Wicked Kiss
Page 56
I stared at him incredulously. “Someone just got killed! Don’t you care?”
He flicked a glance toward the body as he began to ascend the stairs behind me. “And how would my caring make any difference? Still happened. Dude’s still dead.”
“Why couldn’t you stop it?” I demanded, turning to look at Bishop as we left the club to meet Cassandra and Roth outside.
“Keep walking,” he said tightly.
I held my tongue until we got a block away and turned the corner where we were sheltered from the rest of the people who’d fled the nightclub. The sound of the approaching police and ambulance sirens made me shiver. I drew my coat closer, but it didn’t help at all.
Cassandra stood nearby, scanning the area. Roth leaned against the wall. Kraven had his arms crossed, his expression uncharacteristically dour.
“Well?” My attention was fully fixed on Bishop. “There were four of you in that club. A club that you said yourself is a known hangout for grays. Couldn’t you have stopped that? I thought angels and demons could sense grays.”
His brows drew together and he regarded me for a moment without speaking. “I was focused on looking for one gray tonight. Stephen.”
“In case you need a reminder,” Roth growled. “You’re looking at a gray. She could have killed that human herself.”
I gaped at him. “Are you kidding?”
“Hardly.”
“Or maybe Stephen did the deed himself,” Kraven suggested. “Does he swing both ways when it comes to soul sucking?”
I sent a withering look in the demon’s direction. “He didn’t do it, either. It was somebody else.”
“How do you know that for sure?” Bishop asked, watching me closely.
“Because I followed Stephen out of the club a half hour ago.” I allowed that to register for him, and his blue eyes widened a fraction. “Yeah. I talked to him. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to talk to me.”
“And what happened?” Cassandra asked, drawing closer. “Did you get your soul back?”
“No.” I fought to keep my voice from quaking. “He’s not all that interested in helping me right now. He’s going into stasis as we speak. He could be dead by morning and I have no idea where he went.”
“Good riddance,” Roth growled.
Bishop swore under his breath, and rubbed a hand over his forehead. “I didn’t even see him.”
“It’s over.” My chest felt so tight it was almost impossible to breathe.
“No, it’s not. We’ll keep looking. You, however—” Bishop raised his gaze to mine again “—are going home where it’s safe.”
“Safe?” I sputtered. “You want me to go home where it’s safe.”
My frustration was mirrored on his face. “Did I stutter?”
“Uh-oh,” Kraven muttered. “Trouble in paradise.”
“I need to help.” I couldn’t just go home and do nothing. I couldn’t be alone and let everything close in on me. I already felt claustrophobic enough as it was.
“You can help by letting us do our job,” Bishop said firmly.
“Yeah, really stellar job so far.” I glared at him. “Bravo.”
His lips thinned. “I know you’re frustrated. It hasn’t been easy. But it’s not going to get any easier if we don’t find Stephen.”
“He’s long gone.” That defeat I’d felt earlier that I’d been fighting hard against was rising up off the mats, ready for another round. “It’s over. My soul is gone. I’m a gray and all I feel is hunger, Bishop. It’s all I am now.”
“It’s not all you are.” He drew closer to me.
Too close. I pressed my hands against his firm chest and he froze, looking down at where I touched him. But then I surprised him by shoving him backward. “Honestly. Just stay back, would you? Are you trying to make this more difficult?”
“I don’t know,” he growled, his gaze darkening. “Are you trying to be a bitch?”
That comment made me let out a half gasp, half laugh of shock.
The other three watched us with varying degrees of wariness and interest. I only saw them peripherally. My focus was entirely on the angel who was currently glowering at me.
“What did you see earlier? With me?” he asked, his voice low.
He was cheating by changing the subject on me. “It doesn’t matter.”
“The way you’re looking at me right now makes me think it does matter. A lot.”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like you despise me.”
“Am I?” I didn’t despise Bishop, just the opposite. My feelings toward him were very confusing, true, but I didn’t hate him. I didn’t think I could ever hate him.
“Oh, please,” Kraven said evenly, with an extra helping of sarcasm. “Share with the class. We’re fascinated by everything you two do together. Good times.”
“What did I see?” I repeated, still focused only on Bishop as if he might disappear the moment I took my attention off him, like Seth had. “Just a glimpse of your past. And let me tell you, it wasn’t exactly a joyride.”
“A glimpse of his past?” Cassandra asked, frowning. “How is that even possible?”
Bishop ignored her, his blue eyes fixed on mine. Something much less than sane slid through his gaze then. “You wanted to learn more about my past, Samantha. I guess you should be careful what you wish for.”
