CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The strix curiously crept closer to the shield, though not too close. They were fairly salivating, like they hadn't fed in weeks. But Ella knew it wasn't blood they thirsted for here and now. It was vengeance. They would kill her in lieu of Viper.

There had to be at least fifty of them. It was the first time she'd seen any female strix. Plenty were here, and they all looked as fierce and battle-ready as the males.

Damn, this was bad. Very, very bad. Especially since her sister hadn't been able to give Dice even a general idea of their location.

Their scenery was a vast spread of pastureland that featured straggly trees, fence posts, barbed wire, and wildflowers.

The archangel had no doubt deliberately chosen a location that had no landmarks, since it was well-known that demons could telepath. He wouldn't want either she or Mia calling out for aid.

Ella's entity was in a blind fury, eager to magickly fuck up their enemies' shit. But she didn't dare release any magick, since it might ricochet off the walls of the shield and rebound back on her.

Admittedly scared for her child, Ella touched Peanut's mind with her own. It's okay, we'll get out of this.

Its young psyche fluttered against her own, humming with a fear-tinged determination. Her heart broke. She could do nothing to get the baby to safety. There was just too many enemies and nowhere to run.

While the protective shield was invaluable right now, she worried what the strain of keeping it in place might do to her child. Psychically advanced or not, they were still a baby.

"What are you even doing here?" clipped Mia, and Ella quickly realized that her sister was addressing Maxine.

The harpy's mouth curved into a somewhat sadistic grin. "I like to see those I help bring down finally meet their end."

Those she'd helped bring down?

"I do hope you're not counting on a rescue—no one will find you."

Something about the way Maxine said that, about the glint of cunning in her gaze, made Ella's scalp tingle in suspicion. She again reached out to Mia. Do you think our surroundings could be an illusion?

I had the same thought, funnily enough , replied Mia. Something just feels wrong about this picture.

It did. There were none of the sounds you'd expect to hear in such a place—no birds crying overhead, no shushing of breeze-rustled grass, no insects buzzing. Only the creaking of something metal, the flapping of cloth, and the rustling of leaves. Instead of the scents of manure, flowers, and earth, she could smell garbage, mildew, and rust.

A tall, long-haired female strix moved through the lines of demons, haughty as any royal. This had to be the queen of the colony. Two muscular strix—one male, one female—followed the queen, their posture protective. Guards , Ella thought.

The queen smirked at the archangel. "Your plan worked."

"Of course it worked." There was no pompous arrogance in the statement, only an unshakable confidence in himself.

The queen's red eyes slid to Ella, and her smirk deepened. "My brethren and I are going to have a lot of fun with you." She clicked her fingers at her male guard.

Ella's heart jumped as the strix obligingly moved toward the shield.

The archangel lifted a cautioning hand. "Wait." Not a command, more like an advisory statement.

The queen bristled, her red eyes glaring at him. "We want her," she said, pointing at Ella.

"You'll have to wait until the shield lowers," he calmly told her. "Relax. The child will not be able to hold it for long."

Ella's stomach dropped. Oh, fuck, he knew she was pregnant.

The queen's brows met. "Child?"

"Yes, she carries Viper's offspring," he revealed.

The queen's eyes lit up in devious delight, the lines of hunger in her expression deepening.

"As soon as the shield winks out, you can attack."

"Why can't we just do it now?"

The archangel flapped a hand. "See for yourself."

The queen nodded curtly at her male guard. He rushed forward, collided into the shield—and disintegrated into ashes just like that.

Ella felt her mouth drop open. Oh. My. God.

Mia gasped, her hand gripping Ella's arm tight. "Go, Peanut," she whispered, awe in her tone.

That same awe coursed through Ella's inner demon, along with a healthy dose of parental pride.

"It's constructed of unholy fire," the archangel explained to the queen. "It will cause death on impact. But you can keep at it if you wish—your choice." He gave an uncaring shrug.

Who was this guy? One of the Seven, maybe?

It was weird that he was so chill. There was no anger, no sense of urgency, no distaste as he looked upon either Ella or her sister. He honestly seemed largely unaffected by their presence. And yet, he'd played a part in them being brought here and he clearly wanted them dead.

