Eve of Chaos (37 page)

Eve.

“You are not
wearing the chain I gave you,” Satan said smoothly, snapping his fingers and
conjuring a throne in the center of the yellow desert. He sank into the seat
and stretched out his long legs. His crimson wings were tucked away, leaving
behind a frighteningly normal vision of a breathtakingly handsome man What was
worse was his resemblance to Cain.

And Abel.

Eve would really
like to hear the explanation for that one.

“We really have
to stop meeting like this,” she muttered, tugging one of her heels out of- a
crack in the hardened ground.

“1 just saved
your life.”

“I’m sure
Ishamel would have done the same, if you hadn’t beaten him to it. And by the
way, I have to point out that my life isn’t supposed to be in danger. You
agreed to call off the bounty.”

As if wounded,
he set an elegant hand over his heart. “I did.”

“The vamp that
rammed me into traffic didn’t seem to know that!”

“Sometimes it
can take awhile for word to spread. However, you are none the worse for wear.”

“The car I was
driving can’t say the same.” There was something off about the nonchalance the
Devil displayed. If he’d done as he said—and she believed he spoke at least in
half-truths—then he’d been openly defied. It was hard to believe he would take
such an offense so easily.

“Where is the
necklace, Evangeline?”

The way he used
her full name gave him a paternalistic air that chilled her blood as surely as
his touch did. She wished that she’d gone to the ladies’ room at the police
station. “Somewhere safe.”

“Hmm.” His head
cocked to one side, allowing a curtain of silky black hair to fall over his
shoulder. “What do you consider
safe,
I wonder? Your parents’?”

“As if I would
drag them into this. It’s not a big deal, okay? it’s fine.”

“Maybe I want it
back, if it is of no use to you.”

“You can have it
back once I kill the Nix. That was the deal.” Eve had no idea how she sounded
so calm and in control when she was far from either, but she was grateful.
“Now, why did you bring me here? It’s only been one day since we made our
little arrangement. You’ll have to give me more time.”

“Abel?” he
persisted. “Sarakiel? Cain?”

Her brow arched,
but her fingers were digging into her biceps through her silk shirt. “What. Do.
You.
Want?”

“Perhaps you
asked Eve to watch it for you?” he purred.

“No.”

One second he
was in the chair; the next he was directly in front of her. He gripped her head
in his hands, his palms pressing into her temples. He tipped her head back.
Looking into her eyes, he held her captive with his icy touch and his burning
stare. She couldn’t blink, couldn’t back away.

His mouth moved,
as if he was speaking, but all she could hear was her own blood rushing through
her brain at a breakneck pace. Then she realized it was
him
in her mind,
sliding in and around everything. Touching Alec. Then Reed. Through her. As if
he
was
her.

A smile curved
his mouth. His head lowered to hers. Slow. Impossibly slow. When his lips
touched hers, she whimpered but couldn’t pull away. The kiss he gave her was
Alec’s. The touch, taste, and texture. The possession and passion; the love and
the lust. It was a deep, lush melding of their mouths and she found herself
participating with ardor. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and dried
in the arid breeze, but whether they were happy or sad tears, she couldn’t say.

He groaned
softly and pulled away. “You kiss like a woman in love,” he murmured, his thumb
brushing across her bottom lip in the way Alec’s did. “Thank you.”

Eve blinked up
at him, dazed.

Satan released
her and walked away. “That will have to tide me over, I suppose, since you have
completed the task I set for myself. Indirectly, of course, and in doing so you
have denied me a pleasure I anticipated with relish. But I will consider your
part of our agreement met. Regardless of the fact that I was not the messenger,
the message was still delivered. You are free.”

“Huh?” She
kicked herself mentally. If he said she was done, great. Even if it didn’t make
a damn bit of sense.

“What about
Riesgo and Raguel? Are they free, too?”

“According to
your memories, someone has already made arrangements for their
escape.”
He
walked back to his throne. “I cannot release that which I no longer possess

Settling into
the seat, Satan smiled at her. “You will just have to hope that one of those
other bargains is successful.”

“That’s not
fair!”

“Why? Because
now you have to decide who to save and who to sacrifice? Maybe you will decide
to do nothing at all and leave the matter in the hands of Jehovah. I am curious
to see which way you lean.”

He snapped his
fingers.

Eve found
herself in the living room of her condo, directly between the television and
Montevista. The Mark was sleeping on her couch.

Kicking off her
heels, she sat next to him and set her hand on his shoulder. He was cold to the
touch, and it took a couple hard shakes to bring him back to the land of the
living.

“Hey,” he
murmured huskily, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“How are you
feeling?”

“Like I should
have shut the sliding glass door before napping. It’s starting to get cold at
night.” He moved to sit up. “How’d it go?”

“To shit.” She
slid over to the coffee table. “I’m going to need your help.”

“Tell me what
you want me to do.”

In search of
privacy, Eve took the elevator down to the marble-lined foyer of her
condominium complex.

