“So when are we going to talk about Adrianne?” Nathan asked on our way back to my father’s. We’d stopped at a sporting-goods store to replace the gear and clothes Fury and I had lost in the crash.
I stared straight ahead. “What are you talking about?”
Nathan scowled. “You’ve always been a shit liar, Warren Parish. You know what I’m talking about.”
I rested my wrist across the top of the steering wheel. “What makes you think there’s something with Adrianne?”
“Iliana knows that baby is different, and she’s starting to get headaches whenever Adrianne leaves. Not quite migraines yet, but definitely headaches.”
My heart twisted.
“I’ve not been around many kids before,” Chimera said. “How do you tell when a baby has a headache?”
“She cries a lot, holds her head, and pulls at her ears. Sometimes, she bangs her head on the bars of her crib or on our chests if we’re holding her. It’s really pitiful.”
I gripped the steering wheel. “God, I hate that.”
“Me too, so tell me why it’s happening.”
I laid my head against the headrest and focused on the road ahead. The sharp curves of the mountains. The steep cliffs off the roadside. I wanted to tell him. But I couldn’t.
“Warren, I mean it,” he said.
“Azrael doesn’t want Adrianne to know.”
“The baby’s an angel.”
I just stared ahead.
“Is it the Morning Star?”
My jaw tensed.
“Shit.” Nathan sat back in his seat, leaned his elbow on the door, and gripped his forehead. “That’s why he’s been keeping Adrianne away so much. He knows what it’s doing to Iliana.”
“Probably so.”
“What will he do?”
“Nate, you’re gonna have to talk to him.”
“Like he’s gonna tell me anything.”
True.
I looked at Fury in the rearview. She’d had lots more practice at spinning Azrael’s schemes than I ever had. “If nothing else, you can trust Azrael will do whatever is necessary to keep your daughter safe,” she said.
Nathan closed his eyes. “That doesn’t make me feel much better. We’re talking about my wife’s very best friend. They’re practically sisters.”
“I know,” I said.
“Warren, you’d better get to Nulterra and find more of that God stone. I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
Fury leaned forward between the front seats. “Why can’t you go to the Father and get more of the blood stone?”
“From what Moloch told us, it doesn’t sound like that would be possible,” Chimera said. “He limits himself here now so that he won’t have the power to cause harm.”
“Yeah. I’m sure if that were an option, he would’ve offered it already,” I agreed.
I followed the directions on my GPS app and took a hard right onto the road that led to Azrael’s.
At the top of the long and winding road, cars were parked like Tetris pieces near the house. I parked on the side road that went down toward the barn.
The four of us got out, and I clicked the button to open the trunk. I looked around at all the cars while I pulled out my bags. “Man, when Adrianne said we’d have dinner, I didn’t realize she’d be throwing a party.”
“Really?” Nathan asked. “I expected absolutely nothing less.”
Fury grabbed her bags too. “It’s so weird seeing Az be so suburban.”
“I dunno.” I closed the trunk, and we started toward the house. “My mom talks about Az like he was the life of the party when they were together.”
Her eyes were fixed on the ground. “I don’t doubt it. Flint spent a lot time with your parents when he was younger. It’s just weird for me because I’ve only ever known him post-Nadine.”
“What was he like when you met him?” Chimera asked.
“Scary. And mean as a snake.”
“Really?” Nathan asked.
“Oh yeah. He used to scare the shit out of me and Anya.”
It was hard for me to imagine Fury being afraid of anything.
“He can be a dick for sure, but I can’t believe he’d scare little kids,” I said.
“I don’t even know him that well, and I wouldn’t think so either,” Chimera agreed.
Fury squinted against the setting sun, despite her new, cheap sunglasses. “He didn’t do it on purpose. It was who he was. Or, I guess, it was who he had become.”
“That was what? Five or six years after I was born, and my mother was taken by the Morning Star?”
“Plenty of time for his soul to turn black.” She sighed and shook her head. “Losing what you love most does bad shit to a person.”
I thought of Sloan and Iliana and shrugged. “Maybe if you let it.”
Fury looked at me.
