The hum of voices shifted, becoming deeper. It stirred my unconsciousness, waking me more than the rumbling of my stomach determined to break through my gut.
Beyond the cover of my comforter, the smell of my shea butter shampoo had joined the familiar scent of sulfur, evidence of Tyrius lingering somewhere in my apartment. Under that was the faint scent of lemons and oranges—the stink of angels.
Angels.
I jerked away, throwing the comforter off of me. My heart thrashed against my chest, and I blinked the filmy residue from my eyes as I focused on the voices coming from my living room.
There, sitting comfortably on my couch was the angel Jenna. Sprawled next to her was Lance, the white German Shepherd angel. They were watching something on my television. So it wasn’t a dream. I had two damn angels in my place, sitting on my couch, and breathing my air. Swell.
We’d stayed at the witch’s shop for about another hour after the angels had showed up and Evanora had disappeared, going over some of Jenna’s key points she wanted to clarify—mostly about Lisbeth and Lucian, more specifically who the archangel was to me and how it made me feel. I didn’t like where her questions were going, kind of like I was at a session talking with my shrink. I didn’t need a shrink. I had Tyrius. And he thought I was just fine.
My mood had shifted to a darker place as we’d left the shop. After Gareth took Danto home, I’d gotten into my subbie and driven home with the angels in the back. We still had lots to cover, but I’d told Jenna I needed to sleep for at least two hours, or I was going to keel over. I wouldn’t be much help if I died of exhaustion. I was a mortal, unlike her. After a quick shower, I’d fallen into my bed, closed my eyes and found sleep coming swiftly to me. The last thing I remembered before I dozed off was how bright the sun was through my window.
It wasn’t so bright anymore.
I grabbed my phone. Five fifteen in the evening. Shit. I’d slept for more than eight hours. I had meant to call Gareth, but instead I somehow had fallen into bed and my body turned off my brain for most of the day.
Angels were celestial creatures. They didn’t eat or sleep. And they never got tired. Part of me envied them, imagining all the demons I could Hunt without ever needing to stop and sleep or eat, but I had to remind myself that zombies didn’t sleep either.
Angels weren’t part of the living. They were another breed of creepy. And I didn’t trust them.
Granted, the Legion told Jenna to investigate my claim like she said, but maybe they hadn’t told her the whole truth. She was just a soldier after all. They didn’t make any of the hard decisions—just obeyed orders.
Tyrius was sprawled on my small kitchen table, watching the two angels like a guard dog without blinking. Good little kitty.
I reached over to my dresser and pulled on a clean pair of jeans, bra, and gray t-shirt. I went to grasp for my weapons belt but then thought better of it. Barefoot, I strolled into the living room.
“You’ve been here this whole time?” I asked no angel in particular.
They both turned and looked at me. Lance with his human-like eyes was still a little eerie, and Jenna, well, her expression was blank. I couldn’t read her. Nothing showed on her face. I didn’t like it. She was either really well trained to keep from showing her emotions, or this was her normal face.
Jenna grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. “Yes,” she said and got up. Lance followed her example and jumped off the couch.
A steady growl of discontent came from Tyrius, his lips curling up in warning. “Don’t worry, Rowyn,” said the cat as he swatted the table in a show of his sharp claws. “I’ve set my phasers to kill.”
I reached over and rubbed the top of his head. “Thanks, buddy,” I answered, knowing on some subconscious level that was probably the only reason I’d slept for so long.
The two angels shared a look, the kind that only two people who’ve worked together for so long could share, like they read each other’s thoughts. I knew that look. Hell, I’d done it often enough. It was just like me and Tyrius. Weird.
I watched them for a moment. “You didn’t need to recharge or something?” I asked, making Tyrius snort. What? I couldn’t help myself.
“We’re not batteries,” answered Jenna, her expression amused. Maybe she wasn’t a robot after all.
“Maybe not,” I said. “But I know you can’t stay here indefinitely. You will eventually need to go back to Horizon. Right?”
“Right,” said Jenna, her expression going blank again.
I waited for her to elaborate. It would be nice to know when they’d be leaving or how long they could stay here on this side of the mortal planes. That information could be useful. But she never answered.
Slightly annoyed, I moved to my kitchen and turned on the coffee machine. Tyrius leaped on the counter, his eyes on the brewing coffee.
