by Elicia Hyder
I ran my hands down my face. “Let’s say I could get over the whole idea of infanticide…I still couldn’t do that to Fury.”
“As much as I disagree with it, you would be doing her a favor.”
Shaking my head, I looked up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”
“How do you think it will affect her when this comes to war and SF-12 goes to battle with the Morning Star?”
“She’s not part of SF-12 anymore,” I reminded him.
“Then what if she fights on the side of her son?” His words landed like a boulder in between us. “Are you ready to kill Allison?”
I sighed. “You’re crazy.”
“You know I’m right.”
“And what if it’s Adrianne? Are you ready to let me kill her child?”
He visibly swallowed.
“Not so easy when the tables are turned, is it?”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “I’ll let you do what’s necessary. There’s no other option if it’s the Morning Star.”
He was serious.
I felt like my head might explode.
“Did Nathan tell you a few of them went to see his ex-girlfriend, Shannon?”
“No, but Enzo left me a voicemail about it. He and Kane both agreed her child, too, might not be human. I’ll pay her a visit the next time I’m in Asheville. When is her baby due?”
“It’s a couple of months away still.” Azrael sighed. “Never have I seen anything like this. One angel birth is rare. Two is unheard of.”
“Iliana’s unheard of. I feel like her birth is upsetting all the norms.”
“It certainly is,” he agreed.
“Come on. We can’t do anything about it today,” I said, continuing down the hallway. “What are you doing after this? I really need to talk to you about a situation developing in Italy.”
“How about you join us for dinner? I’d like you to see Adrianne anyway.”
I stopped walking again. “In Asheville?”
He pulled on my sleeve to tug me forward. “No, not in Asheville. Adrianne came with us and is at Nathan’s parents’ house not too far away in Durham. She had absolutely no desire to see Fury.”
I chuckled. “A loyalist even now that Sloan married Nate?”
“Even now.”
No one had been angrier than me when Fury showed back up in my life, but for Sloan, that hadn’t eased the blow of having my ex suddenly thrust in her face. So Adrianne hated Fury as any best friend should, even beyond the expiration date of Sloan’s relationship with me.
“I’d be happy to see her, but don’t the McNamaras believe I’m dead?”
The official story was that I’d been killed in action on assignment with Claymore in the Middle East.
“Nathan will send them here to see the baby as soon as we get back to the house. You can wait in the car until they leave.”
“Yeah. I’d love to see her then.”
He squeezed my arm as we walked. “Excellent. I already told her you might. She was thrilled.”
“Did you tell Sloan you’d be seeing me?”
Azrael looked at me. “It’s hard for you this time, isn’t it?”
“You’re the only one I’d confess this to, but it’s hard every time.” I sighed as we neared the elevator. “This trip back to Earth has been worse than I expected.”
“Because you thought you’d see Sloan?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.
He pressed the down button on the wall. “Because you truly loved her, it won’t ever leave you completely, son.” He leaned toward me and lowered his voice. “It won’t ever leave her completely either, if that’s any consolation.”
It wasn’t.
“The less time you spend on Earth, the better.”
“That, I know.”
“Just keep reminding yourself that you did the right thing for Sloan and Iliana.”
“I wish that made it feel like less of a kick to the balls every day that I’m here.”
He patted my shoulder as we stepped onto the elevator. “I know how you feel. How’s your mother?”
The elevator doors slid closed, and I pressed the button for the third floor. “She’s well. Still asks about you.”
“Does she know about Adrianne and the baby?”
I nodded. “She’s happy for you.”
“I knew she would be. I still miss her though.”
We were silent the rest of the ride down, and when the elevator doors opened, Reuel and Nathan were waiting for us. “Cafeteria’s closed,” Nathan said with a shrug.
Reuel’s sad eyes fell to the floor.
“It’s OK though,” Nathan said, gripping the angel’s shoulder as they got on the elevator. “Mom said she’s keeping dinner warm for when we get back. And nobody cooks like my mother. Warren, are you coming with us?”
“My first home-cooked meal on Earth in almost a century?” I said with a smile. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Chapter Four
“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve ridden in a car?” I asked from the back seat of Azrael’s black SUV.
Azrael looked at me in the rearview mirror. “How long have you been here this time?”
I looked at my watch, which was always set on Asheville’s time zone. “About six hours.”
“You’ve been at the hospital all that time?” Nathan asked.
“No. I was in Italy when I got the text about Fury’s water breaking. I met Reuel at the hospital after that.”
“Italy? I thought you’d be in Eden,” Azrael said.
“I was, and I’ll have to go back very soon.”
“What’s it like there?” Nathan asked.
“In Eden?”
“Yeah.”
My lips instinctively tipped up in a smile. “It’s beautiful. It looks similar to here, but everything’s brighter and greener—”
“And cleaner,” Azrael said, checking his blind spot before merging onto the interstate.
Reuel grunted and nodded in agreement.“Nira icai.”
