“I guess you think you’re protecting the mission by trying to stop me right now,” I said with disgust. “Got to complete it successfully if you want to stay here in Trinity and seek your redemption. That’s what you told Bishop, right?”
“How did you—?” Surprise shot through his amber eyes before they narrowed. “Wait a minute…this is different from you reading my mind. You’re listening in on private conversations.”
“Maybe I can do things you don’t even know about.”
A cold smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Tricky, gray girl. Very tricky. I think I’m finally getting it. Somehow, someway, you’re able to get in Bishop’s skull now and listen in. Is that it?” He must have seen me pale a little. I didn’t like how good he was at playing the guessing game with me. “Interesting. Can’t imagine that would be much fun, though. A demon would show you a way better time than an angel.”
“You offering?” I asked sharply.
He snorted. “Sorry, not tonight.”
I gave him a withering look. “You are so incredibly—”
Snap!
Bishop had finally spotted Carly hidden away in a corner booth. My heart sank to see that she was kissing someone else—a guy I didn’t even recognize this time. Oh, God, what was she doing? Couldn’t she stop herself anymore?
Bishop approached her table and stood there until she saw him out of the corner of her eye. She disengaged from the boy, who then slumped back in the booth, his eyes glazed. Those strange, scary lines branched around his mouth for a second before they started to fade. She turned her black, predatory gaze on Bishop.
Seeing her like this again chilled me to my core. Especially now that she was looking at Bishop.
“Well, well,” she drawled. “Look who’s here.”
“Carly, right?”
“Present and accounted for. Where’s your tall, blond and handsome friend tonight?”
“Not here.”
She pulled a hand mirror out of her purse and checked her face, applying some more lip gloss while her date recovered from losing part—or all—of his soul. “You’re a popular guy around here, Bishop. Everyone wants to know your story.”
“Not much to tell.”
“Samantha’s not here.”
“That’s okay. I wanted to see you.”
Her brows went up. “Really? Why’s that?”
“Because I want you to kiss me. I want to be like you.”
She studied him curiously for a moment. By now her eyes had shifted back to their regular cornflower-blue. “What about Sam?”
“She’s not here.”
Carly rubbed her lips together and swept her appreciative gaze over Bishop, from his eyes and then downward. “She’d be mad at me if I did that.”
“Do you care if she is?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do you want to kiss me?”
She gave him a wicked grin. “Oh, yes.”
Jealousy twisted inside me. Even though I knew what the kiss was for, I wanted to be the one he asked. And I hated how my so-called best friend was looking at him. She wanted to consume him, body and soul.
But Bishop was mine. If she touched him I’d kill her.
Irrational. I hated how irrational I’d become when it came to Bishop. But even now, after everything I knew about me, about him, I wanted him. I wanted to kiss him again.
Carly slipped out of the booth. She wore a tight black dress tonight that showed a lot of leg and plenty of cleavage. She oozed sexiness like I’d never seen before.
But Bishop barely spared a glance at Carly’s curvy body. He looked over her shoulder and up to the second-floor lounge. Natalie stood by the glass barrier looking down at him.
“Can you introduce me to Natalie?” he said.
Carly nodded. “I can do that. I know she really wants to meet you.”
There was something in the way Natalie stared at Bishop that made my blood run cold. It was a look I hadn’t seen in my aunt’s eyes before. Curiosity turned to cold hatred. Deep malevolence. She knew who and what he was. And she looked like she wanted to kill—
Snap!
Back in the alley, I was gasping for breath, clawing at the brick wall behind me to help keep me on my feet. Kraven now had a hold of my arm and I yanked it away from him.
“What?” he asked, frowning. “What did you see?”
I had to get past him. I had to get to the club and stop him from going upstairs to that lounge. Stop him from kissing Carly or getting anywhere near my aunt.
I hadn’t seen a pretty demon with a supernatural eating disorder just now—one who wanted freedom, wanted help with her problem. One who wanted to reunite me with my real father and tell me tales of my parents’ doomed love affair.
No, this demon wanted to kill the angel who’d been sent to find her. And I knew with a clear and cold certainty that she would take great pleasure in being the direct cause of his death.
I’d given her the benefit of the doubt, feeling some sort of important family bond with her. But it was lies. All lies. I was so sick of being lied to.
Natalie might very well be my aunt, but she was evil. And now she was going to kill Bishop.
The problem was, Bishop was already on a suicide mission.
Wait a minute.
A suicide mission. That was it—that had to be it.
