The angel’s words rolled over me, and I was still reeling so hard from what the angel had implied that I could barely blink, let alone speak.
“From the look on his face, you haven’t told him. He doesn’t know, does he, Shemhazai? Has he seen your shameful pieces like I have? Have you shown him your scars? You filthy, filthy boy.” The angel tutted his tongue, and Shem let out a sound I never wanted to hear him make again.
Sköll stepped closer to me, growling in my ear.
“We need to get him out of here,” he said, and I’d never been more grateful for a suggestion in my life. His words snapped me out of the horrified stupor the angel seemed to have trapped me in, and I nodded.
“Bring the mother and the crone to Howard Street Cemetery on the night of the full moon. If you do not produce them, I will consider it an act of war.”
My voice was low and calm—the antithesis of how I was feeling inside.
“If you do not comply, I will unmake you and burn your fucking church to the ground.”
The seraphim chuckled as if my threat amused him.
“He’ll never tell you, you know,” he said, and I gripped my scepter tighter. “But I will. If you want to see the truth about the demon you’re so valiantly protecting, come back here. I will show you who he really is. Maybe then you will return him to me so I can continue my work with him.”
A sinister smile snaked across his full lips, and I snarled.
“There’s still time to absolve you, Shemhazai. You never could help yourself. But we cameso closebefore everything fell apart.”
“You have until the full moon,” I repeated, turning my back on the angel. I was careful to keep my body between him and Shem as I moved.Wrapping my shaking hellcat up in my wings, I continued to shield him from the seraphim’s gaze as we exited the church.
He faced forward and walked stiffly ahead of me, never straying from the protective circle of my wings.
I couldn’t see his face, but his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. The second we were safely outside the church, he took one look back at me, his eyes so wide his irises were swimming in a sea of white.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and then he bolted.
The town of Salem was almost unrecognizable. Instead of the usual crowds of eclectic Wiccans milling about happily, sipping lattes, and mingling with tourists, it felt like we were in the middle of a religious commune.
Everyone was in full-length dresses or bland suits. Each pair of hands clutched one of those tiny Bibles Willow had been holding when she’d come to the house.
Men preached the word of God loudly on street corners, and people stared at Luna and me with disgusted looks on their faces.
“You would think they’d never seen a pair of knees before,” Luna commented dryly as one man we passed loudly accused me of being a harlot.
“This is fucked. How were they able to indoctrinate this many people this quickly?” I asked as we found ourselves a seat at Gulu-Gulu to meet up with the boys.
“I think it’s because of Ares.”
I glanced up to see Sköll and Fenrir pulling out chairs at our table, the legs scraping against the concrete patio stones with a screech.
Gabriel pulled out another chair on the far side and dropped into it. His jaw was pulsing with frustration, and he had his scepter out in the open. I’d never seen this demon so distraught.
“I agree. Without Yahweh to back him, Raziel shouldn’t be this powerful. But the god of war is nothingbutpower. If he’s struck a deal with him, the intensity of his influence makes sense.”
I bit my lip. This was a problem.
Gabriel had explained to me the power of his scepter. He could unmake Raziel with it if push came to shove, but Ares was a god. Even Gabe’s golden scepter couldn’t kill him.
“If that’s the case, we’re going to need to find a way to eliminate him first,” I figured out loud.
“No shit,” Gabe snarled, and I frowned.
“What’s got your dick in a knot?” I asked skeptically, and Gabe sighed, pressing his fingers into the corners of his eyes.
“It’s been a long couple of days.”
