Free Ashes of Angels by Michele Hauf

Nelson’s boxers. She guessed Sam probably didn’t do underwear anyway. Or was that a secret hope?
    While the angel changed in the bathroom, she dialed up her sister.
    With vampires and Sinistari roaming the city, she did not want to endanger Ophelia, the pregnant muse her sister planned to escort to Berlin.
    It always lightened her heart to hear her sister’s voice. Cassandra had moved from London two years ago, and though they talked all the time, they only saw each other half a dozen times a year. It was never enough.
    â€œCoco, when does your flight leave?”
    â€œOhmygosh, I tried to call you yesterday afternoon, Caz. We’re here!”
    â€œWhat? I thought it didn’t leave until tomorrow?”
    â€œNope, last night. We landed at Hamburg four hours ago.
    The flight was redirected due to bad weather. We went straight to the hotel for breakfast—”
    â€œYou and the muse?”
    â€œMe, Ophelia and Zane.”
    â€œRight, the sexy new man who helped you slay the angel.” Her sister had been oddly tight-lipped about Zane, other than to wax over his gorgeous muscles and how she loved to kiss him for hours. Ah, love. “You bring the angel ash?”
    â€œYes, it’s in my suitcase, safe and sound.”
    After they’d slain a Fallen, Coco had been smart enough to gather the crystallike ash left behind. It was a necessary weapon should the worst occur.
    â€œBut, Cassandra, I’ve lost something else. Oh…you’re going to freak.”
    â€œWhat?”
    The pause over the phone line felt like forever creeping over Cassandra’s skin. She bit her lip and met Sam’s eyes as he strode into the living room to display his new attire. The jeans fit snugly and low at his square hips. The shirt, unbuttoned at the chest and sleeves, would probably be too tight, but really, she didn’t mind the casual look at all. And look at those cut abs. Yikes, they were hard and firm.
    She gave him a thumbs-up. The angel beamed, turning to display the clothes as if a child with new things.
    She gestured to the phone and then winced, because the silence was still there between her and her sister. She and Coco never lied to one another, and Cassandra sensed this one was going to be tough.
    Coco finally said, “We lost the muse.”
    â€œWhat? How?” Cassandra sank to sit on the sofa. “Where is she?”
    â€œI don’t know. I left her for five minutes to go with Zane to get a skinny vanilla latte in the shopping gallery. Ophelia was complaining about back pain and said the latte would relaxher. I think she’s close to giving birth, Caz. We’ve searched the hotel. No sign of her. It’s as if she’s disappeared from the earth.”
    â€œShe couldn’t have gone far. You said she was huge.”
    â€œLike she’s ready to give birth to quadruplets.”
    â€œYou have to find her. She can’t be alone. The poor woman.” And what if she went into labor and couldn’t get to a hospital? Or worse… “Coco, there are vampires in Berlin.”
    â€œOh, my God.”
    â€œYou must be careful. You don’t have protection against vamps—”
    â€œI do. I mean, I know how to kill them, Caz. Stakes and beheading.”
    Cassandra stared at the phone. Really? When had her sister done all the research on vampires? She was barely getting her feet about the creatures.
    â€œZane thinks he can track her heartbeats,” Coco continued, “so we should be okay.”
    â€œWait. Her heartbeats? What does that mean?”
    â€œOh, uh…oh, here’s Zane. I need to go, Caz. We can’t lose the muse’s trail. It’s only been twenty minutes since we lost her. I’ll stay in touch.”
    The phone clicked off, and Cassandra stared at it. That the muse was missing was cataclysmic. But something else bothered her more. “She said Zane could track the muse’s