18. Jett

When Lucifer returned with Evangeline, she looked shaken. Whatever he had said to her, she remained distracted for the rest of the night. When we had gotten home, she promised to tell us everything in the morning but asked for space to think—which meant that she didn’t want any nighttime visitors.

We respected her wishes, but having my mate just down the hall but out of reach meant I didn’t get much sleep. I stumbled into the kitchen to see Kase hovering over a steaming cup of coffee. Judging by how much coffee was left in the pot, he hadn’t gotten much sleep either.

“Any idea of what happened last night?” I asked as I grabbed a Red Bull from the fridge and joined him at the table.

“You mean besides Lilith using me as a pawn in her weird game with Lucifer, leaving Evangeline vulnerable to be harassed, allowing Luce to come riding in like a white knight?”

“I meant what happened with Evangeline and Lucifer, but sure, we can talk about that too,” I replied.

“Shit. I’m wallowing, aren’t I?” Kase groaned.

“Maybe a little. Lucifer knows what’s up with Lilith, and if he hadn’t stepped in when he did, Evangeline would have handled that demon herself. Likely, the only reason that he did was because she brought up fallen angels, and you know how sensitive he can be about that sometimes.”

“I still should have been there,” Kase replied.

“If you hadn’t gone to Lilith, she would have made a scene, and nobody wants that,” I assured him. “You did the right thing.” I tapped my fingers against the side of my can nervously.

“To your question, we’ll find out soon enough. Whatever happened, it threw Evangeline. We haven’t spent much time with her, but I don’t think much does. That’s what concerns me,” Kase sighed.

“Me too,” I replied. “Did you feel her emotions at all last night?”

“No,” he growled. “I’m glad she’s adapting to the mate bonds, but it’s damn frustrating all the same.”

I nodded in agreement as I took a large gulp of my drink. My sensitive hearing picked up movement on the second floor. By the heavy steps, I knew they were from Rylan and not Evangeline, which meant we had to wait even longer to find out what happened.

Rylan came into the kitchen and stopped in the middle of a stretch. “You two look like fucking hell.”

“Good morning to you, too,” I replied sarcastically. “Your observation skills are just as sharp as always.”

“I never thought I would feel grateful not to be mated to Evangeline, but looking at you poor suckers, I have to say I am.” He shuffled to the coffee maker, poured himself a cup, and joined us at the table. “What, no breakfast this morning?”

“If you’re hungry, make your own breakfast,” Kase growled.

Rylan chuckled. “If it were anything life-threatening or time-sensitive, Lucifer would have informed us. Stop worrying.”

That was easy for him to say, but I suppose if he wasn’t worried, we shouldn’t be either. We heard Evangeline stir upstairs, and my stomach started to do flip-flops. What if he was wrong?

“See, she’s awake. You’ll find out soon enough what Luce said to her,” Rylan said. He got up and poked around in the freezer for a few minutes before coming out with a yellow box of frozen waffles. Rylan popped two in the toaster and leaned against the counter to wait as if he didn’t have a care in the world. By the looks of him, it wouldn’t surprise me if he started whistling.

He was munching on a plate of waffles when Evangeline joined us in the kitchen. She pulled the empty coffee carafe from the machine and sighed sadly.

“I’ll make another pot,” Kase said quickly, jumping from his seat.

“Don’t bother, I’ll swipe one of Jett’s Red Bulls,” she replied, waving for him to sit back down. She grabbed a bagel, toasted it, and drowned it in butter. She grabbed her plate and one of my precious energy drinks and joined us. She settled into the seat and started scrolling on her phone.

We were all staring at her when she took a bite of her bagel and looked at us.

“What?” she mumbled around her food.

“You said you would tell us what happened with Lucifer in the morning,” I reminded her, gesturing wildly around us. “It’s morning.” Did it really slip her mind? Maybe it wasn’t as big a deal as Rylan said.

“Is it ok if I wake up a little more first?” Evangeline laughed.

