“After what he’s already suffered, you’d leave him hanging in the wind?” She shook her head violently. “I’m ashamed at the very idea.”

“We don’t have time to dick around, Siobhán. If we fly back up to Seattle and put him out there, it’s damned likely his scent Will get picked up by someone who’s tasted him and they won’t be able to resist.”

“Because they’l want to retaliate. Their nest was razed while they were out prowling, and he’s walking around renewed and unscathed,” she said.

“And We’ll be right there to catch them,” Malachai said grimly.

“I said no.”

Trevor reached out to her, touching her arm. “Hey,” he said softly. “I want this. Let me do it.”

She looked at him and in one unguarded moment, he saw how worried she was. “I don’t want you to, Trevor. I don’t like it.”

“I know. I get it.” He stepped closer, very much aware of the brooding male angel watching them so intently. “But right now I’m a victim, Siobhán. I’d prefer to be a survivor, a fighter. Those vampires are out there terrorizing others like me. Let me help you stop them.”

“Trevor . . .” Her breath left her in a rush. “Please don’t ask this of me. I’m not comfortable with it.”

And he wasn’t comfortable with her going hunting without him. He knew it was ridiculous for him to feel that way, she wasn’t an ordinary woman, but he couldn’t fight his need to watch her back if she was going to be in even the remotest danger.

“There’s something I’ve long believed and lived by,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason. Usual y it takes hindsight to figure out what that reason is, but still .”

He wanted to pul her back into his arms, and that longing brought home how attached to her he’d become. He was a friendly guy by nature, affectionate and quick to touch, but he had never felt this proprietary about a woman. “Al we can do is be true to ourselves and the ones we love, and hope for the best.”

“We’re facing the worst.”

“Let him come, Siobhán,” Malachai said. “He’s right. There’s a reason we found him when we did.”

“It’s too soon! We just pul ed him from that hel hole!”

“But you said I’m physical y fit,” Trevor argued. “It’s not like time is going to make me any healthier. Bigger, yes. But not healthier.”

“Okay. Fine.” Her eyes blazed with blue flames. “But you have to let me refresh your memories of your combat training. I want to bring them closer to the surface, make them more vibrant. And Malachai Will get you some high-caloric protein drinks. I want you to drink as many as you can between now and dusk to put some weight on. My blood Will ensure that the effects manifest quickly.”

“Whatever you say,” he agreed readily. “You’re the boss.”

“If that was true, you’d listen to me,” she muttered.

“I’l make it up to you.” He didn’t mean for the promise to sound suggestive, but the husky note in his voice belied his intentions. “You can boss me around all you want in the infirmary.”

“I’l boss you around during this crazy sting operation, too.” She stalked toward the door. “Come on. Let me show you the armory.”

Chapter 7

“You have a lot of weapons for a group that doesn’t need any,” Trevor said, eyeing the armory Carriden had built over the last few months. “Vamps and lycans use them,” Siobhán explained, standing slightly behind him so that he didn’t see how she admired his backside. It startled her that she could find his physical form so attractive after spending the entirety of her existence surrounded by perfect Sentinels. But then it was Trevor’s flaws that she found most appealing. Like the way his left ear was just a tiny bit higher than the right one and the slight imperfection of the bottom row of his teeth. “We col ect them as we go.”

“Lycans?” He faced her and her breath caught. Thanks to three high-caloric energy shakes, his features had fil ed out further, making him even more attractive. In a day or two, he’d be ready to leave. “As in werewolves?”

“Not quite.” She gestured to one of the chairs set in front of a table used for cleaning and loading the guns. “I’ve explained to you about the Sentinel angels and the Watcher angels who fel and became Fal en vampires.”

“Yeah.” He sat. “I’m with you so far.”

“Some of the Watchers didn’t want to become Fal en vampires. They begged Adrian—he’s the Captain of the Sentinels—for leniency, and he had the foresight to see that we’d need help, but his hands were tied. We’d been ordered to strip the Watchers of their wings. For angels, wings and souls are bound together. You lose one, you lose the other. Our souls are what feed us. Instead of eating food like you do, we absorb sustenance from the energy around us. That’s why the Fal en drink blood. They need that life-force energy, but they can’t get it the way they used to.

You fol owing?”

“Yes. Some of the Watchers didn’t want to be bloodsuckers, but they had to lose their wings which would automatical y make them bloodsuckers.”

“Right.” Her gaze swept over his face, marveling—once again—at how seamlessly he was transitioning from the half-animal creature in the basement to this healthy man in front of her. all within the space of a few days. Certainly the immediate and total healing of his body helped immensely, but he was a remarkable example of adaptability and survival. He was a miracle.

“So,” she went on, “Adrian had to conceive of a way to take their wings, but not their souls. Demons are very adept at taking possession of souls, so Adrian experimented with transfusing demon blood into the Watchers before severing their wings and it worked. However, in addition to sparing their souls, the demon blood—werewolf blood to be precise—also imparted some special properties, such as the ability to shapeshift.”

“Gotcha.”

“For many years, the lycans have worked for the Sentinels to keep the vampires in check. In their human forms, they use these weapons you see around us, so we col ect them as we go. We also study them to better learn how to defend ourselves against them.”

Trevor ran a hand over his head and the dark hair that was growing at an accelerated rate. “Wow. Okay. Vamps, lycans, angels, and demons.”

“It’s a lot to take in, I know.”

“I’l say. How do I know which of you guys are angels and which are lycans?”

She shook her head. “There are no lycans here.”

“Oh?” His brows rose. “That makes it easy, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose.” Her mouth curved. It was easy being with Trevor. The easiest thing she’d ever done.

“You have a beautiful smile, Siobhán.” His voice was warm and soft, just like his eyes were when he looked at her.

“I like your smile, too.” Once again she found herself rubbing at an inexplicable ache in her chest. She couldn’t help feeling uneasy when she thought about him facing the nightmares he had just escaped from. He’d so recently found safety and now he was putting himself in danger again. She began walking the perimeter of the room, looking at the guns in their racks. “Vampires are vulnerable to silver. all of the bul ets and blades here are heavily coated with it. A direct shot to the heart or beheading is the only way to kil one, so please keep that in mind.”