Deep in Crimson

Return to Sanctuary - 2

by

Sarah Gilman

To all who embrace their slightly demonic side.

Chapter One

Two unusual scents carried on the dwindling thunder-storm’s breeze: humans and demon blood. Jett paused, his muscles tense, his mouth dry.

Nothing good ever came of the scent of blood in the air.

Nothing good ever came of the presence of humans.

Nothing good, sure as fuck, ever came of those two things together.

He abandoned the two lifeless ducks, which he’d caught by hand, next to the fire pit. Breathing deeply through his nose, he circled the area in the forest he considered his.

Heavy rain had washed away most scents except for sodden earth. The breeze blew from the direction of Vermont’s demon colony, Sanctuary, in the valley below. If he made his way down the mountain, he’d find a bloody scene—he sniffed the air again—less than a half mile away.

An attack on Sanctuary by humans? He turned his back on the breeze and shut his eyes, his heart rate resisting his mental demand for it to slow. An attack was none of his business as long as the humans stayed the hell away from him and away from the archangels—what little hope there was of that.

He paced. Hostility toward any demon colony usually focused on the archangels, whom the demons protected. Religious zealots throughout human communities viewed both demons and the “fallen” archangels as evil and wanted both species killed, but archangel feathers sold to the highest bidders and dedicated collectors.

The result: poachers, and an ever-dwindling archangel population. A few countries had given land to demons to form colonies, similar to Native American reservations. The demons took in the archangels and offered protection from poachers, and, in exchange, the archangels shared their various skills, such as healing abilities. Despite the sovereignty of the colonies and the Guardians who protected the borders and the residents, attacks still came and blood still stained the ground from time to time.

Jett had stayed in this place, on the fringes of the demon colony in northeastern Vermont, for one reason—to make sure the archangel Raphael and his son, Wren, weren’t betrayed again by the demon Guardians who were supposed to protect them.

At first, Jett couldn’t comprehend why Raphael had wanted to return, why the archangel was willing to trust again. But it had turned out his personal Guardian, Lark, hadn’t been the one who murdered Raphael’s mate, attacked Wren, and imprisoned Raphael. Lark’s body had been stolen for eighteen years by the revenge-bent spirit of Thornton Bailey, a poacher Wren had killed.

The same poacher that Jett had been forced to work for.

He knelt by the stream, washed his hands, and drank. The thunderstorm—still rumbling in the distance, flashes of light illuminating the cloud-and-night-shrouded Green Mountains—had soaked him and plastered his hair to his neck. He stripped, hung his clothes on a rack he’d made from tree branches, and ignited demon fire on his skin, drying himself and shunning the midnight chill.

Another gust carried the scents again. Only two human scents, but a lot of demon blood. Dressing in his second set of clothes, well-worn jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt he’d stolen from human campers, he repeated his mantra in his mind.

Not my business. I don’t give a shit.

The demon in charge of the colony, Vin, left him a note not long after he’d arrived, warning that unless he came directly to the Guardians first, he needed to stay away from all of Sanctuary’s citizens, or he’d be viewed as a threat. Suspicious fuckers didn’t trust him. Who could blame them? He used to work for poachers—even though it had been against his will.

So, whatever this was, it wasn’t Jett’s problem. The Guardians protected Sanctuary, not him.

He wanted to check on the archangels, Vin be damned, but they rarely flew in the middle of the night and only left the house at such hours to socialize in the demon village. Jett couldn’t get close enough to see into the houses. He’d have to wait—the archangels always flew at dawn. If they failed to show, he’d act.

He hated waiting, even though that was all he ever did anymore, in his self-made purgatory on top of this mountain. He cleaned his twin hunting knives, the only things he’d taken with him when he’d fled Raphael’s former prison, and returned them to sheaths on his thighs.

The breeze blew again and he breathed in deeply, catching the scent of blood, stronger this time.

A month ago, Jett had passed through the woods near three demon boys at play. It had appeared one of them was pretending to be Jett by jumping out from behind trees, covered in mud, making his friends run and scream.

Little bastards. What did they think he was, some sort of boogeyman?

One of those boys…was that scent in the air his blood? He’d been eight, ten years old at most.

“Shit.”

He was a prick and he knew it, but he wasn’t the sort of prick to ignore a hurt kid. A memory surfaced from his own childhood, of waking from a healing fever on blood-soaked sheets because the humans, who’d whipped him and cut him to study his healing abilities, had simply locked him in the observation room to recover alone.

Muttering more curses, he grabbed his jacket, then made his way through the trees and down the steeply inclined mountainside. He broke into a run, suddenly furious with himself for not acting immediately. It wasn’t his business—the Guardians protected the colony. But they hadn’t protected Jett the day he’d been kidnapped, so many years ago.

The scents led him to a hemlock grove, the soaked earth churned up from an apparent struggle. Four bodies, all demons, lay in the mud, their throats torn open. One adult. Three little kids, including the one whose scent Jett recognized. He’d seen death before. Had killed before. But the sight of three small bodies in a pile made him dry heave, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Even if he’d rushed here the moment he’d caught the scent of blood, there would have been nothing he could do for grievous wounds such as these. Small comfort.

The back of his neck prickled, and he stared upward. A gap in the canopy framed an archangel in flight far overhead, circling. If Raphael had come in response to the injuries, guided by his preternatural ability to instantly heal others, it was too late. Even Raphael couldn’t fix death.

And Raphael had better stay the hell away while humans occupied the woods.

Jett shut his eyes and inhaled. The scents of the scene around him invaded his nose—this crime had occurred after the rain had stopped and little had been washed away.

The scent of one demon didn’t match the bodies. The scents of two humans and the missing demon led through trampled undergrowth, away from the colony toward the logging roads further up the valley.

“Oh no you don’t, fuckers.” Jett turned in that direction and sprinted.

…

Lexine, running and clinging to the arm of a black-clad Guardian, stumbled to a halt in a small clearing surrounded by hemlock trees. Warm and shaky from adrenaline, her legs protested even holding her upright. The Guardian hadn’t wanted to bring her along, but she’d followed him—her brothers were out there, damn it!—and he’d been unwilling to leave her alone in the woods with humans around.

A birth defect prevented her from seeing well in the dark like most demons, but Raphael’s stark-white wings all but glowed in a beam of moonlight now that the storm clouds had thinned.

The archangel knelt in water-saturated, trampled peat, holding a body half off the ground. Darkness obscured the visual details, but as she approached them, the familiar scent confirmed her worse fears.

Jac, her brother.

Raphael is here, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. Jac would heal. He wasn’t moving because he was deep in a healing sleep. Tension fled her body in a heavy sigh.

The archangel glanced up and shook his head. “He bled out before I got here.”

She dropped to her knees, swallowing a strange urge to laugh out loud at Raphael’s words. “That can’t be.”

“I’m sorry, Lex.”

She stared, her jaw shaking.

“I’m so sorry.” In a rare gesture from any archangel, he touched his wing to her back, his flight feathers dragging through the mud.

Her denial shattered. Sobs tore out of her throat and she dropped her face to her brother’s dirt-and-blood-matted hair.

Another scent pulled her back from the edge—a distinct, sweet, citrus fragrance entwined in the nauseating mess of odors. Her younger brother, Bryce, had been hiking that night as well. She didn’t smell his blood, thank goodness. “Bryce?” Clutching Jac’s shoulder, she raised her head and looked around, straining her eyes. “Bryce?”

A Guardian stepped closer, crouched, and spoke quietly. “Scents indicate two human males took him and fled.”

“What?”

“Vin and his team have gone after them. We’ll get Bryce back, Lexine.”

She struggled to her feet in the mud, sniffling, trying to isolate the scents despite her stuffed-up nose and tears. The Guardian was right, of course—Bryce’s scent mingled with the humans’. But there was also another intense, more recent scent that shot straight to her heart and jolted it into a rapid flutter.

Jett, the demon who’d been living secluded in the woods for the last eleven months—the object of gossip and suspicion and confusion—who’d been presumed dead as a child. He’d gotten entangled with poachers, but he helped rescue Raphael.

She knew his fragrance of tea and honey from the cemetery, where he lingered, out of sight, whenever she tended the landscaping. Creepy, but not threatening—Raphael trusted him, and that was good enough for her.

He’d gone after the humans and wasn’t far behind them. Nothing else mattered.

“I’ll bring you home,” the Guardian said, offering his arm.

She shook her head. “Jac would go after them.” Her voice shook. “He’d kick my ass if I just sat at home like a blubbering fool while humans have our brother.”

“Lex, you need—” Raphael began.

Lexine caught Bryce’s scent and ran after it.

Chapter Two

“That’s no way to treat a little kid.”

The moment Jett emerged from the woods and spoke, the two humans whirled, the captive demon child locked in the arms of the brawny, taller member of the kidnapping duo. The giant man clutched his prisoner’s throat and backed toward the car parked along the muddy, puddle-ridden logging road. His partner covered his retreat, aiming a semiautomatic handgun at Jett.

Though the rain had stopped, water dripped from the canopy of the old-growth forest, the only sound aside from the boy’s muffled protests. The faint mix of scents on the breeze indicated that Sanctuary’s Guardians were catching up, but still had a lot of ground to cover. The humans would escape in the vehicle if Jett didn’t intervene, but he hesitated.

Demons were a malevolent, disgusting species. Violent beings who took pleasure in others’ misery.

Or so his captors had raised him to believe.

In the eleven months Jett had been studying the colony from the shelter of the forest, he’d seen nothing to suggest anything he’d been taught about demons was true.

Not one damned thing.

This child didn’t deserve anything the humans had in mind.

The little boy wriggled and kicked, his arms secured behind his back. A band of metal wrapped around his head and covered his mouth, preventing him from biting. Far too young to ignite demon fire on his skin, he stood no chance against the two men. Even if he could ignite demon fire, which was itself harmless to demons’ skin, he’d seriously burn himself with the molten metal.

The kidnappers’ plain clothes and unmarked vehicle gave nothing away, but the scent that came from the SUV when the human opened the door identified the kidnappers better than a photo identification card. The interior reeked of rubbing alcohol, formalin, rubber gloves, and a myriad of other chemical odors—the stench of the despicable research facility that had been Jett’s prison for thirteen years of his childhood.

He’d be damned if he stood by and allowed these criminals to escape with another innocent child. Jett hissed, baring his fangs.

Had Jett been taken from the colony in the same manner as this? He’d been so young. He remembered nothing.

The heavy-weight human shoved the boy into the SUV, locked the door, and rejoined his partner. The two men faced Jett, aiming their guns. Calm. Ready. Professionals, for certain. But had they ever faced a demon their own size?

Growling, Jett bared his upper and lower fangs and ignited demon fire. The flames engulfed his body but left his skin and his worn, threadbare clothing intact—the fire destroyed only if he willed it. He lunged toward the humans.

“Holy fuck!” Gunshots rang out, but the humans fired one-handed and blind as they shielded their faces from the heat of the demon fire. A bullet grazed Jett’s arm, but the other shots went wide.

He plowed into the nearest kidnapper, seized the gun, and fired into the man’s stomach. Letting the bastard collapse to the ground, Jett sprang at the second human and shoved him hard against the side of the gray SUV.

Jett extinguished his flames and sank his fangs deep into his opponent’s muscular shoulder, tasting sweat and blood. The scent of the other children, of their deaths, clung to the man’s clothing. He bit deeper.

The venom from his fangs went to work in seconds, propelled through the human’s blood to his brain by his own rapidly beating heart. A scream ripped from the kidnapper’s throat and he seized hard enough to break his own back.

Jett stepped away, letting the limp body drop to the ground, and spat out the blood. He licked his fangs. Stimulated by the recent bite, the venom flowed hard and filled his mouth with a caramel-like sweetness.

The other human lay on his back on the puddle-ridden ground, blood running from the corner of his mouth. Gurgling sounds accompanied his shallow, rapid breaths. Eyes narrowed, he reached into his jacket as Jett approached.

A blade glinted in the moonlight. Jett caught the human’s wrist and sank his fangs into the bastard’s forearm. Already half in the grave, the human’s venom-induced spasms subsided in seconds. Pity had been trained out of Jett years ago, but now, he paused. Not long ago, he’d shown another person empathy, an act that changed his entire existence. He’d won his freedom and no longer saw himself only as a monster. Still, for these kidnappers who intended God knew what for the demon child, no regret rose.

Jett searched the body and found a set of keys. Hooking the keychain around his thumb, he hurried back to the vehicle.

The child sat on the backseat, his eyes wide between his mussed red hair and the steel gag, breathing hard through his nose. Jett froze. Even after so many years, he could feel the cold, tight metal clamped around his own head.

Tears beaded at the corners of the boy’s eyes. Jett lifted him out of the car. The child trembled, his head heavier against Jett’s shoulder than it should have been, thanks to the metal device designed to keep a demon from biting. Holding him securely with one arm, Jett lifted a hand to the back of the boy’s head. He used the keys to unlock the gag and tossed the thing away.

Sounds halfway between screams and sobs erupted from the child. Jett tightened his grip around the boy’s shoulders and fumbled with the lock on the handcuffs. As soon as the restraints fell to the ground, the child threw his arms around Jett’s neck.

“It’s okay.” It’s okay? Damn it, he wasn’t kid-savvy or nurturing in the best of circumstances. He ignited a thin layer of demon fire over his body. The one fuzzy recollection he possessed of his father was that fiery, comforting embrace. “You’re okay now.”

The boy’s breathing calmed, his faced pressed into the flames, but he maintained a choking grip on Jett’s neck.

“You’re strong for a… How old are you, little one?”

The child leaned back slowly, wiped at his eyes, and murmured, “I’m not little. I’m five and a half.”

“I’ve never met a stronger five-and-a-half-year-old.”

A ghost of a grin pulled at the corners of the boy’s mouth.

“What’s your name?”

“Bryce.”

“I’m taking you home, Bryce.” Jett stood and tried to maneuver so that the kid didn’t see the two dead humans. It didn’t work. Though the shaking resumed, Bryce craned his neck over Jett’s shoulder and hissed.

“Easy there.”

Bryce hissed again and growled. The sound, not par-ticularly menacing coming from a young boy, lightened Jett’s mood as he headed for the woods.

A strange whistle filled the air and pain exploded in Jett’s lower back. He sprang forward the last couple yards to the cover of the evergreen trees and, supporting Bryce with one arm, pulled a small dart free from his backside. The colorless liquid in the dart could have been anything, but the rapid numbness spreading throughout his limbs told him all he needed to know. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground on his side. Bryce scrambled to his feet.

“Run, Bryce.” Jett slurred the words. Fuck, how had a human snuck up on him?

“Guardian?” Bryce shook Jett’s shoulder, tears reap-pearing.

I’m not a Guardian. Jett stared at the child, unable to do anything else, even blink, the drug’s grip on him complete. Run, damn it.

A new human scent carried on the breeze: Leather. Cigarettes.

Run!

Bryce crouched at Jett’s side. He hissed as a figure emerged through the trees. The human, dressed in jeans, a black sweater, and a skull-tight black cap, walked forward with a dart gun slung over his shoulder. Damn weapon appeared military grade.

Bryce turned his back on the man and hid his face in Jett’s chest. No emotion whatsoever bled into the human’s expression.

Get away, damn you!

The human pulled a dart from a pack at his hip, held it like a throwing dart, and let it fly. The needle landed in Bryce’s shoulder. The child jerked and his grip on Jett tightened. A few seconds later, his body went limp.

The kidnapper gathered Bryce in his arms.

Motherfucker! Jett writhed within his cement-like body. Despicable coward!

The human stared at Jett for a moment with an unreadable expression, turned on his heel without a word, and strode off toward the road. A moment later, the SUV roared to life.

…

Lexine tore through the undergrowth of the forest. Thick, humid air made it hard to breathe as she ran. She strained to see, as blind as a human in the post-midnight darkness. She stumbled over an exposed root and landed in the muddy, rotting leaves on her knees and palms.

Damn my defective eyes!

With a curse, she stood and rubbed her ankle. Her pain trivial compared to her missing brother, she ignited demon fire on her hands and pressed forward in the crimson light.

The loss of her older brother sat in her stomach like a cluster of shrapnel, but she refused to sit and grieve. She needed to act. Losing Bryce, too, wasn’t an option.

The Guardians had long since outpaced her, their attention focused on tracking the humans who’d taken her little brother. They left only the whispers of the forest in their wake. She stopped, shut her eyes, and listened. Leaves rustled. Water dripped. A swollen stream roared after a week of thunderstorms. Faint voices drew her attention ahead and to her left.

She scrambled in the direction of the distant shouts. Branches scraped her arms and ferns snagged her feet, but her crimson fire lit her way. Ahead, one of the many old logging roads in Sanctuary’s vicinity came into view.

Lexine extinguished her fire to avoid being a visible target if any humans remained in the area before stepping out into the open. The moon cast silvery light over the road and the adjacent field. Strong scents of humans, Bryce, and the Guardians filled her nose along with the choking stench of engine exhaust.

“Lex, what the hell are you doing out here?” Moonlight reflected off a pair of eyes to her left. The speaker stepped out of the trees, dark clothing and hair putting his pale skin in stark relief.

“Vin!” She ran up to the Guardians’ leader. “Where’s Bryce?”

He caught her by the shoulders. “He’s not here.”

“But his scent is so strong!”

“The humans took him in a vehicle only minutes before we got here.” The Guardian squeezed her arm in a chaste show of comfort. “I’ve sent trackers after them.”

She held her breath and squeezed her hands into fists. Panicking wouldn’t do anyone any good.

“Jett tried to help your brother.” Vin released her arm. “He had a good head start on us.”

She wiped at her moist eyes with the back of her hand. “What happened?”

“They hit him with some sort of drug. Probably the same one used when they ambushed Jac and the kids.”

“Is Jett…?”

“No, they didn’t kill him. Bizarre, considering he killed two of them. I admit he’s not above suspicion.”

“You think he helped the humans?”

“It’s possible. Jett’s loyalties are highly questionable, given his past and the fact that the humans left him alive. This way.”

Lexine followed Vin toward the evergreens, puzzling. What little the Guardians knew of Jett’s story had long been common knowledge in the colony. Kidnapped himself as a child, he’d been raised in some sort of human research facility. Later, he’d been employed—forcefully—by the poacher who’d held the archangel Raphael captive for years. Jett had revolted, freeing the archangel eleven months ago. Granted, Jett hadn’t embraced the colony or responded to Raphael’s repeated invitations to join the community, but why would he revert his loyalty to the humans?

Beyond the lush branches of the trees, several Guardians knelt near Jett, who lay on his side on the ground in tattered jeans. His black, long-sleeved shirt and jacket set off platinum-blond hair that fell across his face in mismatched angles. He must have hacked it off with a knife. Cuffs bound his hands and ankles.

She arched an eyebrow at Vin.

“We can’t risk him bolting on us when the drug wears off,” Vin said.

Lexine paused and breathed in Jett’s scent: the smoky edge of any demon, plus rich honey and dark tea. She knew it well from the cemetery, which she tended a couple days a week. He’d been visiting the burial ground more and more often, leaving his thick fragrance among the stones.

She’d grown accustomed to his presence in the last couple of months. Though she’d never seen him.

“Do you think he’ll wake up soon?”

A growl drew her gaze to Jett and she stepped back.

“He’s awake,” Vin said. “Just paralyzed. But apparently, he’s coming out of it.”

“He can blink and move his fingers,” another Guardian added. “But mostly he just glares and growls at us.”

“I’d be pissed at you, too.” She folded her arms. “What if he’s done nothing wrong?”

“What if he aided in Bryce’s abduction?”

Lexine scowled at the Guardian and knelt at Jett’s side. Bryce’s scent—light citrus and pine—clung to his shirt. “Jett. I’m Lexine.”

He blinked and stared at her from under thick, blond lashes with eyes the darkest shade of copper she’d ever seen, like rust polished to a crimson shine.

“The boy you tried to help today is my little brother.”

His lips parted and closed.

“When you can speak, will you tell me everything you can that might help us find the humans who took Bryce?”

He blinked, the movement slow.

“I hope that’s a yes.” She stood and rubbed her shaking hands together. She couldn’t chase away the mental image of Raphael in the woods, holding Jac. Forcing back more tears, she bit her lower lip. Keep it together, Lexi, keep it together.

Vin turned to the gathered demons. “The rest of you, spread out and study the scent trails. I want to know every step the humans and Jett took.”

The Guardians dispersed into the darkness, their movements as silent as owls hunting in the forest.

Lexine’s pulse pounded so loudly in her ears, she almost missed Jett whisper, “They won’t hurt Bryce.”

Vin knelt. “Care to elaborate?”

In a sluggish movement, Jett pulled at the handcuffs. The chain links chimed against each other. His voice strengthened and darkened. “Get these off me.”

“The sooner you talk, the sooner I consider taking them off.”

Jett got an elbow under his body and, with far more effort than normally necessary, righted himself into a sitting position. He leaned back against the tree. “I stopped being anyone’s bitch the moment I walked out of Thornton’s little fun house last year. Get these handcuffs off me.”

Vin sat back on his heels. “Well, that’s disappointing. I really thought, considering how you helped Raphael, that there was more to you than a hermit who used to work for poachers. No demon I know would put his own pride over a child’s safety.”

Jett’s voice remained quiet, but filled with threat. “Don’t you dare get all holier-than-thou on me.”

“Hey.” Lexine gave Vin her best back-the-hell-off glare, sat on a large tree root, and put her hand on Jett’s shoulder. He glanced in her direction, more surprise than anger in his expression.

“My older brother was killed tonight. Please, I need to get my younger brother back. You said the humans won’t hurt him. How do you know that?”

“Because they need him alive.” His tone softened. He shifted and faced in her direction, giving Vin his shoulder. “The humans who took Bryce work for Victor Lawrence, a scientist who studies demons. I was his guinea pig for most of my youth. Assuming the nature of his work hasn’t changed, he’ll need Bryce both alive and healthy.”

Lex leaned forward, her mouth dry. “Did you help these humans take Bryce and murder the others?”

“No, and I’m going to tear Lawrence’s throat out with my teeth. I know where to find him.”

“Thank God.” Her eyes burned and a tear ran a hot trail down her skin. “But then, why did they spare your life?” Heat rose to her cheeks. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I don’t know why they left me alive.”

With a muttered curse, Vin pulled a key from his pocket. He bent forward and unlocked Jett’s ankles.

“Change of heart so quickly?”

“My instincts are never wrong, and they insist you didn’t do this,” Vin said. “All I care about right now is getting that child back safely.”

Jett held out his cuffed wrists.

Vin rubbed the key between his thumb and forefinger. “I want to know everything you can tell me about Lawrence.”

“I will deal with Lawrence myself.”

“You will help my Guardians find Lawrence. You don’t want tonight to happen again, do you?”

Tension thickened the air as Vin and Jett stared at each other.

“Please.” Lexine touched Jett’s arm again.

Jett glanced at her. “Your brother will not grow up in that place, I promise you.” He returned his attention to Vin. “If I won’t be restrained we have a deal, Guardian.”

Chapter Three

Jett sat at the base of the tree, staring up at the first hints of a colorful sunrise that filtered through the branches, waiting out the last of the paralytic drug’s effects. He itched to get on his feet and go after Lawrence. The son of a bitch would not live to regret taking the child. Even if the Guardians caught up with the human’s SUV and brought Bryce back, Jett would hunt Lawrence down as soon as he could walk.

He needed a vehicle. It would take days to get to Lawrence on foot. He loathed the idea of working with the Guardians, but what choice did he have? Besides, going after Lawrence and killing him would have been one thing. Jett could have done that alone. Getting out alive with a small child, past Lawrence and his security? Like it or not, he needed the Guardians. Didn’t mean he had to trust them, though.

“Damn me.” He should have gone after Lawrence months ago, as he’d intended to during his first hours of freedom from Thornton, the poacher who’d imprisoned Jett for years. Instead, he’d given in to the damnable urge, the borderline addiction—something he didn’t even understand—to make sure the archangels were indeed safe. If nothing else, he owed Raphael that much for saving his life.

Now, several children and an adult demon were dead, and Bryce kidnapped, because Jett hadn’t stuck to his guns. He’d feel the weight of his screwup in his gut until he made it right.

Vin walked away, ranting into his cell phone, giving orders with military focus and precision.

“What for?” Lexine sat at Jett’s side on the tree’s knotted, exposed roots, her hands clasped between her knees. Bryce’s older sister. How much older? She appeared to be in her midtwenties, but so did all demon adults for hundreds of years of their life.

“Huh?”

“Why should you be damned?”

He shifted his gaze to her face, framed by her black hair, which she’d braided and wrapped around her head. Such an unusual, exotic hair color among the mostly blond and redheaded demon population. “Because I excel at putting others in harm’s way.”

She tilted her head. “Looks to me like you excel at rescuing people. Raphael—”

“Raphael would have died because of me had Wren not shown up with that healing ability of his.”

“At least you didn’t leave him in that miserable place.” Her throat worked. “I know you won’t leave Bryce, either. I’m glad you’re here.”

His jaw slackened, but he covered the reaction with a cough. Had anyone, ever, been glad to have him around? He’d befriended Raphael, but that didn’t count. Jett had simply talked to the archangel to help pass the time, as opposed to taunting him and abusing him like the rest of Thornton’s thugs. It wasn’t as if Raphael had his choice of friends. Now, with all these Guardians around, why was Lexine looking to him?

He changed the subject before, heaven forbid, she made him blush or something equally horrifying. “You take care of the cemetery.”

Her face wrinkled, and she dissolved into sobs.

Okay, wrong thing to say.

“Yes, I do,” she answered, to his surprise. “You’ve been visiting often the last couple of months. And hiding in the woods. I haven’t worked a day recently without catching your scent on the breeze.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“My brothers,” she choked out, and shook her head. “You’re not upsetting me. Please. I need to talk about something, anything, or all I can think about is…” She cried some more, her face in her hands.

He rolled his shoulders and stretched, attempting to awaken his sluggish muscles from the drug. The sooner he got moving, the better. He needed to get on Lawrence’s ass, and out of this situation—what did he know about comforting a female? Nothing, that was what. “When I first saw you working in the cemetery, it was noon on a sunny day, and you had no sunglasses. I thought you were a human, so I stayed downwind and got closer to investigate. How can you see in full daylight?”

Lexine ignited flames on her fingers and held her hand to the side of her tear-reddened face. She lacked eyeshine, a characteristic of demon retinas that reflected light, enabling night vision. “It’s a rare earthborn defect. I can’t see well in the dark, and bright light doesn’t bother me.” She cleared her throat. “You must have realized I wasn’t human, though. Why have you kept coming back?”

“I got close to you that first day, but you didn’t notice me. If I’d been a hostile human, or even another demon with ill intentions, you’d have been caught off guard. You really should be more aware of your surroundings if you’re going to work alone.”

She half sobbed half laughed. “You’ve been protecting me?”

“I’ve been keeping watch.”

“I’m not a silly little girl. If humans came near that cemetery, I’d hear them because they don’t know how to walk quietly in the woods—”

“Never make generalizations and assume you’re safe. Some humans are remarkably well trained, like the ones who took Bryce.” He paused. The cemetery, located on a hillside, had a good view of the archangel house, not that he couldn’t find just as decent a vantage point high in a tree. He’d chosen the cemetery because the illusion of having company had been…nice. “You object to me watching out for you, then?”

“No.” The corners of her mouth curved upward in a hint of a smile. “It’s sweet of you, actually.”

Sweet? He’d been called many things in his life. “Sweet” definitely did not make the list.

“Doesn’t matter.” He stood and tested his balance, but stumbled. He braced himself against the tree. “First, I’ll deal with Lawrence. Then, I’m going to move on from this colony.”

She opened her mouth but Vin returned, pushing a low branch out of this way. “They lost the scent trail on the main road, but they’re going to continue to search the area. I had a brief conversation with our liaison in Montpelier, and an Amber Alert is going to be issued.”

Jett blinked. “An Amber Alert? For a demon?”

“Not every available station will broadcast it, but yes. We do have some supporters out there.”

Lexine stood, maneuvered toward Jett over the sprawling roots of the old tree, and slipped. He caught her arm, but let go as soon as she had her balance. Her gaze lingered on him. “Thanks.”

Vin took a step closer. “I’ve called for cars, weapons, supplies, and my best available Guardians. They’ll be here momentarily. Where are we going?”

“New Hampshire.”

“Care to be more specific?”

“Not really, no. I don’t like you and I don’t trust you.” He sighed. As a youth, everything he’d done had been about self-preservation. As an adult, he’d worked for the poacher, under threat of being returned to the laboratory. His job had been to spy on, and be suspicious of, everyone, all the time.

But what would he do without their vehicle? How would he get Bryce out safety and kill Lawrence, without the other demons to occupy the security personnel and the rest of the staff? “Damn it.”

“We’re on the same side here, Jett,” Vin said, his tone tense.

After muttering more curses, Jett said, “Lawrence’s lab is in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, a no-stop-light, more-moose-than-people town called Dearly.”

“What kind of security and defenses are we walking into?”

“Lawrence has the financial resources for substantial security, but he is a civilian and his research is a one-man show, so we’re not looking at an impregnable military bunker. Fences, guards, cameras, dogs. Of course, I haven’t been back to Lawrence’s lab in nearly six years. He may have made improvements.”

“We’ll be prepared,” Vin said.

“Is this the part where you tell me to go back to the colony and wait?” Lex moved to stand directly in front of Vin. No way she’d let him leave her behind. “The forecast calls for a sunny day. I can drive and spare someone a migraine.”

Vin’s lips thinned, but he nodded. “I can’t argue with that. This is going to be a bitch of a drive.”

Headlights pierced the foliage. Jett walked next to Lexine out from under the trees onto the logging road. Three black SUVs pulled to a stop. Overhead, the sunrise smeared half the sky with pink and gold, the brightness already uncomfortable. The daylight glinted off specks of gold in Lexine’s pale copper irises. Her eyes were a fraction too big for her face—a beautiful feature on a female. Resisting the urge to stare, Jett pulled his sunglasses from his pocket.

“I’m driving.” Lexine shooed the driver out of the first vehicle. She got behind the wheel and adjusted the mirrors. Vin slid into the backseat.

Jett sat in the front passenger seat. “Do you drive in human traffic often? We need to travel the main roads to save time.”

“Often enough. It’s a good skill to have, so I practice.” She shifted into drive with a shaking hand and hit the gas far too hard.

The force of her sharp U-turn pressed Jett against the passenger door and the tires skidded in the dirt. “Are you sure you’re all right to drive?”

“I’m fine. If I sat around and waited, I’d lose my mind. I need to help. Besides, I know that’s what Jac would want me to do.”

“Okay.” Bravery, a quality even more captivating than her eyes. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze to the windows. The SUVs sported tinted glass, thank goodness, but it would still be difficult to focus on the road for a long period of time in the sunlight. He kept his sunglasses on.

They drove in silence. The logging road met the wider dirt road that connected the colony to the rest of the world. Twenty miles later, unseen Guardians opened the heavy gates that marked the border between Sanctuary’s land and Vermont state land. The scenery remained the same—nothing but trees.

Tears slid down Lexine’s cheek. Jett sighed and the air whistled past his fangs. “If it makes you feel any better, Jac didn’t suffer. Neither did the other children. No one survives wounds like that for more than a few seconds. And I killed the two individuals who wielded the knives against your brother and the children.”

“The only thing that’ll make me feel better is getting Bryce back and seeing Lawrence pay for those murders.”

“I doubt vengeance will truly make either of us feel better,” he muttered. “But vengeance we will have.”

…

Welcome to Dearly, New Hampshire, Established 1761.

Lexine’s fingers hurt. She relaxed her white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel and glanced at the clock. They’d been on the road for three hours. The late-morning sun gleamed overhead.

Vin’s men had called a half hour ago. Their search of the area around Sanctuary, where they’d lost the scent trail of the kidnapper’s car, had turned up no leads. No credible responses to the Amber Alert, either.

“Where to now?”

Jett, who’d spent most of the trip in silence, stretched and adjusted his sunglasses. His voice dripped acid. “Home sweet home. Take this left.”

“Here?” Lexine turned. “The Dearly Motel?”

“Yeah. Dearly is a small town, but a tourist trap. Law-rence’s people won’t notice three black SUVs with tinted windows at a place like this, but on the back roads closer to the lab, we’d draw immediate suspicion. We’ll walk the rest of the way through the woods behind the building.”

She parked near the few other cars, and the two other SUVs parked nearby. The motel, a single-story, L-shaped building, lacked the run-down face of similar establishments. White paint gleamed. Hanging pots full of mixed flowers hung every ten feet along the porch that ran the length of the building.

Vin leaned forward between the two seats. “Lex, I need you to stay here. I can’t have you in the middle of this confrontation.”

“I’ll stay,” she muttered. She knew better than to be a distraction for the Guardians or put herself in danger. Bryce had already lost one sibling. So long as she was nearby, she could tolerate waiting on the side.

“Good. Thank you.” Vin turned to Jett. “I’m going to the motel office to book a room, so the humans don’t tow us. I’ll meet you and the others in a moment. They have weapons for you.”

Vin got out and Jett opened his door to follow, but she grasped his arm. “Jett.”

He stared at her hand and gently pulled his arm away. “If Bryce is here, I’ll bring him back. If he’s not here, I’ll find him, and bring him back. I promise you.”

“Thank you.” Her voice trembled. “Be safe, all right?”

He paused, looking for all the world like no one had ever expressed concern for him before, and he didn’t know what to make of it. “I will.”

Chapter Four

After accepting a gun and extra ammunition from the Guardians—though he preferred his knife and his fangs when it came to fighting—Jett led the procession through the woods. They discussed basic strategy as they traversed the undergrowth, quick and silent. One of the Guardians, Vin’s fastest runner and a skilled spy, listened to Jett’s directions and ran ahead to scout, vanishing in seconds.

Jett had been in this section of forest only once before but knew it well. The previous trip—after Lawrence sold Jett to a group of archangel poachers headed by Thornton—played through his memory like a video in reverse.

At that gnarled old maple tree, Thornton had shoved Jett to the ground and smashed his fangs with a rock. At that stream, Jett had tried to run after stopping for a much-needed sip of water, only to get backhanded by his new “owner.” Here, in the section of white pines near the house, Jett had hoped Thornton would be kind, that he’d taken Jett away from Lawrence as a mercy, that a better life awaited.

Jett cursed under his breath and slowed the pace.

Ahead, the trees thinned and the forest brightened with light. An involuntary growl ripped from his throat. Thornton had been dealt with eleven months ago. The poacher had wronged the archangels in far worse ways than he’d hurt Jett, and Wren had finished off the wretched human.

Now, it was Lawrence’s turn to die. Jett’s turn for abso-lution.

A night raid would have been beneficial, but he’d be damned if Bryce would have to wait. Besides, Lawrence wouldn’t expect a noontime assault from demons.

He tracked the scout’s scent and climbed a massive pine tree. Vin followed, and at the top, the three of them had an unobstructed view of the house. The brick colonial sat on the crest of a hill, surrounded by a brick wall.

“There’ll be numerous cameras, and he always kept dogs in the yard…” Jett paused, straining to see the details of the distant building. Even with his sunglasses, the sunlight added a washed-out quality to his vision as it beat down on the scene. The light glinted off haphazard edges of broken glass in a window. A knot formed in his stomach. “That’s not right.”

“What?” The scout glanced at him, then back at the house.

“There’s a broken window. Lawrence never tolerated loose threads on the carpet. The staff should be falling over themselves to fix a broken window.”

The scout nodded. “There’s been no movement.”

Jett scanned the property. One of the apple trees on the hillside had lost a branch, and no one had picked it up. The grass, overgrown.

“No!” Jett hurried down the tree and ran full tilt out of the woods. He traversed the tall grass to the driveway, continued up the hill, and stopped at the gate. The Guardians kept up with him, except for the scout, who ran ahead and climbed the wall. He stood, balanced, with his gun drawn, ready to cover them if need be.

A wasted effort.

The gate, which had begun to rust, stood open a few inches. Jett shoved it inward. The hinges creaked and tall weeds clung to the iron bars, trying to hold the gate in place.

“Son of a bitch,” Jett said through clenched teeth.

The front yard had been taken over by tree saplings and weeds. A doghouse sat rotting and collapsed. Bits of trash dotted the ground. Judging by the size of the young trees, Lawrence had vacated the property not long after Jett had left with Thornton.

However, the faint odors of bitter, human sweat and vehicle exhaust mingled in the air. Jett studied the ground. “It does look like a vehicle pulled up to the gate and turned around. Someone was here.”

Vin sniffed the packed dirt. “Lawrence’s henchmen would’ve had his new address, one would think, but this is the scent of the human who drove off with Bryce. It’s faint, though. He’s long gone.”

“Yes.” Jett inhaled, tasting the familiar odor of leather and cigarettes. “I don’t smell Bryce. However…”

He had to be sure.

Steeling himself against his past, he kicked in the front door. The Guardians spread out, some going around back of the house, some following him inside.

Bare wood floor. Bare white walls. After a quick glance in the empty rooms where Lawrence had dined and slept, he tracked the kidnapper’s scent up the stairs to the laboratory.

The damned place reeked of chemicals as if the foul mix of odors had sunk into the drywall, diluting the human’s trail. He moved further inside.

Dirty walls, black lab benches, dust. The door to the walk-in refrigerator stood open, the fist indentations and fingernail gouges on the inside of the door a lasting testament to how the tiny, freezing space had once been used.

Turned out a demon could ignite fire no matter how cold, unless drenched with water first.

“What the hell?” a Guardian murmured, inspecting the door and glancing in Jett’s direction. Jett turned away. Their concern, after all, came years too late. As a child, what he would’ve given to see one of these demons opening that door…

Bryce. Bryce was still that child. Jett focused on the floor, searching for footsteps in the dust.

Vin stalked around the far side of the room, glancing into the closets. Jett pushed ahead to the rest of the research area. The cell-culture room, empty. The computer and microscope room, empty.

He paused in the entrance to the deserted surgery suite, nausea overpowering him, phantom pains shooting up all over his body. Memories. Nightmares. Too many of them.

A muffled cry drew his attention, breaking the cold grip of the past.

“Bryce?” Jett rushed down the hallway in the direction of the sound, Vin’s footsteps behind him.

The smothered voice called out again.

He reached the door at the end of the white, featureless hallway, and found it open. Inside, floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall bars divided the room in half and simple bedroom furniture occupied the space beyond. Just in front of the bars, a black trash bag lay on the floor, the contents squirming and kicking.

Jett fell to his knees, grasped the heavy-duty plastic, and tore it wide open. Curled up in the bag, Bryce met his gaze with wide eyes. Duct tape secured his mouth.

Cursing, Jett ripped the plastic more. The humans had wrapped the tape around the child’s legs and secured his arms behind his back. But the difference between finding a dead body and a living child was the hole in the plastic Bryce had managed to make with his fingers.

