Angel's Redemption (The Fallen Warriors Series Book 6) (2 page)

After Ruby and Jason had mated, the rebels had gone up to the Adirondacks to train with Seth and the other Fallen. Angels were faster and stronger than humans, but there were some weaknesses, and Seth and the others had delighted in teaching the rebels what those weaknesses were. Now that war had been declared, they must have decided to come back and fight.

Ruby grinned briefly, then turned to Seth. “I’d better go fill them in on what’s been happening.”

He nodded. That was exactly what he needed too, but first he needed a bath.

“I’ll join you once I’ve freshened up.”

After bathing in the shower Ruby’s gang had rigged up, he went in search of the others. He found Michael, the Fallen’s unofficial leader, along with Ruby and a good portion of the others in the recreation room. The large space, which was mainly used for training, was lit up in artificial orange lighting. Now it housed over a dozen men and women, all in heated discussion.

Michael’s voice broke out over the din. “We cannot simply attack the angel tower. Even if we amass a large crowd of humans, the angels will still have the upper hand.”

“They can’t freeze all of us,” Curly challenged, referring to the angelic ability to paralyze humans for a short period of time.

“This is true,” Michael conceded. “Even if they worked in concert, they could likely only freeze several dozen or so humans. However, we’ll be infringing upon
their
territory. They can fly. And unlike angels, humans aren’t quite as hard to kill.”

Stepping into the room, Seth spoke up. “We should focus on disabling the Tribunal. That would create panic amidst the angels.”

Michael looked up, and relief flared in his eyes. A whisper of conflicted emotions drifted from him: sorrow, determination, hope. “Just so. It’s our best chance of defeating them.”

“Do we know where they are?”

Michael shook his head. “We lost track of them after…” He paused for a shaky breath. “After D.C.”

Where Ben and Michael’s sister, Mara, were killed.

“Aaron and Ethan are attempting to track them down,” Michael said.

“And
we’re
going to work on rallying the people.” Ruby pointed to herself and then to some of her fellow rebels. “We’ll separate and reach out to the crowds, offer to teach them how to fight back.”

Michael nodded, then looked at Seth. “I’ll be meeting with the vice president. He’s managed to secret himself away, along with other members of his administration, and wants to discuss how we can help each other. I want you to come with me.”

“Of course,” Seth agreed.

“Lily too.”

At those words, Seth’s gaze automatically speared through the room. As he’d suspected, she wasn’t here. “Where is she?”

Michael shrugged. “Around here somewhere. Can you let her know we’ll be leaving within the hour? The sun fell two hours ago, and I want to give us enough time to accomplish what we must while under the cover of darkness.”

Seth nodded and turned, leaving Michael and the rest to their discussion. He would catch up later, but right now he wanted to see Lily and thank her for caring for him while he was out.

To make sure she was alright.

*****

These past few days had been torture. Not only had Lily lost her best friend, but she’d faced the fear of almost losing Seth too.

Seth was the one man who’d always been able to turn her inside out.

Just the simple thought of him sparked a tidal wave of conflicting emotions: lust, love, hate, despair. They all swirled together until she didn’t know how she felt. It was always like that when it came to him and had been since the day she’d found out about his betrayal. The day her heart had been shattered into a million little pieces.

Even though she knew he wasn’t going to die from his injuries, it had been so hard to see Seth rendered so frail and helpless, with the majority of his bones shattered and his breath so frighteningly shallow. It had been even worse than the day they’d escaped the fire that had killed the remainder of the Fallen, and that was saying a lot.

I should go check on him.

That thought propelled her up from her seat and through the small square room that served as the rebel base’s makeshift kitchen. But before she could take more than a few steps, the door swung open, and a familiar figure stepped inside.

She stopped cold, his name exhaling on a whisper. “Adam.”

The nephilim in question gave her a relieved grin and sauntered toward her. “There you are. I had to see you for myself, make sure you’re okay.”

His words made her soften. How sweet of him to be worried about her.

