grip and stared at her. “Let him come. He’ll meet my blade. He’s long overdue for it.”
She knew his words were meant for her. In a whoosh of air, the garden disappeared and she was whisked away.
Chapter Three
Tris held the vampire while he flew and had to draw her closer to his body. Her nonexistent body heat made him uncomfortable. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. The whole situation made him uncomfortable. He should not have to put up with the vampire, but going against Joe was not an option. While he was pinned upon the tree, his superior had shown him what awaited him if he did not listen. The image of his wings torn from his back and the blood-soaked feathers strewn around him stuck in his mind. Or that of his wings turning completely black and leathery and the feathers falling off because he found himself truly falling and becoming the thing he most feared. Standing on the precipice of that knowledge, that he could truly fall, Tris knew he was not going to disobey. There was too much at stake. Still, he was glad when he landed because he pushed the bloodsucker away.
“You don’t have to be such an ass,” the woman muttered.
He looked up and saw her rubbing her shoulder and the indentation in the wall where she had hit it. It was not a big depression, but it was big enough. He shrugged. What do I care? Tris had to find a place for her. There was nowhere in the house for her to stay, and he was not sure what the three H’s would say about it. They each had their own private room. He could put her in the pantry where it was always dark, but he doubted Joe would want her to be stuffed into the food closet where there was barely room to turn around. His boss might consider it cruel and unusual for the vampire. The only other place was the basement.
“Look, I was told to watch over you and provide a place for you to stay.” Tris gritted his teeth and grabbed her wrist. “Follow me.” He dragged her through the kitchen and walked smack into Hemeil .
“Whoa, Tris! Watch where you’re going,” the other angel said.
“Sorry,” he mumbled to his housemate. “Didn’t see you.”
“I can see that.” Hemeil crossed his arms over his chest and eyed him. “So this is your squeeze for the night? I’ve never seen you with a woman.”
Tris felt the intense scrutiny from the other man. It was not unusual for them to bring women back to the house, but he never did. He waited for more comments from Hemeil and saw he was sweating from working out.
“It’s not a woman,” he explained. “It’s a vampire. And it’s going to be staying with us.”
Shock dotted his eyes, but he restrained his emotions, and a small smile crept along the other angel’s lips. He trained his eyes on Daniella, and let his gaze linger a bit longer than Tris liked. Tris glanced back at the vampire and saw her staring at the angel and wondered what she was thinking. He swore if she could blush, then her mocha skin would be darker.
“She might be a vampire, but she is very beautiful.” Hemeil lifted her chin so he could stare into her eyes.
Tris grabbed his arm and tried to pull it away. “She’s the very thing that we hunt.”
Hemeil shook his head. “You don’t see it.”
“See what?” Daniella asked.
Hemeil wrenched his arm from Tris’s grip. He smiled and ran his finger along Daniella’s cheek. She shivered and smiled back at him.
“Yes, see what, Hemeil ?” Tris asked.
The other man glanced at him. “If you can’t see it, then I’m not going to be the one to tell you. Vampire you may be, but I’d never hunt you. I give you my promise on that. If you run into trouble with Tris, you can come to me.”
“Thank you.”
Hemeil nodded and headed toward the stairs. Tris opened the basement door, grabbed Daniella’s arm, and yanked her down the stairs into the basement. Hemeil’s words went through his mind. What couldn’t I see? What did he see when he looked into her eyes? He walked around