Saving Her Angel (Archangels) (11 page)

Knowing she had been waiting all these years for nothing made her angry, more at herself than him. She let the hot water sluice over her body and closed her eyes against tears. There was no point in them. It was time for her to consider her options and put herself first. He’d never given her false hope, so she had no one to blame but herself. Maybe it would be best to cut her losses now. In order to guard her heart, she would stick with Sel and Uri for the rest of her stay. Cam would get the hint soon enough.

…

An hour later, Cam frowned down at his empty bed. Where the hell had Elle gone? A quick search with his senses placed her in the guest room, sound asleep. What the hell was that about? With a growl of annoyance, he headed that way, only to stop short when the knob wouldn’t turn in his hand.

She locked me out?

He raised his hand to knock but stopped himself. Why had she left his bed? Did she want no more than one night with him?

Confusion warred with annoyance and anger as he stood in front of the closed door and barely reined in the urge to knock it down. He dropped his hand and went over every word shared between them in the moments leading up to his making love to her. She’d had her doubts, but he’d really thought he’d gotten through to her.

His shoulders dropped as he realized he’d never find out by guessing, and he wasn’t willing to disturb her when she obviously didn’t want him around. Brushing his hand over her closed door, he felt for her one more time and sensed her deep sleep. At least she wasn’t crying or trying to sneak out the window. Above all, she was a brilliant and rational woman. They would settle everything in the morning. He conceded defeat for the moment and went to his own bed alone.

After tossing and turning for a couple of hours, Cam rose and went back to his map room. It was no surprise to find Mike still there, since he rarely pretended to be human enough to need sleep.

“Anything new?” Cam asked.

Mike shook his head. “No new demonic activity, but Nathaniel has found twins who are former members of a cult very similar to Eleanor’s. They were both approached by Armoros as children as well.”

“They remembered the demon?”

“Not without a little help from Sebastian. But the twins were hard to find…dimmed, so as to be unremarkable, in the way Eleanor was until recently.”

Cam’s head shot up from where he’d been studying the map. “You knew she was easily forgettable? And you never said anything.”

Mike shrugged. “I didn’t think much of it and figured you noticed, too. She isn’t the first human I’ve encountered with that odd dimness around her, even with such a pure aura. I knew she didn’t have a demonic taint, but I didn’t realize it was a deliberate omission. Apparently, Armoros is choosing human children to call upon as adults and open portals for it, and it’s perfected a way to erase its scent from the children so we never suspect they’ve been around a demon. That dimness that caused Eleanor to be easily overlooked by some of us and quickly forgotten by others is nothing I’d considered before because I hadn’t realized a demon might have need of such a thing.”

“But Eleanor didn’t even remember meeting the demon, much less know how to open a portal.”

“From what I have seen of the others, the knowledge is buried deep in their memories. Many of them don’t recall being in a cult until something triggers the memory. My guess is, Armoros plans to have the victims all triggered at the same time to do whatever they’ve been trained to do so one large portal will open. I’m wondering if perhaps there were multiple generations, and the first generation caused the earthquakes but wasn’t strong enough to open the portals completely.”

“Or perhaps some of them fought the compulsion to do their part or have even died since they were originally trained.”

“Anything is possible. If the exact number of souls needed for the size of portal being opened wasn’t met, then it wouldn’t open.”

Cam blew out a breath as he recalled fighting Armoros over and over. Forever. Banishing it repeatedly, only to have humans unknowingly give it a foothold into their world years later. Exhaustion hit him at the prospect of that never-ending scenario, and he scrubbed his palms over his face.

Mike’s large hand covered his shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. “This is our purpose,
frater
.
Alea iacta est
.”

Cam snorted a humorless laugh. “Quoting Caesar? The die might be cast, but
faber est suae quisque fortunae
.”

Mike grinned. “Indeed, we are the artisans of our own fortunes. So what will your future be? We can quote Latin phrases until the sun rises, and it changes nothing. We were created with many purposes, and fighting demons is one we’ve always held to. If you tire of this life and wish to change it, I’ll not blame you.”

