, a look of sheer delight on his face. “Soooo tasty….” he mumbled in a thick voice.

  A scream worked its way up from my lungs, but before I could let it loose, he was suddenly off of me and I scrambled into a crouch, wondering if Sam had finally shown up or if something worse had come calling for me.

  “Oy, you’re gonna regret that.” Cephas rebounded to his feet in an instant but stood staring at the same thing I was.

  Adam stood between us, his stance casual as though he did this sort of thing every day. “Oh, I don’t think so. I think if there’s any regret going on tonight it’ll be firmly in your camp.” I had never been so glad to see anything as I was to see that familiar smirk!

  “Adam! Thank…”

  “Not now, sweetcheeks, the grownups are talking,” he smirked, throwing my own words back at me. “Lurking outside of a church, Cephas? Business must be bad.”

  “Gettin’ so it’s ‘arder and ‘arder to find what we need these days,” Cephas shrugged, unrepentant. “What’s it to you? She called for Samael first, not you. Is she yours?” His eyes returned to me again, not quite able to banish the hunger from his gaze.

  I saw Adam’s jaw tighten a fraction before the easy smile returned. “He’s supposed to be watching over her for me. I’ll have words with him about that later.”

  Cephas laughed at that. “Serves you right for trusting such a tasty morsel to ‘im, everybody knows ‘e’s lost his bite.”

  “But you’ve felt the sting of it before, haven't you.” Adam’s tone dropped, low and menacing, and the demon was smart enough to look nervous. “Take care to show a little respect in your voice when you speak about your betters.”

  Taking on a wheedling tone, Cephas took a step backwards. “Come on, Adamiel, you and me ‘aven’t ‘ad a problem between us for over a thousand years.”

  “I hope we're not going to have a problem now, are we?” Adam didn’t advance on him, but the tone in his voice made it clear there was a part of him hoping Cephas would resist just a little. Not quite spoiling for a fight, but definitely up to the challenge.

  “‘Ow’s about we share ‘er then?” His eyes flicked towards me, unable to keep the covetous leer out of his voice. “I wasn’t goin’ to ‘urt ‘er much.”

  Adam extended his wings to their full span. T.&h="48">hey rose around him dark and powerful to match the absolutely lethal expression on his face. “You will not touch her, nor any of your kind. She is under my protection, is that clear? Or do you require a demonstration of my sincerity?” His eyes glittered dangerously, now he was spoiling for a fight.

  Cephas all but tripped over his feet in his haste to back away, dropping his gaze submissively. “Crystal clear, Adamiel. Won’t be troubling your pretty lady again.”

  I wasn’t so sure of that and it appeared Adam wasn’t either. A gleaming silver sword appeared in his hand out of nowhere, and he pressed it to Cephas’ throat. The shining blade made a hissing sound as it contacted the demon’s flesh and Cephas shrank away from its lethal touch. Without another word, he scrambled away, melding into the shadows. Adam stood there, his wings outstretched until Cephas completed his hasty retreat. I opened my mouth to thank him when Adam whirled on me, his sword and wings disappearing with a soft rush of air. “Are you alright?” He searched my face carefully, hands touching my arms, shoulders, my face, frantically as he searched for signs of damage.

  “I’m okay,” I breathed, though I was still shaking from the aftermath of what happened and my ankle throbbed. A small price to pay, all things considered. “But if you hadn’t come…” I swallowed, unable to complete the thought. tho pa;

  “What were you thinking?” Adam shook me by the shoulders and my sluggish brain tried to keep up with the sudden shift of anger I heard in his voice.

  “What?” I blinked.

  “What are you doing here all alone in the middle of the night, Mercy? Do you have a death wish or something?” he demanded.

  “I wasn’t alone, Parker went to get the car.”

  “And he left you here?” His face darkened, and I hoped Parker stayed away a bit longer or he was going to get a piece of Adam’s mind.

  “It’s a church,” I said helplessly.

  A bitter laugh left his lips. “And you think that somehow makes you magically safe? It's just a building, nothing more. Christ, Mercy, I thought you were smart enough to take care of yourself…”

  That pricked at my last already raw nerve and I snapped at him. “Hey, what’s it to you anyway? You left remember? You don’t have the right to question what I do.”

  Adam looked like he wanted to throttle me at the moment and I could see the effort it cost him to reign in his temper. “I left to keep you safe,” he said slowly, as if speaking to a dimwitted child.

  It occurred to me he must not have gone very far though since he’d appeared so quickly. “Why did you come back then?” I ck Roman">“thrust my chin up at him pugnaciously.

  “You called me, remember?”

  “I called Sam first.”

