Her Deadly Angels by Ginna Moran
Chapter 3
Lust and Sin
RAVEN
SWEAT DRIPS FROM my hairline and down the back of my neck. I swear to the devils, if I survive this bullshit, I’m going to work on my strength and stamina. And not just in the bedroom like Kase and Dante want. I’m talking about treadmills, cardio, and weights. The works.
Pushing my thoughts away, I try my best to keep a steady pace. Elias shouts from behind me. He’s pissed, but I’m determined. There is no way I’m letting him catch me again, even if he has a car. I can go places by foot that he can’t. And with how hard he’s coughing and wheezing? Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll just die and go to Hell, solving my demon hunter problem.
Headlights flash as a red sedan turns onto the street at the stop sign. I hop from the sidewalk, my feet slapping on the asphalt. Waving my arms above my head, I get in the middle of the road. The light stings my eyes, and I pray the driver doesn’t decide to run me over. I need someone to pity my ass right about now. A Good Samaritan, soccer mom, whatever. I’ll even take a creepy uncle as long as he has a phone.
“Stop! Please, stop! I need help!” I hop up and down, waving my hands. “There is a man after me!”
The sedan slows to a stop, and the driver’s side door flings open. I don’t hesitate, jogging closer. Blinking my eyes, I clear the hazy light from my vision. A man stands halfway out of his red vehicle, clutching the doorframe.
“Please, help me. My husband has lost his mind. I need help.” I swivel and look behind me, spotting Elias finally getting his shit together to pull from the driveway. “Please. You don’t have to take me far. Just long enough to make a phone call.”
“Let me call the police,” the man responds, pursing his mouth.
Shaking my head, I rush toward the passenger’s side door. I fling it open and slide into the front seat, thankful for the unlocked doors. The man only stares at me for a second before climbing back in. A car horn blares, and I screech and smack my hands on the dashboard.
“Hurry, please! He’ll hurt you if you try to call the cops here. Please. Go! Go! Go!” I bounce on the seat, anxiety clinging to me. If the man doesn’t drive soon, I don’t know what Elias will do. He could really hurt the older man or do something insane like crash his car into this one. “Go!”
The man groans and slams his door closed, stomping the throttle of the sedan. He peels forward with a holler, clearly not used to driving under this sort of pressure. I can’t stop the laugh from escaping my mouth, and I smack my hands on the dashboard again, cheering as we barrel past Elias.
My relief and excitement rubs off on the man, because he starts laughing too...okay, it’s not exactly the same. He sounds scared out of his mind and maniacal, but it’s far better than hearing him scream in terror. Hysterics, I can handle. Acting like a chicken? I need someone that can get me at least a mile away.
I shift in the seat and peer through the back window. Elias pulls into another driveway to turn around. “Faster! Run the stop sign.”
“Ah shit,” the man says, barreling through the stop sign like I ask. “He is crazy, isn’t he?”
“You have no idea. He’s tripping. Tied me up in the closet and claimed that—never mind. Where’s your phone?” I glance at the side of the man’s face. “Please. I need to call my...brothers. They can calm my husband down. He listens to them. I don’t want the cops involved.”
The man grips the steering wheel tighter. “But—”
“Now!” I don’t mean to screech, but I’m running out of time. If Elias catches up, or another demon, I’m screwed. “Give me your damn phone!”
Hollering in surprise, the man scrambles to grab his phone from the cup holder and drops it on my lap. If a horn didn’t honk from behind us, I’d throw my arms around the man and hug him. Hell, I’d kiss the damn phone. Instead, I shout for him to unlock it and tap my finger across the digital keypad. Who knew the number of my devils would be one of the handful that I’ve memorized.
It doesn’t even ring before Kase growls into the line and says, “This better fucking be Raven or I’ll rip your spine out through your asshole for calling this number.”
I blow out a breath. “Kase...” His name comes out a whisper from my lips. Just hearing his voice sends tears watering my eyes. It’s like my body knows that I’ll soon be in the safest place in the world, sandwiched between my sexy devils.
“Where the fuck have you been? We’ve been trying to locate you. You okay?” Kase’s deep voice wraps around me, his concern palpable enough to twist my soul strings. “It wasn’t the bird-brains. I had them in my sight.”
