Dirty Angel (Sainted Sinners #1) (7 page)

Lucan’s expression was stormy as ever, but he didn’t say a word.

Vesper glanced around the room. Only then did she realize that Kirael was standing, and that he’d thrust a protective arm in front of her. Shielding her from the fallout, should Ezra and Lucan fight.

Interesting
…

“I think it might be time for you two to go,” Mere Marie said, speaking to Kirael without taking her eyes off the other two men. “I will keep you apprised, Kirael.”

“Come on, then,” Kirael said.

Vesper stood up and let him usher her out of the room, not missing the fact that he kept himself between her and the other Fallen every step of the way.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I’m going to take you home. I have a feeling that a tonight might be our last chance to rest. For the forseeable future, at least. We’re going to need to gather some supplies in order to break into Hell… and assuming we get in and out alive, then we’ll have to hide for a while.”

“I hadn’t considered what happens afterward, I guess,” she admitted.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Kirael said, then scowled as if he didn’t like his own response. Truly, it was more than he needed to offer, even for the valuable information that Vesper was going to give him.

As he led her out of the house, silent and tense, Vesper began to wonder…

Were Kirael’s motives purely selfish, just wanting the information she could offer?

Or could there be something more? Something deeper, more personal?

Sure, she and Kirael had nothing but a little chemistry between them. But it did beg the question.

Do Fallen ever… date?

Vesper felt her cheeks burn, even thinking the question to herself. Sure, Kirael was handsome and all… but there was no way in the world that a Fallen angel and a mouthy human bounty hunter ended up…

Well, as
anything
.

Get your head on straight
, she commanded herself.
Save your sister, keep your head down.

And then,
most of all, don’t worry about the love lives of handsome Fallen angels… down that path lies nothing but pain.

V
esper woke
the next day to an anonymous text, presumably from Kirael.

Do you have a formal ball gown?
was all it said.

She bit her lip, then replied
No…

Nothing more from Kirael in the next few hours, so Vesper caught up on some laundry and called Vargus to touch base.

“What’s it like working with Fallen?” he asked.

“Frustrating, and a little scary,” Vesper said honestly, but Vargus just laughed.

“If anyone can hold their own, it’s you,” he said before they hung up.

There was a knock on her door around five, just when Vesper was getting antsy and thinking about texting Kirael for a status update. When she opened it, there was a delivery man standing on her doorstep with a package. She signed for the box, which was a surprisingly heavy broad rectangle made of sweet-smelling white card stock.

Carrying it into her bedroom, she laid it out on the bed and pulled off the top.

Vesper’s breath caught in her throat. Inside, wrapped in layers of perfumed tissue paper, lay a formal dress quite unlike any she’d ever beheld. She drew it out of the box, careful not to wrinkle the pale peach chiffon.

Walking to the mirror, she held the dress up against herself. The most eye-catching part was the embroidery. Gems sewn into floral patterns dripped from each shoulder to the collarbone, contrasting with the simplicity of the rest of the gown.

No bunched fabric, ruffles, and organza here; instead, the dress was cut to fit sleekly against the body. It was also backless, in a way that made Vesper feel a bit breathless once she actually tried the dress on.

It was…
stunning
.

For a girl who only ever wore jeans, leather jackets, and Doc Martens, her reflection in the mirror was a complete shock. More so, considering that Kirael had sent the dress over.

Damn. I look amazing in this. I can’t believe Kirael picked this out for me to wear…
she thought.

Was there more to Kirael than met the eye?

“Whoa!” Aurora said, doubling back as she passed by Vesper’s open door. “Holy crap, is that an Alexander McQueen gown?”

The pretty blonde sidled into Vesper’s room, looking her up and down curiously.

Vesper turned, feeling guilty at the mere sight of her roommate. “I’m not really sure.”

“Where you going?” Aurora said, a distinct note of longing in her voice. Aurora rarely went out, except to visit some mysterious relative outside the city.

Probably because she’s hiding from people who’d take advantage of her. People like you
, Vesper thought, trying not to cringe.

“I don’t know that either,” Vesper said, then shrugged when Aurora shot her a questioning look. “It’s… a surprise date.”

“Lucky you,” Aurora sighed. “You should wear those sparkly ruby heels that are collecting dust in your closet. And use some peach blush, maybe gold eye shadow. Make your eyes and cheekbones pop.”

“I didn’t know you were such a fashionista,” Vesper said, arching a brow.

Aurora looked like she wanted to say more, but she just gave Vesper a sad smile. “Good luck on your date.”

“Thanks,” Vesper said lamely, feeling like a total bitch as Aurora retreated to her own room.

Aurora, whose peaceful life Vesper was about to destroy…

To save Mercy
, she reminded herself.

