Revenant (Lords of Deliverance 6)

“That doesn’t explain why you’re spying on him.” She didn’t answer, but he realized she didn’t need to.

The fact that she was here spying on the werewolf told Rev that she’d truly cared about him. She might even have set him free if he wasn’t bound for life to be a slave. Nope, his slave bond, while transferable, wasn’t breakable. Tough break. Revenant knew exactly how it felt to be tethered to someone by blood.

“Why are you here?” she asked tiredly. “Some diabolical plot to annoy me to death?”

“I wanted to check up on the Horsemen,” he lied.

“They’re fine, and unless they summon you, I’d stay out of their way.”

“Aw, Uncle Revenant isn’t their favorite person anymore?”

She ignored his sarcasm. He’d never been their favorite person. “They’re a little protective of their father, and since you and Reaver aren’t exactly best buds…”

“They’re going to be dishing me extra large portions of asshole at the family reunion.” So not a surprise.

Harvester cast a fleeting glance at him. “Can I ask you something?”

Huh. Harvester never asked permission to do anything, so this should be good. “Shoot.”

This time when she looked over, she locked eyes with him. “In all the time I was rotting in my father’s dungeons, why didn’t you ever take the opportunity to torture me? He sent everyone else to do their best, so why not you?”

Actually, Satan had offered Harvester up on a platter for Rev’s sadistic enjoyment. But while Revenant had no problem with killing, he couldn’t torture a female. Even before he got his memories back, he’d had a particular aversion to it, even though he’d had no idea why. Now he knew. He’d seen what it had done to his mother, and he would take no part in that.

“Your pain doesn’t interest me,” he said.

Eyes narrowed, she studied him long enough that he damned near started squirming. “Tell me, Revenant, when he tells you to kill me, will that interest you?” He shrugged, but something in his expression must have given him away, because she murmured, “He already has, hasn’t he?”

“It’s against the rules for a Watcher to kill another Watcher,” he said simply.

She snorted. “As if there aren’t work-arounds. I’ve seen the archangels bend rules for their own selfish reasons. I’m sure you can, too.”

Maybe, but he wouldn’t. Rules were rules. “Speaking of archangels, I don’t suppose you can tell me what’s up with the goody-goody bastards?”

She flipped her black hair over her shoulder. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Why won’t they respond to my summons?”

She gave him a flat look. “Do you really think they keep me in the loop? I haven’t seen any of them since I got my halo back.” She watched the werewolf prop the broom against the side of the cabin and head toward the barn and main house. “You should talk to Reaver.”

“So he can tell me again that we need to work together to stop the newest threat to Heaven and Mankind? Fuck that. I don’t give a shit about either.”

“Is that why you’ve been ignoring his summons? Because you don’t give a shit?”

“Pretty much.”

“You need to talk to him. Stop being childish.”

“Childish? We never had a chance to be childish.”

She jammed her fists on her hips. “Well, you’re making up for it now.”

Maybe she had a point. He and Reaver had rolled around in the dirt during a knock-down, drag-out brawl. And he’d been ignoring his brother like a kid with his fingers in his ears doing the “nah-nah-nah, I can’t hear you” thing.

Jesus. Next they’d be fighting over whose baseball team was better and who Mom liked best.

Except the latter wasn’t an argument. Their mother had chosen Reaver to be sent to Heaven to be raised.

So maybe it was time for a good old-fashioned family reunion, if only to see what had made Reaver her favorite.

Blaspheme could still taste Revenant on her lips. The bastard tasted like spiced rum, and she loved that stuff. Why couldn’t he taste like onions or garlic? And it would be awesome if he reeked, too. But no, he had to smell as good as he tasted, earthy and natural, like sex in the woods. He’d make a fantastic air freshener for some guy’s man cave.

She tried not to think about him as she dodged patients and bustling staff in the emergency department, but the kiss lingered on her lips and in her mind. She shouldn’t have let him near her, should have gotten away from him before he could grab her, shove her against the wall, and kiss her until her panties were damp.

Son of a bitch.

She needed to get laid.

How long had it been? She had to think back a couple of years, but she stopped herself before she went too far. He’d been a surgeon, a complete asshole, and they’d both been using each other. They’d used each other right up until the point when he’d gotten himself killed by Aegis slayers.

Yeah, she needed to just let that one go. Actually, she should let all thoughts of sex go, because right now she didn’t have the time anyway. The responsibility of running a clinic was enough stress as it was. But now her mother’s life was in danger, and not just from her injuries, but from angels as well. To top it all off, Blas’s own trouble with her deteriorating False Angel enchantment meant her own life and career were at risk. Her life was a mess, and she definitely didn’t need to throw sex into the mix.