“We can help one another.”
Eve paused at her door. “How exactly are you going to help me?”
The blonde shrugged. “I will think of a way.”
“Don’t hurt yourself.” Stepping into her room, Eve shut the door and crawled into bed. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Festive tropical music poured from hidden speakers while a warm ocean draft gusted through the open French doors of Greater Adventures Yachts, the manufacturer of the multimillion-dollar boats that funded the Australian firm.
Reed feigned the appearance of examining the photos of various ships on the wall, but in truth, he didn’t see any of them. Instead, he saw the horror of the night before—the blood splattered over acacias and broken melaleuca trees, the wide circular depression in the wild grasses, the skin of Les’s Mark torn from the missing body. Caught on various twigs, the flesh flapped in the evening breeze as a macabre banner, taunting them with their helplessness.
What the hell were they dealing with?
“Are you all right?” Mariel asked from her position beside him.
“Not really, no.”
“If it’s any consolation, you’re good at what you do because you let the shit get to you.”
He managed a slight smile. “Flattery will get you everywhere with me.”
“Abel!”
Reed turned at the sound of the familiar, jovial voice. Uriel approached with his ever-ready wide grin and bright blue eyes. Sans shirt, the archangel sported only tropical shorts and flip-flops. His skin was tanned mahogany and the ends of his longish hair were bleached by the sun.
Bowing, Reed showed his respect and appreciation for the courtesy Uriel paid him by allowing him to investigate on Australian turf. As he straightened, the archangel clapped him on the shoulder.
“It is good to see you again,” Uriel said.
“And you as well.”
Uriel accepted Mariel’s extended hand and kissed her knuckles. “Let us go up to my office.”
They left the large waiting area and ascended a short flight of steps up to an expansive loft. A glass-topped, white wicker desk faced another set of open French doors. The stunning view of the beach beyond was a bit like the vista Eve’s condo enjoyed. However, the water in Huntington Beach was a dark bluish-gray. The water here was bluer. Beautiful. Reed found himself wishing Eve were here to see it.
Dropping into the chair behind the desk, Uriel said, “It is unfortunate that you are not here under more pleasant circumstances.”
Mariel took a seat.
Reed remained standing. He noted a small rack on a nearby console that held several bottles of wine. He crossed over to it and carefully lifted one, reading the brilliantly colored label. “Caesarea Winery?”
“A new venture,” the archangel explained.
“I hope it does well for you.”
“It always pays to be cautious and plan for contingencies, which is why I invited you to come out here.”
“We appreciate the invitation,” Mariel murmured.
“Where’s Les?” Reed asked. “I would like him to be present, if you don’t mind.”
“On the beach. He will be up in a moment.” Uriel’s features were grave. “He is taking the loss of his Mark very hard. I told him to hit the waves for a bit and clear his head. Everyone needs to be focused on the puzzle at hand.”
“It’s a terrible puzzle.” Mariel’s voice was soft and filled with sadness. “Something truly heinous.”
As if on cue, Les entered through the balcony doors, dripping wet and sprinkled with sand. No one missed the catch in Mariel’s breathing, least of all the handsome Aussie, who gifted her with a slight smile. “Hello.”
Uriel launched into the discussion without hesitation, looking between Reed and Mariel. “What did you determine last night? Is this situation similar to what you both experienced with your Marks?”
“Yes.” Reed returned the wine bottle to the rack. “The same.”
“So you believe it is the same Infernal?”
“Or the same classification,” Mariel said. “We don’t know if this is one demon or several.”
Uriel looked at Les, who nodded his agreement. “It’s a possibility to consider.”
“Three attacks in three weeks.” Reed thought back to the order he’d received to vanquish a tommy knocker causing trouble in a busy Kentucky mine. The faeries were Takeo’s specialty; the Mark had vanquished many of them. “For a new class of Infernal, there seems to be no learning curve. This demon has jumped straight into killing on a mass scale. And it’s not attacking defenseless mortals or novice Marks; it’s taking out our best and brightest.”
“I sent Kimberly after Patupairehe,” Les said grimly, “but we never saw any. So I’m wondering what happened to the original assignment.”