“Take your time, angel. They’re just a bunch of worry warts,” Rylan said, shoveling another bite of waffle into his mouth.

“They aren’t the only ones,” Evangeline muttered under her breath before taking another bite of her bagel. The three of us tensed at her words, and her eyes widened when she realized we had heard her. “Damn hound hearing,” she complained.

With a sigh, she opened her drink and took several large gulps. “Ok,” she said when she placed the can down, “apparently angels aren’t supposed to have mates. Full stop. Lucifer thinks I was gifted mates to make up for my necessary fall. He thinks I’m something called the “Death Angel,” which, if I’m honest, I’m not a hundred percent certain what that is. I’m the one that is prophesied in ancient lore to keep the world from falling apart.” She took another bite and chewed it slowly. “Oh!” she said, as an afterthought, “Lucifer also shared his powers with me, so there’s that.”

Nobody spoke as Evangeline’s focus fully returned to her phone. I waited for her to say she was joking about that last part. And I waited. Finally, I looked at Kase and Rylan to make sure that I had heard her correctly. Judging by their faces, I had.

“I’m sorry, Evangeline,” Kase said, “could you repeat that last part?”

“Lucifer shared his powers with me,” she replied, not looking up.

“Angel, could you put the phone down and explain just a little bit more,” Rylan asked in a measured tone.

I smirked at him. Now who’s worrying was in overdrive? “Lucifer would have filled us in, huh?”

Rylan’s eyes shifted to me briefly to glare before returning to Evangeline, who set her phone down with a sigh.

“I don’t have any more of an explanation. You now have just as much information as me,” she said.

“So you can just juggle with some hellfire now?” I asked.

“Yes and no,” Evangeline hedged. “I can feel the power within me, but it isn’t something I can use all willy-nilly. It’s difficult to explain. It almost feels like it’s waiting for the right moment.”

“And Lucifer just shared them with you?” Rylan asked.

“Pretty much. He took me to this island where he thinks everything will go down, told me about the death angel thing, then said he had a gift for me to help and shared his powers with me.” Evangeline shrugged. She looked rather blasé about the entire thing, but I had a nagging feeling that wasn’t the case.

“Baby, can I ask why you’re shielding your emotions from us?” I asked.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “I am?”

As soon as I pointed it out, the shield dropped, and Kase and I grunted as a wave of emotions slammed into us. It felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions. In five seconds, we experienced the turmoil she had been going through all night.

“Holy shit,” Kase panted when it was done. “That wasn’t fun.”

“You weren’t intentionally blocking them out?” Rylan asked.

Evangeline shook her head slowly. “I didn’t even know that was an option.” Now that we were through the tsunami of emotions, I could feel how much that worried her.

“It must be a perk from Luce’s powers,” I said. “You’re coming through loud and clear now.”

“I can try to turn it back off if you want,” she offered.

“No!” Kase and I exclaimed together, making her flinch.

“Sorry, baby. We’d rather you didn’t. Not being able to sense your emotions last night was difficult,” Kase explained.

“If it happens again, just let me know. I’m not one of those girls who keep my feelings to myself. Now that I think about it, I couldn’t sense your emotions either last night. I guess it makes sense why Lucifer’s powers would block them completely. I imagine it isn’t easy being him at times.”

That was an understatement. “Ok, so what’s our next move, boss?”

Evangeline looked at Rylan for his response, but he was waiting for her answer. She looked back at me in surprise. “Wait, I’m the boss now?”

“You’ve got the powers, baby,” Kase said. “And you’re the death angel. That makes you the boss.”

“Oh,” Evangeline said. “Ok. Umm, well, there is one thing I’ve been wondering. Where is Zabiza finding other paras to join his cause? We should investigate his location and try to catch up with him. Maybe we’ll get lucky and catch him before he moves on.”

“Before we do that, we’ll need better supplies,” Rylan said.

“We need a witch,” Kase added. “Lucifer’s powers won’t help us if Evangeline can’t access them on command, and as much as I hate to say it, I think Zabiza might be too strong for us to face without a full arsenal and a Witch by our side.”

