Samael Page 12

  Ambrose, who stood to the side of the congregation, nodded his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. Though Ambrose could be a major pain half the time, she still wanted to make him proud. She always had. He’d been a father figure to her for most of her life. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized she sought his guidance on many things. His approval.

  “There are individuals here who put their lives on the line each and every day for a cause they believe in. Some of us are ready to part with this world and join those we have lost, and others have no wish to leave this realm. Wesley belonged to the former category. Death is a transition to another realm, not an end. The word death signifies the demise of our flesh, not our spirit. Our spirit always lives on. With that in mind, I’d like you to envision Wesley with his wife once again, not the flesh that is entombed in this casket before us. It’s said in the Bible we should mourn a birth and rejoice at a death. Wesley is now with his creator. I wish him happiness.”

  She stepped down from the podium and laid two red roses on Wesley’s casket. One for Wesley and one for Caroline.

  She took her place next to Samael. When he took her hand and squeezed it, the peace of coming home overtook her, and the tears that fell were tears of joy.

  * * * *

  As Samael took Jade’s hand in his, a cold tingling sensation engulfed his entire body. Because he was still one of Lucifer’s demons, and his name was not in the Book of Life, Luc could do anything to him he pleased. The demon was now making his presence known.

  Jade glanced up at him, a smile lifting her lips. He smiled back, not wanting to alarm her. When they arrived at the steps to the main hall he let go of her hand. “I’ll be right back. I have to talk to someone.”

  “To who?”

  “Please, Jade, just wait for me in the hall.” He touched the side of her face and leaned down to kiss her. As Luc had confirmed to him, his timing was perfect. The opportune time had arrived, and Luc was waiting for the confrontation that would lead Samael to the Pit, or as Luc hoped, to his side.

  Samael would face the Pit willingly. There was no way in hell he’d endanger Jade. As long as she stayed inside the castle, she would be protected by those around her.

  When he pulled away, he ran the back of his hand across her brows, which were pulled together in confusion. “Wait for me here.”

  He left no room for argument in his tone. As he walked away, he looked back once. He couldn’t help himself. She stood on the first step, his dream come to life, staring at him with questions in her eyes. He left her standing there and walked toward the back of the castle, along the edge that faced the ocean.

  Luc materialized by the cliff. “I did my research. Unfortunately she doesn’t have a sister.”

  “I will not do as you ask. Take my soul, send me to the Pit, but I refuse to do your bidding.”

  Luc shook his head. “Why must you make this difficult on yourself? If you had any idea of the pain you’re setting yourself up for, you wouldn’t hesitate to do anything I ask.”

  Without warning fire consumed him. He fell to his knees and flung himself to the ground in an attempt to staunch the flames. The flames, like those of the Pit, couldn’t be put out. His skin remained intact. The fire was an illusion, the pain was real. Luc’s illustration was effective. As Samael rolled around on the ground, all he could think about was feeling the fire for an eternity.

  Suddenly the fire went away, just as fast as it had come. Jade was kneeling next to him, her hair a tangled mess around her face, her eyes full of concern.

  He should have known she wouldn’t listen to him. “Go … back.”

  She shook her head.

  “Damn it, Jade, go back to the castle.”

  Out of the corner of his eye Samael saw Luc walking toward them. Samael shoved Jade away, toward the front of the castle. He pushed himself to his feet, his body still recovering from the pain. “You can’t touch her. Unlike me, her name is in the Book.”

  Lucifer couldn’t physically harm a human. It was a secret not many knew about. He could use his demons to do so, but he could not.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

  “If you harm her, Ambrose will never consider fighting on your side.” He would never consider it anyway, but Samael was grasping at straws.

  “You’re absolutely right. You will have to suffice. I’ll leave you in the Pit long enough so when you emerge you will be willing to do anything to stay out. Does your decision stand?”

  “Samael, no.”

  He held out his arm and pointed to the castle. “Leave, Jade. Now.”

  She shook her head and took another step toward him. He didn’t want her getting close to Luc. He could send his demons at any moment, and the only thing holding him back was Ambrose’s reaction. If angered enough, Luc might do the unthinkable. And yet that would go against his own agenda. He would wait for the opportune time…

  Luc made a dramatic sweep of his hand, intending to send Samael’s soul to the Pit. Jade ran for him. Samael braced himself for the pain he knew was coming.

  Nothing happened.

  For the first time Samael witnessed a look of utter confusion appear on Luc’s face. The emotion wasn’t contrived. Luc had been unable to command Samael’s soul from his body.

  It could mean only one thing.

  Jade’s body slammed into his, her arms coming around his chest in a protective manner. She’d intended to go wherever he went, which would have damned herself in the process. Her body shook next to his.

  Domiel suddenly materialized next to them. “The ultimate sacrifice. You weren’t just willing to trade your life for hers this time. You made the decision and were about to carry it out. I believe the big Book of Life just got bigger.”

  Luc’s eyes blazed red. Samael could tell that he fought to gain control of himself. It wasn’t everyday that he lost his demons through redemption. He would never again have control over Samael.

