“What about me?” Riley asked.
Angelique pursed her lips as she looked at him. “Are you going to be okay? This isn’t your usual mission. How are you going to feel with ghosts and spirits around?”
Liam looked at Riley, quirking an eyebrow. He hadn’t realized that this might be a problem for anyone. But Riley gave Angelique a shy smile and nodded.
“I’ll be fine, Angelique. Don’t worry about me. Ghosts are quiet. No sound of bombs or anything like that. I was okay when we did the tour of the graves before.”
“Well, if you say so.” Angelique looked around. “Let’s get to work. Got your weapons, people?”
“And our kit,” Declan said. “We need certain things for the job.”
“I’ve got everything, Dec,” Liam said.
“Good.” Declan looked over at Raphael. “I hope the angels don’t frighten the ghosts away.”
Liam shook his head. “Nah, they won’t. The ghosts and spirits are okay with angels. It’s just demons and Purgatory people that freak them out.”
“Purgatory people?” Angelique asked.
“What do you call those who live in Purgatory?” Liam asked. “Purgatorians?”
Everyone laughed.
“Yeah, it sounds ridiculous,” Liam said.
“It’s an interesting question, though,” Lily mused. “Maybe Raph will know.”
“We can ask him while we’re hopping around the world,” Declan said. “But now we need to start doing that.”
“I’ll go grab the water bottles,” Danny said. “Riley, come and give me a hand.”
“Okay,” Riley agreed, and the two of them walked over to the paneled bar and began rummaging around for supplies. Liam watched them for a moment and then turned away.
Raphael was walking toward them, Israfel and Tabbris behind him. There was a warm smile on Raphael’s face, and Liam smiled back as the Archangel joined them.
“Are we all ready, then?” Raphael asked.
“Pretty much,” Declan said. “How have you been, Raph?”
“Good, Declan, good. And you?”
“Yeah, good.”
Raphael patted Declan’s shoulder. “I’m glad to hear that. And here are Danny and Riley, so is this all of you?”
“Yup. We’re ready to rock and roll,” Angelique said.
Raphael laughed. “Then let us get to it.”
Chapter Three
“GABRIEL, A moment, please.” Michael touched Gabriel’s hand and Gabriel smiled at him.
“What’s up?”
“I fear that we will all be waiting for some time before we hear from Lilith or Agrat. Perhaps, after we have seen to the wellbeing of Minnie and Max, we could spend some time on Belle Coeur?”
Gabriel’s smile grew. “Aye, I’d like that, Mishka. I’d like that a lot.”
Michael looked relieved. “I am glad.”
“Downtime’s a good thing to have anyway,” Gabriel said. “We’re going to be walking into an unknown situation, and we’ll all need to be rested and ready for action.”
“As you say.”
“Shall we go visit our witch and hacker?”
For answer, Michael took Gabriel’s hand in his and moved them. They emerged in the world on the street outside of the yard of Max and Minnie’s home, and Gabriel pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number of Max’s own. It rang three times before Max answered.
“We’re at your gate,” Gabriel said. “Do you need anything before we come in?”
“Oh hey, Gabe. No, we’re good. Thanks,” said Max.
“Right, see you in a mo’,” Gabriel said, and ended the call.
“Perhaps we should have called ahead and asked if they needed anything before we arrived,” Michael said.
“Well, they don’t seem to need anything, so it’s all good.” Gabriel opened the stout wooden gate and gestured grandly. “After you, solnyshko.”
“Thank you, Gabriel, you are very kind.” Michael gave Gabriel a shallow bow and entered the yard. Gabriel followed him, closing and latching the gate behind them before walking up the path toward the door.
Max was waiting for them, leaning against the doorframe, his hands clasped together in front of him. “I was wondering when we’d see you two,” he said by way of welcome.
“Well, here we are,” Gabriel said. He extended his hand and Max took it, shaking it firmly. “Good to see you, lad. You doing okay?”
“Yeah, we’re all right.” Max turned to Michael. “Hello, Mike.”
