“That was to keep them out of my home. I hate visitors.” When she winced, he wished he could call back his words. A first for him. “But until we know more, we’re in the dark about why two of the most powerful supernatural beings have set us up to kill each other.”
She slowly nodded. “I don’t have to like it, but you’re right. Can I trust you?”
With some reluctance that he shook his head. “No more than I can trust you. We both want to survive. That means one of us has to die.” He hoped it didn’t come down to that. Normally, he had no problems killing. The creatures he’d slain over the span of his life had deserved to die. He didn’t think Morrigan fit into that category.
But what did he really know about her?
She had a story, a good one, but how much of it was real? He’d have to do some digging to find out more about her and her sister. They could be working together.
She was his lover and potential executioner. Best to keep her as close as possible.
…
Less than an hour later, Morrigan stepped out onto the sidewalk with Maccus by her side. She didn’t want to think about him as Hunter. That guy was the bogeyman and used to scare even the strongest of demons.
Maccus was the sexy hot lover who’d blown her mind with pleasure.
He was once again dressed all in black—jeans that clung to his thighs, a T-shirt so tight it might as well have been painted on, and the same leather jacket he’d worn last night. Sexy and dangerous were the best way to describe him.
She, on the other hand, was clean but grungy. She’d scrubbed the blood from her pants and jacket, but her top had been a write-off. She wore one of Maccus’s shirts, which swallowed her smaller frame and hung below her jacket.
Clothes were secondary to her. She never left home without her edged weapons and gun. A girl had to have her priorities straight.
“Where are we going?” It bothered her that she had no idea. In her experience, life worked better with a plan.
Kayley’s face popped into her head. Nope. She couldn’t let her mind go there. She had to focus.
Everything else could wait.
“Diner just around the corner. Good food, and if anyone is keeping tabs on us, we won’t make it hard for them to find us.”
Morrigan wished she had his confidence. Maybe it was no big deal to him to go up against Lucifer or an angel. Truthfully, she’d much prefer to avoid it at all costs. “Who?” she asked. It had been bugging her since she’d laid her eyes on the contract.
“Who what?” He surveyed their surroundings, his dark eyes missing nothing.
“Who was the angel that put out the contract?” Call it her need to know.
“Gabriel.” He tossed the name out as he turned a corner.
She came to a complete stop, her heart stuttering. She sucked in a deep breath of the early morning air and then wished she hadn’t. The city air was brutal on someone with her enhanced senses.
“The Gabriel? The archangel?”
“Yes.”
Just yes, no trying to soften the blow or sugarcoat anything. It was extremely callous. It was also reassuring. Maccus didn’t bother to waste time lying to her.
And considering everything she’d been through, she actually appreciated that.
“An archangel wants me dead,” she whispered. Why? What had she done to attract an archangel’s attention?
Maccus placed his hand on the small of her back and gave a light push to get her moving again. He guided her toward the door of a rather nondescript diner. The heat seeped through the layers of clothing and into her skin.
“It’s not that big a deal.”
She came to a dead stop in the open doorway. “Not that big a deal,” she repeated. It was official. Maccus was a crazy man. “How can you say that?”
He shrugged. “He’s wanted me dead for years. And he’s likely not the only one. I’ve killed almost as many angels as demons over the years.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Honestly, the man was too nonchalant about killing. She’d been a bounty hunter for a decade, had seen all manner of horrible things, but she didn’t think she’d ever get to the point where it became mundane.
Or maybe she would.
How long had he been alive, anyway? He could pass for mid-thirties, but looks were deceiving. It had to be a very, very long time.
Draping his arm over her shoulders, he eased her inside. The place was long and narrow, the only windows at the very front. “Let’s continue this at our table.” He pointed to a booth at the back. She went straight for it and slid onto the seat where she’d have a clear sightline of the rest of the room, leaving the bench opposite her for him.
He didn’t even glance at it but shoved in alongside her, so she was plastered against the wall.
She should have expected it. No way he’d put his back to the door. He’d always do exactly as he pleased.
Lesson learned.
“Do you mind?” She glared at him and drove her elbow into his side to try to make enough room for herself.
“Not at all.” Was that a teasing note in his voice? She shot him a glance, but he was scoping out the place, his expression dark and foreboding. In other words, totally normal for him.
A waitress bustled up to the table and placed two menus in front of them. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please.” She was desperate for a hit. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon before setting out on her hunt.
“The usual,” Maccus told her and handed the menu back.
If the waitress knew his usual order, he’d been here many times before. The idea of him having a favorite diner made him seem more… Not human, because he would never be that, but more like her.
Not that she was a normal human. Not anymore.
Morrigan quickly scanned the menu. “Pancakes and bacon. Real maple syrup if you have it. Orange juice, too.” She’d worked up an appetite. And didn’t the condemned get a good meal?
To keep herself busy while they waited, she added sugar to the coffee the waitress brought to their table. The first sip settled her nerves somewhat.
The diner was like a million others around the country. It was clean but ordinary. No fancy decor, just booths against the wall, a few tables, and stools along the counter and in front of the window. The daily specials were on a whiteboard behind the cash register, and the cook worked nonstop at the grill. It looked as though it had been around for decades and would likely be for more to come.
The pleasant scents of food filled the air, and the prices were good. And so was the service because in no time the waitress was putting plates on the table.