A Temptation of Angels Read Online Free PDF Page B

with the brothers to their great, silent house.
    They passed through the wealthy neighborhoods surrounding Claridge’s and into a less desirable part of the city. She wasn’t afraid, though Griffin’s face remained taut, his hand ona strange-looking object hanging from his belt. She couldn’t make out Darius’s expression, for he continued his pace well ahead of them. In any case, it didn’t matter. She doubted anything could change his angry countenance.
    She was beginning to wonder where they were going when Darius stopped walking. She lifted her head, taking in the crumbling warehouse before them, certain that Darius had made a mistake. But when she looked to Griffin, he didn’t seem surprised.
    “Where are we?” Her voice rang too loud into the darkness.
    Darius was already stepping toward the large iron door at the front of the building. He didn’t look at her when he spoke.
    “Calling on one of the only people in London who can help us.”

SIX
     
    D arius stood at the door in silence, as if he expected it to open on its own. Helen resisted the urge to ask him why he didn’t knock. Her mere existence seemed to annoy him, and she was too tired and cold to buffer herself against his obvious dislike for her.
    A moment later, the door was opened by a pretty, doe-eyed girl, and Helen was relieved that she had not suggested knocking. She already felt dim around Darius, though she had only known him a couple of hours.
    The girl standing in the doorway seemed no more surprised to see them than Darius and Griffin were to see her open the door without prompting.
    “Come. Father is working,” she said. “He has been quite busy of late, as I’m sure you can imagine.” She cast a smileHelen’s way. “If you don’t mind, we’ll make our introductions later, once we’re safely inside.”
    Helen nodded as Darius stepped through the door. Griffin gestured for her to go ahead, waiting for her to pass before entering the house and shutting the door behind them. They followed the girl down a gritty, crumbling hall. There was nary a candle for light, but even in the dark, the girl’s hair glimmered gold and copper.
    Helen was forced to an abrupt stop as Darius halted suddenly in front of her. Peering around his shoulders, she fought the press of claustrophobia when she saw that they had come to a large metal door. The hall seemed to contract, and she noticed for the first time that, other than the closed door in front of them and the one through which they had entered, there were no windows and not a single additional door. Helen glanced at Griffin. He seemed to sense her fear, and his teeth flashed white in the darkness, casting more strangeness into the already bizarre night.
    The clink of metal on metal drew Helen’s attention from the hall, and she stood on tiptoe to see around Darius’s broad shoulders. The girl had produced a ring of large, strangely scrolled keys from which she plucked one, almost withoutlooking. She fitted it smoothly into a complex opening that looped and curved unlike any keyhole Helen had ever seen. The door swung wide and soundless.
    The girl glanced past Helen and Griffin toward the front door, hurrying them forward with a wave of her hand. “One cannot be too careful, especially now.”
    As Darius stepped past her, he stiffened, careful to avoid touching her. The girl did not seem to notice, smiling warmly as Griffin and Helen followed Darius into a high-ceilinged room stacked with crates. She closed the door, and a bolt somewhere within fell into place on its own volition.
    “You haven’t asked about the girl.” Darius’s voice was argumentative and directed at the young woman leading the way in front of him.
    She spoke without turning, a smile in her voice. “Darius Channing, after all of this time, don’t you think I trust you?”
    Darius did not answer for a moment, but when he did, his tone had softened. “Even still,” he grumbled. “You might be more careful. You’re