  His face darkened as I reminded him of that. “Why did you call for him first?”

  “Why, are you jealous?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “I thought you were gone. You said goodbye.” I dropped my gaze, not wanting him to see how much it affected me.

  “I told you, I left to keep you safe.” His voice softened, anger spent.

  “Well, that is the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard of.” My frustration spilled over into my voice. “Clearly, it’s more dangerous for me with you gone. Who was that guy, Cephas? How come the Grace didn’t work on him?”

  “He’s a minor imp, a demon. His kind f
eeds on purity and goodness, that’s why the Grace was like crack to him. Now that he’s got a taste…”

  “You think he’ll come after me again?”

  “It’s not so much him that concerns me. Cephas is a coward and he knows I could rip him limb from limb. It’s the one he serves we have to worry about.”

  “The one he serves? Another demon?”

  Adam nodded. “He’ll be very interested to hear about you. They don’t dare move on angels, we’re far too dangerous for them to take on, but you...” His eyes swept over my face and I saw the naked emotion there. He was scared, afraid something beyond terrible might happen to me. That scNewimes ared the hell out of me.

  “What would he do to me?” I breathed.

  “For starters he could kill you once he gets a taste, he’s not known for his self control. But… it’s conceivable he could trap you in his court and feed from you for all eternity.”

  I felt like all of the air had been sucked out of my body, and my vision began to swim. Instantly I felt myself caught up in his arms, and I clung to him for support, my eyes squinching shut as I waited for the dizziness to recede. “Is that all…” I murmured finally, finding my balance again.

  My eyes cracked open, and I was surprised to see how close my face was to his. “Am I yours?” I asked, remembering that part of his exchange with the demon.

  “What?”

  “Cephas asked you, and you said I was under your protection. Am I yours?”

  He let go of me and disappointment lanced through me sharper than his magic sword would have. “It’s just a word. If it keeps you safe…” Adam gave a careless shrug. Part of me didn’t want to believe that careless shrug, part of me desperately wanted to believe I was more to him than that.

  “Do you want me to be yours?” I asked, unable to keep a note of longing from my voice.

  Adam stared back at me for a long moment, his eyes tinged with unbearable sadness. “It’s not that easy, Mercy.”

  “Mercy? Who are you talking to, honey?” Parker’s voice came from behind me, and I understood he couldn’t see Adam. Why did he have to show up then?

  For a long moment I stared at Adam, willing him to stay and work things out with me. es pan>,” I replied, my eyes on Adam’s face, expecting him to disappear at any moment.

  “What are you doing out here by yourself? It’s not safe at this time of night,” Parker admonished me lightly, coming to my side, and I saw Adam’s lips quirk at that vindication.

  “Being stupid I guess, same as usual.” I gave my boss a faint smile.

  “Don’t say that, you’ve just had too much to drink tonight, your judgment’s bound to be a little off.” Parker’s tone was kind and I flashed him a deeper smile of thanks.

  “I’m ready to go home now.”

  “Sure thing, car’s all ready and waiting.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I saw Adam stiffen before I let Parker lead me to his silver Camaro. When I looked up again, Adam was gone.

  I was silent for the ride home, keeping my eyes closed so Parker would think I’d dozed off. Okay, that was kind of shitty for me to do, given that he’d gone out of his way to come out with me for the walk and take me home when he could have been warm inside his office. I just wasn’t sure I had the ability to carry on a normal conversation yet.

  All I could think about was what would have happened to me if Adam hadn’t shown up when he had. And what would happen to me the next time Cephas or one of his buddies showed up for a taste? Was Adam still planning to take off, or was his timely arrival a sign he’d thought better of it?

  “Here we are,an"> darlin’,” Parker shook my knee gently and my eyes popped open.

  “Thanks, boss, I really appreciate you looking out for me tonight.” I gave him a heartfelt smile.

  “You want me to walk you up?”

  “Nah, that’s alright, I’ll be fine.” Somehow I had the idea if I let him up he might try something stupid, like try to kiss me goodnight.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yeah, of course.” I already had the door open, my feet swinging out to the sidewalk. “Good night, Parker.”

  “G’nite, Mercy, get some rest.”

  With a final wave, I disappeared into the building. My ankle wasn’t at all happy about the stairs as I trudged up to my floor, but I figured that was the least of my worries for the moment. The faint smell of enchiladas still hung in the apartment as I let myself in, and I remembered I’d left the pan of them in the oven without bothering to put them away in the fridge. So much for all that work and the ingredients wasted.

