Avenging Angel (The Fallen #4)(58)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Tanner’s hands slammed onto the ground. He still had his claws out, but they were no good against bullets. Tanner tilted back his head and saw Marna rushing toward him. Her mouth was open and she was screaming—

“Stop!”

A tremble seemed to shake the ground beneath him. He blinked, then looked up again.

A bullet had frozen in the air. A bullet that was just inches from his forehead. As he stared, the bullet dropped to the ground.

Marna reached him, but she didn’t help him up. She positioned her body in front of his. Her hand lifted. Pointed to a nearby rooftop. “I see you.” Her voice was darker. Far harder than he’d ever heard before. And from her hand, a blast of fire erupted, rushing right up to that building.

A scream sounded.

She’d made a hit. Good for her.

Tanner used his claws and dug the bullets out of his body. He ignored the pain. What did it matter? He needed to get Marna and Cody out of that alley. Needed to sew up his brother before Cody bled to death right there.

And Marna—Marna was walking away from him. Stalking toward that now burning building. An empty warehouse, its roof blazed in the night and lit the sky. Firefighters would be called to the blaze. There was no freaking missing the way that fire was churning. Before the rescue squad arrived, they’d have to be long gone.

“No more,” Marna said as her steps quickened, and, at her back, he could see those strange, shadowy wings once more as they stretched out behind her.

He tossed the bloody bullets to the ground. Pushed to his feet. She wasn’t going in alone—

“T-Tan . . . ner . . .”

His brother’s voice. So weak. He glanced back. Cody’s face was ashen. The scent of blood was so thick around him. Blood and . . . flowers.

Death angel.

“Stay the hell away from my brother!” Dammit. He spun back around, torn. “Marna!”

She didn’t stop. She was almost at the blazing building now.

“Marna!” If he left Cody, Tanner knew that his brother was dead. The angel of death would take him. And if he didn’t go after Marna . . .

What would happen to her?

He had to choose. He couldn’t save both. There wasn’t a way. He couldn’t—

I can sure as shit try. He grabbed Cody. Slung him over his shoulder. Tried to rush after Marna, but his wounds slowed him down. Can never heal fast enough from silver. Never—

Marna disappeared into the smoke. She’d gone into that damn inferno. He tried to move faster. He yelled her name again.

And the windows of the building exploded out as the flames flared even higher.

Marna was beautiful by firelight. He watched her through the flames, loving the way they licked around her form. She’d pushed out with her power and blocked the fire from touching her body.

Could fire ever hurt something so beautiful?

Her eyes were black now, and they burned with a dark fury. She couldn’t come up to him. The ceiling would collapse on her before she ever got there. So he could sit back, watch, and wait.

The fire wouldn’t hurt him, either. His scream had just been to lure her closer to him. To make her see . . .

She couldn’t count on the shifter. When the chips were down, he wouldn’t choose her. He’d choose his brother, even when it looked like his brother was nothing more than a killer.

For the shifter, blood was all that mattered.

Marna needed to see, he was more than that. He’d done everything for her. Would keep doing everything.

“I want you at my side,” the words slipped from him.

Her head jerked up. She could hear him over the flames. Good.

She tried to step toward him—toward the stairs—but a chunk of burning ceiling fell down and crashed near her feet. He’d planned this blaze so well. He’d gotten very good at controlling the fire. From the outside, it had looked as if a giant explosion had rocked the building, sending glass and debris flying. The cops, when they finally came, would think a detonation of some sort had gone off.

They’d never realize the blaze had been the result of a supernatural just playing with some fire. Oh, how he did enjoy the burn.

“Who are you?” she shouted.

His smile dimmed. Why hadn’t she realized who he was yet? “I’m the one who’s giving you justice.” What she deserved.

He was giving them all what they deserved.

His hand lifted. He’d touched her before. Did she remember? He wanted to touch her again.

“Marna!”

But that shifter just kept getting in the way.

She turned at the roar of her name, but she didn’t leave the flames. Maybe she liked the heat as much as he did.

A wall crashed down. Not because of the flames, but because Tanner Chance had kicked it down. “Marna!”

He’d left his brother behind. Left him to die, and now he was coming after Marna.

Unexpected.

Annoying.

Tanner leapt across the flames and didn’t even gasp when they licked against his skin. But by now, that shifter should be used to pain. He had enough scars on his body to prove it.

Maybe he even liked the pain.

Tanner caught Marna’s hand. “We have to get out of here!” The crackling fire tried to drown out his words.

She shook her head and pointed up.

To me.

But Tanner pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her, and started carrying her out.

Fool. Playing the hero. Marna didn’t need rescuing. The fire would never hurt her.

But Tanner would. He’d destroy her. Unless the shifter was destroyed first.

Turning away from the flames, the watcher eased back out onto the building’s high ledge. The scent of the fire filled his nose. He spread his arms—

And fell.

Marna was fighting him. Kicking. Punching. Scratching. Tanner tightened his hold on her. Didn’t the woman realize when she was walking right into a burning hell of a trap? That ass**le was jerking them around. Moving them like freaking pieces on a chess set.

Tanner had always hated that game.

No more.

He heard the wail of sirens the instant he burst outside that hellhole of a building. The cavalry would be coming in fast, and he was stuck being on foot, with no wheels worth stealing anywhere around.

Screwed.

But at least they were all alive. For the moment.

“Let go!” Marna shoved harder and broke free of his grasp—because he let her—but when she whirled to race into the inferno again, Tanner roped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him.

“Do you want to die that badly?” The words were ripped from him. “Is being here, on earth, really such a hell to you?”