Angel in Chains (10 page)

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Authors: Cynthia Eden

Tags: #Romance, #Fiction, #Paranormal, #General

BOOK: Angel in Chains

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It wouldn’t hurt. He could be compassionate. Death could be as gentle as a whisper.

Vengeance is mine.

“Az . . .” Jade’s voice, drifting on the wind to him.

The scent of flowers teased his nose again. A Death Angel was close.

Az looked back. Tanner had his claws at Jade’s throat. In turn, she had a gun pointed right at his heart.

“I think we all need to take a minute and calm the hell down,” the shifter called out.

Az felt amazingly calm. The witch barely seemed to breathe.

“We need each other,” Tanner growled. “Brandt and his pack are too powerful for us to face alone.”

Doubtful.

Az stared back at the witch. A faint smile lifted her lips. “Still think you’re the strongest force on earth, do you, angel?”

“I think I’m looking at a dead woman,” he said.

But she laughed. “Not yet, you aren’t.

Why was he hesitating? “You sold me out once already.”

“And I’ll do it again.” Sounded like a promise. “That’s why you need me.”

Footsteps raced toward them. Jade and Tanner. Not taking aim at one another any longer. Instead—

“Don’t hurt her,” Tanner ordered. “That witch is our ticket into the pack.”

“Witch?” Jade staggered to a stop beside them. Az’s focus shifted to Jade even as he kept his grip on the witch.

Jade’s gaze flew between Az and the woman. “No one mentioned anything about a witch—”

“I told you that every
Other
in the city would be after your guardian.” Sweat trickled down Tanner’s temple. “Well, Heather here has a certain . . . reputation.”

“For selling out everyone she meets?” Az demanded. He hadn’t let the witch go yet, but he hadn’t killed her, either.

He thought he was showing pretty good restraint.

“Almost everyone,” the witch said.

“Heather . . .” A warning tone entered Tanner’s voice.

But Heather didn’t heed that warning. “I was trying to do the world a favor.” She held Az’s gaze. “Some
Other
are too dangerous to live.”

“Wait a minute!” Jade grabbed Az’s arm and hauled him away from the witch. Only because Az let her haul him. “You’re the one who found Az?” She asked the other woman.

Heather’s lips curved. “The world is smaller than we like to think.”

Jade nodded. “Right. Okay. I’ll take that as a yes.” Then she drove her fist right at the witch. Heather took the hit in the jaw and tumbled back. “You freaking sold out an
angel,
you crazy bitch!”

Heather blinked, then rubbed her jaw. “My, my, aren’t you the feisty human.”

Az rather thought she was. She’d just . . . fought for him. Or at least punched for him. No one had ever—

“We’re out of here, Az.” Now Jade was yanking his arm. “Whatever game this shifter is working, we
don’t
want to be a part of it.”

Not if the witch was involved.

But he wasn’t ready to walk just yet.
Vengeance.
Right there, so close.

“Will you be strong enough to kill him . . .”
The witch’s voice was different now. Heavy with power and magic. Az looked at her and saw that the bright gold of her eyes had faded as she continued,
“when the time comes?”

Her faded gaze wasn’t on him. It was on Jade.

“Will you sacrifice?”
Heather continued, and a light breeze blew against Az’s flesh.
“Will you make the choice to save the others and face death?”

The witch was pushing his self-control and seriously getting on his nerves.

“What in the hell are you talking about?” Jade wanted to know. She didn’t sound shaken or worried, just pissed.

“Love has a price.”
That same, weird rumble that wasn’t a human’s voice. Not quite.
“Sacrifice is the payment. The choice of life or death. You have to kill what you love.”

Jade’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s be clear, here, alright, witchy woman? I don’t love Brandt. I hate him. He has taken
everything
away from me. My home. My family.” Her chin lifted. “So when the time comes, oh yeah, I’ll do what I have to do. If the choice is my life or his, then he’ll be the one dying.”

Heather’s eyes brightened once more as the fog seemed to fade from her gaze. She smiled at Jade. “You’re going to be tested soon.”

“Why are we still here?” Jade muttered, tugging on Az. “Let’s—”

But Tanner stepped forward. “The pack won’t welcome me back. Not unless I bring them . . .” His gaze fell on Az. “Something.”

“You mean someone,” Jade charged. “You want to take Az to them? Are you—”

“Actually, I want to take
you
to Brandt. If I bring back his lost mate, there’s no way he will turn me away.”

Mate.
Why did that one word have Az tensing as a white-hot fury rose within him? “She’s not his mate.” Shifters and their mates. So possessive. So territorial.

Not. His.

Tanner held up his hands. “Easy there, big guy. This is just about what Brandt thinks, not about what actually is. Didn’t mean to step into any . . . uh, personal business there.”

“Tanner takes the human,” Heather came to stand by the shifter’s side. “And I take you in,” she told Az.

Because she was so good at selling people out.

“They’ll believe I’m there for the bounty on your head. They’ll let me in, and they’ll take us both right to Brandt,” Heather finished with a little smirk.

“No,” Jade said immediately, and that smirk slipped a bit. “This isn’t going to work, it—”

“Seems you pissed off the pack alpha.” Tanner rubbed his jaw as he studied Az. “And he wants you brought in alive.”

“Only so he can take his time cutting Az apart.” Jade shook her head. “No way. We’re done here. Your plan is crap. If we follow it, we’ll all die.”

Not all.

“Can’t you kill him?” Heather asked Az, crossing her arms. “I mean, you’re the Angel of Death. All you need to do is touch him, right?”

