Ashes of Angels by Michele Hauf Read Free Book Online

I’m not returning…”
    Pushing her back into the bedroom, he inserted the USB in the computer drive, and Cassandra was so shocked at the angel’s actions she stumbled to sit on the bed. It was as if he knew her every secret. Or had been given a clue to finding each one. Could their sigils have something to do with that? She just didn’t know.
    She averted her gaze to the silver angel posed on the dresser. The face resembled the live angel poised before the computer. Had she brought him to life by invoking him in silver?
    She caught her head in her palms. The silver rings she wore reminded her of another time she’d tried to invoke danger. Would she never learn?
    The monitor beeped, prompting her attention, and a list flashed on the screen. Sam turned and eyed her. “Financial stuff?”
    â€œIt’s just a list,” she murmured. “My grandmother gave it to me.”
    â€œA list of all the Fallen ones’ names and…their sigils.” He whistled, impressed. “Honey, you do not want this to fall into vampire hands.”
    â€œIt’s not going to.”
    â€œNo, because I’ll make sure it doesn’t.” He dragged the computer file to the trash.
    Cassandra dove for the flash drive and tugged it out. He gripped her wrist. “Agothé!”
    The angel was forced against the wall again, arms spread. He struggled futilely. “Fine! Keep it,” he said. “But you make sure it is erased from the computer and any other copies you have are destroyed. Your home will be searched, I can guarantee it.”
    She thought about it. He seemed to know what was up in this whole war between the vampires, Fallen and muses. Double clicking the trash icon, she emptied it.
    â€œWhere’s the original?” he asked.
    â€œI burned it after transferring it to the computer.”
    â€œDon’t lie to me, Cassandra.”
    â€œI’m not.”
    Okay, so she was, but he didn’t need to know she had the original book and was still in the process of scanning all the pages into digital files. Granny had suggested she be very careful with the last page; it wasn’t to be scanned—ever.
    She made a concerted effort not to look out the bedroom door to the bathroom as she grabbed the Taser and marched out, leaving him pinned to the wall next to her X-Files poster and the angel sculpture.
    He met her in the living room poised casually near the couch, hands on his hips. How did he do that? It was as if he could move at supernatural speed—ah, yes. He had the ability to walk swiftly, hundreds of miles an hour. It is what he’d done to walk the world and gain knowledge. Because he couldn’t fly. Once an angel’s feet touched earth, they lost their divinity, and their…
    Cassandra noticed the object hooked at his hip for the first time. “Your halo?”
    She clamped a palm over her mouth. He had his own halo?But he should have lost that when Falling. It was a powerful weapon in the hands of its owner.
    He tapped the circlet, and it clinked dully. “Found it in the halo hunter’s bag. It is mine.” He stroked the curved blade and it glowed as blue as Cassandra’s sigil had.
    Despite her dread, an innate curiosity nudged to the surface of her mind, and Cassandra leaned toward the marvelous device. “Can I touch it?”
    He snapped it against his chest. “I don’t think so.”
    â€œWhy not? You afraid I can use it? Mortals can’t kill angels.”
    â€œIn theory.”
    Really? Well, that went a ways in answering a few of her questions. Perhaps a mortal could kill an angel; in fact, she knew that one had. He wasn’t about to hand over something she could use as a weapon against him. Smart angel.
    â€œIt holds your earthbound soul,” she stammered. “Why don’t you claim it? Then you don’t have to…” Hurt me, she couldn’t say.
    â€œDon’t want it.