Angels weren’t freaks. The faintest hum of what could have been anger moved beneath Rogziel’s flesh, but then the feeling faded. Feelings always faded for him.

Angels weren’t supposed to experience emotions. They only had duties, no desires.

His duty was to punish the wicked.

Azrael was wicked. Sammael had sinned too many times to count, and little Seline . . .

Now you’ve betrayed me.

And after all he’d done for her. Years spent—wasted—trying to save her immortal soul, only to have her give in the first time she was tempted by a Fallen.

He’d expected her to hold out a bit longer. Her mother hadn’t caved in so easily.

No matter. The choices had been made. Now he’d have to punish her, too.

“Seline’s gone.” Alex’s voice roughed with the fury Rogziel knew humans carried so often. “And the watchers you put on Sunrise can’t find a trace of Sammael.”

Now Rogziel’s eyebrows lifted. “You think Seline was working with him?”

“I think Sammael saw a chance to bust out one of his brethren, and he took it.”

But Alex didn’t understand. Sammael wouldn’t have wanted to free Azrael. Based on what Rogziel knew, Sammael would want to kill his brother. Perhaps torture him, then kill him, but not help Azrael. Never that. Sammael wasn’t the forgiving sort.

Another sin to lay at his feet.

But Rogziel began to understand as his gaze drifted back to the warehouse ruins. Sam, did you underestimate your brother again?

Azrael wasn’t easy pickings, even if he was still a fresh Fallen.

Azrael—Az—they’d once been friends, as close as angels could be to friends, but Rogziel still planned to punish the Fallen. He always did his duty.

Az’s time would come, after Rogziel took care of Sam. Sam had been on his list for centuries, but he was so strong that getting to him hadn’t been easy. Luckily, the situation had now changed.

Good thing I have the right bait.

Sam wouldn’t even realize what was happening, not until it was too late.

No one could escape hell. Not Az, not Seline, and not Sam—and not any Other who thought they could escape him.

Rogziel would make certain of it.

Time for them to pay. Judgment was at hand.

CHAPTER FIVE

Seline’s breath choked in her lungs. Her skin was so sensitive that just the touch of the sheet against her had her tensing.

Sam lay beside her, but she could still feel him all along the length of her body. Inside and out.

Oh, boy. She was in trouble. Serious trouble. Her wounds had healed, her power scale was about to rocket through the roof, but she was so scared in that moment that her stomach knotted.

Didn’t expect that.

It hadn’t been just sex. She’d had sex before. Sex didn’t make you so hungry and wild that you just wanted to take and take and take until you could barely breathe, much less move.

That was—addiction.

Everyone knew demons had a problem with addiction. Even a half-breed like her understood just how deadly an addiction could be.

Never suspected a Fallen would be my drug of choice. Fate sure liked to play games.

“Why . . .” Her voice came out sounding rather like a frog’s croak. Way to be a sexy succubus. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Why did you save me?”

He’d had the chance. If he wanted to attack Az, he could have gone after the Fallen and left her to the flames.

And where the hell had that fire come from? The sprinklers on the ceiling hadn’t kicked on, and the flames had actually seemed to be zeroing in on her.

“Because I know what the fire feels like.” He turned away from her. Her hands clenched into fists, and her nails bit into her palms as she fought the urge to reach out to him.

She could play this cool, maybe. Not like it was her first after-sex scene. Just her first after-really-awesome-nearly-knock-me-out-sex scene.

He rose from the bed. Naked, strong, those muscles flexing with his movements. What a fine ass. Totally biteable. The scars on his back were dark, still appearing a light red even after all this time, and she had the strangest urge to . . . lick them.

Next time.

“I thought . . .” She sucked in a breath and tasted him. “I thought you said you were here to watch the world burn.”

Sam glanced back at her, and his blue eyes glinted. “You’re not the world.”

No, she was just one half-breed succubus who was in way over her head. She pulled the sheet up to her chest. “Az got away.”

“Azrael won’t get far.” A promise reflected in that deadly tone. “The bastard can run, but I will find him.”