“Mate,” Malia mouths at me.
I can’t help my smile in pure happiness that feels as bright as the sunlight splashing through the trees. Roman throws me his intoxicating grin again and I nearly decide that food can wait.
Nearly.
Koda appears on the far porch, one side of which is visible from where I sit. He bounds down the front steps and toward the table with Temple and Luca in tow.
Both wolves overtake him to race up to me, seeking reaffirmation of our bond before they settle on the grass beneath the sun.
Koda’s bliss power drifts around him, melding with the brightness in the air as he greets us. His power matches the bright blue of the sky overhead and he seems to be calling it without thinking much about it. Like my sisters, he looks well-rested and is also wearing fresh clothing—long pants and a sleeveless top, but in darker navy that makes the color of his hair seem lighter.
After greeting Koda, I carefully consider the offerings on the table for anything my wolves might be able to eat. I reach for some strips of what looks like a protein substance. It can’t be meat because the angels made it clear they don’t kill animals here. But I hope it will sustain my wolves a little.
I throw the strips to them, and they reluctantly chew on them, no doubt wishing their breakfast was some nice fresh centripod energy.
For myself, the food is delicious. I choose mostly fruits, which turn out to be sweeter and juicier than on Earth, and also some root vegetables, which have been baked with a smoky-cheese-like filling. It seems that angels eat even better than demons, and I’m seeing the benefits of ending up in this realm for eternity.
“We need a plan,” I say, finally allowing the reality of our situation to seep back in. “We need to find a way to either constrain Jareth—or calm him enough that he’ll come with us willingly.”
Koda is shaking his head. “The second option is unlikely. His pure demon is in command. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t control his need for violence.”
“Did he ever reveal this side of himself before?” I ask, hoping that if he did, there could be some clues to subduing him.
Again, Koda shakes his head, and Roman confirms it.
“In all my years, I have never seen his true demon form until yesterday,” Roman says, his eyes a stormy green. “Even when he returned from Earth after you were born.”
Koda is nodding on the other side of the table. “He was definitely changed when he came back. Darker and more somber than he’d been before. Almost like a part of him had died. I didn’t understand why at the time, but it makes sense now that I know he had to return without you and your mom. If she was his true mate, then it would have broken him.”
Koda’s bliss power falters as he speaks, as if he can’t sustain it under the heaviness of the conversation.
Roman folds his arms across his chest. “Jareth took his duties seriously. It’s why he has my respect. He wouldn’t abandon his responsibilities as King of Mortem for his own happiness.”
Taniya speaks up and some of the previous lightness in her expression has faded. “The only one who can really tell us his story is Jareth himself. And not that fucked-up demon-of-your-nightmares version of him we saw yesterday.”
Malia is slower to join the conversation, and I don’t think it has escaped her that our hopes rest on her shoulders.
“I need to go to Lux City,” she says. “Search their libraries. They must have books about demons and about light magic that we can use to find answers. There has to be a way to restrain him and subdue his violence.” She takes a deep breath. “The angels made it very clear that you can’t come with me, so I’ll bring back as many books as I can, and we can study them. Hopefully find something. Together.”
The way we always solve problems.
Putting down her cutlery, she stands, takes a deep breath, and blows it out again, as if she’s fortifying herself for the task ahead.
“Stand on the bamboo path,” she mutters to herself, reminding us of Adriel’s instructions about how to call him. “It’s time toneedan angel.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Malia has barely pushed her chair back—she certainly hasn’t made it to the nearby bamboo path—when a flurry of black wings breaks the calm.
Adriel appears right beside her, his tall frame blocking the sunlight, his wings creating a gust of wind that billows her hair and clothing.
His arrival is like a storm and Malia shrieks and reacts like any sensible witch-wolf would. She strikes at him with an instant blast of protective magic, which Adriel deflects with a single sweep of his feathers.
The blast dissipates into the air and silence descends.
Malia gapes up at the dark-skinned angel as her braid settles back to her right shoulder and her clothing falls straight.
“Never sneak up on a witch!” she snaps.
