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“Sierra—”
The door swung open, and I cut myself off abruptly.
Two young men stood on the doorstep, looking for all intents and purposes like average humans. Only that’s not what they were at all.
I reacted without thinking. The knife was leaving my hand before I’d really processed what I was doing or what it could mean. The blade stuck in the doorframe, no more than half a foot from Samuel’s head, flames dancing over its surface.
“Is that how you greet your family now?” Samuel drawled, a hint of threat in his voice. Provoking him was admittedly stupid. Before being recruited, he’d been second order. His training and skill set were different from mine, but he was no less deadly. If we added up all our kills, I had no doubt Samuel would have the higher number.
“It’s how I greet anyone who shows up uninvited and poses a threat to what’s mine to protect.”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Joriel placed one hand on Samuel’s chest, pushing him back from the door, and lifted his other hand in a gesture of peace. “Nathaniel, we’re not your enemies.”
I didn’t relax a single muscle in my body. They might have been my brothers a couple of months ago, but I’d broken Heaven’s rules. I didn’t trust anyone anymore.
I reached Sierra’s side and nudged her away from the open doorway.
Samuel rolled his eyes. “Calm your tits, man. We’re not going to hurt her.”
“What are you doing here?” I eyed my brothers. They hadn’t changed at all in the time I’d spent away from them. Both appeared to be in their twenties. Joriel looked part hippie with his long brown hair, small hoops in his ears, beaded choker, and worn-looking clothes. Samuel looked more like the son of a mob boss. His clothes were expensive, though still casual enough that he didn’t look ridiculous standing on the doorstep of Sierra’s apartment. His dark hair and eyes only added to his impression of danger.
I imagined they weren’t what most humans pictured when they thought of angels.
“Micah sent us,” Joriel answered calmly, hands still raised. “We’re not here on an official job. He said he had a feeling you needed us.” Joriel’s eyes flicked to Sierra and then back to me. “I’m starting to suspect I know why.”
I glared at them both. I didn’t need or want anything from them. I couldn’t trust them completely, which made them nothing but another threat I had to worry about.
“I’m fine,” I gritted out. “I have the situation under control.”
“We didn’t come all the way down here just to turn around again because you don’t feel like entertaining,” Samuel said, straightening the cuffs of his black button-down. “Micah wants us here, and since he writes our paychecks, I do what he wants. So suck it up.” He produced a toothpick from his pocket and started chewing on one end of it.
Samuel was the only one of us who had chosen to join the secret order simply because he wanted to. He didn’t have a debt to pay. And he’d always seemed more dangerous because of it.
Joriel sighed, closing his eyes and tipping his head back as if asking God for the strength and patience to deal with us. When he opened his eyes, he turned his full attention to Sierra. “I’m sorry for my brothers’ behavior. They’ve never been very good at manners. I’m Joriel.” He held out his hand to her.
Sierra smiled at him, and I briefly considered putting my fist through his skull. “Don’t worry, I’m used to it. I’m Sierra.” She eyed his hand and then glanced at me. It was a relief to see she wouldn’t blindingly trust Joriel just because he was polite and generally more pleasant than Samuel and I were.
Joriel dropped his hand without seeming bothered by her rejection. “This is Samuel. I won’t lie and say he’s harmless, but I do promise neither of us is here to hurt you.”
Sierra nodded, but her posture didn’t soften. “Whyareyou here? I already have a guardian.”
Joriel’s gaze jumped between Sierra and me a couple of times before settling on me.
I tensed. There was a zero percent chance I was going to like whatever was about to come out of his mouth. Sierra had enough to worry about between Dantalion and her life being turned upside down. Joriel didn’t need to throw anything else at her.
“Nathaniel is bonded to you, yes,” Joriel said slowly, turning back to Sierra. “But that doesn’t mean he has to deal with Dantalion on his own. Samuel and I can protect you without the bond. Not as well as your guardian angel, of course, but as extra firepower, we’ll do fine.”
“Why did Micah suddenly decide I needed backup?” I asked in a tight voice.
Joriel raised his eyebrows at me. So yeah, I already knew the answer to that. I’d fucked up, slept with the human I was supposed to be protecting. What I really wanted to know was exactly what kind of backup my brothers would be providing. Were they here to babysit me and make sure I didn’t sleep with Sierra again? Had I been deemed incapable of dealing with Dantalion and they were here to replace me?
“Can we come in?” Joriel asked, his vivid blue eyes pleading with me to not make this difficult.
I didn’t like it, but I also knew I didn’t have much of a choice. Refusing my brothers was a risk I couldn’t afford.
Twenty-Two
Sierra
