Archangels Creed Box Set 1-3(4)

"The usual, too many jerks wanting lap dances." Devyn pulled her hair free of the ponytail holder and let if fall free around her face. Maybe that would disguise any marks left from the encounter enough to get past her friend's sharp gaze. Devyn turned her attention on the white bag in Karly's lap. "What's that?"

Karly glanced up. "Mrs. Jordan stopped me on my way up. Her daughter brought her some pumpkin pie. And Mrs. Jordan hates pumpkin pie." She held her prize up with a triumphant grin. Karly set the tray on the table abruptly, her grin gone. "What the fuck happened to you?"

Shit. Of course she couldn't hide anything from Karly. She'd never tried, until recently. "Nothing. Just an asshole that got touchy-feely. Carlos bounced him, no problem." Devyn rushed to assemble a sandwich and take a bite so she could legitimately stop talking.

"Bullshit." Karly took Devyn's sandwich right out of her hand. "Don't try to lie to me, girl. I know you too well. Now what happened?"

Devyn hardened her mind and jaw with the sudden surge of emotions. Quick confession, no break downs. "Okay. So after the guy was bounced, he waited in the alley."

Karly went to the fridge, took out one of their ancient metal ice cube trays and hurried back. "How did you get away?" She pried cubes from between the separators. "And don't tell me Carlos got rid of him, 'cause we both know he's perfectly happy to toss someone out of the club, but Helena would have his hide if he left the premises. Even to rescue the headliner."

She couldn't argue with that. "Well, believe it or not, some guy out front, trying to save all the poor exploited whores, rescued me. He must have been on his way back to his Sunday School class, because he dragged the jerk off me, and knocked him out, or something."

Karly put the ice in a threadbare dishtowel and pressed it against the tender spot on Devyn's jaw. "Did the Good Samaritan give you that?" She nodded at Devyn's throat.

Conscious of a slightly unfamiliar sensation, Devyn lifted her right hand to her throat, as if by habit, only to jerk her head down in surprise. What the hell?

Warm metal met her fingertips. A smooth chain with broad, open links circled her neck, looping to just below the notch between her collar bones. Following the chain, her fingertips encountered a heavy pendant, a cross, dangling against her skin.

"Well? Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, I just found it." At least that much was true. She left out the part about finding it right that instant. Where had it come from?

The Sunday School teacher must have put it on her while she was so upset after the attack. Odd, though. She couldn't imagine allowing him, or anyone else, that close to her after such an attack. Vaguely she remembered swatting his hand away when he tried to help her stand.

She reached to unclasp the chain but her fingers refused to obey the order. Some part of her scarred mind insisted, Don't take it off. The warmth of the pendant penetrated her chest, loosening it. Devyn wanted to be afraid of the odd sensation, but her body clearly hungered for the soothing comfort. How could a piece of jewelry do that?



****





Kassern sat on the chair in the corner of the living room, watching Devyn toss and turn with nightmares on the narrow couch. How long since Kassern had been so close to humans? They hadn't known about electricity, and internal combustion engines had yet to be dreamed up. The only thing really familiar was the urge to smack them upside their heads. He'd never quite mastered the virtue of patience, so he was chosen to be a warrior and not a humanitarian wiener.

He went to her makeshift bed and rested one finger on her sweaty forehead. "Be still, girl."

He watched her mind grasp for the life preserver and two seconds later, Kassern had a ruby fingernail embedded into the demon tormenting her. Before the black fiend could struggle and whine, Kassern blew a breath of thin ruby mist, sealing the demon's disgusting pores, especially that abyss of a mouth. Kassern sliced a slit in the air with his finger tip and chucked the thing into a holding cell.

He angled his head at the sleeping female, watching her breathing calm and her hand move to the crucifix he'd planted there. So far his little matchmaking scheme was a success. His male human was a little eccentric to the point of being entertaining, but he had solid qualities. His female had some hang-ups, but no humans were untainted in this realm. These two were perfectly incompatible and that would make it easier for Kassern to strengthen their weaknesses.

If he could just get them to answer his call. And then get them to fall in love. He snorted at the second task - unfamiliar territory for him. What did he know of human love? Well, other than how unpredictable and flaky it could be, zero.