Chapter Twenty-One
Zavier leaned sideways against a mint-green antique car. “Can I tell you a secret?” he whispered to Liss.
“Sure. But if it’s that you lost your virginity in the back of this actual car? I don’t want to know.”
He peered through the window at the equally green upholstery. Stroked his chin as he pretended to think until Liss tickled his ribs. “They stopped making this car in 1938. I’m not that old.”
“Then why do you remember the year they went out of business?”
Zavier tapped the sign jutting up from the floor with his foot. “It’s a Pierce-Arrow museum. Facts about this car are posted every six inches.”
“Oh. Right. Then what’s your secret?”
Huh. Liss’s natural sass—exuberance—was dialed back by at least 10 percent the last couple of days. Zavier wasn’t sure the reason why. Was it just the looming battle? Something idiotic he’d done? Which meant he also had no clue how to fix it. And a less-happy Liss was unacceptable to him.
So yeah, he’d tell her an outrageous secret just to see if it popped her smile back to full volume. “I was still high on wing blood essence when we went to New Zealand.”
“So if Aradia’s spell hadn’t been strong enough to hold him, you would’ve stopped Furfur with…fart jokes and giggles?”
That was insulting. “I’m a warrior. I can stab a demon in my sleep. I could stab a demon if I were unconscious and bleeding from venom-filled wounds. I just wasn’t, um, stressed about it.”
“Hope you didn’t get addicted off that first, free try. I don’t see Hariel being willing to keep you supplied.”
“Yeah. He’s a horrible patient.”
“No. He’s a typical man.”
Liss really was off-center today. That sounded much more like a remark Aradia would make. What was bothering her?
Relationships were hard .
“He’s here.” Rhys’s voice came through the earbuds. “Huddle up.”
They congregated at a 1933 Silver Arrow with a rounded roof and an elongated hood. Aradia was not with them. She’d gone to a coven retreat house in the Finger Lakes to “recharge” after her successful binding of the Fallen demon.
None of them bought that as the only reason. You went to the Finger Lakes for the wineries. And if she wanted to spend a day drinking away the memory of those ugly-ass molting wings? Well, Zavier didn’t blame her at all.
Caraxis entered the exhibit hall. Aside from his height and muscled build, he blended in with the two other visitors to the museum. Instead of robes or fighting leathers, he rocked jeans and a coat so puffy that it could act as a life jacket if another apocalyptic flood hit.
All three Nephilim burst out laughing.
Caraxis did not look amused. “You insisted we meet here just to force me into modern clothing, didn’t you?”
They’d chosen the antique car museum—one of Buffalo’s sleepier attractions—as a place they could congregate without being noticed. The WatchTower was off-limits. They trusted Caraxis now—as much as they ever would—but he couldn’t be forced to reveal Hariel’s location if he didn’t know it.
The Order’s trainer didn’t do much in the modern world. So they couldn’t let him into their Metafora offices, either. He had to stay out of their lives. It was either here or some equally bland place on the other side of the globe. Here was better, though, as they needed to speak English for the sake of the women.
Rhys actually managed to muster a furrowed brow of fake regret. “Not intentionally.”
“We’ll call it a side perk,” Zavier muttered to Liss.
Rhys smoothed a hand along a shiny blue hood as long as a diving board. “Easy to hide in public. No rogue angel will accidentally stumble over us here.”
“If we wanted to make you look ridiculous, we’d have gone ice biking canal side.” Gideon smiled slowly. A very Cheshire Cat smile. “Which was my suggestion.”
Caraxis leaned against a car and crossed his arms. “Why did you call this meeting?”
Rhys draped an arm around Maisy’s shoulders. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that there were to be no secrets from the women. “It’s time to lay our cards on the table. We’ve determined the heads of the rogue coalition. Made a list of others we suspect to be involved, although it isn’t complete. Both the angels and demons we suspect of being involved in the coup attempt.”