Before either of us could speak again, Nathan nudged my arm. “Hey, I just got a text from Sloan. She said Iliana’s asleep, so we need to be quiet when we go inside.”
“That sucks,” I said.
“It won’t be for long. She’ll get her up when the food’s ready. Trust me, you don’t want to wake that kid before she’s ready.”
“Like her mom, then?”
He laughed. “Yeah. Lethal with the ability to do something about it.”
Inside, all the doors were open, and everyone had gathered in the backyard. The air smelled like fire and charred meat. My stomach rumbled.
I touched Fury’s arm, then gestured toward her bag. “Want me to take that?”
She handed it to me. “Thanks. I’ll meet you out back.”
“Nate, where’s Iliana asleep?” I asked.
“Probably Az’s room,” he said.
I gave him a thumbs-up, then started in the opposite direction toward the hallway. A supernatural energy vibrated through the house, and I smiled knowing my baby girl was close.
I walked into the queen bedroom I’d once shared with Cassiel and dropped my bags and Fury’s on the bed. Then I started back out to rejoin the party. As I neared the hallway’s exit, the bathroom door swung open right beside me.
Reuel screamed.
I screamed.
Then the massive angel started laughing. I, however, was making sure my heart was still inside my chest. He pulled me into a massive hug, nearly crushing all the bones in my torso, and clapped his heavy hand on my back. “Akai nun cak vera.”
It was a phrase in our language, Katavukai, similar to “long time no see.” Or more closely translated to, “I haven’t seen you in an eternity,” which it had almost been in Eden years.
“Shh, we’re supposed to be quiet,” I said, reining in my own laughter.
He clapped a hand over his mouth.
“Akai kirek alis,” he said quietly.
“I’ve missed you too, old friend.” I took a step back. “But you know you can speak English now, right?”
He hooked his arm around my neck and grinned. “You know I don’t want to, right?”
“When did you get here?” I asked as we walked into the living room.
“About an hour ago,” he answered in English. “We saw the helicopter go down, and I spoke to Flint at the Eden Gate. How is she?”
“She’s Fury. Stone cold as usual.”
“Only on the outside. If Anya is dead, Flint was all she had left in the world.”
“She has Jett now,” I reminded him.
He shook his head sadly. “True, but still not the same. Where is she?”
“Outside, I think.” I crossed my arms. “What are you doing here? You told me you didn’t want any part of this.”
“I still don’t, but I have news.”
My brow rose. “About?”
“Jett.”
“News for me, or news for Fury?”
“Both.”
“Is it good or bad?”
He opened his mouth, but before he could answer, I cut him off. “No, tell me after dinner. I’d like one drama free night on Earth before I leave.”
He smiled. “As you wish, but I do need to ask something else unpleasant. I’ve seen Adrianne. Do you have something to tell me?”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Later. I promise. Come on. Fury will want to see you.” We started toward the back door. “You are coming with us to Nulterra though?”
“If I can’t keep her here.” He sounded exasperated.
“What changed your mind?”
He looked outside for Fury. “I’ve kept watch over her all her life. Can’t stop now, even if she is being hard skulled.”
My eyes narrowed. “Hardheaded?”
“Yes. Hardheaded.” Reuel struggled with idioms and metaphors, as words were only interpreted literally through Katavukai. “Still no convincing her not to go?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’ve tried. So did her dad.”
“It’s sad about Flint. He was a nice human.”
“I hate I didn’t get to know him better.”
“I’m sure he’d say the same about you.”
“Have you seen Iliana and Sloan?”
“Only Sloan. Iliana’s been asleep since I got here, but I heard it’s safe to meet her. Are you excited?”
“My friend, you have no idea.”
The backyard had been transformed into a party pad. Between the helicopter and the house, two folding tables were put end-to-end and covered with blue-and-white checkered tablecloths. Azrael tended the smoking grill, while Adrianne and Chimera set the table. I didn’t see Sloan or Nathan anywhere.
Fury was talking to Enzo, Special Operations Director of SF-12, and Kane, one of SF-12’s most senior members. When she spotted Reuel, her lips parted, and she sucked in a shaky breath before running to him.
