Blackwing definitely doesn't know what's good for him.

"You!" She narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Blackwing shrugged and stuffed the screwdriver in one of the pockets of his black cargos. "I was going for some annoying gremlin work. You know, a screw loose here, a screw loose there." He hopped off the unit. "What a coincidence to find you here."

Grace squeezed the hilt of her dagger. "I don't believe in coincidences. Not where you're involved."

"Smart of you." He walked to the edge and propped one foot on the low stone border lining the roof. He leaned his forearms on his bent knee and looked down. "Nate seems to be doing pretty well. There's only Chuck left down there with him."

"You planned this?" Grace's eyes widened. How much power did this guy have over other Demons?

"I wouldn't say planned it. It was more like a string of happy coincidences. I just hinted here and there to get my way." He glanced at her over his shoulder.

Yes, right, of course. Did he think she was brain-dead? "Did you send that Nexum after me, too?"

Blackwing seemed surprised. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

Nate's scream of pain broke through the distant sounds of clashing swords. Grace's blood froze in her veins. It took her a moment to urge her muscles to respond and charge to the edge of the building. Blackwing extended an arm and she slammed into it hard enough to fly back and roll on the roof.

Blackwing looked at the street below as if he hadn't just knocked her over and a smile crept up his lips. "Wow, Chuck deserves a prize. He managed to scratch Nate."

Grace scrambled to her feet. Her eyes darted from left to right and focused on a door. She sprinted toward it. Blackwing suddenly blocked her path and she almost rammed into him full-force.

"Now, now. Why not let your partner have some fun? If I'm not mistaken, we were in the middle of a conversation." His smile seemed tattooed on his face. "Don't you want the answers to your questions?"

Grace pointed the dagger at his face. "No answer in the world is more important to me than Nate."

Blackwing's smile disappeared and his eyes narrowed. "You have quite a crush on him, don't you?"

"I don't have a crush. He's my-" She stopped before more stupid words poured out. She didn't have to explain herself or her relationship to a Demon.

Black slits were the only visible part of Blackwing's eyes. "So, he's your boyfriend now. How convenient. That asshole is more cunning than I thought."

"Don't call Nate names, you foul spawn of Hell!" Grace stepped forward, dagger still pointed. "Get out of my way."

"You're just as brainless as the others," he spat.

The comment stung, but she rushed past him. Nate was more important than anything else, even sewing Blackwing's lips together. Before she could take more than a few steps, he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back.

"The fact that you're brainless doesn't mean I'll let you go down there and save your little lover-boy."

Grace yanked her arm, trying to break free. His grip was too tight. She thurst her dagger toward his face. He dodged and pushed her to the ground. Grace jumped to her feet. Blackwing stood before her, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. She'd never noticed how much larger his body was than hers. It didn't matter.

She crouched and charged again. He stepped out of the way and with a short, sharp move, hit his fist against her back. He hadn't used his full strength, she was sure of it, but it still felt like a boulder fell on her. She crashed to the rooftop, her heart pounding in her head, her muscles screaming.

"Don't do this, Grace." Obvious threat filled his voice. "I'm pissed enough to really hurt you."

She let out a shaky laugh, trying to ignore the slither of fear his words brought. "Hurt me? Isn't that what you've been trying to do? If you want me to stop attacking you, get out of my way."

Blackwing didn't answer. He just surveyed her as though looking for something. Using slow, unthreatening moves, she got to her feet.

"I'm going to help Nate, and there's nothing you can do to stop me," she said as calmly as she could.

A chill ran through her when his dark gaze raked over her body. In a flash, he was beside her. He grabbed her shoulders and kicked her feet from underneath her. Before she could steady herself, she plummeted to the rooftop, Blackwing on top of her. He wrapped one hand around her right wrist, rendering her dagger useless. His other hand encased her left wrist and his knees tightened against her thighs, immobilizing her legs.

"The hell you are," he snarled.

Grace fought against his grip, but didn't even budge him. Her shoulder blades burned more fiercely than before. Great, her wings wanted out now, when she lay on her back and couldn't release them. The pain brought tears to her eyes.

"You know what really gets to me? I actually thought I had you last time. I thought you'd be curious enough to question Nate about what you saw. But the great holy thinker distracted you with petty matters of the heart." Blackwing tightened his grip on her. It felt as if her wrists were about to snap. She writhed, trying to shake the tears from her eyes. "And now you're so loyal to your lovey-dovey boyfriend that your brain has the consistency of pudding. You can't even see through his act."

"There is no act. Nate loves me," she managed between gritted teeth. "Angels don't lie."

"Oh, I'm sure he does." He let out a sarcastic laugh before his knees tightened around her. A moan escaped her lips. "And Angels can lie as long as they believe it's for the greater good."

Grace gawked at him, the pain momentarily forgotten. He stared back, and the anger lines on his face smoothed out. His eyes widened, and he tilted his head as though he'd discovered something he hadn't noticed before. His grip loosened. The pain in Grace's back subsided, replaced by a different type of burn throughout her body. Heat rose to her cheeks, but she couldn't look away from him. He was so close. She could see the few freckles on his cheeks. And the real color of his eyes.

"You have brown eyes." Her voice came out as a trembling whisper. She'd never seen a Demon who didn't have black eyes. She'd thought he did, too, but they were a very dark brown. A gorgeous shade she'd never seen before.

