Eve of Chaos

“Don’t blame this on the mark,” he chastised. “You’re closing me off on purpose.”



“You don’t need to know everything.”



He caught her around the waist when she tried to pass and tugged her close. “I want to know you, inside and out.”



“So figure me out the old-fashioned way. It’s more interesting that way.”



She’d been in love with him since she was eighteen years old. It sucked that while he was back in her life now, he could never stay in it permanently. Alec was a killer by nature. He didn’t just excel at it, he loved it. Not the kind of guy a woman settled down and had kids with. Of course, Marks were physically incapable of bearing children, but that wasn’t the point.



Alec pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “You ready to go?”



“Don’t shift!” she said quickly. “Let’s take the bike.”



“Ha! Make you a moving target? No way.”



“It’s less than ten minutes away! Besides, you don’t even know if the bounty is real.”



“I’m not using you as bait to find out.” Eve reached around and cupped his ass, giving him a slow, firm squeeze.



“Not fair’ he rumbled.



“Did you forget how to ride after all that shifting around you’ve been doing?”



“Hardly.”



“I can drive,” she purred, looking up at him from beneath heavy-lidded eyes. “You can shield my back. No Infernal is going to mess with badass Cain of Infamy.”



“You better not mess with me either,” he warned, his eyes dark, “unless you’re prepared to deliver.”



“Hanging on while I drive is a guaranteed way to cop a feel.”



“With our clothes on,” he retorted. “Not nearly as fun.”



Despite his protests, he shifted them into the carport next to his Heritage Softail. It was a black and chrome beauty, boasting custom saddlebags and a well-worn seat.



“Well, look at that.” Eve whistled. “I was half expecting it to be covered in dust.”



Alec tossed her the keys. “Shut up and hop on, before I change my mind.”



Five minutes later, they were roaring out of the subterranean garage. When the Bible-thumping Evil Santa on the corner screamed “Jezebel!” after her, she stuck her tongue out at him. Alec gave her a playful swat to the hip.



Told you, she muttered.



Behave.



Taking Hamilton to Magnolia, Eve weaved confidently among the massive sport utility vehicles, sleek Porsches, and hybrids. A variety of music filled the air from open windows—thumping bass, twanging guitars, and soulful ballads. For the first time in far too long, she didn’t wonder how many of the drivers around her were lower-ranking demons. She forcibly shut out the world and concentrated on the joy of driving a Harley with the hottest man on the planet wrapped around her. As far as Heaven went, this was pretty close.



They reached the Gothic-inspired office building before she was ready. Eve considered driving on and circling back later, but a Jeep Liberty was pulling away from the metered curb just as they pulled up. Recogmzing the celestial hint, Eve steered the hog into the spot and cut the engine.



“Got you here in one piece,” she teased, pulling off her helmet.



The heated thoughts in his mind slipped into hers, telling her bluntly that the feel of her body so close to his was something he craved to a dangerous degree. She slid off the bike and kept her gaze on the building, her breathing altered by the depths of his arousal. There was nothing tender about it. It was pure ferocious lust.



“You can run. . .“ he warned.



But she couldn’t hide. Her head turned, her senses perking up and searching out any possible threats. The scent of rotting soul drifted on the balmy breeze, but not in a quantity that would alarm her. Infernals were everywhere, working every sort of job, living in every community. Their presence alone wasn’t concerning, only the number, which seemed to be under control.



Unless some were masked.



“It wears off, remember?” Alec said, securing the helmets to the bike.



“There could be more.”



“Doubtful, since we killed the creators. Regardless, Hank is working on an antidote.”



Eve looked over her shoulder at him. “Really?”



“Would I lie to you?”



“Are you sure you want to go there?”



He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender, but the wicked curve of his lips ruined the image.



Shaking her head, she started toward the front door. The building wasn’t yet fully operational, but the lobby area was completed and an office for the sales team and property manager was open for business. A perky blonde in a sleek gray suit rushed out when they entered, then laughed when Eve pulled out her Gadara Enterprises badge. “I was ready to give you my sales pitch.”



“I’m already sold,” Eve said. “Hostile takeover.”



Angel...



