“He was like a zombie.” I’d always loved zombie movies, even the really bad ones like the Zombie Queen sequel. But that—what I’d just seen—that had been real.
“That’s why we’re out patrolling the streets every night. This one—” he nodded at the new angel, currently DOA “—can help with that while I focus on finding the Source.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Are you close? Any leads?”
His gaze scanned the dark street before it returned to mine. “I’m positive she hangs out at that nightclub of yours. Stephen was lying to me. I think I saw her the other night—she matches the description of the demon from last time. Dark hair, brown eyes, thin, twentyish.”
I fought to keep my expression neutral. “You’re like a detective.”
“The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can go back to Heaven and find a way to help you.”
God, I felt so torn. I didn’t want him to hurt Natalie, even though he claimed to only want to “talk” to her. I worried what that talk would lead to if he didn’t get the answers he wanted.
I paced back and forth on the sidewalk. Not one car had driven by since we’d arrived. It just showed how deserted this part of the city was. At the moment, that was a blessing. This wasn’t an unseen alley, this was the middle of the street, and we were currently babysitting a temporarily dead angel.
Since we were stuck here waiting for him to wake up, it gave me a chance to ask all sorts of questions. Bishop had no chance to dodge them.
“If you were to stab that angel again with that dagger, it would kill him, right?”
“Yes.”
“And would the Hollow open up? Or is it just for demons and grays?”
“The Hollow takes anything supernatural that dies here in the human world—even angels. It’s something to be avoided at all costs. But it happens.”
“Wrong place, wrong time. Doesn’t seem fair.”
“Sometimes it isn’t.”
He thought the Hollow was the end. But Natalie was proof that that wasn’t true.
“You okay?” When he touched my arm his warmth sank into me. When he smiled, it made me light-headed.
I nodded. “I’ll be better when that angel stands up again.”
“He will.”
“You have faith?”
His knee-weakening smile widened. “I try to.”
The cold breeze in the air picked up and I cinched the belt on my coat tighter and shoved my hands deep into the pockets.
“I meant what I told you before,” Bishop said after a moment of silence passed between us. “When I get back to Heaven, I’ll find a way to help you.”
“And Carly, too.”
He nodded. “Carly, too.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. More time. More questions. “Why didn’t you tell me about Kraven?”
The smile was gone just like that. “Because there’s nothing to tell.”
“How long ago were you human? You—you said it was a long time ago.”
“Not long enough.” Despite his vague answers, there was no mistaking the bitter tone to his voice.
“And when you said you were one of the bad guys—”
“I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“I want to know more. I mean, you’re an angel so, um…” My mouth felt dry. “You were redeemed, or whatever, for what happened.”
His expression grew grimmer. “Sometimes I wonder.”
“Tell me more. Tell me—” I was about to say something else, ask something else, when I heard a groan. The angel had finally woken up. It was a huge relief—every minute that passed had made me wonder if he’d be the exception to the golden-dagger shield-busting rule. His eyelashes fluttered open and he slowly propped himself up on his elbows.
“I wouldn’t exactly call that a good time,” he said, “but it is entirely effective.”
Without thinking twice, or worrying that he might react the same as Roth had, I went to his side and helped him up to his feet. Call me Florence Nightingale. I checked his chest to find a tear on his shirt and blood on the fabric, but the wound had healed completely.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Bruised, but intact.”
Bishop moved closer to give the new angel his own inspection. “I’m Bishop.”
“Yeah, they told me all about you before I left. And what to expect from that dagger there, not that it helped, since I promptly forgot everything, including my own name.” The guy grinned and clasped Bishop’s outstretched hand. “I’m Connor.” He glanced at me. “And you are?”
“Samantha.”
Connor looked at Bishop. “You know she’s a gray, right?”
“Well aware. But she’s different from the others, so take it easy. Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to find you. She can see the searchlights. We can’t.”
“Cool.” He still looked a bit guarded now that his senses had alerted him to the fact that I was one of the monsters. “So you have superpowers, huh?”
I tried to smile at him. “I can also read your mind, if I’m so inclined. And zap you if you’re mean to me.”
Connor cocked his head to the side as he regarded me. “Huh. Sounds a bit like a nexus.”
