Justin stood in the doorway, shoulder pressed to the doorframe as he leaned against it, pretending he hadn’t just watched Jezze destroy the back room. He was a perfect blend of bad boy danger and innocent boy next door and a part of me hated him for it. He was beautiful and deadly with his dirty blond hair and jade green eyes. They glittered and slithered to amber when the man’s wolf was on the edge and ready to pounce on his enemies. On High save the man who pissed off the local alpha.

Good thing I was a woman since I had the habit of annoying him. Often.

“Justin,” I stepped over a downed shelf, ignoring the crunch of glass and the way the alcohol stung my nose. “What brings you by?”

Another crack and another wave of scotch invaded me. I fought the urge to sneeze and banished the stench. My wolf whined and begged me to get the smell out. But I was stronger than the animal and I sure as hell was stronger than Justin.

Justin crossed his arms over his chest, flexing with the movement as if to remind me of his strength. As if I could forget. It might have been a few decades (nine but who was counting) since we’d dated, but his power and pure masculinity weren’t something that could be purged from my mind. Even now, my body recalled the way he held me, cradled me and pinned me when I fought for dominance.

That one time in the forest by the river… I shuddered with the memory, the way I’d sobbed for him and shattered in his arms.

“You’re remembering how good it was, aren’t you?” His low voice sliced through the air and pierced my heart. “That last time? Out by the riv—”

Annoyance sprinted forward. “I’m not remembering anything. Why are you here, Justin?”

His grin was pure sex and seduction and my body weakened beneath the power of that smoky expression. That was a panty-wetting smile.

Da. Yum.

Maybe just one more time…

My wolf snarled at me, snapping and biting at my mind and I twitched beneath the mental onslaught. It growled low, making its fury known.

What the—

Not mine.

Not mine. Dammit, was the animal still hung up on the angel. Granted, it had been fewer than twelve hours since I saw him, but still. He didn’t want me, want us. Wasn’t that enough? The wolf bared its fangs at me. Okay, apparently not.

I cleared my throat and fought to push my scrambled emotions down. I needed to think of something other than sex with him around.

“Can’t a guy stop by and visit a friend?” Pure sin filled his voice and I squashed the hint of desire that threatened to snake up my spine.

“If we were friends, of course. But since we’re not. Then no.”

“Aw, Caith.” He pushed away from the doorway and stepped forward.

The second he even hinted at closing in on me, I held out my hand to halt his progress. I could have burned him to a crisp with a whisper of thought, but I only wanted him outside my space. He could walk through the front door for all I cared, but this area was mine.

“Keep it out there, Justin.”

He held up his hands, palms out as he eased from the building and into the alley. “Okay, okay. I’m backing off. I see you still need to work on your trust issues.”

Asshole.

“I don’t have trust issues. I have you issues.”

Justin sighed. “Not this again. Caith, I—”

“You were fucking me while looking for someone better.”

He growled, eyes flashing yellow. “It wasn’t someone. I was looking for my mate.”

“While fucking me.” It didn’t hurt like it had. My heart had long ago patched itself against Justin Abbott. My vagina however…

“We were good together. You can’t deny that,” he snarled.

“No, I can’t. But I obviously wasn’t enough as evidenced by the small detail you were fucking me while looking for something better.” I ignored the fact that my voice rose with each word until the ground trembled beneath my feet.

All right, maybe I still had a little residual anger.

Justin ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I was looking for my fated mate!”

I smirked. “And did you find her? Tell me, Justin.” I stepped forward and he backed away, nearly tripping over himself to give me space.

A flicker of orange caught my eye and I glanced at my hands. Huh, I’d called up a bit of hellfire. Damn. That meant Uncle Luc would know I was pissed. How long did I have before he showed up? I couldn’t think about that now. I’d deal with him when he appeared. I had a bigger wolf to fry.

“Tell me, in the thirty-six years we were together and the ninety we’ve been apart, have you found her?”

He narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together until they formed a white slash across his face. “You know I haven’t.”

“You haven’t.” I nodded and decided to be a little bitchy because, hey, I was the devil’s niece. Might as well use what the devil gave me. “You think that could be because On High thinks you’re a dick?” I ignored his warning growl. What was he gonna do? Attack me? “Because despite the fact I’m his enemy’s niece, I’m still a breathing being and you, Justin Abbott, Orlando Alpha, are still an asshole without a heart.”

Justin’s fur pushed through his pores, turning his tanned skin gray. His eyes that’d been fluttering between green and yellow settled on yellow and his teeth lengthened and sharpened to his wolf’s fangs. Which, in general, violated my “be fucking discreet” rule, but I admitted I’d goaded him a tiny bit. How many times had he snarled at me and said I’d never drive him to drink, but I’d always drive him to fur?

Except, unlike all the other times I’d donned my uber bitch cape and pushed him until he broke and he actually came after me. He leapt toward me, arms outstretched and claws reaching for my throat.

“Shit,” I whispered and ducked, allowing my own beast to come forward while fighting my hellfire to chill the fuck out.

I dove to the right, boots skidding over the pebbled asphalt, as I allowed my nails to sharpen and grow. The last thing I wanted to do was harm him, but if it came down to my neck or his… yeah, I was all for continuing to live.

Justin spun and snarled, baring those wicked fangs. His muscles tightened, coiling as he prepared to pounce once again.

“Now, Justin, you don’t wanna do this.” I tried for calm, but wasn’t sure I succeeded. When he took a step toward me, I realized I hadn’t. “C’mon, man. You know I’m a bitch. It’s what you used to love about me.”

Love. The word was cold ash on my tongue.

Another rolling growl came toward me and I cursed myself. This was why I never wanted to see the alpha. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. Even if he deserved every word I flung at him, I needed to stay quiet. A battle between me and Justin only had one end and it wasn’t one I’d savor.

I knew he was going to leap a split-second before his feet left the road, his massive muscular body flying toward me in a powerful rush of fur and fang. I prepped myself for the coming bouts of pain. Running wasn’t going to end this confrontation. Standing and fighting would bring it to a conclusion and I only prayed he’d submit before I damaged him too much.

I flexed my hands and released the beast, allowing my skin to be consumed by my midnight fur and eyes to glow red.

A werewolf I may be, but there was no way Satan’s niece was gonna look like a normal gray wolf. My uncle, apparently, had standards.

I adjusted my stance, prepared to accept the male’s weight and use his momentum to flip us over. If I could land on top, get the dominant position…

But I didn’t need any position because a rushing wave of white stole my vision, the light blinding in its intensity and a cool, rolling power enveloped me in a breath of calm. It ebbed and flowed with my pulse until my heart no longer raced. Even my wolf was soothed, whimpering and whining as it hunted for more of that scent…

Scent. Sweetness and sulfur.

And who else’s strength would manifest as pure white?

Lovely.

Justin’s whimper reached me and then the heavy thump of a body striking asphalt—a sound I was way too familiar with—pierced the pale veil. As quickly as the rush appeared, it evaporated and gave me full view of the alley once again.

A familiar back blocked my view, the wide shoulders, trim waist, and gorgeous ass combined with the man’s aromas told me exactly who had come to my rescue.

Sam. Samkiel. Angel who wouldn’t fuck me because…

All righty then. Not a place for my mind to go at the moment. Especially when I peered around Sam and spied a furious Justin prone at the gel’s feet.

The half-shifted werewolf rolled to his feet. He cracked his neck and shook his arms, proof he was attempting to banish his beast. The animal retreated in slow steps and I knew exactly how my ex was feeling at the moment. His blood was heated and the wolf was craving a nice hunk of my ass. And not in a yummy, come lots of times way.