“Max.” Michael gave him a bow and Max returned it. “How is your lovely wife?”
“Partner, and she’s good, too. Come on in.” Max gestured to the door and stood aside to let them enter the house.
“Forgive me,” Michael said, “I did not mean to offend….”
“Nah, it’s fine.” Max chuckled. “A lot of people think we’re married. Don’t worry about it.”
“If you say so,” Michael said. Gabriel lightly bumped his shoulder.
“You seem a bit tense, if you don’t mind me saying,” Gabriel said as Max pushed past them and led them down the corridor to the spacious and inviting living room.
“You’ve got good eyes, Gabe,” Max said. He sat down on one of the sofas, indicating the two Archangels should do the same. Once they had seated themselves, he continued. “Minnie’s out the back in her workshop with Alethia, and Tommy’s patrolling the perimeter. They’ll join us soon, I think.” He hesitated a moment and then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Gabe, are you positive nothing can get through that barrier you and Lix Tetrax put up?”
“Aye. Why?” Gabriel began to frown, feeling worry start to gnaw at him.
“Well, we’ve had a few invisible things try and get in. They couldn’t, which was good, but it makes me wonder if maybe they can. And then Minnie’s been having really fucking awful dreams, dreams that have her waking up screaming, with blood in her eyes, and it’s beginning to freak us all out as well as worry the shit out of us. Alethia keeps saying she can smell demon, but none of my cameras are picking anything up, and we can’t see any demons. And Tommy’s so jumpy, he says he feels like he’s got ants crawling under his skin.”
Michael was frowning as well, and he leaned forward, his dark gaze fixed on Max. “When you speak of things attempting to enter, what do they do exactly?”
“At first, we thought it was just the weather. It’s been pretty windy lately.” Max looked toward the window, his gaze distant. “The gates would rattle and shake; there would be a banging noise, like branches dropping from trees to hit the fences. But then, the wind calmed down and the noises got worse. And one night, a few days ago, there was this noise like a cannonball had hit the wall out the front, and when Tommy and I went to check, something had smashed a hole through the brick.”
“I will go and check,” Michael said, getting to his feet. “And I will add extra protections as well.”
Max turned back to look at him. “Thanks, Mike. That’s a relief to hear.”
“It is nothing. I am happy to help.” Michael made his way out of the living room, and Gabriel could hear his lover open the front door and go outside.
“So apart from weird noises outdoors, has there been anything else?” Gabriel asked Max.
“The ’net’s been quiet,” Max said. “Which worries me. It’s too quiet and it’s never like this. Something’s going to happen, but I don’t know what, and I don’t know when.” He spread his hands in a gesture of uncertainty. “I wish I had more information for you. It’s frustrating the hell out of me that I don’t.”
“I understand. I know, though, that if you do pick up anything, you’ll tell us. Don’t worry that you aren’t helping, ’cause you are. All of you here are,” Gabriel said.
Max ran a hand through his hair. “I appreciate you saying that, Gabe.”
“I’m not just saying it because I like the sound of my own voice,” Gabriel said drily. “I mean it. You’re doing us a blo
ody great favor here.”
Max gave him a wry look. “Okay. I’ll take your word for it.”
“Good, ’cause I’m rarely wrong.” Gabriel leaned back in his seat and stretched out his legs. “You sure you don’t need anything? Supplies? Food?”
“We’ve got plenty,” Max said. “Shit, where are my manners? Can I get you a cuppa, Gabe?”
Gabriel chuckled. “You’ve a lot on your mind, my young friend. A cup of tea would be welcome, though.”
Max leapt to his feet. “No problem. Shall I make one for Mike, too?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Sure, why not. He likes his white with one sugar, and I like mine black with two sugars.”
“No problem.” Max scurried out of the living room like a man on a mission, and Gabriel smiled to himself.
He could see Michael in the front garden, peering at the wall and gate, touching the stones and bricks with the tips of his fingers. Gabriel watched him for a time, and so focused on Michael was he, that he started when Minnie and Alethia entered the living room.