The other Guardians gathered around, silent. Jett shoved the wretched plastic away. Kneeling, Vin freed the child’s arms and legs. Jett eased the tape off the boy’s face. Unlike during the first rescue attempt in the woods, Bryce didn’t scream or cry. Eerily silent, he sat up, leaned against Jett, and shut his eyes. Bruises marked the side of the child’s face and neck, and blood stained his fingernails. He’d gotten a piece of his would-be executioners at some point.

The humans deserved far worse than the death Jett would deliver to them.

He got to his feet, holding Bryce against his chest, and let flames coat his skin to comfort the child. “How would you like to see your sister?”

The corners of Bryce’s mouth twitched and a hint of color returned to his cheeks. He opened his eyes and nodded.

Jett turned and left his old room, Guardians in tow.

…

“Bryce!” Lexine spotted the Guardians—and Bryce in Jett’s arms—as she paced around the motel’s garden. She broke into a run, crossed the lot, and threw her arms around Jett and her brother.

“Lexi,” Bryce murmured, leaning toward her. “I’m tired.”

“You can sleep.” She kissed his forehead. “We’ll be home by the time you wake up.”

“I’m going to stay here,” Jett said. “If Lawrence or his men left any trail at all, I need to find it. I will finish this.”

Her stomach knotted. “The humans who did this are still out there?”

“Yes.” The single word held enough menace to kill. “But I’ll find them.”

He shifted Bryce to her arms, but her brother reached out and grasped Jett’s jacket. Panic filled his voice. “Don’t go!”

Lexine fought back a fresh wave of tears. His whole life, her shy little brother had only reached out to family, never fearful but always cautious and quiet around strangers and acquaintances. Jett couldn’t realize the significance of Bryce’s request. “Jett, please stay with us.”

“Lawrence is a threat to all.” Vin stepped closer. “We’ll search the town and let you know the minute we find something. In the meantime, you’ll do more good staying here.” He bent toward Jett’s ear and dropped his voice to a near-soundless whisper. “Bryce needs you. Don’t make me kick your ass.”

Jett scoffed, but Bryce yanked on the sleeve of Jett’s jacket. “Please?”

He shoved a hand through his hair. “All right, but you have strange taste in security blankets, kid.”

Bryce smiled.

The Guardians dispersed, some by foot and some in the SUVs, as Jett took her brother from her arms so she could dig the room key from her pocket. She unlocked the door and led them inside the motel room.

Jett settled Bryce on the bed. Her brother curled up among all the extra pillows, and Jett sat, his posture stiff, next to him. Bryce picked at a button on the cuff of Jett’s jacket.

“I have to call home and let them know.” She took her cell phone out of her pocket and turned it on, having forgotten she’d switched it off earlier to save the battery. A message waited.

“Lex? The Guardians have told us what’s going on. I’m here if you want to talk.” Ginger, a human-archangel half-breed, had moved into Sanctuary eleven months ago. Not many in Sanctuary spent time out and about during the day, so Lexine deeply valued the other woman’s company. But, she had to call her mother and father first. She dialed.

A high-pitched chime preceded a recording. “The number you have dialed is not in service.”

Frowning, she dialed again, trying Ginger this time. Same message. The phone showed a strong signal, but Sanctuary only had cell coverage thanks to a tower provided by a wealthy human supporter. Maybe the electrical power had gone out for some reason. That happened every now and then. Maybe another thunderstorm went through.

“What’s wrong?”

“The call isn’t connecting. Maybe the power’s down. Or maybe it’s my phone.”

“Try this one.” He freed his wrist from Bryce and pulled a cell from his jacket pocket. “Vin just gave it to me.”

She dialed but got the damned recording again. “Must be the power.”

“That happen often?” Grinning, Jett jerked his arm away as Bryce reached again for the button. Her brother made fists and Jett pretended to fight him. Bryce “fought” back, though his smile didn’t quite reach the shadows in his eyes.

Lexine watched them for a moment before speaking, her tense muscles easing. Her brother would bounce back from this, especially with Jett around. She didn’t dare say it out loud, but quiet, tentative Bryce would be inconsolable after this trauma if not for this stranger he inexplicably trusted. She understood, though. Something about Jett put her at ease, too. “The colony loses power two or three times a year, usually in severe storms.” She sat on her brother’s other side and whispered, “Thank you, Jett.”

Bryce settled down on the pillows and closed his eyes.

Jett met her gaze, all humor gone from his expression. “Don’t thank me. I was wrong.”

“About what?”

He glanced down at Bryce. “Not here. Just…thank God we got there when we did.”

She shuddered. Did Jett mean Bryce’s life had been in danger, even though he’d assured her otherwise? But Jett had brought him back, alive and mostly unharmed. The bruises…what kind of individuals, of any species, could mistreat a child like that? Did they have no hearts at all?

“Without you, we wouldn’t have known where to find him. Thank you.” She got up and moved around the bed. Jett stood and she threw her arms around him.

He lifted a hand and stroked the back of her neck, the skin of his hand warm and rough. She breathed in his scent: dark honey and rich tea. His grip tightened and his other hand settled on the small of her back.

But he pulled away too soon, his eyes hooded. “You should get some rest, too. Are you due for some sleep?”

It had been a week since her last sleep. She nodded.

“I’ll keep you safe. If you want to rest, please do.”

She held his gaze for a moment. Though their kind needed sleep only once a week, and only for a couple hours, nothing could wake them from their coma-deep slumber. When sleeping, demons needed to trust their lives to those around them if an emergency arose.

Sincerity warmed his voice in the same tone he used when he promised her he’d bring Bryce back—so different from his more typical, gruff manner. Though she didn’t know him well, she did trust him enough to close her eyes for a while, even though the men who took her brother were still out there. Would they attack again? She curled up next to Bryce and shut her eyes, trying not to think about it.

Chapter Five

Jett paced around the hotel room for hours. Where the hell were Vin and the others? He opened the curtain an inch so he could survey the parking lot. Deserted. With a sigh, he turned back to the bed.

His thoughts sunk their teeth in Lawrence. Where had the son of a bitch gone? Why attack the colony and kidnap a young demon only to leave that demon to die in the abandoned lab?

He scoffed at his own questions. All that mattered was finding him. And killing him.

Both Lexine and Bryce slept, dead to the world and peaceful. Her mouth curved in a grin that complemented the smooth line of her jaw. She murmured in her sleep, the words unintelligible, and laughed.

Good. She deserved a few nice dreams. He approached the bed and fixed the blanket where it had slipped from her shoulder.

Her smile vanished. “No.”

Had her dreams shifted to nightmares?

She thrashed against the covers and hissed, baring her fangs.

“Whoa.” He sat on the edge of the bed and held her shoulders. What the hell was he supposed to do? A growl ripped from her throat. He touched her hot, sweat-moistened cheek.

She jerked her head to the side and her fangs sank into the base of his thumb—narrowly missing the bone—and her jaw locked in place.

“Fuck!” He stayed still despite the sharp pain. If he pulled away, he’d rip his own flesh. He tried a gentle tug. “Lexine, let go.”

Still lost to sleep, she didn’t move. The venom spread up his arm, its progress marked by tingling heat, harmless thanks to his natural immunity.

The warmth spread across his chest to his other arm, stomach, and legs. His muscles relaxed. His cheeks flushed. The immunity wasn’t news…but why the hell did he feel like he’d just downed a double glass of bourbon?

His gaze settled on her lips. The pain of the bite faded until all he knew was the warmth of the venom in his system and the awareness of her mouth on his skin.

Clenching his teeth, he stroked her hair with his free hand. Her furrowed brow smoothed, and she released him. She collapsed back on her pillow and groaned.

Blood and venom poured from the four little wounds at the base of his thumb. He rushed to the bathroom to minimize spilling blood on the carpet—humans tended to freak out over that kind of thing, one more problem he didn’t need. Holding his bleeding hand under running water, he pulled a wad of tissues from the dispenser. Thankfully, her delicate female fangs had left only tiny—but deep—puncture wounds and the blood clotted after a minute.

He slumped into a chair, languid from whatever her venom had done to him. Lexine settled back into a peaceful sleep. A quiet hour passed. The warmth in his system faded, and he did push-ups and sit-ups to dispel the last of the lazy sensation.

Lexine stirred. She sat up in bed, blinking rapidly. Bryce remained asleep, but Jett didn’t worry. Children slept longer—he remembered from his own youth.

“Welcome back.”

Eyes wide, she licked her fangs and stared at his hand. “Tell me I didn’t—”

“You did. You were having a nightmare.”

“Shit. I’m so sorry.” She took his hand and inspected the double set of twin punctures.

“I’ll live.” Indeed, he felt a little too alive. Her lips on his skin remained in the forefront of his mind. For the first time, leaving the colony sounded like a bad idea. His gaze lingered on those lips. What would it be like to kiss another demon?

Damn him. How could he consider making a move on her? Her older brother had been murdered before dawn that day and she’d only just gotten her little brother back. A fling had to be the last thing on her mind.

A female like her deserved more than just a fling, anyway. Did he have it within himself to be a decent companion to a female? A day ago, he’d have spat at the idea. Now, hell, he’d go to a damned etiquette class if that’s what it took to feel her mouth on him again.

He wouldn’t be staying in the colony, however, so why was he even considering this?

“Did you dream about Jac?”

“No. I’ve had the same nightmare for years.” She rubbed her forehead. “I wasn’t dreaming about my brothers. I was dreaming about my mate.”

Mate? Well, fuck. Wasn’t that physically permanent or some shit? “You’re mated?”

“No. It’s just a dream. In it, I’m mated.” She studied the floor, apparently oblivious to his reaction.

“That’s a good thing, yes?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Why?”

“Can we drop it, please?”

“You bit me.”

She dug her fingers through her hair. “Fine. He’s a human, okay? A murderer. An archangel poacher!” She covered her face with her hands. “I can’t imagine why my subconscious would pair me with someone like him.”

He reached out and brushed her mussed hair from her face. “Like you said, it’s just a dream.”

“Sorry, again. That must have stung.”

His gaze settled again on her mouth, on the white curve of her fangs visible past her parted lips. He freed his hand and brushed her lower lip with the tip of his fingers.

Her large, stunning, copper eyes widened. “Jett?”

Blinking, he realized how close he’d leaned toward her face. Their noses nearly touched. Straightening, he cleared his throat. “Would you like some food or something? I’m going to the vending machine.”

“Just some water, thanks. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

He hesitated. She needed more than water after all that had happened today, but it was a start, and it would give him a minute of fresh air to clear his head.

He took the key, shut the door behind him, and walked to the nearby vending machine. In one of the inner pockets of his jacket, he’s saved a few wrinkled dollars from the day he’d fled Thornton’s hellhole. After flattening a couple ones, he bought a water and a soda. God bless the human who’d invented orange soda.

Sighing, he leaned against the machine. Maybe he didn’t need to be in such a rush to leave the colony. After he dealt with Lawrence, what would be the harm in staying for a short time, if he wanted? And asking Lexine out, if he wanted? Share a meal with her, perhaps?

No. Hell, no. He headed back to the room. Him, get the girl? Ridiculous. It’d be better for both of them, and everyone else, if he left the colony as soon as possible and killed Lawrence. Sounds like a plan.

…

Lexine set her feet on the floor but remained sitting on the bed, her body heavy from sleep, her heart a lead weight after the nightmare. The dream, identical each time, showed her such joy. Laughter. Tender and passionate touches. At no point did her dream self fret over her mate’s identity: a poacher.

His face always remained obscured by shadows, but the tattoo on his arm betrayed the truth. That awful depiction of bloody feathers scattered around a sharp blade covered his skin from his shoulder to his elbow. Not that her dream self cared. She covered his entire body with kisses, even that vile tattoo and the odd scars across it.

Her stomach lurched, and she bolted off the bed. She made it to the bathroom and dry heaved.

“Lexine?” Jett called.

“I’m fine.” She stood and rinsed her face in the sink. Jett waited for her in the bedroom with a bottle of water in his hand.

“You don’t sound fine.”

She accepted the bottle and took a long gulp of the cleansing water. “Don’t worry, really. Just my standard post-nightmare freak-out.”

“Standard? How often does this happen?”

“Every time I sleep.” She sighed and rubbed the spot over her heart. “I don’t know if you know this, but when demons have recurring dreams, they always depict the future.”

He blinked. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s rare.” She took another sip of the water. “But true. I say it’s ‘just a dream,’ but that’s bull. I just don’t understand how I could ever love a heartless killer. I’ll have to turn my back on everyone I care about and leave the colony to have a life with my mate. He’d never be welcome in Sanctuary. Thing is, I do believe love is that powerful. Love overcomes everything.” She drew in a shaky breath. “But right now, I hate him. I hate myself knowing that I’ll one day love him.”

“Lexine.” Jett took a step forward, his gaze steady. “I agree love is powerful. I’ve seen it in action. But nothing trumps free will. If you don’t want him, you can choose.”

“I will love him and be his mate freely. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it.” She sighed. “Sorry. You barely know me, and I’m unloading all of this—”

“It’s fine.” Jett frowned, the expression most intense in his eyes. A shiver ran down her spine. He looked…hurt. She recalled their earlier moment on the bed, when she’d thought he might kiss her. It hadn’t been an accidental lean-in or a trip. He’d seemed entranced. Something deep in her chest clenched. Jett came from a nightmare of a past, but had turned his back on that evil and saved Raphael. He was complicated, but honorable. A good man who would be someone’s loving mate one day.

Lucky tramp.

She worried her lower lip with a fang. After the dreams had started in her late teens, she’d dated with abandon. If she took a demon mate, she’d change her fate, or so she’d hoped. But she hadn’t found love, and though she would have settled for less to escape a future with a poacher, none of the males deserved to be used like that.

But, this male made her heart race and her fingers tremble. Should she give dating another try? Would he be even remotely interested, or would he head back to forest and his hermit ways?

“Hey, Bryce,” Jett said.

Lexine turned to see her little brother rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, Guardian.”

“Call me Jett.” His shoulders visibly stiffened. Lexine sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed Bryce’s hair.

“Vin’s here,” Jett said, staring toward the window.

A black SUV pulled up in front of the motel room and Vin got out of the driver’s seat, a deep frown on his face. Jett went out to meet him. She followed a moment later, holding Bryce’s hand.

“…not a goddamned thing,” Vin was saying to Jett. “No scents, no paper trail. Not even a pencil was left behind in the house. The locals know nothing. It’s like he dropped off the face of the earth.”

Jett swore and shoved a hand through his uneven haircut. He took a deep breath. After a pause, he said, “Okay. So we don’t have a trail. Not an obvious one, anyway.”

Lexine got Bryce settled in the SUV with a pair of sunglasses. She shut the door so he couldn’t hear them talk about the attack.

“Not an obvious one?” Vin echoed.

“Today’s events make no logical sense whatsoever,” Jett said. “They killed three children and an adult and kidnapped a fourth child only to drive him three hours away to kill him, too? At the abandoned lab? What could the humans possibly gain from such a show?”

Lexine shuddered.

“They could have dumped Bryce anywhere,” Vin said. “They meant for us to find him. Here. No wonder they didn’t kill you.”

“Yeah, I’m the only one who knew to come here. But how did Lawrence know I’d be there last night, if my role was so important in his plan? How could he even know I was in Sanctuary? He’s the one who raised me to hate the place.”

Vin’s voice darkened. “I don’t know, but if this is about you, there is something I need you to be very clear about.”

Lexine glanced from one demon to the other, wringing her hands. Shit, Vin wouldn’t kick Jett out, would he?

“And what’s that?” Jett said, his tone dry.

“That we have your back, if you’ll let us.”

Lexine let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Jett paused, glanced at Lexine, then back at Vin. “I…”

“What?”

“Lexine,” Jett said. “Any luck calling the colony?”

“I haven’t tried since I woke up,” she said. “Why?”

Vin pulled out his phone and made a call. He listened for a moment, shook his head, and put the phone away. “Tower’s down, been down for a couple hours…” Vin froze for a long moment and shut his eyes. “Son of a bitch…”

“They murder demons and kidnap a child,” Jett said. “The Guardians, of course, send their best to get him back. I lead them to a location three hours away.”

Lexine opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about when the meaning behind his words hit home.

The colony. This was about the colony. Bryce had been merely a means to weaken Sanctuary’s Guardian protection. This whole thing had been a trap.

Chapter Six

Raphael perched on a narrow, rocky outcrop that jutted out from the lakeshore, unable, unwilling, to move. The midmorning sun reflected off the still water. All around him, Sanctuary sat in withdrawn silence and stillness, the buildings hidden from sight by the deep green, late-summer foliage of the forest.

The attack in the woods had stopped every resident of the colony in their tracks. Jac and three of the children under his supervision: slaughtered. One five-year-old, Jac’s little brother: kidnapped. Human scents all over the scene. Raphael had rushed to them as soon as he’d sensed the injuries, the energy of his healing talent crawling over his skin in warning, but Jac and the children had died during the precious moments it had taken the Guardians to check the area and for Raphael to arrive. Now, his white wings drooped until his flight feathers rested on the surface of the water.

A dark crack rumbled in the distance, shattering the quiet. He glanced toward the sky. Thunder? The few white clouds didn’t hold much threat of a storm. The smaller feathers along the top of his wings stood on end as foreboding filled his gut. Was the tension getting to him, or were his instincts warning him of real trouble?

The shrill cry of an infant pierced the air. A second joined in.

His grandchildren. Raphael’s lips twitched, warmth competing against the ice for room in his chest. He shifted his gaze to the house. Solar lights edged the flight decks, still glowing faintly under the morning shade of the oak tree. The interior of the granite dwelling sat in stillness except for the new fourth-floor addition—his son’s home. His daughter-in-law’s wingless silhouette passed by the open French doors. Though she was half archangel like his son, Ginger took after her human parent.

With a heavy sigh, he got to his feet and extended his wings, seeking the warmth from the sunlight that beat down. Since finding the bodies in the forest, he’d been unable to shed a deep chill that had risen to the surface, unable to banish the old pain from the time when his mate and his young son had been attacked in the woods. Wren had survived and so much had happened since then, but that sort of horror leaves permanent scars on a person’s soul.

He stayed in that position, trying to clear his mind of everything but the sunlight on his body, until a voice pierced the silence.

“Raphael.”

He folded his wings to his back and turned. A redheaded demon emerged from the woods, the way he moved so subtle and deliberate he seemed to take form from the shadows. Lark, his personal Guardian.

“Humans have taken out the cell tower with an explosive,” Lark said quietly.

Poachers. Raphael turned his gaze to the house. Poachers, coming for his family, coming for him.

Not again. Not again!

“Please go inside,” Lark said. “I’ll take care of this.”

He flicked his wings and focused on his old friend. “Bring yourself back safe, too.”

Lark nodded and disappeared into the woods.

Raphael winged himself to the fourth-floor flight deck. Though the French doors stood open, he wouldn’t have called on his newly mated son unannounced if circumstances had been normal. He tapped his knuckles against the door frame.

Wren stepped into view, dressed only in black jeans. His white wings framed his body, the black markings at the tips of his feathers standing out like spilled ink. He held an infant, its tiny head resting against his collarbone. Miniature down-covered wings of black, gray, and traces of white, like a stormy sky, splayed across his chest. The newborn stared at Raphael sidelong with a wide, blue-green eye. Unlike human children, archangel young opened their eyes and explored their surroundings soon after birth, eager to take in the world.

They had no idea what was coming for them.

“Morning.” With a yawn, Wren stepped back, stretched his wings, and invited Raphael inside.

Across the room, Ginger sat on a chaise, smoothing the second twin’s feathers. She glanced up, gathered the young, and got to her feet, every slow movement yelling exhaustion. It seemed they hadn’t gotten any sleep after the murders and the kidnapping, either.

Wren wrapped his mate in the curve of his wing. “Any news of Bryce?”

“Nothing yet.” Raphael shut the French doors behind him. “There’s something else.”

“What?” Unease filled Wren’s voice.

Part of him wanted to keep the information to himself. Silence wouldn’t protect them, though. “The colony is being attacked.”

Wren and Ginger both blanched and stared in silence. Ginger’s arms tightened around the infant she held. The child, oblivious to the situation, reached up and tugged on her hair. Wren tucked his chin and pressed his cheek to the other infant’s head. When he spoke, his tone could have iced over the lake. “I will kill them myself before they lay a finger on my family.”

With his ability to drain life with a mere touch, he wasn’t making an empty threat. As his mate, Ginger also commanded the ability. But even the two of them couldn’t take on too many enemies at once, should the worst come to pass.

“It’s going to be all right,” Ginger said, her tone sur-prisingly calm. “The Guardians will handle it.”

Raphael nodded, but the tension remained. By hitting the cell tower, the humans had given their presence away. Foolish. Why would they do that? More than thirty Guardians protected the colony—even without the small group that had gone with Vin—every one of them skilled enough to take on several humans at once. The last time humans had attacked, so many years ago, they’d exploited the colony’s central weakness: Sanctuary held five thousand acres of wooded land, surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of Vermont state forest. The attack had been mounted by only a handful of mercenaries, but they’d snuck through the woods and made it into the heart of the colony. Today, the fools would be lucky to live long enough to take two steps beyond the tower.

They must know that. What did the humans hope to gain?

Beyond the archway to the master bedroom, Wren and Ginger settled the twins in the double bassinet, a gift from Ginger’s adoptive demon father. Devin had carved the cradle himself from a fallen maple tree over the winter.

Raphael closed the drapes over the floor-to-ceiling windows that spanned the exterior wall. He glanced over his shoulder. Wren stood with Ginger in an embrace, his wings bent forward to enclose his mate’s body as they kissed. She dropped her head to his shoulder.

His shoulders and wings heavy, Raphael headed for the kitchen. No words could express his happiness for Wren and Ginger—they needed each other’s comfort at a time like this. But seeing them together like that added to the unbearable pain already revived by the murders. The anniversary of his own mate’s death had passed the previous week. While imprisoned, he’d never properly mourned, and now that he was free, he resisted. He couldn’t give in to that much pain.

He leaned forward on the counter. “Nineteen years.”

“Father?”

He jumped, partially extending his wings.

Wren stood at the opposite end of the kitchen area and made no move to come closer. Raphael sighed, realizing just how much space he’d forced between them in the last couple weeks. They saw each other every day, talked about anything and everything except the shadow of Thornton following them around. When the anniversary of Kora’s death had neared, Raphael had dodged the topic like an electrical storm. The accursed day itself, he’d avoided Wren, unable to look into the green eyes Kora had passed to their son, unable to look at his feathers without seeing the blood that had soaked them, one wing so close to having been severed.

Raphael hadn’t been the only one to lose someone that day. He’d lost his mate, but Wren had lost his mother and thought he’d lost his father, too. Raphael had been imprisoned for eighteen years, unable to be there for his son. Now that he was free, why couldn’t he do any better?

“I’m sorry.” Raphael crossed the kitchen and brushed his son’s wing with his own.

“You should go see her. Soon.”

Raphael glanced toward the closed curtains that obscured the view of the gardens where the Guardians had buried Kora. He hadn’t stepped one foot beyond the garden wall once since he’d been freed. He even avoided flying over the area.

“I watched her die, son. I couldn’t help her.” And now, I can’t face her.

“You can’t possibly blame yourself.”

“I know, but…” Raphael flicked and resettled his wings. “After you escaped that night, Thornton buried a dagger in my side and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, Kora and I were in some godforsaken barn, and I was bound. He tortured her only inches from me. But I couldn’t touch her, couldn’t heal her. I’ve used this psychic healing talent to save hundreds of lives, but I couldn’t help my own mate.”

Through the bond they’d shared as mates, he’d felt her pain. All of it. He’d have born that and more if it would have saved her. What destroyed him was the cold numbness left behind after she closed her eyes for the last time, the pain gone, his Kora gone.

“I’m no fighter, but I should have been able to protect her, damn it. And what happened to you, what almost happened—”

“I got out of there alive and with two wings because of you. And I don’t blame you for Mother’s death. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?” Wren stepped forward and rested a hand on Raphael’s shoulder. “You’ve been avoiding the grave, and you’ve been avoiding me. At times, you can’t even look at me.”

Raphael’s wings slumped, his flight feathers dragging on the floor. “How can you not blame—”

“Such a thing has never crossed my mind, not once.”

Raphael shut his eyes for a moment, steadying himself. “Thank you, son.”

Casting a pointed glance toward the bedroom, Wren stepped back. “I understand where you’re coming from. If anything ever happened to Ginger or the twins, I’d never forgive myself.” He paused. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about making some changes.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I trust Lark. I don’t blame him for Mother’s death, either. But, what happened to her showed that having only one dedicated Guardian isn’t enough.”

Nearly twenty years ago a notorious but deceased poacher, Thornton Bailey, had stolen Lark’s body, murdered Kora, attacked Wren, and kidnapped Raphael, imprisoning him until eleven months ago. Even though Lark had ended up a bodiless spirit, entirely helpless, he’d refused to cross over and stood guard over Raphael for the duration. He wasn’t just a dedicated Guardian; he was a friend.

Despite the lengths Lark had proven he’d go to fulfill his duties after reclaiming his body when Thornton abandoned it for another, Wren was right. No individual Guardian could adequately protect a family of five.

A thunderous roar, much closer than the one Raphael had heard from the lakeside, echoed off the hills. The twins screamed in unison and Wren ran back to the bedroom.

Raphael folded a curtain back an inch, looking out toward the colony. Smoke rose through the trees.

Another explosion. More smoke. The energy of his healing ability crawled over his skin like a chill, alerting him to injuries. Injuries to the attackers, hopefully, but his gut told him civilians had been hurt as well. He itched to help, but going too soon would be suicide. He’d be no use to anyone dead. Sanctuary was in the capable hands of the Guardians.

Silence lengthened. The smoke thickened and darkened, but nothing else happened. Five minutes. The twins calmed. Ten minutes. Just when the quiet became too much, a voice came over the intercom from the front door.

“Raphael,” Lark said, his voice rough. “It’s safe.”

“There’re injuries in the colony.”

“Yes.”

Wren stepped out of the bedroom, his feathers ruffled. “Many injuries. You can’t help them all. I’m going, too.”

Raphael frowned but nodded.

“Go,” Lark said. “I’ll meet you there. Devin is on his way and there is a team regrouping here at the house. They’ll guard Ginger and the twins, but I assure you, the attackers have been dealt with.”

“Thank you.” Raphael turned to his son.

Wren’s lips thinned. “No disrespect to Dev and the others, but this is exactly the kind of situation that worries me.”

Devin had the skills, but as Ginger’s father, he couldn’t be on the front lines. The position of a dedicated Guardian was volunteer and never solicited—the Guardian in question had to give up nearly everything else in his or her life to be effective.

“Wren,” Ginger yelled from the bedroom. “The sooner you go, the sooner you get back.”

Raphael opened the French doors and spotted Devin on the ground below. He turned back to his son and said, “I agree with you, but a dedicated Guardian is a tough find. It’s a lot to ask of anyone. Usually, we don’t ask. Such a service can only be offered.”

Wren spread his wings. “I understand, but…”

“When things calm down, I’ll ask Vin for a meeting. He made an offer to you once, I’ve heard.”

“He did, and I refused. Things were different, then. I regret it.”

“Things have changed, of course. We’ll talk to him, soon.”

…

Raphael maneuvered through a small gap in the canopy and landed on the dirt-packed “main street” of the colony, the village reminiscent of New England settlements in the days before cars and electricity, though Sanctuary had the benefit of both. Wren arrived a second later and they hurried down the road toward the waterfront pavilion. Guardians surrounded the structure and civilians crowded inside. Other Guardians, visible in the distance, stood sentinel where the forest met the border of the most distant buildings.

Lark emerged from the trees and fell into step behind Raphael and Wren, no hint of injury in his posture or fatigue in his razor-sharp alertness. Blood splatters stained the Guardian’s face and hands, but his black uniform hid the extent of the gore.

One of the three-story, multifamily residence buildings burned. Smoke hung thick in the air and Raphael’s eyes stung. Wren coughed and swept his wings in a hopeless attempt to clear some breathing room. A group of uninjured civilians pumped water from the lake onto the ruined structure and the neighboring building, The Ninth Circle tavern, to keep the blaze from spreading. On the hill beyond, high above the cemetery, smoke also rose from the town hall.

As much as he abhorred the violence wrought on the colonists, a swell of pride filled Raphael as Wren followed him into the midst of the injured in the pavilion. Never before had Raphael been in a situation where he and his son could work together to ease the wounded. He brushed his wing against Wren’s arm. “I’ll take the left, you take the right.”

Lark stayed between them as they split up, his task to keep them safe above all else, even at the expense of others, including the Guardians running this way and that with injuries of their own. Though he offered his arm to a civilian struggling to stand, his gaze remained on Raphael and Wren, his attention on their surroundings. The depth of his responsibility allowed him to trust no one, not even their injured friends. Raphael met that shrewd copper gaze and nodded, a silent thank-you. The demon certainly knew the extent of Raphael’s gratitude after all those years, but Raphael would never be so callous as to take the Guardian’s service for granted.

Wren moved to the side of an unconscious human female with gut-wrenching burns over her lower body. Her demon mate sobbed by her side, cradling her head, and slumped with relief as Wren lifted his wings, knelt, and placed his hands on the woman’s knees. Her burns faded to scars in the span of two seconds. Permanent scars, but a small price to pay for healing injuries she might not have recovered from even in a human hospital.

Wren moved on to the woman’s mate, who had wooden shrapnel sticking out of his shoulder and some minor burns on his hands. “What happened to you two?”

“We were in there,” the demon said, tilting his head toward the raging structure fire. “Grenade or something smashed through the window into our living room. We bolted, but weren’t fast enough to get all the way out.”

“Get comfortable.” Wren helped the demon get his belt off. The patient sat back against a corner post of the pavilion, his good arm around his mate, and slid the leather belt behind his fangs to bite down on. Wren pulled bits of wood and metal out of his shoulder—one piece stuck out front and back. The demon growled and sweat beaded on his forehead, but Wren covered the wounds with his fingers and the patient fell into a deep sleep.

Raphael tended to a series of wounds, ranging from a broken ankle to a large piece of glass imbedded in a teen’s thigh. The repeated use of his healing ability left him tired. His blood-covered arms shook. He leaned against the wall as Wren walked over, his face pale, blood on his hands and wings. The pavilion had gone quiet, all the wounded now healed and sleeping.

“Let’s go home, son.”

They took flight, though Raphael’s wings felt like lead. The attack was over. His family was safe. No casualties. However, Raphael couldn’t relax, not for a moment. Considering the level of organization of the attack and the value of their feathers on the human market—he shuddered—how long would it be before the next strike?

Chapter Seven

Jett flexed his fingers, using all his willpower to sit still as Lexine drove. He sat in the backseat next to Bryce, and Vin had taken the front passenger seat. Lexine exceeded the speed limit, but an accident wouldn’t get them back any faster. Her hands trembled and her face—visible in the rearview mirror—remained ghostly pale. Jett forced a calm exterior to keep from rattling her or Bryce further.

She kept up the pace through an eternity of dread until they and the two other SUVs turned onto Sanctuary’s dirt access road. Miles of forest passed until they reached the colony’s border where the gate opened and a Guardian rushed into view. Lexine pulled to a stop and Vin jumped out.

Jett stayed with Bryce, but opened his door to listen.

“Sir!” The black-clad Guardian reached Vin. “We’ve tried to reach you, but the cell site has been down. The power was cut with a small explosive. We’ve been attacked.”

“What happened?” Vin grasped the demon by the shoulder and moved to the side of the road into the shade of trees.

“In a nutshell, it was a well-organized plot, but we have the victory. No casualties or missing persons. We sustained a lot of infrastructure damage, however.”

“Any idea of their goal?”

“They wanted the archangel twins, sir. Lark caught and interrogated one of the attackers.”

Jett gripped the edge of his seat and a seam tore. Cursing, he got out of the vehicle. He tried not to shout, but failed. “The archangels, where are they? Are they all right?”

The Guardian arched an eyebrow and looked Jett over in a who-the-hell-are-you manner, but at Vin’s nod, he answered. “They’re all fine. The adults have tended to the colony’s wounded and are now back at the house, recovering from the energy expended on their healing abilities.”

“Good.” Jett doubted he’d remain sane if he’d come back to find them killed—for reasons he still didn’t understand, but couldn’t fight, either. Just the idea of them in danger made sweat break out on the back of his neck, even as he told himself he really shouldn’t give a shit.

The Guardian continued, “The humans came in two waves. The first came at the colony from three different directions and threw grenades all over the place. A fourth snuck in and made a run for the archangel house, but they didn’t get close. Lark is a vicious son of a bitch.”

Vin cocked his head. “They wanted the twins, specifically? Not Wren or Raphael?”

“Yeah, not that they wouldn’t have taken the adults, too, given the opportunity. One of the attackers was very talkative while Lark worked him over.” The Guardian’s nose wrinkled. “The humans were all hired mercenaries with millions promised to whoever delivered the twins alive. Lark didn’t get the name of the rich fucker in charge before the human had a heart attack.”

“Lawrence. Has to be,” Jett said “Are any of the mer-cenaries still alive?”

“Two fled. Lark insisted we let them go—with our best available tracker on their tails.”

Vin thanked the Guardian and waved Jett back to the SUV. Lexine stood by the open door to the backseat, speaking quiet reassurances to Bryce.

“I need to assess the damage to the colony.” Vin got in the car. Lexine got behind the wheel. “Lex, you should get Bryce home or wherever your parents are staying if their residence got hit. Jett…”

Jett settled next to Bryce. “I need to see the archangels.”

“You’ll have to take that up with Lark. And you might want to wait until he’s in a better mood.”

“I have no intention of waiting.”

“Suit yourself. I warned you.”

The last stretch of the trip dragged out. The haze of smoke in the air thickened the closer they got to the colony’s village. Finally, the stone-and-log building that functioned as Sanctuary’s epicenter—the town hall—came into view. A black, smoldering, gaping hole sat where the southern corner of the second floor used to be.

Guardians and civilians labored back and forth between the building and a growing pile of wet debris. Lexine parked. The demons from the other two SUVs scattered, and after a few parting words with Lexine and Bryce, Vin headed for the building.

A female demon burst out of the town hall doors and ran straight at the SUV, her cropped hair the same unusual dark color as Lexine’s. She reached them and scooped up Bryce, tears streaming down her face.

Bryce laughed as she twirled them in circles. They came to a dizzy stop and Lexine joined the embrace.

The female glanced up and met Jett’s gaze. “Thank you.”

Seeing Bryce’s mother and her relief over her son’s safety brought a burden, which he usually kept buried in the deepest recesses of his mind, to the surface like a fresh knife cut across the chest. Jett nodded at the female and turned away, a heavy weight on his shoulders.

Had his own mother really abandoned him, leaving him for the humans to save herself, as Lawrence had alleged? Lawrence had lied about everything else, which opened a vein of hope. But, the few facts that Jett had gathered supported Lawrence’s assertion. Perhaps, in this one instance, the human had given Jett the truth. The question had to be asked soon. He needed to know what really happened the day of his abduction. But, like a coward, he delayed, avoiding the truth that could forever dash the little flicker of hope.

For the first time since returning to Sanctuary after his childhood abduction, he set foot on the colony’s system of groomed, shaded trails. In the eleven months since his return, he had never ventured this close, always watching from a distance. He headed toward the archangel house, setting his personal burden aside and focusing on the need to see for himself that the archangels hadn’t been harmed.

After walking halfway around the lake, the granite-and-glass house came into view, basking in the afternoon sun. Nothing moved and no sound, not even the chirp of birds, reached Jett’s ears. A presence thickened the air with menace. Jett stopped and waited, his arms loose at his sides, the tiny hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. “I’m not here for a fight, Guardian.”

A demon stepped out of the trees, dressed in black, blades gripped in each hand. He blocked the path to the house, his narrowed gaze behind his light shades intense and unblinking. The sunlight that filtered through the canopy accented his close-cut red hair and glinted off small, gold markings on his collar: a cursive G on the left and a pair of wings on the right.

Jett suppressed a growl. Lark, Raphael’s primary Guardian, remained a bitter reminder of the years Jett and Raphael spent under Thornton Bailey’s thumb. But Lark, who had been possessed by Thornton’s vengeful spirit, had been every bit as much a prisoner as Jett and the archangel. This is not my enemy.

“Lark, I’m here to speak with Raphael.” Jett held the other demon’s gaze.

A long pause followed. The threat radiating off Lark remained steady.

“Now is not the best time for a social call, Jett,” the Guar-dian said, his voice flat.

“I have information about the human who organized today’s attack.”

“Then it’s me you need to talk to.”

“I need to see Raphael. Now.” Jett cocked his head and studied the tiny, golden wings on the right of Lark’s collar. All the Guardians wore the golden G to the left of their throats, but only Lark wore the wings, a symbol of his esteemed station as personal bodyguard for Raphael and his family. The cool voice of logic told Jett he had no reason to worry over the archangels’ safety with a predator like Lark on duty.

Raphael doesn’t need me.

But Jett’s need to verify the archangels’ safety remained. Logic be damned. Shoulders squared, he held the Guardian’s gaze, daring him to say no, preparing to fight if need be.

Still gripping the long daggers, Lark lifted one hand and his gaze wandered away. He scanned the trees, looking for all the world like he could see through them and pick out any enemy that dared approach. That gaze resettled on Jett, but Jett didn’t flinch.

“Raphael trusts you, so I’ll bring you inside, if he agrees to see you. But I don’t have the luxury of trusting anyone, even you, right now. Your weapons.” Lark pointed with a blade to the base of a nearby tree.

Jett unhooked the leather belt at his waist that held his daggers and the guns the Guardians had given him, and dropped them between the tree’s roots. “That’s all I have.”

“We’ll see. Jacket. Boots.”

Jett cursed and stripped down to just his jeans and long-sleeved shirt.

“Arms out.” Lark sheathed his blades.

“Why?”

“Just hold still.”

“Fuck you.” Jett backed away.

Lark shrugged. “Fine. Town hall’s that way. See you around.”

Oh, hell. Clenching his teeth, Jett extended his arms and held still as Lark frisked him. He breathed in Lark’s scent and relaxed just a bit. When Thornton had been in possession of Lark’s body, the human’s scent had been noticeable. At the time, Jett had thought Lark some sort of half-breed, but no trace of Thornton’s stench remained.

Still. He fucking hated being touched. Whenever the damned humans had touched him, he’d bled, bruised, or been restrained as a result.

The Guardian straightened and nodded. “This way.”

They approached the house. Lark pressed a button by the door and spoke. “Raphael. Jett is here to see you. It’s about the poachers’ employer.”

“Show him in,” Raphael responded.

Jett waited as Lark entered a series of codes in a keypad mounted into the stone wall. Heavy locks released and the Guardian held the door open. The system reminded Jett of Raphael’s former prison and his skin crawled.

Lark met his gaze and the edge left his tone. “They’re never locked in. They prefer to use the flight decks on the upper floors to come and go. This door is only for those of us who are flight challenged, and it needs to be kept secure in case poachers ever get this far.”

