A small smirk crossed his lips. “I volunteered to be turned to stone, frozen in time until Halo reappeared. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist destroying a monument dedicated to the Knights he despised so badly. And we were right - he freed me, by accident, just as expected.”
All of this was too much for me to handle. My head pounded. I clutched my forehead with a grunt. “Wait, who iswe? The Knights have no magic.”
Silas’ smug grin faltered for a single moment. “Sorry, I meantI.There was an outside source of the magic, of course. As despicable as it is, it does have its uses. If it meant an opportunity to catch the omega, I was willing to take the risk.”
“So that’s why you’re still alive,” I mumbled. I remembered Silas had an omega mate, Kenan, the one he shared the claiming bite with - the bite that was supposed to divide a couple’s lifeforce, meaning Silas would have died long ago without the aid of magic. “Your mate, Kenan, he…”
“Died a natural death,” Silas finished with a shrug. “It was necessary for the mission.”
I grimaced, thinking about his omega dying alone, but I was even more off-put by Silas’s indifference to the situation.
Maybe I’m being too harsh on him,I thought.Maybe he grieved in his own way. It’s none of my business.
“In any case, the mission was a success,” Silas remarked with a smile. “We have the omega mage in our custody.” He frowned. “Even though we lost the girl. I still don’t know how he did it.”
My throat tightened. “Angel, she - she was here? You saw her?”
“Yes, Captain,” Silas said, voice neutral. “But please, I must remind you not to let your emotions get the best of you. She could be a danger, the same way her omega-father is.”
I frowned deeply. Even if my daughter carried the spark of magic like Halo did, would that automatically make her dangerous? She was just a little girl, for crying out loud. She was about as threatening as a butterfly.
“You don’t know that for sure,” I growled to Silas. “She might not have it.”
Silas didn’t look convinced. “I’m sorry, Captain. I think it’s best to assume the worst until proven otherwise. If Halo raised her, and trained her to be like him…”
“Are you threatening my daughter, Silas?” I growled, taking a step closer to him.
“No, of course not, sir,” Silas said quickly. “Only stating the facts.”
I glared down at him for a moment longer before moving away. Sadness clawed at my chest. “It doesn’t matter. She’s not here anymore.”
“She was here before I left to - ” he paused, then said, “before I left. So the omega must have done something.”
I stormed back to Halo’s side, and Silas followed.
“Halo, please,” I said, trying to keep my voice cool. “Where is Angel? I just want to know if she’s safe.”
To my surprise, Halo’s head snapped up with a furious expression. “You want to know where she is? Well, too fucking bad, because I won’t tell you - either of you!”
Silas clenched his fist like he wanted to hit Halo again - and the only reason he didn’t was because I was standing there.
“Why not?” I asked firmly.
Now Halo’s burning glare rested solely on me. “Why should I? I don’t care that you’re her father - you betrayed us! Why would Ievertell you anything again?”
My jaw dropped at the sudden vitriol in his words.
“Where is the girl, omega?” Silas growled.
“Fuck off,” Halo spat. “Go to hell.”
Silas snarled like he was about to lunge at Halo, but he restrained himself. “Fine. We don’t need her anyway. You’re the one that matters.”
I couldn’t tell if my mind was playing tricks on me, or if I really did see the slightest hint of a smug smirk on Halo’s lips. “Fine by me.”
Silas whirled back around, his finger pointing dangerously near Halo’s face but not actually touching him. “I know you used your heathen magic to make her disappear. I don’t know how you did it, but if you try anything like that again, you’re going to regret it.”
A sudden thought struck me and I felt stupid for not realizing it before. After the time travel and whatever stunt he pulled with Angel, Halo’s magic must have run completely dry. That was the real reason he couldn’t escape the chains, not because he didn’t want to.
Silas said Angel was here before,I thought.If Halo had any scrap of magic left, he must have used it for her sake. That explains why he looks so terrible.
I glanced at my former mate with a flash of brief sympathy. Even chained to the floor, haggard and completely spent of magical energy, he still glared at Silas with burning defiance. Maybe he wasn’t completely broken after all. The thought filled me with relief, before I remembered Silas - and my duty.
Despite everything that happened, it was still my job to keep Halo prisoner. And that’s exactly what I was going to do.