He flicked a glance toward the body as he began to ascend the stairs behind me. “And how would my caring make any difference? Still happened. Dude’s still dead.”
“Why couldn’t you stop it?” I demanded, turning to look at Bishop as we left the club to meet Cassandra and Roth outside.
“Keep walking,” he said tightly.
I held my tongue until we got a block away and turned the corner where we were sheltered from the rest of the people who’d fled the nightclub. The sound of the approaching police and ambulance sirens made me shiver. I drew my coat closer, but it didn’t help at all.
Cassandra stood nearby, scanning the area. Roth leaned against the wall. Kraven had his arms crossed, his expression uncharacteristically dour.
“Well?” My attention was fully fixed on Bishop. “There were four of you in that club. A club that you said yourself is a known hangout for grays. Couldn’t you have stopped that? I thought angels and demons could sense grays.”
His brows drew together and he regarded me for a moment without speaking. “I was focused on looking for one gray tonight. Stephen.”
“In case you need a reminder,” Roth growled. “You’re looking at a gray. She could have killed that human herself.”
I gaped at him. “Are you kidding?”
“Hardly.”
“Or maybe Stephen did the deed himself,” Kraven suggested. “Does he swing both ways when it comes to soul sucking?”
I sent a withering look in the demon’s direction. “He didn’t do it, either. It was somebody else.”
“How do you know that for sure?” Bishop asked, watching me closely.
“Because I followed Stephen out of the club a half hour ago.” I allowed that to register for him, and his blue eyes widened a fraction. “Yeah. I talked to him. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to talk to me.”
“And what happened?” Cassandra asked, drawing closer. “Did you get your soul back?”
“No.” I fought to keep my voice from quaking. “He’s not all that interested in helping me right now. He’s going into stasis as we speak. He could be dead by morning and I have no idea where he went.”
“Good riddance,” Roth growled.
Bishop swore under his breath, and rubbed a hand over his forehead. “I didn’t even see him.”
“It’s over.” My chest felt so tight it was almost impossible to breathe.
“No, it’s not. We’ll keep looking. You, however—” Bishop raised his gaze to mine again “—are going home where it’s safe.”
“Safe?” I sputtered. “You want me to go home where it’s safe.”
My frustration was mirrored on his face. “Did I stutter?”
“Uh-oh,” Kraven muttered. “Trouble in paradise.”
“I need to help.” I couldn’t just go home and do nothing. I couldn’t be alone and let everything close in on me. I already felt claustrophobic enough as it was.
“You can help by letting us do our job,” Bishop said firmly.
“Yeah, really stellar job so far.” I glared at him. “Bravo.”
His lips thinned. “I know you’re frustrated. It hasn’t been easy. But it’s not going to get any easier if we don’t find Stephen.”
“He’s long gone.” That defeat I’d felt earlier that I’d been fighting hard against was rising up off the mats, ready for another round. “It’s over. My soul is gone. I’m a gray and all I feel is hunger, Bishop. It’s all I am now.”
“It’s not all you are.” He drew closer to me.
Too close. I pressed my hands against his firm chest and he froze, looking down at where I touched him. But then I surprised him by shoving him backward. “Honestly. Just stay back, would you? Are you trying to make this more difficult?”
“I don’t know,” he growled, his gaze darkening. “Are you trying to be a bitch?”
That comment made me let out a half gasp, half laugh of shock.
The other three watched us with varying degrees of wariness and interest. I only saw them peripherally. My focus was entirely on the angel who was currently glowering at me.
“What did you see earlier? With me?” he asked, his voice low.
He was cheating by changing the subject on me. “It doesn’t matter.”
“The way you’re looking at me right now makes me think it does matter. A lot.”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like you despise me.”
“Am I?” I didn’t despise Bishop, just the opposite. My feelings toward him were very confusing, true, but I didn’t hate him. I didn’t think I could ever hate him.
“Oh, please,” Kraven said evenly, with an extra helping of sarcasm. “Share with the class. We’re fascinated by everything you two do together. Good times.”
“What did I see?” I repeated, still focused only on Bishop as if he might disappear the moment I took my attention off him, like Seth had. “Just a glimpse of your past. And let me tell you, it wasn’t exactly a joyride.”
“A glimpse of his past?” Cassandra asked, frowning. “How is that even possible?”
Bishop ignored her, his blue eyes fixed on mine. Something much less than sane slid through his gaze then. “You wanted to learn more about my past, Samantha. I guess you should be careful what you wish for.”
