Shadowed 3 I’ll Be Damned (7 page)
“Rutendo,” said the demon who still clung to Sinister.
Rutendo! Leader of the shadowing angels. Every demon in hell knew about him and shuddered at his name.
Rutendo and the auburn-haired angel strode toward the demon. He tried to run, but Rutendo caught him by his tail and hurled him into the apartment. He drew one of his golden daggers and cut the demon’s throat. The beast burst into flames and disappeared. Seconds later, the portal to hell vanished and the wall returned to normal.
Sinister changed to his human form and lay on his back, panting. Jayden knelt beside him and he reached for her hand.
Glancing from one angel to the other, Sinister asked, “Why? John, I don’t understand.”
“You were one of my students,” John said. “In training as a guardian angel. When you questioned yourself, the Dole of Angels agreed that you were to be sent to hell where you would be reborn as a demon. You would choose for yourself the path of good or the path of evil. I wanted to watch over you through these trials. Welcome home, Daniel.”
John knelt beside Daniel and touched him.
In an instant his wounds healed and his memories of life before the fires of hell returned.
He had been a pure angel -- one born in the heavens. He’d been assigned to John’s group of guardian angels, but he’d questioned himself. He’d always wondered, if he hadn’t been born an angel, if he had been human first or worse, a demon, would he still have the capacity for good? If he had never been tempted, did he truly deserve to be a guardian angel?
“Even in hell, with no memory of your life as an angel, you couldn’t be truly evil,” John said. “Your instincts, your soul, wanted to do good.”
“Then I’m going back,” Daniel said. He turned to Jayden. “Demon or not, angel or not, I still love you.”
“I love you too,” she said, her eyes glistening. She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Go back where you belong. I know the world needs a guardian angel like you.”
“Hold everything,” Rutendo said. “Who said he’s a guardian angel anymore?”
Daniel’s brow furrowed. “But John said --”
“He said welcome home. He didn’t say welcome back. From now on, you’re one of mine. Welcome to the shadowing angels.”
“How could you be anything else?” John said with a faint smile. “Shadowing angels understand evil, but they don’t succumb to it. After your time in hell, you’re far more qualified to be one of Rutendo’s than one of mine.”
“That means I can take a wife,” Daniel said, once again holding Jayden’s gaze. “If you’ll have me.”
“If that’s a proposal, then this is a yes.” Jayden brushed his mouth with a kiss.
Daniel sat up and pulled her into his arms.
“It also means you’ll need to find a way to blend in on Earth,” Rutendo said. “Any ideas about what kind of work you can do that will fit in with your shadowing angel schedule?”
“Why not become a private detective and work with me?” Jayden suggested. “You already have a little experience.”
“I like that idea,” Daniel said. “There’s just one more thing I need to see.”
He stepped away and concentrated on changing shape. He turned into a smoky figure, then to his human form but with large white wings. The wings disappeared and he looked like a normal man once again.
“Well, that was different.” Jayden laughed. “A little bit of demon and a little bit of angel. I was so worried that I’d helped corrupt an angel.”
“Technically, in the state he was in, you helped save a demon,” John said.
“Good point.” Rutendo gazed at her thoughtfully. “I’ll be keeping my eye on you, lady.”
“So will I.” Daniel embraced her.
A bumping sound echoed from the bedroom.
“I almost forgot. Jodi’s in there,” Daniel said.
Rutendo grimaced. “That little weasel.”
“I’ll take care of him,” John said. “After all, this place is no longer occupied.”
“Let’s go home, Daniel,” Jayden said, taking his hand.
“I love the sound of that.” He kissed her before they left the apartment and stepped into their new life.
What do trips around the world, endless nights of breathtaking sex, and a muscular, 6-foot 3-inch, brown-haired, blue-eyed significant other have to do with Kate Hill? Absolutely nothing, but she can dream, can’t she? In reality Kate is a single, thirty-something vegetarian New Englander who loves writing romantic fantasies. Visit her online at
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Find all of Kate’s Changeling Press titles at
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and more tales from her Razor’s Edge at
Shadowed series at
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