“And if I blame myself?” He ignored his brother’s all-knowing gaze and paced around the room. “I’ll not abandon you and the others in a time of need. I wouldn’t abandon you in a time of perfect peace, either.”

“That’s what you think of Rafe and Zerach? They’ve abandoned us?”

“No, of course not.”

One imperious brow rose, and Cam had to turn away from him. He squeezed the back of his neck and gathered his thoughts.

“Maybe sometimes…a little. I’m not angry at them. Hell, I don’t even blame them. What they’ve found with Isadora and Asta is…”

“Love. Perfection. And a peace we can be envious of but shouldn’t damn them for.”

“I don’t.”

Mike just stared.

“I swear I don’t. But I also don’t feel its right to take that journey right now. Not while I need to be at my full power.”

Mike stroked his short beard and looked over the map, though Cam knew his thoughts were still on their conversation. “Isadora nearly sliced her finger off yesterday while preparing dinner.”

“What?”

“Yes. While she was watching the news, a knife slipped off a potato or something. Blood went everywhere, and she cried out. Zerach felt her pain and rushed into the room. On instinct, he grabbed her hand and put all thought into healing her.”

A pain pierced Cam’s chest at the thought of his brother’s disappointment. “Is she going to be all right?”

Mike grinned. “She’s perfectly fine. It worked.”

“What? He healed her?”

“Yes. Completely. There isn’t even a scratch to show where the knife touched her skin. I believe the Source has chosen not to cut our brothers off from their abilities completely despite their
fall
. And it should tell you choosing a woman doesn’t mean an end to your existence as you’ve come to know it.”

Cam stared at a painting on the wall without seeing it. Being an Archangel was all he’d ever known, for more years than he cared to acknowledge. He’d never considered any other option, even after his brothers had chosen their women. Why? Was he really so blind to the possibility of loving Elle that much? Was he really so vain to think the humans in his midst needed him so much? And what of Elle and her needs?

Cam had a feeling he’d been too quick to dismiss a full future with Elle. Should he wake her and talk it out? That she’d left his bed and locked him out of her room still disturbed him, but Sebastian’s voice in his mind interrupted his thoughts.

“Another fissure has opened in Texas, and this portal feels stronger.”

Mike spoke aloud as his words carried to Sebastian. “Meet us at Cam’s so you can show us where on the map this is, and we’ll go over our options.”

“
On my way.”

Uri made coffee, and they settled in the map room to wait. There were already so many marks on the map, Cam couldn’t imagine where another fissure would even fit. But Texas had a lot of open land and too many pockets where no Watcher kept vigil.

Sebastian arrived with a human woman close behind.

“This is Lúthien Summers. She and her twin sister have met Armoros in its human guise.”

“Lúthien?” Sel asked. “Tinúviel?”

One corner of her mouth quirked up. “My mother was a huge Tolkien fan and gave us both Elvish names.”

Uri choked out a laugh and slapped Sel’s shoulder. “Way to let your geek flag fly, bro.”

They all had the unique experience of seeing Sel blush before he cleared his throat and shrugged Uri’s hand off his shoulder. “Yeah, well, I read more than you do.”

“So is your sister Arwen?” Uri asked.

“No. Irimë. But we choose to go by Lily and Iris to keep it simple.”

“Probably a good idea.”

All of them gathered around the map. Sebastian traced Interstate 10, moving west to the center of a large open space with no markings. “Here.”

“There’s nothing,” Cam said. “No town for miles.”

“No town, just a deep fissure about a quarter of a mile wide that runs along a new encampment of humans who worship Saint Abaskhiron the Soldier.”

“The Egyptian?” Mike asked.

“Yes. Only, it was Armoros that appeared to the leaders claiming to be Abaskhiron a few years ago. It performed some minor
miracles
to convince them of its saintly status. They’ve been falling all over themselves to accommodate the demon, including giving it full access to their children.”

“How did we miss this?” Cam asked in exasperation.