“Don’t even think about it,” I told the cat.
Tyrius flattened his ears on his head, lips pouting. “Not even a tiny sip?”
“No.”
“You’d think with all the extra hours of sleep you’d be less grumpy when you woke up.” The cat let himself fall on the counter dramatically. “Guess not.”
“Don’t be a baby. I can’t afford to have you high on caffeine right now. I need you sane. I need you alert.”
“Pretty please?”
“No.” I turned around. “You guys want coffee?” I asked and realized my mistake at Jenna’s tight smile. I turned back around, ignoring Tyrius’s pleading eyes. No coffee. Right. Damn, it must suck to be an angel if you can’t enjoy a simple cup of coffee. They didn’t eat or drink. I guess a roll in the hay was also out of the question. It really did have to suck to be an angel.
“Where does Layla live?”
I clenched my teeth and looked over my shoulder to find Jenna sitting at my kitchen table. Lance, with grace and beauty, moved to sit on the floor next to her, his fur the color of a first snow fall. He was a glorious-looking pooch.
“Why?” I turned my attention back to the coffee machine and poured myself a cup before the water had finished pouring all the way. I needed caffeine. I took a sip, enjoying the wonderful hot substance going down my throat.
“I’d like to ask her some questions.”
Shit. My heart seemed to skip a beat. Tyrius looked at me over the coffee pot. He met my eyes, his body going absolutely still.
I took another sip of my coffee and twisted back around to face the angels.
I had considered not telling the angels about Layla, at least not yet. Not until I knew what she was up to so I could somehow protect her. Even from the angels, if need be. I didn’t trust them. If I told them about Layla and they killed her, I would never forgive myself.
But what if I was wrong? What if the Legion was Layla’s only hope?
“What haven’t you told me?” Jenna looked between Tyrius and me, mystified, but obviously she’d caught something.
“I don’t know where she is,” I answered truthfully. “And I can tell you she’s not with Danto.” My fingers curled around the cool porcelain as I took another sip of my coffee.
“But you’re not telling me something.” Jenna leaned forward, her face twitching with irritation. Her French braid fell forward and she tossed it back, her movements sharp with impatience. Good. At least I was getting some emotion out of her.
“Something happened to her.” The angel’s hazel eyes widened. “Didn’t it? What? What happened to Layla? Tell me.”
Damn. Were angels telepaths too? Could she read my mind?
My lips parted, but I was unable to utter anything. Part of me felt like if I blabbed, I was wrapping a noose around Layla’s neck, but the other part, the smarter one, told me this could be her only shot.
My breath came and went. I met Jenna’s eyes and said, “Can you promise you won’t hurt her?”
Jenna leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I can’t promise you that. I don’t know what’s happened. At the very least you can tell me what’s gotten you all worked up. Tell me.”
I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t like her tone. And I didn’t like anyone giving me orders.
“Damn it, Rowyn,” cursed Jenna, looking angry for the first time since I met her. “If you want the Legion’s help, you have to help me here. You have to tell me something.”
Impressed, I raised a brow. “I thought you angels couldn’t curse.”
The angel rolled her eyes while Lance’s shoulders bounced in laughter. “You obviously don’t know much about angels,” she said, sounding even more ticked.
I smiled. Oh. This was so much fun. “Fine,” I exhaled before the angel had a hissy fit in my kitchen. I rubbed my eyes with my left hand. “Remember the gift of power I told you about?”
Jenna nodded. “The one that the archdemon Lucian offered you? The one that supposedly would change you into a demon?”
“The very same.”
Jenna frowned. “You told me he took it back.”
“He did.” I sipped the last of my coffee and settled the mug on the counter. “And now he’s given it to Layla.”
Silence. I waited for the full effect of what I’d just told them to hit. I could see it now in Jenna’s eyes, the true meaning of what I’d just said simmering in them.
“She has the archdemon’s power in her,” commented Lance, as he thought about it. “She’s his subject now. His subordinate. She’ll do what he commands.”
Jenna was quiet, too quiet. I didn’t like that.
I released some tension from my fingers when I realized I had a death grip on the edge of the counter. “With the other Unmarked dead, Layla and I were the only two who could take Lucian’s gift and survive. This isn’t her fault. He did this to her. She didn’t want it.”
