ASHE PACED AROUND the small living room, his eyes locked on the floor and arms folded tightly across his chest. His agitation made the air sizzle.

“Ashe, look what you did, you saved those kids.”

“You say I saved two people. The way I see it, I murdered three men in the process. There’s no silver lining to this, Bels.” She wanted to argue that the three males in question weren’t humans, but in fact Hellistic demons. However, she feared explaining the truth would send him further over the edge he was precariously teetering on. “I’m evil. You need to walk away from me, and never look back.”

Her heart was breaking for his self-inflicted agony. Stepping in front of him, blocking him from passing the corner of the sofa, Bels cupped his shoulders, hoping to soothe him. He bristled at her touch, but she remained rooted. “Listen to me, Ashe, you are not evil. Trust me. I’ve seen evil first hand.”

Lifting his head, Kakabel realized for the first time since meeting him that Ashe stood a few inches taller than her. Wait a minute, weren’t you shorter than me? What’s with the growth spurt all of a sudden? An uneasiness settled in her stomach. She inhaled his natural briny scent, noticing a darker, spicy undertone to it. Gazing deeply into the haunted dark eyes, she watched as they flashed with amber lightning. Whoa! What’s with the eyes, buddy?

His lips curled into a sneer, but held no malice. “I tore apart those scumbags by ripping their throats out! We both know it’s not what a rational person would do. I’m a goddamn monster, and if you can’t see it, or choose to be in denial about it, then you’re a fool!”

He was right, she was a fool. A fool for not keeping him safe from the likes of demons. Nothing she could say or do was going to make this right. She reluctantly withdrew her hands and coiled her arms over her chest. If anyone was a monster in the room, it was her. She slaughtered demons and minions alike by the thousands for the better part of her existence, all without a second thought. Human casualties were considered collateral damage. Sure, she felt remorse for like a second about the human deaths, but never had she wrestled with guilt over it, or lost a night’s sleep. Bels was doing her job, for the greater good. Ashe had no idea who he truly was or meant to become. Now, she faced a choice. If she told him the truth, would it make any difference at all? Or would it be better for him in the long run, not to know what was about to happen to him?

“You’re not a monster, Asher.” Whipping her head around, she saw that Cassiel and Nisroc stood by the door, shoulder to shoulder, surveying the scene. Ashe slipped around her, tucking her behind him. A low growl rumbled in his chest. If she wasn’t so damned worried about his sanity over the demons’ deaths, she would’ve found him trying to protect her endearing, even if it was from her brothers. “You’re a pre-trans Dhampyr. Although, from the looks of things, I’d say a semi-done.”

“A what? Who are you? What are you doing in my flat?”

“Ashe, these are two of my brethren. Cassiel, and the spiky-haired rainbow bright is Nisroc.”

“Hey, kid.” Roc nodded once, and hung back against the wall.

“Cass, how is it possible? He’s a Darkling. So how can he have vampire blood in him? Isn’t it, oh I don’t know, impossible or something?”

“A vampire? Oh Jesus Christ! This shite is getting crazier by the minute. And what the bloody hell is a Darkling?” And the cat was out of the proverbial bag. This was so not the way she saw this moment of disclosure playing out. With time running out, playing things gently was no longer an option.

“After what Ferrian told me, I wanted to see the bodies first before they decomposed. A Dhampyr’s bite slows down the rate of decomposition in anything with demon blood in it. The question is,” Cass leaned forward, his intense stare solely on Ashe, “was he born like this or bitten?”

“Jesus, Cass. Lay off already. We both know the only known birthed Dhampyr was Kadolon. So there’s no way—”

“I was bitten,” Ashe murmured. Bels glanced over in time to see him blanche, and tugged him back to the sofa, guiding him down until he sank like a rock.

“How tall were you before you ripped-to-shit those demon cocksuckers?”

Ashe flinched at the sound of Roc’s booming voice, probing him for answers. “You’re telling me vampires and demons exist, and all you care to know about is my height? Why does it matter? Who the feck are you people? Angelic assassins?”

Bels knelt down beside him, cupping his hands in hers. Her gaze remained soft as she stared at him. The darkness in his eyes had returned. All remnants of amber specks were long gone. His skin was cold, as she rubbed his hands. The flush once covering him when he had stormed out of the bathroom was long gone. A greyish tinge peeked through the thin layer covering his hollowed cheeks.

Roc snorted, cracking his flashy smile. “Welcome to reality. Total mind fuck, ain’t it? And I gotta say, it looks like you unleashed the wrath of hell down on them. In our world, kid, details matter.”