“Max just told us you were here,” Minnie said, moving to kiss Gabriel’s cheek.
“We didn’t want to disturb you while you were working,” Gabriel said, kissing her cheek in return and then giving Alethia a quick hug.
“It’s no problem.” Minnie sat down and Gabriel took his seat once more. “So, Max told you about the noises in the night?”
“Aye. Michael’s out checking the perimeter.” Gabriel pointed toward the widow.
Minnie turned and she chuckled. “I see Tommy’s joined him.”
Gabriel peered over her shoulder and saw the dusky gold fur of a dingo seated at Michael’s feet. The two seemed to be deep in conversation. “I wager he’ll have an interesting report for Michael.”
“We both do,” Alethia said. “I keep smelling demon, Gabe. I’m positive they’re out there, but I can’t see them. Not even when I shift. Neither can Tommy, and honestly? It’s starting to drive me a bit nuts. Tommy’s less annoyed than I am, he thinks there’s something suspicious going on. Which there probably is, but how can we kill a demon that we can smell but not see? And even if we can smell it, what’s to say it’s not a false scent, designed to lure us out of the property?”
Gabriel frowned again. “You know, that could be it. We don’t know who else is working for Naamah. I think I need to increase security here. Max and Minnie are both doing a lot for us, what with protection amulets and hunting down secrets. I’m going to station a couple of angels here.”
Alethia’s smile at that announcement surprised Gabriel. She looked so relieved, so grateful, that Gabriel was momentarily stunned. “Thank God,” she said. “Seriously, Gabe, we need help. I didn’t want to be a bother, but….”
“No, no, no, it’s no bother. Is there more going on than fences and gates being rattled?” Gabriel looked from Minnie to Alethia and back again.
Max entered then, carrying a tray with a teapot and cups, a jug of milk, and a pot of sugar. He set the tray down on the coffee table and poured for everyone. “What’s going on?”
“I’m going to station two angels here,” Gabriel said. “Alethia and Tommy will need some sleep at some point, if nothing else.”
“Yeah, and, Max, I’m telling him,” Alethia said.
Max sighed heavily. “It’s nothing. I’m sure of it.”
“What’s nothing?” Gabriel demanded.
“Phone calls,” Alethia said. “I got a call from Angelique. Only it wasn’t her, because she was back in the past when I got these calls. But whoever was making them knew all the Venatores codes. If Angelique weren’t in the first century AD, I would have believed instantly it was her and told her everything she wanted to know about security and what Max and Minnie are doing.”
“This is serious,” Gabriel said.
“And then there were the e-mails,” Alethia said. “Much the same sort of thing, but from Anna, back in Oregon. Max looked at the IP, and they looked legit. I very nearly answered them, until Minnie said there might be a spell that cloaks the real IP on the actual e-mail. So she tried a counterspell, and the e-mail sort of… self-destructed.”
“It what?” Gabriel stared at her. “How does that work?”
“You got me,” Max said. “I’ve never seen that happen before. It literally burst into flames—on the screen—and burned down to ash. Virtual flame and ash.”
“This is more serious,” Gabriel said. He thought for a moment. “Right, I’m going to assign two Seraphim, Asaf and Vel. I’ll also ask Tzadkiel to send Sophiel or Brieus over. Those two are technical wizards. It might take a few days for them to get here. They’re on other business right now, but Asaf and Vel are on standby.” He got to his feet and reached out with his power to the two Seraphim.
“Sir?” Asaf’s mental voice was calm and even.
“Follow my thought and join me in Australia. Bring Vel with you. I’m assigning you to guard duty, and it’s not going to be an easy gig, so I want you two to be on your toes at all times.”
“Of course, sir. Who are we protecting?”
“Two of Michael’s Venatores, Alethia and Tommy, and two humans; one is a witch named Minnie, and the other is her partner, a hacker named Max.”
“Computer hacker?” Asaf asked.
“Aye, why?”
“Vel will be delighted. He’s fascinated by computers.”
“Oh aye?” Gabriel smiled to himself. “That could be handy, too. Get yourselves here ASAP and I’ll fill you both in.”