“Why didn’t you tell the Legion?” asked Lance, his tone full of mistrust. “I read your report. There’s no mention of Layla infused with the archdemon’s gift.”
“Because it hadn’t happened yet when I got my number.” I looked at the dog, annoyance tightening my shoulders. “Now, it’s happened. So, I’m telling you now.”
“When did it happen?” questioned Jenna. “Were you there?”
I shook my head. “No. It must have happened an hour after I saw her at the witch pub.”
“And after that, she fried her vampire boyfriend’s ass with her new power,” said Tyrius. “I don’t think she was digging the pointy teeth.”
“I was hoping the Legion would protect us from Lucian. It’s too late for that,” I said and let out a frustrated sigh. “But it’s still very new in her system. She hasn’t fully turned, not yet,” I lied, knowing full well that I’d seen her black eyes with my own eyes. I felt Tyrius’s stare on me, but I kept going. “We can still remove it. There’s still time. But I need the Legion’s help for that.”
Jenna was watching me intensely, still as a robot. “What do you think this archdemon power can do to Layla?”
“Other than make her a demon,” I answered. “I’m not sure.”
“Take a guess.”
“She just told you she wasn’t sure,” snapped Tyrius, his back arched and fur bristling. “Stop badgering her. I thought you guys were here to help.”
Jenna’s eyes moved to the cat. “We are.”
Tyrius made a face. “I haven’t seen anything yet that would suggest that. Maybe you are just spies. And what do spies do best? They lie.”
“I just need all the facts.” Jenna uncrossed her arms as though she was trying not to appear on the defensive. It didn’t work. “I need to know what the archdemon’s planning. Having a trained pet to administer pain to others isn’t going to qualify as something on the Legion’s radar as a level one priority.”
“Not a level one priority?” growled Tyrius. “And who decides? Who’s the idiot that decides whose lives are worth a level one priority? You?” He glanced at Lance when Jenna didn’t answer. “You?” The dog raised a brow but kept his mouth shut.
“The oracles do that.” Jenna’s posture shifted with irritation. “With level one situations being the most important and level three being the least. I’m sorry. But your case registered as a level three.”
“No shit,” muttered the cat. “It’s why just the two of you showed up and not the halo cavalry.”
Jenna ignored him, her attention on me again. “I don’t make the rules. I only follow them.”
Tyrius rolled his eyes. “Now, that I believe.”
“I need more to go on,” sighed the angel and pressed her hands on her thighs. “Can you give me something?”
“Like what?”
Jenna’s expression was intense, her eyes a little wide. “What do you think Lucian wants? Why you? Why Layla? I know you’re keeping something from me. You have an idea of what he wants. Don’t you?”
I rubbed my temples as I felt a giant migraine rising. “I dunno.”
Jenna looked at her partner, and again I saw that familiar non-vocalization of a conversation between the two of them. That was just rude.
I felt a stab of guilt and anger—anger the winning emotion. “You’re not going to hurt her. Right? You’re going to be the kind and sweet little angels we all know you to be and you’re going to help her. Save her. Make her all better… right?”
“Sweet angels, my ass,” commented Tyrius.
Jenna let out a breath that she really didn’t need. “Look, Rowyn—”
I threw my hands in the air. “See? This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you anything. You’re going to go after her. Aren’t you? Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve said?”
“Yes. But if she poses a threat to the Legion—”
“You touch her and I’ll kill you,” I seethed, wishing I’d put on my weapons belt. My blood seemed to burn under my skin. “I swear it on the souls.”
I felt a prick of claws on my arm. “A word of caution,” soothed Tyrius, his eyes on me. “We don’t want more glowing bastards on our asses. Remember how much fun it was when there was a bounty on your head? Yeah. It was a goddamn circus.”
This was a mistake. A huge mistake. I should never have gone to see the angel-born. I should have never involved the Legion.
“Rowyn, just listen.” Jenna stood up very slowly. “I don’t know what you’ve heard or what you’ve been through, but I’m not about to go murdering your sister. I don’t like to kill. I hate it. It’s why I’m so good at my job. I save lives. I save souls. I might kill a demon from time to time, but not that often. Trust me, I’d much rather save your sister than leave her to the demise of this archdemon maniac. But,” she said carefully, “if she’s posing a threat to the Legion or to the mortal world, I have an obligation to warn them. I don’t know what this gift is. And archdemons don’t normally form alliances with mortals. The fact that he has singled you and her out for a purpose… well… it sends a message. It’s why the Legion sent me, to see if I can shed some more light on what he’s planning to do. If Layla is a threat, we have to stop her.”