The room remained silent, except for the boiling water Bels had left on the stove. With another mental command, she turned the stovetop dial off. “Ashe,” she cradled his chin in her hand, “the world you think you know, all the legends and myths, they all come from what we call ‘base events’ … meaning, an event or story, which morphs into what the humans call myths or legends now. Dracula wasn’t the original vampire. He came into it through a freak of nature. Mersalis is … rather was the first true Djinn. It has been rumored her bloodline stemmed from crossbreeding two bloodlust-poisoned demons. She needed blood to survive. Kadolon was the only birthed Dhampyr we know about. He, like her, was also considered a rare hybrid. His father being the highest among angels, and his mother—”

“Let me guess, this Mersalis chick?”

“Bingo, kid. She’s one horny bitch. Word is her eyes turned blood red when she was about to feed. Talk about some pretty creepy-ass shit.”

“Roc, can it.” Cassiel cut him down with one glare.

“Ashe,” Bels gently stroked his cheek, hoping he wasn’t going to lose it, “can you tell me anything about the demon who bit you? Was it female or male? When did it happen?”

He pulled out of her reach. Scrubbing his head with both hands, and leaned back against the pillows. “All right, let me get this straight. First, you’re telling me I’m a Dhampyr? And it seems to me a Dhampyr is a bad thing. So if I am what you say, then I’ll be a bloodsucking monster, and will someone please tell me what a Darkling is? Bloody hell, I think my head may actually explode.”

“We don’t know anything for sure. It could be a coincidence.” She wanted to pull him close, and whisper in his ear everything would be all right. Who was she kidding? She didn’t have the faintest idea if it would turn out okay. All she did know was she didn’t like the distance all this was putting between them. And with Cassiel and Nisroc taking up space, when she’d prefer some alone time, didn’t help either.

“Not likely, Bels.”

“Shut up, Roc! As for the Darkling part …” Bels sighed heavily and rose to her feet. “I think it’s probably better I show you who I am.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she inhaled deeply, sensing his apprehension. It was now or never. Bels unfurled her wings, until the tips spread out to the expanse of the small living room. She braved a glance at him, only to find him gawking at her in awe. “You weren’t too far off when you asked if we were angelic assassins. Cassiel, Roc, and I are a part of a team of angelic guardians, you see. We’re a special army sent out to protect Darklings like you until you transition.”

His eyes grew wide, his jaw agape. “Transition into what?” She couldn’t tell if he was on the verge of blowing a gasket or ready to bolt. “Tell me, Bels, what will I become?” The bite in his voice stung. But maybe she deserved it for holding back, for not telling him who he was sooner.

“Into a Dark Angel.”

“You mean I’m going to become some evil angel? Then why protect me? Why not let nature take its course and let me die in the streets?”

She approached him slowly, tucking her wings back in. “Calm down, Ashe. I already told you, you’re not evil.”

“Debatable,” Roc grumbled.

“Not helping, shithead.” The oomph from Roc’s mouth made Bels smirk, knowing Cass elbowed the walking meat sack hard enough to make the male wince.

“Asher, you are not evil. A Dark Angel is an Earth bound angel, sent out to protect the innocent. Demons roam the world. Their purpose is to cause chaos, death, and destruction. They torture the innocent. If you transition into a Dark Angel, then you’ll have the power to kill them, like you did tonight. That’s why we’re a little confounded you were able to kill those Hellistic demons.”

“Wait, you said if I transition into a Dark Angel. Is there a possibility I won’t?”

“It’s not a matter of if you won’t transition, you are meant to. It’s in your bloodlines. The other half of this puzzle isn’t so easy to explain. So yes, it’s possible you won’t become a Dark Angel.”

“Listen, what my sister is trying to say, is you could transition into a Daemon. Before you ask what, I’ll tell you. It’s the demon version should you choose the side of darkness. You’re being tested and every action counts for a side.”

“Then I won’t kill anything again. Listen, I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I can’t deny I haven’t thought about it from time to time.”

“Ashe, hold on, don’t worry about that part yet. First, we need to find out more about this potential Dhampyr side.” She coaxed his eyes back to hers; confusion, worry, fear, spilled from them with each blink. “Will you please tell me?”

“Sure … all right. But I have one more question before I dish out my past.”

“Ah, okay. What’s up?”

“So, you’re an angel?” Her smile cracked as she nodded her head. “No kidding. I made out with a real living angel.” The heat in her cheeks blossomed instantaneously. Dreading seeing Cass’ expression, Bels opted to slink down into the leather chair, hiding her reaction.

“Something you wanna tell us, Bels?” Roc barked, and the audible grunt and clap on someone’s shoulder—she could only assume was Cass’—made her want to disappear. Not before kicking Roc’s ass and her own for being so stupid.