  Without another backward glance, Samael held on to Jade as he led her back to the castle. Luc’s presence dissipated, and Samael felt a twinge of guilt for the demons back in Hell. When Luc wasn’t in a good mood everyone suffered.

  “Domiel?” Samael called out.

  “Yes?”

  “You were just looking for a reason to fall, weren’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you want a job?”

  * * * *

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Satan?”

  Samael closed his eyes and relished the feel of Jade’s naked body next to his. There was nothing stopping them from being together now. “Why didn’t you tell me about Lexie’s vision?”

  “Sure, throw that in my face.”

  He smiled. “We have to get ready for our meeting.”

  “Ambrose can wait.” Jade ran her finger down his chest, making her way slowly under the covers.

  “He will be the one to decide if we can be trainers or not. I don’t think he’ll object, but we’ll want him in a good mood when we ask. Being late won’t help our situation.”

  If Ambrose said no, then they would each be going their separate ways. He hadn’t saved up enough money to quit this job for any length of time, and one glance into Jade’s closet proved she wasn’t big on saving, either.

  “Oh, all right.” Jade slid from the bed and bent over to retrieve her clothes that were scattered all over the room.

  “Or we could stay. I think there’s a sock over there you haven’t picked up.”

  “You’re so bad.” She wiggled into her jeans and nodded her head toward his pile of clothes. “If we’re going to go, let’s get moving. The faster we get this over with, the faster we can get back to bed.”

  * * * *

  Jade eyed the door to Ambrose’s office. “This is going to hurt.”

  Samael wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I don’t think so. I’ve already spoken to Ambrose about what happened at the club. You did what you had to do.”

  That didn’t s
top her from worrying about her future. Ambrose could be a sweetheart sometimes. He’d always looked out for her, but at the same time she’d never tested him as much as she had in the past few months.

  “Jade!”

  Jade turned just in time for Lexie to plow into her. Jade wrapped her arms around her friend and gave her a tight squeeze. They hadn’t spoken since the funeral that morning. “Hey. How are you doing?”

  “That was a beautiful speech you gave. I’m sure Wesley is reunited with Caroline, and I’m so glad you gave us all something to hold onto other than his death. You put everything in perspective.”

  Jade pulled away and shrugged. Lexie’s mascara was smeared a bit, and Jade could tell she’d been crying.

  Jade and Samael had only minutes before they had an appointment with Ambrose. To put it lightly, her nerves were shot. Even though she knew Wesley’s spirit was somewhere better, she’d still never see him again. Besides having to come to terms with that, her future lay in Ambrose’s hands. He alone could pull the plug on her and Samael’s plan to stay at the headquarters and become trainers.

  Azazel walked up to them and put his arm around Lexie. “Glad to see you’re still in one piece. I take it Lexie’s vision didn’t come to pass.”

  The hell it didn’t. Before she could stifle that thought Azazel had snatched it right out of her head. Azazel had the power to read other’s thoughts. Too many times she’d forgotten that, which was why he knew she liked him even though she gave him a hard time. He raised an eyebrow, and she looked back at Lexie, completely ignoring him, hoping he’d get the hint that now wasn’t the time or place to talk about the vision.

  “We have a meeting with Ambrose. I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

  Lexie nodded and stepped forward to hug her again. “I know you’ll be put back on the schedule. Just make sure you’re careful? I don’t want to lose you.”

  Jade glanced at Azazel who stood just behind Lexie. “Don’t worry about it anymore. Everything’s fine.” Hopefully Azazel would clue Lexie in shortly. Jade didn’t want Lexie to keep on worrying about something that had already come to pass.

  Jade turned back to Samael. “You ready?”

  “Yeah, let’s get this over with.” He took her hand once again, and they walked into the office that was set just off the great hall.

  Ambrose sat behind his desk going over papers. His long, black hair was pulled back and damp. Dressed in a red sweatshirt, he looked more like a college kid than an ancient, powerful vampire.

  The time had finally come for her meeting with the top Alliance members. Sven and Roger were not in the room, and she wondered if they were going to make it to this meeting. Ambrose motioned for them to take a seat in front of his desk, which was a good sign. Whenever he’d bitched her out before, he’d kept her standing.

  She ached to reach out for Samael, to take his hand, but she didn’t want Ambrose to think her weak. Instead, she sat straight in her chair and kept her gaze locked on his.

  “Congratulations.”

  The word stunned her. Her nerves had been shot before she walked into this room. From what Samael had just told her, he’d spoken to Ambrose about the scene in the club. Knowing Ambrose better than Samael, she’d been sure she would get reprimanded for her actions. Humans had been around. She glanced at Samael and then back to Ambrose. “For…?”

  “Protecting your partner. Samael informed me you brought attention to yourself in the club, though you did so because Rachael gave you no other option. There are times that we must act when humans are present, and that situation was one of them. Sven and Roger are not in attendance at this meeting because we’ve already come to the conclusion, based on Samael’s reports, that you can remain an assassin with no further training.”

