does this mean?”
“It’s a calling, angel. A—”
“I thought it was a punishment.”
“It serves that purpose, too.”
The way she bit her lower lip was an added sign of her distress, but the inner core of steel that had first attracted him to her did not fail. “Killing demons and fairies? Look at me, Alec. Do I look like I can do that?”
“You’re capable of anything that needs to be done. Far more so than most Marks.”
“Most Marks?” Her eyes widened. “There are more?”
“Thousands.”
“Jesus . . . Ow, damn it! This thing keeps burning.”
“Because you’re taking the Lord’s name in vain. You’ll have to get over that.”
Her mouth took on a mulish cast. “This is bullshit. Why me? Why?”
He exhaled harshly, his breath ruffling the hair atop her head. There was no way to deny his culpability in her downfall. But he wasn’t going to keep pointing it out.
“After my father was created,” he said instead, “the angels were commanded to prostrate before him, because he was created in the image of the Lord.”
Eve snorted. “God’s not at all full of himself, is he?”
“Watch it,” Alec warned, shaking her a little. “That mouth is going to get you in trouble.”
“That’s not the only troublesome part of me.”
“Some of the angels refused, insisting they were superior to man—”
“I have a tendency to agree with them.”
“Those who opposed God’s will were banished from the heavens. They fell to earth, where they mated with man and produced nephilim—half-angels who felt animosity toward the Lord. My family began to lose its position in the food chain.”
“So God drafted you?”
He laughed softly, humorlessly. “He said sin crouched at our door and it was my duty to master it. If I did well, I would be forgiven the death of my brother. If I didn’t, the Infernals would kill me.”
“Why doesn’t anyone know this part of the story?”
“It’s in the Bible, angel. The order of events is a bit skewed, but it’s mentioned.”
“So you had no choice.”
“We are always given a choice. It was my brother Seth who urged me to accept the offer. Since I had . . . experience, it made sense. In the end, I was grateful to be given a purpose. I’m good at what I do.”
“You have another brother?” She was clearly horrified by the thought.
“Thirty-two of them, and twenty-three sisters. Not all are still here on earth. Many have already ascended.”
“Oh, jeez . . .” She winced. “Your poor mother.”
“You have to consider that without television, radio, and sporting events, sex was the best form of entertainment there was.”
“I’d abstain, if it saved me from birthing that many kids.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” he teased, achingly aware of her simmering state of arousal. Beneath Eve’s fear and confusion Alec scented the underlying spice of pure desire. Combined with the salt-tinged sea breeze coming through the open sliding glass door, it was potent and alluring. Eve, by nature, was a sexual creature. That proclivity would be enhanced now.
“Go back to your explanation,” she said. “You started killing the nephilim?”
“Yes, which angered Sammael.”
“Sammael?”
“Satan.”
“Oh, gotcha.”
“As the nephilim began to interbreed with other nephilim and the fallen, Sammael trained their off-spring, instilling in them a hatred for everything but him. I couldn’t handle the job alone. There were too many to kill, too many variations and mutations.”
“So God started marking other people?”
“Sinners. Giving them a chance to work off their offenses.”
“I’m not a sinner. And the whole setup is totally jacked. There are millions of religious zealots around the world who kill in his name every day, but why use them, right? That would make too much sense. Better to draft unwilling suckers like me. That’s more fun. Put the screws to them, watch them squirm.”
“Evangeline . . .” Alec’s stomach knotted. “You don’t have to like Him, but you’re going to have to respect His power.”
“What more can he do to me?” She pushed him away.
He briefly considered resisting, then thought his state of undress might give him an advantage. He was a hunter by nature, a predator. He knew he would have to approach her with caution. He would have to maneuver skillfully, bending and adjusting as necessary in order to keep Eve close. She would have to see him coming, because surprising her with a pounce would shatter her trust further, and she needed to trust him. Otherwise he had no hope of keeping her alive.
As if she sensed his intent, Eve shot him an arch glance and tightened the belt on her robe. “You