Angel Unleashed. Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

but had it been trying to tell her something that actually pertained to her very private search?

      We know what you seek.

      Unlike her, and unlike the Blood Knight across from her, most of the world’s other monsters lied through their teeth.

      “What? No answer?” the Blood Knight said, taking one step toward the shadows the Shade had blended into.

      Avery knew he wouldn’t pursue the damn thing and that he had come here for another reason. She was that reason. Still, she had to wonder how a Shade could have been aware of the fact that she searched for anything. Believing it had known something would also prove how desperate she was to be reunited with the missing pieces of herself.

      All these speculations were moot points, though, since the Shade was gone.

      “Saving the day, Knight? You scared that poor sucker,” Avery said thoughtfully.

      He turned toward her. “Are you into self-mutilation these days, angel? That cut on your hand?”

      His use of the word angel jump-started the nerve burn that followed. Avery stared back at him, reasoning that he knew nothing.

      “Why didn’t you dispense with that no-good creature?” he asked, waving at the pool of darkness.

      “I didn’t have to. You rode in on a white horse.”

      Her companion grinned. “Would you have dispensed with it?”

      “Probably not. It meant me no harm.”

      “Said no mortal that had ever encountered one of them on a dark street and lived to tell about it.”

      “We both know that kind of danger doesn’t necessarily apply to us,” she pointed out.

      “The thing issued an invitation for you to follow it home, all cozy-like.”

      “Yes, it did.”

      “Are Shades famous for helping others?”

      When she didn’t answer, he said, “I rest my case.”

      He was right, of course. Yet, as Avery glanced to the shadows, she wondered why she had felt reasonably sure this Shade knew something that might have helped her quest. The awareness was a gut feeling, with no sound basis whatsoever, but what the hell? Gut feelings were often part of intuition.

      Her Knight spoke again. “Was that creature right in the assumption that you’ve come to London looking for something? You’ve hinted at needing to be left alone to do what you came here to do. If you tell me what you’re looking for, I’ll help with your search.”

      Her inner flutters persisted. At the base of her spine, chills were piling up. Avery had to hide her body’s quakes. Because of the amount of effort that took, she was close to telling this Knight what he wanted to hear. She was so very tired of keeping things to herself.

      “Who would you rather trust with that information? That hazy black sucker or me?” he said.

      When she didn’t answer that question, he said, “I see. And I’m sorry you feel threatened.”

      “Nothing you could do would threaten me.”

      That statement wasn’t entirely true, however, and even the partial falsehood stung Avery to her core. The handsome bastard’s looks alone posed a threat to her many lifetimes of isolation. His hand-picked existence had threatened hers by taking away her freedom. Plus, her heart was misbehaving by beating way too fast, as if all the time she’d spent cursing him didn’t amount to squat when facing the real deal.

      Discomfort came with his continued scrutiny and from being the central focus of any Blood Knight’s attention.

      That kiss didn’t mean anything.

      “I know the closeness back there was meant as a distraction, if that’s what you’re worrying about,” he said.

      Words failed her, even in thought, which was never a good sign. Strangely enough, she was weakening, caving to this guy’s well-practiced, bronzed allure. While she knew better than to give in, she just couldn’t seem to help herself.

      This is why I’ve stayed away from you, Avery wanted to confess.

      She kept her mouth shut.

      “I will again offer you my assistance,” he said in that irritating way he had of sounding chivalrous. “One last offer. Take it or leave it.”

      Avery considered his offer carefully. She didn’t have to like him. They didn’t have to be friends. The old vows could stand if she allowed this guy to help her this once. After finding her wings, she would hit the road and curse him all over again.

      “If you know what I am, you must also know what I can do, and that I mean what I say,” he added.

      I know your mission is to do good in this world, endlessly and forever. But can I forget the past long enough to accept your help in such a personal quest?

      Major stumbling block. Could she bypass that damn kiss and how this Knight made her feel, when she hadn’t felt anything for countless years?

      Maybe he could be trusted. But could she trust herself around him if a simple kiss had sent her running? Former prejudices weren’t worth much if they could be obliterated by a pretty face.

      I’m not like you.

      Not anything like you.

      Sadly, that wasn’t quite true, either, since the Knight also carried in his immortal soul the light of the Divine. She had been a crucial link in passing that light to him. And damned if it wasn’t that same light that made her want to get closer to him now.

      “In seeking you out, I wanted to make sure you were all right,” he explained. “That’s all.”

      “Liar,” she said. Possibly he couldn’t lie straight out, but he wasn’t telling her everything.

      His electric-blue gaze intensified, leaving Avery feeling naked and exposed.

      “You’re right,” he conceded. “I wanted something else as well. Friendship.”

      “A half truth, at best.”

      Nodding, he started over. “All right. The truth is I want a lot more than that. So, shall I go, or will you dare to confide at least part of your story?”

      Do not give in.

      Look away if you have to.

      Avery managed to hold to those two inner commands for a few seconds before she spoke again.

      “I’ve lost something that I’ve been trying to find for decades. My search has been exhaustive and has finally brought me back to London.”

      He waited for her to go on.

      “I had all but given up before being called back to London. I feel close to my goal here and have to give this quest one last shot.”

      Avery saw how the word quest affected the man across from her. For all his glorious Knightness, the guy wasn’t so difficult to read. His extended life span had been based on that same concept. Quest.

      “How much do you know about me?” he asked. “How do you know about Blood Knights?”

      “I was privy to that information early on, from a source I can’t disclose.”

      “Can’t, or won’t disclose?”

      “It’s the same thing, in the end.”

      He took a step toward her. “You know my story, and I can’t know yours?”

      “I doubt you’d want to help me if I told you my story.”

      “It’s that bad?”

      “To some.”

      “Are you a demon?”

      Avery shook