Of course. Jett shook off the memories of that vile underground prison and stepped inside a cavernous, empty space with stone walls and floor. Apparently, the archangels didn’t use the ground level at all. Lark led him up a flight of stairs to a large landing and a second reinforced door. The Guardian entered more codes and the locks released. This time, Lark stepped through first.

Jett followed and entered a large, furnished space filled with sunlight from the wraparound windows. He kept his sunglasses on. When was the last time he’d been in anything that resembled a normal home? Pictures on the wall, blankets tossed over cushy furniture, books, potted plants, the scent of coffee. Never. He’d never experienced such a place outside of the few magazines he’d flipped through over the years.

“Hello, Jett.”

The quiet voice hit him with physical force. He turned and faced Raphael for the first time since the prison. The archangel’s white wings framed his body and brushed the floor. Other than that most distinctive feature, Jett barely recognized Raphael as the prisoner he’d guarded. When Jett arrived there six years ago, Raphael had long since taken to starving himself and was more wraith than man. The creature who stood in this room had muscle on his bones, thick feathers, and a little color to his skin. His silver eyes, no longer sunken, held curiosity.

The archangel took a step closer and held out his hand. “Welcome to my home.”

“Raphael.” After a brief hesitation, Jett stiffly took the offered hand. He’d deliberately kept his distance from the archangel all this time, hoping his preoccupation with protecting him would fade. No such luck. Jett scanned the room, his muscles tense and ready to deal with a threat.

At least Raphael stepped back and got right to the business at hand. “You’re here about the human who put forth a fortune for my grandchildren?”

As Jett explained his history with Lawrence and the details of Bryce’s kidnapping, Raphael settled on a tall, backless chair and partially extended his wings. Lark stood against the wall, arms folded, head down, brow furrowed. Jett paced as he spoke.

“Scientific experimentation,” Raphael said. “This is why he wants the twins alive?”

“Most likely. Regardless of his exact motives, I’m certain he is the one behind this.”

Raphael’s gaze shifted past Jett and his eyebrows lifted.

Jett turned to see Wren on the flight deck, folding his wings, an infant in his arms. Wren paused, his narrowed gaze on Jett. Lark went over and pulled the French doors open. After a muttered exchange, Wren came inside.

“Son, you really should try to sleep,” Raphael said. “You did too much today.”

“Ginger finally nodded off, but Phoenix is fussing. I didn’t want Gin to wake.” Wren stopped near Jett, fatigue evident in his eyes but not in his posture. “Hello.”

So this was the son Raphael had been willing to die for. Prior to meeting Raphael, Jett hadn’t known a parent who gave a shit about his children. The archangel’s willingness to die to prevent his son from being imprisoned or killed had been an eye-opening act for Jett, and the moment he first considered freeing the archangel.

Jett had seen Wren in flight many times, but this was the closest he’d ever been. The resemblance was striking, but his green-blue eyes were so much more…human than his father’s unearthly silver. “Hello, Wren.”

Jett couldn’t help but stare at the miniature archangel in Wren’s arms. From his distant vantage point in the woods, he’d never seen either of the twins. The child—a girl, judging by the little pink hat—gripped the edge of her down-covered wing with her tiny hands and stared back.

Raphael introduced them formally and explained Jett’s purpose. Wren nodded but didn’t offer his hand, using both to clutch the infant to his chest. “Jett, I’ve never had the chance to thank you for helping my father.”

“You don’t have anything to thank me for. I almost got him killed.”

“You made a decision based on the information you had. But it’s the years of kindness you gave him leading up to that day that I want to thank you for. It’s a miracle he left that hole in the ground with his sanity intact. So, thank you.”

Jett cleared his throat. “I know what it’s like to be locked up that long and how much of a difference a little conversation can make,” he said, awkward as hell. “But what kept Raphael together was you, knowing that you had a life outside of that place. He talked about you constantly. It was annoying.”

Raphael chuckled, but the moment of light humor didn’t last. He gazed at the floor.

Wren ran a hand down the child’s wings. “Being hunted is a part of our lives. I’ve long since accepted that for myself.” He glanced at Raphael. “But staring it down from the perspective of a parent…” His voice dripped acid. “Phoenix and Talon have done nothing to deserve all the hate and greed directed at them.” The infant reached out and grasped his thumb with her tiny hand. “It’s unforgivably cruel.”

“I’ll find Lawrence. You have my word.”

“Thank you.” The fury in Wren’s gaze contrasted with his tender hold on his daughter. She curled up in the crook of his arm and covered her face with her down-covered wing. “I’d go out there myself to rip the son of a bitch out of his hole, but I need to stay with my family.”

“Yes. Making an easier target of yourself wouldn’t help anything.” Jett turned to Lark. “What intel do you have? Lawrence’s men left no trail after Bryce’s kidnapping.”

“The cell tower has been hooked up to emergency power, and the tails I put on the fleeing mercenaries have reported in,” Lark said. “They have no information as of yet. The humans are cooling their heels in a motel in a nearby town.”

“They probably know they’re being tailed, or at least expect it.”

“I’m sure. They’re not amateurs.”

Jett cocked his head, considering all he’d found out about Lark in recent months. Lark possessed a psychic talent, rare among demons. “You have the ability to travel outside your body as a spirit.”

Lark’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah.”

“You could sit in their laps and they wouldn’t know. The quickest way to find Lawrence may be for you—”

“Absolutely not.” Lark paced. “If I tailed the humans, I wouldn’t be here. I will not and cannot leave this family unprotected for that long, even in an offensive maneuver against an enemy.”

Silence lengthened. Jett’s gaze drifted from Raphael, to Wren, and settled on the newborn. He shook his head. “Letting Lawrence escape is not acceptable.”

“Of course not,” Lark said, his voice quiet. “But for now, we have to wait. Hopefully, the Guardians tracking the humans will turn up some useful information.”

“I’m not waiting. Where I can find them?”

Lark paused. “I’m not comfortable with a hothead getting involved with my only lead. If these men get more spooked than they already are, we could lose our chance to confront Lawrence before he attacks Sanctuary again.”

“I’d be a hothead if I simply wanted revenge on the asshole.”

“Don’t you?”

“Yes.” Jett hissed the word through his fangs. “But more than that, I don’t want another child to grow up in the same hell I did. I won’t allow it. I need to be involved because I know more about Lawrence and his habits than your men do, but I will work with them, not against them. Now, are you going to tell me where to look, or shall I search every town in northern Vermont and lose more precious time?”

One side of Lark’s mouth curved upward. “Right answer. Your knowledge of Lawrence is invaluable. I’ll text and tell them to expect you. They’ll contact you with a location to meet them. Did Vin give you a phone?”

“Yeah.” Jett gave Lark the number.

The Guardian entered the digits into his own cell. “You’ll hear from them soon. In the meantime, take a vehicle and head south toward Island Pond. Fuck this up, though, and I’ll snap off every one of your vertebrae.”

“Jett,” Raphael said, rousing from his prolonged silence. “Good luck.”

Wren echoed the sentiment.

“You know,” Jett said to Lark as dryly as he could, “they’re much nicer than you.”

Grinning, Lark motioned Jett toward the door. “Don’t let them fool you. They’re not as angelic as they look.”

“Where’s our demon-smiting heavenly wrath when we need it?” Raphael shook his head and turned to Wren.

“That does sound useful,” Wren said.

“See?” Lark opened the door. “Call me the moment you learn anything.”

Jett’s gaze lingered on the infant a moment before he hurried out. “Will do.”

Chapter Eight

The stink of wet ashes filled the air. Lexine took in the smoldering remains of several of Sanctuary’s buildings as she walked through the center of the colony. Guardians and civilians worked together on either side of the wooded path, removing debris and salvaging belongings from the ruined dwellings.

The brick manse where most of the colony’s oldest demons lived—including her parents—had escaped harm, set farthest back from the main path the humans had taken. Her emotions and stomach churning, she’d left Bryce and their parents to their reunion and went to see the damage caused by the humans.

Alone now, her heart sank deeper into a pit of pain with every step. She’d been sick before, knowing fate had paired her with a poacher, but seeing the fresh carnage brought the horror and shame to an all-new level. As she passed a Guardian, covered in grime and blood, she avoided his gaze.

She stopped in front of the residence where she’d shared an apartment with her brother, Jac, for so many years. A grenade had blown out the windows. Fire and shrapnel gutted most of the interior.

A shudder ripped through her body. No better than a traitor, how could she continue to live here in the colony?

“Lexine—”

She gasped, startled so hard it hurt, and whirled.

“Sorry. Like I said before, you need to be more aware of your surroundings.” Jett approached, but stopped with a wide gap between them and surveyed the smoldering building. “This your place?”

“It was.” She rubbed her arms.

A small group of civilians walked by, some glancing furtively at Jett, some scowling at him, all staying as far away from him as possible, even though they had to walk over debris. Jett didn’t seem to notice—his gaze stayed locked on Lexine.

“Jett, I need to talk to you about something,” she said, ignoring the others.

He hesitated but nodded. “Walk with me. I’m taking a car and going after some of the humans who are responsible for this mess.”

She fell into step at his side, her hands in her pockets. “They were really after the twins?”

“For certain.” Tension filled his voice and stiffened his shoulders.

Acid shot into her mouth. “Ginger has become a good friend of mine.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

She shot him a glare for good measure, but to be honest with herself, she didn’t mind that he’d been watching out for her. It’s what Guardians did, after all, even though he wasn’t officially one of the demon elite. Some things ran stronger in the blood than on paper, despite the fact that he had no idea it was the extra-rare qualities in his family’s bloodline that drove him to protect the archangels, even if that meant sulking on a mountaintop all winter. Would Lark or Raphael explain all that to him, now that he’d finally come into the colony?

She let out a long breath and refocused on what she had to ask of him while she had the chance. “Back in the motel, I told you about my recurring dream. A dream I hope Ginger will never find out about.”

His expression darkened.

“I want to ask for your discretion.”

“You haven’t told anyone else?”

“Never. I was overwhelmed after Jac’s death and Bryce’s kidnapping, so I wasn’t thinking straight. After I bit you, I owed you an explanation. The secret just spilled out.”

They walked in silence until the path meandered up a hill and no one lingered within earshot. Jett stopped and faced her, a deep frown on his face. “You believe the colony will reject you over a dream?”

“More a prophecy than a dream. If the Guardians found out, I’d be branded a traitor. If the dream came to pass, as a poacher’s mate, the Guardians would be within their rights to have me executed.”

“You’re not a poacher’s mate, yet. These types of dreams…they come true, always?”

“Yes, but…”

“But what?”

“I’ve never asked questions about the phenomenon to avoid drawing suspicion, but from what I’ve read, previous dreams haven’t been of such deplorable events. I don’t believe the dreamers tried to change their fates. They had no reason to.”

“So, it might be possible to intervene?”

“I don’t know for certain one way or the other.”

Jett shifted his hands to his hips and shut his eyes.

“I only ask for your silence. The archangels need your help far more than I do. You should hurry.”

“Are you going to try to change your fate, Lexine?” He opened his eyes and lifted his gaze to hers.

“Jett—”

“I’m not going anywhere until you answer me.”

“I doubt I have any real choice. You can’t imagine how strong, how real, the sensations and emotions are in the dreams. I don’t have much hope my fate can be changed, but yes, I have been trying, by dating demons, searching for a mate. I care too much for my family and my friends to walk the path that leads to my dream. But, I fear in the end, the choice won’t be mine to make.”

Frowning, he walked around her, slow, focused. A shiver raced down her spine as he drew near her on purpose for the first time.

“I grew up at best a lab rat, at worst a prisoner without the slightest liberty.” He bent closer to her as he spoke, his words firm, unhesitant, but laced with pain. “Now that I’m out of that hell, I will never be a slave again, in any form. Nor will I tolerate seeing anyone else stripped of their free will, least of all by something as intangible as a dream.”

“This is not the same thing—”

“Do you want to mate with a poacher?”

“No.”

“Then don’t you dare feel like you have no choice. There is always a choice, Lexine.” After a pause, he cocked his head. “You tried dating other demons. That didn’t work out?”

“To put it mildly.”

That close, his scent dominated her lungs. His breath tickled her ear, warming her from the inside out. “And are you seeing anyone right now?”

“No.”

He leaned back just enough to meet her gaze with a sharp frown. “Is that your final answer?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. He smoothed his hand over her neck. She blinked. She’d touched him a couple times, but this was the first time he’d touched her.

“Actually,” she whispered, “there is a male I just met.” She swallowed. “I’d like to get to know him better, if he’s interested.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear it. I’ll see you later, Lexine.”

He turned and headed with long strides for the parking area beyond the town hall. Heart racing, she scowled to keep from grinning like a fool.

…

Jett took the SUV Lexine had driven earlier and headed out of Sanctuary. Her scent lingered, adding to his tension. The sun sank toward the western mountains in shades of pink and gold. Though summer hung on by a thread, the days had noticeably shortened. Soon, it would be dark at this hour.

He put the window down to get cool air on his face, still hot from the conversation with Lexine. He understood her conflict all too well.

While living under Thornton’s thumb, Jett had hated everything about his existence, but thought for years he lacked the power to change it. Lexine believed the dream showed her the future, even though she despised the poachers. He saw the torture he’d experienced reflected in her eyes.

But he had changed his future, when the sacrifice Raphael had been prepared to make had given Jett the motivation to fight. At some point, Lexine would also need to make a choice. Hopefully, she wouldn’t bow to the dream.

Jett clenched his teeth. He could always kill the son-of-the-bitch poacher when the opportunity presented itself. But he intended to leave Sanctuary after he killed Lawrence. He didn’t belong here, didn’t know the first thing about living a normal life, least of all one with a female. However, spending time with her, temporarily, could be good for them both.

Dusk descended as he entered human territory, and he turned the headlights on despite his night vision. The last thing he needed was a brush with local law enforcement.

As he entered the village limits of a tiny Vermont town, a text came through, giving him an address. He found the location a minute later and parked along the sidewalk.

Lights illuminated the storefronts, but many Closed signs hung in the windows for the night. A figure stepped toward the vehicle, and Jett reached for the gun at his hip.

“Evening, Jackass.” A smile from the platinum-blond speaker revealed fangs.

Jett blinked. “You?”

Almost a year ago, after Raphael had returned to the colony and Jett had hidden in the forest, Raphael had sent a group of Guardians, led by Devin, the demon who now stared through the open window. Jett had refused the help and sent a pissed-off Devin on his way.

Since then, Jett had figured out Devin was Ginger’s adoptive father, making the Guardian an extension of the archangel family.

“You remember me, then? Good.” Devin opened the door, the smug grin fading from his face. He held out a palm-sized, plastic case. “Put these on.”

Jett extracted the colored contacts, set them into place, and got out of the car. He fell into step at the blond Guardian’s side. Devin had traded the black Guardian uniform for jeans and a Hard Rock Cafe shirt. Contacts colored his eyes plain brown.

Jett mused that an onlooker could mistake them for brothers, both with their light blond hair and brown eyes, the big difference being that Devin had his hair cropped while Jett’s fell to his chin.

“You look almost normal,” Jett muttered, keeping his fangs out of sight in case any humans observed them.

“So do you, amazingly enough.”

Jett ignored the sarcasm. “Do the Guardians frequently slink about in human towns like this?”

“Not on official business, no, not often. Sometimes small groups leave the colony to practice driving, visit museums, that sort of thing. Law enforcement gets bent out of shape when we chase poachers beyond Sanctuary’s borders like this. On our land we can kill because the treaty with United States gave us sovereignty. Out here, the poachers have the right to a trial and don’t legally deserve to die.”

Jett scoffed.

“Yeah,” Devin said. “We’ve been negotiating with the Vermont State Police for about a year now, triggered when they figured out we raided a farm near Burlington to save Raphael. They want to curb poaching, though most of them are more concerned with the assholes getting themselves killed than with the safety of the archangels. If an agreement can be reached, some Guardians and Staties might partner together to deal with poachers’ activities across the state—their legal system combined with our hunting and tracking abilities.”

“Interesting. You expect it’ll work?”

“I’m hopeful, more so than some.”

Jett scanned their dark and quiet surroundings. “Where are the humans you followed here?”

“The inn’s restaurant. Gwyn is keeping watch inside.” Devin tapped his ear, indicating a discreet communication device, and nodded toward a building across the street. Music filled the air as the door opened and a young couple exited. “We can’t do anything in the public eye, even attempt to interrogate them. We have no choice but to wait and drag them into the woods if we get the chance.”

Jett fisted his hands. “I fucking hate waiting.”

“Lark assures me your head is in the right place.”

“It is. Is yours?”

“Excuse me?”

“Lawrence wants your grandchildren. You’re more at risk of making rash, emotional decisions than I am. I’m surprised you’re here.”

“I’ve been a Guardian for over two hundred years. I can keep my shit together even under these circumstances, thank you very much.” Devin paused and his lips twitched into a tight smile.

“Is something funny?”

Devin shrugged. “Lark and I were both students of one of the most revered Guardians in the history of demons on earth, and we are respected for it. Since his death, no one has given me shit. The irony that you are, now, amuses me.”

“I don’t see the irony.”

“My teacher was Dante, Jackass.”

Jett stared. “And?”

Devin’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “I thought Raphael told you about him.”

“He hasn’t mentioned any Dante.”

“Son of a…” Devin folded his arms and shook his head. “But I know he gave you the photo.”

Jett’s hand jerked toward his right jeans pocket, where he kept the wrinkled keepsake. “The photo of my family? He left it for me, but I never asked him about it.”

“And now isn’t the time for the conversation.”

Jett kept his gaze on the restaurant windows. “No, it’s not, but it’s a little late to drop the subject now. You’re saying this teacher of yours…”

“He was your father, though my training was centuries before you were born. Dante was the leader of Sanctuary before Vin. He founded Sanctuary.”

“Bullshit.” His father, the leader and founder of Sanctuary? And Jett got fucking kidnapped and never rescued? He backed away and shoved his shaking hands into his pockets. No, no, hell no. He didn’t lose anything by being kidnapped, least of all a good family. He didn’t want to hear otherwise.

“Raphael didn’t recognize you. Neither did I when I first saw you, and it’s little wonder. You have such a good blend of both your parents’ features you don’t look strongly like either one. But now, the more I look at you, the more of him I see. Your voice, I dare say, is close to identical, especially when you’re giving me shit.”

Jett’s voice came out as dry as his mouth. “I want to think there haven’t been many children kidnapped from Sanctuary to confuse me with.”

“There’s never been a kidnapping other than yours and Bryce’s. Everyone thought you’d been killed along with your father. I lived in Haven at the time, but I’ve been told the humans brought a whole residence building down with a handmade bomb. Dante was identified for certain. He was shot just outside, protecting you after hiding you within. By the time the rubble had been thoroughly searched, there wasn’t much left of those inside to identify. I don’t know how much you know about this, but after death, a demon’s body deteriorates rapidly, even the bone. Combined with the explosion, there wasn’t much more than dust left of the occupants of that building.”

So that’s why the Guardians never rescued him. He’d been so young he didn’t remember much, but he recalled a sense of hope in the early days that someone would come for him. A hope that faded. The disappointment that filled the hole had given fuel to Lawrence’s lies.

“I still can’t imagine how the humans got you out of there in one piece. Do you remember anything?”

“Very little. Lawrence insisted my mother all but threw me at them to secure her own escape, and I do have a vague recollection of a woman who was with me. Who disappeared, leaving me alone.”

Devin’s eyes widened. “Not possible. First, your mother was in a different building at the time, that’s how she survived. Second, she—”

“What’s her name?”

“Amelia. I know her well. She absolutely would have died trying to protect you, as your father did.”

“No. They didn’t protect me. They didn’t care.”

Devin frowned, but kept going. “Amelia never recovered mentally from the loss of you and Dante. Combined with the Decline, an old-age condition that can afflict older demons, she’s completely broken from reality. So much so, that I doubt she’ll comprehend who you are.” A pause. “I’m sorry.”

Jett averted his gaze, his ears and face growing hot. He had been with someone. Abandoned by someone.

Hadn’t he? His head ached. “I can’t tell where the memories end and the lies begin.”

“You should visit her,” Devin said, his voice quieter. “She moved to Eden, the demon colony in Canada, six months ago. Her condition is not something our archangels can heal, and Eden, being a much bigger colony, has a better facility to keep her comfortable.”

Jett hesitated, a weight settling on him. The weight of reality. Lawrence’s lies had been his coping mechanism—he knew that even though he hated to admit it to himself. Even as he’d observed Sanctuary that winter and spring and tasted the truth—that everything Lawrence had taught him had been pure shit—he’d clung to the lies. The truth was simply too painful.

The humans did take me from a good home. From a peaceful community. They took me not from two indifferent demons but from my family, who loved me.

“Why aren’t you listening to a word I’m saying?” Devin’s brow furrowed.

Because I’m about to sit on my ass and bawl, motherfucker. “Just stop talking to me.”

“Fine, Jackass.”

Across the street, a picture window provided a view of part of the restaurant’s dining room. A man wove between the tables. Recognition hit Jett like a punch to the gut.

“That’s one of them,” Devin said.

“Son of a bitch,” Jett said, grateful not just for the good luck presenting itself, but for the end of the other topic. “Finding Lawrence just got easier.”

“How so?”

“That’s Logan Anderson. We’ve met.” Jett pressed his lips together to keep a smile from exposing his fangs and stepped off the sidewalk.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to have a chat with an old friend. Trust me.”

Devin cursed, but didn’t stop him. Jett crossed the street and let himself into the restaurant. Inside, the scent of spices and coffee thickened the air. Jazz music played from hidden speakers.

“Table for one, sir?” The hostess, a teenager in a black suit, smiled.

Jett spotted his target sitting at a table along the back wall, facing a second man over a couple of beers. “Actually, I’m joining friends.” He minded his fangs as he spoke and indicated the table. “I’d like a coffee, please.”

The hostess nodded and stepped aside.

Patrons filled the small dining room. As he passed the bar, a woman in a blue dress pivoted in her swivel chair and leaned toward him.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said in a harsh whisper. Her brown eyes, framed by light brown hair, narrowed.

“Gwyn, I assume?”

She lifted a delicate shoulder and turned back to a mug of coffee and a fancy dessert. He had seen a couple female Guardians around Sanctuary, and Gwyn looked familiar if he imagined her with her hair up. The mirror behind the bar provided her a view of the poachers’ table, and their voices carried well. Unfortunately, their conversation focused on the upcoming football season as he approached. Time for a change of topic.

“I might have known you’d show up here, Logan,” Jett said.

“Jett?” Logan looked up from his beer, his mouth open.

Jett helped himself to a chair, planted his elbows on the table, and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper from behind his clasped fingers. “Here for the twins, are you? So am I.”

Logan’s shoulders loosened and he tapped his thumb against the tabletop. “Yeah, Henry and I are here on the job. You working for the old man, too?”

“Victor Lawrence? I’m considering his bid, but I might have a higher bidder in the wings, no pun intended.” The lies rolled easily off his tongue. He’d been forced to be one of them for far too long. At least now, he could put that past to good use.

Henry chuckled and held out his hand. “And you are?”

“This is Jett,” Logan said. “He and I used to work together, but I left a few months before that fucking Guardian raid.” He turned back to Jett. “What happened to Lark, anyway?”

Jett paused. He’d grown unused to hearing Thornton called by the name of the demon he’d possessed. These humans wouldn’t know that piece of trivia, of course. They also didn’t know Jett himself was a demon, so he focused on speaking through tight lips. “Some say he got killed; others say he just disappeared. I haven’t seen or heard from him, myself. I cut my loses and set out on my own. I figure if I can get even one archangel, I’ll be set for life.”

Logan leaned forward, his gaze eager. “And you have a higher bidder than Dr. Lawrence. How much higher?”

You’ve always been a greedy bastard. Lawrence’s millions aren’t enough for you? “High enough. He’s a collector of rare things.”

“Interesting.”

“Indeed.” Jett’s coffee arrived and he stirred in a packet of sugar. “But, so is Lawrence’s unusual request.”

“Taking them alive?” Henry shrugged. “Whatever. The customer is always right.”

“Yeah, and in this case, seriously pissed off.” Logan took a sip of his dark beer. “Today was totally fucked. More of the Guardians were supposed to go after the kid.”

Henry nodded, a deep frown on his face as he stared into his own beer.

“A full-on raid on the colony was a shit-poor plan to begin with,” Jett said. “It’s been done before. It’s failed each time.”

Logan muttered a string of curses.

“Have you spoken to Lawrence this evening?”

“Yeah. A meeting has been set up, a few weeks out. New guys, new plan. I’m gonna give it another go. I need the fucking money.” Logan sipped his beer.

Jett nodded. “Maybe I’ll stop by, try to start a bidding war and drive up Lawrence’s price. Got the details of this meeting?”

“We sure do.” Logan’s grin faded. “Not that we’d share such intelligence with a demon.”

Jett paused with his coffee at his lips. “Excuse me?”

Henry’s eyes widened and he looked Jett over. “That’s him?”

A chilly grin stretched across Logan’s face. “You played your part well. Lawrence knew you’d lead the Guardians to the old lab looking for the brat, giving us a good opportunity to strike.”

Suppressing the urge to reach out and crush the poacher’s throat, Jett set the coffee down and smiled, showing his fangs. “I figured Lawrence had used me. I didn’t expect a bottom dweller like yourself to be high enough up the ladder to know about it, though. Color me surprised.”

Logan swept up his tall beer glass and hurled it at Jett’s face. Jett leaped to his feet. The human followed, a switchblade in his hand. The restaurant’s patrons yelled and scattered, tripping over chairs and spilling drinks. A few of the tougher-looking men in the room gathered in a loose semicircle. Henry made a run for the exit along with everyone else, Gwyn in pursuit.

Jett wiped beer from his face, pulled a piece of glass out of his temple, and made no move to fight back. He could kill Logan easily, but doing so in the public eye on human turf would bring a shit storm to the colony’s doorstep. Best to not fight him at all, if possible.

Logan lunged with the knife and slashed at Jett’s throat. Jett dodged, his movements limited by tables and chairs, taking the slice across the shoulder. The wound stung and blood seeped into his shirt, but Jett kept his focus on the poacher and on the exit beyond him.

The gawkers all spoke at once, trying to talk Logan down.

“Demon!” the poacher hollered and pointed at Jett with the knife.

Jett hissed and growled, hoping to clear a path to the door. Getting out was the most important thing. The gathered humans took a collective step back, except for one.

“You’re the one waving a knife.” The human who held his ground wore fatigues with “US Army” and “Emerson” stitched across his chest. He folded his arms and glowered at Logan.

“He bit and killed two of my colleagues last night!” Logan shouted.

Fuck.

Emerson’s gaze narrowed and shifted to Jett.

“Yes, I did, after they killed four of us, and were in the process of kidnapping a five-year-old boy. Your government recognizes the Guardians’ sovereign right on Sanctuary land to defend civilians.” Jett scanned the crowd, hoping these humans had some sense and the facts would turn the tide in his favor. “I only came here for information on his boss.”

Someone in the crowd said, “I heard about the murders on the news. Three were kids.”

“Demons,” Logan snapped. “Who cares?”

“I do.” Emerson took a step forward as sirens wailed in the distance. “Put the knife down.”

Logan spat on the floor at the serviceman’s feet.

Jett cursed under his breath as the sirens grew louder, but the path to the door remained blocked. He couldn’t risk shoving the humans out of his way and get accused of attacking them. Devin appeared in the doorway.

Get out of there, the Guardian mouthed.

Logan pivoted toward Jett, leading with the knife. Jett moved to block, but Emerson grasped the poacher’s arm, twisted him around, and flung him. The crowd parted. Logan landed face first on the floor and the knife flew from his hand.

“Trust me, you want to stay down.” Emerson leaned over the shock-faced poacher.

Jett met Emerson’s blue gaze and nodded, hoping the depth of his gratitude showed on his face. “Thank you.”

The serviceman motioned toward the door and the crowd shuffled out of the way in silence. Jett hurried through and joined Devin, a mix of fury and relief on the Guardian’s face. They hustled out the door and down the street toward the SUV.

“Well, that was fantastic,” Devin snapped as they ran.

“Where’s Gwyn?”

“Henry took off in a car and she’s following him in ours, so I’m riding with you.” Devin pulled the passenger door open and got in. Jett pulled away from the curve just as the police stopped in front of the restaurant down the street.

“Did you get any good info?”

“No.” Jett forced the word through clenched teeth. “Logan knew who I was the whole time. But Lawrence is already planning another attack. Logan made sure to drop that bit of info without adding anything useful.”

Devin cursed. “It was a damn good try.”

“A good try doesn’t put Lawrence in the ground.” The sense of failure sat on Jett’s shoulders like the weight of a dead man.

Chapter Nine

Lexine made her way through the trees toward her parents’ home, hoping to avoid running into anyone, too preoccupied for conversation.

Her heart stung like a raw wound from seeing firsthand the destruction caused by the poachers, but the idea of spending time with Jett quelled her panic. Maybe she had a chance for a future with a demon mate. But she couldn’t get ahead of herself. She’d dated a dozen demons, a range of ages and personalities, to no avail. She had no reason to think it would be any different with Jett.

Except for the way he stole her breath when he stood close. Made her tremble. Turned her heart into a quivering mess. None of the others had prompted such a reaction, least of all just by their presence. But did Jett feel the same way, or was he simply trying to protect her, to help her change her fate? If he only sought to give her a different future, how far would he be willing to go?

To avoid mating with a poacher, would she mate with a demon who didn’t love her? Who she didn’t love?

Hell, yes, because as awful as that would be, it didn’t compare to betraying everyone she cared about. But it hadn’t been fair to ask others for such a mating. They’d been right to resent her for even suggesting it. Granted, she’d told none of them just how much she had at stake—avoiding a poacher—viciously guarding her secret. They’d have more likely turned her over to the Guardians than entered into a pity mating.

The residence building came into view and everything else in her mind quieted and retreated. Her older brother, Jac, was murdered, and her family mourned. She couldn’t avoid that pain any longer.

The scent of baking cookies filled the air as she opened the door and stepped inside the cozy foyer. To her left, her mother huddled in the living room with Bryce over a mess of wooden toys. To her right, her father sat at the kitchen table, staring at the fingerprints in the thin layer of flour on table.

Despite what would be a cheery atmosphere any other day, the smiles that greeted her faltered.

“Hey, sweetie.” Her father dusted off his hands and rose.

“Hi, Dad,” she whispered.

He pulled her into a tight hug, a shake to his breath in her ear. “Jac’s funeral is tomorrow night.”

Her gaze drifted to the small wine rack that rested on the counter, filled with bottles of amber liquid. Jac’s apple wine and hard cider. No words came.

“You can stay here until the rebuilding is done, or for as long as you want.” He released her and stepped back, his expression guarded. Her family knew well her tendency to deal with grief by sticking her head in the sand. By keeping busy. By doing anything but mourning. No doubt he expected her to decline the invitation and distance herself.

She managed a smile. Time to grow a backbone and support her family. “I’ll stay.”

“Good.” His shoulders relaxed.

She did need to keep busy, however. Staring at the wine again, she said, “The market is tonight. Jac wouldn’t want us to miss it.”

“No, he wouldn’t.” He sighed.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Her father nodded and kissed her cheek.

She headed out with a crate of the apple wine on a cart. Darkness had descended and the colony’s businesses had opened for the hours the colonists preferred to be out and about. She made her way to Sanctuary’s market—the spacious pavilion between the grenade-damaged bakery and the tailor shop. Demon-fire lanterns lined the main paths and adorned the buildings, festive decorations as well as necessary illumination for the few humans who lived in Sanctuary, Lexine with her faulty eyes, and the archangels.

She set up at Jac’s usual table, cradled between the jeweler and the poet, who also made chocolate. The romance corner, Jac had called them. Normally bustling with activity, tonight the crowd at the market spoke in dull whispers, their steps slow, wary gazes returning repeatedly to the forest. The market wasn’t as crowded or lively as normal, everyone still wary and weary from the attack. But because of the attack, everyone needed supplies.

No money exchanged hands at the market, not even for the special, limited items—jeans, flour, tools, electronics, etc.—that Sanctuary received from human benefactors or in exchange for exports, such as the hardwood furniture made by the colony’s carpenters. The close-knit, isolated community needed everyone to pitch in, so anyone who provided to the whole received from the whole, not that anyone less physically able to contribute was ever left for want. They’d never survive if they adopted the human system that left some families better off than others. So, she didn’t need to stay at the counter to monitor her stock, but she did, anyway. The market was as much a social event as a means of distribution.

Her supply dwindled fast, the procession past her table steady. Everyone extended their sympathies as Lexine greeted them.

Perhaps she could keep the business going in Jac’s stead. For years, Lexine had maintained the cemetery, a place where demons visited the memorials above the ashes of their loved ones, putting her love of landscaping and her sun-tolerant eyes to work. That didn’t take up all of her time. Recently, she’d taken to helping Jac make the wine. They’d been talking about expanding to grape wine, and Jac would love it if she kept the little winery he’d put so much effort into alive and moving forward.

It would be perfect, so long as she didn’t fall for a poacher in the future. But how could something she resented so much possibly come true? She lifted a hand to her chest. Was she really so weak inside? Her thoughts drifted to Jett and a tremor took over her fingers. She nearly dropped a bottle of wine.

“Klutz. What are you doing? Thinking about boys?”

A laugh mingled with a sob at the memory of Jac taunting her years ago.

“Lex?” Ginger approached, a sack of vegetables in her arms, her shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair framing her face. “Are you all right?”

“Hey, G, I’m…fine.” Setting the bottle down, Lexine leaned over the counter and pulled her friend into a hug. “How are you holding up? I’m surprised they let you out of the house.”

Ginger nodded over her shoulder with a tight smile. A group of Guardians spread out in the crowd. “Some girls get roses. I get an escort of a half-dozen homicidal demons. Wren loves me.”

“Ah, so romantic.” Lexine chuckled and handed the last bottle of wine off to an older demon. She left the counter, setting the cart aside to pick up later, and fell into step next to Ginger. They made their way through the market, more talking than shopping, the Guardian entourage pacing them.

“The funerals are tomorrow night,” Ginger said, touching Lexine’s arm. “Really, how are you doing?”

“You know me. I’m keeping busy, trying not to fall apart.”

“There’s nothing wrong with falling apart for a little while. But I know how you feel. I’m making a dinner tonight that’ll take me hours to prepare, trying to keep my mind off what happened today. Making myself sick with anger won’t help anything, and the twins pick up on it and cry.”

As Lexine browsed soaps and other toiletries to replace the ones she’d lost in her destroyed apartment, she leaned toward the other woman and murmured, “When things settle down, I hope to spend some time with Jett.”

“Jett? Does he talk to you?”

“Yes.” Lexine selected unscented soap. Jett was unconventional, for sure, but most demons hated perfumes that covered an individual’s natural scent, and he certainly didn’t strike her as a lavender-and-rose sort of male.

“You’re blushing!”

Lexine nodded.

“Hmm.” Ginger grinned, pure feminine mischief glinting in her eyes. “Excellent.”

You have no idea, Lexine thought as she steered them toward the tailor shop.

…

Jett turned onto Sanctuary’s access road and pulled over. He got out, tugged off his bloodied shirt, and tore long strips from the unsoiled sleeve. A stream ran along the side of the road. He climbed down, rinsed the blood from his skin, and wrapped the torn cotton around his wounded shoulder. A moderate healing fever would close the injury soon enough.

“Fucking-A.” Devin came around the vehicle.

“What? It won’t kill me.”

“I didn’t realize they tattooed you.”

Oh, shit. Jett hadn’t thought before pulling off his shirt. He growled and climbed back up to the road, speaking to Devin but keeping a wide distance. “Thornton never missed an opportunity to assert his control over me.” He scowled down at the scattered feathers and bloody knife etched into his arm, the poachers’ signature tattoo. Pale scars transected the image, from when he’d tried to claw the damned thing off. “That’s the reason I wear long sleeves.”

“And the scars on your back?”

“That was Lawrence.” Jett willed the memories of the whippings out of his mind. “It’s none of your business.”

Devin frowned and shook his head, but didn’t speak any words of pity. Smart demon.

“Should we go after Gwyn?” Jett moved back to the driver’s side door.

“No. She just texted that Henry disappeared in traffic and she’s on her way back.”

“Great.” He jerked the door open. Can anything go right?

They got back in the SUV and continued toward the colony. Devin called Lark and summed up the evening’s events. When he disconnected, he said, “Lark wants to see us as soon as possible.”

“Oh, goodie. This just keeps getting better.”

Devin leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes, but his face remained tense. They drove the rest of the way in silence. Jett parked near the town hall, surprised at how much those working on the building had accomplished in only a few hours. Piles of debris burned a safe distance from the building and the trees, and plastic sheeting covered the gaping hole in the second floor.

They traveled down the path to the archangel house and found Lark pacing near the edge of the lake.

Jett ground his teeth and approached the Guardian, positioning himself so that neither of the other demons blocked him from leaving if he chose to. “I take full responsibility for what happened tonight, but I don’t answer to you and I won’t tolerate a lecture.”

“You’re under the impression I intend to scold you?”

Jett arched an eyebrow.

“It was a damn good idea and stood a better chance of getting us precious information than anything else the three of you could have done,” Lark said. “But clearly, Lawrence has made your new loyalties public knowledge. From now on, we can’t assume there are any in his circles who don’t know.”

“But how did Lawrence find out?” Devin folded his arms and leaned against a tree. “Have you spoken with anyone since the day you escaped?”

“I’ve spoken to no one,” Jett said.

“I didn’t think so. What the hell?”

Lark drew a blade from a sheath at his hip, tossed it in the air and caught it by the hilt. Toss. Catch. “Lawrence is a scientist, so he is very observant and pays attention to the smallest of details.” He met Jett’s gaze, still catching the blade with ease. “He never completely broke you, and I’m sure he knows it. After the Guardians showed up at Thornton’s and you disappeared, he must have assumed you were brought back into the fold.”

“That’s possible, but there must be more to it,” Jett said. “Anything could have happened to me after that day. I could have died with the others. I could have gone elsewhere. He wouldn’t have written me into his plan to weaken the colony’s defenses unless he was damn certain.”

“Yes.” Lark frowned. Toss. Catch. “However, I think it was more a test than a crucial part of his plan. He couldn’t have seriously believed all or most of the Guardians would have left the entire colony for one child. I bet he simply wanted to see what you would do. He’s been studying you your whole life, after all.”

“I agree, but that doesn’t explain how he knows I’m even alive, let alone here.”

“I’ve been thinking about that all evening, actually, and I keep coming back to one theory.” Lark sheathed his blade. “Will you hold still for a moment?”

“Why?”

“So I can find out if you’re as free as you think you are.”

Jett froze.

Lark pulled a small electronic device that resembled a credit card out of his pocket. He held it an inch above Jett’s skin and moved it over his body, starting at his forehead and working his way down and around to his back. He paused, staring at the tattoo for a moment before moving on. At least he spared Jett any commentary on the damned thing.

“What the hell are you—” A series of high-pitched beeps cut off Jett’s words.