The second Justin’s fur was gone, Sam went on the offensive, cutting me off before I could get a word in. Like, get the fuck off my land or leave before I shove that vodka bottle so far up your ass…

“You need to leave.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest, stretching his thin shirt. “Now.”

Justin snorted. “Why? Because you said so? Caith and I have a few things to talk about.” Those eyes flashed yellow once again. “Don’t we, baby?”

That had my animal bristling. Sure, it’d panted after Justin only moments ago, but that was before he tried to rip my throat out. It didn’t want him any longer. Even if our pups would be adorable.

Stupid wolf’s biological clock.

“No,” Sam took a step forward, “you really don’t.”

Oh, this could only end badly. I scooted around Sam and placed myself between them, keeping both males within sight. “You know what, let’s stop here, huh?” Before Sam ended up the new Orlando Alpha. A gel leading a bunch of werewolves. So, so not fun. “Justin, say what you gotta say and then you should leave.”

The wolf narrowed his eyes, attention flicking from me to Sam and then returning to me. He jerked his chin toward the gel. “Is this my replacement?”

I sighed. “Justin, what do you—”

A mocking, cocky expression coated his features and he curled his lip. “Don’t you love the way she screams when—”

“Justin.”

“What?” He feigned innocence. “I wanna make sure the new guy knows you love it when you’re licked right—”

Justin reached for me, fingers curled and prepared to touch that spot.

“Enough.” I smacked his hand away. “I said enough.”

That derisive smile returned. “I’m just trying to save lover boy some time, Caith.”

Through the whole sordid encounter, Sam remained a quiet, unmoving presence to my left. His muscles didn’t tense, he didn’t shift his weight, he didn’t even twitch. And yet I knew Sam was looking for an excuse to pummel Justin.

I had half a mind to encourage him.

“Samkiel isn’t—”

“Samkiel?” Justin’s expression transformed from contemptuous to joyful. “Then he doesn’t need pointers at all, does he? Your pretty angel isn’t going to fuck you is he?” The wolf eased closer and I held my ground. “You always go after the ones who won’t give you forever, don’t you, sweetheart? I wasn’t willing to give up a mate, and this one,” Justin shook his head, “won’t dirty his pretty wings with Hell’s Bitch.”

Hearing the words shouldn’t have hurt. Not anymore. Ninety years, right? Sure, it hurt a lot that first decade, but I was over it. I was over him and the only reason my tears stung was because Jezze’s magic got in my eye. Right.

“What do you want, Justin? Say your piece before I send you to Uncle Luc.” It was a standard threat, one he always answered the same way.

“If I thought you wanted to be Alpha, I’d take you up on that offer. Then again, what wolf would follow the daughter of a hellborn whore?”

My hand itched to punch him, to send my fist flying through Justin’s skull and out the other side so my skin was painted a pretty red. Fire burned my palm, sliding over my flesh until my fist was covered in the swirling red.

Yes, I wanted to hit him.

Fortunately for him, Sam sated my desire. In a blink, Justin went from standing beside me to flying through the air until he collided with the side of the building. He struck the bricks with a sickening thud and slowly slid to the ground. He hadn’t lost consciousness, his glazing gaze still filled with fury. But now it was focused on Sam.

“Gels don’t…” Justin spat and I was satisfied to see blood dribbling from his lips. “They don’t…”

Sam’s attention was fixed on his hand and the small, red indentations on his knuckles. He shrugged. “The angel of destruction does.”

I’d forgotten that part about him. He was a violent angel. Still good and pure at heart, but that didn’t make him a pussy.

Sam left my side and slowly moved toward Justin. My body yearned to keep pace and follow in his wake, but I resisted. It was between the two men now. Me getting in the way wouldn’t solve anything and considering my frayed thoughts, I was bound to piss Justin off even more.

Sam crouched before my ex. “The angel of destruction will happily rip out your throat for talking to her like that and for talking about her in that way. Are we clear?”

Justin chuckled. “How would that go over with On High? You refuse to fuck her and lose those pretty wings of yours, but killing me is good with the big guy?”

