Angel Bait (Angel Assassins #1) (23 page)

She’s the epitome of innocence.
Puriel had crossed the line.

“My feelings have no bearing on the team,” Jarrid said. His voice hardened. “I’ve compromised nothing.”

Azriel’s gloating face blocked his line of sight. “Your kind is degenerate and should be exterminated. Only that misguided mentor of yours argued to spare you.”

When the angel’s lips brushed his ear, Jarrid bared his teeth.

“Puriel coddled Tanis when he should have executed him,” Azriel said, whispering venom. “When I’m through, not even Heaven will remember Tanis or his revolting Order existed.”

Jarrid’s killer instincts wanted out. What better payback than to use his angel-trained skills on such a sanctimonious dick. He struggled to retain control. His powers were no match for a room packed with Heavenly pedigrees. A mental image of him caving Azriel’s chest in with his fists before getting iced by the rest of the Directorate shouldn’t have eased his tension, but it did.

I’d snap your neck before you could move. Be still, fool. Do nothing
.

Jarrid gaped at Azriel.

Holy shit! You’re in my head!

“God of All, you are mentally deficient,”
the angel said. Jarrid felt a mental head shake even though Azriel’s body hadn’t moved.

“Play along if you hope to stay alive.”

“Are we ready to pronounce judgment?” Puriel asked.

“I’m curious,” Azriel said. He turned to face the rest of the board. “This half-breed said he used the woman to track the Renegade. How?”

Puriel cold eyes glanced at the angel. “Does it matter?”

Jarrid cleared his throat and turned his attention to the Directorate. “The Renegade is connected to the human through Grace. She’s descended from his original offspring.”

Indignant cries filled the chamber as the cabal tried to talk at once. Accusations met denials while the angels pointed fingers at each other.

What the hell is going on?

“Isn’t it glorious?”
Jarrid heard Azriel’s deep laughter in his head.
“You’ve done well.”

“Talk sense, asshole!”

Azriel sighed.

“Beleth has allies here. He petitioned for a pardon, but I’d never let the traitor return. Now you’ve proven he hasn’t been completely truthful.”

“Wait a minute.”
Jarrid drowned out the bickering angels and focused.
“That son of a bitch is being considered for pardon? Clean slate, all’s forgiven, rejoin the boy’s club kind of reinstatement? No goddamned way!”

“On this singular occasion, half-breed, we agree,”
Azriel said.
“And don’t blaspheme. I barely tolerate your kind. Why would I allow a progenitor of your race access to our Army?”

“I don’t care if he holds a stag party under the Pearly Gates.”

“You should.”
Azriel’s voice was heavy in Jarrid mind.
“His ticket for re-admittance is proof he never fathered nephilim. Your lover is the only obstacle to his ascendency.”

A cold sweat broke across Jarrid’s body. Ionie’s soul was tied to a psychopath. If he didn’t get back to Earth, Beleth would track her down and kill her. He scanned the room for an escape route. A throat cleared.

“I vote we send this wretch back to his team disgraced,” Azriel said. “Let them look at him and know he failed Heaven as well as his race.”

Puriel’s calculating gaze narrowed on Azriel. A hush filled the room.

Jarrid’s body tensed. He didn’t know what power Puriel possessed, but he scratched mind reading off the list. He caught the mumbled ascent of the other board members. They’d reached an agreement.

The rhythmic thump of Jarrid’s heart was like a Japanese drum, deafening in its power. Azriel offered no parting words in his head as Puriel spoke.

“By decree of the Holy Host, Jarrid of Nephilim, you have been found guilty of breaking a covenant with Heaven.”

Jarrid calculated how much Grace he’d need to blast a hole through the doors.

Titanium doors. Fuck
.

“You are hereby removed from Heaven’s service.”

“What?” Jarrid gave the board an incredulous stare, but Puriel ignored him.

“And in the matter of Ionie Gifford … ” the angel continued, but Jarrid was barely listening.

Sweet Jesus, the bastards knew her name this whole time
. “ … you are prohibited from interacting with her. Contact the woman even once, nephilim, and you forfeit your life and hers.”

• • •

Time screeched to a halt after Jarrid was returned to the front gate of the Stronghold. He ran past his transported truck and slammed his hand onto the security scanner. He pushed through the door and rushed into the building.