Devin cursed.

Lark pressed his fingers into Jett’s skin below his right shoulder blade. He leaned forward and met Jett’s stare. “You have a computer chip of some sort, probably a tracking device.”

Jett went ridged. “Take it out.”

“Do you want to go to the town hall to get some local anesthetic and a proper doctor?”

“Get the fucking thing out, now!”

“Fine.” Lark extracted a blade and dug into Jett’s back with the tip. Jett fisted his hands at his sides, a growl ripping from his throat, the pain dull in comparison to the realization of what Lawrence had done. A moment later, Lark pressed a cloth against Jett’s skin and held out a blood-covered electronic chip the size of a penny.

“Here’s how he knew,” the Guardian said.

Jett reached for the scanner. “I need to check Bryce. He was alone with them for hours.”

Silent, Lark handed over the device and stepped out of the way. Jett sprinted down the path.

Chapter Ten

Lexine hummed to herself as she arranged her things in the spare bedroom of her parents’ apartment. Jett’s voice carried from the front of the dwelling and she jumped. She hurried down the hall.

In the kitchen, her parents and Jett knelt around Bryce. Jett held a small, black cell phone-like device in his hand and swept it over Bryce’s back, his arms, and legs. Her mother sniffled and her father’s mouth was set in a thin line, but Bryce stared up at Jett with a faint grin.

“What’s going on?” Lexine focused on Jett.

A bandage made of a torn shirt covered Jett’s shoulder, just above a tattoo and a series of scars that covered his upper arm. Her breath deserted her.

She stood, frozen, staring at the poachers’ insignia and the scars that crossed it like claw scratches, the unique markings on the man in her dream. The man she’d assumed was human, considering no demon had ever worn that accursed symbol. In the dream, the man’s face had always been in shadow, but the tattoo and scars had been as clear as day. Her ears rang, and it wasn’t until her mother’s face filled her line of vision that she realized someone had spoken.

“Lexi?” Her mother’s hands gripped her arms. “Don’t worry. Bryce is fine. Are you all right? You’re so pale.”

Lexine eased into a kitchen chair, her fisted hands in her lap. “What’s going on?”

Jett mussed Bryce’s hair and stood. “A tracking device was found under my skin. I had to be sure Lawrence’s men hadn’t implanted one on Bryce.”

“Oh.” She nodded at her mother. “I’m fine.” She got to her feet. “Jett, I need to speak with you for a moment.”

Leading him into the living room, she rubbed her hands together, racking her mind for the right words.

“You’re shaking.” Jett stopped near the fireplace. Covered in a sheen of sweat and sporting the stained, makeshift bandage, he contrasted with the cozy decor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm you.”

She reached toward his scarred and inked arm, but stopped an inch from touching him.

“Shit, I didn’t think.” He jerked away. “Right. I should have found a new shirt. This was not something I ever asked for, I promise you.” He lifted his opposite hand to the tattoo. His fingers lined up with the clawlike scars.

She forced her mind and mouth to work. “Lawrence did that to you?”

“Thornton.”

“And the scars?”

“I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, anger and perhaps the lingering effects of the drugs, overrode my reason and I tried to scratch the thing off.” He traced the scars. “I’ve been through worse things. This is just the most visual.”

She got to her feet, her lips parted to tell him she’d seen the scarred tattoo before and where she’d seen it. But his words from that afternoon ghosted through her mind:

“Now that I’m out of that hell, I will never be a slave again, in any form. Nor will I tolerate seeing anyone else stripped of their free will,” he’d said.

She’d told him she doubted she could change her future, even though she wanted to, and he’d likened that to the deprivation of freedom he’d experienced in the hands of his captors. Her lack of choice had drawn a stronger reaction from him than the fact that it was a poacher she faced—or thought she’d faced.

Being the destined mate in her dreams would not go over well with him. He was right: there were right and wrong reasons to be with someone, and believing she had no choice in the matter was definitely a wrong reason. But she wanted to see where things would go between them. She’d wanted to get to know Jett before she saw that tattoo. The tattoo didn’t change that, but unless she chose her words with extreme care when she explained, he’d bolt.

“You’re bleeding.” She stepped closer. He’d turned away from her, revealing blood dripping down his back from a fresh cut below his shoulder blade. She gently took his wrist. “Come with me.”

In silence, he offered no resistance as she guided him to the bathroom, but he watched her. His unrelenting gaze tracked her as she soaked a washcloth in warm water. As she used the cloth to wipe away the blood that had dripped down his back, he continued to stare at her in the mirror.

“What are you doing?”

At the raw shock in his voice, she paused, the cooling cloth pressed against the wound. “Has no one taken care of you before?”

He pulled away, but she gripped his arm.

“Hold still.”

“It’ll heal soon,” he said, his tone full of typical macho dismissal. “You don’t need to—”

“I want to. It’ll leave less of a scar this way.” She rinsed the cloth. So many scars covered him already, his back marred from what had to have been whippings. Many whippings. One more tiny mark would make no difference, but maybe a little tenderness would.

She applied cream and an adhesive bandage to the cut, then began to unravel the strips of cotton from his shoulder.

“Lexine—”

“Jett.” Leaving no room for argument in her tone, she held his gaze in the mirror.

He shook his head, but she ignored him and kept going, cleaning and medicating the gash across the front of his shoulder. She applied a real bandage. Instead of setting the tense male free, she soaked the washcloth again.

She pressed the cloth between his shoulders. He shuddered. Tending to the older wounds, she treated them with gentle care, as if the whip had sliced his skin only yesterday. His hands trembled a second before he curled his fingers around the edge of the sink.

Biting her lower lip, she moved to his sides and stomach, where the marks were thinner and strategically located. Surgical scars. An inner fire filled her. She would have ripped out Lawrence’s throat herself had the miserable excuse for a man been in the room.

Clusters of faint scars marked the back of his hand and inside of his wrists. She ran a fingertip over them. “What caused this?”

He answered in an even, controlled tone. “Needles and IVs.”

She swallowed against a rush of nausea.

Pulling his hand away, he sighed. He lifted his fingers to his face. She noticed for the first time a line of tiny needle scars on his cheeks, right over the venom glands. A whimper escaped her lips—heavens, considering the nerves associated with the venom system, needles must have caused him so much pain, comparable even to the whippings.

His eyes widened and he dropped his hand, as if just realizing he was touching his face. He cleared his throat and spoke, his voice thick and haunted. “There was a lab assistant who tried to be more humane about it, once. Against Lawrence’s instructions, she tried to take venom directly from my fangs, using a film-covered cup, like they do with snakes. But, I bit her. I was young and I didn’t understand it would kill her.”

Lexine ignited flames and pressed herself against his chest. “Biting when threatened is instinctive. The reaction is especially strong in children. Even in the best of circumstances, humans should never handle demon young.”

He tensed under her hold and took a step back, but she tightened her arms. She refused to let him distance himself, not at this moment. Perhaps no one had held him since his kidnapping, but he was so close to letting his guard down, she could sense it—she felt it in the slight tremor of his arms. If she let him run now, would they ever get to this place again, or would he build his walls even stronger and higher?

He sighed.

He wrapped his arms round her.

He slumped.

Lexine almost had to hold him up.

“I know.” He sighed, his warm breath on her forehead. “But of all the people I’ve killed in my lifetime, she’s the only one I regret.”

He settled his hand on her jawline and coaxed her to lift her face.

A voice in her mind persisted that Jett wasn’t interested in her romantically and would never be. He might only be interested in helping her salvage her ability to choose her own mate. However, now that she knew he was the mate in her dream, that fear dwindled and courage rose in its place. She straightened and parted her lips as Jett dug his fingers into her hair.

She wasn’t about to risk scaring him off before she had the chance to see if the spark between them could indeed be something more. If he developed feelings for her before she told him about the tattoo and scars in her dream, maybe he wouldn’t view her announcement as a leash and collar to be slipped at all costs.

And if he left, anyway? Or if nothing grew between them? Well, then she’d have proved choice remained despite the dream, after all. Either way, she no longer had to fear a future of sharing a bed with a poacher, forsaking everyone she knew and loved. She would never have walked that path.

She wanted to dance and laugh her throat sore. But all thought faded as his mouth covered hers, leaving only awareness of his lips, his heavy arms, and his heady scent of tea and honey. He broke the kiss, but lingered close.

“You’re grieving. Now is not the time to try all the things I want to try with you.”

Breath deserted her.

“You have my cell number. Call me for anything.” He stepped back, but held her gaze before turning for the door. “Good night, Lexine.”

She stared after him, certain she’d just seen a side of him no one else had ever witnessed, the male he would have been if he’d never been kidnapped—who he still was, buried beneath his antisocial armor. “’Night, Jett. Stay safe.”

…

Jett stalked through the woods, unable to calm his breathing.

He desired that female more than he’d realized.

Such a foreign thing, desire. Sexual desire, and the desire for company and companionship. His guarded friendship with the archangel in the basement prison took years to develop, and the dedication that resulted from that relationship still possessed him as strongly as his own need to survive. He didn’t feel any particular need to spend time with Raphael—he did so in the prison only to ease the archangel’s anguish. Lexine, though, Jett longed to stretch out at her side and bury his face in her hair, to walk with her in the morning for the simple joy of the shared moment with another person.

He passed the night in the woods, the solitude familiar but unwelcome. He thought about Lawrence’s plans and about Lexine, but came to no conclusions about either. Though he only slept once a week like any demon, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent the entire night on his feet, pacing, snapping dead branches off trees, practicing with his throwing knives, anything for an outlet.

When dawn arrived, a shadow shifted among the other dark corners of the woods. Lark stepped out from behind a pine tree. “Raphael would like to see you.”

Jett shoved Lexine from his mind as best he could and focused on the grim-faced Guardian. Though not in the mood for conversation, he’d yet to talk to the archangel after the failure in town. Lawrence remained a threat, the trail nonexistent.

Unacceptable.

Lark turned and Jett fell into step next to him. They reached the house and proceeded inside. This time, Lark made no attempt to take his weapons.

“No pat down?”

“Enjoy the first one that much, did you?”

“Fuck off.”

Raphael stood by the windows on the far side of the second-floor room, a steaming mug in his hands. He turned and smiled. “Morning.”

“Morning, Lark. Jett.” Wren’s voice carried from the kitchen. The archangel with black-speckled wings appeared a moment later and settled on one of the tall, backless chairs.

Raphael took a step closer to Jett. “I have something I need to ask you, Guardian.”

The word, aimed at him for the second time in recent memory, hit him like a bullet to the chest. “I’m not—”

Movement and the glint of a polished blade caught Jett’s attention. He growled and threw his body between the archangels and the wielder of the weapon.

Lark stepped back, grinned, and sheathed the blade.

“What the hell was that?” Jett, crouched and ready to fight, locked eyes with him.

“You’re not a Guardian? Could have fooled me.”

Jett straightened. “Do not test me. Next time I might rip your throat out.”

Lark’s shrewd gaze held steady. “You couldn’t so much as scratch me.”

“The fuck I couldn’t—”

Lark drew his blade again and landed a punishing kick to Jett’s chest. As Jett fell, he twisted, craned his neck, and grazed Lark’s ankle with his fangs. He hit the floor, got his feet under himself, and prepared to spring at the other demon.

Lark stood at Raphael’s side, a dagger poised at the archangel’s throat. He held the blade in his fingers, the harm-less hilt against Raphael’s skin.

“Your father was a Guardian and you inherited that legacy,” Lark said. “The humans trained you to the best of their ability. The Guardians could train you to use your superior senses and reflexes to their full potential.”

Raphael lifted his hand and shoved Lark’s dagger away. “Jett is a guest in my home.”

“Just making a point.” Lark sheathed the blade.

Jett, kneeling on the floor, held a hand to his chest where Lark had kicked him. Breath sawed in and out of his lungs. Blood mixed with the too-sweet venom in his mouth—not his blood. He glanced down at Lark’s ankle and grinned. “Might want to bandage that.”

Lark lifted his knee and pulled up his torn pant leg. He inspected the twin scrapes left by Jett’s fangs. “You bastard.” He straightened. “I hope you come to your senses. There’s nothing I’d like more than to train your ass. I haven’t had a student move that fast in a century.”

“I know your weakness, and I exploited it. You have a great deal of pain in your left hip from an old injury that didn’t heal correctly. Thornton limped on occasion because of it. You hide it without flaw, except that kick just now was a little low for your height.”

“Regardless, you wouldn’t have saved Raphael if this had been a real fight. If you trained, you could do a hell of a lot more for this family than take out Lawrence. He’s just one of many enemies.”

Jett’s ears rang. Become a Guardian? Could he take that step? “I won’t enter another form of slavery.”

“Is that what you think I am?” Lark’s eyes widened. “A slave? I made a vow to protect Raphael and his family with my life, but I’m free to leave anytime, a far cry from slavery. I serve a purpose that I feel is worth putting my life down for. I endured training that pushed me to my knees and within an inch of the grave to earn the right to be here.”

Raphael touched Lark’s shoulder for a brief moment. “Lark has been by my side for over a hundred years, but there are five of us now. A second dedicated Guardian would go a long way toward keeping my family safe, but there are few I trust enough.” He paused and held Jett’s gaze. “I’m asking you to consider the position.”

Ah, shit. Even a bastard like himself couldn’t say no to that. He paced.

He’d always longed for freedom, but freedom to do what? Open a fucking pizza place?

“You would need to complete the training successfully first, of course,” Lark said. “There’s plenty of time to decide.”

“Why do you trust me?” Jett asked Raphael. “I helped keep you imprisoned for years.”

“You freed me.”

“Which I could have done much sooner, but I didn’t.”

“When the time came, you offered me a way to protect my son. To me, that outweighs everything else.”

Jett blew out a heavy breath. Last year, Thornton had gotten Wren on the phone and broken Raphael’s wing, intent on luring and killing the young archangel by using his father as bait. Raphael had cared only for his son’s safety, and the force of that love had shaken Jett to the core. Having grown up in the lab, Jett couldn’t remember experiencing the love of a parent.

If he joined the Guardians, and it didn’t work out, he could walk away—if Lark spoke the truth. Otherwise, God help the demon. He wouldn’t be a slave at their hands.

What did he have to lose?

He wandered to the windows and stared out at the lake for a long moment. “I’m in.”

Raphael stood and joined him by the glass.

What the hell did one say to someone you were promising to protect with your life? Jett lowered his head in silence. He’d promised himself he’d never bend in supplication of any kind ever again, so he had no greater way to show his respect and intent.

“I can’t express what this means to me, Guardian.” Raphael extended a wing and touched Jett’s arm with his flight feathers. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me until you’re dying of old age.”

Raphael reached his other wing toward Wren, who got to his feet. “Your oath extends to my family. They mean more to me than my own safety. I ask that you remember that. If the worst should happen one day and you can’t save us all, do not put me before them.”

Wren shot his father a withering glare and flicked his wings. “Ignore that, Jett.”

Jett nodded. He’d be damned if it ever came to such a moment, so no need to argue. “I understand your concern, Raphael.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Wren offered his hand. As they shook, he brushed Jett’s arm with his feathers as Raphael had done.

“What does that mean?” Jett had grown accustomed to Raphael avoiding wing contact. Even after Raphael’s imprisonment ended, Jett had observed the physical distance the archangels kept between themselves and others.

“Just our way of showing how much we trust you.” A hint of warning filled Wren’s voice. Jett held his gaze and nodded in understanding. Despite the gesture, Wren’s full trust still needed to be earned.

Jett took Lark’s hand in a firm shake. “I’m honored to work with you.”

“Likewise. Let’s get you orientated.” He motioned for Jett to follow and headed for the door.

Chapter Eleven

Jett followed Lark outside and around the back of the house, where an acre of trees had been cleared. A ten-foot granite wall surrounded an expansive garden: flowers and fruit trees, a fountain and marble statues, manicured lawn and meandering stone paths. He preferred the disorganized beauty of the untamed forest, but whoever did all this work had his respect.

“Kora, Raphael’s mate, did all of this herself.” Lark pointed toward a pristine reflecting pool at the base of a marble monument, rose bushes on either side. “She’s buried here, too.”

They followed the granite wall to the rear of the garden, where a wooden door and a security panel interrupted the smooth stonework.

“Tool shed?”

Lark scowled. “Bachelor pad.”

“You live here?”

Lark released the locks by entering a code in the security panel, opened the door, and went inside. “Home sweet home.”

Jett stepped through the door into a simple room with a bed and dresser on the left and a kitchenette and woodstove on the right. The stone floor, walls, and ceiling were blackened in many places. The scent of charred wood filled Jett’s nose. “Fire?”

Lark pressed a palm against the rough stone wall. “After Kora’s murder, the Guardians burned this place. Rightfully so, of course. I chose to leave the scorch marks when I moved back in. One can never have too many reminders of their single biggest failure in two hundred and fifty years of life. But, we’re not here to talk about my shoddy taste in decorating. Here.” Lark selected a box from a closet and pushed it into Jett’s hands. “Clothes I picked up the other day.” His mouth curved in a conspiratorial grin. “They should be your size.”

“I’m fine as I am, thanks.”

“A Guardian holds a position of respect in the colony. Especially an archangel’s Guardian. I can almost see your ass, those jeans are so threadbare.”

The redhead had a point. Living in the woods, he’d kept himself clean, but the rips and tears in his clothing hadn’t mattered. “Where can I change?”

“Through there.” Lark pointed to a door.

In the bathroom, Jett changed into the black combat pants and muscle shirt, and studied himself in the mirror. Damn, he needed a pair of scissors. He preferred his hair a little too long—mainly because Lawrence had kept it skull trimmed—but the uneven mess left after he’d used his knife for a haircutting tool was far from presentable, especially against the black uniform.

He tilted his head and ran his fingers over the tiny Guardian emblem, a cursive, gold G no bigger than a thumbnail, stitched on the left of his neckline. Simple, but proud.

So unlike the gaudy tattoo on his arm. He pulled on the black jacket to cover the appalling artwork. Shit, the look Lexine had given him.

Rolling his shoulders to adjust the new garments, he returned to the main room. Lark stood in the open doorway of a gun closet, flipping a blade end over end with one hand.

“You clean up nice.” A taunting grin.

“Fuck you.” Jett took in the something-for-everyone display of guns, knives, and…was that a samurai sword? “Tell me something. Do you trust me as much as Raphael does?”

Lark sheathed the blade. “I trust that you belong here, not with the humans, and you know it. For the eighteen years of Raphael’s imprisonment, I haunted Thornton’s stronghold, so you’re not a stranger to me. At the time, I had no reason or desire to respect your privacy.”

Jett’s muscles stiffened to the point that pain shot up his neck. “How much did you see?”

“Enough.” The tone in which Lark spoke that one word carried the weight of a hundred of Jett’s worst memories. Lark had been there, had witnessed the degradation. The older demon held his gaze without even a smattering of pity, the muscles around his jaw flexing as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. “At your age, I doubt I would have handled such treatment half as well. You have my respect.”

Lark offered his hand, and Jett shook it. Like it or not, Lark knew things no other living person knew. Jett wouldn’t allow that to undermine him. It was over. Thornton was dead, and this was his new life.

“However,” Lark said, “not everyone in Sanctuary will be as certain about you. Be prepared, and be patient.”

“Speaking of that. Does Sanctuary have any tattoo-removal equipment?”

“Lasers? No, but…” He held up a knife. “I could carve it off and the archangels could heal your arm. That would leave a nasty scar, though.”

“Better scar tissue than this tattoo.”

“I’d consider leaving it alone.”

“What the hell for?”

“Because the scar would be just as much a reminder as the tattoo itself, and if you ask me, those fingernail marks send a clear message of where your loyalty is and is not. Think about it while you train. If you still want to be carved up later, we’ll get it done.”

They spent an hour selecting just the right weapons for Jett’s tastes. New combat blades hugged his thighs. Eight throwing knives, two sets of four, clung to his sides. Daggers nestled into his boots and sheaths on his arms. A strap held a gun at his back.

Lark showed him to a spare room. “You can come here when you need to sleep, for now, and you can leave the weapons here. You won’t need them during the early phase of your training, which starts tomorrow at dawn. But first, you need to be presentable and armed when we appear with the family at the memorial for Jac and the children, which begins at dusk.”

Jett’s mouth went dry. A group funeral, courtesy of Law-rence.

Never again.

His thoughts shifted to large amber eyes and dark hair. Despite the grim occasion, his body hummed at the prospect of seeing her again.

“If you successfully complete the training,” Lark continued, “you and I will be equal partners. We’ll know each other well enough to work together during an emergency when we can’t stop and plan. However, for the time being, you’re required to heed any and all instructions I give you. In a situation where the family is at risk, my attention cannot be divided between them and wondering what the hell you’re doing.”

He bit back a “fuck off.” Taking orders would be the hardest part of this training, he had no doubt. “Understood.”

“Good.” Lark flipped and caught his blade again. “This afternoon, we’ll get some necessary evils out of the way. All the other Guardians need to meet you, and the more the civilians see you, the more at ease with your presence they’ll become. I’ve called Devin. He’ll take you around. I need to stay near the archangels.”

Sunglasses in place, they stepped out of the dwelling into the harsh, late-morning sun. Devin waited in the garden, dressed in Guardian black, minus the jacket. A long, thin scar wound across his left forearm. Wraparound sunglasses covered his eyes, but his lips curved in a smug grin. “I have much to teach you,” Lark said, “but the basis of your training will be physical conditioning. Devin will oversee those festivities.”

Devin’s grin broadened.

“You can’t be serious.” Jett folded his arms. “Running laps and push-ups?”

Lark laughed and glanced over his sunglasses, his crimson irises harsh red in the daylight. “Five minutes into the program originally designed by your father, you’ll wish it were that easy.”

“Before we do anything else,” Jett said, “we need to discuss Lawrence. He’s still out there, and we have no leads.”

“We know he’s planning another attack,” Devin said, all humor vanishing. “I think our best option is to wait for Lawrence to make another move. He has no chance of surprising us again.”

“Not my first choice,” Lark muttered, “but you’re right, we’re out of offensive options.”

“We could confide in the Vermont State Police,” Devin said. “We know his name. They should be able to track him down quite easily, even if he uses aliases, which I bet he does.”

“No,” Lark said, his tone icy. “They won’t let us kill him, and if he hasn’t done anything against human laws, he won’t even go to jail. I want this threat eliminated.”

“This could damage our fragile relationship with the VSP. Just saying. It’s worth considering.”

“The archangels are our first priority,” Jett said. “Period.”

Lark nodded. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We will involve the state police, but only concerning the threat of another attack on the colony by poachers, and we’ll prepare colony-wide for that attack. Vin is already planning as much.

“We won’t confide in the VSP about Lawrence, but any poachers they unearth may provide us with valuable leads. We’ll wait him out. Bastard has to make a mistake eventually Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Devin said.

“Fine,” Jett said.

Damn it. He fucking hated waiting.

…

Dressed in a heavy mourning robe, Lexine approached Sanctuary’s mausoleum—an edifice of granite and stained glass. She paused at the stone steps and glanced back at the gathering on the lawn. As with every death, the colonists had gathered together in silence, dressed in gray, their candles like stars that had sunk beneath the navy-blue, late-evening sky.

The archangels stood near the front of the crowd but off to the side, the white of their wings stark in the low light. They wore gray, just like all the demons, the traditional mourning color. Catching Ginger’s gaze, Lexine strayed from the mausoleum procession to embrace her friend. Holding the sleeping twins, Raphael and Wren whispered their condolences, followed by Lark and Devin. When the scent of rich tea and honey filled her nose and a fourth voice murmured in her ear, Lexine shivered under the verbal caress and glanced up.

Jett had traded his jeans and shirt for Guardian black, the distinctive golden G embroidered into the collar of both his jacket and the shirt underneath.

Her lungs deflated, and she tried to speak, but no sound came out. A Guardian? What? How?

“Lexi?” Her mother’s voice pulled her attention back to the open doors of the mausoleum, but Lexine’s feet remained frozen in place.

Jett lifted a hand to her arm.

She yanked free and shoved him in the chest, a fierce heat rising within her blood. His lips parted in surprise, revealing a hint of fangs longer and thicker than her own—typical of the male half of the species. The sight accelerated her heart rate along with her burst of temper. How dare he do this?

Hissing through her own fangs, she whispered, “Your life wasn’t dangerous enough? You had to go and paint a bigger target on your back?”

Being a Guardian put him on the front lines when dangerous humans attacked. He was significantly upping his chances of getting killed.

Dream or no dream, relationship or no relationship—after rescuing Bryce, Jett would always be a treasured part of her and her little brother’s life. To ever see him laid out in the mausoleum would chip off a piece of her heart, and under the crushing pain of her older brother’s death, the image was too much to bear.

She pivoted on her heel and hurried under the stone archway, joining her family.

The parents and siblings of the murdered children also occupied the grand room with its cathedral ceiling. The four urns sat under white veils, the moonlight from the stained-glass windows adding a shadow of color, a whisper of the lives that had once been.

She held her mother as the time-weathered demon collapsed to her knees and sobbed, the sounds cutting in the acoustic space, joining the weeping of the other mourners. Though aging, as humans would recognize it, had just started to kick in for the five-hundred-year-old, giving her hair gray streaks, the stress of the last couple days had taken all the color from her skin and left her thin and brittle in Lexine’s arms.

Lexine held her own tears back. She stepped aside so her father could hold her mother. Sitting next to the largest veil-covered urn, she pulled Bryce into her lap and hummed in his ear.

Gradually, the room grew quiet, the steady decrescendo the only mark of passing time. Her mother took Bryce, and Lexine leaned against the wall. Pain filled her body, but she could not, would not, let it out.

“It’s okay to cry, sweetie,” her father whispered.

“I can’t. It’s too…final.”

He took her hand. “Jac’s gone.”

She squeezed his hand, but pulled away and ran out the back door of the mausoleum. In the cool night air, her knees gave out and tears broke free.

So much for being strong.

Warm weight settled against her side and over her shoulders. Jett sat in the grass with her, flames licking down his arms. He lifted her and resettled them in a private corner created by the stone steps and the wall, and she didn’t protest. She gave in to the hypnotic comfort of the fire and leaned against him.

“You are strong, Lexine.”

Had she expressed that doubt out loud? She wiped at her face and held her breath in an attempt to dam the sobs.

He shook his head, his chin rubbing against her hair. “Let it out. You won’t feel better until you do.”

God help her, she did as he said. She gripped his jacket and set her grief free. Sobs shook her body, choked her throat, and continued until the sodden place they seeped from ran dry. She pulled away long enough to clean her face with tissues from her pockets. Steadied by Jett’s embrace, she shut her eyes and breathed in his scent. His flames caressed her cheek.

An owl lifted off from the mausoleum roof and disappeared over the trees in startled flight. Much larger silhouettes followed a moment later as the archangels headed home, the rustle of their feathers a harsh sound in the still night. She’d lost all track of time, but the colony’s vigil traditionally broke up at one in the morning.

Lexine leaned away. “Shouldn’t you be following them?”

“Lark cut me loose for the rest of the evening. My pre-sence with the family tonight was more ceremonial than anything else. My training starts at dawn.”

“Well, congratulations.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice.

“Why does my decision upset you?”

“Because you seem intent on getting yourself killed.”

“They offered me a purpose that will outlast Lawrence. I accepted.”

“After not even speaking to anyone for months?” She sighed, gripping his shoulders. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled you’re joining the community, but a Guardian?”

“For the archangels.”

“That’s worse.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s nothing more dangerous.”

“I’m in training. If it will work out remains to be seen. I want more in my future than brook trout, wild berries, and no one but the squirrels to talk to. I’m not trying to get myself killed. I’m trying to start living.”

She rubbed her face. She’d be selfish to argue that point.

“You should go back inside.”

“I’d like to head home, actually.” She shivered and pulled the robe tight. “I could use some extra sleep.”

“I’ll walk you, then.”

“All right.” After ducking inside to check in with her family, she fell into step at his side, her arms folded.

“Do you give all new Guardians the same reception?” he murmured as the path curved around a large boulder in the forest, bringing them closer to the lakeshore. Intermittent lanterns hung from the trees, providing a reddish-orange glow.

“No. The Guardians have my respect. You’re no exception, especially after all you’ve done for Bryce. I just…”

“What?”

The words rushed out of her mouth. “One of my brothers was just murdered. The other, kidnapped. Poachers attacked the colony. Ginger is a dear friend and the constant threat that hangs over her family haunts me. It’s too much for me to see another person I care about added to the boiling water!”

He arched an eyebrow. “I’m a person you care about?”

“Of course. You saved my little brother.”

“Ah, so you’re just grateful.”

“I’m very grateful, but it’s more than that.”

He stopped. Unmoving, he stared at her, those eyes of deepest crimson richer in the darkness lit only by the lantern hanging above his head. “How so?”

“I want to kiss you again, Jett.” She pressed her palms to his chest, stood on her toes, and tasted his lips.

His arms anchored her waist to his and he parted her lips with his tongue. The sweet taste of his venom—more honey-like in flavor than her own—filled her mouth as his tongue slid against hers. She sucked on one of his fangs, drawing out more of the nectar. A tremor ran down her body.

One of his hands lifted and tangled in her hair; the other dropped and squeezed her ass. Despite his passionate grip, he eased off, kissing her with leisurely strokes of his lips. His tender caress eased the tension out of her muscles.

She ran her hands down his arms, over the unmistakable lumps of knives under his jacket. A Guardian for the archangels, but how could that be? In her dream, he’d been her mate. Lark had never taken a mate, had never even indulged in courtship as far as she knew. Most of the Guardians had families, but Lark, and now Jett, had a responsibility that owned and defined their lives.

Certainly he wouldn’t fail the training, would he? Knowing what he’d done for Raphael in the past and feeling the coiled strength beneath her hands, the idea that he’d fail seemed absurd.

The future in the dream was easily changed, after all. The thought left her with an ache in her chest. She’d barely started getting to know him, had gotten just a taste of where things could go between them. Now the potential was gone, snuffed out like a tiny flame.

But, he deserved to do well. He’d been through so much.

She broke the kiss, her fingers lingering on his shoulders. “Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” He offered her his arm and resumed walking. “As soon as I have time, I want to see you again.”

She bit her lip. He’d have no such time. “I look forward to it.”

Chapter Twelve

“Savages,” Jett said, coughing on water as he threw his bound hands over the edge of the large canoe. Three weeks had passed since the funeral—one continuous training session except for a few precious hours of sleep. “Vicious, evil degenerates—”

“Hold that thought.” His blond head haloed by the first colors of dawn, Devin lifted Jett by the arms and shoved him down. Again.

Jett had been in the water long enough that the cold no longer bothered him—he’d gone numb. His lungs and muscles burned. Using a whole-body writhing motion that he’d perfected since the moment Devin had first tossed him overboard with hands and ankles bound, he propelled himself back to the surface. This time, he stayed the hell away from the boat, so he’d have a moment to catch his breath.

Devin grinned with satisfaction, as if he’d been waiting for Jett to make that move. “You’ve shaved off half your time. Excellent.”

Fighting to keep his head above the surface with his hands and feet bound, Jett heard a different voice.

“Start the fire now,” Lawrence insisted.

Shivering, thirteen-year-old Jett tried to climb out of the icy bath. Hands grasped his shoulders from behind and pushed him back down, chin-deep in the water. Answering from behind the metal gag that clamped around his head, he managed, “I c-can’t.”

Oh, he wanted to. Wanted to light up the entire room, especially his keepers. But the water left his ability useless, as the scientists apparently wanted to prove.

Lawrence and the two men in white coats murmured to each other in low voices. One of them, the balding one with the mustache the size of a rat, shook his head. “Make sure.”

Firm hands pushed Jett’s head beneath the surface.

“Still with me?” Devin’s brow furrowed.

“I fucking hate water.”

“Of course you do,” Devin said. “We all do. But not as much as the archangels hate it.”

Jett coughed, focusing on the here and now. If he told Devin to fuck off and swam to shore, no one would stop him. So, he didn’t. The freedom made all the difference. “Why the archangels?”

“Imagine one of them face down in the water.”

A chill that had nothing to do with the cold lake ran down Jett’s spine. With their wings, it’d be impossible to right themselves. “I’d hope they’d stay away from water at all costs.”

“Yes. They avoid it with as much enthusiasm as they avoid lightning storms. But, a few decades ago, an archangel in Canada’s demon colony tried to rescue a civilian demon caught in a flash flood and ended up in the water herself. The archangel’s Guardian wouldn’t have been able to haul her out of there if he’d been only a mediocre swimmer.”

Jett shut his eyes and nodded.

“Also, we can’t put it past poachers to use water to their advantage. Anyone seeking to harm archangels or demons will utilize water if they have the opportunity. It’s an element you need to master.” Devin bent and retrieved an object from the floor of the boat. The small, round capsule lit up with blue light. He tossed it into the water, and it sank. “Fetch!”

After hours in the lake, Jett sat on the rocks high above the shore, naked to the waist, toweling himself. The sun had risen high, warming his skin, necessitating sunglasses. Devin had disappeared into the archangel house after announcing that Vin was on his way to lead a session.

He stared at his hand, where Lexine had bitten him weeks before. The marks had faded, but like their kiss, he still felt the moist heat of her. Felt her both shudder and hold him tight.

He had to touch her again. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself. The sooner the better, if he wanted any level of control at all.

“Morning, Guardian.” Footsteps on the rocks accompanied the rustle of feathers.

Jett ran the towel over his hair. “Never, ever, go near the water for any reason.”

Raphael laughed. “Have fun this morning?”

“Devin sure knows how to have a good time.”

“Once in the water was enough for me, don’t worry. Years ago, Lark insisted on a water lesson to learn some tricks to help keep myself alive if a real situation arose.”

“Where is Lark?” Jett scanned the trees.

“He’s never far, but he keeps as much distance as he can, as often as he can. As grateful as I am for the Guardians, twenty-four-hour protection can be a difficult thing.”

“I know what it’s like to always have someone watching.” Jett fought the deep urge to cover himself with the towel, the memories crawling over his skin like insects. “I don’t think a single second of my life in the lab wasn’t monitored and recorded.”

Raphael flicked his wings. After a pause, he said, “When you have a break in your training, you should go to the town hall, second floor. You’ll find an office on the far side of the atrium. The guard knows to let you in.”

Jett cocked his head. “Whose office?”

“Dante’s.”

“My father’s?” He wiped his clammy hands on the towel.

“It’s there whenever you’re ready. He founded Sanctuary and personally trained all the Guardians who protected it until his death. He wrote everything down, and as part of your training, you need to read his original words. His journals and other personal effects are there, too.”

Jett chewed the tip of his tongue between his incisors, making his mouth moist enough to speak. “Thank you—”

A feminine shriek split the air and grew louder. A shadow shot across the ground, accompanied by wind. Wren careened overhead. The pseudoterrified scream from the woman in his arms broke up into laughter as they disappeared over the trees.

“Is that safe?” Jett got to his feet, staring in the direction the young couple had disappeared. The worst-case scenario played through his mind. If poachers invaded the forest, both Wren and Ginger could be killed with one well-aimed bullet. So quick. “Where are the twins?”

Raphael stretched his wings, the pure-white feathers blinding in the sunlight. “Devin is upstairs with the twins, and Wren is a strong flier. What good is flight if you only use it to go from point A to point B?”

“If poachers—”

“Lark is in the forest. He has our trust, as do you.”

With that, the archangel beat his wings in furious movement and leaped off the rocks. He skimmed the water before rising into the air and vanishing over the opposite side of the lake.

Jett shook his head, his chest constricting, the tightness suffocating. The archangels would be safest inside, but what were they fighting for, if not the freedom to live, really live? Jett would be the last person to force them into another prison.

Perhaps the hardest part of being their Guardian would be accepting that he couldn’t protect them from everything.

…

Lexine wandered through the winery, a glorified barn on the edge of the apple orchard. Clean and weather-tight, the scent of apples permeated the small building. The heirloom varieties used for winemaking had ripened the week before, and she had occupied her time picking. Crates of the fruit lined the wall, ready to go.

She climbed the stairs to the second level, a single space like the first floor. The wine bottles that Jac reused every year were reposed in boxes.

Hmm. If she relocated the glassware, this would make an elegant studio apartment. The construction on the new residence building was underway, and she wasn’t impatient. This place, however, suited her better than the communal residences. Quiet. Sunshine. Located on a hilltop, the view from one window looked out over the orchard while the other showcased a sweeping panorama of the lake. As she stared, the white wings of one of the archangels streaked beneath the morning clouds.

Thanks to the winemaking needs, the building had plumbing and a small bathroom on the first floor. Not very girl friendly, but she could make it work.

Staring out the window, her fingers idly tracing a knot in the wood, she spotted Jett walking on the path below. What was he doing here? She lifted her fingertips to her lips.

She knew the expectations of a Guardian in training—total focus and almost impossible physical tasks—so she’d kept her distance. As she’d expected, he hadn’t sought her out, either. When she’d glimpsed him now and then, he was either in the lake, high in the trees, or covered in mud and bleeding, Devin nipping at his heels.

Jett stopped at the edge of the lawn and glanced up. He wore sunglasses against the bright morning glare, but with a shiver, she felt his gaze connect with hers. After a moment of stillness, he headed for the entry.

Cursing the lack of a mirror, she smoothed her hair and rushed downstairs.

Jett entered the winery, shutting the door behind himself. Clean and dressed in Guardian black, he removed his sunglasses. “Good morning, Lexine. I was told I’d find you up here.”

Casual words, but a far from casual tone. He spoke in a voice most would reserve for candlelit bedrooms.

She licked her lips. “I was getting a look at my new place.”

“You’re going to stay here?” He leaned against the lacquered pine wall, feet crossed at the ankles, hands in his pockets, staring at her. She caught a glimpse of the twin blades strapped to his waist, the idea of how dangerous and capable he was, an unusual thrill. She’d only ever dated civilians, and even the one who thought he was all big and bad lacked the power Jett commanded in his gaze alone.

“Yes. So,” she said, unsure what to do under the intensity of his stare, “they gave you a break?”

“Yes, but with an ulterior motive. Sometime tonight I start sparring with Lark.” His gaze stayed locked on her, traveling down her body and up again ever so slowly, his tone disinterested in his words.

“Sometime?” She wiped her clammy palms on her jeans.

“The point is to try to catch me off guard.”

Lexine shivered and glanced around.

“I was promised the daylight hours to myself.” His lips twitched. “There’re a few things I’ve been meaning to do.”

“Oh?” She knew her nonchalant attempt failed when his smile broadened, the expression sinful and full of promise.

She gave herself a mental slap. The raw, sexual vibe coming off him promised that this could get out of hand. Far out of hand. She needed to rein this in. Despite her desperate dating habits in the past, she’d never gotten sexually involved with a male without the hope of a committed relationship.

Since he’d started training, she’d slept without the recurring the dream. His decision to become a Guardian to the archangels must have changed their future.

