3. Rhys

There was no sign of the assassin when we left the office building, but I knew he wouldn't give up on tracking us so easily. With nowhere else suitable to go, other than a hotel or the home of a buddy of mine, I brought Kiera back to my safehouse.

Ordinarily, I'd have kept angels well away from it, but Kiera was different and clearly in need. It also wasn't without its protections. It would be a far safer place than others without the same degree of warding.

We stepped off the train at the stop marked ‘Clonsilla.' I was mindful of the small crowd of people around us, but they appeared to be mortals – nothing more. We left the station and made our way out on to the road, a short walk from my safehouse.

"Is Clonsilla in Dublin?" Kiera asked, as she hurried to catch up with me.

I stared at Kiera blankly, and she didn't ask me again. In truth, I wasn't sure – I just didn't want to say it. I knew Clonsilla was the nearest station to my safehouse, but not much more than that. Flight was my usual mode of transport, but I didn't feel like myself just yet, and I felt I'd tire out easily. The last thing I wanted was to crash to the ground again.

My arm was hurting and I knew it would need more time to heal. I'd need to rest if I was going to be prepared when trouble arrived, unless I found it first. I could fly but I hadn't yet rebuilt my stamina. Kiera had done 95% of the healing for me, so at least I was capable of defending myself. With that arrow, it could've been so much worse.

"Is your arm bothering you?" she asked with concern.

Reluctantly, I nodded. "It's bad."

"I'll take another look at it when we get where we're going," she assured me.

I led her through an estate to a detached house that sat at the end of a leafy, tree-lined street. It would've looked deceptively mundane to mortal eyes, like any other family home. Most supernatural beings wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary, unless they possessed magical sight. Then the area would have lit up like a Christmas tree. Not just my house, of course. I'd protected the whole neighborhood with charms and wards so it would be that much harder to pinpoint the one house out of the ordinary.

Kiera was a vision of loveliness as she followed me to the door and waited for me to open it.

I drew runic symbols in the air that functioned as a key to open a path through the charms protecting the house. They appeared in a bright gold light to my eyes, and I could tell from the way Kiera watched me that she could see them too. It dawned on me that she was paying attention to the symbols, so she could leave again when she wanted to.

When the way opened, it was as though an impenetrable force parted before us, and I was able to use my key in the lock, like any other. I didn't actually need to; I could've unlocked the door with my powers, but why expend that energy unnecessarily?

Kiera followed me inside the house, glancing around with interest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like her being in my safehouse. There was something satisfying about it, but there were things we needed to talk about. She wasn't there just out of the goodness of my heart. Her presence would make it easier for us to reach the one behind this.

"You can leave your shoes by the door," I told her.

Not that I cared about protecting the carpet. More than anything else, I wondered if she'd do as I suggested. If she did, it seemed more likely she'd follow my lead.

As it happened, she removed her shoes and set them where I'd indicated.

Kiera looked around my living room, which was spartan at best with a simple couch, fireplace and television. I almost never used the kitchen, but then this was a temporary place to live, not a family home. There were two bedrooms upstairs, and I led Kiera to the one I'd converted into a study.

It held a double bed, which was on the small side for my tastes. It was beneath the window, while I had a writing desk closer to the door. The walls were covered with maps and pictures, detailing my hunting routes and information I'd compiled on some of Kelibon's operatives. If Kiera hadn't been targeted by them, there was no way she'd be in this room now.

"What's this about?" she asked, as she gravitated toward a map of Dublin pinned on the wall beside my desk. It was marked with coloured pins.

"Kelibon has a lot of unsavoury types working for him. That's where I've seen them. I believe he's the one we're after."

I wasn't sure she needed to know I'd been picking off Kelibon's associates. Angels could be sensitive about that sort of thing.

Me? I was pragmatic. I knew I wasn't a hero, but there were worse things out there than me. I wasn't too good or pure to do something about them when I had the chance. It had no doubt saved lives, and more than that, it had saved me a lot of problems.

"I can't understand why Kelibon would come to attack me," Kiera said.

Why was it then that I didn't believe her? The more I studied her expression, the more I realised she might have known a lot more than she was letting on.

"You do know, don't you?" I asked, releasing a sigh as I glanced away.

"Not a lot," she replied. "It's not something I should discuss…"

"But you will?" I urged, as she sat back against the edge of my desk.

Despite the pressure I knew I was putting on her, it wasn't lost on me how gorgeous she looked in front of me – her hands resting either side of her, gripping the edge of the desk. Her legs slightly apart within her pristine white jeans. How was it they weren't grass stained after she'd tumbled to the ground in St. Stephen's Green?

"You're not even being slightly subtle, you know?" she asked with a hint of a smile. Her expression turned more neutral and then decisive.

"I didn't come to Earth to be just any guardian angel," she said, clearly choosing her words carefully. "I'm to be the guardian angel of someone who works for Kelibon. I'm not against you. I'm here to help liberate someone from his inner circle, and help him turn toward the light. Some people deserve a second chance. Those who end up in dark places don't always want to be there."

