And he changed.
As she stared, he metamorphosed into something else. Right in front of her eyes. He grew until he stood over seven feet tall. Faith took an instinctive step back, her mind refusing to process what was happening. Then he sprouted wings. Not nice fluffy, white ones though. Oh no. Because that would have meant he was an angel. And one thing she was sure of—had known right from the start—Ash was no angel. The wings were black as midnight. He spread them slowly until they wiped out the light, shrouding them in darkness. Faith took another step back, then another. She looked up and up into his eyes and they glowed with an inhuman darkness. His face was the same but subtly changed. The cheekbones sharper, his lower lip fuller.
He held out a hand to her. “Faith, come.” When she didn’t move, his dark eyes narrowed. “If you stay here, you could die. Trust me, Faith. I’ll keep you safe.”
The wings flapped and cool air brushed her face. She glanced around. Time seemed to have slowed, the flashes of white lightning still rained down on them, and Christian and his men still fought on, but it was as though they were cocooned in a bubble.
Trust him?
Could she?
Tonight, her whole world had changed. In fact, her whole life had been shown up to be a lie. She’d thought she worked for the good guys; instead, she’d been working for the very organization responsible for her mother’s murder.
She glanced outside to where the angels were shooting at them. They hadn’t paused to determine if there were innocent people in the building. They wanted something, no someone—the abomination? And they hadn’t cared who they hurt in the process.
So much for the good guys.
What did that leave her with?
The bad guys.
But her faith in her own ability to trust had been washed away.
“Come with me, Faith. Let me show you who I am.”
He spoke in a low, seductive voice.
“Ash, you have to leave,” Christian yelled from the side. “Tara go—jump, you’ll be fine.”
The bubble burst, and the crashes and clashes thundered in her ears. Tara dashed for the black hole, a bolt of light nearly catching her. She hovered on the edge and then she jumped.
“You need to take my hand, Faith.” When she still hesitated, he curved his lips into a sweet smile. “Please.”
And in that moment, she trusted him. Whatever he was, he’d protect her, look out for her, hold her in the darkness. However dark it should become. And in his arms, maybe she could be strong enough to face whatever came next.
She stepped forward and slid her hand into his, saw the triumph flash across his face. He pulled her against him and into his arms. “Hold on,” he murmured.
And they were flying.
She kept her eyes wide open as they rose into the air. Then they dove toward the black hole, and it swallowed them down.
A small scream escaped her throat as the blackness closed around her. She clutched tight onto Ash’s shoulders felt his strong arms tighten, and they were going down.
She tried not to think about where they were heading. It could have taken seconds or minutes or a lifetime. She lost track, lulled by the soft whoosh of beating wings in her ear. Finally, light showed below them and they landed gently. For a second longer he held her and he lowered her to the ground.
She steadied herself on shaky legs, before glancing at Ash—still seven foot tall—no change there.
“I have to go back for the others,” he said.
She nodded. And he flapped his wings, lifted into the air, and vanished in seconds.
Faith stared up after him until a small noise off to the right made her turn around. Tara perched on a low wall. She gave Faith a weak smile.
They were in a courtyard surrounded by tall stone walls and behind her loomed what appeared to be a huge fortress built into a black mountain. Torches flickered in sconces around the courtyard casting an orange light, and above her head, the sky had the purple glow of twilight.
One thing was sure; she was no longer in London.
“Welcome to my father’s home,” Tara said.
Faith swallowed. “Oh shit. I’m in hell.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Ash’s mind was not functioning correctly. He was acting on autopilot. Had been since the moment danger had struck and he’d leaped straight for Faith. Every cell in his body screaming to protect her.
For a second, he’d forgotten his daughter even existed.
He still couldn’t believe it.
He’d searched around for Tara, found her with Christian, and realized that it was the vampire’s job to protect her now. He would keep Tara safe if anyone could.
Ash had known he was coming to care for Faith, had tried not to think about it too much because the whole idea terrified him. He’d once sworn he would never love anyone again. That had changed when he’d discovered Tara still lived.
But not Faith.