“No she doesn’t, so back off, spike,” Ashe snapped. Drawing his knuckles across her cheek, she lifted her eyes and found him gazing longingly down into hers. A swell of pride kicked up in her heart as a well of desire bloomed between her thighs. Her breath caught like a lump in her throat, as everything around her dissolved away, leaving only Ashe in sight.

“Might want to watch your tone, kid.”

“Right. Why’s that?”

“Because I don’t give a shit what type of DNA you have. To me, you’re still a meat-sack.” The audible grind of Ashe’s teeth was nearly as loud as the sound of Roc’s knuckles popping. The haze of the moment swiftly dispersed as tension charged the air.

“Nisroc, enough,” Cassiel boomed. “I’m sorry, Asher. Sometimes our lead-paint eating brother here doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. You’re absolutely right. It’s none of our business. Bels, may I see you in the other room for a minute?”

“Ah yeah, sure.” Ashe extended his hand, helping her to her feet. “Thank you,” she murmured, meeting him eye to eye. She moved to step aside him when he did the unthinkable. His supple lips swept over hers, capturing Bels from going any farther away from him. Ashe’s kiss didn’t so much as show off his disregard for present company as it sent a singing vibration down her body, marking her for all to see.

Cassiel’s not-so-subtle chuff was enough of a reminder they weren’t alone. Breaking away before she was utterly lost to him, she moved quickly and quietly around him, heading to the bedroom.

“Not smart, half-breed.”

Bels sensed the potential threat in the room, and it was safe to say, it wasn’t Ashe. “Roc, if you touch one hair on his head, I swear to God, I will throttle you.”

“So you’re okay with anyone kissing you except me? Jesus lady, you’ve got your priorities seriously screwed up.”

“I’d make out with a goat before I’d ever kiss you, you dirty bastard.” Cassiel and Ashe’s laughter, although low, was enough to trigger Roc’s misplaced ire. The brother had been trying to get into her panties ever since his induction into the League of Guardians, and had yet to succeed.

“I’d listen to her if I were you, Roc. You haven’t seen her when she’s apocalyptically pissed off yet. I can attest to it. No one stands a snowball’s chance in Hell when she’s angry. And, a warning for you as well, Asher. Don’t cross my sister, or we’ll be the least of your worries.”

“I assure you, Cassiel, I have no intentions of hurting her. Not now. Not ever.” His words bled with a solemn vow, which echoed in his dark eyes, as they darted from Cassiel to hers.

It took all her self-control to duck into the bedroom, leaving the man who lit her up from the inside out, with the one brother she’d happily dropkick off a cliff.

She walked past Cass and went over to the small window across from the bed to stare absently out into the night sky.

“Bels, I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here with him. He’s obviously falling for you, and given what little we know, I think it’s best—”

“What? What’s best? Leave him here unprotected until he transitions?”

“Well, frankly speaking, yes, I do. He’s clouding your judgment here. I know you think you feel something for him. I’m telling you, it’s because you haven’t had a charge in eons. It’ll pass once he turns, and you take on a new charge.”

Bels whipped her head around, pegging Cassiel—who now stood in front of the only exit—with a harsh glare. His arms were folded loosely across his chest and a stern expression set on his face. A flicker of anger stung her. Quick to lash back, she tried to rein herself in.

“Is that what you told Remi when it came to Ferrian?” And she failed. The venom in her voice made Cass flinch. “Well? Is it?”

“Not in so many words, but yes.”

“And we know how that turned out, now don’t we?”

“You’ve made your point, Bels. What you’re forgetting here is Remi still has to face the counsel for this, and we have no idea what to expect from Ashe considering he has both Djinn and angel blood in him. This has the potential for becoming a seriously fucked up situation quickly.”

“No! Cass, you don’t know him like I do. He’s not evil.”

“You don’t know for sure either, Bels. We are only now seeing the tip of the iceberg here. For all we know, he could flip out on some random mortal and tear their throat out because he’s hungry. He’s a danger, whether you see it or not.”

“You’re wrong.” The gnawing feeling Cassiel could be right felt like acid churning in her stomach. Was she blinded by the way Ashe was now, and couldn’t see past his charm to who he truly was? “He won’t turn evil.” It was a promise she knew she shouldn’t be making, least of all to herself. She wasn’t going to let him turn into a Dhampyr Daemon … even if it meant her wings. “Now get out and take the meathead with you.”

“Bels—”

“I said get out!”

Cassiel opened the door and called for Roc, murmuring something under his breath as they left Ashe’s apartment. She didn’t want to admit Ashe was a risk. Falling for him, a bigger one. She didn’t care what his DNA type was. Bels knew in her heart he wasn’t evil, and she was going to prove it.