Mike gave him a sympathetic look. “We aren’t omnipotent. There’s no population close enough to warrant Watchers. Armoros worked very hard to keep this one from us and succeeded. Now we will make up for it by flushing out the most stalwart worshippers and shutting the operation down.”

“We must be very careful with this cult,” Sebastian replied.

Lily appeared beside him. “They’re zealots and psychos. At least those who aren’t out of their minds on drugs.”

The pain in her voice reached all of them, and Sel rubbed her back to soothe her. She looked at him in surprise but didn’t move away.

“Are you certain there are no innocents in that encampment?” Mike asked.

She took a deep breath and seemed to think it over. “There are a few small children. Maybe five. The others, especially the teenagers, are fully vested in the cult. They absolutely believe in this saint and would do anything to keep their way of life.” She stepped away from Sel, letting his arm drop to his side. “Anything to anyone at all.”

Sebastian gave her a sad smile then turned back to them. “Lily and her sister make regular trips to Van Horn, but we plan to get them out of there before the cult leaders decide to make them return to the compound. For now, they’re using them to get supplies and information.”

“How did you convince them to allow that?” Mike asked.

Lily shrugged. “My father had been in charge of supplies, and we always helped him. He died of a heart attack about three months ago, and we just kept making the trips and doing what we’d always done.” She glanced at Sebastian. “Iris met Sebastian last week and introduced us, but we had already been making plans to get out.”

“And how do you feel about Saint Abaskhiron the Soldier?”

The large Archangel’s scrutiny didn’t seem to cower her, but a sheen of moisture lightened her eyes. “I believed in him at first, but then my father was repeatedly beaten for no good reason. He used to be a strong man, and they weakened him until his body couldn’t take anymore and his heart gave out. He’d told me and my sister the truth of what was going on behind the scenes. Things the other women don’t know, but they wouldn’t believe us. So we stopped trying to convince anyone else and started making our own plans.”

“No one knows you’ve left?”

“No.” She motioned to Sebastian. “He has to fly me back before the sun rises, or my sister will be punished.”

All gazes swung to Sebastian. He looked at Mike steadily. “She’s an open book, as is her sister, and I had to show them trust to earn theirs. Plus, flying was the fastest way to get here and back.”

Though Mike’s scowl often reduced human men to tears, Sebastian held his gaze steadily.

“She will remain your responsibility, and if she chooses to tell the world about our kind, it will be up to you to silence her.”

Lily paled but remained silent as Sebastian gave a short nod. “Understood.”

“Why don’t we just keep her here where she’ll be safe?” Sel asked.

“No,” she said quickly. When she realized she had everyone’s attention again, she blushed. “They’ll punish my sister if I don’t go back, and she can’t leave yet. I have to stay with her.”

“You’re human,” Sel argued. “It isn’t safe.”

She huffed out a humorless laugh. “It hasn’t been safe for a long time, but I’ve survived for twenty-two years and kept my sister alive through more shit than you can imagine.” She looked at Mike. “Maybe I can find out more information for you in the meantime. I know our compound isn’t the only one.”

He gave a small nod, and her rigid stance eased. Sel cursed under his breath, apparently unhappy with the human woman putting herself in harm’s way, and stormed out of the room. Uri followed, as he often did.

“Cam,” Mike said into the charged silence. “Please wake Eleanor and introduce her to Lily before Sebastian takes her back. I think they should at least be acquainted before we put any plans into place.”

Cam was instantly on alert but said nothing about his doubts. Why introduce the woman to Elle? He’d much prefer to keep her as far away from any of this before it was completely over. But he couldn’t argue with Mike, at least not until he knew what the hell was going on in his brother’s head. Besides, Lily held the same bright aura around her as Elle. He decided to let things play out for a while and led Sebastian and Lily to her room.

Chapter Eight

Eleanor pushed away the cobwebs of sleep and listened for what had woken her. A hard knock preceded Cam’s voice. “Elle? Sweetheart, wake up, please. I need you to meet someone.”

