Wicked Kiss

Bishop’s jaw tightened. “No.”

“Me and gray-girl just made out,” Kraven said.

Roth made a face. “Disgusting. Why would you want to kiss something like her?”

“Research.”

I expected no less from Roth. I was well aware that he despised me. Tonight only proved that I was in more trouble than I thought.

I scanned the night surrounding us, anything to take my attention off what had happened with Colin and Kraven.

“I’m taking you home,” Bishop said.

I took a deep breath and let it out. “To keep me out of trouble.”

“For starters.”

At that moment I spotted something in the sky that grabbed my attention. I felt the color slowly drain from my face. “Can’t go home. Not yet.”

“Why not?”

I pointed at the sky behind him where a familiar searchlight had just appeared in the distance—although I knew none of them could see it like I could. “Looks like you’re getting a new recruit.”

Chapter 3

“Don’t know why a gray can do this,” Roth grumbled as he trailed after us. “Why can she see the searchlights when we can’t?”

He didn’t know the truth and neither did Kraven. Only Bishop knew and he’d sworn me to secrecy about it.

I wasn’t just a gray.

Bishop always talked about the universal balance and how important it was. Well, I was about as balanced as you could get. Equal parts dark and light thanks to my birth parents—whom I’d never met. Up until a week ago, I didn’t even know I’d been adopted.

My father was a demon named Nathan, my mother was an angel named Anna.

Anna had been killed shortly after I was born and Nathan had joined her in the Hollow, her final resting place. The same place Carly had been sucked up into.

Theirs was a forbidden romance doomed from the start, but it had produced yours truly. Because of this, I was what was termed a “nexus”—the center, the connection—and the fact that I’d lost my soul meant I could allegedly channel the powers of both Heaven and Hell.

It helped me do things, see things. It made me special. It made me valuable. Clinging tightly to this thought after what I’d done to Colin was the only thing keeping me from completely freaking out.

“Why are they sending someone else?” Kraven asked, ignoring the other demon. He didn’t sound happy.

“I don’t know,” Bishop replied. He walked so close to me that I could barely concentrate. My hunger still had me tightly in its grip and the scent of his soul, of him, did crazy things to my head. “You’re sure it’s one of  our searchlights, Samantha? Not just a regular one?”

“Positive.” The light that shone up into the sky was restoring my hope with each step I took. I moved toward it like I was following a rainbow to a guaranteed pot of gold.

A sixth member for the team would mean one more chance to find Stephen. At this very moment, I didn’t care if he turned out to be a demon or an angel.

However, when we followed the searchlight to its origin, I found something I wasn’t expecting.

“Well?” Bishop asked when I stopped walking. “Where is he?”

“Not a he.” I pointed shakily in the direction of the girl up ahead. As soon as my gaze locked on her, the light disappeared. It only ever stayed on long enough for me to make visual contact.

She was young—like me. Seventeen, maybe. She had long, pale blond hair. She wore ripped jeans and a black sweater. She wandered along the sidewalk next to a busy street with her arms crossed over her chest as if trying to keep warm.

I’d always thought it was incredibly sexist that Heaven and Hell had only sent boys on this mission to save Trinity. Looked like they’d changed their minds.

“This is ridiculous,” Roth said. “Girls are useless.”

Just the sound of his voice rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t waste my breath in arguing with him, but he must have felt the heat of my glare.

“They are,” he insisted.

“Whatever you say. Obviously, you know everything.”

“Finally, you’re starting to get me.” He laughed darkly. “Let’s hurry up. I’d rather be out killing things like you tonight than play follow the leader. At least, until we finally get a crack at you.”

“Shut up, Roth,” Bishop growled. He’d moved to stand between me and the demon while Kraven watched us, amused.

Fear slid through me at the way he’d said it. So bluntly. Like this was a guaranteed thing. “What are you talking about?”

He looked at me like I was stupid. “You’re a gray. As long as things like you are still breathing, that barrier is up, trapping you—and us—in this city. When you’re all dead, the barrier vanishes and we’ll be pulled back where we belong. You think we’re giving you a pass forever because of this magical mojo you can do?”

“Roth.” There was a sharp edge of warning in Bishop’s voice.

Roth snorted. “We’re going to kill her, it’s just a matter of time. You said so yourself.”

My breath left me in a rush. “You said what?”

Bishop’s gaze flashed to me. “I didn’t say that.”

“So he misunderstood you? Please tell me how that sort of message could get messed up.”

Kraven laughed, an unpleasant sound that slithered under my skin. “Bishop didn’t come right out and say we had permission to kill you. But he said if you slip up and start munching on souls then you’d become a problem we’d have to deal with. Better?”