Summon Toren(64)

She shook her head. “I’m not.”

He nibbled at her lips. “Then what?”

Running her hands over the expanse of his broad warm chest she whispered, “You. What if you’re not real?”

He pulled her into one of those amazing hugs and made her feel so cherished. “I am real. I promise you. I don’t lie.”

“Joe, you need to get on out of here with that gun,” Sam heard Kassie mutter.

Toren opened the door.

“Don’t…hurt him too bad, I need him around here.”

Toren glanced back at her with a look in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. Anger? Maybe jealousy. The man was too sexy in every damn emotion, so not fair. “If you insist.”

She grabbed his arm and he turned and looked down at her with eyes that seemed nearly liquid silver. She didn’t miss the way his jaw worked and his mouth was tight. “I…” Crap, she what? As much as she hated Joe, he seemed like damn near a brother to her, she realized. But how would she not look like a pining lover in denial? “Don’t forget you’re an angel?”

He studied her mouth a second then met her gaze. “Don’t forget I’m a Warring Angel. Protecting what I believe in.”

“Hold on,” she whispered, yanking him back when he turned. He stopped but he didn’t look at her and she hated that he was obviously not happy with her. “I just…”

“Care, I know.”

“Well shouldn’t you? A little? You’re the angel here, warring or not.”

He snorted. “I care about one thing. Changing his evil ways. And I know how to help with that.”

“Toren, stop.” She yanked him again and he spun to her.

“Why should you of all people care so much about him?”

Uh-oh. He was jealous. And as flattering as that should be, she didn’t like it. “Mercy?”

He actually pffed, like he didn’t believe her.

“There you are. We got an issue to settle you son of a bitch.”

Joe entered the hall with his shotgun and Sam felt sorry for the jackass. Toren walked toward him and Sam held her breath as Joe sputtered threats that came out slurred like he was suddenly drunk. Toren paused before him and Sam’s heart hammered, waiting. Then he walked on by him.

Sam hurried past Joe who was sweating and clutching his gun to his chest like he’d seen an awful apparition. He kept his gaze down as she went by, his brows drawn like he was in pain.

She caught up to Toren at the front door. “What’d you do to him?”

“I didn’t kill him.”

“Well I see that smart ass.”

He opened the door and turned to her. “Maybe you should stay and doctor him. I’ll handle my business.”

Ohhh ho ho. “Hell no. What’s your goddamn problem? I show a little concern for—”

“That piece of shit doesn’t deserve your concern.”

She drew back a little with wide eyes. “Am I hearing straight? Aren’t you supposed to be talking to me about mercy and forgiveness maybe?”

He suddenly rolled his eyes shut. A few seconds later, he mumbled, “Please forgive me. I’m not myself right now.” He took her hand and pulled her with him.





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN



What was wrong with him? She was right, he wasn’t acting like an angel at all but a jealous boyfriend. He couldn’t seem to stop it, he didn’t want her loving anybody but him. Wow. This was far too human for him at this stage, what was going on? Maybe that one kiss was all his mercury needed to begin the bonding process. Still. The feelings he had were borderline childish to say the least.

He wanted to put the human in the ground, not just for hurting Samantha but for still having the nerve to want her. Yeah, that. That right there was more than he could stand. She was his. And the remote idea of them two being anything made his mercury race with a possessive fury he’d never known. He was blessed Toren merely turned the metals in his body up a few degrees and not melted them like he’d wanted. Or force them all into his dick until he wished he’d never been born with one.

The problem with behaving this way was that one of those beings was right in hands reach. The odd man on the porch hadn’t just smelled of a demon, he was one. In a human body. No, not quite human, this one was different than the one he’d killed in the field. That one seemed like a hijacked body, this one smelled more…synthetic. He was sure the thing was there to find answers, to find out why their two amigos didn’t phone home. Toren would keep him close until he knew what to do with him. There were only two options. Use the abomination somehow, or kill it.

Hopefully Kassern or Dorn would soon let him know what was going on outside the barrier so he had some idea of what his options were. Though part of him despised working in the dark, his mercurial parts thrived on it.