Free Breathless by Kelly Martin Page A

was my job, and I was not going to let anyone hurt her.”
    “You couldn’t have stopped me.” His eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t have stopped me. You never saw my true power, Hart. Never. I barely lifted a pinky finger and still sent you back to Hell more times than I can count. Imagine if I was truly, truly motivated.”
    Never in my life, and it’s been a long life, have I ever heard Lucien use his big scary voice. It’s slightly… intimidating.
    I won’t let him know that, though. “Like you could’ve stopped me. Not you. Not with all the power of Heaven behind you. Face it. I would’ve stopped you from hurting her. I would’ve protected her.”
    “Because we both did such a grand job.” He sighs.
    “Who is she ?” I ask again because it was very convenient that he didn’t mention it the first time or two I asked. “I thought Seth was your superior angel, and he sure wasn’t wanting you to hurt his revenge plan.”
    “Not Seth. Another angel. Another angel who knew what Seth was up to and wanted me to deal with it. The one I had to convince to let me do my own thing and try to save Gracen without killing her.”
    “And… her name?” He’s stalling. I’m not happy about this. Got things to do. Worlds to save.
    “Tina. Her name is Tina.”
    I smack the back of my head against the wall.
    Ouch.
    Of course it’s Tina. Of course it is. “I thought Tina was Seth.”
    “Nope. Tina is Tina. Why? How do you know her?”
    How indeed. “Look Lucien. It’s been awesome catching up and doing this brotherly stalling dance we have going on, but you have to let me go now. I have to find Gracen. I have to save her.”
    “You don’t know how.”
    “And you do?” I actually wouldn’t care if he did. I mean, as long as it was a good plan.
    “Seth is working on it.”
    “Uh-huh.” I pull at the chains and rattle them really hard for extra effort. “Let me out of these, Lucien. I mean it. I need to get to Gracen. You know I’m the only one she’ll listen to. The only one who can save her. Save the world.”
    Hart Blackwell. Former demon. Future world saver.
    I want it on my tombstone.
    “It’s not Gracen anymore. You know that. It’s the Abomination. She doesn’t have a soul. You can’t help her. You can’t even help yourself.” He stands and kicks the chair back against the wall. He’s pissed. This isn’t the way I wanted this to go.
    No…
    No. No. No. No. No.
    He reaches for the lamp. “No! Lucien. Come on, man. Let me go. I can’t be here. I need to help. You need me to help!”
    “I don’t need anything from you.” He turns off the lamp, and I’m flooded by darkness, which is almost as blinding as the light was earlier.
    I hear footsteps and then boots on wood. Steps. “Lucien! Don’t do this! Don’t leave me down here! You can’t do this!”
    He doesn’t say a word. I hear the hinges of the door at the top of the stairs creak and then the door slam shut.
    “Lucien!” I scream into the darkness as I pull at my chains. I need out. I need out! “Lucien, get down here! Let me go! Lucien!
    LUCIEN!”
    He doesn’t come back.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    Gracen
    I T TAKES TIME FOR MY EYES to adjust. Not because the world is big or bright or anything. But because it’s the opposite. It isn’t dark here. It isn’t sunny. It’s… gray. It’s not like a foggy gray or even a gloomy-day gray. It is more like the inkwell setting on Instagram. Gray scale. A little brighter than black and white. Just a little.
    It hurts my eyes, and it takes time for them to adjust.
    Finally. Blessedly. They do.
    I guess I’m happy about it.
    I have no idea where I am, except I know exactly where I am. I’m home. Well, Crimson Ridge. I’m on the street where I live with Sam… with Hart. I’m lying on the sidewalk next to one of the trees someone planted about twenty years ago to spruce up the place. They aren’t my favorite things. They sort of just get in the way. Now, though, I’m glad it’s here