Saving Her Angel (Archangels) by Missy Jane Page A

away the chill. Whatever he had to say, she didn’t want any of them to think she couldn’t handle the truth or needed to be constantly protected. The earthquakes hadn’t been explained, and she really wanted to know more about the guy who had attacked her and then found his way to her house. Now that this house had been attacked, the danger to her seemed more real. Still, surely they had more important things to worry about that an insignificant human like her.
    …
    Elle straightened her spine and lifted her chin. Cam wanted to kiss her again but refrained when his brothers sent him amused looks. They had obviously caught his thought.
    He was slipping. Normally he wouldn’t care too much, but the timing couldn’t be worse. She seemed to be in very real danger from some kind of demon, and he needed to keep his wits about him.
    “So,” she said, “what do we need to talk about?”
    He ran a hand through his hair and thought over exactly what he wanted to say, but when his gaze met hers he noticed the fear and uncertainty. An ache formed in his chest because he couldn’t save her from the ugly truth he was about to reveal.
    “There’s a scent outside each of the windows that we refer to as ‘demon taint.’ The man who attacked you this morning wasn’t human. He’s what we call a mid-level demon. That makes him more dangerous than a mindless minion that would just cause chaos, which is what I suspect just broke all my windows. Fortunately, not a high-level demon. That would try to take over the world as you know it.”
    Fear wafted from her like a dark perfume. Her brow wrinkled in a slight frown, and he had to clench a fist to keep from reaching out to smooth her soft skin. The uncertainty in her expression was so foreign. His perfect little secretary never got shaken up about anything.
    “O-okay,” she said. She hesitated and clenched her fists in her lap. “But why in the hell would he attack me? I’m nobody.”
    Instant denial rose up, but he squelched it to stay on topic. “Apparently, you’re somebody important to a demon. Unfortunately, we still don’t know which demon or why.”
    A hard shiver wracked her small frame, but when he tensed to move toward her she stiffened and crossed her arms. “How can we find out?”
    The determined tone eased him. “We need to know more about you, sweetheart. I really need you to explain what you told me earlier. There’s no way you’re a cold-blooded murderer.”
    Everyone seemed to hold their collective breath, and she looked tense enough to shatter at the slightest touch. There was no possible way for him to keep himself from touching her. He took her hands between his and realized they were trembling.
    “Just tell me what happened, Elle. No one in this room would ever judge you without all of the facts. Please. I have to know the truth.”
    Nearly panting with her speeding pulse, she yanked her hands from his grip and stood. Thinking she was about to leave, he prepared to follow, but all she did was pace around the room.
    “I don’t remember most of what happened clearly.” She waved her hands around as she spoke in agitation. “Just disjointed images and emotions. I was very little. But my mom died because of me. I know I killed her.”
    The others looked at him with raised brows. All three of them heard her lie clear as day.
    He cleared his throat and chose his words carefully. “If you can’t remember, any one of us can read your thoughts and look back to your earliest memories. We can find the truth. It’s in there somewhere.”
    The blood drained from her face, and she shook her head vigorously. “No. I don’t want anyone messing with my head. No way.”
    He stood and held his hands up. “Okay, Elle. We won’t do that. You have nothing to fear from us. I swear.”
    With her emotions so close to the surface, it almost seemed as if she hadn’t heard him. She shook her head again but wasn’t looking at any of them. Cam sensed she no longer