"I didn't see that coming," I admitted.

It left a bad taste in my mouth, but the truth was I'd long ago assumed anyone working for Kelibon was ‘the enemy.' Kiera reminded me that they were in fact people – though not necessarily mortals – beings as flawed as I probably was in my own twisted way. Did I intend to stop killing them? That would depend on the situation and whether they attacked me.

"They know about you somehow," I reasoned aloud.

"I don't see how they could," Kiera replied. "My orders came from heaven. I think this is probably something else. Maybe Kelibon is targeting angels for another reason?"

"Maybe," I replied, not so sure about that. As I gazed into her eyes, I no longer saw the untruth present that I thought I'd seen before. "So who is it in his inner circle you're planning to turn?"

"I can't tell you that." Her expression was unyielding, and I sensed she'd already told me more than she felt comfortable disclosing.

I nodded, merely accepting her choice for now. Whether it was stubbornness or loyalty didn't matter to me. In time, though, I might convince her to reveal more. I didn't want to be responsible for offing the one she'd been sent to help, though I doubted whether anyone in Kelibon's inner circle had enough good left in them that they could escape that life.

"You said you'd look at my arm?" It was a swift topic change, but I didn't fancy dealing with her frustration or revealing precisely what I planned to do to Kelibon once I got a hold of him.

"I can do that."

I removed my shirt and stepped in closer to her. Kiera's knees almost pressed against me, I was so close.

"The pain radiates down my arm from the arrow wound," I told her, as I examined it myself for the first time in hours. It didn't look any worse to me, but it sure hurt when I moved my arm. Even when I didn't, it was barely tolerable.

Kiera placed a hand atop it, and a glow blossomed to life beneath her palm. My pain eased at her touch, and I sighed in relief. I knew then that I should've got her to look at it again much sooner.

"There was residual energy from the crystal that was slowing your ability to heal, but your pain should've improved now. I can't get rid of all of the crystal's energy, though it seems to be evaporating. It means that for a time, this will be a point of vulnerability to you, until you get your full strength back."

"I see," I replied, unsure of just how much risk it would pose to me.

"Maybe we should get rid of the arrowhead? It's dangerous to both of us."

It was still in my pocket, and I left it there for now. It might not have been a smart choice, but I was inclined to keep it. Was it a risk to us? Probably, but it might prove useful yet. I had Kiera right where I wanted her, so I decided the arrowhead could wait. A smart decision? Maybe not, but I wasn't thinking with my brain.

"We don't need to throw it in a volcano," she joked. "It should be far easier than that to get rid of it."

Her eyes were the most perfect light blue. They seemed to sparkle as she smiled.

I touched a hand to her silky auburn hair, lightly brushing it away from her face as my lips claimed hers in a passionate kiss. I felt her draw in a sharp breath, and then her hands slid over my bare chest as she kissed me back. I'd expected purity from her, and maybe she was a virgin, but as her soft tongue teased mine, I was giving genuine thought to taking her hard against my desk.

"I'm not supposed to," she said. "Fallen angels are…"

"We're what?" I asked her, my tone sharper than I meant it to be.

"Off-limits."

I wanted her, and with the way she touched my bare skin, I was fairly sure she wanted me as well. Kiera would probably be none too popular if the other angels became aware of us, nor would I if I contributed to the downfall of one of their own. Not that fucking her would mean Kiera would fall. Though I'd admittedly be disappointed if I didn't taint those auburn wings a little. I wanted more than that; I wanted them sticky with my seed.

Grasping Kiera's denim jacket, I slid it back over her shoulders and off her arms. Now in a white top and jeans, I was confronted with just how pure she seemed – not in terms of chastity, but her spirit. It felt like staring into a bright light, but I didn't want to stop.

"You hardly know anything about me," she said, as she gazed into my eyes.

I silenced her concerns with a kiss, and she moaned sweetly as I pressed against her and ground down the front of her white jeans. My fingers slid through her auburn hair as her legs wrapped around me, pulling me closer. If she kept this up I knew I was going to fuck her. Hard.

Pulling up her top, I groped her bare breasts as we kissed. Her eyes closed in bliss, and she moaned at my touch. She was beautiful, sensual and she was.. well, she was an angel.

I pulled her white top off her and threw it on the floor.

"Maybe we should stop," I told her, before leaning in and kissing her soft nipples.

"Stop now and I'll tell Kelibon where you're hiding," she joked.

"Oh, that's cold," I replied, grinning as I kissed my way down her bare stomach, and pulled her white jeans open. "Have you ever been eaten out before, Kiera?"

"What? No," she admitted, and I felt her clutch me tightly as I slid her jeans down.

Her panties were simple and white, with lace around the band. She'd obviously been shopping somewhere on Earth. She glanced down at me as I took them off her and fully bared my beautiful, angelic lover to my sights, just like I wanted to.