That was the thing about Adam: He was very sweet. He was also good-natured and tall and handsome… and a nephilim.

And her body recognized it.

Adam’s half angel heritage wouldn’t have been an issue if she and Seth were still together, in every sense of the word. But they weren’t, and as a result, it had been awhile since they’d mated. Her body was reverting to its unmated state, which meant she could sense just how compatible Adam was with her and vice versa.

A ribbon of awareness threaded the space between them, drawing him closer. She took an automatic step back. Because even though her body responded to him, she could never forget that, somewhere in this space, was the man who’d once been her everything.

“I didn’t realize you’d arrived,” she said in a guarded tone.

“Just now.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “We figured you could use some human badassery on your side.”

That they could. And Ruby’s rebels fit the bill. They’d been training for years for a prospective war with the angels. If any humans stood a chance against angelkind, it was them.

Adam’s face darkened. “I heard about Mara and Ben.”

His words sparked an unexpected tremor of sorrow deep in her spine. She sucked in a breath, and when Adam winced, she knew he felt the depth of her pain. Since angels and nephilim had the ability to sense others’ emotions, she’d learned at an early age to mask hers. But intense feelings still escaped her. Mara’s death had hit her hard. She was the only female Fallen left.

“The Tribunal will pay for what they’ve done.”

“I know,” Adam said easily. Then he shocked her by stepping closer.

Sucking in a breath, Lily warily watched him.

She knew he was interested. It would have been impossible for him not to be. Angel blood called to angel blood. It was the way of their kind, the method by which their species was perpetuated. The fact that he was a half-blood didn’t diminish that.

But even though Adam was attracted to her, he was also reasonably intelligent. He knew Seth would probably kill him, and since she hadn’t led him on, he’d kept his distance.

Not this time.

Maybe it was her pain that called to him. She didn’t know, but she had to put a stop to it.

“Adam—”

His expression ripe with concern, he brought his hand to her chin and lifted her face so he could examine her. Checking for bruises, she realized. Her heart twisted in her chest.

“You sure you’re okay?” he murmured.

“I’ll survive,” she whispered back. Unlike those who’d been felled by the Tribunal, she thought to herself.

When a sliver of desire wafted over her skin, she stifled a shiver. “Adam… you shouldn’t touch me.”

“Sorry.” His lips twisted into a rueful smile. “I couldn’t help myself. I generally have better self-control than that.”

Ah, so it
was
her, unintentionally calling to him. She couldn’t blame herself. Right now she felt so raw and vulnerable. She needed someone to hold her, and Adam was here. Things were so much easier with him than with Seth. How could they not be? There weren’t years of conflict and heartache between them.

Adam took a breath, as if steeling himself, and continued on. “But you know how I feel about you, right?”

“Adam.” Against her better judgment, she lifted her hand to cover his and took comfort in his soft touch. “You know nothing could happen between us.”

Defiance flashed in his eyes. “Why not?”

“You know why,” she whispered.

His jaw tightened. “You don’t want him anymore. It’s not as if you’re doomed to be stuck with him forever. Not if you don’t want to be. Or am I wrong?”

That was the thing. Yes, he was technically right. Even though angels generally mated for life, they could become unmated if they failed to have sexual relations for a prolonged period of time. But she would never be free. Much as she might wish otherwise, her essence was entangled in Seth’s. In a way, he was a part of her.

She gave an unconscious lick of her lips. “Adam, I—”

A familiar tingle wound between her shoulder blades, alerting her to the presence of the man who hadn’t yet entered the room, but she didn’t have time to react. The door slid open before she could move, and Seth strode through.

Despite the bruises on his face and bare chest, he looked every bit as devastatingly handsome as he always did. He wore his signature black leather pants, and his thick, defined chest was bare. He was, in essence, sin personified.

His presence electrified her nerve endings, hardening her nipples into tight buds and stroking a ribbon of pleasure down the center of her body. At the same time, old and familiar feelings of anger and betrayal churned in her stomach. She steeled her spine against it, slipping backward out of Adam’s reach.

