fantastic solution, Bishop. Self-mutilation. Really brilliant.”
Kraven snorted.
It was as if someone had just drawn a blade over my skin as well and pressed down hard. He’d chosen to inflict injury on himself rather than seek me out. The realization stung like hell.
He lowered his shirt, frowning deeply. “I didn’t want you to know about this.”
“Such a martyr,” Kraven drawled. “Spare me the drama.”
“I assume you used the Hallowed Blade to do this. Otherwise, it would have healed by now.” Cassandra was pushing Bishop’s shirt back up. “Hold still.”
She placed both hands over his wounds and a few moments later, with that soft pulse of light from before, the cuts disappeared.
She didn’t let go of him right away, standing intimately close to him.
“Better?” She smiled up at him.
“Better. Thank you.”
“I know how hard it must be for you to deal with the side effects of your soul. I wish I could do more to ease your pain.”
I literally trembled with the effort it took not to close the distance between us and wrench her hands away from him. Even though I knew she’d helped him, I didn’t like how she was touching him.
I’d known Cassandra the Perky Blonde Angel for an hour now and I was insanely and irrationally resentful of her immediate connection with Bishop. I hated feeling this way, all these gnawing doubts in my gut joining my ravenous hunger pains.
Cassandra was beautiful, capable, smart and strong—and she could heal injuries with a mere touch. She was an angel, too. They had everything in common with each other.
Irrational or not, I hated her stupid blond guts.
“Do you give everyone this kind of personal attention?” I asked. “Or just Bishop?”
She glanced at me and gave me a small smile. “I healed Roth, too.”
I felt the heat of Bishop’s gaze on me, but I didn’t look directly at him. I knew every word that came from my mouth made me sound like a petty, jealous girlfriend. I’d always hated girls like that.
I fought hard to keep any discernible emotion out of my eyes. Despite our undeniable connection, Bishop wasn’t my boyfriend. I had no real claim on him at all.
I mean, I didn’t even know his real name.
That’s what my brain knew—that Bishop wasn’t mine.
My heart, however, had a totally different opinion on the subject.
Before anyone could say anything else, the side door clanged shut and a few seconds later, Zach and Connor entered the church sanctuary with us.
Great, I thought drily. The gang’s all here.
Zach was tall and thin, with red hair, freckles on his nose and clear, green eyes. He was kind and thoughtful, and typically did the healing in the group. I knew this from personal experience. Connor was an inch or two shorter, with dark skin, and hair so short I considered it shaved. He always had a joke to help lighten the mood. The two had forged a close friendship since they arrived, and usually went out on patrol together.
“Patrol” was the term for their endless city walks in search of grays who’d lost their minds, their control, who were so driven by their hunger that they became a true and monstrous threat to anyone they crossed paths with. Those grays were targeted for death—their bodies swept away to the Hollow after the deed was done. The golden dagger wasn’t required to kill a gray. They might be supernatural, but they were still mortal.
If I gave in to the kiss much more, I’d also become one of those zombie grays. Which was why what had happened with Colin had frightened me so much. Once a gray turned to that zombie state, there was no coming back from it. The horrible thought of losing myself completely kept me awake at night staring at my ceiling with my sheets pulled right up to my neck.
“We have a visitor,” Connor said with surprise as he noticed Cassandra—and it was very hard not to notice the beautiful blonde. “Hi, there. I’m Connor.”
“A pleasure.” She nodded.
Zach’s previous smile faded at the edges as his gaze widened with recognition. “Cassandra.”
“Zachary. I’m glad to see you made it here all right.”
“Stupid ritual.”
“Totally agree.” She smiled warmly at him. “So this is the entire team?”
“It is,” Bishop confirmed.
“Why are you here?” Zach asked her.
“The same reason as the rest of you. To lend a hand with a difficult situation.”
“Of course.”
She chewed her bottom lip—which struck me as a nervous gesture. It surprised me that she and Zach already knew each other, although I wasn’t sure why. Angels would be associated with each other on some level in Heaven, kind of like going to a big high school. Not everybody knew everyone else, but there were those you saw every day, some you made friends with, some you...didn’t.
I got the strange feeling that these two weren’t exactly best friends.
“Will you be staying with us here at the church?” Zach asked.
Cassandra swept her gaze around the sanctuary, ending with Roth. Her expression soured. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, come on,” Roth said, grinning darkly. “We can be bunkmates.”
“Definitely not.” She looked at me. “I’ll stay with Samantha.”
I stared at her. “I...uh, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“Of course it is.”
I cast a look at Bishop, hoping for backup.
There was amusement in his gaze at her suggestion, which didn’t bode well. “I think it’s a good idea. Cassandra can watch over you at night when I’m not around. You’ll be safe from any more...potential problems.”
Kraven snorted again. Honestly, I’d think the demon had a head cold if I didn’t know better. “Right. Wouldn’t want you to have problems, sweetness. That story doesn’t have a happily ever after.”
Bishop shot him a look. “That’s not what I meant.”
The demon waved a dismissive hand. “I wouldn’t know. I barely listen to anything you ever say.”
Don’t fight this, I told myself. Go with the flow. Don’t raise any alarms, not after what happened at Crave.
“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. “Wouldn’t want to be a problem.”
“Way
