Eve of Warefare Read Free

and seraph digging into the situation set her teeth on edge. The more fingers in the pie, the bigger the clusterfuck.
    “I’ve got a handle on it,” Adrian said coldly.
    “You do not.” Zaphiel examined his fingernails. “And it pleases me not at all to know that lives have been lost due to your negligence.”
    “You think I’m happy about it?”
    “I do not care how you feel. I am here to tell you to stay out of my way. The rest is no longer your concern.”
    Adrian laughed without humour. “Whose concern is it, if not mine?”
    Zaphiel lifted his hand and pointed at Eve. “Hers.”
    Two
    After returning Zaphiel to Gadara Tower, Eve headed home with plans for a hot shower and an evening alone. A feel-good movie while curled up on the couch sounded like heaven to her. She usually preferred blow-’em-up action flicks but she’d had enough real-life explosions to last her for a good long while. Maybe Becoming Jane would do the trick or something stupidly funny like Blades of Glory.
    She stood for a long time beneath the pummelling spray of the shower, telling herself that she had no business wondering why Alec wasn’t at home in his apartment next to hers. She’d given up the right to know what he did at night and she shouldn’t second-guess that decision, especially after today. No one should end up stuck in the middle of a feud between a cherub and a seraph. She wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy.
    After drying off, she tossed her towel over the laundry basket and belted on a thick white terry cloth robe. Then she went on the hunt for comfort food. It was a boon of the Mark that her body ignored any attempt on her part to screw it up, including wanton snacking; otherwise her breakup with Alec would surely have given her a fat ass by now.
    She was turning into the kitchen when the stereo in her living room inexplicably came on. Stevie Nicks’ beautiful “Crystal” replaced the silence, freezing Eve mid-step.
    On her deltoid, the brand of the Mark of Cain – a one-inch in diameter triquetra surrounded by a circlet of three serpents, each one eating the tail of the snake before it – tingled and flooded her bloodstream with adrenaline. Her senses sharpened so quickly it was nearly a rush, the world around her bursting into a vibrancy she’d never experienced as a mere mortal. The Mark made her faster, stronger and quicker to heal. It also enabled her to identify the man in her living room from where she stood – sight unseen.
    Eve started forwards again with a shiver of anticipation, continuing to where the hall emptied into the living room. The sheer curtains that framed her sliding glass doors billowed from the ocean breeze. Beyond her balcony lay the sands of Huntington Beach, a coastal community that was home to hundreds of demons. That number was just a fraction of the worldwide population of Infernals living undetected among mortals. Such was the life she lived now, having her groceries bagged by incubi and her Big Mac served by faeries.
    The clink of shifting ice against metal drew her eye to the silver champagne bucket on the coffee table and the napkin-wrapped bottle it held. Two half-full flutes waited nearby.
    The man at her entertainment centre turned to face her. She was struck again by how gorgeous he was. So like his brother in physical traits – smooth olive skin, black as night hair, and espresso brown eyes – but completely different in every other way. His resemblance to Alec had first drawn her to him but Reed Abel continued to hold her attention all on his own. She was halfway in love with him, which confused her and caused all sorts of trouble.
    “Hi,” he said. Although he appeared casual and relaxed, his dark gaze was avid.
    “Hi, yourself.”
    “I hope you don’t mind that I popped in.” His choice of words was apt, considering his angelic gifts enabled him to shift from one location to any other in the world in the blink of an eye.
    “You’re always welcome. Nothing is