Supernatural Lies: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (An Angel and Her Demons Book 1), Lacey Andersen [phonics story books txt] 📗

As Mark had explained to him, this was too important not to take whatever risks necessary. Mr. Rule Follower suddenly seems more reckless than me. Daniel didn’t like it.

He yanked open the door on the roof and made his way down the apartment building stairs. It was deja vu of their last rescue. He just prayed it went better than the first.

“This place is kind of creepy,” Surcy whispered.

Daniel stiffened. There was something a little off, but he couldn’t quite place what it was.

“It’s night,” Mark said reassuringly, “and we know we’re doing something dangerous. That’s all it is.”

Surcy wrapped her arms around herself. “And why exactly did we have to do this at night?”

My thoughts too.

A strange look came over Mark’s face. Does he look paler than usual? “He is the God of the Night.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense,” Daniel muttered under his breath. Maybe next time we’ll look for the Gods of Good Coffee.

When they exited onto the street, the sidewalks were busy. Most of the humans looked like tourists, drunk and happy.

I wish.

They moved through the streets, Mark in the lead. Daniel stayed on high alert, scanning the crowds for angels, but he saw none. Still, he wore a short sword, like his brothers, hidden at his back beneath a leather jacket. He missed his soul-blade so fiercely his chest ached at times, but the steel of this sword was strong and well-made.

The best we can hope for.

As he saw a couple kissing, he almost froze. They looked happy, relaxed.

Sometimes he wondered about the choices they made. He didn’t tell his brothers, but his mind was full of doubts.

They were skilled demons. Capable of manipulation. Strong and intelligent. If they turned away from their goal, if they ignored Caine’s tyranny, they had everything they needed to have a happy life.

Even Surcy. Sort of.

And yet, they risked it all. For other people who will likely never know everything we sacrificed for them.

He hated putting his brothers and Surcy in danger. Their lives had been hard enough. They deserved to stumble through the streets of a tropical city, drunk and kissing.

Daniel almost smiled, but instead, he looked at his brothers and Surcy. Mark still limped a bit. And even though the bruises had healed from his skin, he often winced as he went throughout his day.

Why couldn’t we have waited a couple more days?

But Mark had insisted. It had to be tonight.

They walked for an hour, until they reached the end of the city limits. Climbing up a narrow road that led up a small mountain, they walked closer to each other. There were no streetlamps on the little road, and the woods seemed to close in.

Daniel inhaled the moist air. “Does anyone else smell smoke?”

And suddenly, Mark started to run. They followed. Not asking questions. Not calling out. The sense of foreboding had increased to a level that everyone knew something bad had happened.

They were just waiting to know what.

As they broke out of the jungle, they stared, frozen. A massive mansion, hidden behind a huge stone fence, was burning.

Daniel felt his blood heat and his pulse race. The flames called to him, just as they always did. He licked his lips, curling his hands into fists.

I will not.

“This doesn’t look good,” he said, hoping the others didn’t notice the way his voice shook with need. “Come on,” Mark said.

Daniel frowned. “If the god is in there, he’s dead.”

Mark ignored him. Crouching low for a moment, he leapt more than twenty feet in the air and landed lightly on top of the fence. Surcy and Tristan followed suit.

Daniel took a deep breath, inhaling the intoxicating smoky air. A shiver moved over his flesh, and his groin tightened. Cursing his lack of restraint, he leapt onto the fence top beside his brother.

“He’s there!” Mark said, pointing at the window of a room near the top of the castle.

The flames hadn’t quite reached the room, but the dark smoke cloaked the top of the building in a screen.

“The smoke would have killed him.” Daniel told him, knowing without a doubt.

“He’s not dead yet,” Mark said, then turned hopeful eyes to Daniel. “You can still save him.”

Daniel stiffened. “No.”

“Daniel…”

“No!” He growled, anger lacing the word. “You know I can’t.”

Mark’s eyes narrowed. “We’re all making sacrifices.”

“I’m in fucking recovery, Asshole.”

Angrily, Daniel leapt from the gate and started toward the burning house, even though the closer he got the more tempted he became. He wanted to touch the flames. To taste the smoke.

Mark was suddenly in front of him. “You need to. We’ll help you after—“

“This is bullshit.” He turned to face Tristan, whose face was as emotionless as ever. “You two are the ones who made me quit.”

Tristan cocked his head. “You’re hiding your fear behind anger. It's understandable. You don’t want to be a slave to your needs again. But Mark is right, we’re all taking risks. This is a risk for you, but it’s one you’re strong enough to recover from.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Surcy asked, hands on her hips. “If someone’s trapped in those flames, how can Daniel help?”

Mark answered without hesitation. “He’s a fire mage.”

Her brows rose. “So, he can control fire? That’s a good thing, right? Because that’s just about the only thing that can help right now.”

Daniel’s stomach twisted. “You know why you don’t meet a lot of fire mages? Because we have the nasty habit of overindulging in fire and getting ourselves killed.”

“Overindulging?” she said, frowning.

“Fire is like a drug to them,” Tristan replied simply. “And there’s a limit to how much fire their bodies can take. It’s also the reason for Daniel’s death. You can imagine all the fire in the demon-realm. It was very hard for him to resist, but with our help, he recovered from it.”

“Recovered?” Surcy inquired.

“We don’t have time for this!” Mark’s gaze was frantic. “Save him!”

“The angels will know we’re here.” Daniel warned, knowing that he was about to give into the fire. He