And into hell.
“Then I’ll make sure when they drag me . . .” Sam didn’t feel even a flicker of fear. Not for himself. “That I’ve got one unbreakable hold on Rogziel.” The bastard would go with him to hell. He pointed at Mateo. “I want my wish.”
Mateo blinked. “Wh-what?”
“I summoned you, now I want a wish granted.” He knew how this deal worked. Knew that even if Mateo wanted to refuse, the guy wouldn’t be able to, not at a crossroads. “I want to bind an angel. I need a spell to keep him still.”
“You can’t—” Mateo began with a shake of his head
“This is a bad plan,” Seline said at the same instant. “Very bad.”
Sam turned his head to meet her gaze. “Trust me.”
“I do.” Instant. Not what he’d expected. His gaze narrowed on her, and he realized she was staring at him with eyes that saw too much. Too deep. “I trust you, but I’m not about to let you die.” She glanced back at Mateo. “If I could control the hounds, really control them, we could take Rogziel out, right?”
“You’d have to grow wings and fly first, querida,” Mateo told her, voice rough. “The only ones with true control . . . those are the punishment angels.”
“But my mother was—”
He held up his hand, stopping her. “You’re a half-breed, just like me. Sometimes we get the power, hot enough to burn through the skin, but sometimes, we barely get enough to stir the wind.” His stare bored into her. “When the chips are down, a hellhound won’t hesitate. And if you’re not in total control, the beast can even turn on you. Then you’d be the one it takes to hell.”
An image of those razor-sharp teeth flashed before Sam’s eyes.
“This is all fascinating, but Sierra could be freaking dying,” Tomas spat. “Are we going to stay here, pissing the day away, or are we going to help her?”
Sam glanced at him then back at Seline. “We have to help her,” she said, and the plea in her voice went right past his guard. “She’s a pawn, and Rogziel stopped caring about what happens to pawns long ago.”
Staring at her, Sam knew he could refuse her nothing. So he inclined his head, then focused back on Mateo. “I want the binding spell you gave to Rogziel.”
“Hombre, I told you—”
“My wish,” Sam said with a shrug. “And that’s the deal, right? Whatever I want . . .”
Mateo’s gaze drifted between Seline and Sam. “You’d burn for her?”
Sam knew his grin held a cruel edge. “I’d burn anyone who tried to hurt her.” A much more effective approach. “Rogziel won’t touch her.” He’d make sure of it.
A muscle flexed in Mateo’s jaw as he held his hand out. Sam took the offered hand, and a clap of thunder echoed overhead.
“I’ll give you the spell,” Mateo promised. “Damn you, I’ll get it—but I need some time to get all the elements and ingredients together. It’s not simple, and just so you know, it’s one f**king dark spell.”
To bind an angel, he would expect nothing less. “Get it fast, because we’re going in.”
Mateo’s eyes widened. “No, just wait—”
But it was Tomas who answered. “We wait, and Sierra dies.” His hands were fisted at his sides.
“I’ve got enough innocent blood on me.” Sam let his smile stretch in anticipation. “From now on, I’m ready to balance those scales. Let’s see how fast the blood of the wicked flows.”
He dropped Mateo’s hand. “’Cause I’m betting Rogziel is a bleeder.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tomas took them to Rogziel’s hideaway. There were guards walking the perimeter of the area. Three men, armed with guns. Seline had never seen them before, but Sam took one look and muttered, “Humans,” and she figured if anyone could make that instant call, it would be him.
Sam’s gaze swept the scene, and he inhaled deeply, then said, “Dammit.”
Seline tilted her head and caught the light scent of flowers. The smell didn’t come from inside the compound. No, instead, that scent seemed to be coming from . . . right behind them.
No!
Seline spun around. But Rogziel wasn’t waiting with his cold eyes. Delia stood behind her. Actually, the angel floated behind her. “Time to make your move,” Delia said, her gaze on Seline. “Rogziel isn’t there. You can get the woman out.”
Seline licked her lips and hoped this wasn’t a lie. But, wait, angels couldn’t lie . . . just twist the truth to suit their purposes.
“Helping me?” Sam drawled. “Delia, I thought you’d rather see me burn than ever lift a wing to help me.”
“I’m not helping you.” Delia shook her head. “This isn’t for you. I just don’t believe innocents should be punished.” Her gaze finally slid from Seline to take in the two Fallen. “Better hurry. Someone will be coming back very, very angry.”
“Coming back?” Seline repeated, voice going hoarse.
“Um, it seems . . .” and Delia’s gaze cut once more to Tomas. “Rogziel finally realized the obvious. Sometimes, you just can’t go home again.”
Her wings spread behind her. She raced up into the air and disappeared into the clouds.
Sam laughed and glanced toward the house.
Tomas grabbed his arm. “You can’t trust her. She could be setting us up for punishment.”
The guards hadn’t noticed the angel. She’d moved too fast. And they probably hadn’t realized they should be watching the sky. Their mistake.
“I don’t trust her,” Sam said, “but I’m f**king ready to attack.” Then he vanished, too. No, he didn’t vanish, Seline knew that he just moved so fast he blurred—angel speed. The first guard went down, slumping back, and Seline knew Sam had subdued him.
The second guard didn’t even have a chance to gasp before he hit the dirt. The third—Sam snatched his gun right out of his hand and then knocked the guy out with one punch.
Sam grabbed the front door and ripped it right off the hinges.
Seline had to admit, that was rather hot.
Then Tomas pushed her forward, and they raced inside the house. She realized immediately that those guards outside had just been the beginning. More men and women swarmed, but Sam sent them scurrying back when he let out a blast of fire.