Alec.

She’d barely
managed the silent summons before he was in front of her, gripping her by the
arms and giving her a not-so-gentle shake.

“Where have you
been?” he demanded, before crushing her face into his cotton-covered chest.

She mumbled into
his pecs. He fisted her chignon and pulled her head back.

“Not funny.” But
there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Does Abel know?”

“All of Orange
County knows. It’s on the news.”

‘‘Man . .

Eve sent a
silent apology to Reed. He appeared as swiftly as Alec had, his gaze just as
haunted. Poor guys, they’d been worried sick about her. She loved them for
that.

Despite Alec’s
rumbling protest, she pushed away from him, putting equal distance between the
three of them so that they formed a V-shaped formation. Through the glass door
behind Alec, she could see the nut-job reverend singing on the corner.

She turned her
attention back to the two brothers. “We’re racing against the clock here.”

Both men’s brows
rose.

Eve pointed at
Alec. “You need to figure out what’s going to happen to you when Gadara comes
back. I’m guessing you have less than twenty-four hours.”

His arms
crossed. “What have you done?”

She pointed at
Reed. “And your secret plan is fucked in so many ways, not the least of which
is that it’s not a secret anymore. Satan knows about it”

Reed scowled. “I
don’t know what you’re—”

“Yes, you do.”
She looked back at Alec. “What are you still doing here?”

“Well,
bossy,
I’m waiting for my parents to finish packing so I can escort them back
home. After I do that, I’ll follow your orders.”

Eve’s head
tilted in concern. “But they just got here.”

“Cain caused
another fight,” Reed said.

“I
didn’t,” Alec corrected with a fulminating glare. He
pulled the necklace out of his shirt.
“This
did.”

Reed nodded.
“Ima took one look and lost it.”

“Lost what?” Eve
asked.

“Her temper. Her
mind. Everything.”

“Did she say why
it bothered her so much?”

“Nope.” Alec
eyed her suspiciously. “But she did say that Hank didn’t make it.”

“Actually, Abba
said that,” Reed amended, eyeing her with the same expression.

 
“No one said Hank made it” she corrected.

“Where did you
get this, angel?”

Eve knew that
silky tone all too well. Alec always used it right before she got into trouble.
“Would you believe a Cracker Jack box?”

“This is
serious, babe,” Reed murmured.

What could she
say? She didn’t want to start shit between Alec and his parents. If their mom
hadn’t told them about Sammael and the necklace after all these years, Eve
wasn’t going to be the one to do it.

Something in the
periphery of her vision caught her eye. She turned her head to find Evil Santa
at the bottom of the steps leading to the locked door of the foyer. He was
giving her the death stare from the sidewalk, singing loudly and off-key to the
strumming of his guitar. The light of the street lamp circled him in a yellow
glow that only made him creepier.

“Can one of you
please
do something about that guy?” she groused.

Alec and Reed
looked over their shoulder.

“Do what?” Alec
asked.

“I don’t know.
Take him around the corner and flash your wings. Send him on a mission for God,
or at the very least tell him I’m one of the good guys.”

Alec gestured
toward the door with a flourish. “That’s all you, bro.”

“Fuck you.” Reed
shot back. “You do it.”

“Somehow, I
don’t think my black wings will go over well with that guy.”

Reed glared at
his brother, than glanced at Eve.

You owe me,
she reminded,
for bargaining me for Gadara.

Babe...
He sounded frustrated.
Do you trust me?

She did or else
she’d have decked him by now and told one of the archangels what he was up to.
Still, she wasn’t willing to give an inch at this point. As far as she was
concerned, he was due for some serious groveling.

Eve set one hand
on her hip.
You’re kidding right? You’re asking me that after you offered me
up on a silver platter to a king of Hell?

Yes, damn
you, I am. You owe me, too. You wrecked my car

Whatever
There’s no comparison.

He shot her the
dark look that she thought was hot; the one where he looked hard and dangerous,
primitive despite the urbanity of his clothing.

You have no
idea what I’ve been through waiting for the fire department to cut open my car.
. .
waiting to see what they’d find
in there.

She softened.
I’m
sorry.

Then she noticed
how rumpled he was. A quick glance at Alec revealed that his T-shirt was
stretched in places.

Sighing
inwardly, she waved Reed toward the door.
Take care of wacko out there and
I’ll get back to you about the trust issue.

He went, but
with a clearly aggravated stride.

When she was
alone with Alec, she said, “We need answers. Go to the source if you have to,
just find them.”

He leaned into
one of the metal mailboxes built into the wall. “You sound as if you know for a
fact that Raguel will be back.”

“Maybe I do.”

“You need to
talk to me, angel.”

 
“I can’t. You’re connected to everyone in the
firm in an unpredictable way. We can’t risk a leak like that. You’ll just have
to hang on for the ride.”

He exhaled
harshly. “I’ve been doing that since I met you.”

“It’s not so
bad, is it?”