Deliver Me from Temptation Read Online Free PDF Page A

above and far under the rest of the grounds. It was just another measure of defense. Even if Haven’s location was discovered, even if somehow Lucifer’s forces found a way to circumvent the powers of the holy cross and discovered a pathway into Haven, the Paladin could always retreat to the maze of tunnels underneath—and attack their enemies from within.
    Following the general direction of Valin’s earlier response, Logan made his way halfway down the hall, turned left down another, then right until eventually he caught the low hum of murmured conversation.
    Not alone after all. No matter.
    Following the sounds, he slammed through the next door he came to. His sights flickered briefly over Alexander resting stiffly on a pallet and settled on the black-clad Valin who somehow managed to lounge negligently in a hard-backed chair. Three steps later and Logan slammed his hands down on the arms of the chair.
    “Where the hell where you, Valin?”
    Nothing but a blink. Logan pounded the arms of the chair, taking his frustration out on the hard oak rather than the Paladin’s hard head.
    “I called for you,” he said softly, gritting his teeth to hold on to his control. “Where were you?” God, if the succubus hadn’t decided to run…Neither Ganelon nor Lucifer’s minions gave a damn about collateral damage. In fact, they fed off it. It still amazed him the succubus hadn’t seen the possibilities of the woman being there. It’s why the Paladin tried to hunt away from humans: the potential for hostages and innocent deaths was too great.
    “I didn’t abandon you,” Valin finally replied, sounding bored.
    “No? What then?”
    “I found your ambush. Only it wasn’t for us.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Two vamps. They were sneaking up on your half-witted cop with no sense to stay out of dark streets at night.”
    “My cop?” Logan asked uneasily, not sure how Valin had managed to discern the woman was a cop from her looks alone.
    “The woman you were carrying. Brown hair, about five foot ten, Kevlar and gun? Yeah, definitely cop.”
    Logan nodded, though his gut clenched. “You sure it was her they were after?”
    He shrugged. “Or she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever, it was fate you guys ran by when you did, drawing her away. I was afraid I would have to reveal my naked self to scare her off.” Valin scoffed, shaking his head. “The cop was completely oblivious to those vamps.”
    And vulnerable. What might’ve happened to her if they hadn’t happened along? What was a woman like her doing there in the first place? Yeah, okay, the badge stuffed in her back pocket had been like a neon sign screaming “cop,” and more than explained what she could have been doing in that part of town, but that wasn’t what he meant. She was a puzzle. Her ID said her name was Jessica Waters. She was five-ten, wore size nine boots, and had the body of a swimsuit model, which she hid behind Kevlar and a bunch of dingy sweats and jeans that lay in piles on the floor of her walk-in closet. And that was another thing. Judging by the sheer size of her upper east side apartment—a good deal bigger than said closet—she obviously had money on top of her cop salary, yet didn’t use it for things like a decent car or fancy furniture. There was only one thing in her apartment that did scream taste and money; an impressive display of artwork on her walls, the sale of which could’ve kept her in luxury until her lustrous hair went completely silver and her teeth fell out, yet she chose to be a cop instead. A warrior of her own people. And completely, utterly, human.
    Damn.
    He became aware of Valin eyeing him oddly. No wonder. He’d been off in la-la land. Forcing his grip from the chair arms, he straightened, turning his attention to the other Paladin in the room. Alexander sat up but remained hunched over, his hand splayed protectively over the white bandage binding his ribs. That bandage was just