“I’ve been better, but I’ve also been worse,” I manage to spit out as I flick my attention behind the car again. I don’t see Elias’s headlights but that doesn’t mean anything. “I’ll explain everything. Just come and get me. I’m...” I lean forward and peer at the man’s navigation system within the dash. “I’m near Seraphim Drive and Main in Angel Canyon.” Now that I see the street names, I realize I’m not that far from my old apartment that I had to give up when I lost my office manager job. “I’m going to head to Tony’s and wait for you—”
The man slams the brakes, sending me crashing against the dash. I lose the phone, the small device flying from my grip to land somewhere on the floor. Kase’s muffled voice calls my name, but I don’t attempt to look for the phone. It’ll do nothing to help me, not if Elias cut us off.
Bright light illuminates the dark world, snagging my attention.
Fuck. The man didn’t stop because of Elias.
I tense and stare out the window as Andre unfurls his brilliant wings, expanding them from one side of the road to the other. The headlights set his white wings aglow, the tips sparkling with iridescent rainbow color as if holographic glitter coats each of his feathers. Heavenly light engulfs him in a golden halo. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looks steeled and ready against anything I could possibly pull with him. I guess my angelic hand job didn’t make the impression I had hoped for. I’m going to have to work on that.
The man beside me inhales a sharp breath. “My God. Is that...?”
“A righteous bastard on a hellish mission?” I quip, popping open the glove compartment. “Yeah. Now put the car in reverse. He’s just as bad as the guy chasing me.”
“No. My savior requests a moment of your time.” The man snatches my wrist, stopping me from digging for a makeshift weapon. “Come on. He’s asked me to bring you to him.”
My chest tightens at the strange monotonous tone of the Good Samaritan’s voice. I had no idea that angels could influence mortals in such a way. If I had, I would’ve scrambled out of the car immediately, not letting this man get a hold on me.
I yank my arm away from him. “No. I’m not going. Now get out if you’re going to turn all high and mighty.”
Unbuckling his seatbelt, the man flings his door open. The tropical scent of coconut wafts on a breeze, and I swing my attention to Andre. He flaps his enormous wings, sending the fragrance of his body to me. And damn it. He smells so fucking delicious, reminding me of my short time with him when the brethren kidnapped me.
“Raven, listen to the mortal. He is one of the Higher Power’s faithful and will stop at nothing to obey what he feels is his purpose.” Andre’s voice bellows through the night, sounding like a supervillain or some shit. “Right now, his mission is bringing you to me.”
I twist in the seat and kick my foot at the man. “Then make him stop!”
“I can’t. A servant of God will only stop when their mission is complete. Don’t make this any harder on him than it has to be, little hellion. Haven’t you been enough trouble? I just want to speak with you. Your soul keepers have been blocking you from us.” Andre takes another step closer.
The man grumbles under his breath and laces his hand around my ankle. Hoisting me over the center console, he attempts to drag me out of his vehicle. I yell and thrash, locking my fingers to the steering wheel.
There is no way I’m leaving this car. Andre could swoop at me and fly me away to a remote island that he and the other brethren spoke about. I refuse to spend the rest of my mortal life alone and waiting for it all to end. Andre has a whole lot of Hell coming to him if he even thinks for a second I’ll accept that it’s his mission in the universe to send me to Hell before I can hold up my end of the contract. I will not be a damn demon slave. I won’t. The only plans I have for Hell are taking my own throne and rising as the ruler of Purgatory.
“Last chance to call him back,” I say, hanging on with all my devilish strength. “If Kase and Dante show up and see his hands on me, they’ll surely cut them off. I don’t want that as much as you don’t.”
“Then stop resisting,” Andre argues.
I swear talking to angels is like shouting at a brick wall. They’re dense as fuck. Naïve. So full of faith that it’s infuriating.
“Fuck off, Andre! I thought I could like you, but you’re just another one of Cassius’s bitch boys. Where is the righteous psycho, anyway? I highly doubt he’d send you to retrieve me alone, knowing how you nearly stuck your dick in my mouth.” I kick my leg again, managing to finally knock the mortal man away.