Rylan nodded. “We’ll head out after breakfast.”

Evangeline pushed her plate away from her. “I’m done. Let’s go.”

When we landed in the familiar forest, I looked around quickly to make sure we were alone. I already knew that Asteria was likely watching us, but I didn’t want anyone else to get the drop on us while we were here. I didn’t see anyone, so I took the lead down the path to Asteria’s house. The path opened up to a clearing where a stone cottage stood, smoke puffing from the chimney.

“Where are we?” Evangeline asked as she looked around in fascination.

“Asteria is a witch who has helped us in the past,” Rylan explained. “She should be able to help us now.”

“Yeah, but where are we?“ she asked again.

“The forest,” Kase replied.

“Obviously. Where is this forest located?”

“It’s a secret forest,” I whispered playfully. Evangeline rolled her eyes and laughed, making me smile. “It really is a secret forest. You can only find it if you know where to go, and Asteria wants you to find it, but I think we’re somewhere in Montana this time,” I explained.

“This time?” Evangeline asked.

“Her cottage and the surrounding trees move periodically,” Kase answered. “It’s never been in the same place when we’ve had to visit her. You can only find it if you know how or Asteria allows it.”

“That’s cool,” Evangeline said. “I’ve been alive all these years, and I never knew something like that was possible.”

I threw my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to kiss her forehead. “No offense, babe, but as a former angel, I imagine there is a lot you didn’t know was possible. Angels usually stick to their kind.”

The cottage door opened, and a white-blonde head popped out. “Are you going to stand out there all day, or are you coming in to introduce me to your friend?” Asteria shouted.

“Coming!” Rylan called back. He lowered his voice and spoke as we approached the cottage. “Don’t make any deals with her. Don’t agree to do anything for her. Do not accept any gifts from her. Just let us handle the negotiations,” Rylan instructed Evangeline.

“I thought she was a friend,” Evangeline replied, puzzled.

“She is,” Kase answered, “but she’s still a witch and isn’t above tricking you to her advantage.”

When we reached the cottage, Asteria grinned broadly as she swung the door wider for us to enter. “This is a surprise. Not just your visit but your companion as well. A fallen angel, and your mate?” Asteria questioned. “Fascinating.”

“Asteria, this is Evangeline,” Rylan said. “Evangeline, this is Asteria.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Asteria,” Evangeline said. “You have a lovely home.” She held her hand out to shake Asteria’s.

Asteria grabbed her hand, but instead of shaking it, she immediately flipped it over to study Evangeline’s palm. “The pleasure is all mine, child.”

I couldn’t tell you how old Asteria was. She had the body of a woman in her twenties, but I knew she had to be centuries older than that. Her pale skin, white hair, and piercing blue eyes gave her a haunting look and was unsettling when her attention was fixed on you. Not that any of that bothered Evangeline. She looked like a kid in a candy store. When all of this shit with Zabiza was over, we would have to get her out more.

“Fascinating,” Asteria said again as she trailed her finger over Evangeline’s palm. Her fascination made me nervous, so I stepped closer to my mate.

“We need your help, Asteria,” Rylan said, pulling her attention from Evangeline.

“I know why you’re here,” she replied, dropping Evangeline’s hand and walking away. She entered her storage room, and we could hear her rifling through things. “I don’t get in the middle of happenings outside of my forest, you know that, Rylan.”

“I had hoped I might convince you to make an exception, given the severity of the situation,” Rylan replied.

Asteria reappeared, arms laden with items. “I don’t pick sides. You know that.”

“Come on, Asteria. This could affect you too,” Kase prodded.

“I can take care of myself,” she replied, setting everything down on her workbench. “But I can give you some traps that may help your cause.” She turned her back to us to dig through a drawer behind her, and I exchanged looks with Kase and Rylan.