But what was the harm? Her previous relationships hadn’t worked out, despite all their sweet promises. Once, she’d been flat-out used and left, after all the empty words he’d sung to get her naked. She would have picked up on his game sooner, but she’d been blinded by the fear of her then-recently-begun nightmares and the need to cling to a demon male. Any demon male. At least she knew where she stood with Jett. No promises, just the present. And the heat in his gaze was no lie.

She hadn’t been able to put their first kisses out of her mind.

Her hesitation must have shown on her face. His voice quiet, but no less intense, he said, “You set the pace, Lex. But not seeing you for two weeks might have driven me mad.”

She flushed at his first use of her shortened name.

“May I call you Lex?”

“Absolutely.”

He stalked forward and took her hand. His intensely sexual tone persisted as he murmured, “May I be blunt?”

“Sure.”

“You’ve lost weight these past two weeks. Have you been well?”

“I haven’t had much of an appetite. But I’m fine. It’s getting better as time passes.”

“That’s good.” He cocked his head. “I was on my way to find something to eat. Will you join me?”

Perfect. A way to keep this under control but still share his company. “Absolutely.”

They made their way down the path to the village. Around the cluster of wood-and-stone buildings in the center of the colony, nothing moved except for the two of them, most of the residents inside for the daylight hours. The scent of baking bread and seasonings drifted through the air from the tavern—which the owner, her cousin, Gregory, had named The Ninth Circle. Smartass. Lexine smiled whenever she saw the sign, which hung above the door, complete with a little red devil and pitchfork.

Jett led her inside, a hand on her lower back.

Gory lounged behind the bar, watching a human news program on the wall-mounted television. The bald demon grinned and lifted his fingers in greeting. “Help yourselves. Got your favorite out today, Lexi.”

“Thanks. What’s going on in the world?” Steam rose from a mug in front of a Guardian, the only individual at the bar. Though most of the colonists stayed in their homes during the day, the Guardians on day shifts frequented The Ninth Circle. Since she also worked during the day, Lexine stopped by often, as did many single demons, and the archangels. Today was quieter than usual, the colony still adjusting after the recent attacks.

Gory shook his head. “War, bad politics, and celebrity scandals. What else?”On the serving counter, the small daytime spread included soups and warm breads. A cooler offered sandwiches and pasta salads. Lexine took a bowl of corn chowder and a wheat roll to a table that had a chair in a beam of sunlight. Jett settled opposite her with the potato bisque, a turkey sandwich, and two rolls. They ate for a moment in comfortable silence.

She chewed her lower lip. “Hmm.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. This is just so…normal. Seeing you makes me feel like we should be rushing off on some emergency.”

He grinned, though his eyes seemed sad. “I’m sorry we met under extreme circumstances. How’s Bryce?”

“He’s had a few nightmares, but otherwise, he’s doing well.”

“Good.” He leaned back in the chair and leveled his dark crimson gaze on her. “How have your dreams been, Lexine?”

“Um…” She shoveled some chowder into her mouth to buy a moment to choose her words. She settled on the simple truth: “I’ve had no dreams these last two weeks, at least, none that I remembered when I woke.”

“No poacher?”

“No poacher.” She kept her gaze on the soup, hoping she didn’t look too guilty.

“Excellent.” He reached across the table and rested his fingers on hers. “I’m sorry I disappeared for two weeks. This training—”

“Don’t worry. I understand, and I respect what you’re doing. Mostly, I’m glad you’re not going back to the woods.”

He scoffed. “I wouldn’t have gone back to the woods after meeting you.”

Her heart hammered.

“I still want to get to know you, whether the time is easily won or not.” He drew circles on the back of her hand. “I agreed to train on the condition that my life was still my own and my personal decisions still mine to make. It’s not fair of me to ask, considering how little time I’ll have to offer, but I want to spend my free moments with you. Are you willing to give it a try?”

She smiled and grasped his hand, but cautioned herself. Just a try. In all reality, seeing him only once in a while wasn’t something she wanted. She craved companionship, and despite the way she responded to Jett’s every touch and glance, she wouldn’t be happy with this arrangement long term. Also, as a Guardian standing directly between poachers and the archangels, she’d worry. And worry and worry. Perhaps telling him no would be smart, but the word refused to form on her lips.

Try.

“I’d love to.”

He kissed her fingers, stood, and made quick work of clearing the table. “The day’s wasting.”

“Yes. Can I make a request?”

“Sure.”

“You lived all these months in the woods. Show me where?”

He glanced away. “Why?”

“Because it was your home.”

“I suppose it was.”

“More of a home than you’ve had in a long time.”

“True enough.” He didn’t sound convinced. “It’s nothing worth seeing, though.”

“I want to see what you did with the freedom you’re always griping about,” she said, smiling. “I want to know more about you, not what others forced you to be.”

“It’s not far from the scene of the murders.”

“Oh.” She should have realized that—how else had Jett found the humans faster than the Guardians? She’d been hoping to never venture into that area—Jett read her well. But she refused to back down. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“I prefer ‘determined,’ and don’t be a hypocrite. It doesn’t suit you.”

He smiled, the effect so bright it reminded her of sunshine glinting on the lake after the ice finally breaks in the spring. “Okay, Lexine, let’s go for a walk. Just remember it was your idea.”

Chapter Thirteen

Abandoning Sanctuary’s groomed trails just beyond the cemetery, Jett led Lexine through the forest, the elevation steadily climbing. Neither of them said much—their first priority was listening for unwelcome company as they ventured farther out. As he’d observed the colony that year, he noted that Guardians and civilians alike treated the woods with respectful caution, the way a human would walk into a large, silent cathedral that might be empty or might not, and any sound would fill the space. Even children fell silent without being told.

Never before had he observed his own kind. Lawrence had described aggressive, hot-tempered beasts. In reality, most were like Jett: they preferred quiet and peace to disruption of any kind.

“Did my father have trouble getting demons to form a colony?”

“No, why?”

He stepped over a fallen, broken branch, making no sound. “It seems to me being out here, alone, is more natural for us.”

“Devin and Lark haven’t taught you any history?”

“Not yet.”

She ran her fingers over the bark of a thick pine. “Demons have been on earth for thousands of years, mostly in North America because there were far fewer humans here at the time, plenty of uninterrupted forest. We had no trouble with the Native Americans and rarely interacted with the archangels. You’re right, we weren’t as sociable a society then, but we weren’t loners, either. Young adult demons left their parents and searched the woods until they found mates. Couples were then as they are now—bonded for life and inseparable. Adult demons who didn’t find mates eventually died, the loneliness the root of a physical disease that hasn’t been seen since the colonies formed.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.”

“How did they find one another? The forest was a lot bigger then than it is now.”

“An ability that has all but disappeared in generations like mine, but it’s said to remain strong in those with a Guardian bloodline. I bet you had little trouble finding us even though you were on foot in the woods, right?”

He paused, recalling the turmoil of his thoughts during that trip. Free for the first time, but with no place to go. Hatred for Lawrence, concern and loyalty toward Raphael. Despite everything, he’d crossed the state and gone directly to the colony, never once losing his way. “I sensed it, somehow.”

“Exactly, and I’m sure Lark or Devin will explain it better. Anyway, the growing number of human European settlers drove us to work together as a community. The violence aside, it’s been a good thing and everyone agrees.”

“Why not form communities long before that?”

“Change needed the catalyst. Like you said, it’s in our nature to be out here, alone—well, almost alone.” She brushed her fingers over his arm, the fleeting contact a tease that made him reach out. She hooked her arm around his and they kept walking.

Jett breathed easier than he ever had before.

He avoided the easiest route—the rough path which Jac had taken the kids along—and followed a small brook. When the terrain leveled off he turned south, along the mountain instead of up it. After an hour, they passed above the murder scene, hidden beyond the trees, though the faint scent of blood lingered when the breeze blew just right. Lexine’s shoulders stiffened and she gripped his arm tighter.

“Just a little farther,” Jett said. “Have you been up here before?”

“Not since I was little, like Bryce, when they first start teaching us tracking and other forest skills.”

Tension filled her voice. Why had she insisted on coming to this place? What was she expecting to find at his camp? At least there was one thing worth the trip. “Wait till you see the view.”

The murder scene disappeared behind them, and they climbed one last rise to a small, natural clearing—most of the trees forced back by the granite ledge and crisscrossing springs.

“Here we are. There, look.” The gap in the forest framed a view of the colony and the lake below them, and of the sky, where an archangel surfed the vast stretch of blue. “It’s Raphael.”

“How can you tell?”

“They have different flying styles.”

“I’ve never noticed that.”

“It’s subtle. He favors the wing that was broken.”

“I thought it was perfectly healed,” she said, concern in her voice.

“I don’t know if something like that can ever be perfectly healed, mentally if not physically.”

She leaned against him and they watched in silence for a few minutes. “I like watching them fly, even though it makes me a little jealous. Can you imagine it?”

“No, I can’t, but I’m not sure the ability to fly would be worth the consequences.”

“The poachers?” She shook her head. “Horrible, but worth it. Definitely. When I watch them long enough, I can almost feel the force of it on my body. Even though it’s my imagination, it’s exhilarating.”

“Freedom, in any form, is exhilarating.”

Lexine turned away from the gliding archangel and faced him. “True. So you do know what it’s like to fly. You and Raphael both have been airborne since you escaped Thornton.”

“I suppose…”

She laughed. “Yeah, I didn’t figure you for the poetic type.” She walked past him, toward the shelter he’d built for himself at the edge of the clearing.

His home, as Lexine had pointed out. Why hadn’t he thought of it that way?

“You did this without tools or equipment?”

“At first I spent most of my time exploring the land around the colony. When I noticed something that would fit, I brought it back. It wasn’t as much work as it appears.” He’d stacked large rocks to waist-height in the middle of a hemlock grove, connecting four of the old trees that formed a nearly perfect square. To make an A-shaped roof, he’d tied branches together with the sturdy grape vines that grew on the trees near the river, topping it off with hemlock and pine foliage. By winter, he’d added deer skins, tanned with demon fire, to make the shelter water and windproof. “I just needed a place to sleep and wait out storms.”

“May I?” She lifted a hand to the deer-skin door.

“Sure.”

She vanished inside, and he followed her. He’d padded the ground first with pine needles, then with skins: deer near the door, rabbit and fox where he slept.

“Well, I guess I know what you ate.”

“I’ll be happy never to eat wild game again in my life.” Hunting and catching animals had been easy, none of the creatures able to outmaneuver a demon. He considered the food chain perfectly natural, but he’d have gladly traded a few salads to break fewer necks.

She sat on his bed and studied the stone portion of the wall he’d carefully constructed to form a shelf. He’d whittled bowls, forks, and spoons from pine. “You did make yourself at home.”

“During the cold snap that refused to give up, the archangels spent more time inside. Made me crazy, so I had to keep busy.”

“You really worried about them.”

“I, well…” He ground his teeth and sat on the bed next to her. “I had no reason to worry, but I couldn’t stop making it my business. I had to be here, just in case.”

“It’s in your blood.”

“I don’t believe in that kind of thing.”

“Silly.” She pressed her palm to the center of her chest. “Being a Guardian takes a certain kind of heart. Whether you think of yours as entirely your own or as something your father passed on to you, you have it.”

“I make my own decisions.”

“But you can’t change who you are on that level.”

He nodded, conceding, but he half wanted to push the subject to see the flare of pink in her cheeks and the way her chin stuck out ever so slightly when she argued a point.

Her attention shifted back to the shelf where there was also a pen he’d had on him when he’d fled Thornton’s farmhouse and a stack of birch bark he’d cut into squares.

“What are these?” She reached a hand toward the birch.

“I, uh, wanted to write down my thoughts. I’ve never had enough privacy before.”

“Oh.” She withdrew her hand.

“You can read them if you want.”

“That defeats the purpose of privacy.”

“Perhaps, but you came here, despite having to walk near the place where your brother died, to see this side of me. I wrote down things I’ll never say out loud, so if you want to know my thoughts, this is your chance.”

Instead of picking up his makeshift journal, she leaned over and kissed him.

Unable to help himself, he lifted a hand to her nape to discourage her from ending the kiss and pulling away. Her sugary venom coated his tongue, the heat of her a pleasure itself. Nerves as distant as his toes came alive with the need for more of her touch. He indulged, wrapping his other arm around her lower back and pulling her closer. Not that she needed the encouragement. She ran her hands over his head and across his shoulders. Her fingers tickled down his sides to his waist, a gesture he mimicked, drawing a whimper from her throat.

As she reached under his shirt and caressed his skin, he clamped his hands over her wrists and broke the kiss.

“What’s wrong?” A blush rose to her cheeks.

Oh, how he loathed to admit the reason for his hesitation. “I want more.”

“So do I.”

“But…”

“But?”

He searched for words. Came up dry.

“If you’re worried about your scars—”

“I’m not.” He removed the leather straps holding his knives to his torso, gripped the bottom of his shirt, and pulled the black material over his head.

“Fair is fair.” She lifted her own shirt over her head.

A dark red bra enclosed the swells of her breasts.

“You’re staring,” she said, a smile in her voice, and leaned forward. “Feel free to take it off.”

He ran his hands over the silky material, her body heat soaking into his skin. “Show me how.”

Her eyes widened ever so slightly. “You’ve never…?”

“No,” he said, his mouth dry.

To his surprise, her smile widened. “Good.”

“Not the reaction I expected.”

“I admit, I wondered, considering your life up to this point.” She reached behind her back and the bra loosened. Leaving the garment in place, she lifted a hand and cupped his neck. “Better to have a clean slate than one with more bad memories.”

“Do you have some bad memories, Lex?”

Her smile faded. “Yes.”

Eyes closed, he turned his face toward her hand and kissed her palm. “How am I doing so far?”

“Nothing like the others.”

“I’ll take that as a good thing.”

“Most definitely.”

Easing the silk straps off her shoulders, he pulled the bra free of her body. He paused, bent, and smothered her breasts with kisses. She dug her fingers into her hair.

He scraped her skin with his fangs, remembering the liquid heat of her venom when she bit him at the motel. If biting wasn’t a part of demon sex play, he’d be surprised. The only thing that had ever brought him half as much bliss was her mouth on his.

She stiffened. “Jett.”

He removed his face and hands from her body. Had he screwed up that quickly? No, he doubted that. What, then? Did she harbor some pain from her past experiences? “I love touching you.”

“There’s something I may need to tell you. I’m not sure if you know.”

“I’m listening.” He pressed his lips to her throat.

“No, you’re not.”

“Sure I am.” He nibbled.

Her words came out breathless and he held her tighter in satisfaction. She said, “In Dearly, I bit you during my nightmare.”

“Yes. I was just thinking about that.”

“Love biting is common, and isn’t supposed to hurt when done right—”

“Excellent.” He brushed his lips along the length of her throat to her shoulder.

“You can’t bite me.”

He met her gaze. “Why not?”

“Mutual biting is how the permanent mating bond is formed between demons. It’s a chemical and psychic reaction caused by the mixing of venom and blood.”

“What?”

“My bite by itself did nothing.” She took his hand and ran her fingers over the spot she’d bitten. “And I can bite you again. Most courting couples engage in one-sided bite play. Just don’t return the favor unless you want to be stuck with me.”

“Lexine.” He grasped the back of her neck and pulled her to him. “Message received—don’t worry. But I could never be stuck with you. I can only dream of being so fortunate.”

He kissed her, easing her onto her back. Of course, if he did bite her, that would take care of her poacher prophecy once and for all, saving her from that fate and selfishly claiming her from all others in one quick bite. Would she hate him if he dropped his mouth to her shoulder that very moment and…?

“I bet I know what you’re thinking,” she murmured.

“Oh?”

“Don’t, Jett. You’ve only just started your training, and—”

“That’s not for you to worry about.”

“It would be if I was your mate, and besides, I don’t want a pity mating because of a dream, especially from you.”

“Pity? No. Don’t think for a moment I’m here, at all, out of pity.”

“What, then? Lust?”

He grinned. “Only partly.”

“And the other part?”

“Maybe I’m simply an arrogant oaf who thinks he deserves the chance to treat you better than the so-called males you’ve been with before, even though I don’t know how to take off a bra.”

She pushed him over onto his back and trailed kisses down his chest and stomach. Her thighs pressed against the weapons around his waist and he removed the guns, leaving only the twin blades he never wanted out of arm’s reach.

He kissed and touched every part of her, taking his time as she explored him in return, but he left her jeans in place, the restraint making his hands shake. This moment, by itself, was too much, too warm, too perfect, to rush past.

However, the sun eventually sunk lower behind the mountain, demanding his attention. He groaned.

“Hmm?”

“We should head back. I don’t want to say good night to you in a rush when Lark shows up.”

She lifted her head from his shoulder. “When will I see you again?”

“I’m not certain.”

The acceptance on her face went straight to his chest. “Lex, I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I’ll be waiting. Tell Lark he better not make me wait too long, or I’ll have to hurt him.”

“I bet you would.” He took her mouth in a long, deep kiss. When would he see her again? It would probably be weeks. Would she really wait for him?

He had no choice but to wait and find out.

Chapter Fourteen

Jett rolled to avoid Lark’s blade, grasped a low pine limb, and swung himself into the tree. He expected Lark to follow, but the Guardian took off running in the other direction through the dark forest.

“What the hell?” Jett leaped to the ground and gave chase. He caught up with the other demon after a hundred feet and shoved him against an oak. “You’re dead. What kind of a move was that?”

“A poacher’s move. What human will fight you in a tree?” Lark shoved Jett’s hands away. “Some humans will be dumb enough to fight you, thinking they have a shot in hell of winning. They do, if there are enough of them. But their goal is to get by you. If I’d been a poacher, you would’ve just given me a shot at the archangels, and look how far I got.”

Damn it.

“Your role is defensive. You’re a shield, an impenetrable wall. You do not let them get by you. Period.”

“I get it.”

Lark nodded, tossed his blade in the air, and caught it, as he often did in thought. “We’ll drill hand to hand again tomorrow night.” He checked the time on his cell. “I’m going back to patrol now, and you’re coming with me.”

They made their way through the woods. When they neared the archangel house, Lark let out a series of shrill whistles. Devin jumped down from a tree, nodded, and left.

“I don’t understand why Devin isn’t the family’s second dedicated Guardian,” Jett said.

“As Ginger’s adoptive father, Devin is in a difficult, unprecedented position.” Lark led them toward a towering oak tree behind the house. “He’s capable and he’s trusted. Unofficially, he guards the family with as much care as I do. He’s an extra set of eyes and ears, greatly adding to the family’s security. But, realistically, he needs to be kept out of harm’s way. He’s supposed to stay inside with the rest of them in an emergency.”

“Not to be cold, but he isn’t an archangel. We protect them because the species has been nearly wiped out, yes?”

“Yes, but Devin’s death would cause them—particularly Ginger—grief. Unacceptable.”

“Our job is to keep them safe,” Jett said.

“It’s more than that.”

“They’d also grieve for you.”

“True enough.” Lark paused at the base of the tree, his hand on the thick bark. “For decades after I became Raphael’s Guardian, I keep my distance for that reason. I rarely spoke to him. I didn’t want to be anything more to him than a bodyguard. But Raphael doesn’t trust easily. He needed to know me to trust me, and the unease I caused him was intolerable.”

Jett scoffed. “At least I’m not alone in being too damned sentimental. I never expected it from you.”

Lark frowned and stared at the sky. “Have you asked yourself why you came here? Why you couldn’t just leave Raphael in our hands and go on about your business? Why you’re ‘too damned sentimental’?”

“Every fucking day.”

Lark got out his cell and asked Devin to come back. After hanging up, he said, “To explain properly, I need to take you to meet someone. It’s not what I had planned for tonight, but it’s as good a time as any.”

Post-midnight darkness enriched the forest as they traversed the main path. Lark took them all the way into the center of the colony and knocked on the door of one of the residence buildings.

As they waited, Jett stared over his shoulder, every muscle in his body tense. Dozens of demons congregated outside the buildings, the red demon-fire lanterns giving the scene a festive appearance. One group of demons clustered around a food-covered table. Another group played a rough version of football. In front of the residence buildings, some demons gardened, some stood around and chatted, and some tended to repairs on a roof. More gathered farther down the path at the market.

“I don’t belong here.” The words slipped before Jett could stop them.

Lark had lifted his hand to knock again, but paused. “Beg pardon?”

Shaking his head, Jett swept his hand out to indicate the bustling colony. “Lawrence spent a lot of time schooling me, all subjects, because he assessed my intelligence as part of his studies. He insisted he provided me with a better home than my parents would have because demons were ‘vicious animals.’”

Lark smiled, the expression savage, showing off his fangs. “Oh, but we are! I slaughtered six human men a couple weeks ago when the colony was attacked. I tortured one for information. I’m a vicious beast.”

“He described demons as most humans would recognize them. Hell, Satan, all that crap. He said my parents would have eventually eaten me.”

“Eaten you?” Lark leaned against the door and laughed.

“I’m serious.”

All humor gone from his tone, Lark said, “Clearly you know every word was bullshit.”

“Raphael was my first insight into reality, and I’ve been observing the truth for the last eleven months. But, for most of my life, my reality was that I was a thing of evil. These civilians were raised by nice parents in nice homes. I don’t belong with them. It’s like I carry a taint with me, an ugliness that I don’t want anywhere near them.”

“Those are your protective instincts talking, the very ones we’re here to discuss. Don’t confuse that with thinking there is actually anything wrong with you. What about Lexine?”

Jett met the other male’s gaze. “Part of me thinks I should stay away from her, too. But I just can’t help myself.”

Lark’s lips twitched. “You’re not going to taint her, idiot. But if she taints you, you’ll be better for it.” A pause. “You do realize, as a Guardian to the archangels, you’re not going to have much time to offer her. We don’t make good mates.”

“What the fuck?” Jett stared. “Your voice just hitched.”

“No, it didn’t.”

“It certainly did! You had a girl?”

“Fuck off.” Lark knocked on the door a second time. “It’s none of your damned business.”

“But—”

Lark hissed.

The door opened, spilling the crimson light of a lantern at their feet. A demon female with red braided hair stepped back, inviting them inside.

“Hello, Cinnamon,” Lark said. They settled in a tiny living room, and Lark made the introductions.

“Please, call me Minnie.” The female shook Jett’s hand. She sat, stiff, clutching a steaming mug.

“We won’t stay long, Minnie,” Lark said. “When we spoke the other day, you agreed to give Jett a demonstration. Are you still okay with that?”

“It’s no problem.” A tiny smile lit her face.

“Thank you.” Lark turned to Jett. “You’re aware, of course, that the majority of the demons alive today were born on earth, but we originally came here from someplace else?”

“Yes. Like the archangels, they seemed to fall from the sky.”

“Exactly. Minnie is the only demon currently living in Sanctuary who wasn’t born on earth. She fell.”

Minnie fidgeted. “I woke up in the forest that day. I don’t remember anything from before that. I knew things, though. I could speak. I used a fork as if I’d done it before. And, of course, I could do this.”

She set her mug down, leaned forward, and leveled an unfocused gaze on Jett.

“What—” His question died on his lips as a profound sense of calm washed over him, like those few blissful seconds after waking from a deep sleep in a comfortable bed. He stretched and leaned back in his chair, shutting his eyes.

Ah, yes. He had to get one of these chairs. He could fall asleep right here, or read a good book. Better yet, he could pull Lexine into his lap and make love to her. Leisurely, thoroughly. They could fall asleep together, curled up in this chair.

It seemed like he was forgetting something important, something urgent. Did he have something to be angry about? He’d be damned if he could think of what it was. Oh, well. First a nap.

Wait, was someone crying? He opened his eyes. The girl, Minnie, held her head in her hands, her body shuddering with sobs.

“Enough, Minnie,” Lark said.

Between one blink and the next, Jett crashed back into himself and leaped to his feet. His heart hammered in his chest. Lawrence. Thornton. Bryce’s kidnapping. The attack on the colony and the archangels. Anger. Bitterness. Regret. Fear.

“What the hell just happened to me?”

Lark got to his feet. “She took your emotional pain away.”

“She what?”

Minnie cleaned her face with a tissue and took a deep breath. “I can sense all the hurt you carry, and I can absorb it into myself. For a few minutes, anyway. What happened to you? How did you even survive whatever it was you’ve been through?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Rare demons have psychic talents like the archangels have, but every demon who has ever fallen to earth has been an empath,” Lark said. “Like our ability to produce demon fire, the empathic skills require no energy, unlike typical psychic talents.”

“Negative and painful emotions have a much stronger signal than anything else,” Minnie added.

“Mind readers?” Jett eyed the female. “You took my memories away?”

“No,” Minnie said. “I can only sense and manipulate the emotional pain associated with the memories. Without the lingering pain to tie you to them, they slipped into the back of your mind.”

Jett scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Okay. Damn. You shouldn’t do that. You were crying.”

She smiled. “I took for two minutes what you’re no doubt holding like a torch day in and day out. I can’t stand to see anyone in such pain. I want to ease others when I can.”

“What is the point of this?” He got in Lark’s face.

“I needed you to experience that so you’d know exactly what your heritage is. Your parents fell to earth hundreds of years ago. Unlike the ability to produce demon fire, the empathic ability is never passed on full strength to the earthborn. However, some children inherit stronger skills than others. Those with the most pronounced empathic traits usually become Guardians. Like you and me.”

“I have no such talent.”

“No, you can’t manipulate emotions the way Minnie can, the way your parents could. But, to use your words, you’re ‘damned sentimental.’ You have a strong empathic trait that makes you much more than a deadly bodyguard. Though you may not be consciously aware of it, you’re responding to the archangels’ emotional state and trying to ease them, like Minnie just did for you. You’ve been doing that from the moment Thornton tasked you to monitor Raphael in his prison.”

“I don’t know… Any decent person would have…”

“Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t want to claw your own skin off in frustration when Ginger went into labor.”

“I had no way to know she’d gone into labor.”

“But you did know.”

“Yes.”

“Did the delivery go smoothly?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”

“You do know. Trust your instincts. What do you think happened that night?”

Jett ground his teeth. “Something went wrong around sundown. My pulse started pounding. I was sweating and I couldn’t sit still.”

“A physical reaction? You may be even stronger than I thought. What else?”

Jett focused on the memory, on the peculiar thoughts that had entered his head. “Panic. Fear.” He’d blamed the episode on a dinner of bad meat. “Wren.”

“Correct.” Lark arched an eyebrow. “Phoenix wasn’t breathing. Wren’s healing talent didn’t help because her condition wasn’t caused by an injury. Thankfully, a couple good smacks between the wings did the trick. How did you know it was Wren, specifically?”

“I don’t—”

“Trust your instincts. Tell me. You’re not imagining things.”

“Fine. I sense that Wren and Raphael deal with emotions very differently. Raphael keeps everything under heavy layers of false calm. With Wren, everything comes to the surface. During the birth, I think Raphael wasn’t with them. He was worried, expectant. He must have been waiting for news at a different location.”

“Right again.”

“Okay…so if I’m such a strong empath, why don’t I respond to everyone in the colony? Even Lexine at the funeral didn’t affect me as much.”

“You’ll learn to use your skill more effectively in time. You’ve been watching over Raphael for years. A bond develops between a Guardian and his charges. You’re more in tune, so to speak, with Raphael and, as his blood relative, with Wren. If you stay with Lexine, a bond with her will grow in time.”

“Like with Caza,” Minnie whispered.

The Guardian stiffened. “Indeed. Thank you for your help, Minnie. Jett, let’s go.”

…

Lexine made her way along Sanctuary’s main path, the negligee she’d found at the market wrapped discreetly in a sheet of tissue paper. Pleased with the wicked scrap of lace, she headed for her new apartment. After she and Jett had parted, she’d used the night hours to move her things. Her parents and some of the demons who worked the orchard had helped lug the stored bottles to the first floor and carry the bedroom furniture up the stairs. She didn’t have much, so the move hadn’t taken long.

Her new place gave her a sense of forward motion and purpose that she’d been lacking while under her parents’ roof. Tomorrow, she’d start the first batch of wine.

She rubbed the tissue paper between her fingers. When would she see Jett again? A few days? A few weeks? Would he like how she looked in the dainty lace? Did she even dare wear it for him? She’d never been sexually shy, but Jett was working his way under her skin in a way no one had before. Sitting in the home he’d made for himself, the first home he’d had since his childhood kidnapping, she’d known he was showing her something he’d share with no one else, and the intimacy left a lasting warmth around her heart.

She didn’t welcome the sensation. The closer she got to him, the more it would hurt later. Yet, she’d taken the negligee and couldn’t wait to try it on.

Foolish girl.

“Lex.”

She stopped walking at the sound of Jett’s voice and turned. He stood a few yards away, with Lark, outside of Cinnamon’s residence. Lark said something to Jett that she couldn’t hear, and he headed off on the path that led to the archangel house. Jett approached her.

“Hi.” The tissue paper crinkled under her tightening grip.

He didn’t speak for a moment, his head tilted to the side as he looked her over. Strain showed in the ridged set of his shoulders. “Hi.”

“How’d it go tonight?”

He shook his head and shot a narrowed-eyed stare toward Minnie’s place.

“Now you know how demons used to find mates in the forest, I take it.”

“Yes.” He ran his fingers along her jaw. “I’d just figured I was some sort of ridiculous sap. I did my best to keep it hidden.”

She laughed, more from warmth than amusement. “Empathic traits are a strength, not a weakness. If anything, to be honest, it scares me.”

“Why?”

“If we spend enough time together, you’ll be able to read every emotion I have. I won’t be able to hide anything from you.”

“And what would you hide from me, Lexine?”

That I want you even though I know I can’t keep you.

He let her off the hook. “I’m off training until noon today, and there’s something I need to do. I’d love some company, if you’d be willing to join me.”

“Of course.” She couldn’t suppress a wide smile. “I just need to stop by my apartment first.”

“Sure.” He offered his elbow.

She threaded her arm through his with a shiver. The solid feel of him—compounded by the Guardian black and the distinct feel of a concealed blade above his wrist—invited her to melt into his touch. And she happily did so.

Lexine, this is very, very bad.

Chapter Fifteen

Jett wandered around the winery building. The place wasn’t the best choice for Lexine, away from the rest of the colony and so near the woods humans could sneak through. Granted, the archangels were just as isolated, but they had twenty-four-hour protection. Lexine did not.

He suppressed a growl. The place made her smile and lightened her step. Her excitement as she’d spoken about winemaking had been infectious. Instead of dragging her back to a safer place, he’d find a way to make the location more secure.

A hundred security cameras, a twenty-foot wall, and a moat would be a good start.

As Lexine rushed up the stairs, the paper around the bundle in her arms shifted, revealing black lace that, if worn, wouldn’t conceal a damned thing. She paused, met his gaze, and grinned before disappearing. He stared after her, frozen in place.

Suddenly, the last thing he wanted to do was go out. He didn’t want to dive any deeper into his past for now. He wanted Lexine his arms.

Would she be willing to go further than they had yes-terday?

He climbed the stairs, but before the room above came into view, he tapped his knuckles against the wall. “May I see?”

Part of him meant the room. Most of him meant the black lace.

“One second.”

He stood on the stairs, listening as her footsteps padded across the floor, then silence. What was she doing? Agonizing seconds turned into minutes of torture, until finally she called out again. “Okay.”

He climbed the remaining stairs. Light from a golden sunrise invaded through the picture window and spilled across the floor. Lexine stood in the middle of the room, her near-black hair loose from her usual braid, brushed to a shine, and pulled forward over her right shoulder, leaving a view of the tantalizing curve of her neck. Thin black lace veiled her body, revealing more than it concealed, tinged with gold from the sunrise.

“What do you think?” Though her fingers curled in nervous fists, she twisted at the waist, making the lace ripple around her hips.

“I’m afraid I can’t think at all.”

“That sounds like a good thing.”

“Debatable.” He halved the distance between them and circled her. Taking in the view from behind, which featured the bare skin of her back and only the thinnest scrap of lace over her bottom, he said, his voice thick, “I think it’s a very bad thing. I’m not going to be able to behave myself.”

“Well, I didn’t put this on to encourage you to behave.”

He strode forward and kissed her nape, his hands closing over her hips. The heat of her skin through the thin veil seared his hands, driving him to get closer. He reached around and touched her belly, molding himself to her back.

Her head tipped to rest on his shoulder, and he kissed the exposed side of her neck. He squeezed her body, needing her closer, needing to have her the way he’d envisioned when Minnie had taken away all his worries, all his baggage. He wanted to love her until the world faded away with his own actions.

She turned around in his arms, unzipped his jacket, and stripped him down to his skintight black shirt. Her face paled as her gaze wandered over him. Unlike when they’d hiked out to his camp in the woods, when he’d only taken a few items, his full arsenal of weaponry clung to his body. Blades on his arms and hips. Throwing knives sheathed around his chest and his middle. A gun strapped to his back.

A protector and a killer. She knew that, but what did she really think, seeing him this way? Her pulse ticked at a rapid pace at the base of her throat. Did she fear him? He shut his eyes, seeking out the place in his mind that he so often tried to ignore.

There. The intrusive sense of emotions in his head that weren’t his own. Not as strong as with the archangels, but discernible.

No fear, not even a hint of it. Instead, a thrill. A shadow of guilt.

“You like seeing me decked out like this.” He opened his eyes and studied her face. “But you don’t think you should.”

A blush rose to her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze.

“Too late to be shy.”

She lifted her chin. “I respect what you do.”

“I appreciate that, but tell me all of it, Lex.”

Her lips compressed into a scowl. He lowered his head and kissed her, forcing those lips open again with his tongue. “Tell me.”

“You make me feel safe.”

“And?”

She squirmed. “And it’s an insane turn-on, okay?”

He chuckled. “Good.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“It would bother me if I had to worry about frightening you. This is what I’m trying to become, after all.”

She put her hands on him then, her fingers making hot trails down his chest, between the throwing blades to the hem of his pants. “It’s not the weapons. It’s the wielder.”

He lifted her at the waist and set her down on the edge of the bed. Kneeling before her, he unfastened the throwing blades first, then the gun, then the fighting knives, and set them all on the floor. He removed the smaller blades from his arms last.

“That all of it?” Her voice held false shock as she smiled at him.

He scratched his chin in mock consideration, stood, and pulled the additional set of throwing blades from his boots. “I think that about covers it.”

She laughed.

He pulled off his shirt, watching her watch him. Leaning back on her elbows, she rubbed her legs together and fidgeted with the blanket. Her large amber eyes dominated her face and wisps of her black hair fell across her cheek. He couldn’t imagine a more beautiful female.

Plenty of striking women lived in the colony. None of them drew him in as Lexine did.

Flames coating her hands, she sat up and pulled him forward to stand between her knees. The additional heat from the fire sank into his skin as she touched him. She added her lips to the caress as she worked over his chest and stomach.

He’d been touched a hell of a lot in his life. Never before Lex had he enjoyed it. A light growl filled his throat as her hands traveled lower.

She got to her feet, one hand at the button of his pants, the other at the small of his back.

A belated thought invaded the moment. “I don’t have any protection.”

“There are no diseases in the demon population, and I can’t get pregnant unless you bite me. A male’s venom in the bloodstream is needed to make a female fertile.” She arched an eyebrow. “And you can’t bite me, anyway, remember?”

“I see.” The words escaped his lips in a heavy sigh as she released the button and the zipper.

Her lips curved in a wicked smile. “I might bite you, however.”

He kicked off his boots, shoved his pants and boxers off. Pulling the black lace over her head and seeing her body fully revealed, he could barely breathe. He guided her down onto the bed with him.

…

Lexine’s back hit the cool quilt as Jett straddled her. He bent, licking and kissing her throat, working his way down to her breasts. When he covered her left nipple with his mouth, she cried out.

He’d admitted yesterday that he was a virgin, but he certainly didn’t fumble around like one. No surprise. He wasn’t the fumbling sort, not in any aspect of his life that she’d seen.

He switched to the other breast and his fingers found her most sensitive flesh. She arched against him when he found the right spot, and he teased her until she struggled. He chuckled, a deep, husky sound, but otherwise ignored her protests and continued with his ministrations. With his knees on either side of her hips and his free hand on her shoulder, he held her down without effort.

Well, he’d asked for it. She lifted her head. Kissing him halfway between his wrist and his elbow, she scraped her fangs over the tender underside of his arm. She increased the pressure, piercing the skin the slightest bit. Pausing, she waited a moment for the venom to numb the spot. Then, she bit down, delivering what she knew to be a heady buzz, like the glow after doing shots of fine alcohol.

His body relaxed against hers and a flush rose to his cheeks, framed by his mussed, blond hair. She loved his hair, the way he wore it longer than most males. She released his arm and snatched a tissue from the bedside table to dab at the wound.

Jett planted his hands on either side of her head and kissed her. The sweet taste and scent of him consumed her senses. As he lingered at her mouth, she reached between them and stroked him. He sucked in a sharp breath, but she wove her fingers into his hair with her free hand to keep him near, returning his kisses, unable to get enough.

When he did lean away, her protest died on her lips. He repositioned himself between her thighs, explored her again for a moment with his fingers, and pushed himself into her center. He made love to her with deep strokes, each one deliberately drawn out. Holding her gaze, he drove her, slow and relentless. Speeding up would have been a mercy, but he gave her no break from the intensity. The muscles of his back flexed under her hands as he moved.

Savoring being pinned under him, surrounded by his warmth and weight and scent, she nipped at his shoulders.

He arched his back and tucked his head, taking her right nipple into his mouth, teasing the left with his fingers. He continued to move within her, and the combined sensations compounded the ache low in her belly. The perfect combi-nation of torments sent her over the edge, the orgasm ripping through her body until tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she fought to calm her breath.

Jett grinned down at her. Smug. Sinful. Pleased. And, even more handsome for it. She could live twenty demon lifetimes and not tire of that face and expression.

He claimed her mouth in another deep kiss and assumed a faster pace. Finishing, he wrapped his arms around her. After a moment, he lifted her, settling on his knees with her in his lap.

Holding her face in his hands, he stared at her and assumed a stern expression. “That’s what happens when I can’t think.”

“Mmm.” She kissed him. “I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“You better.”

“I’m thinking…red lace next time.”

He growled. “You’re going to get it.”

“Excellent.”

“Temptress.” He gave her tush a light smack.

She sucked in a sharp breath and did her best to look offended, but her laughter ruined the effect.

“Wait here.” He eased her back to the bed and got to his feet. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Chapter Sixteen

Jett dressed, tucked his weapons back into place, and bolted. He ran as fast as he could, which wasn’t much faster than before his training had begun. The lingering venom in his blood tempted him to lie down and nap, but first things first. Ignoring the paths, he traveled in a straight line through the forest to The Ninth Circle.

He’d never been intimate with a woman before, and he refused to leave it at the act. He needed to draw the encounter out, make sure she knew he hadn’t just needed an itch scratched, that they were just getting started.

The tavern he’d frequented since he’d started training had food out twenty-four hours a day and damned good food at that. He might not have survived Devin’s training, and the awful protein bars the Guardian seemed to live on, without the occasional couple minutes of respite he found inside.

