A Devil Named Desire (14 page)

Gabriel put down his coffee cup and stood, dumping Sherlock from his lap. “Are you calling me a coward?”

Hope put her coffee cup down on the table, quite deliberately, and stood up, too. “If the shoe fits.”

His brown eyes, usually filled with light and kindness, darkened. His jaw clenched as his shoulders went back, emphasizing his height and the breadth of his chest.

Inwardly she quailed, well aware that what she was doing was the equivalent of poking a bear with a stick, but it was too late to back down now. “Maybe you think it’s okay to cut and run, but I don’t!”

“I’m not running away,” he said, through gritted teeth. “I just don’t have the tools I need to protect you.”

“That’s not true,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “We still have the Key . . . the
Ars Goetia
. I may not know how to use it, but you do.”

He eyed her narrowly, shaking his head. “Foolish girl . . . the Howling Art is not something to be taken lightly. I would’ve thought you’d learned that lesson last night.”

She flushed at the reminder of how she’d stupidly thought she could call the shots when it came to demons, and nearly died because of it. If Gabe hadn’t come to her rescue . . .

“I
did
learn my lesson,” she said, unwilling to give up just yet. The spark in Gabe’s eyes was back, and she wanted to keep it there.

Selfishly she also wanted to live, and if she could manage both, then why not go for it?

“I don’t plan on trying anything like that ever again, but surely someone like you, someone who knows what they’re doing—”

“Do you have any idea what could be unleashed?” He hissed the words, growing angrier by the minute. “Or do you just not care about the rest of mankind, and what could happen if the doorway to the Darkness were opened?” Raking her with a scornful glare, he answered his own question. “Clearly not, since you were willing to transcribe the book and put it on the Internet.”

“That’s not fair!” she cried, stung. “I felt as though I had no choice!”

“You had a choice last night.”

The image of him standing over her while she begged him to sleep with her made her cheeks burn. “I didn’t know what would happen!”

“You seem to say that a lot. Tell me, would it have mattered?” He threw the words at her, clearly expecting an answer.

Hope bit her bottom lip to still its trembling. She could’ve lied to him easily, but lies had gotten her nowhere. He’d done nothing but try to help her, and everything that had happened since was her own damn fault. She owed him the truth.

“I wasn’t thinking about the effect it might have on you.”

Unable to meet his fiery golden gaze any longer, she looked away. “I was only thinking of myself.”
And that I wanted you.
For pride’s sake, she left those five words unsaid. “It was incredibly selfish, and more than stupid. I’m sorry.”

Gabe said nothing, and after a moment, she gathered the courage to once again look him in the eye. “I’ve caused you nothing but trouble, and you have no reason at all to help me, but I hope you will. And someday, maybe, I hope you can forgive me.”

He stared at her, his glare like a sword to her heart. Silence stretched between them, broken only by Sherlock’s gentle meow as he twined his way between them, rubbing himself against Gabe’s leg.

“Please,” she whispered. “I never wanted any of this, I swear . . . all I wanted, in the beginning, was to find my sister.”

There was no softening in Gabriel’s expression, however. She was trembling when he finally said, “Go pack a bag. We have to go; it’s not safe to stay here any longer.”

Relief made her knees weak. “Where are we going?”

He turned away, ignoring both her and the cat as he moved toward the window. He stood there for a moment, staring out at the city.

“I may not be able to help you, in the end.” The line of his jaw was grim. “You made a fool’s bargain with the biggest fool who ever lived, and he’s not known for his mercy. I can’t allow you to put the words of power where evil can find them, and because of that, you may die.”

Her lip trembled, but she stilled it, for he was only being honest.

“I can, however, help you do one thing, which may or may not make your burden easier to bear.” His shoulders, already so straight, straightened even further. “We go to find your sister.”