I stopped breathing. Then I struggled to keep my expression neutral. It was a secret that I didn’t want revealed to anyone.
“That’s why we’re out patrolling the streets every night. This one—” he nodded at the new angel, currently DOA “—can help with that while I focus on finding the Source.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Are you close? Any leads?”
His gaze scanned the dark street before it returned to mine. “I’m positive she hangs out at that nightclub of yours. Stephen was lying to me. I think I saw her the other night—she matches the description of the demon from last time. Dark hair, brown eyes, thin, twentyish.”
I fought to keep my expression neutral. “You’re like a detective.”
“The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can go back to Heaven and find a way to help you.”
God, I felt so torn. I didn’t want him to hurt Natalie, even though he claimed to only want to “talk” to her. I worried what that talk would lead to if he didn’t get the answers he wanted.
I paced back and forth on the sidewalk. Not one car had driven by since we’d arrived. It just showed how deserted this part of the city was. At the moment, that was a blessing. This wasn’t an unseen alley, this was the middle of the street, and we were currently babysitting a temporarily dead angel.
Since we were stuck here waiting for him to wake up, it gave me a chance to ask all sorts of questions. Bishop had no chance to dodge them.
“If you were to stab that angel again with that dagger, it would kill him, right?”
“Yes.”
“And would the Hollow open up? Or is it just for demons and grays?”
“The Hollow takes anything supernatural that dies here in the human world—even angels. It’s something to be avoided at all costs. But it happens.”
“Wrong place, wrong time. Doesn’t seem fair.”
“Sometimes it isn’t.”
He thought the Hollow was the end. But Natalie was proof that that wasn’t true.
“You okay?” When he touched my arm his warmth sank into me. When he smiled, it made me light-headed.
I nodded. “I’ll be better when that angel stands up again.”
“He will.”
“You have faith?”
His knee-weakening smile widened. “I try to.”
The cold breeze in the air picked up and I cinched the belt on my coat tighter and shoved my hands deep into the pockets.
“I meant what I told you before,” Bishop said after a moment of silence passed between us. “When I get back to Heaven, I’ll find a way to help you.”
“And Carly, too.”
He nodded. “Carly, too.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. More time. More questions. “Why didn’t you tell me about Kraven?”
The smile was gone just like that. “Because there’s nothing to tell.”
“How long ago were you human? You—you said it was a long time ago.”
“Not long enough.” Despite his vague answers, there was no mistaking the bitter tone to his voice.
“And when you said you were one of the bad guys—”
“I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“I want to know more. I mean, you’re an angel so, um…” My mouth felt dry. “You were redeemed, or whatever, for what happened.”
His expression grew grimmer. “Sometimes I wonder.”
“Tell me more. Tell me—” I was about to say something else, ask something else, when I heard a groan. The angel had finally woken up. It was a huge relief—every minute that passed had made me wonder if he’d be the exception to the golden-dagger shield-busting rule. His eyelashes fluttered open and he slowly propped himself up on his elbows.
“I wouldn’t exactly call that a good time,” he said, “but it is entirely effective.”
Without thinking twice, or worrying that he might react the same as Roth had, I went to his side and helped him up to his feet. Call me Florence Nightingale. I checked his chest to find a tear on his shirt and blood on the fabric, but the wound had healed completely.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Bruised, but intact.”
Bishop moved closer to give the new angel his own inspection. “I’m Bishop.”
“Yeah, they told me all about you before I left. And what to expect from that dagger there, not that it helped, since I promptly forgot everything, including my own name.” The guy grinned and clasped Bishop’s outstretched hand. “I’m Connor.” He glanced at me. “And you are?”
“Samantha.”
Connor looked at Bishop. “You know she’s a gray, right?”
“Well aware. But she’s different from the others, so take it easy. Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to find you. She can see the searchlights. We can’t.”
“Cool.” He still looked a bit guarded now that his senses had alerted him to the fact that I was one of the monsters. “So you have superpowers, huh?”
I tried to smile at him. “I can also read your mind, if I’m so inclined. And zap you if you’re mean to me.”
Connor cocked his head to the side as he regarded me. “Huh. Sounds a bit like a nexus.”
I stopped breathing. Then I struggled to keep my expression neutral. It was a secret that I didn’t want revealed to anyone.
