Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark #2)(25)
Author: Gena Showalter

He inhaled sharply. No hint of sulfur.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

He spun, finding Thane, Bjorn and Xerxes had just landed, their wings outstretched, each male alive with anticipation over the coming kills.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

Again he turned. Zacharel, Axel and Malcolm had just landed. The only one missing from the “inner circle,” as he’d heard Thane describe the warriors Zacharel relied on most, was Magnus, Malcolm’s brother.

“No humans are to be harmed,” Zacharel said. They were the same six words he announced before every battle. Sadly, the repetition was a necessity. Humans wouldn’t be able to see Sent Ones, or feel the sting of their weapons, unless the warriors purposely manifested in the natural realm.

In the past, several warriors had manifested, caring little for collateral damage, too desperate to make a kill.

What would happen if one of the warriors harmed Nicola?

Just in case anyone thought to override Zacharel’s instructions, Koldo found himself adding, “If a single female is harmed today, I will remove the head of the culprit. And I’ll take my time doing it. And don’t think for a moment a fear of consequences will mean anything to me.”

Six sets of eyes darted to him, some wide with confusion, some narrowed with aggression. He refused to waste precious seconds explaining and stalked into the building, misting through the brick walls rather than dealing with a door. Humans of every race and size strolled through the foyer and hallways. Males, females, anywhere from eighteen to seventy it seemed.

Some were demon-oppressed, as Laila had been. The creatures had created a stronghold.

Some were demonically influenced, as Nicola had been. The creatures were trying to create a stronghold.

A smorgasbord of temptation for the warriors, he knew. Already he fought the urge to appear and strike everyone in his path. Calm. Steady.

Koldo searched every inch of the place, but found no sign of Nicola. Her office was empty. And she’d left no notes on her calendar.

“What are you doing, going through Nicola’s things?” a female demanded from behind him.

He recognized the voice and slowly turned, coming face-to-face with the woman who had been trapped in hell with his mother. The woman he had rescued and brought back from the brink of death.

The woman who had yet to thank him, and who had instead run to Zacharel, outing the fact that Koldo had locked another Sent One away.

Once a joy-bringer, she was now a warrior. One of Zacharel’s warriors, to be exact. Jamila. Arabic for beautiful. And she certainly was. She was beautiful and elusive, but she was as sharp as he was. They were two blades and constantly sliced each other to ribbons.

“You know Nicola Lane? Where is she?” he demanded. Fury… A dark, terrible fury was boiling inside him, threatening to spew out. If she had been harmed, he would…what? Tear this place apart? Probably. Kill everyone inside? Maybe. He still couldn’t bring himself to care about the consequences.

Calm down. Get your answers first.

“She went home.” Jamila’s chin lifted, a show of irritation. “Now it’s your turn to answer my question. What are you doing here?”

If she was home, she was safe. “I could ask you the same,” he said, relaxing.

“But it’s not your turn.”

“So?”

“So.” She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Zacharel told me to report what happens to Nicola while she’s at Estellä. I tried staying in the spiritual realm, watching her, but I’m pretty sure she sensed me. She tensed every time I drew near.”

She was always tense. But they would work on that.

“I decided to give the natural realm a shot,” Jamila finished.

“Why would Zacharel want you to spy on Nicola?”

“He didn’t offer an explanation, and I didn’t care enough to ask.”

Well, Koldo cared. He would ask. He had to know. This couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Now,” Jamila said, “you’re not getting another answer from me until I get one from you.”

What was he doing here? “An alarm was raised, and we were told there was an increase of demon activity.”

She frowned, saying, “The alarm wasn’t issued by me. The place has been crawling with evil since day one, but it hasn’t increased.”

“Then why were we called?” he demanded, a burst of frustration making him what the humans would call cranky. Already he could feel his knuckles preparing for contact with a wall. The more jagged the better. “And who would have issued such a report?”

“Like anyone ever tells me anything,” she spat bitterly. “Ever since my—” The angry sparkle dulled in her eyes, and her shoulders hunched with defeat. “Never mind.”

Ever since her…what? Her capture and rescue? People had treated her differently? Gently? As if afraid she would break? Probably. That’s how they’d been with him, and he’d hated it. “You don’t have to dread such treatment from me. You annoyed me before, and you annoy me now. Treating you sweetly is the last thing I want to do.”

Her expression softened, but only slightly. “Thanks. That’s kind of you to say.”

Footsteps echoed behind them, clomping and hard, the culprit clearly not even trying to be stealthy. “We’ve never had a false alarm before,” Axel said as he snaked a corner and sauntered into the room. His hair was disheveled, three bleeding claw marks in his cheek. “But word is, this one came from a giggling female.”

All females giggled—all but Nicola. They would work on that, too. “You killed the demons without harming the humans, correct?”

“Actually, no killing was done on my part.” A shimmer of humor danced in those electric blues. “I found a date for Saturday night.” His gaze slid to Jamila, and his lips quirked up at the corners. “I was planning an evening for two, but say the word, princess, and I’ll make it an evening for three. You, the other girl and my camera phone.”

“You’re disgusting.” Jamila pushed him out of the way and stomped from the room.

“Is that a yes?” Axel tossed out.

“Argh!” was her only response.

Axel chuckled. “Feisty little thing, isn’t she? I think I’ll tame her just for grins and bragging rights.”

He hoped to have sex with her, walk away and never look back? “You won’t go near her,” Koldo found himself barking.

“Why?” Axel asked, blinking at his vehemence. “You want her?”