Chapter Fourteen

L
as Vegas had never been one of Gabriel’s favorite places, but after the experience of his first airplane flight, he was glad to be there. He’d no idea how mortals stood being cooped up for hours in such a cramped, stuffy environment, when beauty and freedom were just outside their windows. It had given him a whole new perspective on the human experience, and he hadn’t cared for it at all.

Even less did he like the hotel Hope had chosen, for the lobby of the Venetian was a gaudy, noisy imitation the Sistine Chapel. Staring up at the frescoed ceiling while she checked in, he tried his best to be stoic, but his heart was heavy.

You are still my instrument
, the One had said.
Remain here, and follow this experience where it may lead you.

Why, in the name of all that was holy, it had led him to Las Vegas, he’d never know, but it was not for him to question the ways of the One.
You are but a pawn in Samael’s game, but now you must play it, or we risk losing all.

Firming his chin, Gabriel swore to himself he wouldn’t lose, even if he didn’t know the rules of the game yet.

In order to remove the threat to Hope, he needed to remove the leverage Sammy had over her, and that meant finding her sister.

“Are you ready?” Hope had come up beside him, looking tired and strained. “We’re all checked in.”

“I’m ready,” he told her, and meant it.

They’d said little to each other during the trip. A part of him knew that his physical attraction to her wasn’t entirely her fault, but another part of him blamed her anyway. At any rate, it seemed better to keep his emotional distance, and she hadn’t pressed him. He’d spent their travel time immersed in prayer and contemplation, while she’d been lost in thoughts of her own.

She led him down a long, ridiculously ornate corridor, the smell of cigarettes and the level of noise increasing as they went. The corridor came to an end at the casino, which they were forced to make their way through in order to reach the elevators. Bells rang and lights flashed, and people were everywhere, most of them with drinks in their hands, though it was yet midday. Young women in short skirts and too much makeup threaded their way among young men in sloppy, rumpled clothes, while middle-aged men and women slumped over slot machines like automatons, feeding in tokens and pulling handles as though hypnotized. His nose rebelled at the smell of cigarettes, his ears at the noise, and his heart at the wastefulness of humanity’s time and money.

A particularly loud commotion at one of the roulette tables caught his attention; someone had apparently just won big. He glanced that way, but kept walking until an all-too-familiar voice caught his ear.

“Here you go, sweetheart. Take this and buy yourself something pretty with it.” Ooohs and aaahs came from a crowd surrounding the table, and Gabe turned his head to see Sammy carelessly deposit a large stack of chips into the eager hands of a young Asian woman in a low-cut, pink-sequined dress. Sammy looked up, met his eyes, and told the woman, “Seems like today is my lucky day.”

Anger rose in him like a tide. Gabe stopped dead, as Hope went on a few more steps without him.

Sammy, casually yet elegantly dressed in a white button-down shirt, black linen jacket, and jeans, rose from the roulette table to a chorus of disappointed female cooing. Almost all the people watching him play were women, and the few men sitting at the table looked glad to see him go.

“Gabriel, my old friend,” said Sammy, as he walked toward him. “Come to try your luck in Sin City, have you?”

“I make my own luck,” Gabe told him tersely. Unaware he’d stopped, Hope had kept walking and was now out of earshot, but any minute she’d turn and see whom he was talking to. “What are you doing here?”

Sammy shrugged, a diamond stud glinting in one ear. “The Underworld gets so boring this time of year. I needed a little fun, a little excitement.”

“Yes,” Gabriel said, keeping a rein on his temper. “I can imagine there are only so many lost souls you can torment before you need fresh ones. What an excellent place to harvest them.”

“Exactly. I’ve made many a deal here, you know. It’s amazing what people will do when they’re drunk, desperate, or just plain greedy.”

“What do you want, Samael?”

Sammy looked away from him, a smile curling his lips. Gabriel followed his gaze, and saw Hope watching them, clutching her rolling suitcase, her face as white as a sheet. “You know what I want.”