My heart squeezed. I really hated that my business ended up being everyone’s business.

“Caith is important to me, which makes her important to him.” Sam wrapped his hand around Justin’s throat and true worry fluttered in my chest.

“But not important enough to bend the rules.” Justin smiled widely, exposing pink-tinged teeth.

The muscles on Sam’s arm flexed, skin stretched taught and I didn’t hesitate to rush forward and lay my hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. “Sam, it’s fine.” Sam turned his head toward my, red-rimmed eyes meeting mine and a question lurked in their pale depths. “He’s being a dick, but there’s no denying the truth. You can’t kick everyone’s ass because they’re saying something you don’t like.”

He arched a single brow, telling me he could do exactly that.

“Leave him be, Sam,” I whispered and ignored the concern that entered his gaze, the way he looked me over as if to assure himself I wasn’t injured.

He didn’t have the right to worry.

Sam obviously found me well enough because he released my ex and moved back, giving me room to breathe. “I want him gone.”

That made two of us.

“Other than acting like a fuckhole, what did you come here for, Justin?”

The alpha wolf glared at me as he pushed to his feet, lips remaining pressed together. He brushed off his jeans, wiping away the sand and dirt. When he was as clean as he was gonna get, he focused on me. “I came to talk to you about Ellery.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “He’s not up for discussion.”

“He made a mistake.”

“Yes, trying to mount me in the middle of delivering my liquor was a mistake.”

Justin clenched his jaw and the vein in his temple pulsed. “I came to plead his case.”

“You?” I snorted. “You would have had a better chance if you’d sent my father.”

He met my gaze, eyes still amber and holding mine in an iron grip. He wanted to fight for dominance? Now?

“Look, Justin,” I snapped his name, “if I had a dick I’d whip it out and measure it to prove I’m the better wolf, the stronger wolf. But since you wanna have this stupid staring contest, why don’t you talk while you glare. I’m over this meeting. I have better things to do with my life.”

“Like play with your little gel?” he sneered. “I may not have mated you, but I at least fucked you, Caith.”

“This again,” I sighed. “So? We had sex. He won’t have sex with me. The one thing you have in common is that you’re not willing to give up anything for someone else. Can we please table that fucking topic already? I’m two seconds from sending you to Uncle Luc—”

Justin smirked. “Then you’ll—”

“—and I will send your whole fucking pack with you!” The rage bubbled over, sending my blood boiling through my veins. I couldn’t stop myself any longer, couldn’t keep the hate and evil that lived inside me from taking action. Wrapping my fingers around his throat was easy. Lifting him until his feet didn’t touch the ground was easier. Shoving him against the wall was child’s play. “Try me, Justin. Push me a little more. See how fast I can focus on every damned wolf in Orlando and send them to Hell.” I shook him. “Try me.”

Justin’s face reddened, darkening and growing purple as his air ran out.

A cool, sweet breeze bathed my skin, the scent of goodness and light enveloped me and a soft hint of sulfur somehow calmed my raging soul. It was just enough to ease me, a gentle balance that resonated with every part of me. My muscles softened, the tautness easing until I finally dropped Justin to the ground. He crumbled to the asphalt, clutching his throat as he fought for breath. The harsh rasp of his uneven breaths filled my ears, but I brushed the rough sounds aside.

I had only one focus.

Sam.

He murmured in my ear, hands cupping my shoulders as he turned my toward him. Thick arms eased me close and then he enfolded me in his hold. “I have you.”

Right. He had me even if he didn’t want me.

“You know that’s not true,” he murmured against my hair.

No, I didn’t know.

“Then I’ll show you.”

I was speaking aloud. Or was I? I didn’t know. Not when the hellfire continued to pump through my body and burn from inside out.