With a jump, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He held her in the air for a long time, speaking quietly to her in Katavukai, which she spoke fluently. When he finally set her down, he cupped her face in his hands and used his giant thumbs to swipe away her tears.
She held onto his wrists. “Alis tai,” she said with the slightest hitch in her voice.
“Of course I came back,” Reuel replied in perfect English.
Fury’s head jerked back.
“Surprise,” he said. “The Council changed the law. We’re allowed to speak English now.”
Fury looked at me. “Did you know?”
“I found out last night.”
“I won’t do it often,” he said with a grin.
“Because he’s terrible at it,” I teased.
Reuel held up his middle finger. “Donkey hole.”
“Donkey hole?” Fury asked. “I don’t get it.”
“Katavukai works like an international cipher for languages. Only it interprets them literally. Idioms and metaphors are lost on this guy,” I said.
Fury turned back toward Reuel, her face hopeful. “Are you coming with us to Nulterra?”
“I suppose. If I can’t stop you from going, I might as well try to keep you alive.” He bent to look at her. “Besides, I promised your dad I would.”
“You saw him?”
“Yes. He’s well.”
She hugged him again. “Thank you, Reuel.”
I’d never seen Fury show so much affection to anyone. Not that I was jealous, or anything.
“Warren says you’ve been searching for angels who might have been born on Earth.” The muscles tensed in Fury’s neck. “Any luck?”
He smiled, which was reassuring. “We’ll talk about it after dinner.”
She blew out a nervous sigh but nodded.
“Oh no! Who called the brute squad?” Nathan said behind us. Reuel and I turned as Nathan and Sloan walked off the porch.
Reuel opened his arms wide. “There’s my little buddy.”
Laughing, Nathan stepped into his giant arms. Reuel lifted him off the ground and spun around in a circle a few times. When he finally returned Nate’s boots to the ground, Nate staggered sideways, and Reuel grabbed his shoulders to steady him.
“I’ve missed you too, man,” Nathan said, his head still a little wobbly.
Chimera walked up beside me. “Hey, Reuel, have you met Chimera?”
He turned, looked, and looked again. Then he took a small step back. “Seramorta.”
“Yep.” She stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Reuel. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You two didn’t meet at Echo-5?” Sloan asked.
He shook his head. “I’d definitely remember her. You’re the one who brought the necklace?”
“Yes, she is,” I said, happily.
Sloan kissed Nathan’s cheek. “I’m going to finish helping Adrianne.”
“I’ll come with you,” Nathan said.
“I can too,” I offered.
Sloan waved her hand. “You two relax and catch up. It’s Warren’s last night on Earth for a while. There’s not much to do.”
“You sure?” Nathan asked.
“Positive,” Sloan said with a wink.
Enzo and Kane walked over and joined our group. “Warren, good to see you. How’s the back?” Enzo asked.
I twisted at the waist, side to side. “Good as new.”
“What happened to your back?” Fury asked.
Enzo’s face soured. “Doc and Az had to rip a lodged bullet out of his spine a few months ago. On Az’s dining room table. It wasn’t pretty.”
Fury’s sympathetic face was mocking. “Oh, and Warren’s such a baby when it comes to bullets.”
“Hey now,” I said, offended but amused.
Fury nudged Nathan’s arm. “When we were in Iraq, Warren took a round that didn’t even pierce his vest, and you’d have thought it blew his chest cavity open.”
The guys laughed.
I pointed at Fury. “Busted ribs are no joke.”
“Verta,” Reuel said, nodding his head.
Enzo raised his beer. “Hear, hear.”
“And I remember you being pretty sympathetic that day,” I said to her.
Her sympathy wasn’t the only thing I remembered. That was the first time we kissed, on base inside my sweltering and rank desert hooch. She wasn’t even supposed to be there, but Fury had never been one for following rules. Orders, sure. But she’d never really considered herself under the jurisdiction of anyone, except for (maybe) my father, and only when she was on his payroll.
“Fury? Sympathetic?” Kane asked. “I’m calling bullshit on that one.”
Nathan raised a hand. “Seconded.”
