3. Evangeline

Idon’t know how long it took for the pain to finally subside. One minute, I was lost in a black abyss; the next, I was on the damp ground in an alley. I pushed myself into a seated position and took in my surroundings. I couldn’t tell from the alley exactly where I was. My entire body aches like I have been stuck in a rock polisher for days. Before taking full stock of my situation, I needed to find somewhere to lay low. I looked down at my naked body and groaned. Right, the first order of business was to find clothes. And because I was naked when I fell, I didn’t have any of my belongings, which meant I was broke. Perfect.

“You know, you didn’t have to screw me over completely,” I yelled, looking toward the heavens. At least people released from prison are given clothes and money for the damned bus. “You would think after a lifetime of dedication and servitude, you could have dropped me at home or, at the very least, left me with a care package!” I had no illusions that anyone up there was paying attention to me anymore, so I was surprised when a thunk from the dumpster beside me followed a flash of bright white light.

I scrambled to my feet and opened the lid to the thankfully empty dumpster to find a duffel bag sitting on the bottom. I boosted myself into the dumpster and unzipped the bag. Inside were some of my clothes and the cigar box I kept my cash in. It was weird to think of someone going to my apartment to pack a bag for me, but it was something.

“Thank you,” I said out loud as I pulled out a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. I quickly dressed, pulled out a pair of flip-flops, zipped the bag, and tossed it out of the dumpster. I hopped out after it and slid my feet into the flip-flops. My situation was already greatly improved, but I still needed to find somewhere to stay the night while figuring out my next steps. It wasn’t like they trained angels on what to do after you fall.

I stepped out of the alley and tried to figure out where I was. I walked toward the traffic light where people were more heavily congregated, and as soon as I turned the corner and stepped on the first star, I knew I was in Los Angeles. Someone had a sense of humor. Considering I was on the other side of the country from where I had been, I wasn’t entirely thrilled with it, but sometimes you have to work with the hand you were dealt. I stopped at the first hotel I came across and booked a room for three nights. By then, I would have a plan in place.

The first thing I did when I got to my room was to strip back out of my clothes and take a scalding hot shower. As I scrubbed every inch of my body, my mind wandered to the fucking hellhounds that triggered my fall. As much as I wanted to forget it, my body remembered the feel of their hands on it. The taste of their mouths. The feel of the hard cock that fit perfectly inside me. They say hindsight is twenty/twenty, and the saying couldn’t be more accurate. I could recall all the warning bells I had ignored with perfect clarity. Before kissing Rylan, I knew they were hellhounds, and I still did it.

I blame that fucking demon. Zabiza. While I own my actions, whatever he did to me lowered my inhibitions to the reckless self-destruct level that got me here. One day, I’d bring him down, but until I knew what angelic powers I did or didn’t have, I’d have to put him on the back burner for now. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a scratchy towel as my mind drifted back to the hellhounds. Even though being with them caused my fall, a part of me regretted not having the opportunity to be with all three of them. If just one was mind-blowing, I imagine the three of them together would have been earth-shattering. Not that I planned on ever finding out. They were on the other side of the country.

I stopped dead in my tracks on my way to the bed. “Jingle fucking cotton balls, Evangeline Faithe, they’re fucking hellhounds,” I said to the empty room. “The enemy. Location is the least important reason to stay the fuck away from them.” I shook my head at myself as I climbed into the lumpy bed. I needed to get my priorities straight, and three sinfully sexy hellhounds weren’t one of them.

When my eyes popped open later the room was dark. I had slept the rest of the day and already felt a little less like a scrambled egg. As I lay there unmoving, warning bells began to go off in my head. Something had woken me. Instinctively, I used my powers to search the room for auras other than mine. The shock that they still worked, though not as sharply as they once were, was quickly overridden by my shock to find I wasn’t alone. My powers felt staticky, but through the static, I could see someone sitting in the armchair against the wall behind me. Friend or foe, I couldn’t tell. It was best to assume foe until I knew.

Reacting quickly, I rolled off the bed and opened my palm to summon my sword. Nothing fucking happened. Shit! I loved my sword. Pivoting, I grabbed the closest thing I could find, the phone on the nightstand, and chucked it toward the person in my room. It made a ringing sound as it hit the person, who let out a low oomph. I was looking for my next weapon when the person spoke.

“Really, Evie? You threw a fucking phone at me?”

“Gale?” I asked in surprise. I flicked the lamp on the nightstand, and the pale yellow light chased away some of the darkness. Gale sat in the shadows but rose to step into the light. “Gale!” I ran across the bed to him and launched myself into his arms. He caught me easily and held me tightly as I fell apart in his arms. Feeling safe for the first time since I fell, I let my guard down and let myself feel sorry for myself for a moment. His warm embrace wrapped me in a cocoon, and as I soaked him in, I realized that I could feel his grace, and suddenly, how much I missed my own hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn’t realized how much until I felt his.

“Got yourself into a bit of trouble, huh?” he asked when my tears had subsided.

