Angel Betrayed (The Fallen #2)(66)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“Rogziel gave it your scent,” Sam snapped. “You’re its prey.” The hound slammed its body into Sam’s side and knocked him back.

You’re its prey.

Sam had told her that a hound didn’t stop until it took its prey.

Sam’s shove had sent Tomas stumbling to the ground. The hound closed in on him now.

This time, Seline ran in front of Tomas. Her heart raced so fast that her chest shook. But she’d stopped a hound before. She could do it again.

Right?

“Get back,” she gritted to the beast. Flames were snaking down the hallway. Great. Fabulous. Just what the hound needed—more power. “Get away from him. Go back to hell!”

The hound looked up at her with its fangs bared.

She straightened her shoulders. “Go back to hell!” Her words were close to a roar.

“Seline!” Sam screamed.

The hound leapt at her. Powerful paws slammed into her chest, and she hit the floor. The hound’s paws shoved against her and the beast hurtled forward over her—right at Tomas.

But Tomas wasn’t alone. Mateo stood beside him. “Let’s see just how well you can hunt,” Mateo said to the beast as he tossed a bottle into the air, a small bottle that Sam snagged with his left hand. In the next instant, Mateo and Tomas vanished.

Get-the-fuck-away spell. Seline knew the witch had used it. Talk about some nice timing . . .

The hound howled and raced down the hallway, and Seline knew the monster was chasing after Tomas’s scent. Her breath choked out in a relieved gasp. That had been too close.

Sam grabbed her hand and hauled Seline to her feet. “The hound will find them.”

She knew he was right. The hound wouldn’t stop. Not until it had them. “I-I couldn’t stop it.” She’d tried, but—

“Please, God! Someone, help me!”

“You can’t control them all.” Sam kept hold of her hand and pulled Seline inside the room. “You can only control the one bound to you.”

Knowing that little piece of trivia would have been helpful earlier. Before she’d jumped in front of the hellhound.

“You have to summon it, Seline. You have to control it. You have to get it to kick ass for you.”

A woman with dark red hair waited in the middle of the room. Seline tried to hurry toward her.

Sam hauled her back. “No.”

“Please!” The woman’s fists thudded into some kind of invisible wall. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “There was some kind of wolf in here with me. I thought it was going to eat me!”

Sam pointed to the ground. “A spell has her locked in.” A thin line of white powder circled the woman. “I don’t think this one is too strong, but we can’t take any chances on it being a trap.”

“The wolf could come back!” The redhead screamed. “You have to get me out of here!”

“The beast has gone after Tomas.” Sam frowned at the line of powder. “It won’t be back till he’s dead.”

The redhead blinked. If possible, her face paled even more. “Dead?”

But Sam didn’t answer. He pushed Seline back a bit. “I can burn through it.”

Like there weren’t already enough flames around them.

“Burn?” the woman whispered. “Wait, don’t—”

There was no waiting. The flames were already around her, burning in a bright circle, following that trail of white powder and enclosing the woman.

Sam stalked toward the flames. “This is gonna hurt.” He reached through the fire. “To get out, you have to walk through the flames.”

Seline’s jaw dropped. “She’s human, Sam! She can’t!”

He glanced back at her with one brow raised. “That’s why it’s gonna hurt.” His arm was on fire.

The woman was sobbing.

“Take my hand,” Sam ordered. “Take it now or you’re dead.”

Seline could barely see through the flames. But she thought the woman reached for Sam. In the next instant, the woman was flying right through the flames. No, Sam was yanking her through. When the redhead hit the ground, Seline immediately started slapping out the flames that licked around the woman. She ignored the blisters that burst onto her own skin.

I can heal. She can’t.

“Now get her out of here,” Sam said as the flames burning his flesh died away.

Seline looked up at him. “And leave you here alone? No way.”

“Delia was right. Rogziel’s long gone.” His eyes still shined black. “But when he comes back, I’ll be waiting for him.”

Not such a fantastic idea. “You can’t! You don’t—”

He lifted the bottle Mateo had tossed to him. Then, slowly, he pulled the claw from his right pocket. “I’m going to cut his f**king head off.” His eyes darted to the woman. She stared at him as if he were a monster. Couldn’t the woman recognize a hero when she saw one?

Seline yanked the redhead up to her feet. Time to teach this chick some hard and fast facts. “An angel risked his life for you.”

Sierra swiped away the tears on her cheeks. “An . . . angel?”

“A hellhound is chasing Tomas because he came back for you. That wasn’t a wolf, okay? It was a hellhound.” She shoved Sierra toward the broken door. “Now be smart, and run. Run really, really fast.”

Sierra looked back at her with dazed eyes. “Th-thank you.” Then she ran, really, really fast.

Seline turned to Sam.

“You need to run, too,” he told her.

Probably. “Maybe I’m just not into playing it smart.” She closed the distance between them. “I’m not leaving you.”

He shook his head. “You want freedom. This is your chance. Take it.”

Didn’t he see? Didn’t he get it yet? “I think I want you more.” The stark truth, and one that scared her to death.

Sam’s eyes widened, and a burst of blue appeared around the darkness of his eyes. “Seline?”

Her lips started to lift in a trembling smile.

“You want him?” Azrael demanded from right behind her.

Aw, hell. Angels and their too-fast—

“Then just see exactly what you’re getting . . .” Before she could even look over her shoulder, Azrael touched her.

And Sam roared.

Hello, Death.

She stared down at the men. She could hear the laughter, but couldn’t understand their words. Their clothes were . . . different. Old. Foreign.