Eve of Chaos

He saw the right corner of her mouth lift in a slight smile. “Love them. They’re both very charming. I think they might like me, too. They seemed as if they did. It was hard to read your dad. But you’ve met mine, he’s really reserved, too. I didn’t take it personally.”



She stopped beside the alcove he’d caught her in before, and faced him. He loved her like this, all prim and proper in her business attire. He couldn’t help but note the changes the years had wrought in her, turning her into a formidable woman. Freed momentarily from his personal demons, his chest swelled with affection and pride.



“Forgetting you and me for the moment,” she began, knocking his ass back into the present, “you need to decide how badly you want this archangel gig.”



She pressed her fingers to his lips when he started to speak. “Think about it. Running with the theory that seven archangels is the limit—what’s going to happen when we get Gadara back? Are you going to take him on? Step aside? Take out one of the others? How will you feel if God decides he likes things the way they were and knocks you back down to Mark?”



The determined glint in her dark eyes told him that he’d better keep his silence for now and pretend that he was still undecided. He’d learned long ago that women wanted men to overthink things like they did.



“And,” she continued, backing up, “I don’t mean to heap added pressure on your decision, but I won’t invest myself in a relationship with someone who can’t love me.”



“Angel—”



“Hey.” Her voice was husky. “No hard feelings, if it works out that way. I haven’t forgotten that we were always going to be temporary.”



As Alec started toward her, a familiar figure rounded the corner behind her. Alec’s fists clenched.



“Eve.”



She turned around at the sound of Abel’s greeting. To Alec’s surprise, her fists clenched, too. “What?”



Abel’s eyes narrowed at her tone. “You ready to go home?”



“I have to go to the police station and give a report.”



“Okay.” Abel’s gaze lifted to Alec’s, but he continued to speak to Eve. “I’ll give you a lift.”



“That’s not necessary. I’m riding with Ishamel.”



“Why?”



So.. . Abel couldn’t read her either. She was like a radio station with static. A problem they’d have to look into.



The tempo of her walk changed, the click of her heels betraying agitation.



Go home, she told Alec sternly. Park Montevista and Sidney in front of my Wii and don’t let your parents out of your sight for even a minute until I get there.



And here I thought I was running the show After I get back, you can go do whatever you want, she offered.



Whatever I want, huh?



But jf you take that necklace off, I’ll kick your ass.



What do I get if I keep it on?



She stalked right past Abel. Keep the necklace on, keep a lid on your parents, and it’ll keep you on my good side.



After yesterday, he couldn’t ask for more. But she didn’t know about that. . . yet.



I’ve got shit to do, angel.



After your personality transplant yesterday, I still trust you, she argued. You owe me a little trust in return.



I trust you.



Good. Then do as I say. I’ll see you later.



He wasn’t used to following orders from anyone but Jehovah. But she was right, he owed her. And he was exhausted. He hadn’t slept in almost two days. That was too long even for an archangel. He’d take a nap, then track down Sabrael when Eve returned.



Abel pivoted and followed her around the corner. Alec had no idea what his brother had done to piss her off, but he was glad they were both on the outs with her.



He tried to tell her that he’d have dinner waiting, but the connection was static again.



They’d really have to talk about that when she got back.



“Let me guess,” Reed drawled. “You’re mad at me.” Eve reached the elevators and stabbed the call button with her finger. “I don’t have time to play games with you now.”



He moved in front of her, forcing her to look at him. As with Alec, the sight of him made her a bit weak in the knees, despite what an asshole he could be. “How many times do I have to tell you, Eve? I’m not playing with you.”



Her lips pursed. “You know ‘The Gift of the Magi’?” Not the biblical story; the one by O. Henry.”



“Who doesn’t?” His dark eyes narrowed.



“You and I are working at cross purposes now, Reed. I know what I’m doing, you don’t. Take my advice and take a trip somewhere. Come back in a few days.”



“Eve.” He caught her hand. “What are you talking about?”



He had a great game face, but she knew him well enough to sense that his guard was up. Guilty as charged, apparently. But she believed he was trying to do the right thing—to get Gadara and the priest back, and save her from the Nix. However, she didn’t doubt for a minute that Reed was willing to let Alec be collateral damage. Fratricide was ingrained in them, but damned if she’d he the cause of either of their deaths.



