Angelic Anarchy (Heaven on Earth Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

he was right. She hated that I usually had to be on my deathbed before I would see a healer. Colton walked back toward me carrying a small pillow from the bed and stuffed a corner of it in my mouth.
    I nodded, answering his previous question about the demon smelling me through my stealth.
    “Nothing about this case is making any sense,” he replied. “It keeps getting stranger and more dangerous. The secretiveness is making it more dangerous than missions when we have to hunt the most-feared demons.”
    He opened a small bag of tools that we used for a number of different things from breaking and entering, repairs, or—in our case—usually torture. He unzipped the black bag and pulled out a pair of needle-nose pliers. He walked to the sink with the dirty pliers and washed them with soap and water before drying them in a paper towel. Then he grabbed a few extra paper towels and set them down on the table beside me along with the pliers.
    “This won’t be as pleasant as it would have been if I still had my healing abilities.” He gave me an apologetic smile.
    I gave him the no shit look he deserved before I rolled my eyes and braced myself. I had to keep it together in front of him. I refused to show him any sign of weakness.
    With his left hand, he used his thumb and pointer finger to spread open the wound, then he quickly inserted the pliers with his right hand. “Brace yourself. It’s wedged in there pretty deeply,” he warned.
    Refusing to show any more weakness than I already had, I kept my eyes open and focused on Colton.
    Just do it already, I pleaded with my eyes. The pliers were cold and foreign, touching a part of me that was not meant to be touched. My blood leaked from my lacerated heart faster, and finally I felt the pliers hit home. I bit down on the pillow until I could feel my teeth grinding against each other as I swallowed down the scream in my throat. It hurt like a bitch when he spread the pliers open wide enough to grab the slug, but finally I felt him grasp it. He pulled it out swiftly with skilled hands. I felt myself release a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding as he removed the pillow.
    “Thanks,” I mumbled, as he cleaned and taped the wound. Taping it was not necessary, but sometimes it helped to speed up the healing process. “I got to the house and at first it seemed clear, but when I made my way upstairs I realized someone had searched it before me. When I came to the last room, a dagger flew past my head. The demon smelled me and attacked. Then it got really weird.
    “I finished off the first two demons, but I saved the other to bring him back for questioning. He was ready to spill what he knew about the kid, but suddenly he went rigid and started screaming for mercy. That’s when he pulled the gun out, shot me twice, and killed himself.”
    “You mean he killed himself so he wouldn’t talk?” Colton sounded annoyed. “Dammit! I should have gone with you!” He slammed the drawer he was putting the supplies in and came to sit down across from me.
    “Really, Colton? You walked away from me. Not the other way around. Don’t try to act all protective now. Where have you been all these years? I work alone now and that’s just the way it is, thanks to you. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. No, I mean as if someone took away his choices and made them for him. He was begging and screaming no. It was as if he was . . .”
    “Under mind control, as in influenza della mente ?” His left eyebrow rose as he made the suggestion. “That is a very ancient demonic ability and rarely used. So rare that to this day, I’ve still only witnessed it on two occasions. Both were missions with you, and each was a case of higher-level demons controlling politicians. I’ve never even heard of the gift being wasted on lower-level demons. This kid is wanted by everyone! We have to figure out what they want him for.”
    Colton shook his head and our eyes met; it seemed as though we both