“That’s an understatement,” I muttered as I released him and took a few steps back. As nice as his grace had felt initially, it was starting to make me tingle. His grace wasn’t for me. I didn’t deserve it anymore.

“I tried to come as soon as I heard you had fallen, but they wouldn’t let me interfere. I did manage to convince them to let me pack a bag for you,” Gale said as he returned to his seat.

“That was you?” I asked, flipping the overhead lights on and sitting on the side of the bed. With the room brighter, I could see his features more clearly. His boyish golden locks and sky-blue eyes were like a salve to my soul. He was as close to home as I would ever get. “Thank you.”

Gale nodded. “You know I’d do anything in my power to help you, Evie. What the hell happened?”

“The demon I was hunting got the drop on me and lowered my inhibitions. I ended up sleeping with a hellhound, and well, you know how the rest of the story goes,” I replied.

He shook his head in silent judgment, and I tried not to take offense. He was an angel; he couldn’t help himself. “You wouldn’t sleep with me, but had no problem crawling into a hellhound’s bed.”

I felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. “I told you what happened, and I won’t explain myself further,” I replied stiffly, standing. “Maybe you should leave.” I had already fallen from grace. I didn’t need his shit piled on top of that.

Gale sighed. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I guess I was still holding out hope that we had a future together, and I’m still struggling with the reality that it won’t ever happen.”

I sighed as well but sat back on the bed again. I had made it clear to Gale countless times over the centuries that I didn’t see him in a romantic way, but that hadn’t stopped him from trying to change my mind periodically.

“Anyway, I’m here on business. I convinced them to let me come instead of sending someone else. Thought you might appreciate seeing a friendly face,” Gale continued.

“I appreciate it,” I replied. And I truly did.

“I also thought you might like this,” he said, my sword materializing in his hands. It’s just your average sword now, with no flames or angelic power, but it still belongs to you.”

He held it to me, and I reached forward and wrapped my hands around the hilt. It felt like it buzzed lightly in my hand, a signal that it recognized me. I held my breath and opened my palm, pleased to see it still disappeared. I closed my fist and then reopened it, the sword reappearing. I guess it wasn’t all bad. “Thank you. I was missing it.”

He nodded in response. “I was also sent to tell you that reentry to heaven is forbidden. You’ll also find that many of your powers have been stripped or muted. You won’t heal as fast, fly as fast, or be able to move without being seen.”

“Fly?” I asked. I stood and summoned my wings. I hadn’t expected to have them still. They sprung from my back, but I instantly knew they were different. For one, they were significantly lighter. I moved to the mirror secured to the wall to check my reflection. My full white wings that had trailed down to float above the ground and could have easily wrapped around my body had been replaced by wings that only reached my waist and barely curled around my shoulders. The white feathers were now black and shimmered like an oil slick in the light. Forget flying as fast; I wasn’t entirely convinced that these puny wings I was left with would hold my weight.

I met Gale’s gaze in the mirror, and as his eyes dropped to my reflection and turned heated, I realized for the first time that I was stark naked. It wasn’t the first time I had been naked in front of him. In heaven, clothes weren’t an issue, but it felt different now. Self-consciously, I retracted my wings and dug into my bag for something to put on. I didn’t feel Gale approach until he wrapped his arms around me, his hands sliding onto mine to halt my search.

“You know, just because you’ve fallen doesn’t mean we can’t still explore a physical relationship. I could run out and get condoms,” Gale suggested, trailing his nose along my neck.

Condoms so that he wouldn’t be infected by me and fall himself. How fucking romantic. I shrugged him off, snatched a sundress from the bag, and quickly moved out of his arms. “As insulting as your proposition is, I think I’ll pass,” I replied.

“How was that insulting to you?” he challenged. “I’m the one who would be risking my grace. I would have thought you would have felt grateful that I was still interested in you.”

“I’m supposed to feel appreciative that you’re willing to slum it with me?” I asked incredulously.

“I wouldn’t say it so crassly, but yeah,” he replied. “What do you have to lose?”

“My dignity?”

“Come on, Evie. Don’t you think your dignity went out the window once you let a hellhound fuck you?”

“Get out,” I ordered. Suddenly, I was seeing Gale in a new light. His charming, friendly mask had fallen along with my grace now that I was below him.

“Suit yourself, but one day you’ll change your mind. When I’m as close to grace as you’ll ever get, you will beg me to fuck you just to get a taste,” he replied scathingly.

“I never want to see you again, Gale,” I replied evenly.

“We’ll see,” he replied smugly. “I’ll be watching and waiting.”

Gale shimmered away, and I shuddered as I tried to shake off the icky feeling he left in his wake. I had been so relieved to see him, and now I hoped I would never see him again. How quickly things change. I grabbed some cash, hid the envelope with the rest of it behind the headboard, and left my room. I needed food and a phone. Then, I needed to find a more permanent dwelling. As I walked to the coffee shop, I contemplated my future. I was at a crossroads, and the world was my oyster. Or whatever peppy phrase is popular right now. I could literally do anything that I wanted. The problem was that my purpose still burned intensely inside me, even if I had fallen.