“Yes, sir,” Asaf said, and Gabriel had the sense of a mental salute. Then his voice was gone.
Gabriel turned back to the humans. “They’re on their way.”
“I feel better already,” Minnie said with complete sincerity. As Gabriel sat down again and reached for his teacup, adding two sugar lumps to the steaming beverage, Minnie looked at her partner and touched his knee. “Max, I know you don’t like this, and I don’t either, but we need the extra muscle.”
“Okay. You’re right. I know you are. These are new situations, and we need to adjust. I work with code, so I should be able to adapt on a ten-cent piece,” Max said. He shot Gabriel a quick look. “Sorry, I meant I should be able to adapt quickly to change.”
Gabriel nodded. “Got it.”
Minnie laughed. “Maybe a dollar coin, babe.”
He looked ruefully at her. “Okay, a dollar coin.”
Michael and Tommy entered the living room then, looking very pleased with themselves. “I have added to the protections and wards,” Michael said, taking a seat beside Gabriel, even as Tommy sat down beside Alethia. “And I have added some punishments for anyone who dares to try to get through them.”
“Awesome. And I’ve had Asaf and Vel get their butts over here,” Gabriel said. “More protection is good, yeah? And as I can see them just beyond the gate, I’ll go let ’em in, and the kids here can fill you in.” He stood up, drained his teacup, and bent down to put it back on the tray. Then he walked out of the living room and out of the house, striding down the garden path toward the wooden gate.
He opened it to find Asaf and Vel both dressed in simple jeans and T-shirts, carrying large, oblong carryalls slung over their shoulders. “Come on in, you two,” Gabriel said, standing to one side so they could enter.
“There are a lot of shields around this place,” Vel said. “We could feel them when we ’ported to the street.”
“Aye, seems there’s a lot of people or nonhumans who’re well interested in getting inside,” Gabriel said. “That’s why you’re here. To make sure that if, by some amazing freak of chance, the wards are breached, that whoever breaks through doesn’t take another breath of life.”
“Understood.” Asaf hefted his carryall. “We brought our armor and weapons. Figured you’d want us to be on alert.”
“Good.” Gabriel was pleased. “Well, I’ll introduce you to the kids, and then Mike and I will have to go. We’ll need to work out what has to be done and that’s a conver
sation we’ll have in private.”
Both angels nodded. “Tactics of angelkind are not always well received by humans,” Vel said. “We understand, sir.”
“Excellent. Right, then, come along.” Gabriel turned and led the two angels into the house.
Michael’s expression, Gabriel saw, was grim and foreboding. He had clearly been in the middle of a rant when Gabriel returned to the room, and to judge by the chagrinned expressions on the faces of Alethia and Max, Gabriel guessed what that rant was.
“Telling ’em off for not telling us about the e-mails and phone calls, huh?”
“Indeed.” Michael frowned even harder, his eyebrows knitting together. “I am not pleased by this. You should have reported to me the moment these incidents began, Alethia. You are the ranking Venatores here.”
“Yes, sir, I’m sorry, sir,” she said, looking down at the carpet.
“I told her not to,” Max protested.
“And she should have disobeyed you.” Michael fixed Max with a look that made the young man take a step backward. “I appreciate that you did not wish to worry us, but these are dangerous times, young man, and we would prefer a little worry prior to fixing a situation than a potential larger worry, such as your murders, because you felt it wiser to keep silent.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “Ah, sorry to interrupt,” he said, as Michael turned to glare at him. “Vel and Asaf are here. They know what they’re doing. And”—he locked his gaze with his lover’s—“they’ll report the instant anything strange happens, right?”
“Yes, sir,” Vel said.
“You got that right, sir,” Asaf added. “I can sense the fake demon aura. It’s pretty well done, I admit, but not so good as to fool an angel.”
“As I said,” Michael said. “You will alert us instantly, if anything strange occurs, no matter how small.”
Both angels saluted and, Gabriel saw, so did the two Venatores.
The Bone Cup Page 4