The request was odd enough to make her push out of bed without a second thought and pull the door wide open. Cam’s eyes raked over her, even as he grasped her arms and pushed her back into the room. “Give us a second,” he said over his shoulder as he kicked the door shut.

“Cam, what’s going—”

He silenced her with a quick kiss and urged her toward the dresser. “Put some pants or shorts on, baby. Sebastian’s out there.”

She glanced down at the T-shirt that barely covered her panties. “Who?”

“Another angel. He’s helped us many times before,” he said as he rifled through her clothes and came out with a pair of yoga pants. “Here. These will have to do.”

Rather than handing them to her, he dropped to one knee and opened them up like she was a toddler needing to be dressed. She huffed but was still sleepy enough to allow it. She stepped into the pants and then grabbed her glasses off the nightstand. “What time is it?”

“Around three, I think. They need to leave soon, so Lily can get back, but Mike wants you to meet her first.”

“Lily?”

“Yeah.” He stood, and his gaze was both worried and uncertain. “She, uh…is like you when you were a kid. She lives with a cult but is trying to get her and her sister out.”

Eleanor gasped. “Oh my God.”

He stopped her from brushing by him to the door. “Yeah, she’s going to help us, but I don’t know if I fully trust her yet so be careful what you say, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really know what she knows about us and demons, other than that we both exist. But I really don’t want you giving her any of your own personal information.”

Annoyance spiked before her common sense kicked in. Of anyone, Cam had her best interest at heart over everything else—at least, when it came to her safety, if not her heart. She trusted him completely and didn’t know Lily at all.

“Okay, fine. I’ll watch what I say.”

“Good.”

He placed another soft kiss on her lips before returning to the door. He opened it as she fought to ignore the way her mouth tingled from his touch. A tall, slender woman stood in the hallway with a man she’d never seen before.

Cam stepped out of the room. “Elle, this is Lily and Sebastian.” He faced them. “This is Eleanor.”

Lily gave a quick smile and crossed her arms over her chest. Her long, multihued blond hair was pulled into a messy braid that reached the waist of her faded jeans. Her long-sleeved, Western-style shirt was tucked in and seemed to have been washed many times. Though her clothes were clean, they were well-worn and faded. Her cowgirl boots had obviously traveled many miles.

“Hi,” Elle said as she stepped forward with her hand out.

Lily shook it quickly, a single, firm pump, but Sebastian took it between both of his hands with a warm smile on his face. “I’ve wanted to meet you for years, Eleanor. Still keeping Cam in check?”

“Um…” Heat crept over her cheeks at his knowing grin.

Cam grasped her wrist and pulled her back. “Stop being a pain in the ass.”

Sebastian let go without a fight, but his grin never faded.

“She’s no longer my secretary but still very much under my protection.” The growl in Cam’s low voice sent a shiver down Eleanor’s spine and seemed to amuse Sebastian greatly.

The new angel was just as tall and well-built as Cam and his brothers, but his loose brown hair easily reached his waist. Copper eyes gave him an otherworldly appearance in comparison to the Maxwell brothers. If she had met him at any other time, she would’ve been attracted, but no one compared to the man looming over her. Despite her best efforts to ignore the sensations, the warmth of Cam’s hand around hers made her pulse race.

“Lily, Elle’s mother joined a cult when Elle was a small girl,” Cam said. “She doesn’t remember many details, but she too knows what that life can be like.”

Lily gave a sad smile. “Kind of a sucky club to be in, huh?”

Elle returned her smile. “Yeah. It is. He’s right about me not remembering big details, but I’m a great listener if you need a sympathetic ear sometime.”

“Thanks.”

Elle just nodded and glanced at Cam again. His intent gaze hadn’t wavered, causing her face to heat self-consciously.

“So, um…”

“We should go now,” Sebastian said. “I have to get her home well before sunrise, or her sister could be in danger.”

Mention of her sister caused the bare hint of a smile to fade from Lily’s face, as if it had never been. “Yes. Let’s go, please.”

“It was nice meeting you,” Elle said.

“You, too.”