“You can’t have her!” Gabe said fiercely, keeping his voice low. He couldn’t help the surge of protectiveness that made him step closer, putting himself between the Horned One and Hope. “I may be grounded, but I’ll take you on regardless.”

Sammy’s eyes snapped back to his, a frown forming between his perfect blond brows. “What?”

“You heard me.” It never occurred to him that Samael would be in the dark about what had happened to him. Samael’s preternatural abilities included the ability to read minds, and Gabe was certain he’d been under surveillance since they’d met on the rooftop, what seemed like a lifetime ago. “Come to gloat in person, have you?”

A strange expression crossed Sammy’s face, one that Gabriel couldn’t read. “Let’s go someplace a bit more private, shall we?”

“Why? Don’t want an audience? There’s a first.” He was furious in a way he’d never been before; he was a Protector unable to protect, and his body—the only weapon he had at his disposal—cried out to be used.

A blond brow rose. “Tsk, tsk, Gabriel. You seem eager for a fight. Violence is against your angelic oath, isn’t it?”

“Thanks to you, I’m an angel no longer, and I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”

If Gabe didn’t know better, he would’ve sworn there was a flicker of surprise in Sammy’s blue eyes before they narrowed. “Succumbed to the lure of the flesh already, have you?” The Great Shaitan flicked a contemptuous look toward Hope. “She must be sluttier than I thought.”

Unthinkingly, Gabe’s hands shot out to grab his onetime brother by his oh-so-elegant linen lapels. Sammy didn’t flinch, even when their faces were mere inches apart. “Do. Not. Speak of her that way,” Gabriel ground out. “Or I’ll rip your forked tongue right from your throat.”

“My, my,” Sammy answered coolly. “Jealousy
and
threats of violence. How the mighty have fallen.”

“Is there a problem here?” A burly security guard appeared at Gabriel’s elbow, and was quickly joined by a second, even burlier.

“Not at all, Officer,” Sammy said mildly, making no effort to free himself. “Just two old friends, catching up.”

“Catch up somewhere else,” the security guard growled. “Now.”

Gabe forced his fingers to relax, releasing Sammy’s jacket. His eyes never left those of his onetime brother, as clear and blue as the sky, and just as remote. “I apologize, Officers,” he told the guards. “Just a bit of horseplay between friends.”

Sammy took a step back, shrugging his jacket into place, and smoothing a wrinkle from his lapel. “We were just about to go for a drink, weren’t we, Gabriel?”

Well aware that
he
was the one the two security guards considered a threat, and not wanting to send Hope into a panic, Gabe forced his lips to smile.

“We were,” he agreed, slapping Sammy on the shoulder a bit harder than he needed to. “Sorry to trouble you two gentlemen.” Keeping his hand on Sammy’s shoulder, he started guiding him away.

Hope, very pale, was staring at him. He gave her a grim look, and jerked his head toward the elevators, but Sammy was having none of it. He slipped from Gabe’s grasp like smoke, and took the few steps to where Hope stood. Gabe found himself oddly proud of the way she drew herself up and faced him. She had a death grip on the handle of her suitcase, the knuckles showing white, but she looked the Devil in the eye.

Behind him, the guards walked away, having no doubt seen their share of personal drama before.

“Hello, Hope.” To his credit, Sammy didn’t try to touch her. “Come for a romantic getaway with your new boyfriend, I take it?”

“No,” she answered shortly. She shot Gabe a glance, color coming back to her cheeks. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Sammy paused, dispassionately eyeing both of them in turn. “Well, well, well,” he murmured, “it seems as though something’s amiss. Trouble in paradise already?”

Hope looked to Gabe, but he merely shook his head impatiently. Let Samael think what he liked, especially if it was to his and Hope’s advantage.

“None of your business,” Gabriel said, “and enough with the small talk. Where’s Hope’s sister? Where’s Charity?”

“And why would I tell you that?”

“Because if you don’t, I’m going to mess up that pretty face of yours, security guards or no security guards.”

The amusement left the Great Deceiver’s eyes. They became cold, and flat.