“Tanis!” He bounded up the stairs, bursting into the study.

Nestaron, Cain, and Kasdeja turned, grim-faced and silent. He glanced at the communication orb, then at Tanis.

“The Directorate booted me from the team,” Jarrid said. “I wanted you to hear it from me. I forgot about the angel hotline.”

“You okay?” Leave it to Tanis to worry.

“Yeah, I’ll deal with that later. We need to find Ionie.”

“Sorry, Jarrid.” Tanis shook his head. “They relayed the punishment. You go near her and you’re both dead.”

“Have you forgotten about Beleth? She’s out there, unprotected!” He glared at his brothers, his temper simmering. “Or is it cool they cut me loose? She no longer your concern?”

“Don’t drop that steaming pile on us, man,” Kas said. “Check your shoes before sayin’ other people stink.”

Wrong answer, bro
. Jarrid moved fast. His chest pressed against the other assassin. “I don’t see you in the city searching for her!”

Cain and Nestaron wedged them apart, but not before Kas’ eyes flared bright.

“
You
made her bait!” Kas said.

Last straw
. The camel’s back broke like a motherfucker.

Jarrid swung his fist, connecting with his brother’s jaw in a sickening crunch. His momentum hurled Cain and Nesty in opposite directions, leaving Kas exposed. Jarrid rushed forward, head down, and crashed them into Tanis’ desk. The orb exploded into shards of purple and gold.

“Son of a bitch!” Kas rolled them over, then struck back.

Jarrid saw the meaty fist coming. His nose throbbed as he grappled with his friend. Guilt rode him hard.
You made her bait
. He rolled, dragging the other nephilim, until they landed in a heap on the floor. Each reared back arms, ready to strike.

A sharp sound pierced the chaos of the room. Jarrid squeezed his palms against his ears to block the sonic daggers. Kas, pinned under his weight, cursed as he fought the sound. Then the room fell silent.

Nestaron sat on the desk, his legs crossed like a swami. “Finished?”

“Damn it, Nesty. Warn me next time,” Cain said. “You didn’t have to blast all of us!”

Jarrid shook his head at Nestaron’s grin. They’d gotten off easy. His brother’s resonance power could shatter stone.

“Yeah, he did,” Tanis said. “We all needed a time out.”

Nesty groaned as The Act of Contrition burned through him. After a few minutes, his brother’s sweaty face offered a tight smile.

“I know I’m gorgeous, but can you get your big ass off me?” Kas asked.

Jarrid stood up and extended a hand. “Sorry.”

Kas expelled a slow breath. “No, I shouldn’t have said that shit.”

“The Directorate wired me tight,” Jarrid said. “They kicked me off the team and ordered me away from Ionie.”

“The team’s been disbanded.”

He gaped at Tanis. “Run that by me again.”

“You walked in a few minutes after the decision came down,” the angel said. “The Eternal Order is mothballed until further notice, effective now.”

Stale air circulated through a narrow window in the bare-walled room. Ionie balanced on her toes on the edge of the steel bed frame, the only furniture her captor provided. She couldn’t reach the rusty latch that could lead to freedom. Dejected, she slid to the bed, curling her arms around her legs.

Saul had tossed her in the prison hours ago. She shivered at the memory. The vampire hadn’t left her food, water, a blanket, or a mattress. Only the rectangular window provided a connection to the world outside. The sun cast a beam of light on a far wall. As time passed, the ray slipped minutely, signaling time’s passage. Despite her fear, the boredom was tedious.

“Come on, Jarrid,” she said. “This is the part where you swoop in, guns blazing, wind rustling your hair.”

She leaned back, a sob shaking her. She hadn’t asked for much. One story on angels, a permanent spot on the
News
staff, answers about her Mom. Her ticked off each item on her fingers.

I’ve probably lost my job, my best friend is dead, I haven’t questioned any angels about Mom, and my boyfriend is an assassin
.

Saul’s words ate away at her as the day droned on. The room allowed her enough area to pace. Ionie circuited the cell while more memories crept in.

Jarrid’s armoire packed with guns and daggers.

The day he appeared at Patrick’s office asking about her crime stories.

“That never did wash with me.”

The fortress where he lived with his brethren.

Saul’s attack outside night club.

