Angel in Chains (The Fallen 3)

But he shook his head. “This is the best way. We can get a supply of bullets. I can use them. You can use them.”

“The hound won’t just give up those claws.” Sam tapped his chin. “You’re gonna have to fight hard for them.”

This plan sucked. “No,” Jade said adamantly. “Forget it. Not going to—”

Az kissed her again. A brush of his lips. A slide of his tongue. Then . . . “Keep her safe, and don’t let her follow me.”

He vanished. No, didn’t vanish. Just rushed by her because she felt the fast whip of wind as he passed. Jade turned to run after him, but Sam grabbed her hand.

“I can’t let you do that,” he murmured. “Sorry, demon, but . . .”

In a blink, he had her across the room. He’d tossed her up in that big, golden cage that dangled over the dance floor. A wave of his hand had the door locking, and a blast of fire from his fingertips melted the lock—effectively sealing the cage and trapping her inside. “But Az doesn’t need you distracting him right now.”

Growls reached her ears then. Snarls. Inhuman sounds. And the walls shook as the beast attacked.

She grabbed the golden bars. “Let me out of here!”

Sam was on the ground below her. He shook his head but didn’t look particularly regretful. “Trust me on this, he deserves to have a pound or two of flesh ripped away. Your angel isn’t exactly the prize you think.”

“He’s exactly what I think he is.” And she was tired of everyone saying differently. “Now let me out!”

But he just turned away. “If he wants Beelzebub’s claws, then Az will have to bleed for them.”

“No!” Jade screamed. The bars wouldn’t break. The cage swung back and forth from its heavy chain, and those growls just grew louder.

Az thundered down the old staircase in the back of Sunrise. He’d made short work of the metal doors and the padlocks upstairs. A wave of his hand and fire disintegrated the next set of padlocks that barred his path. A fast kick, and the reinforced steel door before him flew inward.

Az rushed inside, and the hound immediately attacked him.

The beast’s breath, hot and reeking of hell’s stench, blew into Az’s face. Giant, yellowed teeth came at his throat even as the hound’s claws swiped over Az’s chest. He bellowed at the white-hot pain and kicked the beast off him.

The hound flew through the air, but landed easily on its feet. Thick, matted black fur covered the hulking body. Long, bloodstained claws raked across the floor.

The beast stared at him.

He can see sin.

And Beelzebub attacked again.

The hound drove Az back into the wall. Sheetrock fell around him, and Az was pretty sure that crunch was his ribs breaking. The hound’s teeth sank into his shoulder.

Pain tore through him. A hellhound’s teeth didn’t just cut and tear, they burned an angel. Clenching his teeth, Az grabbed the beast’s head and yanked those razor-sharp teeth from his shoulder. He held the beast’s head in his hands and gazed into the eyes lit by hellfire.

“You’re not killing me today,” he snarled. Sam had to find a better place to keep the beast. Sooner or later, it would start eating the Sunrise patrons.

The beast leapt back.

Az swiped his tongue over his lower lip and tasted blood. “And as much as I want to . . .” The beast circled around him, tossing back its ferocious head and howling loud enough to wake the dead. “I’m not going to kill you.” He knew Sam and Seline were a little too fond of their monster pet.

The beast charged again. Az leapt out of the way. The hound’s head slammed into the steel door.

“Won’t kill you,” Az said again as the hound rose, shaking its head, “but I will be taking those claws.”

He could have sworn the hound smiled at him then. So many teeth. Then the beast lunged for him, and those claws sank into Az’s stomach.

Sammael—Sam—was just going to stand there while Az died. And Seline sure didn’t look like she was about to rush to Az’s aid. “Why are you doing this?” Jade demanded. She’d yanked on every bar in the cage. No freaking give, not even near the lock since the guy had used his fire to solder the door shut.

Sam glanced up at her. “Az is the one who wanted to tangle with the beast. I just gave him what he wanted.”

“Why do you hate him so much?” She couldn’t get her heart to slow down. Her hands shook as fury filled her body. “I mean, I get it—he’s your brother, so there’s probably some sibling rivalry bullshit going on.”

Sam’s gaze iced.

“But he could die in there. Brandt almost killed him before. Az isn’t as strong as you seem to think he is.”

Laughter spilled from the Fallen. “And he’s not as weak as you seem to think.”

When his laughter faded away, silence filled the room. No more growls. The snarls had stopped.

The cage swung back and forth.

Her hands knotted around the bars.

“He’d better not have hurt my hound.” Seline’s mutter reached Jade’s ears. “I owe your brother, so I let him in the ring with Beelzebub, but if Az hurt—”

Az shuffled into the room. A trail of blood followed him.

“Az!” Jade cried out.

His hands were on his stomach. Deep gashes covered his chest and arms. When he lifted his hands, Jade gasped at the sight of the deep wound that cut into his gut.

His gaze rose at the sound of her shocked breath. Blood trickled from his busted lip. “Don’t worry.” Despite his injuries, his voice was cool, even calm. “I got what we needed.”

Then he put his hand in the mess that was his stomach. He pulled out one thick claw. Another. Another.

Her knees wanted to buckle so Jade just held tighter to the bars in order to stay upright.

“Your pet broke a few nails,” Az told Seline as he dropped five heavy claws onto the floor.

Seline crept forward. “Did you—”

But she didn’t get to finish. Because a great, hulking black beast burst from those metal doors and headed right for Az’s back.

Jade yelled out a warning, but she knew it would come too late. The hellhound was a nightmare. Teeth barred, eyes burning like the fires of hell.

And there was nothing she could do. She was trapped. Az would die.

“No!” The scream seemed to break from her soul as her fury erupted. It burned hard and bright and washed right through her. As she fell to the floor of the cage, a ball of fire ripped out of her body and hurtled toward the beast. The fire slammed into the hound and stopped the monster just before it could reach Az.