Wanted Angel - Sadie Moss Page 0,6
payment.”
My grip on Trin’s hand tightens a little. “Why not?”
“Your cause sounds worthy. Allowing demons to overrun Earth would be devastating for not just humans, but supernaturals as well. It would be bad for business.”
I scowl at her. I swear I can feel each scar on my face twisting with the movement, and I’m intimately aware of every one. They prickle the same way my skin did when I walked through the mist.
“You’ll forgive me for not trusting your supposed altruism. But it’s a little hard to trust you after you cursed me the last time I saw you.”
A touch of sadness washes over Valentina’s face. Her gaze flickers to Trinity again for a second, then back to me. She makes a noise that’s almost a laugh, although there’s no humor in it. “You still don’t understand, do you? You haven’t realized that what I did to you wasn’t a curse.”
It certainly feels like a fucking curse. But I don’t want to get into a fucking argument with Valentina in front of the angel and my brothers, so I ignore her words and press on with the reason for our visit. “Fine, then. No payment. Just help Trinity.”
I could’ve avoided the need to negotiate entirely by using my lust on Valentina. With my power urging her on, she would beg to do whatever she could to make me happy, to make me want her again.
But I refuse to do that.
I’m not quite sure why. I use my power in all kinds of situations, and it’s the most useful tool I have for getting my way.
Not this time though. Not now.
Maybe it’s because, despite the fact that I no longer have feelings for her, I still respect Valentina. Or maybe it’s because I don’t want Trinity to see another woman fawning all over me. Whatever the reason, I keep my lust firmly in check as I lock gazes with the witch before us.
Valentina nods, something in her expression I can’t decipher. “I’ll help her, Sawyer. I promise.” Her gaze moves to Trinity again, and a warm smile parts her lips. “Will you come with me?”
Trin glances up at me, a question in her dark eyes. I give a small nod, and just like that, she releases my hand and steps forward.
She trusts me.
She trusts all of us.
Enough to willingly step into the domain of a witch after the first one she met tried to kill her, just because we told her it would be all right this time.
Valentina leads Trinity into a small back room in the shop, and my brothers and I nearly form a stampede as we crowd into the cramped room too.
There’s a small padded table in the middle of the room, like an exam table in a doctor’s office, and Valentina gestures for Trin to climb onto it. I help the angel up, then remain close by her side as Valentina grabs a thick, blunt wand from one of the shelves and turns to face her.
“This won’t hurt,” she says quietly as she taps the wand against her palm. A bright blue light spills from the end of it, and she begins to run the light over Trinity’s body.
Trin scrunches up her face, staying totally still as Valentina examines her with the light. She catches my gaze and gives me a small smile, as if she’s trying to reassure me, and I wonder what kind of expression I have on my face. How worried do I look?
I don’t think Valentina will hurt her, but I find myself surprisingly on edge at the mere possibility.
The examination goes on for several long, silent minutes. Then, as Valentina scans her light over Trinity’s left shoulder, the light flares, turning almost white. She runs it over the same spot again, her eyes narrowing. Then she presses the tip of her wand to the area.
Trinity’s back arches a little, her eyes flaring wide. Ford growls as all of us tense, but the angel shakes her head. “I’m okay. It just feels cold.”
The light turns even brighter, then dims, turning a pale blue-gray.
Valentina looks up at Trin, her green eyes shining with something almost like worry. “I don’t know exactly what you’ve gotten yourself mixed up in, but you must’ve pissed off some powerful people. You don’t just have a bounty on your head. You’ve been demon marked.”
Trinity jerks, her eyes widening. “Demon marked? What does that mean?”
“It makes you a beacon—for supernaturals everywhere, but especially for the corrupted. It’s like you’re bleeding