collection agency would stop calling — she’d been yelled at, not thanked.
Her mother hated it when other people — even her own daughter — interfered in her business.
But this wasn’t a collection agency looking for a few thousand dollars. This was the fate of her mother’s soul. And she didn’t expect a thank-you card in return.
The fact that her mother had left her anything in her will when she died — half of Triple-A and a pair of earrings — still surprised Eden. The fact that her mother had a
It was hard to believe she’d been knocked up by an angel.
Eden still wasn’t entirely convinced what she’d been told was true. And if it was — that her father was an angel — then it didn’t exactly endear her to the heavenly species. Her father knew about her, had visited her once very briefly, and then that was it?
So as they approached the drunken angel, she didn’t feel any particular emotion for him other than the desire to get this over with as soon as possible. And maybe there was some mild curiosity as well.
As she drew closer, a light brush of energy touched her skin. It felt pleasant, like warm sunshine. Was that an angel thing? That warmth and light? The feeling of acceptance and love just being near him made all her troubles seem to drift away.
She suddenly couldn’t help but smile at the oddly disheveled man before her.
“Hey sugar tits,” the angel said, sweeping his gaze down the length of her. “Wanna buy me a drink?”
Her smile disappeared.
Theo sat on the stool next to the angel. “You’re Alistair, right?”
The angel blinked. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”
“I want to talk to you about a business proposition.”
“Oh, yeah? What kind of business proposition?”
“You help me, I help you kind of thing.”
“And who are you?”
“Name’s Theo. That’s Darrak. And sugar tits there is Eden.”
Eden looked at Darrak, who shrugged. She expected him to look amused by the angel’s reaction to her, but he didn’t. His expression was surprisingly serious.
“Is there a problem?” she asked under her breath.
“No problem,” he replied tightly.
She touched his arm to find that his muscles were tense.
He shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m just edgy, I guess.”
That made two of them. She really wanted to tell him about Lucas and what he wanted her to do, but she said nothing. This was a secret that had to remain that way.
She’d keep an eye on Theo as he acquired whatever this weapon was. She’d keep an eye on Darrak and make sure he didn’t do anything that would get him into more trouble than he was already in. And when she was instructed by Lucas, she would grab the weapon and hand it over to him.
Simple.
Well, not simple at all, but she didn’t exactly have a whole lot of choice in this scenario.
Theo nodded at a nearby booth. “Come on over here, Alistair. We’ll buy you another beer.”
“Okay,” the angel agreed. “You know, I love meeting new people. Good conversation, good drink. I’m all over that.”
“Then why would you hang out somewhere like this?” Eden asked tensely as they moved toward the more private booth. “It seems kind of dead in here.”
“They let me run a tab.”
“Why would an angel need a tab?”
Alistair frowned. “How do you know what I am?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but Theo touched her back. “Eden’s a bit psychic. She can sense the otherworldly. It’s her gift.”
“Ah,” Alistair nodded. “That makes sense. Yes, sweet-heart, I’m an angel. In human form at the moment. Impressed?”
“Very,” she agreed, sliding into the booth next to Darrak. He sat close enough that she felt the warmth from his body. It made her think about last night. Even though she’d been in a black magic fog, she still remembered how good he’d felt.
Dangerous thoughts.
She scooted over to put a few inches of space between them.
Her phone vibrated and she glanced at the call display. It was Andy, probably calling to let her know how the werewolf case was going. That could wait. She pressed the end button to ignore the call.
Theo got another beer from the bartender and slid it in front of the angel, who accepted it eagerly, bringing the dark liquid to his lips and taking a long gulp.
“Delicious,” he proclaimed.
“Is it right for an angel to drink so much?” Eden asked, then bit her lip. It sounded ruder than she’d meant it to. Stress made her lose her tact.
Alistair smiled. “Whatever gets me through the day. My time here is almost up. I’m ready to go back to my home. Can’t wait.”
“You don’t like it here?”
“It’s nice for a visit, but that’s all. I won’t be back for another tour of duty for a century, so I’ll have lots of time to recoup.”
“You’re a Cerberus, right?” Theo asked.
Alistair’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve done your research, my beer-buying friend. I am indeed. Then again, there isn’t much place for an angel in the human world unless he’s fallen or a Cerberus, is there?”
“No, I don’t suppose there is.”
Darrak remained silent, carefully watching their conversation.
“So you’re a guard?” Eden asked. “You look after a gateway?”
He nodded. “To the Netherworld. Nobody’s gotten through my gateway without my permission. Not once in seven years.” He hiccupped and his grin began to fade at the edges. “Is that what this is about? You want to visit the Netherworld? Not a good idea for humans, you know. Get too close to the gates of Hell and your mortal bodies will be incinerated on the spot.”
“No, that’s not what we want,” Theo said. “I’d actually like you to take a look at something for me. Something I recently acquired after a long search.”
“Sure,” Alistair slurred. “What is it?”
Theo reached into his pocket and pulled out a black crystal. It was three inches long, flat, and sharp on one end.
“It’s very beautiful,” Alistair said. “May I?”
“Of course.” Theo handed the crystal shard to him.
Eden’s phone buzzed again.
“What is it?” Alistair asked.
“It’s a black diamond.”
“Precious.”
“Very. Hard to find, let me tell you. It’s taken me a long time to find one large enough. But time plus determination inevitably equals success.”
Was that the weapon? Eden wondered. If so, why would he show it to an angel?
“I’m not a collector of rare gems, if that’s what you’re looking for.” Alistair gave the diamond back to Theo and took a swig of his drink. “Us angels tend to hold no material possessions. Makes it easier to return to the heavenly realm.”
“I don’t want you to buy it.”
Alistair placed the mug down on the table and turned to him warily. “Then what exactly do you want from