  It should have made her ecstatic to hear that. Instead disappointment settled in her gut. She wanted to train here at the compound with Samael. What she sought in life had become clear to her since her brush with death. No one knew when their time on earth was over, and what she desperately wanted was sitting right next to her. Leaving Samael to go on missions was the last thing she wanted to do.

  She and Samael had decided not to tell Ambrose about the angel. It was something they wanted to keep between the two of them. It would only bring on further questions that she had no desire to answer.

  Ambrose’s light blue eyes glowed in the dim light of the lamp sitting on his desk. “Jade, I’m going to be completely honest with you and let you in on a secret of mine. Once learned, I request that you keep it to yourself. The same goes for you, Samael.”

  She nodded.

  “I’m aware you’ve heard the rumor about me being a demon.”

  Oh yeah, she had. The gossip was that Ambrose was more demon than vampire, since he was, in fact, a fallen angel. Ambrose had fallen from grace because he had nearly started a rebellion in Heaven. He’d been reprimanded and sent to the earth as the first vampire, sentenced to live his life in that condition until the final judgment.

  “There are days I deny this to myself, and yet I know it to be accurate. I am more demon than vampire. The rumors are absolutely true. I can materialize to different places, and I contain more powers than any other vampire.”

  He settled back in his chair. “I’ve kept one of my powers a secret because it is of great use to me in my line of work. I can hear other people’s thoughts when I focus on them. If I let others know of this power, then the people around me might start shielding their thoughts.”

  Dread consumed her. She was an individual with too many damned secrets.

  “Before you ask, yes, I know about the angel from your thoughts. I’ll be hearing that story after you get some sleep. I know you haven’t had an adequate rest since you got home. With the news of an angel, I take it Lexie’s vision came to pass?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “How did you—”

  He tapped his finger to his head. “I can hear her thoughts. I ran into her a few days ago when she’d arrived to attend Wesley’s funeral. I can’t say that I’m pleased with your decision to keep that from me.”

  She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. This was just priceless. “Yeah, the vision came to pass.”

  “I will expect more from the both of you if you’re to be trainers for the Alliance. You set the example for the new recruits. It will be your voice inside their head when they go on their first missions.”

  Her head snapped up. “How did you know we wanted to be trainers?” She glanced at Samael. “Did you ask him already?”

  Samael shook his head. “He can read thoughts, remember?”

  Ambrose sighed. “I don’t need to read your minds to figure that one out. Samael expressed interest in the job before he left, and you’ve been thinking about it for years.”

  “I have not.”

  “You can lie to yourself, Jade, but you can’t lie to me. You’ve been thinking about it since you came into this office. If you want to be a trainer, all you have to do is ask. You’ve been a damn good assassin of mine for many years. I would never have disregarded this wish of yours.”

  She curled her lip. “You’re creepy, you know that?”

  Ambrose ignored her. “We have some new recruits who will begin training two weeks from now. Out of thirty recruits, ten of them are demons. I think it’s important we have a demon as a trainer, someone who knows their thought process and has knowledge of their fighting techniques. Samael, you are still interested in this job, aren’t you?”

  “I am.”

  “Very good. The two of you will begin working in the training center. I’ll have the papers drawn up. If there are no more questions, I think we’re finished here.”

  Jade raised her hand. “I can tell Lexie about your secret, right?”

  Ambrose raised an eyebrow. “Just remember, Jade, I know where you sleep.”

  “I take that as a no.”

  Chapter Nine

  Four Weeks Later

  The new recruits filed into
the training center as Jade and Samael went over their next training session. This should be a good one. Holding the clipboard, Jade waited until each recruit had taken a seat in front of the blue mat before she gave her instruction.

  Ambrose stood to the side of the room with a clipboard of his own. Today she and Samael were being assessed for their monthly evaluation. They had it in the bag. The last few weeks had proved fun and exciting. She wasn’t going to fuck it up by getting her ass booted from the training schedule.

  She took a deep breath. “Some of you know how to use a dagger, and others do not. Recruits are not to judge each other on skill—that’s what we’re here for. Today Samael and I will be assessing the skills you have now, and then we’ll break you into groups of the same expertise. There’s no need to worry if you are in a lower skill level than your peers. In a matter of weeks you will all be at the same skill level.”

  Samael took the clipboard from her and began checking the names of those that were present. Each trainee responded verbally when their name was called.

  As he called the roll, she let her gaze wander over the hard planes of his body. The man never failed to make her mouth water, her body ache with need. That damned tattoo sleeve of his made her weak in the knees whenever he wore the black wife-beater he had on now. He did that shit on purpose.

  “Domiel?”

  No one answered. Samael looked up from his clipboard. “Domiel?”

  The door burst open, and Domiel ran in, pulling a white T-shirt over his head. Samael rolled his eyes. “You know the drill. Ten laps.”

  Domiel smiled and took off jogging around the facility. As he jogged by her, she mouthed, Man-whore.

  His trademark smile remained in place. “And loving every minute of it.”

  Jade did her best to hide her smirk as she turned from the group and headed toward the table that held a vast array of daggers.