Convincing her to join up with us was looking impossible. Before I could add my voice to the cause, Asteria turned back around with an amulet in her hands. She plucked a sprig of lavender from a basket and pressed it against the amulet. She said a spell under her breath, and the flower sank into the stone, turning it purple.

“Wear this,” Asteria ordered, holding the amulet out for Evangeline to take. Evangeline looked at Rylan questioningly.

“What is it?” Rylan asked.

Asteria sighed impatiently. “You came to me for help, remember? Are you telling me you won’t accept it?”

Rylan studied Asteria carefully before nodding to Evangeline.

Evangeline took the amulet and placed it around her neck. Asteria nodded. “Good. Don’t take it off. It will help protect you from Zabiza’s powers and focus on your own. I mean it. Do not take it off.”

Evangeline nodded. “I won’t. Thank you.”

“As for your mission to catch Zabiza, I can offer you a few magical traps that may help you briefly detain him. That’s the best that I can do,” Asteria announced.

We watched her work silently as she dumped ingredients she had gathered into a cauldron, whispering incantations as she went. When the contents were a glowing bluish color, she took five silver discs and dipped them into the potion with tongs. When she finished, she carefully placed them into a leather pouch and handed them to Rylan.

“Place these around the person you wish to entrap, and it will create a magical cage. It won’t trap them indefinitely but should detain them long enough for your purposes,” she advised.

“You really won’t come with us?” I asked.

Asteria opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Evangeline.

“Please? I understand not wanting to get involved, but you may not have a choice if Zabiza gets his way. The fabric of our world is at stake. If Zabiza wins, he will rewrite everything that has ever mattered. How long will you be able to hide away in your forest once he does? Anyone whom he might see as more powerful than him is in danger. How long until Zabiza comes for you, too?”

Asteria regarded Evangeline carefully. “I can see why you were chosen,” she said finally. “I will think about it, but I won’t make any promises.”

“That’s all I would ask of you, is to consider it before rejecting it completely,” Evangeline replied.

“I like you,” Asteria responded. “I hope you survive.” She moved to her door and opened it for us. It was time for us to go.

“That wasn’t ominous,” Kase said as we followed the trail back through the woods.

“It’s Asteria,” I replied. “She’s always had a flare for drama.”

“I liked her,” Evangeline stated as we reached the end of the path. Before tucking it under her shirt, she inspected the amulet Asteria had given her. She looked over her shoulder toward Asteria’s cabin and gasped. “The path is gone!”

I turned to see it was indeed gone. “That’s not surprising. Asteria can be a bit paranoid sometimes. She likely moved to another location the second we stepped out of her forest,” I replied. “Where to now?”

It took Evangeline a minute to focus back on us as she continued to study the forest behind us in amazement. “Right,” she said, “I’m the one with the GPS in my brain.” Her eyes went unfocused for a minute before rattling off an address. I took her hand and transported us to the location, which was a warehouse. We stood outside for a few seconds to listen for any movements before we crept inside. Evangeline sighed in disappointment before rechecking her file. “He’s not here, but let’s look around and see if we can find anything.”

We searched the empty warehouse from top to bottom but found not a single crumb of evidence that anyone had been there. “How the hell could it be this clean?” I asked. We were congregated in a room off of the main area. Zabiza’s scent was all over the room; beneath it, I could smell blood. The scent was the only evidence we had that he had been here besides the file in Evangeline’s head that said he was.

Kase knelt by the wall and touched the bottom near the floor. “Drop cloths,” he said. “There is sticky residue around the perimeter of the room.”

I went to the opposite wall and knelt. There was a strip of tacky residue about an inch off the ground. “So he’s lining the room in plastic before doing whatever he is doing here?”

“Torture,” Rylan said. “With how much blood I can still smell, he has to be torturing people.”

“That’s how he’s getting them to support his cause. If you don’t, I’ll do worse to the people you love,” Evangeline said quietly. I felt her sadness harden into determination to stop him. “There has to be a better way to track him down,” she growled as she pulled out her cell phone and made a call. “Mia? I need your help.”

Mia?