Jarrid’s eyes glowing. He’d poured his soul into her, sealing her wound.

Those memories didn’t frighten her. The ones from her house did.

JP’s corpse on the floor and her duplex turned into a scene from war-torn Afghanistan.

The buzz of gunfire hummed in her ears.

Jarrid took to fighting like it was second nature. So had Cain, Kas, and Nesty.

“The Eternal Order, you daft idiot, are assassins.” The memory of Saul’s voice drummed in her brain.

Assassins for Heaven?
Christ, that would explain the fire power they’d unloaded at her house. Ionie couldn’t figure out why Jarrid never told her.
Doesn’t he trust me?
She’d shared her past with him — and his bed. She bristled, recalling her lover’s reluctance at Jimmy’s restaurant. Had she spooked him, or was he keeping his distance for a reason?

The wire bed spring creaked as she curled herself into a ball.

She never felt herself drift off, but the click of a door unlocking banished sleep from her mind. The darkened room turned bright as harsh light flicked on.

“Dreaming of me?”

She glared at Saul. “Let me go. Now!”

He smirked and shook his head. “I’ve brought you a tasty piece of information. You don’t want to leave before you’ve heard it, do you?”

Ionie rose to her feet. She planned to keep a good distance between her and the vampire. “The only thing I want is to see you in custody for kidnapping.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

I hope Jarrid rips your lungs out
. She peeked over Saul’s shoulder at the opened door. Maybe she could make a run for it. Where’d he stash her? Were they still in Detroit? She’d find a phone and …

“Your lover and his freak family are unemployed, princess,” Saul said.

Ionie arched a brow. “I’m supposed to believe you?”

“You want to believe the half-breed is on his way to save you,” he said. “I hope he tries. I only wish I could see his face when he gets my message.”

An uneasy feeling spread through her. The vamp looked too pleased with himself, too certain his information would be a game changer. Her instincts triggered dread in her gut.

She had to ask. “What message?” If the news could hurt Jarrid, she was determined to find a way to help him.

“You love him, don’t you?”

Ionie stood rigid near the wall. Did she love Jarrid?

Stupid question.
She loved him the moment she stood outside his home, drawn to him like Velcro. He’s mysterious, handsome, and innocent in some ways.

“I’ll assume I’m right,” Saul said. “Here’s where the fun begins.”

He strode across the room until he backed her into the wall. Ionie refused to cower. She lifted her chin and stared into the vampire’s red eyes.

“Tell me, how does it feel to be bait?” Saul asked with a toothy grin.

“I’m not a fish.”

His moved his finger to stroke her face. She turned away and he lowered his hand. “Your boyfriend hunts wayward angels, like my business partner. The Renegade, as he’s called, was looking for you.”

Ionie blinked. “Me? Why?”

“You’re linked,” he said. “The half-breed found out and got to you first. Since you’re connected to my partner, Jarrid set you up.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He’s lying! He’s lying!
She repeated the words like a prayer.

“Then explain why a member of an assassin brotherhood, secretive and standoffish, would seek out someone like you — a plain, unremarkable, news reporter.”

Jarrid needed my help
.

“He drags you to a club known to exclude Humans,” he said. “The regulars laughed their asses off watching you slut-dancing with a nephilim.”

Ionie’s heart withered in her chest, but she listened, mortified by Saul’s stinging revelation.

“That prick dangled you in front of the non-human underworld so word would get back to his target. I took a nip at his bait, and here we are.”

She lowered her gaze, unable to stomach the sight of the vampire’s gloating face.
Was this true?
Part of her wanted to laugh at Saul and denounce him on his flare for fiction. Yet she didn’t hear any internal alarms ringing.

Ionie bit her trembling lip.
Bait
. Sudden nausea twisted her stomach and made her legs shake. Unable to support her quivering limbs, she crumpled to the cold concrete floor.
Bait
.

Somehow she knew the vampire hadn’t lied. Jarrid had used her from the start.

• • •

Saul watched the shell-shocked woman slide to the floor. Satisfaction surged through him.

Almost better than sex.
Hell, he’d pay to do it all over again, but seeing part of his plan administered was worth it. He stared down at her. As far as Ionie was concerned, her lover’s a bigger pile of shit than she’d imagined. On that, he agreed.