“And Nephilim ,” Zavier added. “You’ve got a fox in your henhouse. You’ll need to take care that the Order isn’t decimated from within.”
Caraxis stroked the high, offset headlights of the 1938 auburn and cream Speedster. “Why are you being so upfront? Without me begging or offering payment?”
“He has already done both,” Liss said in a stage whisper. Zavier swallowed down a chuckle.
Rhys, the diplomat/mission leader, continued. “We’re convinced that we’re down to the wire. Waiting any longer runs the risk of them actually putting things in motion. Our plan is to stop everything before they get started.”
The usually emotionless Caraxis lifted a telltale brow. “That’s bold.”
“It’s how we roll,” Zavier deadpanned.
Caraxis opened his mouth as if to speak. Closed it. Then, after a brief pause, started again. “First, though, is there any chance you know the whereabouts of the Order’s Librarian? He’s disappeared.”
Yeah, this question wasn’t a surprise. For anyone with half a brain, they were the obvious choice to shelter him. What Caraxis wouldn’t know was why and where.
They all made a big deal of exchanging glances. Gideon clicked his tongue against his teeth. “That seems unlikely. Hariel’s dedicated to the Order.”
Maisy used a single finger to flip her red ponytail forward onto her shoulder. “Plus, um, he can’t fly with only one wing, right? You can’t call an Uber to the Order’s Stronghold.”
Was Maisy overplaying the dumb human card? Yeah. But it was so much fun to watch that Zavier was certain none of them would stop her.
It was clearly payback for how unhelpful Caraxis had been throughout her transition to becoming Keeper. The process had been dangerous and frightening for Maisy. A little intervention from Caraxis would’ve helped.
Evangeline’s hand flew to her chest. “Should we worry that the rogue faction took him?”
“He left a note.” Caraxis cut off each word with the sharpness of Zavier’s favorite battle axe.
Liss’s eyes widened. “Really? Then you don’t have any cause to worry, do you?”
By all the angels, full and fallen, he was head over heels for that woman.
Caraxis kicked at the white striped wheel in a slip of his usual iron grip on emotion. “Fine. Don’t tell me. But you’d best keep him safe. Hariel’s never left the Stronghold. This can’t be easy for him.”
“You’re friends?”
“Naturally. A friendship that’s lasted while civilizations rose and fell. So I would be…displeased should anything happen to him.”
Gideon put his hand to his heart and hinted at a quarter of a bow. It was as much as they’d give him. “As would we all.”
“Moving on. Where do we stand?”
“On the brink of an apocalypse. Have you not been paying attention?”
Rhys pulled a folded note from his jacket. “The lead demon is Astaroth. Lead angel is Auriel. But they’re more figureheads who want to bootlick the Titans. Aamon’s leading the demon troops. We’re unsure of which angel is in his role. This is a list of everyone we believe to be working with them, in any capacity.”
“That makes sense. Auriel was a big player. Then he quietly disappeared from the board for a while. As did Temeluchus, who could be his second. Right about the time when…” Caraxis broke off, stroking his chin as it dropped to his chest.
Here it was. Time to drop their truth bomb and gauge his reaction. Zavier hooked his thumbs in the waist of his jeans. “When Atlantis and all the angelic Watchers disappeared?”
There was an audible snap as Caraxis jerked his head back up. “You know?”
Sweet fucking confirmation. They’d been sure. Sure enough to make a plan. Sure enough to risk summoning a high-ranking demon. But seeing the truth in Caraxis’s fast-blinking, shocked eyes made a world of difference.
“We do now .”
The leader of the Order walked—no, lurched —in a tight circle. The depth of his reaction was starting to freak Zavier out. “This is what you’ve been working on? That you thought I couldn’t be trusted with?”
“Or that you wouldn’t believe us.” Gideon crossed his arms and shrugged one shoulder. “Not without proof.”
“Do you have it?” His voice was hoarse. Desperate.