I smiled. “Yes, there’s also a lot of music. And it’s just peaceful. There’s still work to do and decisions to make, but it’s free from the day-to-day drama and stress you experience here on Earth.” I took a deep breath. “Kinda like being on the ultimate vacation all the time.”
Azrael glanced back at us. “There’s a reason they call it paradise.”
“I bet you miss it,” Nathan said to him.
He sighed. “Every single day.”
I understood. In Eden, we could remember our lives on Earth, but they were so far removed from us that it was like we’d read a biography about someone else. Thinking of Iliana and Sloan in Eden was so much easier, joyful even sometimes.
But this side of the spirit line was just heavy. Even for a temporary visitor like myself. My dead heart hadn’t hurt like this since the last time I’d been here.
“So you just sit around on a cloud eating bonbons and drinking cherry lemonade every day?” Nathan asked.
I chuckled. “Some people do, but I have a job, remember?”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s that resume look like these days?”
“My job is much easier now that I’ve gotten caught up on someone’s backlogged workload.” I could see Azrael grinning in the mirror.
“Sorry. Not sorry,” he said.
I rolled my eyes.
“What workload?” Nathan asked.
“The Archangel of Death is the only being with the power to inflict the second death on a human. Lots of souls got backed up over the thirty-one years Azrael was stuck here,” I said.
“You just blink them out of existence?”
“I don’t blink, per se, but yeah. I obliterate them.”
He blew out a sigh. “I’m glad you’re on my side now.”
Azrael smiled in the mirror again. “Kinda gives a whole new meaning to that ‘till death do you part’ bit in your marriage vows, huh?”
Nathan’s face whipped toward me. “You wouldn’t.”
I shrugged. “I have thought about it.”
His jaw dropped.
I laughed. “You’re safe, for now.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“I know.”
Nathan crossed his arms. “How many people do you obliterate in a day?”
“A day on Earth? Not too many. Most are permitted into Eden. The final death is reserved for those who have allowed remorseless transgressions against others to mutate their souls—”
“Mutate?” Nathan asked.
“Remember how Sloan and I could tell the good souls from the bad ones?”
He nodded.
“There’s no coming back from that, even in Eden, so the Father mercifully allows them eternal rest.”
Azrael glanced back. “Except for a special few. The most heinous offenders go to Nulterra.”
“Anyone I know?” Nathan asked.
An evil grin overtook my face. “Remember Larry Mendez? The guy who was trafficking little girls for Sloan’s demon mother?”
“How could I forget?”
“Let’s say, he’s getting what he deserves.”
Nathan gave a thumbs-up. “That’s a relief. Will he stay there forever?”
“Until the pit devours his soul,” I said.
“A pit sounds amazing. Can we get a few for the Justice Department here in the US?” Nathan asked.
“They have them in Thailand,” Azrael said, flashing a grin over his shoulder. Following the GPS’s directions, he changed lanes toward the next exit.
Reuel chuckled and started a story in Katavukai that began with, “Remember that one time in Thailand—”
Azrael slammed on the brakes, pitching all four of us forward as the wheels screamed against the asphalt. I “mom-armed” Nathan across the car to keep him from slamming face-first into the back of Reuel’s seat. Then I looked back just in time to throw my power toward the car barreling toward us. It veered right and missed our bumper by a couple of inches.
The driver swore out his window as he passed on the passenger’s side.
“What the hell, Azrael?” Nathan shouted.
We both looked ahead to see an angel standing in the dead-center of the road.
Azrael was out of the car and charging forward before I could even remove my seatbelt. Immortal or not, safety first.
“Who’s that?” Nathan asked.
“Ionis,” Reuel answered.
Nathan looked at me. “Who?”
“A messenger.” I grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. “Come on, Nate. Az is about to show you how to kill an angel.”
Azrael grabbed the small messenger by the collar of his flashy jacket and lifted his feet inches from the ground. He screamed in his face. “Are you trying to get someone killed?”
Ionis smiled, kicking his legs. “Testy now that we’re mortal, are we?”
Azrael hurled him against the concrete wall dividing the offramp from the interstate below. His hair was a shocking white, cut short and pushed back in a wave. He wore a bright-blue striped shirt under the jacket, skinny jeans, and sneakers with no socks.
I walked over and grabbed his jacket to haul him up. “What are you doing here, Ionis?”
“I have news,” he said.
Nathan held up his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. He’s speaking English. Is he a demon?”
Angels weren’t permitted to speak anything but Katavukai. It was a mark of their loyalty, and a tell-tale sign for the fallen. Because I was born human, the rule didn’t apply to me.
“I’m a messenger, not a demon,” Ionis snapped, dusting off the seat of his pants. “Geez. Stupid humans.”
“He is speaking Katavukai. You just understand him in English because he’s a Messenger,” I said. “And he’s OK. A friend from Eden.”
“A friend,” Azrael huffed, folding his arms.
Nathan leaned close and lowered his voice to just above a whisper. “Is your friend…male? Female?”
“Technically, neither. You can refer to Ionis as a him though.” I turned back to Ionis. “Do we need to do this in the middle of the road, or can we get back in the car?”