“Believe what you want,” Fury said with a shrug.
I pointed at her. “It was only because she wanted something.”
Everyone laughed again.
Kane shoved my chest. “I’ll bet she did, brother.”
Shit. I rolled my eyes. “Not what I meant.”
“Surrre,” Kane teased.
“Are you kidding me?” Fury playfully slapped my chest. “Warren could hardly stand up, much less get anything else up that day.”
There were echoes of “Ohhh!” and “Burn!” around the group. I just laughed and shook my head. Fury caught my eye and winked.
“Somebody get this man a beer to put out those flames,” Enzo said, laughing as he slapped my back.
Kane handed me a bottled beer from the ice chest. I thanked him and twisted off the cap. He offered one to Fury, but she shook her head.
“Ribs are done!” Azrael called from the grill.
“Everyone find a seat at the table,” Adrianne said, carrying a large bowl out of the house. “There should be plenty of chairs.”
Sloan was right behind her, carrying more food. Nathan jogged over to help her.
Azrael carried the meat to the table, then took the spot at the head of the table. Adrianne sat on one side of him, and I sat on the other. Sloan and Nathan sat across from me and Fury. It was weird. Like we’d fallen into some alternate dimension.
Adrianne leaned over and pulled the tin foil off the platter of meat. Reuel’s hand shot toward it. She held up a finger. “Reuel, we didn’t know you were coming, so you need to start small.”
He pulled an entire rack of ribs off the plate.
Adrianne’s eyes doubled. “I said small!”
He turned his palms up with sad eyes that said, “This is small.”
“It’s OK,” Azrael said. “Reuel, share those, and if you’re still hungry, I have some steaks in the fridge I can throw on the grill.”
Reuel turned his sad eyes toward Azrael.
Azrael huffed and pushed back from the table. “Fine. I’ll start them now.”
Reuel smiled as Azrael walked to the house.
Everyone started filling their plates and passing dishes around the table. Azrael carried a plate out the back door a moment later. “Hey, Sloan, I think somebody’s awake in there!” he called to the table.
Sloan started to get up.
“Wait,” I said. “Let me.”
She smiled. “She’s in Azrael and Adrianne’s room.”
I got up and jogged to the house. Inside, I turned left into the kitchen and walked down a short hallway to the master suite. I heard baby babble in Katavukai when I neared the door. I lingered there for a second, soaking it in.
“Appa?”
She knew I was there.
I pushed open the door and found her standing in the portable crib. “Appa!” My heart nearly burst at the sound. Her arms shot up toward me, but she lost her balance. Eyes wide with panic, she toppled backward.
I gripped her with my power before she hit the mattress, and I pulled her through the air into my arms. She giggled. “Appa.”
I kissed her cheek. “Salak, me anlo.”
I felt someone’s presence behind me. “What does that mean?” Sloan asked before I could turn around.
“It means, ‘Hello, my love.’” I smiled. “Did you not think I could handle this by myself?”
“No. I knew you could. I just forgot to tell you she’d probably need a new diaper.” She reached for what looked like a small rucksack, complete with morale patches on the dresser. The one on the front said, “I’m not small. I’m fun size.”
“What is that?”
She put it on the bed and opened it. “The diaper bag Nathan picked out. He’s a mess.” She reached for Iliana. “Come here. Let’s change your diaper.”
Sloan laid Iliana on the bed, and I sat down beside her and let her hold my finger. “You’re a good mom, Sloan.”
“I have a lot of help. I don’t know what I’d do without Nathan and Adrianne and Dad.”
“How is your dad?”
“He’s good. He wanted to be here tonight, but he had a call at the hospital.”
“It’s so good to see you. I have a million questions,” I said.
“Me too. It will be so nice if we don’t have to be apart when you get back. No more wondering and waiting for you to return.”
I chuckled. “I doubt Nathan would agree.”
“Don’t let Nathan fool you. I think he misses you more than anyone.”
“Will you be all right if I do come back? I don’t want to get in the way. I know you guys are happy.”
“We’ll be more than all right. We want you to be here. Iliana deserves it.” She picked the baby up and handed her to me. “You deserve it too.”