“You bet your wings, we do.”
Such naked emotion, a mix of pain and joy, roiled across his mien that they all took a step back in shock. “You found the Watchers? My family?”
Hellfire . Any time a mission got personal, it got exponentially more dangerous.
Rhys grabbed his elbow. Led the angel to a bench along the wall. “We know the Watchers had a colony—a kingdom— something on Atlantis. That it shifted phases or dimensions with all of them. No real sign of it since. Have we got it right?”
“Yes.” Caraxis closed his eyes. Braced a palm on the wide slats of the bench. “My wife. My three children. All on Atlantis. I never thought to see them again.”
Zavier couldn’t imagine never seeing his friends again. Never seeing Liss again. And he was only eighty-eight. Caraxis had lost his family centuries ago. What agonies must the angel have suffered?
Rhys spread his arms wide, palms up. “We want to bring it—and them—back.”
A harsh cough of a bitter laugh erupted from the angel. “Just like that? When no one’s been able to for eons?”
Like they weren’t supposed to try? Simply because everyone else had failed?
C’mon , as Liss would say. A solid 70 percent of their missions was cleaning up what others had already mucked up. This was just on a bigger scale.
Without any bump to their bank account at the end, sadly.
Gideon crouched in front of Caraxis. They were still attempting, at least, to keep voices low and play it casual in case any real tourist wandered into the exhibit hall. “Well, yeah. If we can make it reappear, that’ll bring a huge influx of powerful angels ready to kick some ass for our side. Ready to take out the ones who exiled them.”
Caraxis rubbed his hands over his eyes. When he stopped, it was like he was a new man. Calm. Focused. Back in battle strategy mode—the only place they thought his brain ever existed. “That’s brilliant.”
Rhys waggled a hand side to side. “In theory. In execution, it’ll take one hell of a collective effort. Which is why we’ve come to you now.”
“What do you need? Name it. Anything.”
Zavier glanced sideways at Liss, who beamed at him. This was going well. Shockingly well. He didn’t believe that “good thoughts” would guarantee a good outcome. Especially not when it came to aborting an apocalypse. But…it was hard not to let a little optimism seep in at this point.
Rhys started by doling out the most basic info. As planned. “We’ve lined up witches to lock down Tartarus, for safety, in case our battle gives them any idea of escalating the plan to free the Titans.”
Crinkles deepened around Caraxis’s eyes. “Witches? You’re bringing a twig to a gun fight?”
Zavier forgave him for getting the quote wrong. He was in shock, after all. “Don’t be a bigot. Witches may be human, but they can also be intensely powerful.”
“Yes. Against gods, though?”
“They’re not getting in the pit and fighting with the Titans. They’re simply shielding Tartarus so nobody can get in or out. We’ve tested the coven leader in charge of weaving this shield. We have faith in her ability.”
“Fine.” Caraxis jerked a hand in dismissal. “But don’t pair me with her.”
They weren’t Aradia’s groupies, either. Her power deserved more respect, though. On the other hand, old bigotry died hard. And, to Caraxis, a witch fighting full angels would be like waving a worm and pretending it was double-bladed titanium.
“The Nephilim force — the ones we trust—will be split to contain any and all rogue angels and demons. Seventy percent of them will be at the Gates of Hell with Maisy and Rhys. Gideon and Evangeline will stand guard with the rest at the Gates of Heaven.”
Nostrils flared as Caraxis drew in an extended breath. “This has all the earmarks of the kickoff to a final battle.”
“Not if it works,” Maisy said with a revolting amount of enthusiastic cheer.
“Wait.” He pushed off the bench. Strode a few, fast paces at almost human speed. Then he turned. “You want me to reveal the location of the Gates of Heaven?”
Rhys nodded. “The plan will only succeed if we have a contingent there to prevent Auriel and his crew from coming down and attacking.”
Caraxis wandered, seemingly aimlessly, amongst the gleaming automobiles.
