Page 62 of Reapers Don’t Ride

“I lied. Angels lie sometimes, particularly ones like me, the ones with Goblin blood that make me nothing close to perfectly angelic. You’re shocked, right? I saw you with Shane, and the way that he flirted with you, and I thought that I shouldn’t let you walk away without understanding my feelings.”

“You like energy exchange.”

“I like you. I’d like to date you.”

I stared at him, forgetting to make my legs walk until he looped his arm in mine and tugged me along the winding path. “It’s a cover.”

“Yes, but I’d like it to be real. The only other female I’ve ever been truly interested in was part ogre. The purely angelic isn’t dynamic enough for me.”

“How many purely angelic girls have you tried?”

He gave me a slight smile. “Is this you asking because you’re curious about my personal life or…”

“I’m saying that you should keep trying. I’m not for you. I’m never going to love you, because I’m…”

He pulled me under the trees, off the path, and suddenly we were two hearts in an empty universe. The flowers were stronger there, telling me to relax, to enjoy the moment.

His voice was low, compelling, and so sweet. “I ate your cake. I tasted your feelings as much as you tasted mine. I understand thinking that you aren’t good enough for someone else because of your nature. I do. But you’re more than just a vampire who doesn’t want to change. You’re yourself, the assassin with a ferret who can’t help but liberate anyone you see enslaved, who solves problems in ways only you could puzzle through, and who loves so deeply and constantly, I’d be a fool to ignore it. If you didn’t want me, I wouldn’t say anything, but…”

A stick snapped behind us. I spun around, ready to protect my angel. Gavriel wrapped his arms around me while the figure took shape: horns, tail, and a very fitted suit that outlined his body a bit too well.

“Good evening. I hate to disturb you, but I wouldn’t want a pair of lovers to get lost in my woods before they lost their money first. May I escort you to the casino proper?”

“Your woods?” I demanded, frowning at him and his horns. “In that case, you’re the devil we came to see. Do you know about the mercenaries who attacked me the other day?”

He pursed his lips and looked thoughtful, not really thoughtful, more like he was thinking what he should reveal of all the things he’d already thought. He was a schemer to be certain. “How could I possibly know about any attack?”

“Specifically,” Gavriel added, “That they were all killed by whoever hired them once my good friend showed them mercy and didn’t kill a single one?”

He blinked and revealed a flash of annoyance. “You didn’t kill them? Why not?”

“I’m taking a break.”

“A break? The Ruby Blood is taking a break from killing? Corrupting angels instead, is that right? Is the thrill the same?”

I ignored that bit about corrupting angels. It was too true, particularly if Gavriel was being honest about his goblin coming out more around me. “Do you care at all that the mercenaries you matched were killed by their employer?”

He rubbed his chin as he studied me and then Gavriel. “I care. It’s bad business.”

“You really are a demon.”

“No, a devil. Devils are charming, while demons are brutal forces of tedious monotony. I offered your master a very high sum for your services.”

I blinked at him. I hadn’t expected that. I bared my teeth before I could help myself. “You wanted to own me?”

“Hire you. I don’t have slaves. Neither did Mr. Good, but you were special. On that note, the hired mercenaries weren’t meant to kill you but to take you. That means, Miss Blood, that you should probably run in the opposite direction from the person who hired these mercs.”

“You have a direction for me to run away from? I’d love to hear it.”

He smiled, showing white teeth with tiny, adorable fangs. “I’m sure you would. But what should be the price of such information?”

Gavriel stepped around me, drawing his sword and then smiled beatifically at the devil. “You knew that someone was hired to steal my vampire. I think your life is sufficient in trade.”

The devil eyed Gavriel’s sword, then with one neatly trimmed nail, pushed it to the side. “You make a good point. She’s been taken by enough villains. It’s time for her to have something different for a change. Are you certain that you aren’t a diabolical monster beneath that façade of righteousness?”

Gavriel smiled even wider. “You’ve clearly known many angels.”

“Yes. Their destructive potential is limitless. As is their ability to love.” He turned to face me, raising a dark brow imperiously. “You will find what you seek where it all began.”