Eve of Warefare Read Free Page A

going to change that.”
    He caught up the flutes as he came towards her and a cool stem was pressed into her hand. She looked down, catching sight of something circular glittering at the bottom. Her breath caught.
    “I’m glad to hear that,” he murmured. His warm fingers wrapped around hers. “Because I have a question to ask you . . .”
    “Reed.” A stunningly large diamond graced an engagement ring covered in tiny champagne bubbles. It was the kind of ring women turned pea green over; it shouted the wealth of the man who’d given it and the value he placed on the woman wearing it. The ostentatious piece was totally Reed, a man known as much for his Lamborghinis and Ferraris as he was for the calibre of his work.
    The ferocity of her response was enough to rock her backward a few steps. The last few months of confusion coalesced into one shining moment of perfect clarity. She felt a similar jolt of reality startling him before rippling across the connection between them.
    He spoke too quickly. “Zaphiel is here to investigate the recent death of a seraph. He wants you to assume a cover and move into one of Raguel’s resort communities as a resident.”
    “O-kay . . . How is that supposed to work? The Infernals will smell me coming.” Infernals reeked of rotting souls; Marks smelled sickly sweet. Alec said it was similar to deer smelling the wolves coming – it was “fair”. Eve called it a “what-the-fuck”. She couldn’t understand why God would draft an unwilling army of sinners to fight his battles against demons, only to announce their arrival by making them stick out in a crowd.
    “We’re not dealing with Infernals,” Reed said. “But we’ll get to that in a minute. Raguel wants you undercover as part of a team, not solo, which means you’ll need a husband. Hence the ring.”
    Relief flooded her. “Oh, gotcha. Geez, you scared me for a minute. The whole champagne and music—”
    “When Raguel explained the assignment to me, I realized the idea of marrying you had some merit.” He shifted on his feet and shoved his hands into the pockets of his Versace slacks. “So, why propose twice when I can do it right the first time?”
    Eve gaped. “We’re not even dating at this point!”
    “Because you’re hung up on Alec,” he shot back.
    “And you’re a commitment-phobe.”
    “Bullshit.” Reed glared down at her. “You know I want more than you’re giving me. You’re the one holding back.”
    “The moment I saw the ring in the glass, I felt you freak out. I did, too.” She’d also wanted, with every fibre of her being, to love him the way he deserved to be loved, but that wasn’t something she could control.
    “Because it was me offering the ring,” he accused. “Alec’s a dead-end. You know that.”
    Eve wished she was wearing something more substantial than a robe while having this conversation. “Everything about being a Mark is a dead-end, Reed. I don’t see the point of trying to have a relationship when everyone is pursuing conflicting goals. You and Alec want to advance; I want to find a way back to my old life. There’s no way to make it work.”
    He rocked back on heels. His jaw set at a stubborn angle. “I want you. That works.”
    Her mouth curved with wry affection. “Sexual attraction has never been our problem. You won’t hear me saying there’s anything wrong with really great sex with someone you admire and like spending time with.”
    “But . . . ?”
    “But that’s not enough for me to commit to the life of a Mark, and that’s exactly what I’d be doing by committing to someone inside the system.”
    “It could be hundreds of years before you earn off the Mark,” he said coldly, knowing she refused to accept that possibility. “No way are you going to be celibate that whole time and you’re not the casual sex type.”
    “So marriage is your solution to getting into my pants?”
    Reed shrugged. “Yours are the only pants I want to get