For fuck’s sake. Couldn’t he hold off his emotional breakdown until after the strategy session concluded?
Finally, he wended his way back. “Trust is still not an easy commodity between us. We have made great strides, Rhys Boyce, but I am oath-sworn to not reveal the location of the Gates to lesser beings.”
That was it. Zavier’s patience and tolerance snapped. He grabbed a fistful of Caraxis’s puffy jacket. “Call any of us lesser even one more time, and I’ll make sure you’re less a hand.”
They were putting themselves on the line to stop the end of the world. The guy couldn’t put his prejudices to the side for five damn minutes?
Caraxis growled back. Sparks shot from his eyes with every blink. Maybe they were finally going to have the knock-down drag-out Zavier had wanted since he’d been told the Order refused to help rescue him.
Liss put a hand on his arm. Then she put her other hand on Caraxis. “I’m a Nereid . How’s that for a confession to get the trust flowing both ways?”
Hellfire .
Zavier was torn. They’d wanted to keep that secret, to protect Liss. On the other hand, he was so proud of her for stepping in to defuse the situation. Embracing what she’d transformed into—that was a huge step for her. Sharing it to help their team just showed the depth of her bravery and the size of her heart.
The woman blew him away.
“Impossible,” Caraxis scoffed. “You’re a human.”
“Yeah, that, too. But something happened recently, and now I’m a Nereid . I’ve called a Hippocamp . I’ve knocked out every one of these strong Nephilim warriors with my singing. And if you don’t start believing me, I’ll do the same to you.”
She. Was. Magnificent.
It was all Zavier could do not to sweep Liss into his arms and kiss her.
Caraxis stared at her for a moment. Put out a hand in the air an inch from her heart. Without looking away, he said, “Rhys Boyce, you will tell me how this came to be.”
“Not my story to tell.”
Chickenshit. Zavier would pound him for that later while they sparred. “I did it. Liss was attacked by a Loogaroo and almost died during our tournament. I saved her by transfusing my blood.”
“It is forbidden.”
“Is it? Or did someone just think it sounded like a bad idea and started a rumor? Doesn’t matter. It happened.”
“You’re assuming latent Nereid far back in her DNA.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah.”
“When you toy with things you know nothing about, mistakes can be made. I am quite sure it is not all.” In a lightning-fast move, Caraxis whirled, took Maisy’s hand, and used his power to sear a white line of heat across it.
She cried out. Before the sound hit the air, Zavier had his dagger at Caraxis’s throat.
Rhys pumped his translucent wings to reach them and put his own dagger at his belly. “Let her go.”
He opened his hand. As he did so, Liss leapt toward her friend, hand outstretched. And a thin arc of frost formed. It bridged the gap to Maisy and layered along the red line on her hand.
The burn disappeared.
Holy fuck.
Zavier and Rhys lowered their weapons.
Caraxis bowed and stepped back. Not just back, but all the way around a gleaming blue Packard that looked more like a buggy than a car. “My sincere apologies, Keeper. I had to run the test on a human, and you’re the only other one here. I presumed that Liss would respond more strongly to protect a loved one than herself. It worked.”
“What worked? What just happened?” Liss alternated between looking at her hands in horror and looking at Maisy’s unmarred hand in shock.
“One of the basic Nephilim abilities is channeling the elements. You didn’t want your friend to be in pain, so you channeled cold to heal her. The blood of Zavier Carranza has given you Nephilim power as well.”
She reached around to frantically pat her back. “Do I have wings?”
Caraxis chuckled. “No.”
Zavier gathered her into a hug. This power had nothing to do with singing, so down the line it probably wouldn’t bother her. But discovering something else unknowingly had changed in her body—without her permission—had to be a lot to swallow.
Evangeline’s booties (he’d called them boots once and had his head bitten off by all the women) clicked against the concrete floor. “That was unnecessarily cruel.”
“Extreme emotions are often the only way to awaken an unknown power. You would know that yourself.”
