Willow nods against my chest. “A few. But…they’re not local, mostly. From my graduate program.”
Zoe sinks down into her chair and holds Willow’s gaze. “They were covering their bases. Making sure that if anyonedidcome to check on you or report you missing, there would be a plausible explanation. They faked your death so no one would look for you.”
“Or,” Sinclair adds with a quick glance in my direction, “as leverage. A display of their power. They had no way of knowing how long it would take you to read that grimoire. They could not take the chance you would try to return to your life.”
With every word, Willow shrinks into herself further. She shakes against me, trying to hold back the tears glistening on her lashes. “So that’s it? I don’t exist anymore?”
“Enough!” My outburst rattles the coffee mugs on the table. Zoe claps her hands over her ears and glares at me.
Fuck.
I cannot continue to sit here and do nothing while the woman in my arms—the woman I care so deeply for—loses everything she holds dear.
“Watch yourself, Gabriel,” Sin says. Red rims his eyes, glowing so brightly, I expect his wings to burst forth any second. “You know we will not stand for this. It will take some time to straighten things out with the medical examiner and City Hall, but we will take care of it.Afterwe put an end to these bastards and find a way to destroy the Blade.”
“The other Whisper Keepers couldn’t …unmakeit.” Willow shakes off my hold, scoots her chair a few inches away, and starts fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “That’s why they all…chose to die. Because there was no other way.”
“You willnotsacrifice yourself for this thing.” I spin her chair until she faces me. “I won’t allow it.”
“It’s not your choice, Gabriel. It’s mine.” Her tears spill over, glistening on her pale cheeks. “Itwantsto be found. It’s calling to me. Last night it was this tiny presence in the back of my mind. Like music playing in another room. But it’s so much stronger now. In another day or two, I won’t be able to resist it.”
“But you will die,deliciae. There has to be another way.” I hold her face in my hands. She’s so beautiful. I memorize everything about her. The tiny scar on the bridge of her nose. The curve of her dark blond brows. The flecks of green and silver in her blue eyes.
She leans in, resting her forehead against mine. “There’s no weapon in this world powerful enough to destroy the Blade. This is the only way.”
How cruel is fate? To lead me to Willow, then rip her away from me within days?
Crueler than all of Lucifer’s Hellions put together.
I jerk to my feet so quickly, Willow almost topples out of her chair. “No weaponin this world. That is what the other Whisper Keepers said? Those were the exact words?”
“Y-yes.” Her brows knit together, a tiny wrinkle between them begging to be smoothed away. “Why?”
“There is one world more vast and powerful than this one, Willow. Its guardian is an expert with weapons. And he owes me a favor.”
SEVENTEEN
Gabriel
“You are out of your goddamn mind,” Sinclair growls.
I straighten my shoulders and level him with my most powerful stare. “The Almighty may very well damn me in the near future, but she has not done so yet.”
“Lucifer will break you, Gabriel. Or worse. If he tosses you through the gates of Hell, you would be trapped there for all eternity. Without your wings, you would have no hope of escape.”
I shrug, which pisses him off even more. Not that I care. “If one of Lucifer’s weapons is our best chance of destroying the Blade, that is a risk I am willing to take.”
He stalks over to me, but before he can grab me, I take hold of his arms, spin, and slam him against the wall.
His eyes start to glow. “Remove your hands. Now.”
The deadly calm to his tone should concern me. He suffered in Hell for centuries. I did not send him there, but I am still to blame.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Zoe stalks over, slaps a hand on each of our chests, and attempts to separate us. “If you can’t play nicely together, one of you needs to leave. You’re scaring Willow.”
I flinch. Zoe is right. Willow’s fear is a bitter taste in my mouth. One I cannot abide. I step back and smooth my hands down my white dress shirt.
“Asshole,” Sinclair mutters.