  Too tired to deal with it then, I resolved to toss them out in the morning. For the moment there was only one person I wanted to talk to, but I doubted he’d take my calls. Instead I pulled up Sam’s number on my cell but it rang and rang before an automated voice told me the number I dialed did not have a voicemail box set up. Where in the hell had Sam disappeared to?

  Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to try, I pulled up Adam’s number next. To this day I have no idea what it was that I actually said to his voicemail. I only knew that when I pulled up the number on my call log later, it said the message was eight minutes long. That’s a lot of drunken rambling.

  My fin Ro the gers hovered over the keypad, Ben’s name looming large on the display. On a moment of impulse, I hit the send key and I heard the phone ring once, twice… before I hit the end call button. What was I doing? It was the middle of the night, and I was pretty sure that Ben had washed his hands of me. For long moments I sat there holding my phone, wondering if he’d call me back when he saw who the missed call was from. But when the phone didn’t ring, I nodded to myself, curling up into a ball as I closed my eyes and chased oblivion.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I felt down in the dumps the next morning, although I was able to heal my own leg without a great deal of trouble (which was pretty awesome really). Even though I didn’t wake up to much of a headache, I didn’t feel like doing anything. Luckily, I had coffee in the cupboard, food in the freezer and plenty of cat food on hand for Mimsy, so I wouldn’t have to leave for anything until I had to head in to work.

  The night before had softened in my memory, blurring the edges of the danger, but it left the sour taste of despair in my mouth that no amount of Crest minty freshness could cure. I still couldn’t raise either Adam or Sam on the phone and I didn’t bother to try Ben again.

  When a knock came to the door I stiffened instinctively, but almost imm Ro tomaediately eased as I reasoned – even if Cephas or his crew knew where to find me, would they be likely to knock? To my pleasant surprise it was the delivery of gorgeous pale pink roses, my favorites. In a moment of insanity, I actually thought they might be from Adam, but the card read: Please forgive me. Ben.

  Lifting the flowers to my nose, I fished out my phone, mulling over whether or not to call him. Had he sent them because of my aborted call the night before? Or had he been planning on sending them anyway? I brought up his number. What would it hurt to give him a call and thank him for the flowers?

  Ben answered after the second ring, his voice a little hesitant. “Hi. I’m glad you called.”

  “Hey, Ben, thanks for the flowers,” I smiled into my end of the phone.

  “I’m glad you like them, I remember you said they were your favorite.”

  “Yes, they are,” I replied, not quite sure what to say next.

  “Mercy… look, I’m sorry. I was way out of line yesterday.”

  “You are?” I admit, even with the card I was surprised to hear him so sorry after how adamant he was the night before about being in the right.

  “Yes, you were right, I had no business following you. I should have trusted you to tell me in your own time.”

  Absolutely stunned, I nodded, not quite registering that he wouldn’t be able to see it. When in the history of men had a man ever admitted he was wrong without being confronted with absolued noddedte ironclad proof?

  “Mercy?”

>   “I’m surprised to hear from you so soon is all.”

  “I guess it hit me pretty quickly what I lost.”

  The silence stretched between us, and I struggled over what to say next. My temper is legendary and I don’t get over things easily. Even after someone apologizes, I tend to hold a grudge for a while. It was why I hadn’t talked to my brother since the Las Vegas crack and it was why I hadn’t talked to my Aunt Marie in two years. Once my trust was broken, it was hard to reassemble it again.

  At the same time I wanted to patch things up with Ben. I really did care about him and I could hear in his voice he cared about me too. If only things weren’t so screwed up… If I let him back into my life would that put him in danger?

  “I’m sorry too, about the things I said and tossing you out. I always do that, get angry and then there’s no talking to me,” I offered, meeting him part of the way.

  “No, I get it, you were pissed off and you had every right to be.”

  “And I get where you’re coming from too, I do. You’re just worried about me,” I allowed. I still wasn’t happy about it, but I could understand it.

  “Do you think I could see you? Maybe we could work things out.”

  The silence stretched on even longer that time. “Maybe,” I replied finally, not wanting to commit to too much too fast. “I’ll call you tomorrow.spont sizeont size="+0" face="Times New Roman">” It probably wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but I needed that time. I knew from past experience if he came over too soon I’d still be too angry to see past the spying and what would be the point in that? I didn’t want to be mad at him, but I knew myself well enough to know I needed more time for it to fade. It didn’t help that my thoughts kept running to Adam and where things stood with him. Was it fair to keep seeing Ben when I felt such a strong attraction to another man?

  Then again, was it fair to myself to keep holding a torch for a guy who clearly didn’t want to start anything up with me for my own good? Noble motives or not, it didn’t bring me any closer to Adam.