“I’d love a ride. Where are we going?” he asked, his voice chipper as always as he started toward the car.
Azrael pointed at him and then around to the rest of us. “We’re not going anywhere. We’ll drop you off on the side of the road somewhere.”
“Your manners never cease to impress me, Azrael,” Ionis said with a smirk.
Azrael held up his middle finger.
Ionis puckered his lips. “You’re such a blessing.” I suspected that if he hadn’t been afraid of Azrael, he would have pinched his cheeks.
Az just glared.
A horn blasted behind us. Cars were stacking up down the exit ramp. Nathan waved them around as we got back in the SUV. Ionis slid into the middle of the back seat between me and Nathan.
“Hello, Reuel,” Ionis said.
Reuel waved over his shoulder.
“Why the bad blood between you two?” Nathan asked, gesturing between Ionis and Azrael.
Azrael put the transmission in drive.
Reuel chuckled and answered in Katavukai.
I translated. “Ionis likes to report all the dumb stuff Azrael does on Earth back to Eden.”
Ionis sighed dramatically. “It’s a full-time job, but somebody’s got to do it.”
Nathan bit down on the insides of his lips to keep from laughing.
Azrael put on a blinker to turn right at the intersection onto the main road. “What’s so important that you almost killed us?”
“Did the Council reconvene with a verdict?” I asked.
Ionis shrugged. “Hell if I know. That’s not why I’m here. I was sent to find Azrael.”
Azrael groaned. “Lucky me.”
“Hey, Az, have you heard about the new magic in Eden?” Ionis wiggled his fingers like magic might shoot from them. His middle fingernails were painted a glittery blue.
“Magic, really?” Azrael probably would have laughed had he not sounded so annoyed. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Tell him, Warren.” Ionis split a glance between Azrael and myself.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” I said.
“Magic in Eden?”
“Not necessarily in Eden.”
Ionis leaned closer to Azrael’s seat. “Samael says he’s never seen anything like it.”
Nathan nodded, impressed. “That’s a big statement coming from a guy who’s been around since the beginning of time.”
Azrael looked at me in the rearview mirror. “He’s serious?”
“Afraid so. And it gets worse.”
“We have another serial killer.” Ionis’s voice jumped up an octave with excitement.
Nathan grinned. Reuel chuckled.
“What’s he talking about?” Azrael asked me.
“There have been four people with the gift of discernment murdered in the past few months,” I said.
“Unusual.”
“The first one was a woman from Thailand. The second was a man in Turkey. But the last two were murdered on the Calle dei Morti.”
Azrael swerved the SUV over the rumble strips on the side of the road. Ionis slammed into me, and Nathan grabbed onto the back of Reuel’s seat.
Azrael’s eyes were wide in the mirror. “The Street of the Dead?”
Nathan chuckled. “The Street of the Dead. What an appropriate place to commit a murder.”
“More appropriate than you think.” I looked at my father. “This isn’t the first time.”
“The Calle dei Morti has a rich history of violence and death. I’m very familiar with it,” Azrael said.
“I know. I think we’re dealing with a copycat killer.”
“What makes you think so?”
“There have been four victims so far: three women and one man. All of them were
beheaded with their eyes removed.”
“Were the eyes found in the throat or back of the mouth?” Azrael asked.
I nodded.
“Were the heads mounted on something near the body?”
“On a bedpost twice. On a lamp once.”
Ionis shuddered. “Ew.”
Reuel was shaking his head.
“Il mostro di Venezia.” Azrael’s voice was full of wonder.
“What?” Nathan asked.
“Not what. Who,” Ionis said.
“The monster of Venice,” I translated. “He was one of the most brutal killers in European history. Azrael killed him in 1797. Vito Saez is the reason the street’s called the Calle dei Morti.”
“I’ve studied a lot of serial killers over the years. That name nor the MO ring any bells for me,” Nathan said.
I looked across Ionis at him. “I almost forgot we met because of a serial killer. God, that seems like a lifetime ago.”
Ionis’s head tilted. “For you, it was.”
“Good point,” I said. “I’ve done some research. There are a few mentions of Saez buried online. They weren’t easy to find, but they were out there.”
“What does that have to do with magic?” You could tell it was almost painful for Azrael to use that word.
“What drew Samael’s attention to the deaths in the first place was this strange purple…”
“Say it,” Ionis whispered, wiggling his fingers again.
I rolled my eyes. “It was a weird purple energy on the first girl’s spirit. Very faint, but still conspicuous. When he discovered she had the gift as well, he started to investigate.”
“And?”
“All the victims have had my mark carved into their chests.”
Azrael’s face crumpled with confusion. “What?”
“You heard me correctly. My mark, carved right into the skin.”
“What mark?” Nathan asked.
I leaned forward to look at him. “Angels of Death only escort souls across the spirit line. We rarely kill them. When we do, the spirit is branded with a mark, a signature of which angel did the deed. My mark looks like an old Roman cross with two S’s facing each other.”
“They’re snakes,” Azrael corrected me.
“Really? They don’t look like snakes.”
