“Breached? Hell?” My voice rises and cracks, and I’m pretty sure my eyes can’t open any wider. “How the hell—shit. How the fuck did someone breach Hell?”
Gabriel sighs. “A vampire was kidnapped from this realm two years ago and spent many months being punished for crimes he did not commit. When he was rescued, the demon called Thorn and his concubine Regina…” he shakes his head, “I suppose the proper phrase would be ‘hitched a ride.’”
“And no one noticed? What is the Devil doing with his time if not watching over those he is charged to punish for all eternity?” Sin’s tone is strained, and he’s gripping the arm of the chair hard enough I can hear the wood protest.
“Lucifer had…other concerns.” Gabriel, now seated across from us with his wings awkwardly brushing the floor, rests his elbows on the table. “There are forces at work in this realm you know nothing about, Sinclair. Forces that could open the Gates of Hell permanently. Michael, Raphael, and I are going to meet with a small group attempting to stop the uprising, but that is all we know at this time.”
“Fuck,” Sin says sharply. “How many more will die…?”
Gabriel’s face sobers, and his golden eyes turn almost black. “Millions. But that is why you must find these two and send them back where they belong.” Before Sin can say another word, the angel holds up his hand. “You have paid your debt.”
Pulling several sheets of folded paper from within his robes, Gabriel holds Sin’s gaze. “The runes and sigils you will need to bind them and send them to the Underworld. As long as you follow the instructions, there is no danger you will be trapped with them.”
“Give me one good reason why I should trust you,” Sin mutters.
The betrayal in Sin’s voice squeezes my heart in a vise, and though I’ve never considered myself a touchy-feely person, with him, I’m different. More…me somehow. So I do the only thing I can. Under the table, I briefly press my knee to his. A subtle gesture of support.
Gabriel rises and smoothes his hands down his robes. His wings flutter, stretching until they practically touch either side of the room. “We made many mistakes with your case, Sinclair. Some you know. Others…I am bound not to reveal. But Nathanial and I, at least, are in agreement. We have been for some time. Your debt was paid, even though I know you do not agree. Your exile to this realm could have ended years ago, but you chose to stay. If you trust nothing else, trust this. I am on your side.”
With that cryptic statement, the angel turns to me. “Agent Zoe Dawes, there is something about you that does not add up. Something…other.I am not certain what it is, but still, I wish you luck with Sinclair. He can be a handful, but he is a good man.”
Before I can respond, what feels like a percussion grenade pressurizes the entire room. My heart hammers against my chest, and I’m so dizzy, I want to throw up. I can’t move until Sin pulls me against him, his fingers threading through my hair and his lips brushing my ear. “Just breathe, Zoe. I have you now.”
Fourteen
Sin
Zoe is shaken after Gabriel’s visit, and the memories the archangel stirred in me leave me desperate to see the sun. “You will feel better after you eat something,” I say as I save our research and shut down the conference room computers.
“I’ll feel better when shit like that stops surprising me,” she mutters and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Damn. I don’t suppose there’s any aspirin in this place?”
I can sense her pain, and though I do not think she will allow it, I am capable of taking it away. “My talents can help. Will you trust me?” Offering her my hand, I wait, and after a beat, she nods, but the look in her eyes is anything but certain.
“What would you have to do?”
“I can attempt to convince your mind to ignore the pain. Gabriel’s presence triggered something very similar to what you call a migraine. It will pass in a few hours, perhaps a day at most.”
Zoe chews on her lower lip. “You’d be manipulating my thoughts.”
“Not exactly. Your autonomic nervous system only. Not your mind.”
She needs more reassurance. We have been partnered less than forty-eight hours, and though Gabriel confirmed my belief that there is somethingotherabout her, we are very different. She is the Bureau’s first human agent. Or, at least the first to make it through more than a single hour. The poor male first recruited has been in a mental institution for a decade now.
“I hold very little in this life dear, Zoe. My brother. My freedom. I swear on both of them, I will only ease your pain.”
“Okay. But if I find out you tried to hypnotize me into clucking like a chicken, Iwillfind a way to murder you,” she says as she gives me her hand.
“I would expect nothing less.” Releasing the tight control I keep on my abilities, I hold Zoe’s gaze and let my mind seek out the source of her discomfort. Given enough time and strength, I could cure her migraine completely, but masking the symptoms so she can heal on her own will not drain much of my energy. Though by tomorrow, I will be forced to seek out several willingdonors.
“Oh.” Zoe sighs as I convince her mind the pain is gone. “That’s amazing.”
I wish I could tell her my true nature. That the relief she’s feeling now does not come from my incubus talents, but from divine influence. Trust takes time, and if we are to find Thorn and Regina, I cannot risk fracturing what small amount we have built with honesty.
Breaking our connection leaves me with a distinct sense of loss and an emptiness that threatens to consume me. Fuck. I did not mean to let myself feel...anythingfor Zoe. Not sympathy. Not understanding. Not respect. Yet, all of those emotions and more run through me, and I push back so quickly, the chair almost topples over. “Meet me downstairs in five minutes,” I say, keeping my tone as firm and professional as I can. “One of the best taco trucks in the city is on the way to Jacinda’s apartment. We will stop for food first.”
A pang of guilt hits me as I cross the threshold. Blindsiding her with our other task today would only destroy her appetite, and she has lost too much weight since her human partner’s death. I hope to all that is holy she is strong enough to handle what comes next.
* * *
