Free Angel Betrayed by Immortal Angel Page B

noticeably different than the first two. This angel has straight white-blond hair down to the center of his back and green eyes. He’s thinner and taller than the others, his facial structure more delicate. He has the same golden skin, but his wings look as though they’re dipped in gold rather than titanium. And his tattoos are fundamentally different. They’re sharper, and the language seems almost alien.
    Brion clasps arms with him as he did before. “Zakiel.”
    I’d thought the basement was large, but the two new angels dwarf the small space. They furl their wings, but don’t draw them in like Brion does.
    I know they have wings so it must be easier to be shirtless. But I still find it awkward to be near three enormous, tattooed, half-dressed warriors. Even if I do have a dagger of my own. I caress the hilt.
    Zakiel looks at me and asks a question in the language I can’t understand.
    Brion turns back to me. “This is Gillian,” he says in English. “Gillian, this is Zakiel.” Then he points to the angel with dark hair and blue jeans. “And this is Cas.”
    Cas gives a wave and a small smile. “Hello.”
    Zakiel switches to English, following his lead. “Why have you called us here?”
    Brion gestures to me. “Gillian was my target. She’s a scientist.” He says it almost proudly, placing a hand on the small of my back.
    I turn to him and raise my eyebrows. “Target?”
    He shrugs and whispers in my ear. “Sorry, it’s the lingo.”
    I blush. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
    Unexpectedly, he smiles back.
    “What’s going on here?” Zakiel says, pointing a finger from me to him.
    Brion shrugs, but his gaze runs from the top of my head down to my toes, warming me to my core.
    My blush deepens.
    Zakiel’s eyebrows fly up and his mouth opens in surprise. “Are you… attracted to this human?”
    “Yep.” Brion grins. “I was surprised at first, too.”
    “I haven’t even looked at a woman in the two centuries since I died.” Cas’s face is chagrined and he gazes down at the crotch of his jeans sadly. “I thought becoming an angel meant we didn’t have human urges anymore.”
    “I don’t know why, but from the first moment I laid eyes on her, I’ve been drawn to her.”
    I stare at Brion first, surprised by the revelation. How could such an incredible man not have desires? And what was it about me that brought those urges back to him? I feel a spark of pride.
    Then, my gaze turns to the other angels and a strange sadness takes over. Angels or not, it’s a shame these beautiful men lost something so precious when they died. True love is a gift.
    After a moment, Zakiel mutters, “This can’t be good.”
    He looks at Cas for backup, but the other angel merely shrugs.
    Brion continues, pointedly ignoring the byplay. “She’s invented a device that shuts the portals from the underworld. Someone downstairs found out about it and put a hit on her.”
    His words seem to suck the air from the room. Shock drains the color from the other angels’ faces. For a long moment, no one speaks.
    “You’ve got to be kidding.” Zakiel runs his fingers through his very long, white-blond hair and starts to pace.
    “ Are—are you sure?” Cas asks.
    Brion levels him with a stare. “I wouldn’t have called you both here if I wasn’t serious.”
    After another couple of awkward seconds, Cas curses. “Every demon and their mother will be trying to kill her now. And get their hands on the device.”
    I can feel my knees starting to tremble slightly. But Brion’s next words devastate me.
    “Please. I need your help.”
    It isn’t what he says, but how he says it. I get the feeling he would kneel if he had to. The other two angels straighten.
    “Anything,” Cas answers immediately.
    Zakiel gazes at Brion thoughtfully for a moment, then nods his assent.
    Gratitude rushes over me. Brion was right when he said we weren’t alone. But then, for the first time, I begin to feel real fear about the