Hot, furious anger flashed through the room, instantly increasing the temperature by several degrees. Seth’s rabid gaze landed on Adam, and his hands clenched into fists. There was no mistaking his reaction or what it bespoke. It had been inevitable really, from the first moment Adam had entered the picture.

There was going to be trouble.

Chapter Two

T
he moment Seth entered the tiny kitchen and saw Adam with his hands on Lily, a cacophony of emotions flooded the room. The majority of them were his. This nephilim, this
child,
had dared to touch what was his, and base instinct urged him to tear the man apart. Then an undertone of Adam’s defiance cut through the space, only serving to further egg him on.

A growl tore from his throat, and his hands curled into his fists, but when Lily tensed and stepped pointedly in front of Adam, he came to his senses. She looked fierce and undeniably beautiful, and the expression in her eyes said point-blank that he was treading down a dangerous path.

Much as he might want to, he couldn’t retaliate simply because Adam had dared touch Lily. The rational part of him even understood that Adam couldn’t help himself. It didn’t stop him from wanting to kill the man with his bare hands, but he would refrain.

Because he no longer had the right.

Lily’s eyes flashed with challenge. “What is it?”

You let him touch you.

He didn’t speak the accusation, but her back stiffened as if she’d heard it anyway. No doubt, she
felt
his anger and pain.

She opened her mouth to respond when the door flew open right behind him.

Michael’s voice shattered the tense silence. “What’s happening here?”

Taking a hard, deep breath, Seth forced himself to relax. “Nothing,” he said very deliberately.

“Good.” Michael turned his gaze to Lily. “I have a meeting scheduled with the vice president. He’s hidden away at a secret location in Philadelphia. I want you and Seth to go with me. We’ll be leaving in less than half an hour.”

Lily gave Michael one short nod.

Placing his hand on Seth’s shoulder, Michael guided him into turning around and led him out of the kitchen.

The caveman within Seth protested at the thought of leaving Lily alone with Adam, but he knew Michael was only trying to diffuse the situation.

Nothing’s going to happen between them
, at least, not in the half hour before they were due to leave.

And if it did, what right did he have to complain about it?

That bitter pill burned like acid in his stomach as he followed Michael down the corridor and away from Lily.

*****

Lily strode toward the iron door that separated the underground rebel base from the rest of the world, stopping only long enough to allow Ruby to pull her in for a hasty hug.

Ruby and Jason were staying behind to observe the comings and goings at the angel tower from the multitude of cameras Ruby and her rebels had strung up throughout the city. Between that and Aaron and Ethan’s search efforts, they all remained hopeful they’d track down one or more members of the Tribunal. The angels were nothing if not creatures of comfort and habit, and the Central Park tower was their home. Odds were, they’d attempt to return to where they felt safest.

Michael and Seth were already waiting aboveground, inside the abandoned Brooklyn warehouse that the tunnel exit led into.

After taking the ladder up, Lily replaced the manhole cover.

Michael practically bristled with impatience. Seeing him filled Lily with the same sorrow that had wound through her this past week. His features were so similar to Mara’s, and she knew that out of all of them, he grieved her death the most. Given that angel births were very rare, it was even rarer still to have a sibling. Michael and Mara had been so lucky to have one another, which meant he must be suffering deeply right now.

When Michael’s eyes clouded with pain, she knew he’d sensed her bleak emotions. She forced the thoughts from her mind. They would only serve as an unwelcome distraction right now, and that was something they could ill afford.

“I’m ready,” she said.

Nodding, Michael handed her one of the two flame torches he held in his hands. Seth also carried one, and they held them aloft, but unlit, as Michael led them through the empty, abandoned warehouse. The matches they each carried would be used to light the torches in the event they ran into undesired company in the form of white-winged angels.

As one, they strode out to the banks of the East River. It was deep winter still. A sharp wind blew, sending flecks of snow swirling all around them, and the ground was covered in a blanket of white. Given that it was nighttime and the angel curfew was in effect, there was no one around to mar the quiet beauty of the fallen snow.