“How long have you been there?”
“Couple hours. Why?”
Ash let out a stream of curses.
“What’s going on?”
“Skye just called me. Eva didn’t show up, and she’s not answering her phone.”
“She was driving. You sure she’s not stuck in traffic or something?”
“The venue she was meeting Skye at is fifteen minutes from the shelter,” Ash snapped. “How the fuck could she get stuck in a two-hour traffic jam at night?”
A chill crept down Raum’s spine, but he assured himself it was too early to jump to conclusions. “Maybe there’s construction—”
“If she was stuck somewhere, she would’ve called to let me know she’s okay. She knows shit is dangerous right now. And she would’ve called Skye to let her know she was going to be late.” Ash sounded like he was barely holding it together. “She would have fucking called.”
Raum headed toward the alley down the street where he usually shifted. The streetlight above flickered on and off.
“It’s too much of a coincidence that your angel girlfriend shows up with some dire warning right before this,” Ash growled. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” Raum replied, trying to tamp down his own frustration. “I’ve been trying to reach her all day.”
“If she has anything to do with this—”
“She doesn’t.”
There was a pause, and Raum could hear Ash making low growling sounds under his breath. “If anything happens to Eva, I swear to fucking god—”
“Threatening Sunshine isn’t helping. I’m gonna look for her, and you look for Eva.”
“Fine.” He hung up.
Raum stared at the screen and couldn’t dispel the nerves tightening his chest. He rang Sunshine again, knowing she didn’t have her phone. He was sure it was sitting in her empty apartment, but he was still going over there to check. What else could he do? He turned down the alley and headed toward the shadows to shift.
He’d barely made it halfway when a big fucking angel appeared in front of him.
Blue eyes, curly blond hair, with a little dimple in his chin, he had that all-American white-boy charm.
Except for the giant white-flaming sword in his hand. That part was a bit incongruous.
Raum’s heart started beating four times its normal rate, but he held himself perfectly still. He knew who this fucker was.
The longer he stared at him, the more familiar those blue eyes appeared.
Until suddenly…he flashed back to where he’d left off in that dream. Only this time, there wasn’t a smudgy blur where the angel’s face was. This time, the memory was crystal clear.
* * *
“Where is Shamsiel?”
“Where is who?” Raum said, adopting a bored expression. Inwardly, however, panic and dread raced through his bloodstream.
“I know everything,” Raphael said, forcing his way into the room. Raum stepped back and gestured for him to enter like it had been his idea all along, carefully maneuvering himself toward the exit.
He wasn’t delusional. If the archangel wanted to apprehend him, he would. Angels could flash. Demons could not. Raum could try to escape in crow form, but Raphael would always have the advantage.
But Raum had broken no rules, he reminded himself. Angels always followed the rules.