Caraxis wasn’t pulling any punches today. He was referencing how Evangeline had been convinced for thirty years that her wings didn’t work—until she had to use them to keep Gideon from dying.
Eva’s cool fury still chilled the room. “Then find a better way. You’ll have plenty of time once we stop this coup for you.”
The women were bringing the attitude today. Zavier appreciated the hell out of it.
“Not for me. With me. What happens after I reveal how to locate the Gates of Heaven? How do we disseminate information without letting the feline out of the box?”
Some people should just never attempt to use slang. Idioms. Anything fun in language. “Liss has a pet that can shapeshift. We can use it to get messages to the Nephilim .” Lika had turned out to be very smart. And very, very grateful to be away from La Diablesse . He’d do anything Liss asked.
“A shapeshifting pet.” Caraxis half sighed, half chuckled. Like he’d given up being shocked by them. “You mean a demon?”
“His demon side only comes out if he’s antagonized. So give Lika plenty of respect when he comes around.”
“While the Gates to Heaven and Hell are controlled by the Nephilim —and a few angels we know we can trust—Zavier will locate the Tree of Life.”
“You’ve been busy. I’m astounded by what you’ve put together.”
“Yeah, well, you asked for our help. And you know we always deliver.”
“This request for assistance was a long shot, at best.”
“We use a branch from the Tree of Life to pull Atlantis back. Boom. A whole bunch of angels bent on revenge will shift the balance. Auriel and Astaroth will be destroyed, along with their followers. Apocalypse averted.”
“You make it sound doable. Almost simple.”
“Solid intel and a strategic plan are the keys to a good mission.” Zavier winked at him. It was a line Caraxis had beaten into their brains repeatedly during training.
“You’re just going to singlehandedly locate the Tree of Life? Which has been in an unknown location since the time of the Garden?”
“We think we’ve figured out a way to make it appear. Took some thinking outside of the box. Something that isn’t encouraged in Nephilim training. But it’s the thing that’s brought us repeated success. Zavier and Liss will find the Tree.”
Caraxis frowned. “You’ve barely come into your powers. You’re definitely unaware of the full extent of them. It’s too dangerous for you to tag along.”
He had no idea what he’d just stepped into. This would be a fun show.
Liss fisted her hands on her hips. “Are you done presuming you can think for me? Warning, your answer had better be yes .”
“These Nephilim have no right to put a human at risk like that.”
“I’m not just a human anymore, as you just proved. Anyway, you left out the most important point. The only one that matters.” Liss took both of Zavier’s hands in hers. Stared deep into his eyes. “I’m sure of my decision. I won’t let you do this by yourself, Zavier. It isn’t right. It’s too much to ask of you.”
She…she was doing this for him ? Not just to save the world? It bordered on unbelievable. Incomprehensible. Zavier just stared into her big, beautiful brown eyes. “I volunteered. Nobody’s asking.”
He’d made damn sure that nobody pressured her over the last few days while they fine-tuned all the steps in the plan. He’d promised Liss that it was her decision alone to make.
“You’re right. Which is why I’m volunteering, too. Plus, a ride on a Hippocamp will shorten the trip. Keep your wings fresh.”
“You could die,” Caraxis intoned, sounding as dour as an actual angel of death.
The woman blew a raspberry at the Fallen. “So could you.”
“It’s like sending a baby chick into the Colosseum with a lion,” Gideon murmured. Which resulted in a sharp elbowing from Eva.
“I’m tough.”
“That you are,” Caraxis agreed.
“So don’t let your stubbornness turn away help, even from hybrid humans and witches. Didn’t you teach us that a team mission is always stronger than a solo mission?”
Liss braving her fears so that he wouldn’t be alone? It was the greatest gift Zavier had ever been given. And that included the gift of his freedom when the guys got him out of that demon dungeon.
He didn’t deserve it.
But he wouldn’t turn it away.