Angel in Chains (The Fallen 3)

And he’d been the one to toss the demon across the room.

So screwing up my plan.

“Go.” Az pushed her toward the door. Jade guessed that he didn’t realize the door was now blocked by two really pissed-off looking demons. “I’ll handle them.”

She didn’t go.

The demon he’d hurled across the room had now risen to his feet. His eyes—no longer a warm green but instead a cold, pitch black—locked on her. “You set me up, bitch.”

Well, no, she hadn’t. She’d come in, intending to do this deal right. Couldn’t a girl hire a paranormal hit squad anymore without issues coming up? No deal was ever simple these days.

“I didn’t set you up,” she told the demon. William. A hard-hitter with a reputation for taking care of business. She’d worked for weeks arranging this meeting. Jade tried to step around Az. He glared at her and blocked her path. Wrong time, hero. “There’s just a—a misunderstanding going on here.”

She needed these demons. If they went after the panthers, they could take out the whole pack.

“He had a knife at your throat,” Az snarled. “You’re bleeding because of him.”

“The lady wanted a close look at my silver blade.” William shrugged and offered a smile that was icy. “She wanted to see how I’d killed the last two shifters who were dumb enough to cross my path.”

No matter what the stories said, silver didn’t just work on werewolves. It was an all-purpose weapon against most shifters.

But in order to take down Brandt and his panther buddies, they’d need a whole lot more than just a few silver tricks.

Been there, done that.

Az turned his head, and she saw his gaze searching the room. Scanning all the demons who now wore kick-ass expressions.

Her master plan was so screwed. “We can still make this work,” Jade said, fighting to keep her voice calm, but the desperation she felt wanted to leak into her words “You can take the money, take the hit—”

“Oh, I’ll be taking the money.” William snapped his fingers, and one of his freaking minions swiped up the money in an instant. “As far as the hit goes . . .”

Take it. Take out Brandt. Do it.

He flashed her a grin. “I’m afraid you’re not the first one to come at me with a deal, honey.”

Crap.

“Your boyfriend came to me first. And he paid more.”

Now Jade took a step back and wished, really, really wished, that she’d run as soon as Az appeared. But when you couldn’t run—

You fought as hard as you could.

“He’s put a price on your pretty head.” William smirked at her as he sidled closer. With the back of his hand, he swiped away the blood that trickled from his busted lip. Az had made the demon bleed nicely when he’d tossed his sorry assassin butt across the room.

“He wants me dead?” Jade asked, but she wasn’t really surprised. It had only been a matter of time before Brandt grew tired of the game and decided killing her was the best option.

“No, he wants you very much alive.” William’s gaze darted to Azrael. “But he didn’t say a f**king thing about me not getting to kill any ass**les who were with you.”

Az straightened his shoulders and he just—smiled. The smile made him look all the more gorgeous, but, um, did the guy get that he was surrounded by some cutthroat supernatural killers?

Az’s gaze raked over the demon. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“A dick who’s about to die?”

The other demons snickered.

Jade saw the glint of the knife. It had fallen under the table. Not too far away. If she moved fast enough, she might be able to grab it.

“I guess I don’t come in here often enough for folks to know me,” Az said slowly, speaking in a thoughtful tone. He paused, “But I bet you know my brother.”

William lifted his hands, and a ball of fire appeared between his palms. Demons and fire. Such a deadly mix. “Do I look like I give a shit whose brother you are?”

Az didn’t look particularly scared of those flames. “Since you’re in his bar, you should.”

For some reason, that statement made some of the demons blanch. And she caught the whisper of. . . “Fuck, Sammael!”

Then Az just walked toward that demon and his ball of fire. “Tell you what,” Az said, “to be fair, I’ll even let you take the first shot.”

What? “No!” Jade screamed, but it was too late. William had already thrown his ball of fire right at Az.

She dove for the knife. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt. Jade leapt up. Don’t burn, don’t! She spun as fast as she could—and buried the knife into William’s side. “Get away from him!”

The demon shuddered and stumbled back.

“Az?” She barely breathed his name. Her gaze swept over his chest, but—but there was no sign of any burns. Not even a wisp of smoke.

His eyes were on the demon. “My turn.”

Then he reached out and pressed his hand against William’s chest.

The demon’s eyes widened. His lips opened as if he were trying to speak, but then his body tumbled back, and he hit the floor with a hard thud.

Dead.

Jade glanced down at him. Then she looked back up at Az. “What did you do?” Her voice was hushed. But . . . this was just like in the alley. He’d touched, and he’d killed.

His gaze met hers. Az didn’t speak.

“What are you?” Her stark whisper. She had to know.

Now his lips turned up in a smile that chilled her. “I’m Death.”

Like he was the first man to tell her that line.

“I’m death.” Brandt’s yell echoed in her ears. “Wherever you go, whoever you turn to—I’ll know. And I’ll f**king kill them all.”

She bent down and yanked the knife from William’s body. Then she held up the knife because it was the only weapon she had. “Stay away from me.”

A line edged between Az’s blond brows. “I helped you.”

Where was the demon who’d taken her cash? She’d be needing that back. But it looked like those guys had scrambled. They probably had been racing out of that place even as William’s body hit the floor. “Did you follow me here?” Her heart pounded so fast that Jade was worried it might break right out of her chest.

Az shook his head. “I was already at Sunrise when you came in.”