“You piece of shit,” he said, keeping his voice level.“Youratted me out to the Council.”
“Yeah, I did.”
Hawkyn had to hand it to the guy.He was a weasel, but hewaspretty openabout it.“I don’t need to ask why,but I want to know what you got out of it.”
Rico’s grin was allfang.“A cleanslate.All my sins gone.Sorry, man, but I had a couple of wing-shrivelers inmy past.I needed something juicy to get them removed.”
As much as Hawkyn hated the answer, he understood it.Ascension was the goal of every Memitim, and when failure meant spending aneternity in the human realm—or worse, it was every angel for himself.
That was something else Hawkyn planned to change.
“You’re a bastard,” Hawkyn growled as he shoved away fromRico.“Stay away me, brother.And if you fuck with anyone I care about, you’lldeal with me.”He flared his wings, sending a message of strength his brotherwould understand.Hawkyn hadn’t played around with his new powers yet, but healready knew that they were far more extensive and powerful than anything Ricocould even begin to comprehend.
Rico nodded, a deep dip of his head, and scurried away likethe rat he was.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” Aurora said as hegrasped her hand again and guided her through the mansion on the way toAzagoth’s office.“Are you okay?I can’t imagine my own brother betraying me.”
“I’m okay.”Hesmiled downat her.“Really.I’ve been dealing with shithead siblings for centuries.Rico is aproduct of his human upbringing and Memitim rules that pit us against oneanother.But shit’s going to change, so that’s all that matters.”
They stopped at the door to Azagoth’s office, and he had totamp down butterflies as he knocked.
A moment later, the office door swung open, and they steppedinside.Azagoth and Lilliana were sitting in the two big leather chairs nearthe fire.She looked curious, and Hawkyn couldn’t tell what the hell his fatherwas thinking.His expression was a mask, his eyes utterly flat.The guy wouldslayit at a poker tournament.
“I heard you got a promotion,” Azagoth said, his voice asflat as his eyes.
Word traveled fast.Hawkyn had gone straight from theMemitim complex to Aurora’s place, where she’d been busy cleaning up after thebattle had practically destroyed her house.Maddox, at least, had taken thehuman’s body away, the empty, broken shell left behind after the bludgolemdied.
They’d showered, made love, eaten, made love again, and nowhe was ready to face his father after their blowout.
“I’m officially the liaison between Sheoul-gra and theCouncil,” Hawkyn said.“But I can’t do my job if I’m not welcome here.”
Finally, there was a chink in Azagoth’s non-expressivearmor.Just a slight widening of his eyes, but it was there.For a moment.
“Why would you not be welcome here?I told you it was yourchoice.”
“You didn’t try to talk me out of it,” Hawkyn pointed out.“You didn’t give a shit.”
Azagoth laughed.“If I didn’t give a shit, I wouldn’t havegiven you a choice at all.Do you think I’m shy about kicking people out of myrealm?”
“He’s not.He’s really,really not.”Lilliana smiled.“Congratulations, Hawkyn.You’ll have to tell us how ithappened.From what I understand, the Council created a position and a statusfor you.That’s...incredible.”
It was.Madehim wonder what rolethe child Aurora carried would play in the future, if Hawkyn wasbeing rewardedfor his own role in conceiving it.
“I have more incredible news,” he said, barely able tocontain his excitement.This was big.Bigger than arelaxingof the rules allowing them to drink.He handed Azagoth a scroll.
Azagoth broke the seal and started to unroll it.“What isit?”
“The first batch of names and information you need to findyour sons and daughters who are still in the human world.”
Hawkyn doubted that anyone had ever seen Azagoth as shockedas he was at that moment.The parchment shook as he stared down at it, and whenLilliana reached over to take his hand, he hauled heragainsthim.He just held her like that for a long time, his gaze glued to the scroll,his chest heaving against Lilliana’s cheek.
“I don’t...”He cleared his throat and looked up at Hawkyn.“I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s a first,” Lilliana muttered, but she was smiling,and the gratitude in her eyes as she nodded her thanks at Hawkyn made this evenbetter.
Hehadn’t knownhow she’d react.After all, a lot of small children, in-your-face reminders of her mate’s unionswith other females, were going to be invading her territory.
He should have known Lilliana would be happy for her mate.
