Death's Angel: A Novel of the Lost Angels
Read Death's Angel: A Novel of the Lost Angels Online
Authors: Heather Killough-Walden
Praise for the LOST ANGELS SERIES
Messenger’s Angel
“These books keep getting better and better. This is one of the best series I have read.”
—Night Owl Reviews (5 stars, top pick)
“Clever, quirky, and fascinating,
Messenger’s Angel
is a fabulous and fast whirlwind of a story. Not only are the heroes and heroines larger than life; the villains have differing aims and motivations that make them unpredictable. The emotions between Juliette and Gabriel are scorching hot.”
—Fresh Fiction
“The Lost Angels return in Killough-Walden’s new high-octane offering. The action moves to Scotland for a story that is action-packed and thrilling.”
—
Romantic Times
(4 stars)
“This story is masterfully written. . . . I can’t wait to see what the next book brings [for] these amazing characters.”
—Eye on Romance
Avenger’s Angel
“With the launch of her new Lost Angels series, Killough-Walden offers readers a sizzling novel populated with highly intriguing characters, not the least of [whom] is the ‘villain.’ Good story pacing, believable characters, and sizzling sex add up to an author and a series to watch!”
—
Romantic Times
(top pick, 4½ stars)
“An enjoyable read that creates a world where archangels develop human sympathies and the lines between good and evil are blurred.”
—Book Savvy Babe
“A fantastic addition to the paranormal romance genre, with sexy archangels and a strong, beautiful heroine. The world is intriguing and the action is fast-paced. I for one can’t wait to read future installments. Fans of paranormal romance will lap this up—a great start to a new paranormal series.”
—Book City Chick
“A breathtaking look into the world of the archangels,
Avenger’s Angel
is an amazing start to a new series, and one that I will be putting on my auto-buy list!”
—The Book Queen’s Palace
Also by Heather Killough-Walden
Messenger’s Angel
Avenger’s Angel
Always Angel
(A Penguin Special)
Death’s Angel
A NOVEL OF THE LOST ANGELS
Heather Killough-Walden
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,
Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi – 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632,
New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ISBN:978-1-101-60736-7
Copyright © Heather Killough-Walden, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
I would like to dedicate this book and all of the dark, sexy magic within it to the people in my life who encourage me, inspire me, and believe in me the most when it comes to creating something so incredibly hot that the entire world begins to sweat.
Crystal Cribb Shannon and Maria Angela Lakhouili, this is for your loyalty, your kindness, and for using your own amazing creativity to help spread the word about my work.You’re irrefutable proof that I have the world’s most wonderful fans.
Poppet, Mary, Susan, Kelly, Meagan, Jeannine, and Christy, this is for your friendship. You have no idea how precious it is to me.
Mom and Dad, sister and brothers, this is for the strength that comes in family, the loyalty that comes in blood, and because you always ask me how I’m doing.
Eric, this is for everything. You are my archangel.
And you, little girl, my tiniest angel, my Bella Lucia.
This book is dedicated most of all to you.
Because you love vampires.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Death’s Angel
is a book that encompasses some of the things my heart holds
most
dear, not the least of which is the city where it takes place. For this reason, I would like to begin my acknowledgments page by thanking the city of San Francisco. Thank you, Bay City, for your pizzazz, your dimension, your mysteries and thrills, and your unbelievable majesties. Thank you, Golden Gate Park, for your four-leaf clovers. Thank you, Ocean Beach, for your sand-dollar angels. Thank you, Pier 39, for your sights and sounds and ever-welcoming presence. Thank you, Susan at South Beach Marina Apartments, for your enormous smile and tremendous warmth. And thank you, Golden Gate Bridge. For obvious reasons.
I would like to thank my agent and Trident Media for believing in me and helping to make this print series a possibility. I would also like to thank my publishers for the same.
As always—and forever—I thank the people I love and who love me for all of the necessary, priceless things they do that make it possible for me to write my books.
That means you, my readers, who stand staunchly beside me, steadfastly support me, and provide me with the emotional sustenance every author needs.
That means you, my guardian muses, who stimulate and motivate, guide and kindle, reviving my artist’s soul and provoking the faithful flourish of my pen.
That means you, my family and blood, the boomerangs of life’s roller-coaster ride who always come back to take my hand, no matter how hard you’ve been thrown.
And most of all, that means
you
, husband, my unflagging Gibraltar, my port in every storm.
I love you.
Thank you.
Introduction
L
ong ago, the Old Man gathered together his four favored archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Azrael. He pointed to four stars in the sky that shone brighter than the others. He told the archangels that he wished to reward them for their loyalty and had created for them soul mates. Four perfect female beings—archesses.
However, before the archangels could claim their mates, the four archesses were lost to them and scattered to the wind, beyond their realm and reach. The archangels made the choice to leave their world, journey to Earth, and seek out their mates.
For thousands of years, the archangels have searched. But they have not searched alone. For they are not the only entities to leave their realm and come to Earth to hunt for the archesses. They were followed by another. . . .