“Everything about his situation is unique,” Uriel said.
“Including Montevista,” she finished. “I figured that if he was connected to Sammael by the mask, some of that evil would filter into Cain. It would explain a lot of Cain’s behavior if that was the case.”
“There were other possible explanations for that.” She met the archangel’s gaze directly, understanding that he was referring to the paternity gossip that pained Alec so greatly. “I’m not one to rule anything out. The mask, Cain’s problems, the way Montevista would lose consciousness every time Satan manifested_—there were a lot of considerations involved. But since I didn’t know for sure, I wasn’t going to accuse him outright. It was too dangerous for Montevista. I hoped that if I turned out to be right, Hank could save him somehow.”
“I am concerned,” Remiel said, “at how often you work alone. You have a mentor for a reason. We cannot afford to have these types of large-scale battles waged in public places.”
“And I,” Gadara said dryly, “cannot afford to replace every luxury car that has the misfortune of crossing paths with her.”
“I didn’t have much choice,” Eve protested. “In this case, Montevista was a wild card. I guessed he was involved in some way, so how could I share information with Cain, knowing it might leak to Montevista? If Satan knew we were on to him, what would he do? That was my concern.”
“You should have approached your handler.”
“She did.” Reed leaned forward to set his elbows on the table. “She asked me to touch base with Asmodeus, and when everything blew up, she called me in to keep one eye on Montevista. When he blacked out, it proved her theory. She also kept Ishamel and Hank in the loop. She doesn’t have a savior complex, if that’s what you’re inferring. She knows her limits.”
Don’t piss them off, she protested, knowing he was already taking heat for his deal with Asmodeus.
They’re pissing me off, he shot back.
Raphael rocked back in his office chair. “And Sarakiel made herself a threat with her association with Asmodeus, so you could not turn to her. But you must understand, Ms. Hollis. You are consorting and conspiring with Sammael by your own admission. You say that he deliberately summoned the Nix for you to vanquish before he lost contact with Montevista. His offering to you concerns us, of course.”
Okay, they’re pissing me off, too, Eve groused.
“Is there news of the priest?” Uriel asked.
Gadara leaned forward. There was nothing about his posture or features that bore witness to his ordeal, but it was there in his eyes. Especially when he looked at Alec. “Nothing;’ he replied. “He has not been seen nor heard from since he recovered enough to leave the tower. He has left the church and broken his residential lease. I will find him. It is only a matter of time.”
There was a length of silence as the archangels flipped through copies of the various reports in search of unasked questions. Eve waited for queries about Ima or the necklace, but they didn’t come.
Sydney raised her hand, which raised one of Gadara’s brows.
“Yes, Ms. Sydney?”
She cleared her throat. “Montevista. . . Did he get in?”
“He committed suicide,” Sarakiel said.
“I know that. What does that mean?” Sydney’s gaze darted across the screen, then shot to Gadara. “Diego did it for us. To save us. To save us all.”
“I testified highly for him, Ms. Sydney’ Gadara murmured.
“As did I’ Alec said.
“That’s it?” She looked at Eve and tears welled. “That’s all?”
“I think we are finished here;’ Michael said. “If we have further questions, we can revisit this discussion.”
Eve quickly found herself in the hallway outside the conference room. Sydney hurried off, her shoulders tight and her posture defensive. Sarakiel, Gadara, and Reed lingered behind, speaking in harsh tones.
Hank was walking up to Eve when Alec appeared beside her. He caught her elbow and asked, “Can it wait, Hank?”
“Certainly.” The occultist smiled. “Good to have you back, Cain.”
Alec grinned. One blink later, Eve found herself standing in the midst of a city at night. The sights, sounds, and smells were foreign and exotic. Her disorientation lasted a moment, then she tugged free of Alec’s grip and smacked him in the arm. “Don’t do that without telling me first!”
He caught her about the waist. “Have you ever been to Cairo before?”
“Cairo,” she repeated. “No, I can’t say I have.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” The glint in his eyes told her he was thinking of a more intimate first time between them. “Are you hungry?”
“When am I not these days?”