I stood and put my free arm around her. I kissed the side of her forehead. “Come on. We’d better get back out there before Nathan comes in guns blazing.”
Everyone else was eating when we walked back outside. Adrianne looked up as I carried Iliana back to my seat. “We’ve got a highchair. Azrael, go get it and bring—”
“It’s OK,” I said, sitting down. “I’d rather hold her, if that’s all right.”
“Of course it is.” Sloan smiled as she took her seat by Nathan.
Someone had piled my plate full of food. I looked at Adrianne, hostess extraordinaire, but before I could thank her, she pointed at Fury. “Wasn’t me.”
Surprised, I looked at Fury. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she said, hiding her mouth with a napkin.
“We were just talking about your meeting with Shannon,” Azrael said.
“I was hoping you hadn’t already talked to them,” Reuel told me.
“Why?”
“I was hoping to go,” he said.
Realization hit me. “Did you find out who their child is too?”
“Too?” Fury’s volume jumped up. “Do you have news about Jett?”
Damn it. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.
Reuel put his fork down—which never happens—and scooted his chair back enough that he could turn all the way in his seat toward Fury. He took both her hands. “Yes.”
Thank the Father I was immortal because I could feel my blood pressure rising in my veins.
At the head of the table, Azrael’s jaw had gone slack. “Is this conversation appropriate for the dinner table?”
“Well, you can’t stop it now,” Fury said. “What have you found out?”
Azrael and I locked eyes for a second before Iliana lunged toward my plate. I grabbed her around the middle.
“I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” Reuel asked.
“Definitely good news today,” Fury said.
“Jett is not one of the fallen.”
Fury dropped her fork and raised both fists in the air. “Yes!” Then she pounded her fists on the table making Iliana jump in my arms.
I’d never seen Fury so excited. But it made sense. Fury had trained her whole life to battle the fallen. And Jett, it seemed, was the only thing she’d ever truly loved.
She hugged Reuel and squeezed his neck until he coughed. Then she sat back with a satisfied huff. “What’s the bad news? I can handle anything after that.”
“Yes. What’s the bad news?” Azrael said, still worried.
“I believe Jett is Malak or Rogan,” Reuel told him.
Azrael’s worry shifted to confusion.
“The brothers?” Chimera perked up at the other end of the table. “The ones who worked for the Pentagon?”
“Yes. I believe they were reborn here, and that one of them is Jett,” Reuel said.
“Are they bad guys?” Nathan asked.
“No,” he said.
Sloan looked as confused as the rest of us. “So why is it bad news?”
“Oh shit.” Kane’s heavy fist dropped onto the plastic table. “Because he thinks the other is Shannon’s baby.”
“Yes,” Reuel said. “And sooner or later, when they are able, they’ll want to find each other again.”
Fury cradled her head in her hands, swearing under her breath.
Nathan’s jaw went slack. “You’re going to have playdates with Shannon.”
I laughed. I laughed so hard Fury would have probably punched me had I not been holding Iliana. “Shut up, Warren.”
Almost everyone else at the table was laughing too.
“That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” Nathan said.
“I don’t know why any of you think it’s funny,” Az said, pointing down the line at Adrianne, Sloan, and Nathan. “We’ll all have to learn to get along with her.”
“With Shannon? The hell we will,” Adrianne said.
“Will you abandon Sloan?” Azrael asked. “Because if it’s really Malak and Rogan, we can’t very well keep them apart once they come of age and know who they are. And the whole reason they’ll be here is to protect Iliana.”
“What?” Sloan asked, probably a little louder than she intended.
I gestured toward Enzo, Kane, and Chimera. “They’ll be like SF-12.”
“Yeah.” Enzo was smiling. “You know, always being nearby—”
“Always showing up at family dinners,” Kane said, flashing an evil grin at Fury.
“Spending the night.” Chimera laughed behind her napkin.
Fury looked like she might throw up.
“God, this is going to be fun to watch from a safe distance.” I scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes. “Can Iliana have some?” I asked Nate because Sloan looked too shocked to make decisions.
