“Angels of death and guardians aren’t the only angels out there,” Seline called out. “I’m sure not one of them.”
Marna hesitated.
“If someone is killing, hurting others, then you need to look toward the darker angels.” Seline’s voice held no emotion.
“Angels aren’t goodness and light,” Sam muttered. No, that guy sure as shit wasn’t.
Marna glanced back over her shoulder. “P-punishment angels.”
“Now you’re understanding.” Sam seemed satisfied.
Fine. So she was understanding. Tanner wasn’t. He whirled to face Sam. “For the angel-fucking-impaired here, just tell me what the hell is goin’ on.”
But it was Marna who spoke. Marna who’d known this all along? “Punishment angels can take different . . . guises . . . when they deliver their justice.”
Dammit. He wasn’t liking the sound of this.
“They can take the appearance of any person that you’ve wronged. When you see them coming for you . . . guilt . . .” Marna swallowed. “Guilt can freeze you.”
“And while you freeze, while you are too freaked to fight,” Seline continued quietly as she walked slowly toward the bar and poured herself a drink, “that’s when a punishment angel strikes.” Her smile was sad. “It was one of the first lessons they taught me.” She pointed to the ceiling. “You know, before I decided the view down here was so much better.”
“I do make for an awesome view,” Sam said with a flash of his teeth.
Seriously—what the hell did that woman see in him?
But at least they’d given him some ideas. And at least now his brother wasn’t the only guy in town who could be listed as a suspect.
Except . . . a punishment angel?
“They’re one of the few types of angels who can walk right among the humans,” Sam said, eyes hardening.
“They walk with them,” Marna said. “The better to punish.” Her voice had lowered.
“Know your enemy.” Sam’s advice. “From the sound of things, you need to get to know him pretty f**king fast.”
Tanner cast a searching glance at Marna. The guy out there killing hadn’t come at either one of them directly. Not yet, anyway. He’d gone after the shifters. That cop, and—
“An angel couldn’t kill so freely. Only death angels are supposed to take lives. This guy isn’t a death angel”—Marna was definite—“so you’re wrong, Sammael. This isn’t one of ours.”
Ours.
“It’s someone else,” she insisted. “A demon, a—”
“Punishment angels can become corrupted, too, you know. All angels can be tempted.”
Marna’s gaze found Tanner’s.
“And we can all fall,” Sam finished softly. “I think that’s a truth you’re beginning to understand.”
Too late though. They’d sent Cody out to hunt for the killer, but how was he supposed to fight an angel? Tanner yanked open the door. He spared one glare for Sam. “Spread the word. Make sure the twisted freaks in this town who fear you know that she’s off-limits. They’re not getting her blood.”
Marna slipped through the doorway.
Sam inclined his head. “I’m already spreading that word. I think the dead demons and vamps I’ve left will make the fools think twice before any other attacks.”
Sam’s emotionless voice as he talked about killing reminded Tanner of the guy’s words from just moments before.
Not evil. Not good.
Clenching his teeth, Cody hurried after Marna. He didn’t like talking to Sam. Didn’t like it at all because—
He’s too much like me.
Not good.
And with more evil growing inside each day.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tanner knew the bars that his brother would visit. You didn’t live in this town as long as he had without discovering the darkest of demon hells.
Once upon a time, Tanner had pulled Cody from one of those hells. Dragged his unconscious body out even as he raged at his brother.
The guy had been a screwed-up seventeen-year-old. So sure his dad was a twisted f**k because he’d had the colossal bad luck of being born. Tanner had tried shoving some sense down the guy’s throat. He’d had to break Cody’s addiction first and get him off the drugs that just confused his mind and made him even more desperate.
But I got him clean. And Cody had stayed clean.
“Tanner, slow down!” Marna called sharply, and Tanner realized he’d been running.