He lands on his ass and yells in exasperation. “Don’t speak to the divine with your vile, Hell-tongue.”
Leaning out of the car, I grab the door and slam it shut. Revving the engine, I lock my fingers around the steering wheel and glower at Andre. His eyes shine metallic gold in the headlights, and he still doesn’t move, choosing not to back down.
And neither do I.
The man slaps his hands on the window and tugs the door open. I screech and stomp the throttle, sending me barreling forward. To my utter shock, the man doesn’t let go of the door and lets me drag him as I zoom forward at Andre. Flapping his wings, Andre stands tall in place, squaring his shoulders. Even though I will plow into him in seconds, he refuses to move. Yelling, the man steals my attention from Andre’s hard features, and I ease my foot on the brake pedal and roll to a stop. I can’t crash into the angel, nor can I risk hurting the man.
Andre’s chest rises and falls, and he locks his gaze to mine. “I knew you would do the right thing, Raven. You might have darkness claiming you, but your soul still shines so brightly. It’s the most mesmerizing, enchanting thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Why is he even out here?” I mutter to myself, popping the car into reverse.
“You know why.” Andre’s voice remains even. I can’t believe he heard me. I know that Micah could speak to me telepathically, but this isn’t the same. Andre’s voice came clearly through the air.
I flick my gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’m going to need confirmation. As far as I know, all I can think is that you have a hard-on for my soul and want to spirit fuck me once more before Cas—”
“You devil’s whore!” The man startles me, throwing open the door.
I stomp my foot on the pedal, sending the sedan in reverse. He hollers and chases after me, waving his hands and shouting for me to stop in the name of God. I ignore him and swivel in my seat to peer out the back window.
My heart slides into my stomach.
Elias eases his car forward, blocking the street, not giving me a way to drive in that direction. I hit the brakes again and shove the gear into drive. Annoyance rushes through me, and I swing my attention back to the road in front of me. But it’s too late.
I don’t have time to slam the brakes before a heavy body hits the windshield, cracking it. Rolling forward, the man tumbles down and off the hood, landing on the street. I thrust the car door open and hop out. I knew this shit would happen. All I wanted was to get away from Elias and return to my devils. Now, Andre forced my hand by hypnotizing this guy into thinking he is some sort of angelic soldier. This is all so messed up.
I don’t bother paying attention to whether or not Elias approaches us and rush around the front of the car to where the man lies on his back. His features twist in pain, and a tear seeps from the corner of his muddy brown eyes, disappearing into the graying hair on his temple. I kneel beside him and trail my gaze over his body, looking for signs of blood and trauma.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, trying to keep my shit together. Maybe he’ll be okay. People survive worse. It was just a tap. “You should’ve stayed out of the way.”
The man blinks his eyes, staring up at the sky instead of at me. Golden light grows brighter with the all-consuming coconut fragrance of Andre. I don’t look up, but I know he meanders closer, cautiously, treating me like the wild abomination his brethren think I am.
Andre sighs. “Raven, I tried to warn you. Once a man is—”
“Lucifer’s slut!” Ramming his hands into my chest, the man shoves me hard, knocking me off balance.
I scream in surprise, the strange haze in the man’s eyes freaking me out. He acts possessed, but it’s obviously nothing demonic. Either way, he’s terrifying all the same.
“I cast you away from the presence of grace and into Hell,” the man says, tackling me. Light glows from his eyes and crawls over his face as if something illuminates him from within. His fingers warm around my throat as he squeezes, cutting off my airway.
And then I hear it.
Elias’s raspy voice chants something from behind me in a language I’ve never heard. Goosebumps prickle over my skin, and I open and close my mouth, trying to gasp for air that won’t come. I writhe and move, fighting against the man’s hold as Elias continues to chant the strange words from somewhere nearby.
Shadows crowd my vision. My already tired body grows weak. Giving up fighting, I let my arms thump to the ground and close my eyes. This is pointless. Heaven’s army will send me to Hell before my devils can save me.
Fuck. This can’t be it.
