Angel Kissed (The Watchtower Sentinels #1)(7)

"W-we didn't do anything to her," Redeye stammered as he and Blondie backed toward the nearest wall. "She was already injured from the car accident-"

The man didn't even let him finish. He only flung out his right hand. My mouth dropped open as a harsh, golden glow burst from his palm. The light rippled and lengthened, stretching itself out into a golden mace, with spikes jutting from a glowing ball at the end of the staff. Horror spilled through me as he swung the weapon, slamming the spiked ball straight into Redeye's gut.

I fully expected blood to gush from what had to be a nasty wound, but none came. Instead of tearing into his flesh, the mace emitted a shockwave that rippled through my kidnapper. Redeye fell to his knees, a scream unlike any I'd ever heard ripping from his throat. It sounded like a thousand agonized souls crying out for deliverance, instead of the scream of a single man. Golden light began to emanate from his body as Redeye shrieked, the glow dancing and flickering around him like some kind of strange flame.

As though it were burning him alive.

The golden light finally subsided, and Redeye slumped forward on his hands, breathing hard. His skin had turned paper white, and his dark hair clung to his temples as sweat rolled down his cheeks, dripping from his chin onto the cement floor. His limbs shook, and I was amazed he didn't collapse altogether.

"You know I'm not interested in excuses," the blue-eyed man said in a clipped voice. "I expect you both to use your heads when carrying out my orders. You two should have healed her-you had plenty of time for it." His gaze snapped to Blondie, who stood at attention. The kidnapper was utterly still despite the fear in his eyes and the sweat beading on his upper lip. "Next time I won't spare you. Now go fix him up, and then come back here."

"Yes, Master," Blondie said quickly. He hauled the nearly unconscious Redeye to his feet, then draped the man's arm over his shoulder and dragged him outside.

The one they called 'Master' turned back to me, a puzzled frown on his handsome face. My heart clenched, still full of the writhing mass of emotions that had hit me earlier. I sucked on my teeth, trying to understand what it was about this man that inspired such a visceral reaction. It was almost as if I'd met him before … but I knew I hadn't. There's no way I'd forget a man like this. An aura of power crackled around him, making him seem larger than life, and that stunner of a face would make any woman sit up and take notice, even if there was a darkness lurking beneath. Maybe even because of that darkness. Lots of women found that sort of thing mysterious and alluring. I didn't think I was one of those women, and yet …

"Did you hear anything that I said when I walked in here?"

"Huh?" I blinked, thinking back to the moment he appeared. "What are you talking about? You didn't say anything to me."

"Yes, I did." He pressed his lips together. "I greeted you, then asked you if you remembered me, but you didn't say anything."

My face flushed as I realized I'd had another seizure. That car accident must have screwed me up-I'd never seized twice in one day. But I wasn't about to admit my weakness to this stranger. I'd just let him wonder what had happened.

"You just stared back at me," he continued slowly, and my heart began to beat faster. "And there was this vacant expression in your eyes, as if you weren't seeing me at all."

His long fingers brushed against my chin, tilting my face up to his. My skin crawled even as something in my chest tugged toward him-as if there was a rope that bound us, connecting me to him. "Such beautiful, golden-brown eyes," he murmured. "I remember when you looked at me with love brimming in their depths, not fear."



       
         
       
        

"Stop touching me." The words burst from my lips, sharp like a whip crack. I couldn't stand these strange feelings-the simultaneous longing and revulsion that pushed and pulled inside me. The touch of his hand only made it worse, made it harder for me to think. And the pain still throbbing in my rib cage wasn't helping things.

His hand fell away, and I sighed with relief. But then he grabbed the front of my shirt and ripped the top two buttons open, sending them clattering to the floor.

"Hey!" I threw myself back in the chair as fear hit me hard. "Get off, you creep! I don't want anything to do with you or Demonkin or whatever else is going on here!" The chair almost toppled to the ground, but he reached out with his other hand and steadied it. His hand stayed exactly where it was, unmoving and unflinching.