Death Sword. Pamela Turner
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Название: Death Sword
Автор: Pamela Turner
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
isbn: 9781616502218
isbn:
“Do you think it’s over? Or have you already fallen in love with her?”
“Of course not!” Xariel’s voice choked. “We just met.” He liked Karla, but if Samael even assumed he was interested in her, his boss would see an opportunity to cause trouble. Xariel’s skin crawled as he remembered what had happened to the other women in his life.
“Then she won’t mind this, will she?” Samael caught Xariel’s wrist, pulling him into a deep kiss. One arm snaked around Xariel’s waist, holding him fast. Xariel’s eyes widened as Samael’s tongue invaded his mouth, breath hot and smelling of cinnamon mints.
Samael broke the kiss first. He spat at the floor, face twisted in disgust. “I can taste them.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and scowled. “You still choose humans over me.”
“You shouldn’t be surprised.” Xariel’s knees gave way. He gripped the edge of Samael’s desk to steady himself. “I told you we’re through.”
Samael didn’t answer. Instead, he walked to a vertical black-lacquered cabinet mounted on the wall behind his desk. Xariel swallowed as he watched Samael remove a rapier, the basket-hilted handle intricately carved with ancient scrollwork. His eyes fixed on the dark yellow substance coating the blade tip. Venom. One drop would kill a human. Even angels weren’t immune.
The sword glinted beneath the lights and Xariel thought he saw, for a brief second, Samael’s eyes blaze red and his hair fan about his face in a fiery halo. Xariel choked back a gag reflex when tiny eyes popped up over Samael’s skin and the chief of satan’s mouth twisted in a cruel grin, revealing sharp incisors.
Xariel closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them, the illusion was gone and only Samael’s smile remained, minus the vampire impression.
“Perhaps I should make the human your partner.” Samael stroked the blade, running his tongue between his lips as he watched Xariel’s reaction. “After all, you seem to prefer their company.”
Xariel winced at the inference.
“However, if you think I’m giving you up, you’re mistaken.” Samael lowered the sword to his side. “Dismissed.”
4
“What happened?” Karla asked after Xariel exited Samael’s office.
“Never mind. Let’s get out of here.” Xariel stalked down the hall, hands balled into fists. If he never saw Samael again, it’d be too soon. Damn annoying bastard, playing with him like that.
She ran after him. “What is this floor?”
“Offices for the angels of death.”
“You mean we have to come back?”
“No.” Xariel didn’t break stride. “Metatron emails our orders. It’s rare to be summoned here.”
They rounded a corner, a tall young man approaching them. His white t-shirt, stretched tight over a muscular chest, contrasted with tanned skin. Jeans accentuated powerful thighs and combat boots only added to his commanding presence. But where a buzz military cut might have been, the newcomer’s brown hair fell in waves to broad shoulders.
Xariel sighed. Great. Gabriel. Another angel he didn’t want to see. Two for one today. How lucky.
Gabriel’s viridian eyes narrowed and his mouth twitched in what Xariel assumed to be a sardonic smile as he and Xariel locked stares. The angel of death waited for a wise-ass remark, but Gabriel merely nodded at him and Karla. If her presence surprised him, he gave no indication. “Xariel.”
“Gabriel.”
Xariel kept walking. He turned to see Karla looking back at Gabriel then at him.
“The Gabriel?”
They reached the elevators. Xariel pushed the up arrow. “The archangel? Yes.”
“One you wanted me to work with?” A pause. “Don’t you get along?”
“Not really.” They stepped inside an open car. “He’s still upset with me.”
“Why?” The elevator rattled and clanked its way heavenward.
“We used to work together. There was a misunderstanding and he’s never forgiven me for it.”
“I see.”
Xariel glanced at her, but Karla watched the rapidly changing floor numbers. He sensed she wanted to ask what had happened but didn’t want to pry. He appreciated her restraint. He needed these few minutes to decompress, shake off Samael’s insinuations. Not that he believed Samael was serious. The other angel knew their relationship was over. Then again, Samael seemed to suffer a case of selective amnesia where Xariel was concerned. Nevertheless, Xariel had no intention of again standing before the Seraphim and facing judgment. Once had been enough.
They had almost reached their floor when Karla broke into his thoughts.
“What did Samael say about me?”
“Not much.”
“I don’t think he likes me.”
They reached Metatron’s office. Xariel knocked. “If it makes you feel better, he hates everybody.”
The door unlocked and they entered. Metatron looked up from his paperwork. “How’d it go?”
“He hates the idea but didn’t say no.”
Metatron grinned. “Course not. He might not like it, but he has to do what I say.”
“He suggested Karla and I work as partners.” Xariel hoped Metatron disagreed.
“Good idea.”
“You didn’t mention this when you gave me the assignment,” Xariel contended, frustration overriding decorum and protocol. “You just said bring her here.”
Metatron sighed. “I’m not obliged to tell you everything.”
“I prefer working alone.”
“A partner would be good for you.”
Hell. Didn’t Metatron remember Samael’s curse? If he slept with a woman, she’d die. Not that he planned to have sex with Karla this soon, but he couldn’t deny he felt even a little attraction toward her. Either Metatron had forgotten Samael’s curse or he believed Xariel to have massive amounts of willpower. Self-restraint had nothing to do with it. Whether Xariel liked it or not, his sexuality was tied in with the full and new moons. And it was possible Karla might become a victim of his curse. Did he want to risk her life for his sexual needs?
“You’ll be fine,” Metatron assured him. “Now, if there’s nothing else, I need to finish these reports.”
He shooed them out with a dismissive wave of his hand. Xariel shook his head and opened the door for Karla. No point in arguing now. Metatron’s СКАЧАТЬ