Blowing out a breath, Vesper bit her lip. Her phone chimed, another text.

Be on your front steps in an hour
, it said.

Biting her lip, she hurried to get ready, trying to put the Aurora issue out of her mind.

An hour later, she was standing on the street in her blood-red heels, brimming with curiosity. After a moment a sleek white town car pulled up, and Kirael emerged.

He was in a neatly-fitted tux, his dark hair slicked back. He looked like the hottest James Bond imaginable, right down to the black silk bowtie and tall, dark silhouette.

“Holy shit,” Vesper mumbled, her eyes widening as she stared at him.

Her body responded immediately, warming and tightening in a way that she found acutely embarrassing. Luckily, he seemed too interested in checking
her
out to notice.

“You look…” he said, his eyes traveling up and down her body several times. “Wow. I knew this dress would suit you, but…” he tapered off, biting his lower lip for a second in a way that made Vesper’s blood go hot. “You should wear evening gowns more often.”

She blushed, more from the heat of his gaze than from his lackluster compliment. Kirael handed her into the car, every inch the gentleman, and she settled in for the ride.

Still, she could feel his gaze on her body throughout the ride, making her flush all over. To her surprise, she was a little thrilled by Kirael’s sudden and apparent interest.

A ridiculously sexy immortal found
her
alluring? She’d take that compliment in a heartbeat.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To a wedding reception,” he said. “Have you heard of Jack Darren?”

An image instantly came to mind, a handsome dark-skinned man with a shaved head, always wearing a somber dark suit and a gleaming platinum Rolex.

“I—” Vesper started, then stopped. “
The
Jack Darren? The one who represents all the mages and wizards in the Southeastern states, that Jack Darren?”

“The very one.”

“Yeah, well… he’s only
the
face of the Kith community. He’s on the city council, he advises the Mayor, the Governor, AND the President. Of course I’ve heard of him,” Vesper said.

“But no personal encounters, I hope?” Kirael asked, glancing out the window.

“Ummm... no…” Vesper said.

“Good! His daughter Ammerie got married tonight, and we’re going to celebrate.”

Vesper didn’t quite know what to say for a moment. “How did you get an invitation?”

“Mere Marie loaned us hers, on the promise that we wouldn’t cause too much trouble tonight.”

“I’m afraid to ask what trouble we’d be getting into,” Vesper said.

“The last time I broke into Hell, which you’ll remember as the time you followed me through, then stalked and stabbed me,” Kirael said, giving her a look that made her flush. “Mere Marie got me through with a spell, but it was one-time-use. The ingredients are no longer available to us.”

“And what does that have to do with Jack Darren?”

“He’s got some vials of the essence of
la fleur de morte
… a flower that only grows in the darkest, coldest parts of Hell. It’s nearly impossible to harvest, too.”

“And… that’s one of the ingredients we need to break into Hell?” Vesper guessed.

“Correct.”

“And the wedding…” Vesper said, fidgeting with the skirt of her dress.

“Is at his house,” Kirael said. “So it’s our best chance. Mere Marie is chasing down some dragon’s blood for us, says she ‘knows a guy’. Whatever that means. So we need to procure these vials. Then we have to obtain the cross of a true believer, which is easier to come by.”

“Yeah, I bet in New Orleans that’s not too hard. This is a seriously Catholic city,” Vesper said, closing her eyes for a moment. “Is this going to be dangerous?”

“Not if we’re good thieves,” Kirael said as the car rolled to a stop. “Here we are…”

He got out first, then helped Vesper climb out before a huge, pristine Victorian mansion. They were in the Garden District, one of the wealthiest parts of town, and on a street famous for towering, perfectly-preserved old houses.

Of course, most of the houses belonged to foundations, or had been cut up into dozens of apartments. Single family-mansions were certainly few and far between in the modern era.

Wrought iron wrapped around the whole property, securing the robin’s egg-tinged. three story house. The party was already in full swing, light and laughter filtering up from the house’s large side yard.

“Wow, Jack Darren lives here? How rich do you have to be to own a home on St. Charles?” she marveled.

“No idea,” Kirael said. “I never really thought much about money until I defected from Hell. Now I’m glad to work for Mere Marie, because I wouldn’t know how to go about getting a job.”

Vesper snorted. “You, in an office? Nah. You’d have to be a hitman or something.”

Kirael stiffened, his jaw going tense. He pointed toward the side of the house, indicating that they should walk around the cobblestone path and enter the party through the side gate rather than walk through the house.

“What?” Vesper asked. “What’d I say?”

“Nothing,” Kirael said, then cleared his throat. “Well, I should say, that was one of my jobs for the Fallen. Wet work, they called it.”

Assassin, more like
, she thought.
Killer
.

