along. And you played into their game, giving your soul up willingly to save Kayley.”
“No.” She shook her head, unwilling to believe. “No, that’s not right.” Coldness seeped into her bones. A shiver started at her toes and worked its way up until her entire body shook. It’s not true.
If it was, her sister had betrayed her. How could she live with that?
Maccus’s dark eyes held a glimmer of what might be pity. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
Chapter Seven
Shit, he hated the look on Morrigan’s face. Worse, that he’d put it there. And he shouldn’t care. It was nothing to him if she was gullible enough to let her sister trick her into surrendering her soul to Lucifer.
He wondered what Kayley had gained from her sister’s sacrifice.
His hands fisted by his sides to keep from reaching for Morrigan. She wouldn’t welcome his touch. Not now. He’d destroyed her memories of her sister.
Should have kept my fucking mouth shut.
How did the saying go? No good deed goes unpunished.
The urge to kill rose inside him like a tidal wave. He flexed the muscles in his arms and legs and breathed deeply to calm the rage.
Loyalty. It was rare in his world. Morrigan had given it to her sister and been betrayed. No matter what happened, he planned to pay Kayley a visit at some point down the road.
If ever there was anyone in need of killing, it was Kayley Quill.
That still didn’t tell him why Morrigan was on Gabriel’s hit list.
“You ever meet an angel?” he asked.
She was shaken but was still on her feet. Her strength was impressive.
“No, no angel.” Then she amended her statement. “Only you. And Lucifer,” she added with a shudder. “Both fallen.”
“Why you? Why did Lucifer send you?” It was a death sentence. It wasn’t the first time Lucifer had tried to have him eliminated, but it was the first attempt for several thousand years. “You’re not capable of killing me.”
She bristled at his words. “I’m capable.” Then she paused and honestly added, “Or maybe not. I don’t know. He came to me and told me if I killed you, my contract would be canceled, and I could have my life back. If I failed, I would forfeit my soul for eternity.”
“But you have a contract,” he pointed out. There were rules for every paranormal creature, no matter how powerful, and contracts could not be broken.
She snorted. “Yeah, and if I survive the twenty-five years, fifteen of which I have left, I’m free. It’s the survival clause that gets me. If I die, he gets my soul for eternity. If I fail this job, I’ll end up back in Hell, and it will be open season on me. I doubt I’ll survive fifteen years of assassination attempts.”
She glanced down at the floor and scuffed her bare toe against the hardwood. “He told me to get close to you, to do whatever I had to do.”
Maccus blood ran cold. “I see.” And he did. Lucifer was a compelling force and her boss. She might have found release multiple times, but she hadn’t come to him freely.
“That’s not why I slept with you,” she continued, shooting him a glare.
“No?” Something inside him hardened. The tiny light of his soul dimmed.
“No.” She shook her head. “People think Hell is fiery, but for me, it’s frigid. I’ve been cold for so long.” Her green eyes seemed to deepen in color, tugging at something inside him. “Being with you.” She rubbed her hands over her thighs, the nervous gesture almost endearing. “It’s the first time I’ve been warm in ten years.”
It’s a lie.
She was an accomplished liar, a bounty hunter tasked with doing whatever was necessary to get close to him, to kill him. Her freedom was on the line, her very soul.
Yet, every sense he possessed told him she was telling the truth.
Or maybe he only wanted to believe.
One thing had become crystal clear. He needed to keep her alive and with him until he