Yay! The third book following Wings and Tainted. I hope to make this one a little darker than the previous two, showing how much Alexa has changed. This is taking place a year after Tainted. So...enjoy and if you have any suggestions for what you think should happen, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Chapter one: Where Angels Fear to Tread

Alexa

My hand cracked across his face in a slap that sent shock waves up my arm. "Don't lie to me," I snarled, my fangs long and sharp.

"I'm not lying, I don't know anything," the demon hissed at me.

I hissed right back at him and narrowed my eyes, which had turned a deep green color, well on their way to black. "Do you honestly think I'm going to believe that?" I demanded.

"You're going to have to believe it because I don't know anything." He growled.

I shook my head and walked casually around him, picking at my nails as if this whole thing was just very boring. "Well, you see, you haven't told me even the tiniest little tidbit of information. So that means you're pretty much useless to me," I sighed, pushing my fingers through my wavy red hair.

The demon only snarled in response and I rolled my eyes, throwing a glare at the back of his head. I reached down into my boot and produced my dagger.

"And, of course, the world would be such a better place without the likes of you in it." I said easily, a chilling laugh flitting through the abandoned warehouse.

"So what are you going to do?" the demon snapped.

I walked in front of him, keeping the dagger hidden from sight. "I'll give you one more chance to tell me what you know about Operation: Tainted." I said darkly, my words reaching a hiss at the end.

The demon narrowed his eyes at me and bared his fangs. "I don't know anything you bitch!" he ground out.

I moved with lightning fast speed and easy precision. I plunged the dagger into his chest, watching the light leave his eyes. "Too bad," I said flatly, backing away as blood spattered over the warehouse floor. I stared at the drops of blood that looked black in the night.

I pushed my hair off my face and retrieved a cloth from my back pocket. I quickly scrubbed the blood from the blade and slipped the blade back into my boot. Someone would find him come morning. I backed away, my eyes scanning the area for any sign that I had ever been there.

The back window was shattered and cold air whipped into the warehouse, making whistling noises. The moonlight spilled onto the floor. I gripped the bloody cloth in my hand and squeezed. "Same time tomorrow?" I asked aloud, though I knew that no one would answer.

It was only me and the dead demon and he wouldn't be doing much talking anymore. I turned on my heel and walked out into the cool night air. The wind kicked up and whipped my hair around my face, making my sweater flap loudly. I stretched out my wings and let them catch the wind. I launched myself up into the air and pumped my tainted wings up and down with powerful strokes.

I loved flying. It was the best feeling in the world. It gave me a rush that I couldn't get anywhere else. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I closed my eyes, breathing in the night air. I cast a glance back at the warehouse and sneered.

"Damn demons," I ground out. I knew that Logan was technically one of those 'damn demons' but he was different. He wasn't the same as these sick freaks. He had turned his back on the people that had made him the way he was.

I turned my attention away from those thoughts and sighed. I wasn't any closer to finding out who was running the Operation: Tainted and it had been a year since I had found out about them.

They had kidnapped Lance and Logan and had nearly killed me. Rachel had been sent to a mental institution because of them. They were going to pay, and it would be at my hand.

I still only knew as much as Lance and Logan. Just that the demons had managed to convert angels-in-training to their side, only they lied and said that they wanted to be angels. It was a way for the demons to have an in in the Otherworld. When a demon looked exactly like an angel, it was kind of hard to tell who was on your side.

I had made it my own personal mission to find out who was in charge of this mess and bring them down. It was not okay with me that there were demons in Heaven masquerading as angels. It wasn't right and I would be damned if I let it continue.

I may not live up there, considering that teleporting can kill me because I'm half demon and all, but my birth parents do and Lance and Logan's parents do and Shelly does. The point is, a lot of innocent people live up there and it was not okay with me that demons were screwing with them.

I glanced down at the sleepy little town beneath me and sighed. It looked so peaceful at night when everyone was asleep. I pressed my fingers to my eyes. I should have been asleep, but instead out was out demon hunting, searching for information.

I had been doing this for months, but I had yet to catch a break. I just couldn't seem to get any information out of any of the demons I caught. Perhaps it was because they were too loyal, or too scared, or maybe they really didn't know anything.

I didn't care.

Whatever the reason for their silence, it was pissing me off. I just wanted to catch a damn break. I ran my hands over my face and clenched my teeth together.

I snapped my wings to my back and let myself drop from the sky, let myself plummet toward the ground. I fell straight down, keeping my eyes closed. Not a sound escaped my lips. Then, I snapped my wings back out and caught the air, drifting gently to the earth below.

My feet touched the ground and I stretched, cracking my knuckles. I was going to find what I wanted to know. It was only a matter of time.

I turned and faced the apartment building that Logan and I had bought shortly after my graduation. I glanced toward his Camaro in the parking lot and smiled privately to myself. Many make out sessions had happened in that lovely car. I strode past it, the ground beneath my feet cold and frozen.

I stepped into the apartment building and headed toward the stairs. I didn't want to use the elevator tonight. I wanted the extra time to think. I stepped onto the stairway and gripped the railing, my knuckles turning white.

I knew that as soon as morning came, I would feel bad about what I had done tonight; not because I had killed a man, but because I would have to keep it from Logan. He knew nothing of my demon hunting filled nights. I didn't want him to know because if he did, he would be involved and I didn't want to put him in that position. This was something that I had to do, but Logan didn't need to be involved.

I made my way slowly to the third floor and stopped in the hall, pressing my hand against the wall. I hated keeping secrets from Logan, but it was necessary in this case.

If I told him, he would tell Lance, and Lance would want to put a stop to it.

I couldn't stop. I had to find out who was in charge of Operation: Tainted and I had to drive my dagger straight through his or her cold heart. I moved to my apartment and unlocked it with ease, slipping into the small front room.

I dropped my sweater on the couch and shucked my boots by the door, making sure to take the dagger with me. I headed to the room at the end of the hall and paused to look at Logan, sleeping soundly. A smile briefly flitted over my face as I moved into the room and settled myself gently next to him, sliding the dagger underneath my pillow.

Logan rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around me, pressing his face into the crook of my neck. I snuggled into the bed and closed my eyes. "I love you," I murmured to the dark room. He didn't answer and I knew it was because he was fast asleep.

I followed his example and let unconsciousness overtake me.