“Morning, Guardian.” Gory, the proprietor, glanced up from filling the display of muffins. The redhead wore jeans and a bright red shirt with a grinning devil cartoon on the back. The elaborate art depicted a massive horned beast with salvia dripping from its jowls.

“Morning. Nice shirt.”

“Isn’t it awesome? Dana’s human mate went to Burlington last week and picked it out for me.”

Jett shook his head chuckled. After listening for years to Lawrence’s preaching, Gory’s humor over the demon stereotype was a welcome change of pace.

“Any chance you have a box I can use?”

“To carry food?”

“Yeah.” Jett scratched behind his ear. “Big enough for two portions.”

A knowing grin stretched across Glory’s face. “Ah, yes. Lexine. You two looked cozy in here the other day. Now, breakfast delivery? Man, you’re whipped.”

“Box, Gory.”

Laughing, the other demon headed through an archway into the back room. Jett filled two plates with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon.

“Here.” Gory came back with a tray-like box and a mason jar full of orange juice. “Don’t have any cups with lids.”

“This is perfect. Thank you much.” Jett tucked the plates, jar, two glasses, and forks into the box.

“You take care of that female now. She deserves someone decent, especially after last time.”

“Last time?” Jett paused at the door.

Gory shoved his hands in his pockets. “She got quite serious with a male about a year back. She’s always seemed overeager for a mate, but that’s none of my business. Anyway, the guy is one of those charming dicks who gets bored with a female before long and moves on to the next. And the next and the next. I don’t know why the girls didn’t get together and throw him in the lake.”

“His name?”

Gory smiled, showing his fangs. “While I would sanction his bloody murder at your hands, sorry, Leigh moved to Eden after he ditched Lexine. Guess he ran out of willing females here.” He wrinkled his nose. “He had the gall to tell Lexine her eyes made her unworthy of being anyone’s mate.”

Jett nearly dropped the box. “Her eyes?”

“Her lack of night vision. He said she should be cast out of the gene pool. Lexi isn’t a victim-minded female, however. Leigh walked away from that conversation with a bloodied nose and she walked away with her chin high.”

“How do you know about this?”

“I’m her cousin, and The Ninth Circle tends to be a gossip hub, for better or for worse. So, you see, you need to treat her good. If you hurt her, cliché dictates that I’ll have to attempt to kick your ass. Since you’d crush me into a bloody pulp, I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Jett smiled. “Noted. See you around, Gory.”

“And remember to bring those dishes back!”

Jett balanced the food and hurried back to the orchard, the flood of anger in his system powering him up the hill in stride. How dare that son-of-a-bitch Leigh treat Lexine that way? Lexine was smart enough to see a bastard like that coming. Why had she dated him in the first place?

Lexine had said she’d tried to dodge the fate in her recurring dreams by dating. He couldn’t fault her. Even a less-than-perfect mating to a demon would’ve been preferable to a mating with a poacher. Jett had nearly bitten her with that in mind. However, Lexine deserved a good mate. It was everyone else who didn’t deserve her.

If anyone was worthy of her, Jett was not among their number. He wouldn’t kid himself. If he completed the training and officially became a dedicated Guardian to Raphael’s family, he wouldn’t have time for more than an occasional fling. If that. To be deserving of that female, he’d have to set Raphael’s request aside and put Lexine first.

Did he want that? The idea of becoming a Guardian gave him purpose, filled a need he barely understood. Lexine gave him…she gave him the enjoyment of living in a given moment.

He paused outside the winery, his head resting against the wooden door. Perhaps free will wasn’t so wonderful, after all. Being free to choose didn’t make the choices easy.

Balancing the food with one arm, he lifted his fingers to the gold G on his collar. He’d hate to back out now, but he couldn’t allow Lex to end up with a poacher. What sort of Guardian would he be if he allowed such a thing, anyway?

He wouldn’t tolerate her mating someone like Leigh, either.

On one hand, it wasn’t a decision to make hastily. On the other hand, he couldn’t waste Lark’s time when he carried a reservation like this. He’d talk to the Guardian that afternoon, get a feel for his opinion. Jett couldn’t disclose Lexine’s dreams and betray her trust, but taking or not taking a mate was no small issue itself. Hopefully, Lark would be willing to discuss the topic. Something had happened between him and a female at some point, and he clearly carried a lingering wound associated with her.

Jett opened the door and went upstairs.

Eyes closed, Lexine lay in bed, the embroidered blanket covering her lower half. Her head rested on her outstretched arm and her loose hair draped over the edge of the bed.

He ran his tongue over his fangs. “Hello, beauty.”

“Hey.” She opened her eyes and sat up. “Is that bacon?”

“You bet.”

He joined her on the bed, smoothed the blanket, and laid out the plates. Drawn in, he caught her mouth in kiss.

“Where was it you wanted to take me this morning? Before we got sidetracked.” Lexine went for the bacon first, shutting her eyes as she bit off a piece.

“My father’s office in the town hall. It’ll be my first time there.”

Her eyes widened.

“I don’t need company. But, I do want yours. If you don’t mind.”

“I’m glad that you want me with you.”

Tension eased from his shoulders. “Good.” He con-centrated on her emotions, letting his mind open to them. “We’ll go another day, though. I need to get back to training in a couple hours.”

Disappointment radiated off her, as well as bitter accept-ance.

“I won’t let training keep me from seeing you, Lex.”

Her smile at odds with her emotions, she shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to give you drama.”

“I’d rather have drama and honesty than no drama and you keeping things from me.”

She glowered and folded her arms. “My thoughts are my own, Jett.”

“I can’t read your thoughts. Just your emotions.”

“Already?”

“I need to concentrate, but, yes.”

She set her empty plate on a table and curled up on her side, her head in his lap. “Honestly? I want to keep you here, all to myself. But I’d never want you to change, either.”

“And that’s exactly why I think this will work.” He hoped it would work, but a nagging knot in his gut reminded him that nothing beyond their growing connection and friendship was stacked in their favor.

…

“It’s the job of the other Guardians to detect intruders crossing onto Sanctuary’s land. Keeping the colony safe is not our job. We are the last line of defense for the archangels.”

Jett followed Lark through the woods in a circle around the archangel house. Lark alternated between lecturing and lapsing into silence, turning his full attention to his surroundings, always alert. After five total weeks of training, Jett grew more accustomed to the same behavior with each passing day. He listened to his partner’s words but always focused first and foremost on any potential threat from the sounds, scents, and shadows of the forest.

“Sanctuary has thousands of acres of land and miles of border, outside of which is nothing but tens of thousands of acres of Vermont state forest. Monitoring every foot of the colony’s border at any given moment is impossible, even with the security cameras we’ve acquired. It’s imperative that I, soon you and I, keep a secure perimeter in close proximity to the family. While I prefer to find and fight any threat out here, I—we—need to be close enough to be at the archangels’ sides at a moment’s notice.”

They completed the trip around the house and came out of the woods at the lakeshore, the stone house towering to their left. Raphael flew overhead, high enough to be a white smudge against the dark blue, early evening sky.

“Our proximity to the house is a moot point when they’re up there,” Jett said. At least no human would be able to shoot a target that high.

“They can’t be one hundred percent safe all the time, as aggravating as that is. It’s important to remember that the archangels aren’t helpless, other than the infants, and don’t appreciate being treated as such. I’ve never seen Raphael act like a victim, and I expect no different from Wren from what I’ve seen. When Kora and young Wren were in danger, Raphael took matters into his own hands with a pair of combat knives. He’s not bad at hand-to-hand fighting. I taught him myself. Wren and Ginger have the ability to kill with just skin contact and they’ve both used that psychic talent without hesitation. That said, they aren’t battle-hardened warriors, and wings make for large, clumsy targets on the ground. We’re here to keep them out of fights they cannot hope to win.”

Lark climbed the gnarled, massive oak tree that dominated the property, its crown wider and taller than the house. Jett followed, and they crouched on thick branches halfway up the tree’s height.

“I often watch from here at night,” Lark said. “It’s the best view from any one spot, and the acoustics are just right to hear anyone approach from any direction. Ideally, though, we should split up and take opposite ends of the property. At night—when the archangels are all inside, sleeping—is a good time for you to exercise that free will you’re always bellyaching about, and do other things. Scrapbooking, perhaps?”

“Fuck off.” Jett grinned and turned his attention to the house. Illumination spilled out from the fourth-floor windows—Wren and Ginger’s rooms. Raphael landed on the third-floor flight deck and went inside. More lights came on.

“That’s the second time he’s gone for a lengthy flight today. He does that when he’s stressed.”

Jett focused on that inner place in his mind that never seemed to be his own. There, he found emotions that weren’t his, like voices from dreams. Indeed, some days finding them was like trying to remember the details of a dream, but now that he understood the ability, every day showed improvement.

Yes, Raphael had something on his mind. But the sensation of intense worry gave no clue as to the cause. “Should we go inside and talk to him?”

Lark shook his head, but frowned deeply. “Not everything that goes on in that house concerns us. If it’s relevant to their safety, he’ll confide in us.”

“But—”

“I know it’s frustrating, but this level of security would make them miserable if we didn’t respect their privacy as much as possible.” The frown lifted in a slow grin. “Kora threw a shoe at me once.”

Jett chuckled. “I’m sure you deserved it.”

“Certainly not!” A pause. “Maybe a little bit. Raphael, the bastard, thought it was pretty damned funny. The second shoe went in his direction. Justice.”

Movement drew Jett’s gaze to the single door on the ground level of the house. Lexine stepped outside, spoke for a moment with Ginger, who stood smiling in the doorway, then headed down the path.

“Tell me the honest truth.”

Lark cocked his head.

“With a job like this, would I be able to carve out enough time to devote to her?”

Lark didn’t answer for a minute. “We could work something out. It wouldn’t be perfect or consistent, but if she’s the right girl, she’d be understanding. It’s a lot of ask of a female.”

“Yeah. Was it too much to ask of yours?”

With a low curse, Lark shifted out of his crouch on the branch and sat on his butt, letting his legs dangle. “You’re not going to let that drop.”

“Nope. I need to decide how to handle this, and I can tell you have experience. A bad one, I’m guessing.”

“Point taken. It is a lesson I need to teach you.” Lark pulled a dagger from a sheath on his ankle, the hilt more ornate than his typical weapons. An engraving on the blade read Never Fail. “Her name was Caza, and we courted a century ago, not long after Raphael and I moved here at Dante’s invitation. Caza was a dependent sort of female. Timid. Frail. She had many strengths, but independence was not one of them.”

“So, she had a hell of a time with you constantly working.”

“She handled that well, actually. At the time, I split some hours with Dante so I could spend time with her each day. At that point, Raphael lived in an apartment on the second floor of the town hall. The arrangement was easy to manage, and Raphael encouraged me when I would have hesitated. He worried about me not having anything else in my life.”

Lark dropped his head back and stared at the sky, now covered with stars. The cords of his neck grew taut. “About a year in, a group of humans attacked the colony. They weren’t poachers, just religious extremists hoping to rid the earth of a few demons. ‘God’s work,’ blah-blah. It was late fall. No leaves on the trees. Raphael flew over—low, because a storm was coming in—as they were sneaking through the woods, and they shot at him. They missed him, but he had to dodge. He side swept a tall tree fast enough to break the outermost flight feathers of one wing. The imbalance forced him to land.

“I was elsewhere in the woods on a picnic with Caza when I sensed his distress. I told her to get inside and I rushed into the forest to get to Raphael. Three humans had him cornered. I dispatched them.” Lark dropped his gaze from the stars and looked Jett in the eye. “The rest of the human group had proceeded to the colony. They didn’t get two steps into the residential area before the Guardians took them all down. However, the humans had happened upon Caza, who’d been too scared to move from the spot where I’d left her, and…”

Jett swallowed. “They killed her?”

“Yes.”

As Lark lapsed into silence, Jett stared hard at the ground. He nodded in grim understanding. “Even if you’d known she wouldn’t go…”

“I would’ve had to leave her. Hell, at the time, I suspected she wouldn’t go. I saw the fear in her eyes and felt it in my mind. But, I didn’t take the oath to Raphael with reservations or conditions. He comes first. Period. If you go through with this, you’ll take the same oath.”

“She knew that, though.”

“Yes. We’d discussed it at length. But I got to tell you, the oath doesn’t justify her death here.” He pressed his palm to his chest. “I still feel the sting of her emotions during her final moments. Think about it long and hard, Jett. No matter the circumstances, you’ll have to turn your back on Lexine if the archangels are in even a small amount of danger. If I could go back, I never would have dated Caza in the first place.”

At a loss, Jett simply said, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Think about it. Remember that it’s a very different situation for the other Guardians. They take mates on a regular basis. We don’t. If you want to become a regular Guardian, neither Raphael nor I will begrudge you. I’ll train you either way.”

Lark got to his feet, a sheen of sweat on his brow. “Keep watch. I’m going to check the perimeter again.”

…

When Lark didn’t return right away, Jett climbed down from the oak tree and began to walk around the house, first across the lawns, then farther out in the woods.

Where had the demon gone? Everywhere Jett went, he detected Lark’s scent, a result of his constant presence. Jett returned to the house and stepped into the garden. Light spilled from the half-open door of Lark’s little home in the back corner.

Jett left him alone, certain that Guardian didn’t break down easily or often. If he needed a couple minutes to himself, he wouldn’t take them unless he trusted Jett.

Returning to the tree, he focused his senses on his surroundings, but his thoughts went to Lexine. Any hope that he could have both Lexine and the position of a dedicated Guardian had been erased. He’d have to choose.

The idea of giving up either grated on his skin.

Sure, there’d be nothing shameful about becoming an average Guardian for the colony. Raphael could find someone else. But, the archangel had asked Jett. That trust meant too much to turn away from. Besides, the empath in Jett wouldn’t be able to tolerate such a thing. He hadn’t been able to walk away during the long, harsh winter. He certainly wasn’t leaving now, in any form.

But Lexine…

He could feel her warm skin, her breath on his neck, and the contentment of sitting across from her over a plate of food. Such simple things, but nevertheless, he’d been changed by them. The sense of companionship and closeness was unlike anything he’d ever known. On a deep level, he knew that not every female could touch him so.

Lark said Jett didn’t need to jump to a decision. Months of training remained before he had to decide to take the oath or not.

That left time to get to know Lexine better, make sure he wasn’t misreading what was growing between them.

With this much on the line, he had to be damned certain. And so did she.

Chapter Seventeen

Staring at herself in the new bathroom mirror, Lexine said, “You know he’s not going to have time for you. Why are you getting attached?”

After dressing and braiding her hair, she headed for the graveyard. With autumn making itself at home, it was time to cut back the spent flowerbeds. She needed to stay busy, not think about Jett, not sit around and consider how much their intimate encounter two weeks ago had affected her. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.

She worked well into the afternoon, doing more than was needed, even digging a new flowerbed near the gate to plant in the spring.

Distraction? Who had she been kidding? Jett’s hands might as well have never left her body. She kept reliving the kisses. The touches.

“Hello, beauty.” His tone when he’d greeted her, returning with food, had turned those two simple, unoriginal words into her complete undoing.

She’d been on the edge as it was. Though the act had been simple, a virgin had made love to her with more intensity and focus than any of her previous partners. At the time, with those demons, she’d had no cause to complain. Compared to Jett, it was as if those demons hadn’t even been looking at her while they’d been dating her.

Her phone chirped, her ringtone set to singing birds, and a welcome name graced the screen. “Hey there.”

“Hey. Feel like being bad?” Fatigue dulled Ginger’s voice.

“Define, ‘bad.’”

“Painting our nails in the garden while I let my mate fend for himself with twins for a couple hours?”

Lexine laughed. Nail painting? She was no tomboy, but she hadn’t painted her nails in a decade. “Sure.”

After stopping to rinse off the dirt and change into simple cotton pants and a tank top, Lexine wandered into the garden behind the archangel house. Ginger sat on the patio adjacent to the building, staring into the goldfish pond.

“Needed a break?” Lexine settled at her friend’s side. “Everything’s okay, right?”

“Oh, everything’s fine.” Ginger smiled. “The twins are out cold, I wanted some sun, and I haven’t seen you much lately. Besides, this might be the last truly warm day of summer. It’s supposed to pour for the next week.”

Lexine perused shades of nail polish in a small basket as they chatted.

“I took these pictures earlier.” Ginger handed over her cell phone.

Baby pictures never got old, and Lexine flipped through the latest with one hand while absently mixing the polish with the other. In one, the twins slept in the double bassinet at the foot of the bed, and Wren lay facedown on the mattress with mussed hair and closed eyes, his wing fanned out, partially hiding the infants. In another picture, a close-up of the twins, they lay on their father’s outstretched wing.

“Nothing gets them to sleep faster,” Ginger said. “Makes me insanely jealous.” She took the phone back, a slow smile forming. “So, how are things going with Jett?”

Lexine paused and gazed at their surroundings. “Is he here?”

“Somewhere. He’s training with Lark, as far as I know. They don’t go far.”

“Any chance of eavesdropping?”

“No. I wouldn’t be able to stand being watched over so closely if we didn’t have our privacy.” She winked. “Just don’t raise your voice too loud.”

“Things are…great. I like him. But, I don’t see him all that much. Naturally.”

“Mmm.”

“No man is perfect, but I don’t see how this is going to work.”

“Do you want it to work?”

Lexine stared at the little bottle of red polish as if it held all the answers. “More so every time I see him.”

Ginger spread pink polish on her toenails, grinning. “Wonderful!”

“Has Lark ever dated?”

“There was someone, a century ago. I don’t know any details, though.”

“Didn’t work out, obviously.”

“This doom-and-gloom mood isn’t like you.”

“Sorry. It’s just that Jett’s job is going to be his life, and I’m trying to keep myself from falling for him too hard. It’ll hurt less later.”

“Good luck with that. You can’t will yourself to or not to fall for someone. But, you’re right. You’re not walking into domesticville.”

“Do you think it’s even possible that the two of us…?”

“Always.” Ginger capped the nail polish and held her gaze with a grin.

Lexine blew out a heavy sigh.

“Maybe things will be different with the two of them as partners.” Ginger leaned back on her elbows. “Maybe they’ll trade off and each get more time for themselves.”

“Just how much time does Lark take for himself now?”

“Pretty much zip. He sleeps, he eats, bathes and exercises, all as efficiently as possible. The only time I’ve seen him do anything else besides stand guard is when he comes into the house. Raphael invites him in frequently. Trouble, the two of them. They almost burned the house down a month ago trying to fry fish.”

Lexine laughed. “I can’t imagine that.”

“Lark is stoic in public, and not just because he has to be constantly on alert. If he wasn’t what he is, I think he’d be shy. Watching him and Raphael pass an evening together, it’s easy to see that they’re friends, and that theirs is a friendship hard-won over decades. Devin says he can’t get Lark to so much as crack a smile.”

“But, there was a girl, once?”

“Yes. I only know that much because, trying to break through his shell myself, I asked him these sorts of questions. But, the expression on his face… I’ve only seen it once before, when he woke up for the first time after being returned to his own body last year and explained Kora’s death. Whatever happened, it still causes him pain to this day. I let the subject drop.”

A shadow passed over them. Raphael flew in and landed on the flight deck overhead. Though she’d seen the archangels out around the colony every day since their return nearly a year ago, she still watched, fascinated, as Raphael stretched that twenty-foot expanse of pure white and folded his wings back.

Ginger called out.

Raphael glanced down. He stepped off the edge and swept his wings out, parachuting to the patio with only a couple of circular wing beats to slow his descent. He landed as if he weighed nothing at all.

Lexine clasped her hands between her knees. Though she’d known the archangel when she was a little girl, she’d only come face-to-face with Raphael a couple times since he’d returned from imprisonment. Hundreds of years old and possessing the silver eyes of one of the original fallen, he never failed to leave her at loss for words. Wren, Ginger, herself… they were all earthborn, their lives an open book. But, Raphael…just what sort of creature was he, really? What life had he led before he came to earth?

She could never shake the sense that if he’d wanted to crack the earth in half, he probably would’ve been powerful enough to do so. Even Cinnamon, one of the original fallen demons, didn’t put off as strong a vibe.

Whatever he’d been, she reminded herself, he was flesh and blood now, like everyone else in the colony. She stood. “Hi.”

“Hello, Lexine.”

Ginger got to her feet and faced her father-in-law. “Is Jett’s training still going well?”

“Quite. Something on your mind?”

“I’m curious how this will work. Will they both be on twenty-four-hour duty?”

He shifted his wings as if one of them caused him pain. “Yes.”

Lexine’s heart sank.

“The idea,” Raphael continued, “is to have security that can’t be provided by one individual, no matter how skilled. It’s a problem, for example, when you and Wren go into the colony, and I’m here at the house, or vice versa. Lark can’t be in two places at once. As the twins get older, it will get even more complicated.”

“I always have Guardians with me,” Ginger said.

“Yes, and as much as I appreciate their help, what they offer is not the same as a dedicated Guardian. If the colony were attacked while you were with them, they would be obligated to protect you and everyone else in harm’s way. Lark or Jett would be concerned with you and only you. I’m not comfortable with anything less.” Raphael turned his gaze to Lexine. “I think I know what this question’s really about.”

“I…”

“You’d be good for Jett. Especially after all he’s been through.”

Her face heated.

“But I don’t think he’d be good for you. Not if he goes through with this.”

“There’s no way we could make it work?”

“The schedule could be tweaked, though not as much as most females would be able to live with. That’s not the biggest issue. Like I just said, in an emergency, his concern will be this family. Bar none.”

The weight of that settled on her shoulders. “Even me.”

“Exactly.”

She took in Raphael’s haunted expression and guessed, “That’s what happened to Lark.”

“Yes.” He flicked his wings. “Lark had to make a terrible choice, once. He made the decision expected of a dedicated Guardian. Now, I think Jett would be very happy with you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. But I don’t want to ever see him in the situation Lark had to face.”

“Neither do I,” Lexine said.

Raphael explained what had happened to Caza, a female Lark had loved. Lexine absorbed the information in silence, but found it difficult not to protest. She wasn’t Caza. This situation was different. When the archangel finished, she said, “It doesn’t have to be this way. An idea took form in her head. “What if you helped me?”

“Helped you how?”

“Rumor has it you’re very good at hand-to-hand fighting. I would never let fear get in the way of my own survival, and if I was a good fighter, Jett wouldn’t need to leave me to the wolves. There’s no reason I can’t take care of myself.”

“This means that much too you?”

“Yes. I dare you to prove me wrong.”

“Please?” Ginger spoke up. “I think it’s a great idea. Why give up when this is an option?”

He stared them for a moment, apparently lost in thought. “Okay, Lexine. While he’s training, you’ll meet me here. It’ll be our secret for now.”

“Thank you, Raphael.”

…

Lexine pressed apples all night, enjoying the exercise and delicious scents. Some of the cider she sealed into large mason jars and refrigerated to pass out at the market. Most she added to barrels for wine. Several barrels of straight up apple wine. Several with spices. By the time the sun rose, her whole body felt like the mashed remains of the fruit.

Time for a swim. She needed to be ready for the training to come. There’d be no point if Raphael went easy on her.

She changed and made her way through the morning quiet of the colony until she reached the lake. She dove in, the cold water drawing a scream from her throat as she returned to the surface. A V of Canadian geese flew overhead, headed south, only to scatter as an archangel shot right at them. She laughed.

The archangel flew low enough that she could make out the black markings on his wings. Wren tipped sideways, a familiar greeting, and flew higher until he disappeared into the clouds beyond the lake.

Floating on her back, she relaxed, letting the water support weary body.

“Hey, Lex.”

She maneuvered herself upright in the water and followed the sound of Jett’s voice. He stood on the shore, leaning against a tree.

“What are you doing?” he called out.

“Swimming, of course.”

“Why?”

“It’s fun.”

He made a face.

She swam to the shore but stayed in the water. “All demon kids are taught to swim before they grow old enough to spark fire and develop a dislike of water. I loved swimming lessons, and I never outgrew finding enjoyment in the water.”

Jett made a dramatic show of cringing.

She laughed. Such a rare sight to see him act silly. “They let you off again so soon?”

“Yes and no. Remember I said I meant to take you with me to my father’s office?”

She nodded, pushed her wet hair back from her face, and draped her arms over a rock near where Jett stood.

“The trip is both personal and business.” He knelt and touched her cheek, his fingers hot after the cold water. “As part of my training, I need to read the material Dante put together for Guardians in training. Lark insisted I not put it off any longer and sent me on my way. I also look forward to seeing my father’s space and getting to know him a little bit. Are you still willing to accompany me?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll have a lot of reading to do. I don’t want to bore you, but your presence would mean a lot to me.”

“I’m sure I’ll also be able to find something to read. I spent all night pressing apples and am exhausted, so this sounds perfect.”

“Thank you.”

She climbed out of the lake, the tank top and shorts she’d worn plastered to her skin. Jett whistled.

“I need to change first.”

“Hmm.” He folded his arms, his gaze blazing a hot trail down to her feet and back up. “We tried this yesterday and never made it to the town hall.”

“Are you going to behave this time?” she teased, looking up at him from under her lashes.

“Doubtful.”

“Well then, how about I go change, you get us some food, and we meet at the town hall?”

“We have a plan. See you then.”

Chapter Eighteen

After eating breakfast on the lawn, Jett climbed the town hall’s central staircase and let Lexine guide him down the hallway to the right. At the end of the short walkway, the hall opened into an atrium—a compact but striking space with a glass ceiling and exterior wall. Only a few plants filled the space, but one was a tree, situated in the center of the room. Among the thick, green foliage, splashes of orange caught Jett’s eye. “An orange tree?”

“Yes. Do you remember it?”

“No. Should I?”

She bit her lip.

He stared at the tree for a moment longer and rubbed a leaf between his fingers. No memories came to him, but, “For some reason, I’m relieved to see it. It must be difficult to keep a tropical tree alive so far north, even inside.”

“There is a special light used in the winter.”

Footsteps sounded in the hall, and a moment later, a Guardian appeared. He nodded in silent greeting, crossed the atrium, and entered a series of codes into a panel to unlock a set of double doors. After propping the doors open, he retreated without a word.

“After you.” Lexine lingered by the tree.

Jett stepped to the threshold. The scent of leather and old books wafted from the room. Thick curtains covered the windows, but Jett’s eyes adjusted to the dim light in a second. He lit the demon fire lantern on his left for Lexine’s benefit.

“Have you ever been in here?”

She joined him and brushed his shoulder. “No.”

Jett stepped further into the room. Like with the tree, no memories came, but a heady sense of belonging did. The scent. So familiar. “I know this room. I must have spent a lot of time here.”

He approached the desk, the dark surface covered with neatly arranged odds and ends. Beyond, books and journals lined floor-to-ceiling shelves. “I was old enough to remember. Why don’t I?” He lifted a leather journal from the center of the desk and smoothed his hand over the cover. “Lawrence spent a lot of time with me the first few years, teaching me about the ‘evils’ of demons. His words made no sense to me, and I kept trying to correct him. He punished me for that. Over time, he convinced me the life I thought I remembered was only a dream, and like dreams, the memories faded. It was when I killed the lab assistant that I finally broke and the memories vanished entirely, leaving me with only Lawrence’s version of the truth.”

“Lawrence didn’t break you. You wouldn’t be here now if he had.” She encircled her arms around him from behind and a soft, feminine body pressed against his back. He turned his head and kissed her.

“Go on,” she said, a solemn curve to her lips. She stepped away, gazing out the window.

He sat in one of the room’s thick leather chairs and opened the journal. Plain, neat script filled the pages, but Jett stopped at the first words.

Today, my son, Juneau, was born.

Lawrence’s brainwashing had gone far enough to erase his name? Elbow on his knee, Jett rested his face in his hand. But as he sat there, his body processing dry, soundless sobs, a memory from the lab surfaced.

Lawrence hadn’t renamed him. The human never called him anything at all, except for “the demon” or “the subject” or, when he was angry, “boy.”

“The lab assistant kept asking for my name, but I didn’t want to tell her about my ‘dreams.’ I made a name up. Why didn’t anyone say anything?”

“Raphael thought you should hear it from Dante.” She dropped her gaze to the journal. “Um, what would you like to be called?”

He ran a fingertip over the handwritten sentence, the letters faintly indented in the page from the heavy hand of the writer. “‘Jett,’ at least for now. It was a survival tool, a way to keep the part of me who answered to Juneau away from that tiny prison. I don’t think I’ll be able to step all the way back into Juneau’s shoes. Not any time soon.”

Lex returned to his side and ran her fingers through his hair. Arching under her touch, he tilted his head back and stared up at her. “That drives me crazy.”

“In a good way?” She scratched her nails over his scalp.

“Definitely.”

He set the journal aside and turned around in the chair, getting up to his knees. Holding her head in his hands, he kissed her, focusing on reading her reaction. Her skin warmed with a faint flush and her hands on his back trembled ever so slightly. The brush of her emotions against his mind spoke of a longing as deep as the one that swelled in his chest.

“Maybe just once,” he murmured against her skin. “Call me my real name.”

“Juneau.”

The foreign, yet somehow familiar, name sent his heart off at a hammering pace. He clutched Lex close, burying his face in her neck.

“I’m distracting you.” She withdrew slowly and sat on the windowsill, folding her legs under herself.

Jett went back to reading, selecting a journal from the shelf a couple years more recent, and devoured page after page. The demon had written mostly short, terse entries, but the words flowed differently when the topic switched from work to family.

I carved a sanctuary out of this valley, but I have never cared for anything as much as I do for the—a line of ink smeared across the page—little monster trying to steal my pen.

He laughed and kept reading. Curious, he skipped ahead to the last volume on the shelf to browse entries closer to the last time they would have seen each other. Holding the heavy, red-dyed leather book, his hands shook. Not only had Juneau been kidnapped that day, Dante had been killed. The journal ended less than halfway through.

My son planted an orange seed last spring and now has a tiny sapling in a flowerpot.

He lifted his gaze to the tree in the atrium. “No shit?”

Lexine grinned from her position on the windowsill. “The tree is infamous. No one thought it would grow, except you and Dante. Everyone in the colony knows the story.”

Jett paused, a new thought occurring to him. “Did we know each other when we were kids? This is a small place.”

“I’m a year or so younger than you. I remember your family, but like most memories from that age, nothing but vague snippets. I think we saw each other from time to time, but I don’t think we knew each other.”

He rubbed his brow, his head aching from trying to remember anything at all. He lifted a white drape from a small table beside the desk, revealing a dozen framed photos of his family. He was perched on his father’s shoulders more often than not, he and his smiling, blond mother an odd contrast to the heavily armed Guardian. Although, upon closer inspection, his mother had carried weapons of her own. What appeared to be an unusual walking stick at first was in fact a long bow. The feathered ends of arrows stuck out from behind her shoulder.

“My mother was an archer.”

“A good one, too,” Lex said. “She looks innocent enough, but rumor has it she took out her fair share of humans when the colony was attacked. Want to hear the rumor of how she and Dante met?”

“Please.”

“This is just what I heard. When Amelia moved to Sanctuary, she wanted to train to be a Guardian, but Dante was resistant to the idea—this was the midnineteenth century and he didn’t want a female getting hurt. They fought about it for months, your mother refusing to back down. Finally, when he walked away from her one day, she waited until he’d reached the tavern and with a few quick, perfect shots, pinned him to the door by his clothes.”

“You must be joking.”

“Nope. You’ll have to check those journals to see if it’s true or not, but it was a Guardian who told me the story. Apparently Dante and Amelia hunted each other for days after that moment and were mated soon after.”

Jett turned back to the photos. His mother, beautiful and deceptively delicate. She and his father made sense together. In a fight with humans, she could protect herself, and then some.

“Now, this,” Lexine said, coming over with a book in her hands, “you should remember. He’s a couple years older, so I bet he does.”

“What? Who?”

She handed over the book, which turned out to be a photo album, the date on the cover corresponding with the year before the kidnapping. The first pages held photos of Jett and Wren, mostly outside the archangel house. In one, they were covered in mud, even Wren’s wings. They grinned like lunatics.

“I don’t remember this at all.” He stared. He and Wren had been friends?

“It makes sense,” Lex said. “Dante invited Raphael to Sanctuary in the first place, if I recall my colony history correctly. Your families were close. This I do remember well, because it was a big deal. Wren couldn’t spend much time with the other kids. He’s half human, so there was concern he’d be susceptible to demon venom. And demon kids can be very nippy.”

“Really? What happens if two demon children bite each other? You said mutual biting led to a mating bond.”

“The venom doesn’t gain that characteristic until well after puberty.”

“Ah.”

“Anyway, I remember being constantly reminded by my mom to stay away from Wren. The kids played in groups, and I recall Wren getting frustrated when he couldn’t join us.”

“Why me, then? Being Dante’s son couldn’t have made me less dangerous.”

She stared at him, ghosts of memories in her eyes. “I think you were naturally calmer than most, and mature for your age. Because of your strong empathic trait, perhaps.”

“Still, he was older than me.” Jett grinned, looking at the photo of them covered in mud. “He was a very bad influence, it seems.”

Lex laughed.

Jett checked the date below the photo and turned to the corresponding entry in the journals.

My son is turning into a remarkable empath, for an earthborn. I can’t express my pride in words. Last night, Juneau protected Wren, with a stick and a rock as weapons, from an imaginary monster in the woods. They’d ventured quite a ways out. Lark was with them, of course, but he kept out of sight. Juneau, who loves playing in the woods at night, dropped the game and brought Wren home. This despite Wren being the older of the two and not the least bit afraid. I’ve never seen Juneau look so serious and focused as when they returned to the house. I have no doubt my son will become a Guardian one day. Perhaps, even, a dedicated Guardian to the archangels.

“Working on that, Dad,” he whispered. The written words branded into his mind’s eye, he replaced the album and journals, the burden of his lost past heavy enough for one day. He turned to the far left of the shelf, where he’d been told he’d find the official documents Dante had meant for Guardians in training, along with books of demon and archangel history. He took the first leather-bound book to the desk and settled down. He began to read, a smile stretching his lips as Lexine curled up in the chair next to him with a book of her own.

How did she warm his whole body simply with her presence?

Chapter Nineteen

Jett reached the archangel house just as the last of the colorful sunset faded. It’d been over two weeks since he’d last seen Lexine and her absence distracted him. He’d been spending too much time thinking about her instead of focusing on his tasks. Forcing her from his mind by remembering Raphael in the underground prison, he prepared himself for whatever trial Lark would launch at him tonight. The Guardian emerged from the woods and stepped in Jett’s path.

“Wren is missing.”

The words struck like a bullet. “What?”

Lark held up a hand. “This is an exercise.”

“Damn you!” Jett took a deep breath, a hand over his thudding heart. Tempted to beat Lark’s face into a bloody pulp, he ground out, “Start with that fact next time.”

“And miss the chance to keep you on your toes? Never. Tonight your goal is to find Wren and bring him back to the house using only your empathic skill. You never know when technology will fail you, so you can’t rely on it in emergencies.”

“I understand.”

“Humans have been spotted in the woods and they’ve taken down the cell tower. I’m guarding the house with Raphael, Ginger, and the twins inside. Wren hasn’t returned from his flight and gunshots have been heard to the south. Guardians in the woods represent poachers and they have dart guns. If Wren gets hit, you lose the exercise. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“The ‘poachers’ have a head start on you. Begin.” Lark turned away and vanished into the forest.

Jett resisted the urge to sprint into the woods and head south. Wren would get as far away from the shooters as he could, leaving too much land search for his scent. Without cell phones, that left the empathic skill as Jett’s only tool.

In a real situation, Wren would be angry or scared or both, a beacon of emotion in the woods, making this exercise harder. Jett closed his eyes.

Raphael and Ginger were truly in the house, their nervous anticipation raising the hairs on his arms. He searched for Wren’s emotional voice. While Raphael kept his emotions buried deep under a facade of calm, like a whisper in the back of Jett’s mind, Wren’s mental voice often came through with more clarity. Indeed, now that Jett practiced every day, fine-tuning his mental connection to the family, Wren’s clearer signal provided a constant reminder that the archangel’s trust in Jett was at best tentative.

Jett couldn’t afford to lose this exercise. He needed to build Wren’s trust, not weaken it.

There. Wren’s emotional voice, a mix of worry and tension, a long distance away to the southwest. Jett ran in that direction.

He hadn’t gotten far when a scream split the air. Male, but not Wren.

“Help! Please!”

Jett veered to the left and took cover behind a large pine trunk. Beyond, two Guardians held a teenaged civilian. The boy stared toward Jett and yelled again. “Help me! Jett, please!”

“Lark, you sick son of a bitch,” Jett muttered, but he understood what this was: a test. His responsibility was the archangels. No one else, not even Lexine, not even kids in danger. Moments spent here could be moments poachers found Wren. Being a Guardian dedicated to the archangels meant honoring that responsibility without fail. Otherwise, there’d be no point.

“Help!”

The Guardians hauled the teen away through the trees.

Jett clenched his teeth and continued southwest. The teen is the Guardians’ responsibility; Wren is mine.

What if that had been Lexine or Bryce? His body wanted to be sick, but he forced control and pressed on. There’d be plenty of time later to question if he could really do this.

He sprinted, sacrificing silence for speed. A Guardian leaped at him from behind a boulder and after precious moments spent wrestling, the other demon put up his hands, acknowledging a killing strike from Jett.

Wren’s mental signal grew louder—a spike of anxiety that sent Jett’s heart rate sky-high. Jett tore in that direction, sweat beading on the back of his neck. This was supposed to be an exercise, but that level of emotion from the archangel couldn’t be faked.

In reality, his cell phone worked fine. Should he call Lark? No, in a legitimate emergency like this, Lark needed to stay at the house with the others and Jett would be entrusted with Wren’s life. He pressed on, not risking calling Wren either. The ring could alert poachers to the archangel’s location.

Wren came into view at the same time Jett picked up on his scent, his wings like ghosts among the trees. He stood in front of an old, twisted maple. Jett scanned the area with all his senses as he ran over. “Wren.”

The archangel jumped.

“What’s wrong?” Jett grasped Wren’s shoulder with one hand and drew a blade with the other, still focused on the forest around them. Nothing moved except for a squirrel; no human or Guardian scents carried on the breeze.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Don’t give me bull.”

“Really.” Wren shuddered and shivered, though the evening temperature hadn’t dropped much. “There’s nothing dangerous going on, I promise. There’s a spirit here.”

“A what?”

“A ghost. As Ginger’s mate, I gained her psychic talent to see spirits.”

Lark had said as much. He also said that ghosts were rare but potentially a major concern. Psychic talents drained energy from the archangels, so if a ghost refused to leave, Wren and Ginger’s lives would be threatened. “Better be Casper the friendly ghost.”

Wren shivered again. “Not how I would describe Dante.”

“D—” Jett’s mind went utterly blank for moment, until the fatigue radiating off Wren broke through.

“Demons,” Wren said, struggling for breath, “are nothing like human spirits.” He spoke, it seemed, to the maple tree. “We’ll need to try this again later.” A pause. “Yes, I’ll tell him.”

“What’s happening?”

