“He’s upped security,” Remington notes, sounding proud.
Beckett looks back at his brother like the man’s lost his mind, then pulls the car forward right up to the house. “All right, we can get out now.”
I get out of the car, following Beckett, who pauses with Remington on the front steps of the house. Beckett neatly steps in front of me, and I realize a moment later as lasers appear, scanning his and Remington’s bodies, that he’s blocking me from view. From the lasers. They’d probably identify me as an unknown person and a threat, and I don’t even want to know what would happen after that.
“Access granted,” a mechanical voice says. “Welcome.”
The front doors to the house slide open and the men step inside, with me following close behind.
The inside is nothing at all like I thought it would’ve been just from seeing the outside.
It’s a luxurious… bachelor pad, basically.
My gaze swivels from side to side, taking everything in as Beckett leads us into a huge living room. One wall is completely covered in television screens, showing everything from sports games to reality television to police procedurals. There’s a humongous couch that takes up most of the room, a few comfy looking chairs, and insane abstract art on the walls. On the far end of the room, an arched doorway leads into a massive kitchen, and there’s another door that shows a glimpse of a bedroom with a huge bed, complete with curtains.
Everything about this place is luxurious. Designed for the height of comfort. And sitting there on the couch enjoying it—in nothing but his boxers—is the man who must be Phoenix. The personification of Sloth.
He’s… um. Wow.
His face looks like it’s carved out of stone, with a long, straight nose, tousled ash brown hair, soft blue eyes, and an easy smile.
“Well, well, well.” He sets down his video game controller, cocking a head at the three of us. “I did not plan on you guys showing up here today. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Beckett sighs heavily. “Phoenix, this is Trinity. Trinity, meet Phoenix. I wish I could say he’s the hardest working and most industrious among us and that he’s made something of himself. That would be a fucking lie though.”
“Beck always knows how to make a guy feel like a million bucks.” The man on the couch rolls his eyes. Then his gaze peruses me up and down. “You don’t look like the usual girls he brings home though.”
“What?” My heart jumps in my chest, and I look down at myself.
What does that mean? Do I not look sophisticated enough?
Also, why do I care if I don’t look like the girls Beckett normally brings home? I don’t want to be one of the girls he brings home. I’m not going to be just another one-night stand for Greed. In fact, I’m not going to be anything for him except for the angel who ensures he’s redeemed.
That’s it. That’s all. And you know what? That’s all I should want anyway.
It’s not like Beckett’s really anything to me. Although he is being somewhat… protective of me, I suppose. He didn’t have to recruit his brothers for me. Or step in front of a bunch of lasers on the front steps to make sure I didn’t get shot or electrocuted or something.
Phoenix chuckles. The sound is effortless and warm. “Calm down. I just meant that you look like you have standards.”
Beckett’s eyes narrow, and a muscle in his jaw ticks. Unlike when Remington gave him a hard time at the restaurant, this time the tall, imposing sin looks genuinely pissed.
My heart kicks up another notch, nerves shooting through me as Remington steps in between.
“Guys, please.” His voice is smooth, soothing. “We’ve only been here about ten seconds. Could we maybe leave the sibling rivalry until it’s been at least half an hour? Apparently, we have very important business we have to deal with. So let’s deal with that instead of falling back into the same old bullshit.”
Beckett and Phoenix both glare at him, but then subside, looking like wolves who’ve just stopped raising their hackles at each other. Remington smiles at his brothers with a satisfied nod. I guess he’s the peacekeeper of the family. It makes sense, given how he is with his food, his customers, and his restaurant.
Phoenix picks up a remote and mutes all the TVs on the walls. Then he settles more comfortably on the couch, spreading his arms out to each side. His bare abs flex and contract, and I have to work hard not to let my gaze slide over his mostly naked form. How on earth does Sloth have a six-pack? That just seems patently unfair.
“So,” he drawls. “What brings you to my humble abode? Especially with a guest?”
“Trinity here has a little issue that she needs help with,” Beckett says in what I’ve come to learn is his I’ve got an offer you can’t refuse voice. “It’s a problem for all of us, actually. I know this might seem like a shocking concept, given how opposed you are to the idea of having problems. But a portal has opened up in New York City. To Below.”
“A portal to Hell has opened.” Phoenix narrows his eyes, as if he’s calling his brother’s bluff. “Why am I not hearing news stories about it then?” He tilts his head toward one of the TVs on the wall. “Nothing on CNN here about a mysterious explosion, or nuclear meltdown, or whatever lie they would be telling to try to cover up the insanity.”
“The human government is covering it up as usual.” Beckett shrugs. “There was a short news segment about it last night, but the very fact that there hasn’t been more reporting on it should tell you how serious it is.”
Sloth scoffs. “There are demons running all over NYC, and they’re covering that up?”
“No.” Beckett’s voice is hard. “Trinity closed the portal last night. And the demons who did manage to get through nearly killed her in the process.”
Phoenix’s gaze shifts to me, something new burning in his ice-blue eyes. I wouldn’t call it respect, exactly. He probably doesn’t respect anyone who would work so hard or throw themselves into danger like that. But he does look a bit surprised, as if he’s reevaluating his initial impression of me.
I shift uncomfortably under his gaze, brushing off Beckett’s words.
“I put a… a stopgap on it, I guess you could say. I closed it for now. But it won’t last forever; I don’t have that kind of power. So we have to find a permanent way to close it up.”
Phoenix squints at me. “How’d you close up a portal to Below?”
“She’s an angel,” Beckett says impatiently.
His brother snorts with laughter. “What? Uh, no way. Nah. No way is an angel fucking around with the likes of us.” He shakes his head, still chuckling. “Sorry to tell you this, bro, but you got taken for a ride. She’s probably just a pixie with delusions of grandeur.”
Something about his attitude rankles me—the way he so clearly doesn’t care and is looking for an excuse to just go back to his video games. Without even thinking about it, I shoot my wings out from where they’ve been tucked away into my back.
“Holy fuck!” Phoenix blurts out as my wings burst out, feathers going everywhere, my broad wingspan puffing up.
“Wow.” Remington’s voice is low. He sounds genuinely in awe. “Those are really beautiful. May I?”