Devilishly Sexy Read Free Page B

the screen faded back to the white of the surrounding wall.
    “You know, I had hoped to reintroduce you to your team right away. But I’m starting to think that isn’t going to be a realistic possibility. At least not right now.”
    Michael frowned, his full attention now on his “boss.” Was he being taken out of the game? Completely?
    Eugene fell silent again in his annoying, utterly calm way. Michael couldn’t stop himself from glancing back toward Gabriel. His fellow brethren shifted slightly again, and even though Michael almost didn’t recognize the man next to him now, he could tell Gabriel was anxious for him. Maybe some loyalty, some bond still existed between them.
    A small comfort now that he suspected he was going to be let go. Perhaps the first of The Brethren of Slayers to be “fired,” for lack of a better word.
    But what Eugene said was almost worse.
    “I think the best place for you right now is the mailroom.”
    Michael stared at his “boss.”
    The mailroom. Shit.
     
    Michael could feel Gabriel’s glances as they left the DIA’s offices, hidden below the lowest level of the HOT! building and protected from the demon world by a thick layer of copper in the walls, floors, and ceiling. Hidden deep below what the rest of the world thought was the basement of the building, otherwise known as the mailroom. The lowest level of the HOT! magazine building. And as far as Michael was concerned, also the lowest level of the DIA agency.
    The mailroom was the cover for many of the DIA operatives. The place where DIA agents spied and gathered information about demons. And then, as far as Michael could tell, made charts and graphs about their findings and did absolutely nothing else, while the demons continued to take over the fashion industry ... and eventually the world.
    Michael did not want to be a part of this ineffectual, worthless team. He wanted to fight the damned demons. Take them out. Put a stop to what was the biggest, organized demon takeover he’d ever seen in his centuries of demon slaying.
    As they entered the elevator and Gabriel pressed the button that would take them up to the mailroom, he finally seemed to find his voice.
    “You got off lucky, you know.”
    Michael shot his team member a sidelong glance of his own. “Oh yeah, how’s that?”
    Gabriel waited until the elevator door was closed before turning to him.
    “Because Eugene could have retired you.”
    “Retired? Hasn’t that been done already?” He looked pointedly toward Gabriel. “To all of us.”
    Gabriel’s jaw set, a muscle in his cheek bunching as if holding back an irritated growl. Michael knew the feeling.
    After a second, Gabriel stepped forward and pressed another button. The elevator made a dinging noise, then shimmied to a halt.
    Michael turned fully to look at him, itching for a confrontation. He hadn’t gotten to say nearly half of what he’d wanted to say to Eugene. But he sure as hell could and would say it to Gabriel. This was a man he’d fought beside hundreds of times. But now all Michael saw was a man who’d lost every bit of his fight. Michael would be damned if he’d end up the same way.
    Nor was he going to wait for Gabriel to speak.
    “We were once the front line of defense,” Michael said, his voice hard, angry, disgusted. “Hell, we were once the only line. We were expected to go in and clean house. Now, we’re just expected to stand around and watch, while all these DIA computer spazzes and jive turkeys gather information that is totally unnecessary.”
    Rather than looking ready to fight back, Gabriel had an almost pained look on his face, and Michael didn’t think he was pained because he was finally realizing the truth. What the hell would get through to this guy? Was he really that damned brainwashed?
    “Un-fucking-believable,” Michael muttered.
    Gabriel sighed. “Well, at least that slang isn’t totally outdated.”
    Michael gaped at him, suddenly understanding that Gabriel