The bartender returned and he traded cash for the drink, then headed toward a darkened corner. He noticed Oliver at the bar tossing back two shots in rapid succession. The male had agreed to the outing because he’d been hoping to make a break for it. And Eclipse didn’t even need to read the human’s thoughts to know that. It was in his body language. He was twitchy, anxious. Little did the fool know but Eclipse had tethered them with invisible rope. Should Oliver get more than fifty feet away, the shock the human would receive would not only knock him on his ass but make him rethink his desire to ditch.
Oddly, Eclipse was hoping he was paying attention when it happened because he could use a laugh.
It was when he was taking a sip of his drink that he felt the strange pull deep inside him. He scanned the area, looking for the source, not sure what it was that was calling out to him. Could’ve been a demon or even a vampire. As an angel, he had a heightened sense of awareness, and when it came to the supernatural, he had an uncanny ability to pick them out.
But this wasn’t either.
His gaze came to rest on the female from the alley. She looked just as he remembered. Shoulder-length blond hair, cornflower-blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a dimpled chin. A devastating beauty. Hisamsouelot.
“Holy fuck,” he mumbled under his breath as he watched her.
She was chatting it up with a male wearing a belt buckle that said he was overcompensating for something. The black hat on his head and the shiny pearl buttons on his shirt made him blend in with two dozen other cowboys in the club. Eclipse watched the two of them, an overwhelming possessiveness burning in his gut. He shoved it down, refused to acknowledge it. Probably not a good idea to make a scene in this place.
He figured it was going to be difficult enough to get close to Orianna considering he’d offed the male in the alley. Last thing he needed to do was piss her off by leveling one of the males. For all Eclipse knew, he could be a friend.
For both their sakes, hebetterbe a friend.
EVERHEARDTHESAYINGGOODTHINGSCOMEto those who wait?
Perfidious wasn’t a big believer in it. Or he hadn’t been.
Until tonight.
Somehow he’d let Seraphina talk him into coming to this backwoods redneck brothel disguised as a dance club. Imagine his surprise when he found not one butfourof those damned angels chatting it up with the locals.
He knew without searching that Penelope wasn’t present, nor was the behemoth she was shacking up with. They were too smart to venture out. Perfidious was more than certain they were aware he was on their trail. Didn’t matter that he’d changed bodies twice since he left Vegas, they would still have a bead on him. They always did.
Good thing he knew how to be one step ahead at all times.
As he stood, imagining exactly how he intended to slay every last one of them, his attention was snagged by a beautiful blond sitting at a table in the back. She was there with a couple of other females, talking, laughing.
Instantly, the thought of demolishing the angels dissolved like ash, drifting off in the wind as a new plan formed in his mind.
Okay, so it wasn’t necessarily a new plan. It had been his goal all along. Sirius and Seraphina thought he was marching to the tune of Lucifer’s orders, but in reality, Perfidious was making his own beat. He couldn’t give a fuck less about theamsouelotsat this point. He had much more pressing concerns.
Namely, getting that damn Fae beneath him where she belonged.
Of course, he wasn’t an idiot, so he’d been biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to spring his plan into action.
He’d waited. Good things came.
With a smirk, Perfidious set his glass down on the bar and made his way through the throng. After making a detour to the DJ on duty, he started toward her. He came up short when one of the males stopped at the table, whispered something in her ear. The instant he shot across the room in the opposite direction, Perfidious marched right up to the Fae and smiled down at her.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
Asmia peered up at him briefly before her gaze followed the male who’d walked away.
He’s not here to save you.
Personally, he couldn’t fathom how the male could even stand to be away from her. Perfidious had been watching them all night, saw the way they made eyes at one another, felt their chemistry, yet they maintained a safe distance as though they had no choice. They were most certainly indulging in some sort of relationship but, for whatever reason, kept it on the down low.
As for how serious it was, Perfidious didn’t know. Nor did he care.
Asmia’s big blue eyes scanned his face. He watched as she tried to place him, figure out how she knew him. When she realized she didn’t, she offered a smile.
“Care to dance?” he suggested, knowing she’d been intending to do that, but hadn’t been able to talk her companion into taking her for a spin on the dance floor.
She fanned her face as though the heat was too much for her. “I should probably wait for … my friend.”
