“What are you looking at?” I snarled at Roth.
A cold smile played on his lips. “Lunch.”
I shuddered. “Dream on, freak.”
“Every night.”
“You need to stay away from me.”
He shrugged. “Maybe I will and maybe I won’t. Heard what you can do, though. Read our minds. Don’t try to do that with me.”
I focused on him, holding his gaze for longer than I wanted to. “Too late. Already done.”
I didn’t need to touch them; I just needed eye contact and an open mind. Tonight it seemed as if his walls were down whether he realized it or not.
His brows drew together. “So what was I thinking just now?”
I felt stronger with every moment that passed. The power of Heaven and Hell—yours truly had access to it, at least according to Natalie. This was just a small taste test. “You’re thinking that you hope nobody here can tell how scared you are. How out of your league. How a meaningless asshole like you could have been picked for a mission this important.” I forced myself to smile at him. “I’m paraphrasing of course, but am I close?”
He flinched as if I’d actually struck him. Nice. This guy’s self-hatred issues made Kraven look like Mr. Well-Adjusted.
I wasn’t quite finished, though. “I guess you don’t want anyone to know what a coward you really are underneath it all, do you?”
His eyes narrowed. “Be careful, bitch.”
“Oh, I intend to.”
He stormed out of the room. Yes, I’d definitely hit the mark with him, which I wasn’t so sure was a good thing. He was going to hold a grudge against me.
Zach touched my arm and I jumped despite myself. I’d been putting on a brave front, but I was quaking inside just from being here. “Ignore him, Samantha. Are you okay? You recovered from the other night?”
I looked up at him, meeting his pale green eyes. I searched for any kind of deception or cruelty there, but found nothing but an earnest angel who really wanted to know if I was okay.
“I’m better. Thanks to you. If you hadn’t been able to heal me—well, I don’t even want to think about that.”
“I only wish I could help him, too.” He nodded toward Bishop.
Kraven watched me a bit warily after my exchange with the other demon. “So are you here to work your mojo with my darling brother or do you want to do some card tricks first?”
I guess the news that Bishop and Kraven were related wasn’t a secret anymore. Zach didn’t react to it at all.
I approached Bishop slowly, my gaze moving over his tall form, broad shoulders, dark hair. His muscles strained against the sleeves of his T-shirt. He’d barely taken his eyes off me since I’d entered. I’d noticed him tense up when Roth sounded like he was going to get violent with me again, as if ready to jump in and beat the other demon down to the floor, but now he leaned heavily against the wall as if it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. There was a sheen of perspiration on his forehead and his blue eyes were unfocused.
My heart twisted as I shook my head. “What am I going to do with you?”
He let out a short bark of a laugh that made a chill run down my spine. “Good question.”
I thought of the homeless guy I’d seen a few times now—the one I was positive was another messed up angel. “Why would Heaven let this happen to you?”
“Got banged up coming here…they didn’t know it would happen. Not this bad.”
“Is that a guess or a hope?”
He didn’t look away from me, but there was a glazed look in his eyes that scared me. “Both.”
I clenched my fists at my sides. “Honestly, Bishop. You should have found me before this. Why did you wait till I came here?”
His jaw was tight. “I wanted to handle this on my own.”
“Nice thought. But everybody needs a bit of help sometimes.” I held my hand out to him. “Well?”
I wasn’t going to force him; he had to choose this for himself. He’d asked me in the beginning to help him. It was even part of our deal. But I knew he’d rather find a solution to this problem on his own.
Finally, he reached forward and grasped my hand tightly in his. And—just like the first time we’d touched—it was like lightning struck us. He gasped out loud. The electricity that sparked was even stronger than before. Warmth slid through me, chasing away my chill. Our eyes met and held, and I swear this connection we had felt like magic. Pure magic.
Being so close to him made me dizzy. He was like no other guy I’d ever known in my life. But he wasn’t a guy—he was an angel. And I’d missed him—missed his scent, his warmth, his eyes, his mouth…everything about him drew me closer and made me never want to leave his side.
Wow—intense. Our connection overwhelmed me with only a touch. My touching the homeless guy hadn’t given him sanity, and it hadn’t filled me with warmth. This kind of magic—it only happened with Bishop. How could I ever doubt anything this incredible?
Bishop inhaled, squeezing his eyes shut as his grip on me tightened. When he finally opened his eyes again, they were clear blue and totally sane.
“Better?” I asked.
He nodded slowly. “Much.”
I smiled. “I’m here to help.”
He didn’t let go of my hand. He reached down to take the other, as well. “You still shouldn’t have come here. It’s too dangerous.”