Like the Higher Power finally answers one of my silent prayers, the man’s grip on my throat eases away. I remain frozen and confused, wondering why he didn’t end my life. My eyelids turn red with the brilliant glow of Andre strolling closer. It’s now that I realize he might’ve stopped the man, or at least distracted him. But then...I also don’t hear Elias chanting either.
Snapping my eyes open, I inhale a sharp breath. My throat burns, and I cough and roll onto my side. From his spot hidden beneath the shadow of a tree, I spot Elias’s gray eyes sheening with tears. He clutches his chest, his brows low on his forehead. I realize what has happened with one look at him. It wasn’t the Higher Power or Andre intervening. It was Elias succumbing to his sickness which stopped his chant.
Scowling, I watch Elias gasp a deep breath, making him wince in pain. It doesn’t stop him from moving his mouth again, and once more, his eerie chant drifts through the night. I brace myself at the low groan of the man and roll, moving out of the way fast enough that he misses grabbing onto me again. I scramble to my feet and peer around. Andre blocks the street going one way, and Elias’s car and the man stand in the way of my other escape route.
“Stop! Please, I don’t want to fight!” I yell, clenching my hands into fists. “You have to stop!”
“Go to Hell, Satan’s slut!” the man hollers, rushing me.
Swinging my fist, I use all my strength to punch the guy in the face. My hand explodes in pain as my fist connects with the man’s jaw. No one ever mentioned how much punching someone like this would hurt, and I wish I’d have slapped him instead.
At least my punch was enough to knock the crazed, overzealous man on his army of God mission away. He flails his arms like pinwheels, trying to steady himself, but he can’t. He trips over his feet and falls face-first toward the sidewalk. My stomach twists at the sound of his head smashing against the curb. Covering my mouth with my hand, I gawk in shock as blood pools in the gutter, dripping from the man.
He doesn’t yell or try to get up.
He doesn’t move.
Elias stops chanting and the glow of Andre’s wings fades away. Silence fills the world around me as if time stops. My whole body trembles as I try to process what happened. I was only trying to protect myself. I never wanted to hurt the man. He was only here because he was nice enough to stop and help me.
Tears burn my eyes, and I shuffle closer, peering at the man like he’ll wake up and try to attack me. I nearly hope he does. But still, he doesn’t move. His back doesn’t rise and fall with his breathing. Blood stains the ground.
“Fuck,” I murmur, nudging his rigid body with my toe.
“I’m sorry, Raven. It was his time. There was nothing you could’ve done. He was meant to go to everlasting paradise.” Andre’s soft voice trickles to me, and his glorious light illuminates the world again, bathing me in a stinging glow.
I inhale and exhale a few deep breaths, trying to get my anger under control. Is he for real? He speaks as if it wasn’t his fault for getting in the way of the car. He doesn’t even mention the fact that Elias was chanting something that I’m nearly fucking sure put Heaven right into the man to turn him into one of God’s warrior followers. And it pisses me off. I can’t believe he just pulled the “it was his time” bullshit. Because it wasn’t. It shouldn’t have been.
Whipping my head back, I peer up at Andre and clench my jaw, forcing my mouth to stop trembling. “You’re crazy! How was this supposed to be his time? This was your fault. Had you not gotten into his head, he’d be alive. You should’ve just left me alone.”
I swipe a stray tear from my face, hating how much my eyes water despite me not wanting to cry over this man and in front of this angel. Unfurling his wings, Andre flaps them once, sending a gust of coconut scented air over me. And then he reaches out and touches my shoulder, his own eyes watering like mine.
“Perhaps it was my fault,” Andre admits, sighing and drooping his wings. “I shouldn’t have come here, but I heard your yells. I heard your call for help. I’ve seemed to grow in tune to your voice and it brought me here. It was like you responded to my own prayers for answers of what to do.”
I grimace, confusion getting the best of me. “What does any of that mean, Andre? I don’t understand.”
He stiffens and digs his fingers into my shoulder, his eyes locking onto mine. Without a word, he shows me exactly what he means by drawing his heavenly sword. It bursts into flames, lighting the world around us even more.
Raising his arm, he aims his weapon at me.
I close my eyes and brace for Hell. “Please, just make it quick.”