“Perhaps this Infernal is killing other demons, as well as Marks?” Uriel suggested.
Reed crossed his arms. “Or the seraphim are vulnerable in some way. Either erroneous information is leaching into the system or our lines of communication aren’t sacred. An Infernal could be intercepting the assignments as they’re sent down to us.”
“How would that be possible?” Mariel breathed, clearly horrified by the thought.
Uriel leaned forward with his forearms on the desk. “Marks graduate from their mentors every day. Killing one established Mark a month barely puts a dent in our numbers. It hurts, yes. But it is not fatal.”
“I’m not sure the goal is a thinning of our ranks.” Reed’s cell phone vibrated. He looked at the caller ID, sent Sara to voicemail again, and passed the conversation over to the Aussie handler. “Les has a theory.”
Les ran a hand through his dripping wet hair and laid it out. “I think the demon might be absorbing the Marks it kills. Parts of the physical body, and also some of the Mark’s thoughts and connection to their handler.”
The archangel paused. His gaze moved over all three of the mal’akhs before him. “What evidence do you have for such a claim?”
“The Infernal knew where I was shifting almost before I did.”
“That is hardly proof,” Uriel scoffed. “I would call it dumb luck, unless it happens more than once.”
“It will strike again.” Mariel’s tone was resigned. “But learning from our failures doesn’t sit well with me.”
Uriel arched a brow at Reed. “Suggestions?”
“To find it, we need to know how it hunts. I’ve been considering the similarities between the three kills, trying to find a pattern we can use.”
“All three Marks were in remote areas,” Mariel said. “Places the Infernal couldn’t have simply ‘stumbled’ upon them.”
“All three were hunting an Infernal they specialized in,” Les added. “They were in their element.”
“All three were under the direction of established, prominent handlers.” Uriel’s mouth was a somber line. “Handlers with years of experience and information.”
Reed believed Les was onto something with his theory, which led him to a horrifying realization . . .
“Eve . . .” he breathed, his gut clenching.
She wasn’t safe. She had been paramount in his thoughts at the moment the Infernal had absorbed Takeo . . . and possibly Takeo’s connection to Reed. If Sammael knew about her, he would exploit her to the fullest extent. Cain had been a focus of his since the dawn of time and he would seize any opportunity to minimize Cain’s effectiveness or turn Cain against God.
The archangel stared at Reed, comprehension dawning in his eyes. “Would he not have gone after her directly? Why come here first?”
“Maybe Kimberly and I had something he thought he could use?” Les suggested.
“Or maybe there’s more than one,” Mariel repeated. “The Infernal who killed my Mark was much smaller than the one you saw.”
“We need to coordinate with the other firms,” Uriel said.
“We can start by establishing teams to covertly accompany experienced Marks on remote hunts for Infernals they specialize in.” Reed’s gaze touched upon Mariel and Les, then came to rest on Uriel. “We can also set a trap to prove or disprove Les’s theory.”
“How?”
“We can feed the Marks false information and see what happens.”
Uriel nodded. “And what if the only way to access that information is through death?”
“It’s a chance we have to take. We need to know.”
“I agree.” The archangel’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You have no qualms. You should have my job.”
That was Reed’s plan. Not to take Uriel’s place, but to join him in the rank of archangel. The creation of a new firm was long overdue. Reed fully intended to step into position as firm leader when the time came. Handling Eve was going to help him do that. By supervising her—and therefore Cain—he would prove that he could handle any task. From the training of new Marks, to the managing of the most powerful Mark of them all.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he demurred. “I hate to lose Marks, whether they’re mine or not. But casualties are inevitable in war.”
Mariel’s verdant eyes were sharp and assessing. “You have someone in mind?”
“Not yet. I’ll work on that. In the meantime, Eve is in training now. In light of the possible danger, I will shadow her until Cain returns.”
“Understandable,” Uriel said. “I will arrange a conference call with the other firm leaders.”
Mariel pushed gracefully to her feet, her long red hair swaying around her shoulders. She offered a shy smile to Les, who managed to return the gesture despite the grief that shrouded him.
Reed and Mariel left Australia in the blink of an eye. They shifted to Gadara Tower, landing in the subterranean Exceptional Projects Department.