“Where is Shemhazai?” Luna asked suddenly, and Gabe looked like the question caused him physical pain.
“I don’t know.” He said it so quietly it felt like the words were breaking apart on his tongue.
“Do you know what Raz did to him?” Sköll asked abruptly, directing the question at me.
“No. I know that Raz and Shemhazai were some of the first angels ever created,” I said carefully. “For thousands of years, it was just them. Shemhazai had never spoken much about his life before he met Ramel. I always got the impression that it wasn’t a happy time,” I mused, frowning.
“Why? What happened at the church?” I asked gently, and Gabe flinched. When it was clear he wasn’t going to be able to respond, Fenrir took over.
“It was even worse than when he froze up when you were taken, Hec,” Fenrir explained, picking at the sticker on his coffee. He turned to Gabe to explain. “When Raz kidnapped Hecate, he did the same thing. You could tell hewantedto help, but it was like he was so scared he couldn’t move.”
Gabriel’s eyes literally looked like they were filled with tears, and my heart was suddenly pounding so hard it felt like it might beat out of my chest.
“It’s strange seeing Shem act like that,” Sköll added sympathetically. “He’s always so… Well, you know how he is. The man seems like he’s untouchable.Invincible.Seeing him reduced to whateverthatwas… it sucked.”
I glanced at Gabe, who was so pale and gaunt I was worried he might throw up.
“I think he raped him,” Sköll mused out loud, and Gabe’s citrine gaze slammed into the guardian’s, his sick expression turning into one of fury.
“Allof us wereraped.Whatever that angel did to him went beyond that,” Gabe snapped.
“I just meant that?—”
“Enough.We arenotdiscussing this when he’s not even here. He can barely talk about it himself; this isn’t right.”
Sköll held up both hands and leaned back in his seat, showing an easy surrender.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Now, back to the task at hand. Until we deal with Ares, it’ll be a pain in the ass for me to kill thatfuck.So that needs to be our first order of business.”
I watched Gabe’s jaw pulse in agitation, and I knew he meant it.
Raziel had existed since nearly the dawn of time, but it was clear that he would meet his end by Gabriel’s hand.
“You love him,” I said, not sure why the sudden realization shocked me.
Gabe’s eyes snapped to mine, and I nearly winced at the intensity of his gaze.
“So what?” he growled, challenging me to say something.
“Nothing, I just… Shemhazai is a loyal friend, and he’s fun to fuck around with, but…”
“But.What?” Gabe bit out each word like he wanted me to give him an excuse to tear into me.
“But nothing. Just… be careful, is all.”
“I’m always fucking careful. Now, let’scarefullyplan how to deal with Ares. Tell me more about the golems you created to house the other pieces of your soul.”
I explainedhow the golems worked, and Gabe calmed down considerably while he listened. Having a problem to work out and solve seemed to be helping him get a handle on his rage, and all of us were grateful.
“So you made them out of clay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Anything would do, really. I could have stuck those pieces of myself in a teapot if I wanted to. I’m just a bit of an artist, and I like a challenge. Plus, it sold the story better if I appeared to have adult companions. If a twenty-something girl was living alone in a big house like that, it would have raised questions.”
“A teapot?”
I shrugged. “Just an example. But yeah. However, those pieces of my soul were willing. If I were to try to put a malevolent spirit in a teapot, it would never work. Too fragile. I would need to choose a stronger material.”
