“Bastion!” Az bellowed, and then he slammed into the other angel. At that shuddering collision, they all hit the ground. Jade grunted at the impact and rolled away. She sprang up and found Az and Bastion circling each other.
“Going to shoot me again?” Bastion taunted. “Going to keep turning on your own kind in order to protect the human?”
What? “Az . . .” He’d shot this guy?
Az immediately leapt toward her, half-positioning his body in front of hers.
Bastion laughed at the move, but the sound held no humor. Just more ice. “Trying to play the hero? What? Does your little mortal mistakenly think that you’re the good guy in this story?”
Then the wind rustled around her. No, not the wind. Bastion. He’d moved in a flash, coming to stand right beside Jade. “You’re a fool,” he told her. “Azrael was cast out for a reason.”
Her hand reached for Az’s. Her fingers locked with his.
Bastion’s gaze dropped to their entwined hands. He blinked, as if confused, then his eyes slowly lifted once more. This time, his stare met Az’s. “You’ll destroy her. You know that. We destroy everything that we touch.”
“Not this time.” Az’s words sounded like a vow.
But Bastion shook his head. “She should be dead. One touch, and she should be dead. Don’t you realize what you’ve done?”
Az wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to his chest.
“You’ve already destroyed her,” Bastion said, voice softer. “You just don’t even realize it.” Then he lifted his hands. He stirred fire, just as she’d seen Az do many times. Bright, red and gold flames. Dancing. Spinning in a circle. Spinning—and flying right at her.
Jade screamed as the fire swelled even higher. She felt the scorch of the heat on her skin. But then Az was there. Wrapping her in his arms. Shielding her and taking the blistering fire right into his flesh.
Taking it, then sending it back at the other angel. Bastion screamed. The scent of burning flesh filled the air.
Bastion vanished.
At first, Jade didn’t breathe. Her gaze swept the clearing. Left to right. The ground around them had blackened with the blaze. “Is he . . .” She sucked in a deep breath, cleared her throat, and asked, “gone?”
Az didn’t let her go. “No.”
Great.
“But he won’t attack again, not yet. Not until he’s sure he can take me out.”
That wasn’t the reassuring news she’d been hoping to hear. Az needed to work on that whole building team morality bit. “Then let’s get the hell out of here, okay? Do that superfast move of yours and get us someplace safe.” Even if it made her feel nauseous. Being sick was better than being dead.
She had no doubt that Bastion wanted her dead.
“There is no safe place from Bastion. He will be able to follow us, anyplace we go.”
Again with the whole not-what-she-wanted-to-hear response. But before she could speak, Az lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her hands around his neck. Held onto him as tightly as she could.
When the world spun around her, she wasn’t even afraid.
Okay, maybe she was. Because as she glanced back over Az’s shoulder and saw the twisting trees begin to fade as he raced away, she glimpsed the hulking shadow of powerful black wings.
Bastion. Chasing right after them.
You’ve already destroyed her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Jade.” Az held her easily against his chest. She felt right Jin his arms. Her body soft, curved.
Mine.
No, no, a human couldn’t belong to an angel. That path had been tried before, by others. Those angels had fallen for their lust. They’d suffered.
I’ve already fallen.
Her eyes were closed, casting dark shadows onto her cheeks. She seemed too pale in the waning light. She’d wanted protection. Instead, she now had a vengeful angel after her.
He bent his head. His lips brushed over her hair even as he inhaled her scent. After the hell she’d been through, how did she still smell of strawberries?
Her arm hung limply around his neck. Halfway through the journey, she’d fallen unconscious. A human’s body, even one fueled by angel blood, simply couldn’t withstand the speed he’d used.
He strode forward into the cabin. A bed waited just a few feet away. For now, this place would be their temporary shelter.
Their time together would come to an end all too soon.
I don’t want to let her go.
Why couldn’t he keep something of his own, just this once? Would it be so wrong?
Her lashes began to flutter. Clenching his teeth, he lowered her onto the bed. His hands wanted to linger, but he forced himself to step back.
Her eyes opened and seemed to find his instantly. “Az?” She breathed his name, her voice the same husky purr that it was during sex.
His hands clenched. “You’re safe, Jade.”
She glanced around the cabin. “Where are we?”
“Where angels fear to tread.” The smart ones, anyway. Sam had been the one to tell him about this place. “Unhallowed ground.” At least that’s what his brother had called it. More like cursed ground. Ground that had once been soaked by the blood of vampires and demons in an epic battle. Sam had actually witnessed that battle as he’d gone to collect the dead.
The power had been great here. The whispers of magic still floated in the air. Magic . . . and evil.
Witches had used many spells here over the centuries. Spells to hurt. To kill. The taint of dark magic was in the air, and it pressed down on him like hands shoving upon his back.
As long as he could keep the darkness at bay, they’d be safe there.
As long . . .
He’s not the good guy. Bastion had taunted him, but . . . angels couldn’t lie.
“He was . . . following us.” A faint line appeared between her brows. “I saw him. Flying after us with those great, black wings.” She pushed up onto her elbows. Studied him. “Is that what your wings were like?”
“Yes.”
“That Bastion . . .” She licked her lips. “He’s an Angel of Death.”
Tell her. Az paced to the window. He wasn’t even sure who’d built this cabin, but Sam had used it when he needed to lick his wounds after battles. His brother had been through plenty of battles.
“Az?”
He forced himself to turn back to her. Jade was sitting up, and her hair was a wild tangle around her face. She looked tired. Pale.
Still beautiful.