“It doesn’t matter, Caith. Let’s deal with the wolf and worry about the rest later.” He cradled my head with his hand and urged me to rest my head against his chest. I didn’t fight him, instead choosing to go with the movement and listen to the gentle beat of his heart. When he spoke, the words vibrated through my mind, filling me every thought. “What do you want with Caith?”

Justin tried to speak. “I—”

“You will speak with me. You want something from her. Tell me. When she feels like dealing with you, she will. Or should I let her go and see how fast she turns you to ash? You know she will so why are you still pushing her?”

Because as much as he hated me, he still wanted me.

More words I probably said aloud, but I couldn’t deny the truth. Neither could the alpha, which was why Justin didn’t say a word.

“Say what you need to say, wolf,” Sam growled and my animal responded with a low, desperate whine.

“I came to see if she’d be lenient with Ellery. He’s my sister’s kid and he’s young.” Justin’s boots scraped on the asphalt as he climbed to his feet. “Give him a break, Caith.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed against Sam even harder, trying to crawl inside him so I could avoid the hard decisions in my damned life. But hiding never solved anything.

“Why should I?”

“He’s a good kid,” Justin replied. “He’s just stupid and lacks control.”

“So I should have him in my bar?”

“I’m teaching him how to be a better wolf. Part of that is apologizing and making reparations. I just need to know you’re not going to kill him the second he steps through the doors.”

I snorted. “You’re teaching a pup about apologies. Funny.” Sam traced my spine with his fingers, sending a small shudder trailing in his wake. I took a deep breath, pulling in his calming scent. “If he wants to apologize, then he comes here at ten tomorrow morning. The brownies are on strike. He can help clean.”

Justin growled. “The nephew of the Orlando Alph—”

I spun in Sam’s hold, almost thankful he kept me restrained as I fought to claw Justin. “And I’m the Princess of Hell. Titles don’t give you the right to be an elitist, asshole. If he ever wants to come near my bar again, if he wants to retain permission to be in my town, he shows up here at ten tomorrow morning.” I took a deep, calming breath, absorbing more of Sam’s scent. “Now, leave. Don’t take the truck and my liquor order, don’t touch anything in my fucking alley. You turn and you leave or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

I closed my eyes, unable to watch him walk away without fighting to finally and permanently rid myself of Justin’s place in my life. His boots crunched over the gravel and cracked asphalt, his steps sure and strong. The sounds lessened the farther he got until his tread was barely a whisper.

“He’s gone,” Sam murmured. “You okay?”

I released a mirthless laugh. “Not really, no.”

“What do you need?”

I sighed. “Something you can’t give me.”

With a shake of my head, I stepped forward, expecting him to release me. Except… he didn’t.

“Wait a sec.” He encouraged me to turn and despite the fact I didn’t want to make myself even more vulnerable, I did as he desired. “Just because I can’t give you what you need right this second doesn’t mean I never will. Caith…” His gaze captured mine. “You gotta give a guy a second to catch up, okay? Lemme spend time with you that doesn’t involve blood, gore, or ash.”

I frowned. “So, you’re saying you wanna date me?”

Sam’s smile was blinding. “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Caith? Are you okay?” Jezebeth’s hesitant voice broke into our moment of solitude. “Edzard said to let you and Sam deal with Justin. Are you all right?”

Still focused on Sam, I answered my friend. “Yeah, I’m fine. Almost perfect.” Pleasure filled Sam’s gaze as if he was the reason behind my feelings. Just because he was right didn’t mean I was happy about it.

But he was gorgeous, so that took away a lot of my annoyance.

“I’m good. Hey, Jezze?”

“Yeah?” Jezze’s light steps reached me, those small feet padding over the road.

“Put out a sign, Hell’s Chapel is closed tonight.”

“Closed?” My friend’s surprise was easily heard. Which was understandable since Hell’s Chapel had never been closed since I took ownership.

“Yeah, we’re closed. I got a date.”

When Sam’s lips parted to form a blinding smile, I knew I’d made the right choice.

Just because I can’t give you what you need right this second doesn’t mean I never will.