The slim guy at his side took a nervous step back from the shield, as did the traitorous bitch Maxine and the majority of the strix. Only the queen and archangel remained in position, appearing unfazed.

"How long before the shield drops?" the queen asked the archangel, her tone huffy.

"Not long. Then you can slaughter them all."

Anxiety punched Ella's chest, and she pulled in a breath. It hurt, as if her windpipe had narrowed. The shield would drop—that was a fact. There were far too many strix to hold at bay, not to mention two celestials and Maxine to combat. There was a very real possibility that she, her child, Mia, and Joe would die today.

And if Ella died, Viper would too due to their souls being bound. Fuck.

Tamping down the panic that tried to rise, Ella cocked her head at the archangel. "Who are you?"

He regarded her for a moment. "Name's Ophaniel."

Never heard of him , Ella telepathically told her sister. You?

No, never.

A groaning sound came from Joe, but he didn't wake.

"What's wrong with his hands?" Mia asked the archangel, gesturing at her psi-mate.

"I burned them with holy fire," Ophaniel answered matter-of-factly.

A low hiss came from Mia. "You tortured him?"

"Of course not. I simply suggested he put his fingers into one of these." Ophaniel conjured a golden, fiery orb. "I'd hoped the burns would shock you enough that you'd reach out to him—it was the only way he'd be able to teleport you here. It is pure luck that your arm was looped through that of your sister." Looking at Ella, he let the orb disintegrate. "I had thought I would need to get to you by insisting on a trade—you for your sister."

"You said he burned himself at your suggestion," Mia remembered, flicking a concerned look at her anchor. "So, what, you controlled his actions somehow?"

"Not quite," Ophaniel responded. "I suppose there's no harm in explaining, since you won't live to share the information. I steered his will, though it took some time to get a real grasp on it. With humans and angels, I can easily slip into their minds, put them asleep, and use their bodies without their knowledge. I can also plant thoughts, suggestions, or ideas in their heads. The latter doesn't work as well with demons. It's also impossible to use them as puppets."

Thank God. Because he could have otherwise wreaked all sorts of havoc. "If you're so good at slipping into celestial minds, why didn't you attempt to control any of the other Black Saints?"

"They're unfortunately too powerful," he replied, a note of faint resentment in his voice. "A dominion proved helpful, though—something he's unaware of. ‘Prophet' he calls himself these days. He is all tangled up in regret, bitterness, self-loathing, and fear. A mind is easier to invade if a person is vulnerable, but—what with him being so powerful—I could only pick up his surface thoughts. Still, it made him a good involuntary source of information."

Right then, Mia's mind stroked hers. Dice just telepathed me, he sees us.

It took everything in Ella not to smile. He found us?

Teague's clan did. The Black Saints are all here, but they can't get close. Archangelic wards have been placed around to keep people away—it seems Ophaniel isn't taking any chances.

Oh, fuck. Can they unravel the wards?

Viper can, but Dice says it won't be a quick process.

Panic again beat at Ella, and she almost cursed aloud. At least they could be unraveled. That was something.

She tried mentally reaching out to Viper. Nothing. He wasn't close enough for her to psychically touch, then.

"Are you the newest member of the Seven?" Mia asked Ophaniel.

"No, just one of many slayers." His wings rustled slightly. "My superiors offer me the jobs that no one else wants to do. And they want Samael dead."

Maxine's head whipped to face Ophaniel, her lips parting in shock. Ah, she hadn't known who Viper was. The other celestial displayed no such surprise.

Ophaniel looked at Ella. "My superiors also want you dead. Samael cannot be rewarded for falling by being allowed to live happily ever after with you." He studied her expression. "You did not react on hearing his true name, so you must have already known it."

Ella said nothing. She couldn't really confirm it, due to the geas. "You wrote the notes I received."

"Freddie wrote them," said Ophaniel, gesturing at his celestial companion. "I embedded power in the ink."

Ella's brow knitted. "What were you trying to compel me to do?"

"The first two were intended to make you suicide. The latter two would have caused you to kill Samael."

Her demon snapped its teeth. It wanted to tear out the insides of each person outside of the shield, but more particularly this archangel. "You had to have eventually realized I wasn't going to fall for a snare, so why keep trying?"