“Yeah, she’ll eat anything you give her,” he said.
Iliana engulfed the end of the spoon.
The animosity between Sloan and Shannon dated back to when they were kids. Adrianne still hated her. And Fury…well, Shannon embodied all the things that appeared to drive Fury nuts about humans: emotions, sentiment, whining.
That was me being very judgy, of course. Fury had obviously never said as much to me, but her disdain had manifested in her body language beside me. Arms crossed. Brow creased. Eyes pinched shut.
“At least we know Jett is one of us,” Reuel said. “Look on the shiny side. At one time we worried he was the Morning Star.”
Despite Reuel’s humorous word blunder, the table fell silent. Those of us who had been laughing either knew, or had increasingly strong suspicions, about Adrianne. Even Enzo and Kane were avoiding eye contact with the opposite end of the table.
I focused on Iliana, feeding her more potatoes.
Thankfully, Adrianne broke the silence before anyone could ask questions. “The bright side, Reuel.”
“Ah, bright. Yes,” he said, nodding his huge head.
Azrael cleared his throat. “Warren, where’s your girlfriend?”
“My what?”
“Your girlfriend, Cassiel.”
Holy shit. Azrael was derailing the conversation by throwing me under the relationship bus in front of two of my exes.
Thanks, Dad.
“Yeah,” Adrianne said. “I figured she’d have gone with you to see if Satan had given birth to Satan.” Ironic, considering who was really giving birth to Satan.
“First of all, Cassiel isn’t my girlfriend—”
“Are you sure?” Azrael asked before I could stumble through whatever I was about to spout off next.
“You guys had a fight, right?” Sloan asked, cutting the kernels off her corn on the cob.
“Oh, it was more than a fight,” Azrael said. “Cassiel let the Council manipulate her into betraying him.”
Fury looked at me. “But I heard she wasn’t aware that the Council leader was dirty and working with the fallen.”
Wait. Is this conversation really happening?
I opened my mouth to speak, but Azrael beat me to it.
“Cassiel might not have known, but it doesn’t change the facts.”
“Yeah, but—” Fury started.
“No buts. Betrayal is betrayal,” Azrael said.
Fury picked up my beer and drained half of it. My head was still spinning, but hell, at least no one was talking about the Morning Star.
Iliana reached for the spoon again.
Sloan slid her napkin piled with corn across the table. “Here, Illy, want some corn? She can feed herself.”
“But she kinda sucks at it,” Nathan said.
Sloan slapped his arm.
Iliana picked up a few pieces, then shoved her whole hand into her mouth, dropping most of the corn into my lap.
“See?” Nathan asked.
There was a faint buzz down the table. Enzo pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “It’s done,” he announced.
“What’s done?” Chimera asked.
No one spoke.
Finally, Fury wiped her mouth with a napkin and put it on her plate. “The cleanup from the wreckage is done.” She looked at Enzo. “Right?”
He nodded, putting his phone away.
Sloan’s face was somber. “I’m really sorry, Fury.”
“We’re so glad you’re OK,” Adrianne added, and I was sure she meant it.
“Thanks to Warren.” Fury looked over at me. “He saved my life.”
Kane leaned forward and cast a smirk down the table. “How’d that feel for a change?”
Fury’s sad face broke into a smile.
I laughed softly. “He’s such a jerk.”
“Enzo, what will they do with him?” Fury asked.
“Once the coroner is finished in Black Mountain, the team will fly Flint back to New Hope. Probably tomorrow,” he said.
Azrael leaned his elbows on the table. “Fury, we can discuss what to do later.”
She nodded.
Her eyes were fixed on the checkered tablecloth. Holding Iliana firmly around the middle, I lifted my beer with my free hand. “To Flint,” I said.
Everyone raised their glasses or beer bottles. “To Flint,” they echoed.
A bright white flash lit up the darkening sky. Everyone looked up as a high-pitched whistle grew louder and louder, like a slow screaming bottle rocket aimed at the Earth.
Enzo and Kane drew their concealed guns, pointing them at the sky.
“What is that?” Adrianne asked.
Reuel and I stood. “An angel.”