“Good.” He held her hand and tugged her out of the shadows. “There’s a great restaurant up the street I’ve been dying to take you to…”
***
Lilith stood in front of the window with her back to him, dressed in white from head to toe—turtleneck, slacks, and high-heeled boots. Her waist-length hair was so pale that it blended in with the rest. As a whole, her sleek alabaster form was a stark contrast to the greens and blues Sammael had determined would showcase her to perfection.The same snap of his fingers that had wrought the instantaneous change in the color palette also urged her to turn around. She spotted him and her entire demeanor changed. Her shoulders went back and her stance widened. Defensively aggressive.
“Lilith’ Sammael murmured. “How good of you to come so quickly.”
“As if I had a choice,” she retorted, but her breathless tone gave her away.
He terrified her. He could make her tremble and cry, cower and beg. And she loved it, which gave him power she’d rather not cede. She’d been grateful when he tired of her so many, many centuries ago.
Which begged the question: what had possessed her to incite his wrath, when even his amusement was a horror to her?
“You did have a choice.” He moved to the chaise by the fire and sprawled across it. “You chose to barter something of mine for your own gain. Which is why you are here now. Had you chosen to barter something of your own, you would not be.”
Her chin lifted. “You have something that belongs to me. I needed something of yours to entice you to give it back.”
“Hmm” His mouth curved. “You speak in near riddle. I need to punish you soon, so hurry up and tell me what you wanted.”
Lilith hesitated, her gaze darting about as if she was trapped, which she was. He couldn’t allow anyone to steal from him. Such offenses had to be dealt with harshly and swiftly, as he’d proven to Asmodeus.
“I want Awan.”
Surprise reverberated through him, followed by a growing delight. “I had forgotten about her.”
“I haven’t.”
“You could have just asked me.”
She clasped her hands behind her back. “I knew you wouldn’t give her to me.”
“Did you? And you reached that conclusion how?”
“Because,” she pouted. “You’ve always made certain that I never get what I want.”
Sammael propped his head on one hand and looked into the fire. “You think too highly of yourself, if you believe I deny you for the simple pleasure of it.”
“Prove me wrong.”
He raked her with an insolent glance. “Nothing about you gives me pleasure… except this request.”
Lilith stood frozen, then a look of wonder crossed her beautiful face. “You’ll recycle her?”
“Yes, but you will not be seeing her for a while.” He breathed on his claws, then buffed them across the settee’s velvet. “You see, a prison cell that has recently become vacant must be filled.”
She inhaled sharply.
“Come now,” Sammael crooned. “You have been missed around here. You should have many visitors. Most will be very eager to reacquaint themselves with you. And have no fear, I will not be one of them.”
He waved her away. Two demons emerged from the shadows to take her by the arms.
“I hate you,” she spat.
“My dear Lilith.” Sammael laughed. “I really would not have it any other way.”
***
“Are you okay?”
Eve glanced up as Reed straddled the picnic bench beside her. The ocean breeze ruffled his hair, giving him the deliciously disarrayed look of a man fresh out of bed. She’d only seen that look on him a few times, but it was a look she loved.
“I miss Montevista,” she admitted. “And I’m angry about it. It’s not fair.”
“Babe...” The frown on display above his Armani sunglasses betrayed his concern. “He’s in a better place. Trust me.”
“Look at Sydney.” She jerked her chin toward the sullen Mark who sat at a table near the grill where Alec flipped burgers. “She was just starting to get her mojo back. Now she’s back to square one.”
“This job is rough.” Reed surreptitiously stroked the side of her pinky finger. “I worry about what it’ll do to you.”
Eve worried, too, which was why she’d brought her parents along today. They kept her grounded. Her dad sat at a table with Kobe Denner and Ken Callaghan, one of her marked training classmates. Her mom was working her way through the gathering with a tray of mini sushi and her shockingly naughty sense of humor. If some of the Marks were jealous that Eve still had her folks in her life, they weren’t showing it today. Montevista was on everyone’s mind and grief trumped envy every time.
“I’m going to go sit with her,” Eve said, climbing off the bench. Reed came with her.
Sydney was accepting a plate from Alec when they joined her. The grill he manned was massive; large enough to cook hamburgers for a dozen oversized Mark appetites at a time. It had taken a trailer to get it out here—a tailgate party done on a Gadara Enterprises scale. Eve had mentioned her desire to do something for the Marks who’d come under fire because of the bounty, and Ishamel had swiftly taken it to the next level.