“I can't read your mind,” he said.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed aloud.
Jake burst out laughing.
“Jake!” I growled.
“Sorry, babe. I know what you're going through. I had the whole healing thing to convince me. That and . . . well, it was faster for me. But I know this is hard.”
“I would never invade the privacy of your mind, Indigo,” Silas said. “I'm just a good guesser.” He winked at me. “Now, shall I go on about the hellhounds, or did you want to ask me your questions?”
“Oh, my goodness. I forgot about the hellhounds,” I said. “Uh. Let's get back to that.”
Silas nodded. “Hellhounds can shapeshift into men, but they are not men. They are demons. They've invaded the world, covering the planet in military groups of three hounds each.”
“Isn't that, uh, your number?”
Silas grinned. “It is a holy number, yes, but it doesn't belong to me. Trinities simply have power. The Devil knows this as much as I do. So, he has infested the world with his hound trinities.”
“Why?” I asked.
“To cause trauma. As demons, they can instill fear, incite wrath, and generally wreak havoc. They also command the dead, and they've used the dead against my champions.”
“Your champions?”
“Yes. I'm gathering people to counter these teams. As I said, I usually send angels, especially where demons are concerned. But these hounds are tricky. They've woven themselves into human society. I need humans to unweave them, as it were. So, I sent angels to find humans who are courageous enough to fight the evil that has infected their world.My angels will lead my chosen soldiers, protecting and guiding them while they fight the hounds.”
“Angels,” I whispered. “One of those people is an angel?”
Jake cleared his throat and met Silas's stare. Silas nodded.
“Angels aren't what you think, Indigo,” Jake said.
The mere use of my full name froze me in place. Jake didn't call me Indigo unless we were talking about something very serious.
“What are they?” I asked.
“They're incorporeal.”
“Spirits?”
“Pure energy,” Silas said. “There are benefits to being incorporeal.” He grimaced. “And detriments. The hounds are corporeal. The Devil gave them physical forms. This means that they can be hurt, even killed, but it also makes it easier for them to interact with humans.”
“And it's the opposite for angels,” I concluded.
“Yes,” Silas said.
“Why don't you just make your angels corporeal, as the Devil has done with his hounds?”
Silas glanced at Jake, then said, “I have.”
I set my plate and Coke down. I looked at Jake. He stared back at me. And I saw it again—the not-Jake inside Jake.
“No,” I whispered.
“It was the price of my healing,” Jake said.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered.
