“And you need Gabriel now? To what end?” Caleb asked.
“I have questions I suspect only he can answer for me.”
At first I worried the two of them might stop me, that perhaps they’d keep me from the angel due to my occupation, but Hades gave a sharp jerk of his chin to the left. “He’s probably in the witches’ greenhouse. He’s been spending time there since we brought him back.”
“I think you mean hiding there,” Caleb murmured.
“Hiding from who?” I asked, still woefully out of the loop when it came to the dramas of our new allies. Not that I much cared, but knowledge was a powerful weapon.
“His brethren. Michael and Evander have been around. Gabriel doesn’t want to talk to them,” Hades explained. “Think he’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder because they didn’t come to his rescue.”
That I could understand. My brothers hadn’t been pleased with me since Merri left, but for centuries the four of us kept our distance for reasons too complicated to name. She had brought us back together. She was the reason for so many of the good things in my life.
“I see,” I murmured, then gestured toward the greenhouse with my head. “I’ll be going now.”
I didn’t wait for either of them to respond before turning and heading away. I did catch their parting remarks, though.
“Is he always like that?” Caleb asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Abrupt. Demanding. Ungrateful.”
Hades snickered. “That was Death on a good day. They call him Grim for a reason.”
I resisted the urge to turn around and offer a retort. It wouldn’t achieve anything, and honestly, a lifetime with Sin taught me there was power in silence. Silence was as much a statement as anything.
The moment I rounded the corner and saw the greenhouse, something in me lightened. It had been too long since I’d been able to cultivate my own plants. A pang of loss struck my chest for the rooftop greenhouse I’d used as a personal sanctuary, destroyed by demons, ruined by this pissing apocalypse I was supposed to usher in.
Pushing my way inside, I paused briefly just to breathe in the familiar scent of dirt, fertilizer, and life. Just that quickly, a sense of calm descended, and a little of the weight I’d been carrying dropped away.
“I see you’ve stumbled upon my hiding place,” Gabriel said.
My eyes snapped to him, and I fought back a smile. The vampire had been right.
“It’s not a very good hiding spot when everyone knows where you are.”
Gabriel shrugged. “Usually it’s enough not to want to get on my bad side.”
I nodded my agreement.
“What brings you here, Grimsby?”
“I need information.”
“Don’t we all?” He snapped shut the paperback he’d been reading and tucked it into the interior pocket of his leather jacket. But not before I caught the title:The Sinner and the Priest.
Cocking an eyebrow, I muttered, “Interesting genre for an angel.”
“I heard that. Judge not lest ye be judged. Now what information could I possibly provide?”
“You’re familiar with our plan to weaken Lucifer?” I asked as a way of gauging how much background he required.
“By bringing him to the dream realm? Yes, I’ve heard.”
I ran a hand along my jaw, weighing my next words. “I suppose I’m wondering what the best and easiest way to weaken him is.”
Gabriel peered at me. “Isn’t that what your Merri is for?”
