Arys dissolved my barrier by simply pulling my power into him, making it his. Like a rabid animal, he came at us again. Before he reached us, there was a bright flash of light. It stopped Arys in his tracks.
Falon appeared on the stairs, separating Arys from Shaz and me. With a small gesture, the angel effectively held Arys frozen in place.
“Twins,” he sighed dramatically. “Always their own undoing.”
“What are you doing here?” I lacked the ability to sound annoyed with him. Much as I hated to admit it, I was glad to see the ass**le angel right then.
“Saving your ass from your other half, apparently.” Falon marched past me to the upper landing where the secrets of the top floor awaited. “His power is rooted in darkness. The evil here seems to like him. It’s probably better if he doesn’t come any further.”
Falon pulled open the heavy door at the top of the stairs and motioned for me to hurry up. Shaz didn’t need to be told again. He ushered me up without hesitation. I glanced back at Arys.
“I can’t just leave him.” Splitting up didn’t seem like a great plan. It never worked out well for people in the movies.
“Spare me the romantic drama and get your ass moving,” Falon snapped with a loud flap of wings for emphasis. They settled in against his back to hug his body tightly. “I have better things to do than babysit Shya’s prized werewolf. Let’s get this over with.”
Just that fast, I was no longer glad to see the cocky prick. The remnants of my fear melted away in the face of my sudden rage.
“Better things to do? Like the woman who’s trying to have me killed? I’m aware that Shya doesn’t know about your f**k buddy.”
“Are you going to blackmail me, Alexa? You’d better be careful.”
Shaz tensed beside me but he remained silent. He had never dealt with Falon before, and he didn’t need to start now either.
The only thing that kept me from slapping Falon’s smug face was the ghostly apparition that appeared behind him. It was a soldier. He moved to block the doorway, as if he would keep us out. The FPA set up their base on a floor haunted by military mental patients. Fitting.
“Your vampire will be fine.” Falon walked through the soldier without so much as acknowledging him. “I’ll get him on the way out. How many vampires is that in your collection now? Just two?”
I followed him, shuddering as the soldier’s ice-cold energy passed through me. I clenched my teeth. “What’s your problem with me, Falon? Really.”
Being stuck with Falon hadn’t been part of my plan for the evening. Of course, not a damn thing that had taken place so far had been part of the plan. I hated leaving Arys in the stairwell, but he was out of control. Still, I felt secure with Shaz at my side; we could handle this.
Falon seemed taken aback by my serious question. He’d been expecting more vulgar language. Frankly, so had I, but I wanted to know. He’d had a problem with me from the moment we’d first met.
The seventh floor was much quieter metaphysically than those below. The wing we were in was without electricity, but I could see the glow of lights far in the distance. The hallway was clean and empty. It was like stepping into a whole new building, though I could still feel the murky promise of evil far below my feet.
We made our way toward the light, passing through several sets of large, heavy double doors along the way. When I’d given up on getting a response, Falon said, “Nothing personal, O’Brien. I just don’t like your kind.”
“What kind is that?” This from Shaz who was watching the angel the way a cat watches a bird seconds before it pounces.
“The kind that walks the line. Those who exist in between. Vampires. Werewolves. Even some lesser demons. Those who were once human but have been changed. Unnaturals.” There was bitterness in Falon’s tone.
“Got a reason for that?” I couldn’t keep the snarky edge out of my question.
“Don’t need one.”
Oh, he had one. That much was clear. Actually, I didn’t need him to share; it really made no difference to me.
As we pushed through the next set of double doors, an ear splitting alarm went off. The hall immediately filled with men in uniform, guns drawn. Several of them shouted in surprise as they took in Falon’s silver wings. I raised my hands to show I was unarmed. Shaz did the same. Falon merely smirked.
“Hold your fire, boys. Coming through.” Juliet pushed through the men until she stood before us. She did a double take on Falon but smoothly recovered. Her gaze landed on me, cool and calculating. “Alexa, I wish you hadn’t come.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Yeah well I’m not real thrilled to be here,” I replied. “The haunted house from hell to get up here was a blast though. That’s a heck of a way to keep people out.”
“It usually works.” Juliet gave my male companions a once over. She wasn’t comfortable with Falon’s presence if her furtive glances in his direction were any indication.