Wren’s shivers stopped. “Your father has come to see you.”

Jett stared at the tree.

“He’s gone, for now. Human spirits are waifs, drawing small amounts of energy from sources around them, especially me. But a demon manifestation…” He nodded at the tree. “Lark is nothing like this when he steps out of his body—the difference, I suppose, between a psychic talent like his and true death. Dante was a concentrated mass of amber light. The entire tree flamed around him. I felt like I was bleeding to death, he drained so much energy from me so fast.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’ll live.” He stretched his wings and arched his back. “We need to get back, though.”

“Yes,” Jett murmured, still trying to get his mind around the idea his father had been here, just now.

“Lark told me to make like I’ve been shot out of the sky. No flying, no running. Of course, now I don’t have to fake being that out of it. And I can’t see in the dark like you can.”

“Good times. All right, I’ll get you home.”

“Thank you, Guardian,” Wren said, his tone sincere.

As they began walking through an area thick with maple trees, soggy forest peat underfoot, Jett stayed close to Wren to keep him from tripping in the darkness, despite the wing contact. He said quietly, “He came to see me?”

“There’s a lot he wants to tell you.”

Jett focused first and foremost on their surroundings, letting it sink in that his father had returned from wherever it was the dead “lived.” If “dead” was correct word for a demon who, like the fallen archangels, came to this earth from someplace else in the first place.

Wren stopped. “First, he said to tell you, he’s sorry.”

“For what?”

“Everything you’ve been through.”

“It wasn’t his fault.”

“That doesn’t mean it didn’t kill him every damned day he watched it play out. He was dead, but he didn’t walk away. You weren’t alone at any point in that hell.”

“Is that supposed to make some sort of difference now? It’s over. I survived.”

“Yes. And he’s proud of you. As a new father, let me suggest, it’s not supposed to change the past. It’s just supposed to matter.”

Jett caught the scent of another demon, turned, and disarmed the clever, young Guardian who’d snuck on up them in his distraction. He paused, facing a tree, and rubbed moisture from his eyes. “Yeah,” he said, forcing control and returning to Wren’s side. “It matters. Thank you.”

They kept walking, Jet trying in vain to keep Wren from being such a visible target. Thankfully, the humans would have a harder time spotting him in the dark than the Guardians who tracked them now.

“Branch.”

Wren ducked under the low tree limb. At the same moment, a Guardian “poacher” jumped down from the tree.

Jett fought him off, plus a half-dozen other attackers, then took a less direct path to the house over more difficult terrain. Many more scents carried on the wind. By himself, he’d have opted to fight his way through the “poachers’” dragnet but keeping Wren out of their crosshairs was priority one.

“Tell me something, archangel,” Jett prompted as the lights from the stone house finally came into view. “How much trouble did you get into for getting caked in mud when we were little?”

Wren laughed. “I didn’t—my father was too amused. Mother wouldn’t let me in the house until I’d cleaned every last speck off, though, and the hose water was cold. You remember now?”

“No. I saw the picture.”

“Oh. Well, you started the mud brawl that got us both so filthy.”

“What! I did not. You’re the older one—”

“Doesn’t mean you weren’t the troublemaker.”

“Ridiculous. The only reason I was allowed near you—”

“Angel.” Wren pointed at his own chest, then at Jett. “Demon. Angel. Demon.”

“Oh, hell no! You wanted to go down to the lake, even though you weren’t allowed near the water. We ended up in the mud when I tried to drag you back.”

Stepping into the light that spilled across the front lawn, Wren smiled. “You remember.”

Jett shoved a hand through his hair. Images and voices from that part of childhood played in his mind for the first time in his adult life. “Yes, I do.”

“I’m glad.”

“Son.” Raphael met them on the lawn, his face pale and his worry over Wren evident in the emotions that bled into the back of Jett’s mind. The archangel brushed his son’s wing with his own and held out a hand to Jett. “Good work, Guardian, and thank you for not bringing him back covered in mud this time.”

Wren scoffed, grinned, and flew up to the fourth-floor flight deck, the force of the takeoff kicking dirt into the air. He called down, “We’ll talk soon about Dante.”

“Dante?” Raphael cocked his head.

“My father appeared to Wren in the woods.”

The archangel’s silver eyes widened.

“I don’t know much more than that.”

Raphael tilted his head back, angling his face to the sky. “I’d do the same thing in his position.” He glanced toward Lark, who approached from the direction of the lake. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yeah.”

“Good night, Jett. And thank you again.” Raphael took flight.

Lark walked a slow circle around Jett. “Good job not rescuing the teen.”

Jett cursed.

“If it was easy, anyone could be a dedicated Guardian,” Lark said. “It goes against our instincts to ignore someone in trouble. But, the archangels are the humans’ real targets more often than not, and they need this level of protection. In reality, there would have been other Guardians rushing to rescue that teen. To do this job, you need to trust them to do theirs, and focus on yours.”

“I’m not sure I can.”

Lark arched an eyebrow.

“I can trust the civilians to the other Guardians, but if that had been Lexine, I wouldn’t have been able to leave her. No way.”

“Even if, through your empathic skill, you could tell Wren was dying?”

“I don’t know.” He truly didn’t.

“Hesitation could cost the life of an archangel. Not acceptable from one of their dedicated Guardians. There is no room for flexibility here, Jett.” He sighed. “This is crucial. Do some soul-searching. We’ll talk again in a few days. Now, go run laps around the colony’s border.”

…

After the first full week of being separated from Jett, Lexine hurried out of the orchard and across the colony with a plan and a basket.

Dawn broke overhead in a dazzling display of blue and gold. Praying for good timing, she hurried around the archangel house to the garden, where Lark had a peculiar home hidden within the garden walls.

Jett sat on the grass among fallen yellow oak leaves, stretching. He wore black workout pants. Nothing else. Lexine licked her lips and made her way around the flowerbeds to get to him.

He looked her over. “Lex. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“You don’t look fine, and your emotions have been all over the place this week. I almost came looking for you.”

“I’ve been harvesting late-season apples and making wine. It’s a lot of work.” True, but far from the whole truth. Her sessions with Raphael had begun and the archangel was taking her request seriously. Thank goodness demons healed fast—there’d be no hiding some of her injuries from Jett’s observant gaze. “I brought you breakfast. One cannot survive harsh training only on the protein bars and granola Lark likes to eat.”

Jett smiled. “You just saved my life. No lie.”

She laughed and handed him the basket.

He surveyed the contents—apple slices with honey, boiled eggs, and warm rolls—and shook his head. “I’ve never received such a gift. Thank you. Sit.”

She knelt, and he seized her in a searing kiss that curled her toes.

The sound of a throat clearing interrupted. Lexine glanced up into Lark’s scowling face.

“Good morning, Lexine.”

“Morning, Lark. I’m keeping your trainee well fed.”

“So I see.” His lips twitched, and he shifted his gaze to Jett. “Ten minutes. Meet me at the lakeshore. There’s something we need to talk about.”

Tension filled the air and Lexine glanced from one Guardian to the other.

When Lark had gone, Jett kissed her again.

“Eat,” she said.

He kept her close, one arm around her waist, and ate with his free hand.

“Will this work most mornings? They must allow you time to eat.”

That deep crimson stare burned into her. “You don’t have to—”

“I want to! I want to see you, and I want you to do well. The first step to success is a good breakfast.”

His throat worked. He ran a fingertip over a honey-coated apple slice and wiped the sweet goo on her lips. He kissed her, licking her clean. “Yes, I get a few minutes in the morning to stretch after a quick breakfast of granola inside.”

“Excellent. Forget the granola and meet me out here.”

He stared at her for a long moment, adoration in his gaze. “You’re perfect.”

“Eat!”

He obliged, finishing every crumb.

“It’s not too much? I know they push you. A full stomach might not be the best idea.”

“It’s perfect. We start with target practice in the morning.”

“Oh, good.”

“Today is the first day he’s going to blindfold me and give me earplugs. Using the dart gun, I’ll need to find my targets with my empath sense alone. I’m nervous.”

“You’ll do great.”

“I’ll do better now that I’ve been fed.” He claimed her mouth, kissing her hard enough to force her down to the grass on her back.

She tasted the honey and tart apple on his lips, which mingled with the sweet venom. His scent, honey and tea, overwhelmed her senses and left her dizzy.

He pulled back, his hands lingering on either side of her face. “I have to go.”

“Wait, one more thing.” She folded back the terry cloth on the bottom of the basket and extracted the present she’d wrapped in simple, dark green rice paper.

“What’s this?”

“Happy Birthday. I checked the date in your father’s journal.”

He blinked.

She set the gift into his hands.

“I…” He stared down at the present. “No one’s ever…”

“Happy Birthday, Juneau.”

He let out a long breath. “Thank you.”

“Well? Open it!”

The shock faded from his eyes, and he tore the paper, revealing the leather-bound journal she’d had made by the colony’s book craftsman. The dark cover had a border of inlaid white birch bark, sealed behind glass. She’d requested that embellishment with Jett’s early journaling efforts in mind.

“This will be a bit sturdier than your birch bark paper,” she said.

“Yes. Yes, it will. Thank you, Lex.”

He kissed her again, his arms around her, his grip tight enough to hurt. She squirmed and he eased off, finishing the kiss with a tender brush of his lips against hers.

“See you tomorrow,” she said, getting to her feet.

“I can’t wait.”

…

After bringing Jett a breakfast of maple oatmeal and stealing several minutes of kisses as she had for the last month, Lexine climbed into bed for her weekly sleep. Her body ached from that day’s session with Raphael, but she’d gotten better, so much better, in a month’s time. She’d even landed a strike to the back of his wings today, an accomplishment mixed with thrill and horror. But of course, her teacher had been pleased, not offended. She shut her eyes and drifted, her slumber peaceful.

Until the dream.

It started the same as it had in the past. A strong sense of love and happiness. Her mate, with the tattoo and claw marks, at her side. From there, the scene took a devastating turn. Between one breath and the next, Jett fell to the ground. Blood drenched his clothes. He held her until he lost consciousness, his hands falling from her shoulders.

Nothing could wake a demon from sleep. Even though she knew, somehow, that she was dreaming. She remained trapped in the nightmare, crying and screaming at Jett’s side as his blood spread out over an unusual mosaic floor of orange fish on a blue, green, and brown background constructed of tiny glass tiles.

When she woke, she screamed some more.

No.

No!

She fought free of her tangled sheets only to collapse to her knees on the floor. No, she vowed. This future would not become reality. She didn’t care what she had to do. She would stop this.

Chapter Twenty

“Dr. Lawrence? Are you all right?”

Victor Lawrence opened his eyes, lifted his forehead from the wall, and forced a smile for the nurse. “Fine, Alice. Is he resting comfortably?”

“He’s asleep.”

“Good. Will you call me if anything changes?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

Victor left the ICU and headed for the discrete elevators tucked behind the vending machines. He swiped his key card, pressed a button, and waited until the doors opened on the research lab floor. Technicians and graduate students crowded the lounge, coffee cups in hand, arguing over the best growth medium for cell culture, or who would come in to count cells for the 1:00 a.m. time point.

If only basic experiments where his biggest problem. Victor rubbed his temples, hurried through his lab and into his office. He shut the door behind him.

He threw his marble paperweight against the wall.

He slumped into his desk chair and his fingers brushed beads of sweat on his brow. Over twenty years of research, massive amounts of groundbreaking data, yet nothing close to a treatment for the broken young man in the ICU.

If a demon had suffered such injuries, he’d be well on his way to being healed by now, twelve hours after a vicious motor vehicle accident. A high fever, a significant amount of pain, and he’d have walked out the hospital the next day. As it was, the human kid would never walk again, if he lived at all.

The rapid healing inherent in demon biology couldn’t be replicated or harnessed. He’d finally come to accept that. Indeed, there was a better way. The golden egg. The ace. The miracle.

But, it’d been fucking stolen! He slammed his fist on the desk. The damned demons had taken the archangel right before Victor’s experiments were to begin. It had been such a perfect plan. Thornton Bailey would get the son. Victor would get the father. However, the demons had taken both archangels back to that colony in Vermont.

Granted, the opportunity for newborns now presented itself. Far more preferable than an adult. The young ones could be raised to comply. They’d be much easier to handle than Raphael ever would have been. And twins, no less. Perfect for scientific study.

But, could he get them in time to help the teen and the other patients in ICU? Every day, he watched people die, people who could have been saved so easily. His own daughter-in-law was losing her fight with cancer. That such a simple cure existed, so far out of his reach…

He couldn’t stand it. He had to find a way into that colony.

The phone on his desk rang. Speak of the devil, and all that. “Hello, Miriam. How are you?”

“Andrew is missing,” his daughter-in-law said, her voice thin and raspy from months of sickness.

“What?” Lawrence got to his feet, stretching the phone cord.

“He’s been gone since this morning! He left a note saying he was going to find help for me.”

“Find help?” Lawrence paced as best he could with the infuriating landline. “What did he mean?”

“I have no idea. The counselor at his school said he’s been increasingly obsessed with cancer, reading books that are far over his head.”

Sweat beaded on Lawrence’s forehead. Miriam had been diagnosed with cancer a decade ago, then gone into remission. The cancer came back recently, not long after the car accident that killed Andrew’s dad. His grandson had taken the double blows like a rock, but recently, it looked more and more like the boy had kept the true extent of devastation hidden. Twelve-year-old Andrew wouldn’t do anything foolish, not when he still had his mother. “Well then, perhaps he came here, to the medical center. I’ll call security and go downstairs to have a look myself.”

“What should I do? Should I call the police?”

“Not yet. Let me see if he’s here. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

…

Jett patrolled the grounds around the archangel house—the first time doing so, solo, for an appreciable amount of time—as Lark spent the evening inside with Raphael. His skin prickled. Nerves, or something more?

He shut his eyes and inhaled through his nose and his mouth, tasting the scents of the forest on his tongue. The scent of pine overpowered everything else. Damn, are those trees always so strong?

They sure as hell hadn’t been that potent every other time he’d been at the house, he decided. Or even five minutes ago.

“Scent is your best tool,” Lark had lectured. “No matter how skilled a human is, they leave a trail. They’ve tried to mask their scent. Never assume unusual odors in the woods are benign.”

Keeping to the darkest shadows, Jett closed the distance to the stand of young, puffy pines that hugged the lawn below the west-facing flight decks. Light spilled from the wraparound windows of the house. Anyone hiding in the trees would have a clear shot if one of the archangels came out. Hell, with an excellent weapon and aim, they could try to shoot through the windows.

He drew his combat knives. Damn it, he should have scented them before they got this close. Should have heard something.

Pausing at the base of the first balsam tree, he heard breathing. Rapid, shallow panting. Not a calm professional, then. Interesting. An amateur with enough dumb luck to get this far?

Guided by the sound, Jett sprang ahead. The human, who lay on his stomach between two trees, dressed in green camouflage, rolled over just in time for Jett to bring the blade down toward his throat.

The human screamed. The honest-to-God terror in the sound brought Jett’s hand to a halt, the blade an inch from the jumping pulse in the poacher’s throat.

No, not a poacher. A kid. A short, bright-eyed, human kid, the ample freckles and reasonable build marking him as the bike-riding, baseball-playing variety of human child. Jett withdrew the blade. “What the fuck are you?”

The human teen—he couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen—tried to scramble backward. Jett pulled the kid to his feet by his collar. He reeked. He must have rubbed pine oil all over himself.

“I-I’m not armed! I surrender!”

Lark arrived then, two blades drawn. He cocked his head when he saw the kid.

“This happen often?” Still holding the child by the shirt, Jett arched an eyebrow at the other demon.

“This is a first.” Lark stepped closer and lifted the boy’s chin with the tip of a blade. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Drew.” His face had paled at the touch of the weapon and he spoke in a whisper.

“Short for Andrew?”

“Yeah.”

“You stink, Andrew. Like one of those nasty car air fresh-eners.”

“Drew. And everyone knows demons can smell a human a mile away.”

“Everyone?”

“The older kids at school.”

Jett surveyed the ground where the human had been lying. One candy bar, one empty wrapper, and binoculars. He held Drew in place as Lark frisked him. Another candy bar. Two more wrappers.

Lark shook his head. “Human nutrition at its best.”

“It was a long walk,” the boy muttered.

“Bring any friends, Drew?”

“No.”

“We’ll see.” Lark turned to Jett. “You got him?”

“We’re fine.”

“I’ll check the woods.” Lark disappeared.

Jett assessed the child. Though he looked pale enough to faint, determination filled his eyes. “What brings you out here, kid?”

His hands trembling, Drew lifted his hands to his neck. He pulled a gold necklace with a large, clear diamond surround by a bunch of smaller diamonds out from under his camouflage jacket. “I brought this to give to the archangel Raphael.”

What the fuck? “Not his style.”

Drew’s chin jutted out. “It’s worth a lot. He has to take it.”

“Why?”

“Can I talk to him?”

“No.” Jett got onto his knees to look the kid in the eye. “Why are you here, Andrew?”

“My mom’s dying. They said it’s an inoperable tumor.” The kid’s hands balled into fists, and he spoke in a rush. “My pastor says Raphael the archangel is a healer, but this Raphael isn’t the same one as in the Bible. I don’t believe that. He has to be. He has to help my mom.”

Well, shit. Jett had experienced Raphael’s healing talent firsthand the day they’d escaped Thornton. The archangel had healed the gunshot, even in the near-death condition he’d been in himself.

But humans died every day, and healing took energy from Raphael, limiting how much he could do in a given period of time. Even if most humans didn’t want him dead, he’d never be able to save humanity from the ways of nature. Armies of healing archangels would be needed for such a Herculean task.

If Raphael helped this woman, word would spread, and before long, the colony would be fighting to keep out poachers and hordes of people looking for a miracle. Fuck.

But Jett couldn’t make this decision. “Stay right here. Do not move.”

Drew nodded, chewing on his lower lip.

Jett stepped a few yards away, keeping the kid in sight, and flipped open his cell phone. Keeping his voice low, he relayed the kid’s words to Raphael. “What do you want me to do?”

Moments ticked by before Raphael answered. “Take him to the patio.”

“Are you sure—”

“Yes. I’ll talk to him.” The archangel disconnected.

Sensing Lark’s presence, Jett sought out the other demon’s gaze among the trees.

“I heard,” Lark said. “Go ahead. I’ll keep watch out here.”

Jett returned to the boy and led him across the lawn.

“Really?” The word came out of the human’s mouth as a squeak.

“He’ll see you. I can make no other promises.”

They entered the garden gate and the boy tried to run ahead. Jett held him back by the sleeve. Spunky little shit. “Please take off your shoes and your jacket.” Though Lark had searched the kid, he had to check and recheck. “I need to search you again.”

That done and the kid baring nothing more dangerous than the coating of balsam oil, Jett led him to the patio at the back of the house that overlooked the garden. Raphael waited under the exterior lights, dressed in jeans and a gray sweater that would have given him a casual appearance, but his wings ruined that effect.

Drew came to a dead halt, his eyes wide.

“Something wrong, kid?” Jett rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Um…” Drew remained a statue.

Raphael crossed the stone patio and knelt, lifting his wings off the ground. “Hello.”

Andrew’s voice squeaked more than not, but he stam-mered out his request.

“Is this your mother’s?” Raphael lifted the diamond pendant with his fingers.

“It was. It’s for you.”

Raphael shook his head. “You need to keep this safe. Perhaps give it to your wife one day.”

“But—”

“Even if I could help you, I wouldn’t accept something with this much personal value.”

Drew’s breath hitched.

Raphael continued, “I am not capable of the miracle you seek.”

Tears fell down the boy’s cheeks.

Jett cocked his head, surprised Raphael chose to lie. But, it probably was the least hurtful way to let the kid down.

The archangel met Jett’s gaze with a brief shake of his head before he returned his attention to Andrew. “I’m sorry. You should go home and be with your family. That is the best thing you can do for her and your father.”

“My father’s dead.” The spark left Drew’s voice. “I’m going to end up living with his father. Grandfather’s the one who told me my pastor was right, that you’re a healer.”

“Did he, now?”

“Yes. He’s a scientist. He knows stuff.”

Jett tensed and studied Andrew’s face, never one to believe in coincidence. How many scientists talked to their family about healing archangels? “What’s your full name, kid?”

“Andrew Lawrence.” He wiped his eyes.

Damn.

“Did your grandfather send you here?” Raphael whispered.

“No. I asked him if we could come here together, and he got mad. Told me it wasn’t safe and you wouldn’t help.” Accusation filled Andrew’s eyes.

“I am truly unable to help you, child. I can heal certain things. Cuts, sprains, even severe injuries. I’m simply able to speed up the body’s natural healing ability. Cancer and other conditions the body is not capable of healing on its own are out of my reach.”

Ah, so that explained it. Interesting. Lawrence more than likely believed Raphael was a walking miracle. Jett spotted Lark among the shadows of the garden and crossed the clipped flowerbeds to join him.

“Victor Lawrence’s grandson,” Jett said, keeping his voice low.

Lark nodded. On the patio, Raphael continued to speak with the child, their voices plenty loud enough for Jett’s keen hearing. The conversation turned to the dying mother, Raphael offering comforting words and encouragement.

“We’ll have to make sure the kid gets home safely,” Lark said.

“Which means we’ll get an address out of this,” Jett said. “From there, we’ll be able to find Lawrence.”

“And put that kid in foster care?”

Jett stared at Lark, gaping. “Certainly you’re not suggesting we let Lawrence live.”

“I’m only saying we need to take a step back and take a deep breath here. Lawrence is the only family Andrew will have left.”

“Maybe there’s other family.”

“Perhaps.” Lark flipped a throwing knife into the air and caught the blade behind his back. “Regardless, he’ll have to deal with the premature deaths of both parents and the murder of his grandfather.”

“Children survive worse.” Jett’s words came out with more bite than he intended. He felt for the kid and wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone, but that didn’t change the reality of Lawrence. “And our responsibility is the archangels, yes? Above all else, even Lexine and Caza. Lawrence wants the twins. What we have to do is nonnegotiable.”

“I agree entirely. Let’s proceed with caution is all I’m saying. He doesn’t die in front of Drew or where the kid could find the body. If it can be made to look like an accident, all the better.”

“You think I’d just haul ass in there and slaughter the man on sight, whether the kid was there or not?”

Lark only stared, one red eyebrow cocked.

“Point taken.” Jett rolled his shoulders, trying to force himself to calm. “I’ll behave. Course, we could also explain to Andrew the truth of the situation. Make him understand exactly what kind of monster his grandfather is.”

“He’s not a day older than thirteen.”

“So? When I was that age, I…” Jett paused. Shit. He didn’t know much about kids, but he knew better than to think his own childhood was anything to draw comparisons against. The worst injury Andrew had probably ever known was a scraped knee, his father’s death and his mother’s sickness the only taste of how cold the world could be. Significant, but no reason to justify shoving his grandfather’s crimes in his face. “Never mind.”

“Timing is going to be crucial. Lawrence will run as soon as he realizes we’re on his trail. And, of course, we can’t both go.”

“I’m going. I need to see that son of a bitch die.”

Chapter Twenty-one

After her nightmare, Lexine spent a couple hours sitting on the top of a ladder in the orchard, staring at the stars. The evening air turned cold, but was warm compared to the chill inside her body. The nightmare had been so real, so potent, she could still smell the blood. Even the sharp odor of the rotting apples on the ground didn’t overpower it.

“Lex.”

She caught her breath as she spotted Jett approaching between the trees. He moved like a shadow in the darkness, his eyes reflecting the moon. If she’d had normal demon eyes, she’d have been able to see him clearly in the moonlight.

“What are you doing out here?” His voice held cutting disapproval. “It’s cold, and it’s dark. You can’t see—”

“I have a flashlight. I’ve lived with this disability for twenty-six years.” She didn’t mean to snap, but the turmoil in her mind made it impossible be calm.

“Sorry. I worry. It’s in the genes.”

She climbed down the ladder. Her feet hit the ground at the same moment his arms—so warm—came around her.

“I have to talk to you,” he said.

She missed a beat. She’d been about to say the exact same thing to him. “Is something wrong? You’re not supposed to have any time off training.”

“We have a lead on Lawrence’s whereabouts. I’m going to be leaving in a couple hours. He’ll be dead as soon as I find him.”

She should have felt relieved. Lawrence, after all he’d done to Jett and Bryce, and intended to do to the archangel infants, would meet justice. Everyone would be a little safer in a world that was anything but. However, at that moment, she only cared about the safety of one person. “Please be careful. Very careful.”

“I will be.”

She nodded. After all, the dream had shown him as her mate. That event hadn’t come to pass. With that horrible future foretold, he’d be safe this night.

Bittersweet comfort.

“That’s not what I came to talk to you about. Let’s go inside. You’re freezing.”

They made their way into her apartment. He ignited a demon-fire lantern, set her on the bed, and wrapped a blanket around her. In the flickering crimson light, he knelt on the floor in front of her, his hands on her hips.

She had to tell him about her dream, but he started speaking first.

“Lark and I have come to an impasse.”

She frowned, waiting.

“My position as a dedicated Guardian to the archangels would require me to forsake everyone else in an emergency. Including you.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“I cannot accept that. To me, your safety is every bit as important as the archangels’. The very idea that I wouldn’t be able to keep you safe if this colony came under attack again makes me ill.”

“But—”

“I’ve discussed it with Lark at length. I’ve given the subject a lot of thought. Now, I need your thoughts, before I decide to take the oath to the archangels or not.” He folded the soft blanket closer to her neck and rubbed her arms.

She swallowed. Hard. “Why?”

“Because I would have you as my mate one day, Lex. If you’ll have me.”

She froze. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. The scent of blood filled her nose, the nightmare still lingering.

“I would become a regular Guardian.” He lowered his hands along her arms and gripped her fingers. “Perhaps it’s too soon to ask, but waiting until after I take the oath to at least talk to you about this would be a mistake.”

She swallowed. Swallowed. Swallowed.

“Lex?”

She sobbed and dropped her face into her hands.

“Beauty?” he whispered, touching the side of her face.

“I want to, but I can’t.”

“What?” He leaned closer to her, tensing. His breath brushed her cheek. “I don’t understand.”

Words spilled from her mouth in a rush, punctuated by sobs and chokes. She explained her original dream—how she realized what it really meant when she saw his tattoo and scars for the first time. How she’d kept that truth to herself, afraid of scaring him off when she wanted to get to know him better. How the dreams had stopped, and she’d abandoned hope that they had a future. He listened in absolute stillness, his hands clamped over hers.

She told him how the dream had come back, changed. How he’d died in her arms.

“That dream can’t come true. You’ll die.” Her throat stung. “We need to stay away from each other. If we’re not mated, the dream can’t come true! You’ll be safe—”

“Nonsense.” His dark crimson gaze burned into her. “Consider the life I lead, Lexine. Staying away from you is not going to keep me out of harm’s way. Staying safe is not my goal. Killing my enemies is my goal.”

“But—”

He covered her lips with a finger. “Dream or no dream, my fate is not in your hands, and I need you to stop thinking that way. If I get hurt or killed, it’ll be the result of my own damned mistakes.”

She shoved his hand away. “These sorts of dreams are rare, Jett. They’re a legitimate glimpse into the future, not a goddamned a horoscope!”

Fisting one hand at his side, he reached up with the other and grasped her chin, his grip firm but not enough to hurt to her. “No dream is going to dictate my fate, tell me how I will or will not die, or who I will or will not be with. My future is for me to decide.”

“And for me to decide, in this case.”

“Lex…”

“I won’t be your mate, Jett.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, which he didn’t return. “I’ve fallen in love with you. I won’t put your life at risk if there is anything I can do to protect you.”

“Protect me?”

“Yes. I’m a female, but I’m nothing like Caza.”

He leaned back. “You know what happened to Caza?”

“Raphael told me.” She got to her feet, holding the blanket around herself. Now that her distress over the dream had been vented, another emotion hit her. Jett took a step back. He must have sensed her anger. “I’m not Caza. I’m not a delicate flower. Instead of just sitting there a frightened idiot—not to disrespect the dead—I’d have gotten on my damn feet and found a safe place. If I’d come across humans, I’d have fought back. I’ve been training with Raphael to develop my hand-to-hand skills, and I’m not afraid to use what I’ve learned. Or this.” She held up her hands and lit them with flames. “Or these.” She hissed, baring her fangs.

“Lex—”

“If it weren’t for this dream, the horrible future I saw, I’d be perfectly capable of being a mate to an archangel’s Guardian. You wouldn’t have had to give that up for me. In an emergency, while you did your job, I’d have taken care of myself like a big girl and been waiting for you afterward!”

He stared at her in silence for a moment that stretched out until the pulse in Lexine’s ears deafened her.

“In that case, you really are perfect, Lex,” he said, his tone sad enough to twist her stomach. “And I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”

He turned and left without another word.

…

Jett rushed back to the archangel house. He forced his mind to process only thoughts of the mission ahead, refusing to see Lexine’s face in his mind’s eye, refusing to let her tremulous emotions reach him through his empathic skill. He realized the effort was wasted when he couldn’t enter the security codes to unlock the door. His hands shook too hard.

He paused, braced himself on the door frame, his mind swimming from all Lexine had told him. His tattoo. He’d been the “poacher” in her dream from the beginning. The scars from when he’d shredded his own skin proved it.

But then the dream had ceased. Why? Because of his decision to become a dedicated Guardian? Her new dream came that afternoon, when he’d decided to ask her to be his mate. After so many weeks of her bringing him breakfast and putting up with his absence as he trained, nothing in her emotions but determination, pride, concern, and aching loneliness—never the resentment he deserved—he’d had to tell her she meant more to him than just a girl on the side. And she deserved to have a say in his future, because he wanted it to be their future.

She’d turned him down.

He laughed into the door to vent the emotion that threatened to drop him to his knees. She’d turned him down because she loved him. He’d been studying her emotions. She’d spoken the absolute truth. She loved him, but she feared the dream foretold his death. Taking a cue from his insistence, weeks ago, that she could change her future, she’d turned him down to keep his ass alive.

Jett could love her for that. If he didn’t love her already.

He refused to believe his future could be dictated by a dream, and Lexine’s story proved him right. Her dream had changed. It had even stopped for a period of time after he took a different path. But the fact that she’d seen his scars and tattoo years before they’d met proved that the dream was far from inaccurate.

He counted back the years. Yes. About the time he started to befriend Raphael, starting down the road that would eventually lead to freeing the archangel and himself, Lexine’s dreams had begun.

Fate?

He shuddered. The idea of fate, to any degree, scared the shit out him.

I am in control. I am in control. I am in control.

Maybe he was a fool. The future wasn’t set in stone, but he had no real control. After all, Lexine had just turned him down. He’d sought her out that evening certain she wouldn’t. If Fate had tried to push them together, the act had backfired. Or, perhaps Fate had simply meant from the beginning to torture them. A little sick fun to help Her pass the time.

Lexine’s determination had been as profound as a slap. There’d be no changing her mind. It was over between them—he’d never be able to have a casual relationship with someone he felt so strongly for. The truth of it burned in the center of his chest.

He shook himself, awareness of the archangels inside the house growing, breaking through his personal crap. There’d be time for his issues later. Now, he had a job to do.

He turned his thoughts to Lawrence. Deliberately recalled his childhood. The bone-deep fury that built up all those years granted him a deadly calm and focus. For now.

He opened the door and went inside. On the second floor, he found Lark, Raphael, Ginger, Wren, and the twins.

“Where’s Andrew?”

Lark said, “He’s at the town hall, getting a lecture from Vin on running away and responsibility. Poor kid.” The Guardian sat with a laptop computer on his knees. “I have Drew’s home address. He lives with his mother in Morgan, Vermont. It’s not far.”

“And his grandfather?”

“Victor Lawrence, MD, PhD, runs a small research lab at a medical center in Massachusetts, according to Andrew.” Lark turned the screen, showing Jett a website with smiling doctors and flowering trees. “He’s not listed online, though. Assuming Andrew’s telling the truth, Lawrence must keep a very low profile, which isn’t a surprise. We’d have found him by now, otherwise. Anyway, I estimate a six-hour drive from Morgan to the medical center. If you’d rather, the Guardians can take the kid home so you can go straight after Lawrence.”

“No. I’ll take Andrew. If Lawrence’s daughter-in-law is sick and her son is missing, he may be visiting. I can’t risk missing him.”

“Indeed,” Lark said.

“Is something wrong?”

Jett blinked at Wren’s question and realized he’d been staring at the archangel and Ginger. The pair sat on a backless couch while Raphael held both of the twins. Their knees pointed toward each other. Ginger rested her head against his wing. Wren drew circles on her knee with his fingertips.

“Nothing,” Jett said, noting the gruffness in his own voice. He moved closer to Raphael and the twins, the little innocents that Lawrence wanted to get his harsh claws into. Jett needed to focus on keeping this family safe, needed to get his head in the right place for the fight to come.

“May I?”

Raphael glanced at Wren, who nodded. “Of course.”

Jett took Talon in his arms, uncertain and awkward as he tried not to handle the child’s wings.

Wren grinned. “At that age, it’s all good. Think of them as built-in blankets.”

Jett held Talon close, the mottled gray wings naturally wrapped around the tiny body. The infant made cooing noises in his sleep, his face turned into his feathers.

Reaching out with his empathic gift, Jett marveled at the absolute serenity that radiated from the child. He couldn’t imagine that kind of peace. Wait, yes he could. Those few moments when he’d visited Cinnamon and she’d absorbed all his emotional baggage, he’d experienced such a state of calm.

Talon squirmed and pulled at a handful of his feathers. Jett gently pushed the tiny hand away and scratched the spot on the infant’s wing. The child settled down.

There’d be no safeguarding such innocence forever. The twins had a merciless world to grow up in, but, damn it, they’d have one less thing to worry about when Jett was done with Lawrence.

He shifted his attention to Wren’s emotions, relieved and humbled to find, when it came to holding the infant, Jett had Wren’s unhesitant trust.

Jett resettled Talon next to Phoenix on Raphael’s lap, stroking each infant’s cheek in turn. Phoenix smiled and wiggled closer to her brother. If Jett hadn’t known better, considering their age, he’d have sworn Talon scowled at her.

“Be nice to your sister,” Jett scolded and tapped the kid lightly on the nose.

Raphael laughed. “One minute, you can’t separate them without defending screams, the next, they’re in a mini-fistfight. This will be a very interesting household when they get older.”

Jett took a chair at the table next to Lark and studied the computer screen. Time to learn the neighborhood around the house in Morgan, as well as the medical center, develop a plan, and get on the road.

Heads up, Lawrence, you fucker. I’m coming for you.

…

Lawrence drove north through Vermont to Morgan, the little town where his daughter-in-law had lived before she’d met his son. Why she insisted on living all the way out here when she had a perfectly good home near the medical center still escaped him. She went on about the fresh air and the joy her family property gave her. Frustrating woman.

After her death, he’d sell the lakefront home and put the money toward Andrew’s college tuition.

He arrived at Miriam’s just after sunset and rushed up to the covered porch of the old, white-clapboard house.

The wooden door opened, followed by the noisy screen door, as Miriam stepped outside.

“Miriam, you shouldn’t be out here. It’s chilly.”

Her lips pursed in a hard expression she’d used often as a lawyer before she’d gotten sick. “Don’t coddle me, Victor. My son is missing.”

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

She huffed and turned on her heel, her gray skirt twirling around her ankles, her pale curls bouncing on her shoulders. Even in the crisp and bland outfits she wore—an ever-present symptom of her lawyer persona—and after her long illness, she was lovely. His son had been a lucky man.

If only she’d listen to reason to move closer to the hospital.

In the living room, Pastor Richard Elks rose from the sofa. “Victor.”

“Richard.”

Miriam settled, her back stiff, in an antique, wooden-legged chair. “Andrew had an interesting conversation with Pastor Elks recently.”

“Oh?”

Richard stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “He asked me about my sermon last week, about the archangel Raphael and the healing power of God.”

“What sort of questions?”

“How to pray to the angels to help his mother. How to approach the ‘Raphael’ who lives in Sanctuary.”

“What?”

“I made it very clear that Sanctuary had no help to offer, and that the archangels cast from Heaven were not to be sought out. He appeared convinced when he left my office. But now that he’s missing…”

Lawrence leaned against the hearth. “Oh, God.” He swallowed. “Andrew was in my office at the lab a few weeks ago. He must have seen.”

“Seen what?” Miriam pulled a knit blanket over her lap, her hands shaking.

“The fallen archangel Raphael does have the power to heal. The phenomenon was observed a year ago. I saw it myself. I have a video on the computer in my office.”

Miriam’s lips thinned. “What have you gotten into?”

“A business associate of mine had Raphael captive. The archangel escaped with the help of one of the guards. The guard was shot, a severe wound to the abdomen. Raphael healed him with a moment’s touch. I saw the whole thing on security footage. The guard got up and walked away a short while later after a period of unconsciousness.”

“The archangel is fallen. Such a thing must be the devil’s work.” Fury filled Richard’s voice. “I didn’t realize you planned to do anything but kill them.”

Victor suppressed a curse. Perhaps getting the Pastor involved in his work had been a mistake after all. “He could bring miracles to the suffering.”

“Never accept gifts from the devil, Victor.”

“Damn it! You don’t walk through the ICU every day!” Victor glowered at the pastor. “I was to have the archangel for research. Since his escape, I’ve been seeking to recapture him, or better even, to attain his newborn grandchildren. They can be raised to serve humanity—”

“What does this have to do with Andrew’s disappear-ance?” Miriam wailed.

“Jesus, if he went to Sanctuary…those demons…”

The pastor, paled faced, shook his head. “That is no place for a child to wander.”

“No shit.” Lawrence placed his hand on Miriam’s shoulder. “I’ll get him back. Don’t worry. I’ll get Drew back.”

Chapter Twenty-two

After hours of trying to pull herself together after Jett left and unable to stand the silence in her apartment a moment longer, Lexine debated going out into the colony and being social, just for the sake of being around others. No, bad idea. Anyone who saw her red, puffy face would ask what was wrong, and the last thing she wanted was to be a spectacle—it would bother her if no one else. She did need to talk to someone, though.

She sent Ginger a text message. She never called this late in deference to the fact that her friend needed to sleep every night, but Lexine desperately needed an ear and a shoulder.

And chocolate and wine. A punching bag would be nice.

Her phone chirped a second later. Wide awake. Come on over.

She texted back. Has Jett left? Despite how they’d left things between them, he’d called, told her they had a lead on Lawrence, and he was leaving immediately to follow through.

Yes…

I’ll be right there.

Lexine pulled on a sweater and headed out. The brisk walk around the lake did nothing to calm her. When she reached the house, Devin let her in and escorted her to the fourth floor, where he entered another series of codes to unlock the door before returning to his post. The brand-new apartment still smelled of freshly cut wood. She took a deep breath as she removed her sweater and hung it on a hook.

Ginger leaned into view from the kitchen. “I’m making tea. Do you need something stronger?”

“I want something stronger, but I better not. I need to clear my head, not muddle it more.”