"The fourth note was more of an attempt to force Samael into confessing all. I knew from Prophet's surface thoughts that Samael was keeping you partially in the dark. I thought if you knew the truth about him, you might just do the smart thing and kill him." He exhaled heavily in annoyance, as if he'd expected better of her.

"You were also the one who tried breaking into my apartment."

"Guilty," he admitted, though he didn't sound at all regretful. "I would have taken you, had it been possible. You're too heavily guarded for me to get near you. Joe is the only teleporter in your circle, but you would not have allowed him to take you anywhere."

"You said you can't use demons as puppets, but it clearly worked with him," said Mia.

"No, he merely eventually succumbed to the suggestions I planted," Ophaniel told her. "I was only successful because he is currently vulnerable—haunted by jealousy, pain, and bitterness. I had to wait until he was so eaten up by those emotions that his defenses were down before I could really influence his will. He probably wouldn't have been half so problematic for you recently if I hadn't been working on him daily. His subconscious fought me hard, not wanting any harm to come to you."

The shield flickered like a faulty light bulb.

Ella's heart slammed in her chest, and her demon spat a curse.

Ophaniel's lips tipped up, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "The child's psychic strength is faltering, I see."

She telepathed her sister again. Ask Dice if Viper is close to unraveling the other wards yet.

Just did , said Mia. He says they need a few more minutes.

Ella wasn't sure they had a few more minutes.

Ophaniel's gaze bounced from her to Mia. "Your eyes keep going out of focus, so I would imagine you're having telepathic chats with each other. Or is it with your men?" His mouth curved. "Samael must be going wild right now, unable to get to his mate and child. Such a shame."

Ella couldn't fight a frown. That smile … it wasn't triumphant or cruel. In fact, it was more like nostalgic. As if thinking of Viper brought him pleasant memories. The "Such a shame" part even sounded genuine. "You know him well?"

"Well enough."

"Setting up his mate and unborn child to die doesn't bother you?"

A shrug. "It's nothing personal. I'm simply doing my job. You understand."

"No, no, I don't. I don't understand how anyone would want to harm a child."

Ophaniel's sapphire-blue gaze sharpened on Ella. "You are not stupid. You know why my superiors would be disturbed by the life in your womb and want it destroyed. They can hardly permit a half-demon half-fallen archangel to walk the Earth."

If the Uppers knew of the baby from Ophaniel, then he'd been aware of her pregnancy before now. But how? Suspicion pricking at her, she looked at Maxine, who only smiled. "How did you find out?"

"It was more of a guess really," replied the harpy.

"Maxine is well-known among celestials," said Ophaniel. "Always a wondrous source of information for the right price."

Unreal. Ella had assumed that Maxine used what information she scrounged up to blackmail or manipulate other demons. She hadn't for a moment suspected that the woman would be passing it on to celestials. "Why? Why would you betray your own?"

"Why not?" Maxine challenged with a casual shrug.

Ella blinked at her. Why? Not?

"Oh, you were expecting some tragic, traumatic backstory?" Maxine gave a gentle shake of her head. "No, dear. Call it a … family business. Generations of us have been such sources. It is how we initially attained wealth."

Son of a bitch . "Dionne wants nothing to do with the ‘family business,' does she?"

The woman's eyes hardened. "She will change her mind."

Ella refocused on Ophaniel. "You asked her to befriend my aunt and wring her dry of any helpful information."

He conceded that with an incline of his head. "Your aunt wasn't very forthcoming, unfortunately."

"And so Maxine planted her daughter at our store," Mia surmised.

Maxine sighed. "She didn't learn much either. But when I recently noticed your aunt and mother buying baby clothes and took into account Ella's recent habit of wearing loose tops, I had an inkling that she was pregnant."

"A surface scan of Prophet's mind confirmed the suspicion," Ophaniel added. "And so I passed on the news to those in the upper realm. Just be grateful they don't instead wish to take and raise the child to use for their own purposes. They would … not be kind."

Ella had the feeling he spoke from experience. Maybe, like Viper, he'd been forced into a life he didn't want. It would explain his complete lack of enthusiasm here.

"You may judge me for my actions," he began, "but know that Samael has done far worse deeds, even going as far as … "

His words faded as Mia's voice again poured into her mind: Two wards are unraveled, there's just two more to go.