He saw Jade’s jaw drop. “Angel of Death? As in
the
—”

“Not anymore.” His growl. He would have told her that part, eventually.

“But you can do it,” Tanner snapped. “You’re the only one who can. Brandt is stronger than most paranormals. He’s got magic on his side, and he’s not afraid to use it. If we want him taken out, we need your help.”

Jade’s lips trembled as she stared into Az’s eyes. “I already told you, this isn’t your—”

“You want to use me as bait.” Az wanted to be clear on the rules. “The witch takes me in—”

“And collects the bounty,” Heather added quickly.

“Of course.” Figured she’d take her cut. Not like she’d do this out of the goodness of her heart. From what he’d seen, the witch didn’t have a heart. “Then I get my turn to eliminate Brandt.” And to save Jade. To start his journey back upstairs.

Jade’s body practically vibrated with fury. “This is
stupid
—”

“I’ll be there for backup.” Tanner rocked forward on the balls of his feet. “Together, we’ll take out that whole pack.”

Az didn’t really need his help. But if the shifter wanted some revenge of his own . . .

“You can’t do this.” Jade gripped both of his hands now and shook him. “This is crazy. You don’t want to just walk right up to Brandt.”

“No?” Now Tanner’s anger had broken past his control. “What’s your big plan then? You want to keep running from him? Hiding? While others die?”

She flinched. “I’ll go to him. I’ll end this myself.”

“You don’t have that power.” Tanner was certain.

So was Az.

Her gaze held his.

“Please,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

And the choice was made. A life for a life. Sacrifice. He pointed at the witch. “Betray me again, and I’ll make certain you feel the full fury of hell.”

“Been there,” she muttered.

“And you will be again.” A promise.

She swallowed and glanced away from him, and he knew she understood the consequences. Fair enough.

Angels never lied.

The deal had been set.

Angels were idiots. They had to be. As Jade followed Az through the winding hallway located at the back of a voodoo shop, she wondered what the hell she was doing.

Trusting her life to a shifter cop and a witch? Oh, no, not a good idea.

They were the two she should probably trust the least except. . .

Except Tanner had helped her get out of that swamp. He could have turned her in to the authorities or handed her over to Brandt then.

“Trust me,” Az’s words. Az’s hand around hers. And she did trust him. How could you not trust an angel? That was probably some kind of rule someplace.
Must trust angels.

Everything she’d ever heard about them said they were the good guys, if anyone was ever really good. They protected humans, just as Az was trying to protect her.

Now the deep scars on his shoulders made sense.
Wings.
His wings must have burned away when he fell.

But why had Az fallen?

“I’ll arrange the meeting,” Heather said as she opened another door. The thick scent of incense filled the air. This room was filled with old books, glass vials, and some stuff that Jade didn’t want to stare at for too long. A heavy mirror sat on the table to the left. And, yes, it looked like blood stained its surface.

She guessed that answered the question of good witch/ bad witch.

Jade didn’t have tons of experience with witches, but she’d heard whispered stories. Some witches could scry with mirrors to see the future. But whenever they looked into that future, they had to use the darker magic.

Jade didn’t want any part of that kind of magic. As it was, she had more than enough darkness to deal with on her own.

“So here’s the deal.” Tanner pulled out a chair, flipped it around and straddled it. “We’ll make the exchange at dawn.”

She still wasn’t loving this plan. But Jade could admit it was better than nothing. “So Az and I just stroll in as your big, fat bait? What guarantee do we have that you won’t just leave us there for them?”

Before Tanner could answer, Az spoke. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Once I get close enough to Brandt, I can take out him and his men.” He stood next to that bloody mirror. She saw his gaze drop to the glass.

Right. Big, tough, immortal badass
angel.
She could count on him.

Tanner cleared his throat. “And you don’t know me from Adam . . .”

Az snorted at that.

“But believe me, I want to stop Brandt. I want to stop them all.”

Her gaze dropped to his chest. His shirt covered the scars, but she wouldn’t be forgetting them anytime soon. So much pain.

Enough to fill a man with fury.

Her breath exhaled on a rough sigh. It looked like whether she wanted to or not, she was in as bait.

But it was time for Jade to issue a warning. “If you screw us, I’ll make sure that you pay.” Tanner and the witch probably thought she was just making some tough threat without any substance. They were wrong.

Brandt had just thought she was bullshitting, too. Until he walked into his home and found the trail of blood that she’d left for him.

Don’t think about that now. Don’t.

It had taken hours to wash the blood away from her hands and body.

“Don’t worry,” Tanner said, rolling his broad shoulders. “If this plan goes to shit, Brandt will be the one who takes his pound of flesh from me.”

He’d take more than a pound of flesh. Brandt would kill him. Slowly.

She glanced back at Az. His gaze was still on the mirror. And the witch had sidled closer to him.

Jade’s back teeth clenched. That skinny chick was just pissing her off. She might have to trust Tanner, but that woman—no way, Jade wouldn’t trust her for half a minute.

“Want to know what the future holds for you?” Heather asked Az softly. “All you have to do is bleed for me.”

Oh, seriously, hell
no,
the woman hadn’t just said that.

Az kept staring at that glass as if he were hypnotized. Not good. “You can’t see my future,” he finally said, voice rumbling.

“Because of what you are?” Heather asked, and then she laughed.

Jade hated that grating sound. The woman laughed like a hyena.

“Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re the only angel I’ve met.” Her hand brushed down his arm.