My stomach was in knots, but the fury was gone. “She’s not a monster. She’s just a woman. A young woman who needs our help. Your help.”
“I’ll do what I can,” said Jenna. “But I can’t promise that—”
A knock came from my front door.
I spun, heart pounding. Lance leaped to his feet just as Jenna moved her hand to her waist.
Tyrius jumped off the counter and landed next to me. “You expecting anyone?” he asked, alarm shining in his eyes.
Before I could answer, my front door swung open, and Gareth strode into my apartment, his long black coat billowing behind him as he paced quickly across the room, tracking in mud from the priest’s garden.
“Rowyn,” he breathed in relief, his eyes wide with worry. “I’ve been trying to call you all day.” His voice was loud with apprehension. “Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
Damn. “I turned it off so I could sleep for a bit,” I said tightly, not liking the underlying anger in his tone. “The bit turned out to be a little longer than I thought. Don’t look at me like that. You did the exact same thing to me. Remember?”
The elf barely glanced at the two angels in my apartment. His face was tight with concern, and I could see multicolored dust spilling from the insides of his coat.
“What’s going on?” Tension pulled me tightly again.
The elf’s hat cast dark shadows over his eyes, adding another layer of mystery to his entrance. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it, like he couldn’t bring himself to say whatever had made him come all this way to tell me in person.
“What?” I demanded. The fact that he was silent made me angrier.
This time, the elf glanced briefly at the angels, and I realized he was contemplating whether to tell me in front of them.
“Just say it.” I was losing my patience.
Gareth glanced at the two angels and then back to me. “Did you ever hear of the Divine Overseers?”
I shook my head. “Sounds like a lame rock band name. Why? Should I have?” Again he looked at the two angels, and this time I saw a reaction from Jenna. She looked frightened. What the hell?
“I’ve heard of them,” said Tyrius, raising his voice. “They’re a group of angels here on Earth. If my memory serves me well, I believe they are guarding something.”
I looked at my kitty. “You never cease to amaze me, my friend.”
The cat grinned. “Babe, I live to amaze you.”
I lost my smile at the dark gleam and intensity in Gareth’s eyes. “So, what about these Divine Overseers.”
Gareth’s eyes flicked to the angels and he said, “They’re dead.”
Oh. Crap.
A small growl emitted from Lance’s throat, and Jenna frowned, her expression dark with emotion.
I felt cold and hot all at once, the tension in the room pulling me rigid. I knew what he was going to say. I could see it, feel it, read it in his eyes and on his face.
My throat tightened and I managed to utter, “Layla.”
With the gift, all she had to do was touch them and their souls died… which left them vulnerable and crazy. Easy to kill.
Layla had killed the angels.
Lucian’s plan had already begun.
“She killed all the angels,” said Gareth. “I counted twenty angel bodies.”
And their souls, I thought.
There was dead silence.
“Where are the angel bodies?” asked Jenna. The anger in her voice seemed to strangle her for a moment.
Gareth took off his hat and rubbed the top of his head. “In the back of my truck. I haven’t had time to dispose of them yet.” His eyes met mine. “I needed to make sure Rowyn was all right.”
I exhaled, my fingers shaking from fear and anger. “You sure it’s her?”
“I saw the security footage from a building across the street.” His jaw tightened. “You see her entering the building where the Divine Overseers were.” He exhaled. “Father Thomas called me when he couldn’t reach you. He was already in the city when it happened. He asked me to assist him.”
I was shaking. “These angels… these Divine Overseers. What were they protecting?” Nauseated, my heart pounded as I stood where I was and searched Gareth’s face, fearing what he was about to tell me.
Jaw clenched, Gareth shook his head. “I don’t know. Father Thomas doesn’t know either,” he answered. The lines in his face deepened, and the trepidation in his eyes made me feel worse.
What the hell did you take, Layla? What were these angels protecting?
“I know what they were protecting,” said Jenna, making me start, and my eyes darted to her. Worry flashed in her hazel eyes.
She looked at me and said, “They were protecting the Holy Grail.”