Eradicate sin generators for the greater good. Doing so would still be challenging without all my powers, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do my duty. And hell, where better to start cleaning up the streets than the City of Angels? Heavens knew there was plenty of evil here, and since I was no longer an angel, I didn’t have any issues taking money for my services. I had to make a living somehow, right? I could be an amateur assassin—a vigilante harbinger of death. Maybe I should get a cape.

It was surprisingly much easier to become a hitwoman than I had expected. Though I don’t know why. The world was dark and twisted, and as it turned out, someone was always looking to off another person. I had found a condo for sale in a less crime-ridden part of town that didn’t cost my entire savings. Once I had a base, I visited a local witch and purchased protection spells to ward off any unannounced angelic beings that tried to drop in. If Gale was any indication, I couldn’t trust them anymore. Those tasks taken care of, I hit the streets in search of business. My first kill had been sloppier than I would have liked, but practice makes perfect.

The most challenging part was body disposal. I was accustomed to my marks cleaning up after themselves since they were usually demons and other supernatural beings. Humans weren’t nearly as accommodating. A couple of my kills had already ended up on the news, but since I didn’t have fingerprints, the cops didn’t have a single lead. And since I made sure my marks were truly evil, I wouldn’t attract the attention of anyone upstairs.

I leaned against the wall and watched the store down the block. My latest target was a real despicable human. He was a teacher who liked to touch his students inappropriately. When the father of one of his students came to me, he explained that several other parents had reported him, but nothing had been done. I suspected a demon was pulling strings, but I couldn’t confirm it without my powers. While I couldn’t detect demonic influence on humans, I could still identify beings that weren’t human, so I had that going for me. The father had decided he wouldn’t go through the appropriate channels for the teacher to get off scot-free again. He wanted results. He wanted blood. I couldn’t blame him.

I learned his schedule after following Mr. Harris around for a few days. He stopped at this store every day after school for a soda and a bag of chips. It wasn’t the food he was interested in. The store was owned by the parents of one of his students, and he was working on grooming the kid. Today would be the last time he shopped at this store or any other. Mr. Harris walked around the corner and entered the store. I pushed away from the wall and crossed the street. He only spent a few minutes in the store before leaving to go a few blocks east, where the younger prostitutes hung out. He always traded his snacks and a few bucks with the youngest one he could find for a blow job.

He left the store just as I reached the sidewalk, and I slowed my pace. He adjusted himself and then turned to cut through the alley to the next block. I followed behind him as he reached the next street and followed it down a couple of blocks before cutting down another alley. This alley was almost always deserted, and no buildings had a good line of sight on it. Here, I would take Mr. Harris’ life and send his soul straight to hell. I hope he returns as a slug in a salt mine if he ever makes it out.

As soon as I was in the alley, I summoned my wings and blade and flew ahead of him. I landed lightly in his path, causing him to jump back in fright and land on his ass. I stalked him as he scurried away from me.

“What are you?!” he asked.

“Justice,” I replied. “You won’t hurt another child again.”

I spun the blade in my hand before plunging it into his heart. I should have dragged his death out. Made it hurt, and if we were doing this under the cover of night, I might have. A sound at the end of the alley we had just come from got my attention, and as I lifted my head, my eyes widened. Two of the three hellhounds stood there, watching me in shock. How the fuck had they found me?

Rylan took a step toward me, and I automatically stepped back. His eyes narrowed as he took another step closer, and I retreated again. I didn’t know why they were here but knew I wanted nothing to do with them. They belonged to my former life, not this one.

“Wait!” Rylan bellowed as I turned and ran a few steps before launching into the air. I looked back to see them shifting into their hellhound forms and took off. I landed on the rooftop of a building a couple down from where I had been and scurried out of view. Not only did I not fly as fast, but my stamina was severely reduced. I could only fly short distances. I heard the hounds climb to the roof of the next building, and I peeked around the wall I was hiding behind to see them jump across the roofs until they landed on the one I was hiding on.

“We just want to talk, baby,” Kase or Jett said as they shifted back to their human forms.

“We have nothing to talk about,” I replied as I stepped into the open and backed toward the edge.

“We’re sorry you fell,” he replied as if I hadn’t spoken. “We’ve been looking for you ever since.”

“Why?” I asked. “Why do you care?” Looking to my left, I saw a delivery truck barreling down the road. That would be my ticket out of here.

“Why?” Rylan asked incredulously. His expression suggested that I should have already known the answer, but I didn’t. I had no idea why the hellhounds were tracking me.

“Did I stutter?”

“You belong to us,” he replied.

“Like hell I do,” I laughed. “I don’t belong to anyone or anything. Not anymore.”

Before he could respond, I did a backflip off the building and used my wings to land lightly on the top of the truck. I turned to the building to see them standing on the edge, glaring at me as I was whisked away. I mock-saluted them, and I swear I could hear Rylan’s growl on the wind.