“It was wrong,” he said, his expression hardening. “I thought I was righteous, but… now I know otherwise. I can’t undo all that I did, though.”

Vesper glanced away from him, shocked by his admission. It took her a full minute to recover herself, and by then they were walking up to a clipboard-holding bouncer.

Vesper was perfectly happy to stay behind Kirael, though she kept catching herself staring at his ass, wondering if he wore boxers or briefs.

Or maybe nothing?
she thought, then immediately wished she could wash her brain out with soap.
Why can’t I get my mind out of the gutter tonight?

“Invitation?” the suited bouncer asked, glancing at them.

Vesper ignored the bouncer, sticking with her own thoughts. Maybe it was the fact that Kirael had shaved his five o’clock shadow, and the result was… jaw-dropping.

She wanted to lick the sharp lines of his jaw, and then…

Stop!
she screamed at herself.
Get your head in the game, Vesper!

Kirael produced the cream-colored invite and handed it over. After double checking the invite to the list, then giving Kirael and Vesper another once over, the bouncer pulled open the wrought iron gate and ushered them into the backyard.

The whole affair was stunningly lavish. Elegantly-dressed guests standing under a tall white tent, sipping champagne and smiling as a live band played Zydeco music. Couples were already dancing on the floor that’d been laid at one end. Tuxedoed waiters circled with silver trays of drinks and food.

Most of all, strings of lights were absolutely everywhere, twinkling softly and making it seem as if the whole party was illuminated by enchanted fairy lights.

Vesper whistled, her awkward moment with Kirael forgotten. Kirael caught her hand, bringing it up to rest in the crook of his elbow, and led her forward.

They entered the party, apparently having missed the toasts and the first dance, at least.

“Now what?” Vesper asked, snagging some champagne from a passing waiter.

“Mmmm…” Kirael said, accepting a glass from her and taking a sip. “Let’s make a couple circuits, see if we can figure out how we’re going to get inside.”

Vesper followed him, downing a couple more glasses of champagne. All around them were the city’s most powerful people, both human and Kith. To her relief, there were few Vampyres. Lots of witches and mages, though.

Thankfully at the moment, the event was less about magic and more about wedding bells; the attention was all focused on the dozen or so bridesmaids in frothy pink dresses, their matching groomsmen, and of course the bride in her enormous white ball gown and radiant smile.

Vesper watched Kirael, trying to figure out what he was thinking without being too obvious about it. She saw him take notice of a table of powerful-looking shifters, each with a beautiful woman at his side.

They were familiar-looking, though it took Vesper a minute to put the pieces together.

“You know them?” Kirael asked.

“Not personally, but I think those are the Alpha Guardians,” Vesper said. “The twin Faerie princes give it away.”

“Interesting,” Kirael said.

“Yeah?”

“I think Mere Marie deals with them in somewhat the same manner she deals with me. They might be helpful, if things go south here.”

Vesper glanced at the table again, and noticed that several of the Guardians seemed to be watching Kirael very closely.

“Y’all need a cool nickname like Alpha Guardians,” she said.

“I don’t think so,” Kirael said, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah. Oh, I got a good one. How about the Sainted Sinners,” she said, giving him a wink.

“That’s terrible.”

“Pfft. You have no taste.”

“I want to get closer to the house,” was Kirael’s only response.

“The dance floor kind of borders the side entrance to the house, over there,” Vesper said, inclining her head. A steady stream of waiters and guests were filtering up and down a set of stately slate steps that led up to the wraparound porch.

“Mmm,” Kirael said. Before Vesper realized his intent, he’d slid his arm around her waist and was leading her to the dance floor.

“I meant we could go observe,” she said, her brows knitting.

“I think, if we want to go inside, we’re going to need a plausible reason,” he said, turning her in his arms and pulling her close as the music slowed, turning from a fast two-step to a slower, more sultry rhythm.

“Uh huh,” Vesper said, feeling her face begin to heat.

“I mean to say, we ought to pretend to be a couple. That way if we get caught inside, we just pretend to be in a lovers’ embrace,” he said.

She couldn’t be sure, but Vesper thought she saw an amused sparkle in his eye. Like he knew she was feeling awkward, and he was enjoying every second of it.

Kirael took her hand, his steps sure and easy as he guided her across the floor. The sheer closeness of him was a little too much to take in all at once. She caught a whiff of his aftershave, spicy yet clean.

When she glanced up at him, she realized that he was still a good four inches taller than she was, even in her heels. Something about that fact made her stomach flip-flop and made her melt just a little inside.

Just admit it, you’re hot for him
, she thought, blushing even harder.

Kirael’s gaze was intent on her face, a flicker of something like curiosity evident in his expression.