Demon Angel

Blood-flecked foam dripped from his mouths, his eyes burned with hellfire.
    No mistaking the legacy of the dragon in him; no pretending he wasn't a creature from Hell.
    Drama. Appearance—and it worked. Taylor paled; not from fright, Lilith realized, but with the understanding of what the nosferatu were, what might happen to the boys did Hugh not go through the ritual. Understood the choice he was making.
    She couldn't resist an exit line. "You get those kids, and then you get the fuck out of there."
    Two more things to take care of—the most difficult first. No sense drawing it out.
    He caught her hand before she could open the office door. He stared down at her, and he saw too much. You don't have to make it irreparable .
    She sighed. I like them both — respect them. And I like them the more for objecting to your death. But trying to explain to them that I'm doing this because I love you wouldn't have worked as well, nor as quickly .
    He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. I know , he signed finally. But you should have let me do it. If what you've planned doesn't work, I don't want you to be completely alone… after. I don't want you to drive everyone away .
    "After" wouldn't matter if this didn't work. "What time did Michael stipulate they meet us?"
    The change of subject didn't faze him. "Midnight." Leaning in, he kissed her upper lip, then her lower. "We'll need to leave in four hours."
    The expression in his eyes was a reflection of hers: not enough time.
    "We'll split this, get it done faster," she said, her throat tight. "Sir Pup, the item." A small plastic bag filled her palm. "I have to talk to Michael. Make certain Colin goes to Caelum, and give this to Selah. Then we go to the bedroom and don't come out again until we have to leave."
    He nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. His voice was low, rough. "I'm going to leave my mark, Lily."
    Heat tore through her; her knees turned to water. She hurried through her silent explanation with hands that only wanted to touch him, to leave her own mark—then forced herself to wait.
    Michael first.
    Hugh found Selah and Colin in the kitchen. "Are you ready to go?"
    Colin looked up, his anger still evident. "I can help you. My sword—"
    "You can help us better in Caelum. And their supplies will have been used by now; they need to eat." Hugh gestured to the grocery sack intended for Savi and Auntie. No food in Caelum—Guardians didn't need it.
    "So do I," Colin said, a silken threat.
    "She's my sister," Hugh reminded him, then sighed. He understood the vampire's frustration—it echoed his own. Whatever Lilith planned had to be done in secrecy; it ate at him that he couldn't do more to help her. Colin likely felt as useless. "I need you to protect them afterward: Savi, Auntie—and Lilith. She'll be alone, just as your sister was before we came to help her."
    A muscle in the vampire's cheek flexed. "Don't manipulate me. You have humans assisting you, yet I cannot? Bloody ridiculous."
    Another way, then. Impossible to say aloud the true reason—Colin was the anchor to Chaos. He probably wouldn't have accepted that, anyway; he was more concerned with helping them than worried about possible danger to himself. Hugh's voice hardened. "You're a liability to us. I'm sworn to protect you, Lilith loves you. Should you become endangered, you'll divide our attention and leave us vulnerable."
    The vampire fell silent, his jaw set. Furious, but reluctantly accepting the truth.
    Selah looked away from them, her gaze dropping to the granite counter. Hugh tossed the small plastic bag into her line of sight.
    Her head jerked up. "What the hell—"
    Hugh slashed through the air with his hand, a demand for silence. After the boys have been taken, after the nosferatu have drunk the blood, use this as an anchor and return with whoever you find there, as quickly as possible. Don't open it before then; the scent might give her away .
    With her thumb and forefinger, Selah delicately lifted the bag by the corner. Whose are they ?
    I don't know , Hugh signed. Lilith couldn't tell him, and though he had his suspicions, he pushed them far back into his mind and refused to consider them further.
    Colin stared at the bag, at the three severed fingers inside. Black nails, red skin—a demon's talons. "Did Lilith do that?"
    Hugh nodded. Selah vanished the bag into her cache and shuddered.
    A wry smiled pulled at the vampire's mouth. "Perhaps I should still be afraid of her, even