Mists of Velvet

and flung it onto the carpet. “Oh, here and there. Nothing permanent. I prefer to be nomadic. And if I wanted the crow to find me, I would have left a trail of bread crumbs.”
    Rhys could just imagine what his arrogant great-uncle would think if he heard himself being referred to as a crow. Still, Bran wasn’t here, and Rhys could use Suriel’s unexpected appearance to learn more. Not that Bran would thank him for the assistance.
    “So, while you have been . . . nomadic, what have you been doing?”
    “Facilitating a few mortal souls to their maker. Nothing too exciting. You?”
    Rhys did not feel a moment of ease at Suriel’s flippant attitude. “Just trying to keep my club going. That business with Trinity caused a huge problem with the cops.”
    “They’re not going to solve the case, MacDonald. It’s beyond them. It’s up to Bran and his merry men to do that. Speaking of merry men, where is the Shadow Wraith?”
    What the hell did Suriel want with Keir?
    “I thought you were all-knowing, Suriel,” he muttered while he cleared the papers from his desk and placed them in a drawer. “Why don’t you tell me where he is?”
    Suriel’s amused gaze flickered to his face. “You flatter me, MacDonald. But the truth is, upon occasion some facts elude me. I’m afraid this time is one of them.”
    “Bullshit.”
    Suriel shrugged. “Believe what you like.”
    “I will. And I believe that you’re here to stir up shit—again.”
    Suriel’s smile was a blend of cynical amusement and deviousness. “And why do you think that? I am fallen, not evil.”
    “Doesn’t that mean the same thing? You sinned and lost your wings, didn’t you?”
    “No, I still have those. They’re just black now.”
    Rhys leaned back in his chair and regarded the angel sitting before him. Tall. Well built. Hair that was thick and shoulder length, the color a dark brown—almost black. His eyes were dark, too, fathomless. Rhys didn’t like to look too long into Suriel’s eyes. It was the one thing in the world he feared—what he would find in Suriel’s black eyes. No doubt there was nothing but death and terror to be found inside this particular fallen angel.
    What had been his sin? Rhys wondered, not for the first time. What powers had God gifted Suriel? And what made him take them away?
    Suriel pressed forward, his eyes growing darker with hatred. “You want to know what I did? I got laid.” Suriel waited for a reaction, and the bastard smiled when he perceived the tremor of trepidation that flickered down Rhys’ spine. “You flesh bags get your dicks wet whenever you feel like it and are spared his wrath. The one time I do it, I’m banished for eternity. Hardly fair.” Suriel sat back and propped his booted feet on top of Rhys’ desk. “So now you know. I had sex. Tasted the flesh of a woman. And now I’m here, walking this hellhole till He decides that I’ve properly learned my lesson. But do you know what? I’ve already learned everything there is to know about your kind. And that ain’t saying much.”
    “What do you want, Suriel?”
    “Believe it or not, I’ve come to warn you.”
    Rhys snorted. “About what?”
    “Your stupid curiosity and macho hero tendencies. That’s right,” Suriel said with a chuckle, “I saw you trying to open the portal.”
    “Big deal,” Rhys muttered, trying to act nonchalant. In truth, he was utterly unnerved. Where had Suriel been lurking?
    “Eyes and ears, my friend,” Suriel reminded him as he rose from his chair and allowed his black wings to unfurl from beneath the long leather trench he always wore. “It’s the mark of a good guardian angel.”
    “You’re not my guardian.”
    Suriel shrugged. “Who the hell else would put up with you?”
    “I don’t need a babysitter.”
    “You’re not getting my subtlety, MacDonald.”
    “And you’re not getting mine. So let me be clear. I don’t want anything from you. Stay the hell away from me.”
    Two large hands slammed down on the desk. “Shut the fuck up and listen to me. I’m trying to help you, even though it goes against everything I feel. Now,” Suriel said quietly, “do not make another attempt to go beyond that door. What it leads to is a world you cannot be part of. There are dangers there you cannot begin to fathom.”
    “I already know about Annwyn and Cailleach and all the other fairy tales that have been passed down.”
    “But you don’t know this one.” Suriel turned his hands over.