A cold smile played on his lips. “Lunch.”
I shuddered. “Dream on, freak.”
“Every night.”
“You need to stay away from me.”
He shrugged. “Maybe I will and maybe I won’t. Heard what you can do, though. Read our minds. Don’t try to do that with me.”
I focused on him, holding his gaze for longer than I wanted to. “Too late. Already done.”
I didn’t need to touch them; I just needed eye contact and an open mind. Tonight it seemed as if his walls were down whether he realized it or not.
His brows drew together. “So what was I thinking just now?”
I felt stronger with every moment that passed. The power of Heaven and Hell—yours truly had access to it, at least according to Natalie. This was just a small taste test. “You’re thinking that you hope nobody here can tell how scared you are. How out of your league. How a meaningless asshole like you could have been picked for a mission this important.” I forced myself to smile at him. “I’m paraphrasing of course, but am I close?”
He flinched as if I’d actually struck him. Nice. This guy’s self-hatred issues made Kraven look like Mr. Well-Adjusted.
I wasn’t quite finished, though. “I guess you don’t want anyone to know what a coward you really are underneath it all, do you?”
His eyes narrowed. “Be careful, bitch.”
“Oh, I intend to.”
He stormed out of the room. Yes, I’d definitely hit the mark with him, which I wasn’t so sure was a good thing. He was going to hold a grudge against me.
Zach touched my arm and I jumped despite myself. I’d been putting on a brave front, but I was quaking inside just from being here. “Ignore him, Samantha. Are you okay? You recovered from the other night?”
I looked up at him, meeting his pale green eyes. I searched for any kind of deception or cruelty there, but found nothing but an earnest angel who really wanted to know if I was okay.
“I’m better. Thanks to you. If you hadn’t been able to heal me—well, I don’t even want to think about that.”
“I only wish I could help him, too.” He nodded toward Bishop.
Kraven watched me a bit warily after my exchange with the other demon. “So are you here to work your mojo with my darling brother or do you want to do some card tricks first?”
I guess the news that Bishop and Kraven were related wasn’t a secret anymore. Zach didn’t react to it at all.
I approached Bishop slowly, my gaze moving over his tall form, broad shoulders, dark hair. His muscles strained against the sleeves of his T-shirt. He’d barely taken his eyes off me since I’d entered. I’d noticed him tense up when Roth sounded like he was going to get violent with me again, as if ready to jump in and beat the other demon down to the floor, but now he leaned heavily against the wall as if it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. There was a sheen of perspiration on his forehead and his blue eyes were unfocused.
My heart twisted as I shook my head. “What am I going to do with you?”
He let out a short bark of a laugh that made a chill run down my spine. “Good question.”
I thought of the homeless guy I’d seen a few times now—the one I was positive was another messed up angel. “Why would Heaven let this happen to you?”
“Got banged up coming here…they didn’t know it would happen. Not this bad.”
“Is that a guess or a hope?”
He didn’t look away from me, but there was a glazed look in his eyes that scared me. “Both.”
I clenched my fists at my sides. “Honestly, Bishop. You should have found me before this. Why did you wait till I came here?”
His jaw was tight. “I wanted to handle this on my own.”
“Nice thought. But everybody needs a bit of help sometimes.” I held my hand out to him. “Well?”
I wasn’t going to force him; he had to choose this for himself. He’d asked me in the beginning to help him. It was even part of our deal. But I knew he’d rather find a solution to this problem on his own.
Finally, he reached forward and grasped my hand tightly in his. And—just like the first time we’d touched—it was like lightning struck us. He gasped out loud. The electricity that sparked was even stronger than before. Warmth slid through me, chasing away my chill. Our eyes met and held, and I swear this connection we had felt like magic. Pure magic.
Being so close to him made me dizzy. He was like no other guy I’d ever known in my life. But he wasn’t a guy—he was an angel. And I’d missed him—missed his scent, his warmth, his eyes, his mouth…everything about him drew me closer and made me never want to leave his side.
Wow—intense. Our connection overwhelmed me with only a touch. My touching the homeless guy hadn’t given him sanity, and it hadn’t filled me with warmth. This kind of magic—it only happened with Bishop. How could I ever doubt anything this incredible?
Bishop inhaled, squeezing his eyes shut as his grip on me tightened. When he finally opened his eyes again, they were clear blue and totally sane.
“Better?” I asked.
He nodded slowly. “Much.”
I smiled. “I’m here to help.”
He didn’t let go of my hand. He reached down to take the other, as well. “You still shouldn’t have come here. It’s too dangerous.”