After only a heartbeat of hesitation, Elle stepped forward and opened her arms. Surprise lit Lily’s eyes, but she met Elle halfway for a hug they both seemed to need.

“Stay strong,” Elle whispered. “These guys rock at keeping people safe.”

That caused a choked laugh to escape Lily. She pulled away and gave a small nod before heading for the stairs with Sebastian on her heels.

…

Cam watched them walk away and tried to get a sense of Elle’s emotions without actually delving into her mind to read it. She crossed her arms over her breasts, bringing his attention to the fact she wore no bra under her T-shirt. He cursed under his breath at the thought of Sebastian seeing her like that.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He ran a hand through his hair and debated being honest. “Um…you’re not wearing a bra.”

Her blush returned, but she didn’t turn away. “Yeah. So?”

“So, Sebastian was just standing a few feet away from you and your perfect, unbound breasts. He’s lucky I didn’t catch him looking at them.”

She rolled her eyes and headed back into the guest room.

He followed, barely reaching the door before she shut it in his face. “Hey,” he said. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Going back to bed. I’m glad I got to meet Lily, but it’s the middle of the night and I’m exhausted.”

“All right.” He took her hand in his and pulled her back out the door.

“Cam. I said I’m tired.”

“I know. I’m taking you to bed.”

She stopped walking, pulling him to a stop. “No.”

He raised a brow at the stubborn tilt of her chin. “What do you mean ‘no’?” he asked.

“I’m capable of sleeping in my own room. I’m tired, and I want to go back to bed.”

He grinned and closed the distance so she had to look up to hold his gaze. “I promise I’ll let you. I just want you in my arms for a while.”

A frown wrinkled her brow, and she pushed against his chest with her free hand. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Confusion filled him, especially when he realized she was upset. Agitation and sadness drifted from her, dimming her bright aura the slightest bit.

“Why, baby? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just let me go, okay?”

He had a feeling she was talking about more than his hold on her hand. “No. That’s the last thing I want to do.”

“Cam—”

“Stop trying to push me away, Elle. Please.”

Her shoulders dropped, and exhaustion was clear in every breath. He finally gave in to his urge to pick her up but made the small concession of returning to her room.

“We’ll stay here tonight,” he said. He placed her on the bed then began removing his clothes. “I’m sleeping with you, so don’t try to push me out.”

She watched him silently until he had stripped down to his underwear. “Okay, fine, but keep those on at least.”

He grinned. “Am I that irresistible?”

“Yes.”

If she hadn’t sounded angry about it, he would have laughed. He slid in beside her. “For now, just sleep.”

She turned her back to him, and he pulled her against his chest. He considered it a small victory when she didn’t pull away. He ran his hand over her side and rested it on her hip, but she didn’t fully relax.

“I really wish you would tell me what’s bothering you, Elle. What happened between the time you fell asleep on top of me and now?”

At first she remained silent, and he thought she wouldn’t answer. But then she sighed and placed her hand on top of his, moving it off her as she rolled onto her back.

“Over the past four years I’ve learned what I thought was everything about you, Cam. I’ve wanted to touch and kiss you for so long, but it’s been more than a physical attraction. I’ve admired your intelligence and strength, appreciated your humor and generosity. You’re pretty much the perfect man.” She turned her head to face him. “But now I know you’re not really a man, and I’ll never be in the same league as you. You can’t promise me forever, because it means something different for each of us, time-wise. I understand that, and I thought I’d be okay with just having a fling for now. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that’s a really bad idea.”

Panic made his pulse race as he sorted through her words. He reached out and laid his hand on the side of her face. “I wish you wouldn’t try to end this before it’s even really started.”

“End what? You’re not even making me any promises.” She grasped his hand but didn’t pull it away. “Which is fine. I’m not asking for any. But I am asking you to be realistic. Don’t bullshit me, Cam.”

A shot of anger speared through him. “I’m not trying to.” He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “I’m trying to be as honest with you as I can.”

She watched him a moment, then nodded, and rolled back to her side, facing away from him. “Okay. Good night.”

