Chapter One
A heavy burst of September air buffeted the rooftop of the building Aaron perched on, cooling the bared skin of his torso. Street and building lights illuminated the Chicago night sky, casting shadows over the empty streets. Curfew had come and gone, and nowhere was that more evident than in the downtown area of this sprawling metropolis. He’d visited here once or twice before the veil separating the human world from the angelic one had fallen, and he’d found a surprising sort of beauty in witnessing the bustling streets at night. No more. Now that the angels had subversively assumed control over mankind, there was nothing but the cast of artificial lighting and an eerie sort of quiet.
Unless he counted the lone woman who slunk through the empty streets, taking refuge in the shadows darkening the side of the museum upon which he now crouched.
Rule-breaker.
If the fact that she dared to go outside past curfew wasn’t enough of an indicator of that, the clothing she wore would be. A black turtleneck sweater, serviceable black boots, and black leggings that clung to every curve. She wore a backpack on her shoulders, and she’d secured her chin-length, wavy blonde hair to the nape of her neck with a tie. The woman practically screamed cat burglar.
Which in fact she was.
“Just my type,” he murmured to himself.
A tremor of awareness prickled his spine—another angel was nearby. Alarm wound through his body, tensing his muscles like bowstrings. He hadn’t been expecting any friends...but he dearly hoped it wasn’t a foe.
He jerked his head to the side to see Zach and Jason flying toward him, their majestic black wings beating in unison.
Thank heavens.
The last thing he needed tonight was to attract unwanted attention.
Aaron watched his brethren approach, until finally, with a snap of their wings, they touched down. The two angels absorbed their wings into their bodies and then crouched down beside him, taking cover near the overhang of a rooftop A/C system and peering down three stories to the ground below.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked.
Zach let out a dry chuckle, though his gaze remained planted on the woman who now slid along the side of the building with her back pressed to the wall. “Checking in on your progress.”
He shouldn’t be surprised. Zach and Jason almost always accompanied him on missions. The three of them had been friends since their early childhood, and their bond had only intensified once they’d been damned by their people. Unfortunately, Aaron’s current mission wasn’t one that his best friends could help him with. No, he was definitely on his own for this one.
“How did you find me?” Aaron asked them.
“How else?” Jason shot him a rueful glance. “We flew around downtown until we picked up the essence of heaven.”
Jason’s words sent a bolt of possessiveness through Aaron’s body. His muscles stiffened and a growl crept up his throat. He swallowed it back. Jason had meant no disrespect. He only spoke the truth. The female who even now attempted to break into the museum did have an irresistible aura. It was how they’d first discovered her identity to begin with.
And as Aaron had already established with his brethren, she was all his.
“I have to hand it to the female,” Zach said, amusement coloring his tone, “she has spunk.”
That she did. In spades. What gumption it must take to risk being discovered outside after curfew. And then the fact that she dared to steal, when all form of crime was supposed to be extinct. If she were ever caught by the Consortium—the elite system of human guards that had been put into place to do the angels’ bidding once the angels had taken reign of Earth—her punishment would be harsh and immediate. She must be aware of that.
