Page 17 (1/2)
Chapter One
The rhythmic tap of Lily Marks’s combat boots echoed off the steel roof of the Nancy Hanks Center, sending pigeons scattering into the dark sky No one could hear her far above the corner of Twelfth and Pennsylvania Avenue
Lily estimated the distance between the clock tower and observation deck to be about a hundred feet Her e close to her chest Her plaid skirt swished around her thighs as she whirled, then leaped over the gap, grabbing the to’s ledge After hoisting herself up, she sat on the edge, legs dangling in the air Tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear, she glanced furtively over her shoulder
No one had followed her
She ripped into the bag to retrieve her prize As she sank her teeth into the burger, she ireasy mysterythe crap out of stupid creatures that thought they could take her on, it was the little things that ers, and she was in heaven Pathetic as it was, she needed moments like this
She flicked a fry into herdown her spine was undeniable He came so close, so fast, that she kneas him
“Dae to eat her food in peace couldn’t even be gained sitting on a damn clock tower
Ignoring hirew as Lily peered down onto the observation deck and, like every tiht of hiht He had a nain to pronounce or spell, so she’d always known him as Julian
And when he wasn’t around, she simply knew him as the pain in her ass
“Hello, my Lily”
She closed her eyes Damn his voice to Hell and back The sound, the deep timbre of the way he’d said her name, crawled all the way to the pit of her stomach, where it smoldered
She pried one eye open
Julian’s lips formed a predatory smile A full bottom lip and a thinner one on top curved in a way that was downright sinful Those lips whispered promised pleasures, and they also carried an intensely real threat
She needed to remember that
Her wry gaze flickered over his face, and she bit back a sigh She kneas bad Oh, he was so bad that al to dampen her appreciation of his beauty Male or female—both were in awe of him
After all, Julian had been an angel
Tonight, he wore black trousers and a buttoned-dohite shirt He h Only half of theh
She found an ounce of co with her voice “What do you want?”
His smile widened “Isn’t that a loaded question?”
She rolled her eyes, taking a bite of her burger “I’m on lunch break So if you expect me to chase you off, you’re mistaken”
He inched closer, the soft breeze tugging at his shoulder-length blond hair “What kind of Nephiliel?”
“A hungry one,” she muttered
“Perhaps I’ve grown on you”
She thought about that for a ht years Sometimes she looked forward to their interactions They were usually a else “No”
“I don’t believe you,” he said softly
His voice did funny things to her stomach, and she shifted uncoaze “Don’t you have so better to do?”
He tipped his head to the side, chuckling “After all this time, are you still afraid of me, my Lily?”
What the hell was up with this “my Lily” crap? She hated it when he called her that It was like she belonged to hied to no one Okay, that wasn’t true, either
She belonged to the Sanctuary
“Are you?” he prodded when she didn’t answer
The skin puckered between her brows He could kill her with a single blow, but he had never seriously injured her Not even once when she had ed to shove her blade between his ribs He had simply knocked her away like a fly and continued about his business
She reht like it was yesterday It was the second ti alone for the first time and was cornered by a deadhead while three more had snuck up behind her She’d taken care of the one with no proble move and Lily had been cornered They’d circled her like vultures and, just when she thought she was about to bite the big one, Julian had swooped in froruesome threesome
Lily had stabbed him for it
The second ti she refused to think about Like ever “No I’m not afraid of you,” she said finally
He flashed a set of perfect white teeth “You lie”
“You’re annoying” She took another bite and briefly considered du the fries on his head
“How can you eat that crap?” he asked