Chapter 27
Shae’s headpounded like someone had slammed a jackhammer into her skull. A moan caught in her throat, she forced her eyelids open. Darkness surrounded her, along with a biting chill. Her damp sweater stuck to her back from lying on the dew-drenched ground. And it all rushed back as if an unendingnightmare.
They were no longer at the office. Blurred, indistinct shapes swarmed her vision for several seconds. The moon underscored everything in an odd, silvery-bluelight.
“Welcome back, dear girl. This place is so fitting, don’t you think? Where it allstarted.”
At the dreaded voice, she blinked to clear her fuzzy sight. The crisp scent of apples teased her nose. With some effort, she focused, and at the sight of the sloped red-roof house to her right, her breath hitchedpainfully.
He’d brought her to her old home near Stone Ridge, behind which lay the apple orchard she’d always loved somuch.
Shae pushed herself off the ground and sat up, shivering in the frigid air. Her jacket had vanished. Did they think she had a stash of weapons hidden in it? Queasiness churned her stomach and tracked up her throat, the sounds of clinking crowding her ears. She rubbed her bleary eyes, except something heavy weighed her arms down. Metal manacles shackled her wrists, the chain fastened around a treetrunk.
At her helpless state, another bout of nausea bubbled up herthroat.
Aza crouched near her, his eyes glittering in avarice as they swept up her body to linger on herbreasts.
“You freakin’ chained me?” She yanked at therestraints.
“So youcan’t teleport. The chains will keep you docile. It’s why you’ll remain shackled until we complete the mating,” he murmured, his tone an icky caress.Now you are mine, Shae,his words trickled into hermind.
Hewas the one sending those insidious whispers to torment her. Shaeheaved.
Aza smirked, rose to his feet, and faced Samael. “I brought you the other female, now I shall leave withShae.”
“You will wait until I decide you can go,Azaul.”
“Never forget, I’m a Fallen, too,” Aza retorted. “I could just take her fromyou.”
Aza clearly had no idea about the truth of thisrogue.
Samael laughed, the ominous sounds chafing her bruised psyche. He unbuttoned his jacket and flung it away. At the sudden rip in the night, Shae blinked. Samael groaned. Rustling filled the air, and in a flash of light, wings burst free from his back. Six feet of iridescent white wings gleamed in the moonlight—so beautiful, they put the stars to shame. And they belonged to this psychoticasshole.
“I am noFallen.” He cut Aza the smallest of smiles, all the more menacing for it. “Yes, I kept this truth from you. Losing my wings was not part of my plan. It’s why I needed Jenna to corral Michael here. He’d come for her, thinking theevilFallens had a powerful psionic in their grips. But then he would already be keeping tabs onyou”—he glared at Aza—“after your idiotic stunt to restrain Shae by shootingher.”
“She belongs to me. It was a mere retrieval and not intended to kill her, but who could have expected that asshole to protecther?”
“You’re a fool.” Samael’s wings fluttered in annoyance. “They are Guardians. It’s what they do. I didn’t plan for eons to letyoufuck up all my hard work. Do you honestly think I don’t know why you put money into my mayoral campaign? You want a psychic, except Jenna ismine, as is Shae. She may be of no value to me, only a cog to be used to get her mother to play nice, but she’s still mine. And you dared to put a mating mark onmyproperty.”
“I’m no one’s damn property,” Shae pushed through gritted her teeth, wrenching at herrestraints.
Sea-blue eyes flickered to her briefly. “But you are, my dear, very muchso.”
Aza snarled, a sword appearing in his hand, braced for attack. Shit! Shae hastily scrambled backward on her ass to get out of the way. Power sizzled in Samael’s hands. His wings flapped, casting a halo of light around him. “I could kill you before you blinked. Bear that in mind, Azaul. And don’t even think of recalling thesedemons.”
Scowling, Aza lowered hissword.
Swallowing hard, Shae leaned against the tree trunk. Hordes of demons, like jittering dark roaches, stood off to the side and polluted the overgrown lawn of herhome.
“Now, where were we?” Samael strolled to her. “Ah, yes… It’s time for a new regime of power in this world. CallMichael.”
She glared at him. “No.”
Samael shook his head. “You’re a tough one. Why didn’t I notice it before? Let’s see how rebellious you are then, shall we?” His focus shifted to the house. “Jenna.”
Mom?Her gaze snapped to the frontdoor.
“Surprised, are you?” Amusement tinged his voice. “I simply got her here with a command in her mind. You see, I never took her cell. It wasn’t like she could use it in the Dark Realm. When I called her, she answered. And made her way to the nearest wateryspot.”