 

 

ASHE STALKED OVER to his bedroom in the wake of the two towering males’ departure. In the far corner, Bels stared out into the darkness. What had he done? Kissing her in front of her brothers was disrespectful, but damn it felt good to show others how he wasn’t backing away from her. Still, he owed her an apology for putting them on display. “Are you all right, milady?” he asked softly, watching her wrap a string of leather around her silky hair, securing it in place. He had seen many girls in his life do the same thing, but none had done so sinuously, it captivated his attention. Everything she did seemed so damn effortless and sexy as hell. He couldn’t figure out the reason why, but he wasn’t ruling out some ancient pagan love spell.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” The tone of her voice suggested otherwise.

“I’m sorry about kissing you in front of them. I shouldn’t have done so.” Closing the distance in a few steps until the only thing separating them were a mere few inches, Ashe inhaled her sweet fragrance and placed his hands on her shoulders, coaxing her to turn around. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn she had been carved out of the purest form of love and beauty by Ceridwen herself.

“I’m not.” Shocked by her words, he tried to rein in his thoughts to come up with something semi-coherent to say. “So you know the truth. Here’s the thing, we have to stay here for a little while. And before you argue about your job, I took care of things already. I’m sorry my brothers were behaving like jerks. You didn’t deserve it.”

“It’s fine. I would’ve done the same thing if it were my sister. How much longer are we to stay here?”

She tilted her chin over her shoulder. Her lips were so close he could lean in and suckle them. “Why? Do you have pressing business elsewhere?”

“Not really. I was curious.” He slipped his hand around her hip, testing his welcome. “Why is it you’re here again?”

“Are you complaining?”

“Nope. Curious, like I said. So?”

“Full of questions aren’t you?”

“One could say the same of you.” His smile wanted to break past his stoic façade as she eyed him suspiciously. “I’m not complaining. I thought maybe we could pass the time with a game or something.”

“And what kind of game do you wish to play? Strip poker, I suppose.” She twisted around to face him with her hands perched upon the exquisite curve of her lush hips. The idea was appealing, but he highly doubted a woman as beautiful as she would honestly give in to the idea. Although his body was completely on board with it, to the point of nearly demanding it.

“My dear lass, you think me some horny bastard or some shite? What kind of man do you take me for? I don’t put out on a first date. Good lord, if you wanted to get in my knickers, at least buy me a pint first.” Kakabel busted out laughing, cupping her perfect mouth as the moonlight glistened in her eyes. “You’re quite beautiful when you laugh.”

Her body stiffened as though she realized she had let her guard down long enough to enjoy life, instead of seeing all the doom and gloom in things. “So how did you end up working for the professor?”

“How did you—”

“Know about the professor? You talk in your sleep.”

“Oh, for bloody Christ’s sake. What else did you hear?”

“That you’re not sure why you were saved or why you’ve never fit in.”

“Oh lovely. My subconscious is speaking. Wonderful! Please ignore everything you’ve heard.”

“So how did you end up working for the professor?”

“You’re not going to give up until I tell you, are you?”

“Nope. Cass says I’m nosey. Guess you should get used to it.”

“It’s a long story. Not an entertaining one, I fear.”

“Well, we have plenty of time, and unless you can think of something better to do ...”

“Strip poker is sounding better by the second.” The last thing he wanted to do was spill his life’s woes to anyone. He’d had enough of the pity stares to last three lifetimes.

“Come on. It can’t all be bad.”

“It’s not a matter of being bad, dull is all.”

“Please?” Her eyes pled with him for answers; her voice promised sin with each syllable. “I want to know.”

“And what will I get in return?”

“What do you want? And don’t say a striptease, because it’s never going to happen.”

“Bollix. Well then, how about you answer my questions. Deal?” He watched her chew over the idea warily, but she gave in and nodded to his relief. If he stood any chance at all of trying to figure out what he was, he had to play the game. Although the idea he had killed demons versus humans made it easier to accept what had happened in the alley. However, he wasn’t totally convinced of his innocence. He prayed Bels wasn’t screwing with him. For some reason, he found logic in what she and her brothers had said. “Are you still hungry? I could finish cooking the pasta, if you like,” he offered, extending his hand to her. “I wish I had a bottle of wine to go with dinner.”

“I’ll run down to the shop around the corner.” She smiled, and the genuine warmth radiated into his bones. “The water shouldn’t take too long to heat up. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Believe me, there’s no place I’d rather be than here with you, milady.” He pulled her close, pressing her body against his. The rigid length of his sex prodded her belly, as his lips swept over hers, capturing them for a slow burning kiss.