Ella felt her pulse spike. Good, because I don't think this shield will stay up for much longer. And those strix want to rip me apart and get to the baby.

"You know," began Ophaniel, his voice tipping up in volume, "it's rude to have telepathic conversations when someone is speaking to you." He gave a mocking tut, tut.

Ella lifted her chin. "Can't say I was interested in listening to you try to excuse your own behavior by comparing your acts to those of Viper. He might have done some dark shit in his time, but he never harmed children."

She slid her gaze to Freddie, who still appeared remarkably uncomfortable. He wasn't an archangel, but she got the sense that he was some form of celestial. "It doesn't bother you that you'll have contributed to the death of a child?"

His throat bobbed, and he plucked at his tie. "It is not a child, it is an abomination." Harsh words. But there was a shake to his voice, as if he was repeating an opinion that he didn't entirely agree with.

"Freddie is eager to earn his halo and return to his family in the upper realm," said Ophaniel. "When my superiors hear that he aided me, they will grant him what he wants."

Ella frowned. "Good deeds earn halos. He'll have innocent blood on his hands."

Ophaniel gave her a look that could only be described as one of gentle condescension. "None of you are innocent."

"Neither are celestials."

His lips twitched. "Quite so. Holy blood doesn't ensure goodness." His gaze zipped from her to Mia. "But you both have killed, have you not?"

"My baby hasn't."

"But it will." Ophaniel sighed. "In this realm, it is rare for your kind to go without taking lives due to the brutality of the demon world. The fetus may be half archangel, but it'll still be firmly in that world. And it may very well carry Samael's curse—perhaps even share his inability to avoid drawing evil like a magnet." He gestured at the strix. "Case in point."

"How did you manage to gain their cooperation?"

Ophaniel shrugged. "I simply promised I would help them kill Samael. They're very eager to make him pay for the deaths of their brethren."

Again, the shield flickered—this time for several seconds, making Ella fear it would wink out altogether. But it didn't.

"Not long to go now," said Ophaniel.

Snickers ran through the crowd of strix, their eagerness to charge almost tangible.

"I would much rather not hang around for this part," he said. "It will bring me no real pleasure to see two women—demons or not—savaged by strix. But my superiors will be angry if they're not able to watch the replay of your deaths via my memories."

His superiors needed to have their necks snapped. "If I'm going to die, I'd like to know one thing first."

He tipped his head to the side, a brow hiking up in question.

"Why didn't you act sooner? Why use notes and subtle moves? Why try hijacking the wills of others? You're an archangel. It shouldn't have been all that hard for you to kill me."

"That's several questions, but I don't mind answering. Truthfully, I would have much preferred if my assignment had been a straightforward execution. But I'm under strict orders to ensure that your deaths do not taste of celestial interference—people would, after all, immediately suspect we'd targeted you to punish Samael for falling. That meant being very careful how I proceeded. We can't have a war breaking out, can we?

"When you die at the hands of the Black Saints' enemies, people will blame them as well as the strix. Joe will share some of the blame as well. But I'm quite sure he'll die here and now, so he'll be spared any punishments from your lair." A smile lit his eyes as the shield began to ripple, its brightness fading. "Ah, here we go."

Fuck.

The shield dropped. Ophaniel grinned. The queen let out a bloodthirsty roar, sparking her brethren to do the same. The strix all moved to charge … only to freeze as the pastureland around them disappeared, revealing their true whereabouts.

Seeing the rows of rusted, vandalized mobile homes and trailers, Ella realized they were on the grounds of an abandoned trailer park. Some trailers had been tipped over and lay sprawled on the leafy gravel roads.

Overgrown grass and weeds were all that was left of the lawns. Damaged portable canopies and smashed garden furniture lay haphazardly here and there. There was debris everywhere—bike wheels, satellite dishes, crates, and car parts.

Before the strix had a chance to recover from their surprise, the Black Saints appeared within the circle that the hell-born demons had formed around Ella and Mia.

Oh, thank all that's holy and unholy. Her demon grinned, equal parts relieved and delighted.

The strix hissed, shifting uneasily as they found themselves facing the fallen angels, who were all stood with their backs to Ella, Mia, and Joe.

Only one Black Saint stood within the circle. And he was glaring right at Ophaniel, his eyes hard as granite.

Viper.