That wasn’t the end of it. They hadn’t really resolved anything, because he had no clue what to say to her. He wouldn’t make promises he wasn’t sure he could keep. As he listened to her breaths even out into sleep, he wondered how to get back to the way things had been a few hours ago without the possibility of hurting her or letting down his brothers.

…

Cam was no closer to an answer the next morning when Eleanor wouldn’t so much as look in his general direction. Though he knew he still couldn’t make any solid promises, he also couldn’t ignore his desire to touch her. There had to be a way to meet in the middle. He had tried coaxing her into the shower with him, but she claimed to have showered the night before. When he emerged, she was already in the kitchen with his brothers. After that, she did a great job of keeping Uri and Sel between them, and his damn brothers helped her at every turn. He glared at them and tried sending threats telepathically. All they did was laugh. Damn them.

Just as he was ready to punch one of them in the face, Mike called them into the map room. He was sitting at the head of the table with a laptop open in front of him, a huge change from only a few weeks ago when he didn’t even want to use a cell phone.

“The rift Sebastian pointed out has been exhibiting some seismic activity. Unfortunately, it’s gotten the attention of human scientists, and a group from both the University of Texas and A&M University are headed that way.” He pointed to a photo on the computer screen. “Uri, you will intercept the professor leading the group. Sel, you will go to Van Horn to check on the women’s safety.” He looked at Cam. “You and I will join Sebastian and his brothers and sisters to flush out that compound.”

“When do we leave?” Sel asked.

He pointed to Sel and Uri. “Both of you, immediately.” He crossed his arms and looked at Eleanor. “We’re going to have to leave you at Zerach’s house. Rafe and Asta are already there.”

Surprise lit her face. “Oh, okay. Um…they don’t mind?”

“Of course not,” Cam said. “Why would they?”

She was finally forced to look at him. “I don’t want to impose. It’s not like they expected to have to babysit me.”

“It’s not babysitting—”

Mike shot Cam a warning look. “It will be fine, Eleanor,” he said. “Our brothers still share in some of our duties, and protecting you is one thing they’re able to do to help in this situation. They’re eager to help.”

Annoyance filled Cam, but Mike’s explanation eased the concern on her face, so he kept quiet. Elle headed back to the guest room to pack her bag, and he trailed her up the stairs. “You might not even be there overnight.”

“Okay,” she said as she walked into the room.

“Asta and Isadora will greet you with open arms. So there’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Sure.”

Elle pulled her bag from the closet and tossed it on the bed. Then she walked to the dresser and opened a drawer. In silence, she packed her clothes. Once she pulled the strap of the bag over her shoulder, he was ready to pop.

He stepped forward and pulled the bag from her shoulder. “Let me get that.”

She held on tight. “It’s fine. I can carry it.”

He pulled on the strap. “You don’t have to.”

Determination lit her gaze as she pulled back. “Neither do you.”

Rather than indulge in a tug-of-war, he released the bag and held his hands up. “All right. Fine. Have it your way.”

Anger creased her brow, but she took a deep breath before speaking. He waited for her to yell or curse. Instead, she straightened her shoulders and took another deep breath. “Let’s go before it gets any later.”

“Elle, please—”

“Enough, Cam. I told you last night how I felt about everything. We had our few minutes of fun, now it’s over.”

She tried to step around him, but no way was he going to let that comment slide. “Oh, hell no.” He wrapped both arms around her so she was pinned to his chest.

“Cam, let me go.” She reared back.

He held on. “Last night was about more than a few minutes of fun.”

“No, it wasn’t, and you know it.”

“The hell it wasn’t. Why would you even say that?”

She glared at him. “Maybe because you still haven’t committed to anything? Let. Go.”

With a sigh, he did as she asked but wouldn’t move away. “Please. Elle. Just bear with me until we get the situation we’re in resolved.”

She headed for the door but stopped just inside and looked at him over her shoulder. “You’re an angel, Cam. There’s always going to be a situation. There’s always going to be some reason you can’t fully commit to me and chance being unable to help others. I guess I just finally realized it would be terribly selfish of me to ask you to do that.”