She felt him trying to probe her mind. She pulled away, breaking the physical contact between them. “I have to run. Think about that story. Tack an unhappy ending onto it and that’s what you’ll get if you don’t back off.”



The elevator dinged and the doors opened.



“Abel.”



They both turned their heads to see Sara approaching. Eve ducked into the car while Reed was distracted, and hit the button for the lobby.



“Hey.”, He caught the door before it closed. “What the hell?”



Eve pushed his hand out of the way. “Your brother isn’t expendable to me, Reed.”



He stared at her with a hard gaze until the doors shut.



Once she reached the lobby, she switched elevators to catch the one that would take her up to her office on the forty-fifth floor. The number of Marks in the tower was declining steadily as the workday winded down, allowing the sickly sweet scent of their souls to settle down to a manageable level.



As Eve entered the reception area, Candace stood and offered a slight wave. Eve smiled in greeting.



“Ishamel said he’d be here at four-thirty,” the secretary reported, rounding her desk with message pad in hand.



“Perfect.” Eve headed toward her office.



“You have an e-mail from your sister, and also one from Sarakiel that’s marked urgent.”



Eve paused and Candace almost ran into her from behind. “If it’s urgent, why didn’t she just call and tell me? She’s got my number.”



“There’s an attachment, so that might be why. Want something to drink?”



“No, thank you. You can go home now.”



Eve went to her desk and sat before her computer. She accessed her e-mail and read her sister Sophia’s note first. Pictures of Eve’s niece and nephew filled the screen and caused her a pang of envy. She was the eldest, but Sophia was years ahead of her when it came to settling down. And as long as Eve had the mark, she would remain behind. Marks were sterile.



She typed out a quick “as soon as I can” reply to Sophie’s query about when she’d be coming to visit. Then, she reclined into her chair and took a moment to push past unwelcome feelings of resentment.



As she often did at times like these, she glanced around her office, taking in the mixture of traditional modern and Asian-inspired bamboo pieces that made up the decor. Most of the furnishings had been moved from her previous, much smaller office at the Wiesenberg Group. Part of the effort to blend her old life with her new. That’s what she remembered when she felt down—that she’d been allowed to blend her two lives together. None of the other Marks were so lucky.



Refocused, she straightened and clicked open Sara’s e-mail. The name of the attachment that came with it gave her pause, since it was clearly a recording of a video feed from “CainOffice” made yesterday. Had Sara become aware of Alec’s problems? How much danger was he in if she had?



Eve double-clicked on the video and waited for it to load.



Once the replay began, it took her a minute to comprehend what she was watching. It took a bit longer to break the stillness caused by horror, freeing her to kick the computer’s power cord out of the outlet in the floor. The monitor turned black and the computer’s cooling fan stopped, leaving behind an empty silence.



Breathing in and out deliberately, Eve leaned into her desk and tried to forget what she’d seen.



“T-that wasn’t Alec,” she told herself. “That wasn’t him. You know it.”



It’s ugly and painful, but we have something worth fighting for...



He meant to tell her. She knew it. Lay it all out there and hope she’d understand. But she was still jealous and pissed off.



Standing, Eve began to pace. Her emotions wanted an outlet and there wasn’t one. From the expression on Alec’s face, he had been as much of a victim as Izzie. Whatever comeuppance the German bitch deserved for making a play at another woman’s man had been served during the act.



Which left only Sara.



Eve stopped at the window and leaned against the console positioned in front of it. What the hell had the archangel hoped to gain by sending that video to her? Sara wanted her away from Reed, so why send her something that was troubling enough to push her right into his arms? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right? Sara had to know that if Eve was pissed at Alec, the best way to pay him back in kind was to hookup with Reed.



“What do you want, Sara?” Eve wondered aloud, her fingers digging into lip of the console. “What do you stand to gain?”



Hell hath no fury—



Her eyes widened, her mind jumping to the conversation she’d had with Mariel.



“Are you ready to go, Ms. Hollis?”



Turning her attention to the door, she found Ishamel standing there.



“What are you to Raguel Gadara?” she asked, straightening.