The Angel Series Collection - Books 4-5

Excerpt from The Angel Series Collection - Books 4-5

Though born as a genetically engineered angel, I’d made many mistakes. But I swore I’d never become a victim of deception ever again.

I discovered that Aidan was the man assisting Sally in her abduction. He was behind my incarceration, forcing me to take the rap for murders I didn’t commit.

Witnessing Aidan’s betrayal, there was a nagging feeling deep inside of me that nothing was what it seemed. Could I have been that blind to his tricks? Did he ever love me or was it all a lie? I recalled the riddle Aidan had given me before he’d disappeared.

“Believe in only half of what you see and none of which you don’t.”

What did he mean? Could all this be a vicious nightmare?

I hoped in the end, I’d learn the truth.

A spiritual war broke out in the heavens. As a result, Val had forsaken me, leaving me in the care of a mortal man while he and his heavenly army left earth to fight for the greater good. Though I understood his duties, his leaving left me feeling abandoned and angry.

The world crashed and the Illuminati took over the system bringing in forces of another kind, aliens, called the regulators. They were the peacemakers, but nothing about them was peaceful. They murdered innocent people and destroyed everything in their path. Starvation blanketed the earth like a frozen winter. No one was safe.

The Illuminati was gunning for me. I was a threat to their cause. Forced to seek safety with the help of the Cajun, the guys and I had to go underground. The Cajun promised Val that he would watch over us. We took cover at his grandmother’s house but it didn’t take long before Aidan found us.

Realizing Aidan’s vile betrayal, I seized him, taking him prisoner. I feared he’d alert Van, his uncle, to our whereabouts, who sought to take my life.

Despite the precautions I’d taken, Aidan escaped and kidnaped Dom and Jeffery. He left a note behind with a clear threat and an example of how far he’d go… leaving behind the dead body of the Cajun’s best friend, Titan.

Now I must hunt down Aidan and save the guys before he carried through on his threat.

Just as luck would have it, the Cajun and I parted ways. We’d been found and the regulators were coming for me. No point in both of us going down. I had a better chance of surviving. The Cajun didn’t. While I distracted the regulators, the Cajun escaped. I wasn’t as lucky. I was captured and paid a heavy price.

The Gentlemen’s Club

I had awakened with a splitting headache. Punching through the throbbing pain only made my head hurt worse. I touched the crown of my head and flinched. Memories of my capture slowly crept through my skull, and I jolted, sitting up. The sudden urge to vomit struck hard.

My eyes fluttered open as I caught a trashcan beside the bed. I threw my legs over to the side just in time before I hurled. As I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, I wondered if all angels had a sensitive stomach. I reckoned that was the human in me.

I placed the trashcan down and drew back into bed, drawing my knees to my chest. I eased out a wry sigh. There were worse things. They could’ve killed me.

The last vision that repeatedly circled my brain was the pleading expression on Nick’s face as I darted out of the Hummer. Most likely our last glance forever. It was for the best. The Cajun alone slipping under the radar of the authorities would keep him safe. Hanging around me meant his chances of living were zero. I had to believe he made it out of the city safely and unharmed.

I swallowed down the knot that seemed to have cemented in my throat. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I skimmed over my surroundings. To my surprise, I wasn’t stuck in a drafty dungeon or restraint in a mental hospital. Nothing like my last capture. The room reminded me of a fancy hotel: a king-size bed with monogrammed pillows, sheets that felt like Egyptian and royal blue carpet. Not the sort of grand treatment I’d expected. Nevertheless, I was still a prisoner.

Of course, Aidan came through with his threat. The coward didn’t even bother showing up for the show. I questioned if he was the one that set me up in this cozy suite. That had me more worried than if I’d been sitting in a dank dungeon cell. At least I’d know what to expect. This exquisite suite pestered me like a pus-filled boil ready to pop. Whoever was keeping me hostage went through great lengths to spare my life. I should still be on guard. I wasn’t out of the woods by any means.

What did the Illuminati want from me? I figured there wasn’t much I could offer. After all, I’d infused my essence with Aidan. They couldn’t extract my powers and they had taken my child. Dom and Jeffery were mortals. And my powers were unpredictable.

Yet as I’d said before, I would never belong to myself. I wasn’t born like a normal person. There wasn’t anything about me that was ordinary. I was a product of my environment, a genetically engineered angel that turned out to be a dud, a useless mistake.

If anything good comes out of this, I hoped Aidan would make a gesture of good faith and free Dom and Jeffery. Surely, considering their history together, Aidan would have a soft spot for them. He no longer needed the guys to bait me. He wanted my capture and now he had it. Yet if that wasn’t enough, I’d gladly give my life in exchange for the guys.

I’d caused a lot of pain to those I loved. If I’d just turned myself in before now, the Cajun and the guys wouldn’t have been thrust into peril. Because of me, the Cajun nearly died and because of me, Aidan kidnapped Jeffery and Dom. I blamed myself. A creature like me didn’t have the right to walk freely. This planet belonged to humans. Not a freak created in a lab. I shouldn’t have ever been born. I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself or expecting anyone to take pity on me. It was the truth.

Despite my resolve, I wasn’t going to sit still and allow them to do whatever they wanted to me without giving them one hell of a good old southern ass kicking.

I knew what I had to do next. My eyes gravitated to the door. With a little help from my essence, I was fairly certain that I could break out of this joint. I reckoned I had the advantage there. What worried me was what might be lurking on the other side of the door. Did I have enough strength to fight any attack?

What if I used the same exertion that I’d used on Aidan and I turned back into that green-faced monster? Chills spiraled down my spine. Morphing into a monster was something I preferred to avoid. But was there a way I could balance my powers without turning into some hideous creature?

If Val were here, I could’ve asked him if my green face was normal for a Zop. Then again, this problem could stem from my creation. After all, I was a lab experiment. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch that the scientist made a mistake mixing a celestial being with a human’s DNA. There could be a hundred and one reasons why I had morphed.