“I'm not sure if being our mate automatically makes her loyal to us,” Garret muttered.
“The Host?” I asked—partially because I was curious and partially to get that sad look off Garret's face.
“That's what Michael called his army,” Garret said. “Remember how I told you that Michael started this? He likes to tell people he's an angel on Earth to recruit holy soldiers to fight for heaven. So, he called them the Host, after the Heavenly Host.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Exactly,” Gideon said. “It's so fucking stupid.”
“He went with what he knows,” Gage said.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“A Cerberus mate had a psychic vision of Michael when he was human. She painted him. He was a crusader.”
I made a huffing sound. “That tracks.”
“Yeah, but now, instead of slaughtering people just for not believing the same things he does, he preys on humans who are in despair or otherwise desperate. People who need to believe in something.”
Garret had mentioned that before. But now, I didn't just think about how convincing Michael was. I also thought about the people Jake brought back with him every day. I never got to know any of them, but they all looked desperate.
“Yes, I can see that,” I said. “All right, let me finish telling you about Silas's plan because I have some questions for you.”
“Let me finish cooking first. Now, I want to be sure I hear every word.” Gage went back into the kitchen.
We waited in tense silence as he finished my pancakes and bacon, then brought out a plate heaped with food.
“Thank you, Gage,” I said.
He nodded and set down a bottle of syrup and a glass of ice water as well. “Eat a little before you go on.”
I took a few bites. The carbs and sugar helped. After a swig of water, I said, “I didn't want to come to Montana. Jake sort of coerced me. At one point, he threw my phone out the window. But I couldn't leave, even when he gave me the option. Jake . . . I love him. And he was dying. I was prepared for him to die. And now, he's not. It's been insane. I can barely keep up. First, he gets miraculously healed, and then he spouts crap about God and angels. I didn't believe any of it, even after Silas teleported in front of me.”
“Teleported?” Gage lifted a brow.
“He vanished and appeared several feet away. I don't know what else to call that.”
“Fair enough. Go on.”
“I told you how confused I was,” I said to Garret. “Silas has inexplicable power, but he didn't behave as I expected a benign deity to. I couldn't understand why God would need humans to fight demons for him.”
“Demons.” Gage snorted.
“He called you hellhounds,” I said.
“Well, he got it half right.”
“But that's just a title, right? You're not part dog.”
The men exchanged another of those hesitant looks.
“You're part dog?!”
“No, not exactly,” Garret said. “We're shapeshifters, Indie. We can transform into hounds. But we only do that when we collect souls or—”
“You collect souls?!”
“Remember when I told you about the guardians who—”
