Read Online Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly - Free Book Online Page B

hadn’t predicted this outcome, they were quick to take advantage of it. Soon almost every Church of Angels in the country had one or more angels attached to it, basking in the humans’ adulation and lazily feeding on whomever they liked. Not all angels were involved with the Church, of course. Plenty had discovered that they enjoyed the hunt: prowling the streets and stalking human prey. It was as if something primal in angels, that they hadn’t experienced in their own staid world, had now emerged with a vengeance and was greedily indulging itself.
    For many, though, the Church had become a cozy refuge, and as an institution it had turned out to be an enormous boon in other ways, too — due in no small part to Raziel himself. As the organization had expanded, he had taken control and established a Church TV station and publishing house, as well as a massive Internet presence. W ith him at the helm, the word of the angels’ beneficence had erupted across the country and was spreading fast, bringing more churches and thousands of new devotees daily — all of them eager to experience angelic salvation for themselves, even before they’d ever encountered one. When the Second Wave of angels arrived soon, and then others after them, it would be to a very different world from the one the First Wavers had initially experienced: one loudly enthusiastic about the angelic presence, embracing it at every turn.
    The really comical thing, thought Raziel, was how oblivious the human world was to what was happening. Those who didn’t believe simply thought that those who did were insane. There were a number of skeptics who loudly decried the ridiculous fad that had swept the country; it was always amusing when, as occasionally happened, one of them succumbed to angel burn and publicly changed their tune. Similarly, any organized interference that might have occurred was laughably minimal; feeding from police and government officials took care of that.
    “And
you’re
in a rather nice position, aren’t you?” said Lailah now with a silky smile. Raziel saw that she was wearing a small Church of Angels pendant around her neck — an ironic touch. “As am I.”
    He feigned innocence, raising his eyebrows. “Why, I have no idea what you mean. I’m just doing my job at the humans’ behest, running their church for them.”
    Lailah threw her head back as she laughed. “Yes, very noble of you! I can hardly wait to see the Council’s expressions when they realize just how much control we’ve gained here already.”
    Raziel smiled. Though the angels had never planned to actually take over humans’ affairs, it was slowly happening. And as the head of the fastest-growing church in history, he himself was in a prime position for power. More senior angels than he would arrive as the evacuation continued, but by that time, he would be thoroughly ensconced, one of the de facto leaders.
    “It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out,” he admitted, tossing his nail file back onto his desk. “But if the Council didn’t want some of us taking advantage of the situation, then they really should have come across first, rather than hiding at home to see if it worked out.”
    “Well, exactly.” Lailah’s gleaming auburn hair shifted on her shoulders as she chuckled. “And by the way, speaking of hiding, I heard that Thaddeus has been taken care of. I felt the ripple myself, a few nights ago. Good. That’s a relief.”
    Raziel grimaced. The subject of the traitor angels wasn’t his favorite one. “I don’t know what they think they’re doing, trying to protect the humans,” he said tersely. “It’s not as if we have any choice but to feed off the creatures, if we want to survive.”
    Lailah flashed a grin. “I think what troubles them is the fact that some of us
enjoy
it so much. . . . Hypocrites. How many traitors are left?”
    “Still a few, but we’re getting there,” said Raziel. “We came up with quite a tidy