Wanted Angel - Sadie Moss Page 0,1

see what happens and hoping that the whole mess will sort itself out. In my experience, messes don’t sort themselves out, they just become bigger disasters while you wait in vain for them to disappear.

“She’s right,” Ford says, not whispering so much as lowering the gravelly rumble of his voice. The personification of Wrath does not whisper. Oh, no. Ford sounds like he smoked a pack of cigarettes and then gargled glass. He just growls at various decibel levels.

I tell myself that it isn’t sexy, but given how many times I’ve had sex with the man, I think that it’s pretty clear that’s a lie.

Okay, fine, it wasn’t that many times.

But for a fallen angel who’d never had sex before in her entire existence a couple months ago, any sex is a lot. And all of our encounters were pretty freaking memorable.

Nix scoffs, but I glance over at Ford, who gives me a look that’s… well, it’s not quite soft. I’m not sure that Ford is capable of that kind of softness.

But it’s reassuring.

Protective.

“The best defense,” Ford adds, “is a good offense.”

As he speaks, he takes my elbow and leads me around the corner down another alley, following Beckett and Ryland, who are in the lead.

I nudge him with my shoulder. “You would know.”

Ford likes to box in no-holds-barred bare-knuckle brawls for a living, so he’s well versed in what tactics are most likely to win a fight.

“Yes,” he replies, without a trace of humor. “I would fuckin’ know.”

I bite back another fond smile, focusing on the two tall figures ahead of us. Someday I have got to get this man to understand the concept of a joke.

Beckett and Ryland pause up ahead, then look at one another. I never thought I would find someone who’s Beckett’s match in leadership, but Ryland is that person. It’s impressive. He’s impressive, even though I still can’t get a solid read on him.

The one time I ended up naked in a room with all of the brothers, Ryland never touched me. He only gave orders and watched. I don’t know what it will take to melt him, and I’m not sure that it’s even possible. But even though I’m uncomfortable around him… I can’t deny that he’s good at balancing Beckett out and being in charge of the others. Pride and Greed work well together, it seems.

After doing one of their silent conversation things, Beckett looks back at the rest of us and tilts his head in a silent gesture for us to follow him.

I take a deep breath as we continue down the alley.

We’re on our way to see a witch, one that Sawyer knows, and I can’t help my nervousness. I know that the sins will protect me as best they can, but our track record with witches hasn’t been all that great. The witch we went to tried to kill me by taking all of my blood, probably for use in powerful rituals. Angel blood is powerful, after all, even if you take it from a fallen angel like me.

This witch, Valentina, is supposedly very well-known and very powerful. She’s not a death witch like Morrigan, so that’s something. Sawyer assured me that she’s not going to hurt me or try to turn me in for the bounty, but I can’t help but worry that it only means she’s going to want to keep me for her own purposes instead.

Besides, how does Sawyer know Valentina?

Usually when he mentions a past lover, he brags about them, mentions some positive trait about them like how beautiful or talented they are—which isn’t really a surprise, seeing as he’s Lust—but he seems almost reluctant to talk about her.

I wonder what the history is there. Was Valentina someone important to him once? Or an enemy?

Honestly, it’s hard to picture Sawyer having anyone important in his life other than his brothers. He’s handsome, in spite of the vicious scars that cover his body and face. In fact, I think the scars almost make him more beautiful. They make him look more… human. There are certain kinds of people who look too good to be true, completely flawless, and it makes them seem almost untouchable. But a bit of scruff, a scar, some wrinkles—those things make them seem human.

They make them seem like someone you could truly hope to have for yourself. To be worthy of.

Not that I’ll ever tell Sawyer that. Sawyer’s well aware that he’s good looking, and he has no problem getting anyone into