"I know," he whispered back. His grip loosened even more, and he leaned over her until their chests touched. "There are so many things about me that you don't know, don't understand. Aren't you curious at all?"

She nodded. His nose was a mere inch from hers. Her brain felt like the pudding he had mentioned earlier. Why was this happening? Why the comforting heat, the racing pulse? As though it had a will of its own, her back arched to bring her body closer to his. He was so beautiful. How come she'd never noticed before?

All traces of annoyance disappeared off his face. His lips parted. He let go of her knife-yielding hand as though sure she would pose no threat. With slow moves, he tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. When his fingers brushed against her cheek, she drew a sharp breath. He was so warm, his skin soft. She'd somehow expected his touch to sear her face.

He leaned in a little closer and their noses touched. Grace had to fight the impulse to raise her head and bridge the gap. He frowned and pulled back. Cold wind swept between them, making the hairs on her body stand. A creeping feeling of uselessness and despair surrounded her as the colors in the world faded. A rippling layer covered the sky above them. That weird energy-draining force was back.

Blackwing released her other wrist and rose to his knees, still straddling her. He stared at the sky, a frown on his face. And at that moment, Grace became sure it wasn't just her imagination.

"You feel it, too, don't you?" she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

His eyes drifted to her, mild surprise in them, before he concentrated back on the sky. "Yeah, I feel it."

"What is it?"

"I have no fucking idea." He lowered his chin to his chest, chewing on his lip. "Shit, I'm doing this all wrong." He rolled off her and got to his feet. The feeling of cold intensified when his body detached from hers. Grace's fingers flexed as though they wanted to grab Blackwing's denim jacket and pull him back over her.

She shook her head rapidly and lifted herself onto her forearms. "Doing what?"

Blackwing raked his hand through his messy hair, mumbling to himself. "This doesn't make any fucking sense," he said a little louder.

Grace sat up and watched him as he paced in front of her and glanced at the sky from time to time. The thin layer faded. Warmth made its way back into the night. Blackwing only growled and walked on as if it made no difference if the layer was there or not.

The swish of feathers through the air preceded Nate's appearance over the edge of the building. His wings surrounded him in a bluish glow. The right sleeve of his jacket was ripped off, and blood snaked down his arm from a cut on his shoulder. There was a big purple bruise on his left cheekbone. His sword dripped black blood. His eyes darted from Blackwing, who had stopped pacing, to Grace.

Nate wrapped both hands around the hilt of the sword and pointed the tip at Blackwing. "What have you done to her?"

"I'm okay." Grace pushed herself to her feet. Her bones ached from the crash and Blackwing's punch.

Blackwing threw Nate a disgusted glance and turned away. "Oh, we'll need to talk, Blanc, but I'm in no mood for your shit now." He walked toward the edge of the roof, as far away from the two of them as possible.

Nate charged after him, sword raised to strike. Blackwing whipped his own sword out so fast, it seemed to materialize in his hands. He parried, an annoyed grimace on his face. Nate retreated, his weapon at the ready.

"Fuck off. I have no time for this." Blackwing turned his back on Nate. He threw Grace a fleeting glance. "Later, beautiful." After tucking his sword into the sheath on his back, he jumped off the building.

Beautiful?

Nate took one step toward the edge, but stopped and lowered his weapon. He put it away and rushed over to Grace. "He's lucky I care more about you than about his silly taunts." He stroked her cheek.

"Forget me! Look at you!" Grace checked his cut, but it wasn't deep. She took her jacket off and ripped the sleeve off her shirt. "I was so worried when I heard you scream. I wanted to come and help, but Blackwing immobilized me." A heavy weight plunged into her stomach. After the Demon had mentioned Angels being able to lie, she'd completely forgotten about coming to his aid. She tied the sleeve around his wound a little too forcefully.

"It's okay, honey. You had a lot on your hands with that Demon and Blackwing. I'm just glad you're all right." He trapped her in a smothering embrace.

Her ribs screamed in protest. She cringed and pulled back.

A scowl appeared on his face. He raised her hands gingerly and stared at her wrists. "That bastard hurt you."

Grace looked at her wrists, too, and yelped. They were violet, and she could see the dents the Demon's fingers had left in her skin. It hadn't hurt that much. She'd actually enjoyed it at one point...No! Tears filled her eyes. How could she even think that? Blackwing was a Demon. Being near him was supposed to make her skin crawl. It happened with all other Demons. The memory of her body arching toward his made her want to fall off the face of the planet. This couldn't be happening.

"What happened?" Nate wiped a stray tear away.

She stared up at him, tears continuing to fall. How could she explain this? Her hands filled with red pustules. Sobs erupted from her chest, smothering her. Disgust spilled over her, followed by a wave of breathtaking self-loathing.

Nate looked from her hands to her face, confusion furrowing his brow. "What's going on? Grace, what has he done to you?"

"I don't know." The words barely made their way through the sobs and hiccups. "I don't know."

Nate took her in his arms and held her there. "I'm going to kill him. I have no idea what mind games he used on you, but he's crossed the line. Next time I see him, he's dead."

Grace let out a loud sob. Mind games? It hadn't felt like mind games, but a powerful Demon could be very subtle. And she was such a newbie. Nate was right, had to be right. Blackwing used mind games to confuse her. She held on to that little string of hope with every fiber of her being.