“I’d suggest you watch what you say to me.”

Furious at the knowledge of how far he and his onetime brother were now outmatched, Gabriel said boldly, “Make me.”

A stare-down, different from those they’d had in the past, lasted both a moment and a lifetime. There was a look in Samael’s eyes that Gabe didn’t recognize, and he didn’t know what it meant. On his part, he struggled not to show his desperation, his fear that his oldest friend—the personification of all that was evil—might take away the slender, golden-haired girl standing next to him, and put her someplace he could never, ever go.

“Gabe.” Hope touched his arm, tentatively, which only increased his tension. “Don’t.”

“Listen to her, Gabriel.” Sammy broke eye contact, glancing around the casino. “Many of these people will burn in Hell soon enough . . . you don’t want any of them to end up there prematurely just because of your temper, now do you? I meant what I said about that drink, by the way. Come, let Hope go get settled in her room while we have a chat.”

“You’ll send one of your minions after her the moment she leaves my sight,” Gabe growled, not trusting Sammy one bit.

“I’ll do no such thing; she’ll be perfectly safe. What’s the matter, don’t you trust me,
brother
?”

Gritting his teeth, Gabe was forced to acknowledge that he, on more than one occasion, had pulled the “brotherly trust” card.

“Fine. But I expect you to keep your word.”

Sammy grinned, looking, for just an instant, as he had in those long-ago days when they were friends. “You’re the only one who does, Gabriel, the only one.” The Prince of Darkness inclined his head slightly. “She’ll be safe while we talk, I swear it.”

With a warning glare to Sammy, Gabe took Hope by the elbow and led her aside. Even angry and tense as he was, his fingers tingled as they touched her bare skin. “Go on up without me,” he told her, “and make sure the door is locked. What’s the room number?”

She handed him the small card that showed the room number, taking a key card for herself, then shot a glance toward Sammy before turning her green eyes back to his. “I’m scared.”

He felt himself soften toward her, wishing he could reassure her and tell her everything was going to be all right. “I know you are,” was all he could say.

She bit her lip, tucking her short hair behind an ear. “Are you sure you’ll be all right? I mean, without your powers . . .”

He shifted so that Sammy couldn’t see her face, so pale and set, and murmured. “It’ll be okay.”

She stared up at him. “Be careful,” she answered softly, then turned and walked away.

Gabe stood there, watching, until Hope was swallowed by the crowd, and he could see her no more.

“N
ow what’s all this about you being grounded?” They were seated in a back booth in one of the casino’s many bars. Sammy had ordered a Hennessy for himself and a soda for Gabe, knowing his old friend had no love for alcohol. He couldn’t shake an odd feeling—which he suspected was guilt—but it had been so long since he’d felt anything like it that he wasn’t sure.

Gabriel regarded him stonily. “Like you don’t know. That’s exactly what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“In all honesty, no,” Sammy replied, surprised to find it was so. “I merely wanted to teach you a lesson about forbidden fruit, and how hard it is to resist. I never expected you to actually pluck it.”

“Liar.”

“I am that,” he acknowledged.

Gabriel gave him a disgusted look, leaning back as a waitress in an incredibly short skirt brought them their drinks.

“Can I get you two gentlemen anything else?” She smiled at them both, lingering at the table as she slid their drinks in front of them.

Gabriel ignored her, while Sammy gave her an unabashed once-over. “Not at the moment, but keep them coming.”

The woman—a girl, really, for she looked barely old enough to drink herself—answered him saucily, “Oh, I do, darlin’. I do,” before walking away with a definite sway of her scantily clad hips.

Sammy took a sip of his cognac, not bothering to inhale the fragrance, as he usually did. The burn centered him, reminding him that guilt had no place in his world.

“I want to know where Hope’s sister is,” said Gabriel, not touching his soda. “And then I want you to go away and leave them both alone. You knocked me off my pedestal, and got what you came for. It’s over.”