“How about cookies?”

“Perfect.” She kept her voice down and glanced toward the master bedroom as she joined Ginger in the kitchen. “Is Wren sleeping?”

“No. He’s downstairs with Raphael. They were putting a movie on when I left. This development with Lawrence has everyone on edge, waiting to hear what happens.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Ginger flicked her hand. “Let the boys watch the movie. You look like hell. What’s wrong?”

Lexine accepted a mug of tea and added honey, the combination reminding her of Jett’s scent. She told the whole story, the words rushing out. Ginger listened with a furrowed brow, staring into her tea.

“You could have told us, sweetie. We wouldn’t have judged you. You, with a poacher?” Ginger shook her head. “I would’ve suspected, above all else, that something wasn’t as it appeared.”

“It was too horrible a possibility to admit to.”

“Well, it’s off the table now.” Ginger covered Lexine’s hand with her own. “Demon premonition dreams fascinated me as a teen, so I read a lot on the subject. They aren’t exact depictions of the future, necessarily. They’re dreams, so they’re liable to have a ten-foot ice-cream cone walking around in them, even when such a fabulous thing isn’t a part of the future.”

Lexine managed a smile and took a cookie from the plate in the center of the counter.

“Maybe the dream will change again,” Ginger said. “Perhaps you and Jett can wait it out. Every little thing can change the future.”

Lexine sipped her tea to moisten her dry mouth. “You didn’t see the look he gave me. I really hurt him tonight. I may have killed any chance of a future for us.”

“He’s made of tough stuff, and I’m sure he understands your intentions. He’ll get over the blow to his ego if he’s worth keeping in the first place.” Ginger winked and sipped from her mug. She jerked, spilling tea. “Ouch—hot—shit!” She shoved the laptop computer, sitting open on the counter, away from the mess.

Lexine grabbed the computer, and Ginger reached for a towel.

The screensaver disappeared, revealing pictures of the exterior and interior of a house. Lexine stared, her mouth open, holding on to the counter to keep from pitching off the stool. One picture showed, in marvelous detail, the colorful, fish-themed mosaic floor from her dream. The one on which Jett had died.

“What the hell is this?”

Ginger glanced at the screen. “Oh. That’s the house where Lawrence’s daughter-in-law and grandson live. It was for sale briefly before the mother changed her mind, apparently, so Lark found those shots on a realtor’s website. Jett was looking at them to get familiar with the layout before he went in.”

“This is where Jett has gone?”

“Yeah.” Ginger tucked her hair behind her ears. “What’s wrong?”

“That floor was in my dream. That’s where…” Lexine held either side of the laptop screen in a white-knuckle grip. It couldn’t be, yet there it was. Never had she seen an uglier kitchen floor, even if she hadn’t first seen it covered with blood.

She shuddered and the back of her neck prickled. They weren’t mated, but now, seeing that floor, she knew that the future hadn’t been altered entirely. Knew it with a cold certainty that went straight to her bones. Mating or no mating, Jett was going to die on that floor. The only difference she’d made? Now, he’d die alone, or with his killer.

But it didn’t make sense. How could the dream have occurred? If she’d accepted Jett’s proposal, would he have bitten her right then and there? Such a moment could have gotten out of hand, perhaps. They could have gone from proposal to sex, his mouth against her skin, the temptation too much. Yes, it was possible.

However, he would never have brought her on the hunt for Lawrence, so how was she with him, in the dream? She scrubbed her face with her hands. Because, whether she’d accepted his proposal or not, she’d have sought Ginger out to confide in, and she’d have seen the computer and the accursed floor.

Holy shit.

She had to go after him.

“Ginger, I need to get there. Where is this house?”

“You can’t just—”

“Yes, I can!” Lexine flipped through the browser tabs on the Internet browser and found a map with the address marked. She scribbled the info down on a piece of paper, studied the roads, and headed for the door. “How long ago did he leave?”

“Over two hours ago.”

“Damn it! I—” She paused with her hands on the doorknob. With his head start, he could already be hurt. No. Oh, no, she was not going to walk into the future the dream had shown her. She was not going to drive out there just to see him die.

She had a much better idea. Jett would need a healer.

She opened the door and rushed down the stairs, Ginger right behind. She stopped at the second floor and pounded on the locked door. Ginger reached over Lexine’s shoulder and entered the security codes. Rushing inside, Lexine headed straight for Raphael, who got to his feet, his feathers bristling.

Lexine swallowed. She had no right to ask the archangel put himself at this much risk—flying into a human town, an enemy like Lawrence and who knows who else in the area—but she was going to, anyway. She summed everything up: “Raphael, I’ve been having prophetic dreams and I need you to go to Morgan, or Jett is going to die.”

…

Jett drove Andrew into Morgan, wishing there was some other place to leave the kid. But, even though it was best that Andrew wasn’t around when Jett made minced meat out of Victor Lawrence, the colony couldn’t hold on to the kid and risk backlash from the human authorities.

“My grandfather is a bad person, isn’t he?” Drew stared out the passenger window.

“What makes you say that?”

“I saw a video on his computer.” Drew turned. “I think you were in it.”

“Me?”

“And Raphael. He healed you. Raphael’s wing was covered in blood.”

Jett tensed. Security footage from Thornton’s prison? Had to be. “Yeah, that was me.”

“Raphael was a prisoner, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, he was.”

Drew fell silent as another mile of road passed. “My grandfather did that?”

“No. That was someone else.”

“But my grandfather knew about it,” Drew whispered.

“Yes.”

“He did nothing to help.”

“No, he didn’t.”

Drew fidgeted. “My grandfather helps people. He researches diseases like my mom’s. He does surgery on people who’ve been in accidents. Why didn’t he help the archangel?”

Jett gripped the steering wheel. He wasn’t about to lie to the kid. “Your grandfather wanted Raphael to cure the sick and injured.”

“Raphael said he can’t help everyone.”

“That’s right.”

“But my grandfather wanted to force him? Hold him against his will?”

“Yes. When that didn’t work, he tried to kidnap Raphael’s infant grandchildren. He murdered three demons and kidnapped a five-year-old to try to achieve his goals.”

Drew sniffed. “You’re going after him, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, kid.”

“That’s all right,” Drew whispered. “I don’t want him to hurt anyone. But do you have to kill him?”

Ah, shit.

Drew stared, his eyes wide. “Please, don’t.”

“I have no choice.” Even if Jett could forgive the past, Lawrence would be a continuing threat in the future. There was no reasoning with the man. Jett had tried that many times, only to secure additional beatings. “I need to keep the archangels safe. It’s my job.”

A mailbox with the reflective numbers Jett had been watching for came into view. He turned onto a gravel driveway. A little black sedan and a fancy white sports car sat in front of the garage.

“That your grandfather’s car?”

Drew said nothing.

“Why don’t you go find your mother, kid. She must be worried about you.”

Drew opened the door, jumped out, and ran toward the house.

Jett sighed and rubbed his forehead. Nothing better than an innocent child to take the buzz out of a justified revenge killing. Damn it. He got out of the SUV and followed Drew to the front door.

He picked up Lawrence’s scent. His blood ran cold and he growled.

“Mom! I’m home!” Drew hurried inside.

Jett eased into the mudroom, alert to every sound, scent, and movement. The kitchen—which had an astoundingly ugly tile floor with orange fish—was empty. Drew ran down a hallway.

A scent neither Drew’s nor Lawrence’s nor the woman’s gave Jett pause. Leather and cigarettes. The scent of the man who’d shot Jett full of tranquilizer, taken Bryce, and abandoned the child in a garbage bag.

Jett grinned. Excellent. Another asshole who deserved to die. This would be a fruitful night.

“Jett!” Drew screamed, horror in the boy’s voice.

Jett ran down the narrow hall to a bedroom. A woman and Lawrence lay on the bed, bound. Andrew stood, gaping, his eyes wide.

Lawrence looked up and blanched.

Jett heard the floor creak behind him. The stench of leather and cigarettes strengthened.

“Andrew, get out of here!” Lawrence struggled.

Jett whirled to face a gun leveled at his chest. The wielder wore a black suit and the white collar of a pastor.

“Finally.” Leather and Cigarettes smiled. “I get to kill another demon.”

He pulled the trigger, but Jett anticipated and jerked out of the way. He pulled his own gun, but froze. The pastor grasped Andrew by the arm and pointed the gun at the child’s head.

“Richard! Please, don’t!” Lawrence lurched into a sitting position. Blood ran from his shoulder. He’d been hit by the bullet intended for Jett. The woman sobbed.

“Consorting with demons?” Richard sneered at Drew. “Unforgivable.”

Jett exploded into a demon-fire torch, successfully distracting Richard. Jett leaped on the human. A gunshot went off and pain exploded from Jett’s leg. The agony brought relief: Drew hadn’t been hit. Jett sank his fangs into Richard’s neck.

Jett straightened when Richard stopped writhing and twitching. Extinguishing his flames, he turned his head to find Lawrence, free, Richard’s gun aimed steady in Jett’s direction. Andrew had freed his grandfather. The kid knelt by his mother, working on the cord around her ankles with a pair of scissors.

“Demon. I never dreamed I’d see you again.”

“I brought your grandson home,” Jett said, forcing a calm voice. He could leap on Lawrence and tear out his throat. In that moment, he didn’t give a damn if Lawrence managed to shoot him in the process. He did care that the woman and Drew would see. It was bad enough he’d killed the pastor in front of them.

The woman had fainted.

“Yes, you did. Thank you for that.” Lawrence scratched his chin with his free hand. “So unpredictable. I doubt I’ll ever understand demons.”

“Because you’re blinded by your bigotry.”

Lawrence turned deep red. “Don’t you dare talk to me that way.”

For a moment, time seemed to reverse and Jett felt the cold air of the lab on his skin, felt the sting of the leather from the whippings he’d receive after speaking out of place. A hard blink brought Jett back to reality. Lawrence no longer held any power over him, even with that gun.

“What the hell was that?” Jett jerked his chin toward the body.

“That was Richard Elks. Pastor. Demon hunter. Poacher, though his religion motivated him, not money. I hired him for his skills and enthusiasm. But he turned on me when he figured out I wasn’t in it to kill the archangels but to use them to heal the sick. He accused me of doing the devil’s work.”

“Well, you’re no saint, that’s for certain.”

“You’re just a demon, what do you know?” Lawrence’s eyes narrowed. “The only goal I ever had was to ease human suffering. I failed to find a way to harness the rapid healing ability you, as a demon, possessed, so I turned to the archangels. When I learned of Raphael, I knew I’d found the answer.”

“Raphael is not a tool to be used. Neither are the infants. You’re a murderer and a monster, everything you accuse demons of being.”

“You do not talk back to me, demon. Remember your place.”

“I’ll talk to you however I damn well please, and you deserve a far more violent death than the one I can give you in front of your grandson.” Jett leaped off the floor.

Lawrence fired the gun.

Ignoring the pain that exploded from his leg, the same leg that had already been shot once, Jett grabbed the human by the shirt and hauled him out of the room. He dragged the struggling piece of shit down the hall and into the kitchen.

“You had me kidnapped during an attack that killed my father. My mother has never recovered from her grief. You treated me like animal. You sent more men to the colony recently, murdering and kidnapping again. If there is a hell, there is a special place in it for you.” Trusting that Andrew hadn’t followed, Jett made a fist and struck Lawrence in the jaw.

And struck him again.

And again.

“I can’t even begin to make you suffer the way you deserve.” Jett delivered another satisfying punch. “I just want to be done with you. I’m going to kill you and move on with my life. You never broke me.” One last punch.

Lawrence slumped against the wall and sank to his ass on the floor.

Jett, not wanting him to die quickly from a bite, grasped the bastard’s neck and squeezed.

The skin on Jett’s arms prickled. He must have stepped too close to a mental edge, facing Lawrence like this, because he had the distinct sensation of heavy hands on his shoulders. Warm, comforting hands.

“Juneau.”

Jett released Lawrence’s neck and spun around, searching for the source of that voice, as the human gasped and choked.

“Jett.” Drew stood in the little archway between the kitchen and hallway.

Jett forced back a string of profanity. “Go help your mother.”

Drew’s lip trembled.

“Drew. Go.”

“No!” Drew shouted, staring beyond Jett. “Grandfather, don’t!”

Jett turned back to Lawrence. The bastard had a small gun in his hand. He pointed it at his own head, not Jett.

“If I’m going to hell, I’ll see you there, demon. But you don’t get to kill me.”

He pulled the trigger.

Jett dove for Drew, shielding the child’s view. Drew wailed. Jett held him, carefully keeping his body between the boy and the corpse.

His vision swam and the floor tilted. What the hell?

He leaned back, blinking, shivering. He sat in a pool of blood. The bullets he’d taken to the thigh must have clipped an artery.

The sensation of heavy hands on his shoulders returned. The lights flickered. Or was that his vision? He couldn’t tell.

“Juneau,” a voice said. Deep, male, familiar.

Impossible.

“It’s not impossible. I’m here, son. You can hear me, this close to death.”

Was he hallucinating? He removed his jacket and tore his shirt, unable to shake the strange presence. Had to be a side effect of bleeding to death. He tied the fabric around the top of his leg, as tight as he could. “I’ve been this close to death before.”

“And I was waiting for you to join me. But you survived, and you will survive again.”

Jett pulled out his cell phone but paused. What was the point? No one from Sanctuary would get to him in time.

A dry laugh escaped his lips. Well, Lexine’s dream had been wrong.

What he would give to hold her one more time.

“Jett?”

In his daze, he’d nearly forgotten the kid was there. “Go to your mother.”

Drew shook his head. He grabbed Jett’s jacket and pressed it against the wounds.

“You’re a good kid.” Jett leaned back against the kitchen island. He sent a text message to Lark as the invisible grip on his shoulders tightened.

“Lawrence is dead. I’m not going to make it back. Give Raphael my apologies, and send Lexine my love.”

“Juneau,” his father said again. “In my office, there is a safe behind my journals. The code is your birthday and the contents are intended for you. I love you, son.”

Jett shuddered, the cold overpowering. “I love you, too. Sorry, but I think I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Chapter Twenty-three

Lexine held her breath, waiting for Raphael to speak.

“There isn’t time to tell the whole story, but I’ve seen it,” she insisted. “He’ll die on that godforsaken mosaic floor.”

Raphael shut his eyes.

“Please.”

Wren came over. He whispered, “We can’t.”

“But—”

“I don’t wish Jett ill, at all, but his job…”

Lexine’s heart hammered. Yes, his job was to die for them if need be, not the other way around, and he was on a mission meant to protect them. But that didn’t mean they shouldn’t do every possible thing to keep that from happening. Right? She covered her mouth with her hand.

Raphael opened his eyes, his silver gaze sharp. “He’s not just our Guardian. He’s a friend.”

“I know,” Wren said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“It’s dark. It’s a rural area. It’s a manageable risk.”

“All right,” Wren said. “I’ll go. I’m faster.”

“Absolutely not. You’ll stay here with your mate and your children.”

“Father—”

Raphael flicked his wings. “I can fly damned fast when I need to.”

“That’s not what I’m really worried about.”

“This is dangerous.” Raphael nodded. “But we must help, and I’ll be the one go.”

Wren’s feathers stood on end, but he nodded. “Be damned careful.”

“Thank you,” Lexine said.

Raphael headed for the flight deck.

“What about Lark?” Wren brushed his wing against Raphael’s.

“No time to argue something he’ll never agree to. I’ll apologize to him later.”

Lexine shivered and clasped her shaking hands together. “I can’t just wait. I’m going to get a car and—”

Raphael turned and cocked his head. “You’re coming with me.”

“Here.” Ginger held out a jacket. “This will fit you. You’ll need it.”

“You’re serious?”

Raphael returned and took her arm. “I can only carry so much weight. I won’t be able to fly Jett back. He’ll be unconscious from being healed. You’ll need to drive him, and it’s better if we don’t have to wait for you to get there by car. I won’t drop you. I promise.”

“I’m not worried about that.” How many times had she wished for a chance to be carried by one of the archangels? She could have asked, but she didn’t, it seemed too personal a thing when Wren carried Ginger. Now she had the chance, but not for enjoyment—to save the life of the male she loved. “Yes, I’ll come.”

“Good luck.” Ginger hugged her.

Raphael led her outside as she pulled on the jacket and secured the hood over her head.

Lexine clung to Raphael as he spread his wings, massive and stark white under the exterior lights. Her stomach flipped and crawled up her throat as he dove off, dropping ever so slightly at first, then rising. Fast. Faster. The beat of his wings filled her ears, the noise as loud as the air roaring over them.

Darkness surrounded them. How high were they? Specks of light dotted the ground, but blackness dominated the rural, nighttime landscape. She shook so hard her teeth rattled, nothing to do with the cold. She shouted over the noise. “Raphael, how can you tell where we’re going?”

“I can sense what direction I’m headed in, and how high I am. Other than that, I’m blind in the dark.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get us there. I saw the house’s location on the computer. Easy to find. You’ll see.”

She closed her eyes, forcing out of her mind the fact that they careened high over the earth in the middle of the night and focused on Jett. His honey-and-tea scent. His dark crimson eyes. The sexy way his voice changed when there was no one else to overhear them.

“We’re nearly over Morgan,” Raphael said after a short while. “Those lights must be it. See the moon reflected below? That’s Lake Seymour.”

“Already?”

“We’re going that fast.”

She didn’t doubt it. The force of the air hurt her skin even through the ankle-length jacket.

“I’m bringing us lower,” he said. “The house is on the northern end of the lake, on the shore.”

The lurch of the sudden descent nearly made Lexine heave.

Raphael banked. “I see lights. That’s the place, where the shore juts out into the lake.”

The wind prevented her from looking over her shoulder, but a gut feeling told her Jett was near. “Yes!”

Raphael reversed the pattern of his wing beats, slowing them as a gravel driveway rose up to meet them. He landed and set her on her feet. Trees shielded them on either side, the lake spread out behind the house, a back road with no traffic crossed in front. No visible neighbors. Thank goodness for small towns.

Lights shone from every window of the farmhouse. Nothing moved. No sound.

Struck with dread, she ran toward the door, Raphael on her heels.

She ignited fire on her skin, ready to block Raphael from any human who posed a threat, and threw open the door. The scent of blood hit her hard.

“Jett!” She froze, facing the kitchen. That horrible floor, a pool of blood. A human missing part of his head from an apparent gunshot wound slumped against the far wall. A little boy knelt by Jett, stanching a leg wound.

Jett, his face so, so pale, glanced up, astonishment and disbelief on his face. “Lex?”

She dropped to her knees as the boy scurried away. Jett’s arms wrapped around her body.

“Lex.”

“You’re going to be all right.”

Déjà vu overtook her as the moment from the dream played out. Jett’s hands slipped from her shoulders and his eyes closed.

“Jett?”

A wing brushed her arm. Raphael knelt in the blood, the liquid staining his flight feathers. He grasped Jett by the shoulder with one hand and covered the bleeding wound on Jett’s leg with his other hand.

Lexine squeezed her eyes shut.

“He’s going to be fine, Lex.”

At the words, she slumped and cried into Jett’s chest.

…

Raphael carried Jett, unconscious from the healing, out to the SUV. When Lexine had calmed, she got in the driver’s seat and headed out.

Instead of taking flight, Raphael went back into the house. He ignored the body in the kitchen—Lawrence deserved no mercy or even a second thought from him—and squeezed down the narrow hall, his wings tight to his body.

Drew sobbed at the side of an unconscious woman on the bed. Raw skin on her wrists and ankles indicated she’d been bound recently.

Another body lay on the floor, dressed in a pastor’s uniform.

He kept his questions to himself. No need to make Drew repeat the gruesome events. Jett would explain, later.

“Andrew, is this your mother?”

Drew nodded, tears dripping off his chin.

“She’s going to be all right. She’s fainted.” Raphael leaned over the frail human woman. His healing talent prickled his skin. “Interesting.”

“What?”

Raphael pressed his palm to the woman’s forehead and released his healing talent. Color returned to her cheeks and her breathing deepened.

Drew’s eyes brightened. “Did you just heal her?”

Raphael shook his head. “I cannot cure her cancer. But yes, I healed some of the damage her body of sustained from her disease and her treatments.” Raphael touched her again, reading her body. “I cannot prevent her death, but I promise you, I have set her disease progression back a few years. When she wakes later on, she’ll feel much better.”

Drew began to cry again, the tears falling around a wide smile. Raphael stroked the child’s hair.

“Be good to your mother, and use the time you have well.”

“Yes, sir.” Drew wiped at his eyes.

“I have to go.” He noted the phone on the nightstand. “Call 911 and stay out of the kitchen. In fact, stay on this side of the bed. Don’t look at the body.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’ll be okay. I wish you well, Andrew.”

Raphael left the house and perched in the tree, waiting, making sure help arrived for Andrew and his mother. A couple minutes passed. Sirens wailed. Police cruisers and an ambulance arrived.

Drew and his mother would be okay, despite this wretched night. Drew would grow up strong. He had that indomitable spirit. Sneaking into the colony to get help for his mother was just the beginning of a life that would make a real difference in the world.

Raphael spread his wings and flew into the sea of stars overhead, eager to get home.

Chapter Twenty-four

With the help of two Guardians, Lexine brought Jett to her apartment. After they left, she stripped him of his blood-soaked clothes and sponge bathed him. She arranged his weapons carefully on the couch.

As Raphael had warned her, Jett slept for hours. She lay down next to him on the bed. When he finally stirred, the sun hung high in the sky.

His fingers brushed her hair. “Lex?”

She propped herself up on her elbow and kissed him. Light. Tender.

He lifted the blanket and looked under it. “I’m nude.”

“Yes.”

“I’m healed.”

“Yes.”

“But I lost too much blood to survive the healing fever. How…?”

“Raphael.”

“Raphael went to the lake house?”

“He’s fine. He’s back at home.” She bit her lip. “I think I heard Lark yelling from here, though.”

Jett sat up. The ivory sheet pooled around his waist. “Why did Raphael go after me?”

“Because I asked him to.”

“You what?”

She lifted her chin. “After you left, I went to see Ginger. I saw her computer and the pictures of the lake house. That kitchen floor was in my dream. I saw you die on that floor. I had to do something. I asked for help the only place I could think of.”

He glowered at her. “Lexine.”

She folded her arms and stared right back.

“I love you.”

The tension eased from her body, and she took his face in her hands. “I love you, too.”

He pulled her down to the pillows with him. An arm over her chest and a leg over her thighs, he held her, his eyes closed.

“Lawrence is dead,” he said after a while. “So is the accomplice who kidnapped Bryce.”

She nodded. “I’m not glad for death, but I’m glad we’re all a little safer.”

“Yes.”

“Raphael called a little while ago. He said to tell you Drew will be fine.”

“I’m glad. You’ll never believe who I talked to.”

“Who?”

“My father. While I was bleeding out on the floor, I heard his voice.”

She held him tighter. “What did he say?”

“That he loved me, and that he left something for me in his office.”

“Then we better go see, shouldn’t we? How are you feeling?”

He kissed her lips and worked his way down to her throat. “I feel fine, but we’ll go out later. First, we have a problem. Two problems, actually.”

“Oh?”

“First, I’m nude, but you’re not.” He eased her sweater over her head. He unhooked her bra and flung it across the room. He kissed her stomach and worked her jeans free of her hips, tossing them away, as well. Her panties followed.

“Second.” He knelt between her legs, his hands flat on her belly. “I still want you. I still love you.”

She bit her lower lip.

“Lex, there is a job I have to do, and a strong female I want by my side. I’ll have long hours, grave responsibilities, and my life will be in immediate danger at times. We won’t always be able to protect each other. But, if you’re willing, I want to love you and have you as my mate.”

She sat up and laced her fingers into his hair. “Yes.”

She’d barely gotten the word out when he seized her mouth in a fierce kiss. He ran his tongue over her fangs and sucked her lower lip into his mouth as his hands smoothed over her body. When his mouth followed his hands, he teased her with his fangs and she cried out.

They made love, their union both a relief and an additional torment. He stilled, pinning her beneath his weight. He lifted her left hand and kissed her fingers. The back of her hand. Her palm. Her wrist. He kissed his way up the tender skin to just below the crook of her elbow, pressed down with his fangs, and met her gaze.

She rubbed his nape with her free hand. “Yes, Juneau.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Not yet.” He nibbled her skin. “Not until after I’ve told Lark and Raphael we’ll be taking at least a few days to be alone.”

“Ah.” She smiled. “Good plan.”

…

That evening, Jett returned to the office where his father had worked for so many years. He lit the demon fire lantern on the desk. Jett pulled the journals from the shelf and set them carefully on the table. He opened the safe. Inside, a set of gold wings—fascinating in their intricacy for their inch width—rested in a box on a piece of black velvet. A note in his father’s handwriting stated that he’d made them himself, just in case his son took the path of an archangel’s Guardian.

Jett couldn’t sense anything unusual, but he knew his father stood at his side at that moment. “Thank you, Dad. I haven’t earned these yet, but I will. I promise.”

Jett closed the safe and replaced the journals, leaving the wings for safekeeping, and left the office. No rest for Guardian trainees, especially if he wanted to earn the time to properly make Lexine his mate.

Chapter Twenty-five

Another month of training passed before Jett took Lexine out of the colony in a black SUV fitted with a standard Vermont plate on the back and the “I am Vermont Strong” plate on the front. A trip like this would be next to impossible after he became an official Guardian to Raphael’s family, so as irregular as it was, he insisted on the plan and the colony provided the funds as a mating gift. They packed for a week, including everything they needed to pass off as humans. He’d had plenty of experience with that, after all. They’d only need to mind their fangs.

Niagara Falls, not because it was a popular wedding destination, but to take Lexine to the plethora of wineries in the area. He’d hoped the trip would make her happy, and sure enough, they went all day and most of the night, nonstop, so she could see everything she wanted to see.

Well, almost nonstop. On their second night, after viewing the falls, they returned to their room, bathed together, and curled up in bed.

“You’re sure you don’t want something more fancy?”

“I just want you,” she said.

He cradled her in his arms and pressed his mouth to hers, taking his time, just savoring her presence, her skin, her scent. Kissing his way down her throat and arm, he pinched her skin with his teeth, teasing her. She shivered.

“Jett,” she said. “Please.”

He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and lifted her left arm—the traditional choice—to his lips. He kissed the soft skin just below her elbow and pressed his fangs in just hard to break the surface, numbing the spot with venom. Pausing, he let the full weight of what he was doing wash over him. He trembled and his heart flailed, unable to maintain a steady rhythm. “I love you,” he whispered.

He tightened his embrace and bit harder. He targeted muscle, aiming to infuse her body with venom without spilling any more of her blood than necessary—he’d been man enough to get some advice on technique, though the conversation had been uncomfortable as hell. For Lexine, it was worth it. He wanted this done right. Within seconds, pain coursed through his body, an effect of the forming mating bond, which he’d been warned about.

Her body tensed as the same unusual pleasure-pain rocked through her, her fingers fisted in his hair. After she relaxed with a contented sigh, and his own discomfort gave way to pleasant warmth, he withdrew his fangs. He licked her wound and held a white cloth to her skin until the bleeding stopped. All the while, she gazed up at him, her head resting on his shoulder.

She kissed him. “I love you.”

He opened his eyes wide at the sound of her voice in his mind. “I thought they were joking.”

“Someone told you?” She scowled. “I wanted to surprise you.”

He held her face in his hands, parted her lips with his tongue, and kissed her deeply. “We can truly hear each other’s thoughts?”

“Only when we’re touching.”

He held her close and lightly bit her shoulder. “I’ve never been happier than I am right now. Can you “hear” how much?”

“Yes.” She leaned away, tears in her eyes. “Yes, I can.”

As the weight of her joy flooded him—through the mating bond and his empathy talent—he lay down on his back and pulled her over his chest.

They passed the night in bed, even though they didn’t sleep, making love and watching movies, eating popcorn.

“Lexine?”

“Yes?”

“You know why you make me happy, right?”

“Tell me.”

“I could list numerous reasons, of course, ranging from your tenacity to learn to fight with Raphael, to the way you smile in your sleep, but you were the first demon in Sanctuary to trust me and to care what path I took. You gave me the strength to do what I’ve done, Lex. I owe it all to you.”

“No.” She kissed him. “You’ve earned your own success, won your own battles.”

“You saved my life. And I don’t mean in Morgan. I mean the first moment I saw you.”

“Then to be fair, you saved me. Even though there was never a real poacher in my nightmare, I thought the worst of myself. Before I realized the truth of the lover in my dream, you gave me hope. You gave me faith in myself. So we’re even.”

“We’re more than even.” Warmth filled his chest. “We’re mates.”

She kissed his neck. “Yes.”

“And I’m going to make sure it only gets better from here.”

“Tall order.”

“Just wait and see, beauty.”

…

On a crisp November morning, Jett walked through the first snowfall of the season to the garden behind the archangel house, his mouth dry, his legs unsteady from adrenaline. Several inches of heavy, wet snow clung to every surface, every branch and evergreen plant in the garden and forest beyond. Fat flakes drifted through the air and one landed on Jett’s nose, melting on contact.

Beneath the snow-frosted pear trees, Raphael waited with Wren, Ginger, and the twins—the infants bundled in blankets. Opposite them stood Devin, Lark, Vin, and a dozen of Sanctuary’s eldest Guardians. Lexine graced the garden as well, standing between the two groups, dressed in an ankle-length red coat. Her smile could have stilled his heart.

Jett stopped in front of Lex and knelt in the snow, the snowflakes landing and melting on his black uniform. His weapons, all cleaned, sharpened, and polished, clung to his body, their weight and the weight of the ceremony a welcome burden.

Repeating after Lexine—whom Raphael had elected to give the ceremony—Jett took the oath to protect the lives of Raphael’s family with his own, naming them in turn. He meant every word, focusing on the core of his being as he spoke them. He hadn’t just earned this position, he’d gained friends, and he’d do right by them.

For the second time in his life—the first being his recent mating—he’d gained something invaluable: a place to belong.

“You may stand,” Lex said, a smile in her voice and tears on her cheeks. She took a step forward and opened her fisted hand, revealing tiny wings forged from gold—the ones his father had made. He’d finally earned the right to wear them, finally found his place in Sanctuary.

Jett stood and tilted his head. His mate pinned the wings to his collar and threw her arms around him in an embrace so tight, his spine popped.

“Ow,” he whispered in her ear.

I love you.

I love you, too. He gave her a light kiss before he released her, a quick brush of lips that warmed his entire body and his soul.

Lexine backed away and all the demons in attendance approached one at a time, shaking his hand before departing in silence. The second to last Guardian, Devin, whispered threats of creative bodily harm if anything ever happened to his daughter. He smiled and moved on, letting Lark step forward.

“It’s been a honor kicking your ass,” he said.

The archangels approached last and they each thanked him for his commitment, formal words accompanied by brushed from their wings. Ginger gave him a kiss on the cheek. With the ceremony over, Jett turned to go and take up watch in the woods.

“Join us for dinner and wine tonight, both of you,” Raphael said. “We need to do some real celebrating.”

“We will.”

Jett pulled Lex close and escorted her to the house behind the archangels, as happy as he’d ever been and looking forward to much more of their new life.

Acknowledgements

As always, I must thank all the editors at Entangled Publishing, especially Kaleen Harding, Liz Pelletier, Heather Howland, and Marie Loggia-Kee, who all contributed to making this book possible.

About the Author

Sarah Gilman writes paranormal romance. Her fascination with all things winged extends back to childhood, when images of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis captured her imagination and never let go. She lives in Vermont with her supportive husband and two spoiled cats.

Turn the page for an excerpt from

Break Out

A Blood Hunter Novel

Nina Croft

Chapter One

Rico hurled himself behind the huge trunk of a tree and stood, back pressed against the rough bark, as the missiles whizzed past.

An arrow thwacked into the wood behind him, and every muscle in his body tensed. He reached gingerly around and snapped it off. In the dim light, he held the shaft to his face and cursed loudly—wooden arrows. It was almost as though they were expecting him.

“Goddamn heathen peasants.” He might as well be back in the Dark Ages.

In the distance, a pack of hounds bayed for blood. His blood. But they weren’t getting it.

He braced himself and peered around the trunk through the thick stand of trees, and spotted the crimson glow of a hundred torches not too far in the distance. Breathing in, he caught the oily scent of burning pitch.

A triumphant roar filled the air. The hounds must have picked up his scent.

Rico cursed and darted off again, weaving through the dense forest with blurring speed. He could outrun the mob and the hounds, but it was a damn poor way to end an evening.

When the sound of voices faded behind him, he slowed down and finally came to a halt. Time to get the hell out of here. Leaning against a tree, he switched on his comm unit.

“What is it?” Tannis sounded irritated, and Rico frowned.

“I need picking up.”

“It will have to be later—I’m busy.”

He cocked his head to one side, listening for the sound of the mob, judging its distance. His pursuers would be on him soon. Tannis had better get unbusy and fast.

“Tannis, stop whatever it is you’re doing, bring my goddamn spaceship, and pick me up.”

She was silent for a moment. “I’ll think about it.”

The line went dead. He stared at the comm receiver on his wrist. She’d cut him off. Gritting his teeth, he imagined the pleasure of tossing her mutant body out of the ship’s airlock. Only first, he had to get back to the ship. He pressed his finger down until he heard the line open.

“What?” she snapped.

“Tannis, are you aware that I’ve rigged El Cazador to blow if I don’t input a unique numerical code every twenty-four hours? Come and get me or the whole ship goes up.”

“Good try, but I don’t believe you. You don’t think that far ahead.”

He took a deep breath. “Do you remember that time last year?”

“What time?”

“The time I saved your worthless life. At great personal risk to myself.”

“Yeah. So?”

“So bloody well reciprocate.”

A shaft of burning pain shot through his leg and he jumped, then stared down in disbelief at the arrow sticking out of his calf, an inch below the knee. “I’ve been shot,” he said.

“Shot? By what?”

“By a big fucking arrow. Get down here. Now.”

He yanked the arrow from his leg and flung it to the forest floor. “Or you’re fired,” he added and shut off the connection.

His pursuers were close now, so close he could hear the fierce crackle of flames mixed with the rise and fall of excited voices. He ignored the pain in his leg and took off through the trees again. A few minutes later, he skidded to a halt.

Straight in front of him, the land fell away abruptly. He peeked over the edge. A long way below, water roared. A lot of water. A lot of cold water. He hated cold water. He searched the sky for any sign of Tannis, but a thick layer of cloud obscured the moons and he saw only darkness. He jammed his finger onto the comm unit. “You here yet?”

“Have a little patience. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Great, just great. The problem is, I might not be here in five minutes.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic. Just hold on.”

He stared over the edge into the dark, turbulent water. “Hold on to what?”

A low snarl sounded behind him. With a sigh of resignation, he turned to face his pursuers. They emerged from the shadowy tree line, torches held in front of them, before fanning out to form a semicircle around him.

One of the hounds crept toward him, belly close to the ground, growling softly. It reminded Rico a little of the dogs back on Earth, probably even had some real dog DNA in there somewhere. Rico growled back, baring his fangs. The animal got the message, turned tail, and ran.

A tall man stepped forward to stand at the center of the group. He wore the long black robes of a priest, and Rico groaned. Not heathens after all. Bloody religious fanatics. He should have expected it.

When man had fled to the stars nearly a thousand years ago, the old religions had gone into an abrupt decline. By the year 2600, they had all but vanished from the universe, and good riddance as far as Rico was concerned.

But that had changed with the discovery of Meridian.

A rare, radioactive element with the ability to bestow immortality on those lucky enough to afford its exorbitant price, Meridian heralded the evolution of a new class—the Collective. Super rich and virtually indestructible, the Collective quickly gained power. Now, they ruled most of the civilized universe.

But while not everyone could afford Meridian, everyone wanted immortality, and the old religious beliefs had gained a new popularity. The Church of Everlasting Life offered a cheaper, if less reliable, alternative with its promise of an afterlife in paradise.

On these isolated outer planets, the Collective’s influence was slim and the Church took advantage of that and jumped in to fill the gap. A shudder of loathing ran through him. Rico had no feelings either for or against the Collective, but he hated the Church as only someone who had lived through the Inquisition could.

“Son of Satan,” the priest cried, and the mob behind him roared.

Rico rolled his eyes. “We’re not actually related.”

A second man stepped forward, dragging a girl with him, and the priest grabbed her hair, tugged back her head. In the flickering light, Rico saw the puncture wounds in her ivory neck and had a flashback to the sweet taste of her blood.

“I have been ordained by God,” the priest said, “for the punishment of the wicked and the eradication of evil.”

“Get a life,” Rico muttered. “Look, it’s honestly no big deal—the marks will heal in a couple of days. You won’t even know I was here.”

His words didn’t seem to impress them. Of course, the Church was rarely impressed unless they were slaughtering innocents, and Rico was the first to admit he hadn’t qualified as an innocent in numerous lifetimes. If ever.

Five men stepped forward, and Rico watched them warily. They raised their bows, cocked their wooden arrows. Drew them taut and aimed them straight at his heart.

Rico glanced over his shoulder at the icy water below. He was going to have to jump. “Shit.”

He tensed himself, ready to dive over the edge, just as the sky filled with noise and light. His gaze shot upward. He released his breath. The shuttle hovered above them, and a laser beam shot out, cutting the ground between him and the archers. A voice boomed from the open hatch.

“Lower your weapons.”

But they were already edging backward. The shuttle flew lower, almost touching the ground, and Rico lunged for the open hatchway. “About bloody time.”

The mob was almost back in the trees now, but at the last moment, the girl pulled free and raced toward the shuttle. She stared up at them, imploring. “Take me with you, Rico.”

He looked at Tannis, raised an eyebrow.

“No freaking way.” She reached across and slammed her palm to the door panel.

Rico had a last brief glimpse of the girl. He hoped she’d be okay, that her people would treat her as a victim, though she’d hardly been reluctant.

“What took you so long?” he growled as the hatch slid shut behind him and the shuttle sped away from the planet.

Tannis swiveled her chair to face him. She ran a hand through her short, dark hair and raised one brow in accusation. “Been eating the natives, Rico?”

“Dios, I go out for a snack and all I get is hassle. I’ve got to eat.”

He hobbled across and sank into the seat next to her, rubbing his leg and tossing Tannis a wounded look. His ship’s captain was no Florence Nightingale, but dammit, his leg hurt. “They shot me.”

“Aw, poor baby.” She uncoiled her lean body from the chair and came to stand over him, her cold, yellow eyes looking him over. Reaching down, she tore open his pants leg. The bleeding had already stopped, the wound healing over. “You’ll live.”

He frowned. “So what kept you?”

“While you were down there playing, I got us a job.”

“Legit?”

“Shit, no.”

His mood lightened. “Dangerous?”

“For this sort of money, it’s probably going to kill us.”

He grinned. “Sounds like my sort of job.”

Content

Deep in Crimson
Return to Sanctuary - 2
by
Sarah Gilman

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Turn the page for an excerpt from Break Out A Blood Hunter Novel Nina Croft