I looked at Kraven with wide eyes. He studied me back cautiously. “What’s up, gray girl?”
“How did you—?” Surprise shot through his amber eyes before they narrowed. “Wait a minute…this is different from you reading my mind. You’re listening in on private conversations.”
“Maybe I can do things you don’t even know about.”
A cold smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Tricky, gray girl. Very tricky. I think I’m finally getting it. Somehow, someway, you’re able to get in Bishop’s skull now and listen in. Is that it?” He must have seen me pale a little. I didn’t like how good he was at playing the guessing game with me. “Interesting. Can’t imagine that would be much fun, though. A demon would show you a way better time than an angel.”
“You offering?” I asked sharply.
He snorted. “Sorry, not tonight.”
I gave him a withering look. “You are so incredibly—”
Snap!
Bishop had finally spotted Carly hidden away in a corner booth. My heart sank to see that she was kissing someone else—a guy I didn’t even recognize this time. Oh, God, what was she doing? Couldn’t she stop herself anymore?
Bishop approached her table and stood there until she saw him out of the corner of her eye. She disengaged from the boy, who then slumped back in the booth, his eyes glazed. Those strange, scary lines branched around his mouth for a second before they started to fade. She turned her black, predatory gaze on Bishop.
Seeing her like this again chilled me to my core. Especially now that she was looking at Bishop.
“Well, well,” she drawled. “Look who’s here.”
“Carly, right?”
“Present and accounted for. Where’s your tall, blond and handsome friend tonight?”
“Not here.”
She pulled a hand mirror out of her purse and checked her face, applying some more lip gloss while her date recovered from losing part—or all—of his soul. “You’re a popular guy around here, Bishop. Everyone wants to know your story.”
“Not much to tell.”
“Samantha’s not here.”
“That’s okay. I wanted to see you.”
Her brows went up. “Really? Why’s that?”
“Because I want you to kiss me. I want to be like you.”
She studied him curiously for a moment. By now her eyes had shifted back to their regular cornflower-blue. “What about Sam?”
“She’s not here.”
Carly rubbed her lips together and swept her appreciative gaze over Bishop, from his eyes and then downward. “She’d be mad at me if I did that.”
“Do you care if she is?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do you want to kiss me?”
She gave him a wicked grin. “Oh, yes.”
Jealousy twisted inside me. Even though I knew what the kiss was for, I wanted to be the one he asked. And I hated how my so-called best friend was looking at him. She wanted to consume him, body and soul.
But Bishop was mine. If she touched him I’d kill her.
Irrational. I hated how irrational I’d become when it came to Bishop. But even now, after everything I knew about me, about him, I wanted him. I wanted to kiss him again.
Carly slipped out of the booth. She wore a tight black dress tonight that showed a lot of leg and plenty of cleavage. She oozed sexiness like I’d never seen before.
But Bishop barely spared a glance at Carly’s curvy body. He looked over her shoulder and up to the second-floor lounge. Natalie stood by the glass barrier looking down at him.
“Can you introduce me to Natalie?” he said.
Carly nodded. “I can do that. I know she really wants to meet you.”
There was something in the way Natalie stared at Bishop that made my blood run cold. It was a look I hadn’t seen in my aunt’s eyes before. Curiosity turned to cold hatred. Deep malevolence. She knew who and what he was. And she looked like she wanted to kill—
Snap!
Back in the alley, I was gasping for breath, clawing at the brick wall behind me to help keep me on my feet. Kraven now had a hold of my arm and I yanked it away from him.
“What?” he asked, frowning. “What did you see?”
I had to get past him. I had to get to the club and stop him from going upstairs to that lounge. Stop him from kissing Carly or getting anywhere near my aunt.
I hadn’t seen a pretty demon with a supernatural eating disorder just now—one who wanted freedom, wanted help with her problem. One who wanted to reunite me with my real father and tell me tales of my parents’ doomed love affair.
No, this demon wanted to kill the angel who’d been sent to find her. And I knew with a clear and cold certainty that she would take great pleasure in being the direct cause of his death.
I’d given her the benefit of the doubt, feeling some sort of important family bond with her. But it was lies. All lies. I was so sick of being lied to.
Natalie might very well be my aunt, but she was evil. And now she was going to kill Bishop.
The problem was, Bishop was already on a suicide mission.
Wait a minute.
A suicide mission. That was it—that had to be it.
I looked at Kraven with wide eyes. He studied me back cautiously. “What’s up, gray girl?”