There were two guards at the security desk, one mortal and one Mark. The mortal took her badge and ran it through a scanner to record their entry time.



Gadara’s security measures weren’t any more rigorous than the majority of corporations, but they were certainly monitored more closely. Instead of keeping watch on things with a celestially enhanced eye, the archangels were forced by the empathy-for-mortals rule to rely on modern mortal technology. They could choose to do otherwise, but there were consequences. That was one of many things that drove Eve nuts about the Almighty. He claimed to give people a “choice,” but usually the ramifications of making the wrong choice ensured it wasn’t much of a contest.



“Great bike,” the mortal guard said to Eve.



“It’s his.” She gestured toward Alec with a tilt of her head.



“I should let my girl drive.”



Alec raked Eve with a heated glance. “It definitely has its benefits.”



She pushed the sign-in sheet back over. “Elevators working yet?”



“Yes. Finally.” The relief in the guard’s voice made her smile. Patrolling the three stories without a lift would be a breeze for the Mark, but for the mortal it was probably more of a workout than he wanted from his job.



“Thanks.”



As Eve headed toward the elevators, she noted the limestone floors and pointed arch facades that surrounded the brass elevator doors. A rose window took prominence at the rear of the building just above the exit. She made a mental -note to look into the identity of the architect. The building’s style was incongruous among its modern glass-hulled neighbors, but not in a garish way. It provided an elegance that the surrounding area had been lacking.



The moment the elevator doors shut, Alec’s presence overwhelmed the enclosed space. He stood opposite her• with his hands wrapped around the handrail behind him, his biceps and pectorals prominently displayed by his stance. His dark gaze was slightly mocking and more than a little insolent in his appraisal. It turned her on, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.



The Novium was a pain in the ass.



It didn’t help that sex was like breathing to Marks. The constant near-death experiences created tension that was best alleviated with extended hot sex. The need was designed to force Marks to seek out companionship and comfort from others, rather than retreating into themselves. Eve’s platonic double-dating meant she didn’t have the stress outlet she needed. Even if that wasn’t the case, Alec was different. The softer emotions he used to have in his eyes when he looked at her were gone. He wanted her, and she believed him when he said that he would always want her, but great sex wasn’t enough for her. Not after knowing what it was like to have more.



“What’s the best thing about being an archangel?” she asked in an attempt to keep her mind out of the bedroom.



“Relief from the rising cost of transportation.”



“Be serious.”



“You want the Hallmark card answer? Making a difference.” He straightened as the car came to a stop. “No one knows better than me how difficult it is to be a Mark. There are aspects of Gadara Enterprises that I can tweak to make things easier on those in the field.”



There was no inflection in his voice, no passion. She wondered how he could function that way. God felt it was necessary for the archangels to be emotionally neutral, but Eve called ‘em like she saw them—they were unfeeling—and she couldn’t imagine that being anything but miserable.



I feel what you feel, Alec said, watching her intensely. Ifeel what Abel feels, as well as echoes from every Mark under me.



So he knew what it was like for her to love him and he knew what it was like for Abel to want her. Maybe that’s where his uncustomary sexual aggression was coming from.



Or maybe it was coming from that dark place inside him...



Regardless, the whole thing was screwed six ways to Sunday.



Eve sighed and turned her attention to the opening elevator doors.



The third floor was a notable change from the lobby. Ceiling fixtures had yet to be installed, the walls needed paint, and the industrial pile burgundy carpet had yet to be trimmed along the missing baseboards.



“So,” she began, leading the way to the roof staircase, “you wanted to know why I was eager to come here.”



“Shoot.”



“When I went through this building the first time, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know what to look for, where the threats were, what was out of place. I need to see it again. Retrace my steps. I feel like I missed something and it’s driving me nuts.”



Alec’s hand wrapped around her elbow. She’d dressed in a pale pink sleeveless shell and well-worn jeans. The outfit was comfortable, feminine, and allowed for ease of movement.



“We don’t get to decide when it’s time for things to happen, angel. We just roll with the punches and have faith that everything happens for a reason.”



“I don’t have faith in a divine plan, you know that. I think life is what we make of it and God throws curve- balls on a whim just to keep his days interesting.”