I hope.
“We do not know what first brought magic to this world,” the vampire says. “And all beings fear what they cannot understand. I believe this is why the first coven created the Blade. They feared their magic would die with them. They sought to preserve it. Their intentions could even be called noble, I suppose.”
My stomach twists in on itself. The Blade’s song grows louder. My whisper hovers in the corner of the conference room. She presses her hands to her heart, and a tear glistens on her cheek. She feels it too.
The urge to move is so strong, my muscles tense. I dig my fingers into the arms of the chair to keep myself grounded. Kàra is still talking. Shit. I lost all focus.
“…power has been passed down through so many generations, it long ago became impossible to trace. Many have tried. Witches—even women without magic who were suspected to be related to the first Whisper Keeper—have been imprisoned and tortured, only to be killed when they could not call upon the Blade’s power. You did not know this magic was in your line?”
“I was abandoned as an infant,” I say softly. “My parents adopted me when I was a month old.”
“Interesting,” Kàra says. “Though with the advances in medicine and the sciences, perhaps your lineage could be traced? It might help you narrow down the Blade’s location.”
“Won’t it be with whoever last tried to take its power?” Zoe leans back in her chair, lines of strain tightening around her eyes.
“Perhaps. But artifacts of power tend to find their way…home.” The vampire shrugs one shoulder. “And those with ill intentions often get their comeuppance…in the end.”
Gabriel runs a hand through his dark locks. “The last entry in the grimoire was from 1879. If this power is passed down from generation to generation, why has there not been another until now?”
“This world has many protectors, angel. You, of all beings, should know this,” Kàra says. “My sire went up against several of the Blade’s guardians in his time. It is hidden behind powerful magic, and only the Whisper Keeper can find it. This organization you say is after it—and Willow—will hunt her until her last breath. But those of us sworn to keep this realm safe will do what we can to stop them.”
Hours later,I’m so exhausted, I can barely keep my tears from spilling over. My skin crawls with the need to run.
“You cannot be serious!” Gabriel leaps to his feet and stalks over to Sinclair. “We are not putting Willow in that kind of danger!”
“Do you have a better idea?” Sin keeps his tone level, but his eyes glow with power. “If you merelyappearwith her at the Blade’s location, we will have nothing on these bastards.”
“I gave you their address,” I say softly. “You couldn’t?—?”
Zoe shakes her head. “Sin sent the ghouls to check it out. It’s empty. Completely. They found a few faint traces of magic, but that’s it.”
Despair steals the last of my control. A single sob catches in my throat. “It’s hopeless, then.”
Gabriel and Sinclair face off. Zoe attempts to get between them, but they’re almost chest-to-chest in some sort of epic celestial pissing contest. The idea would be comical if it weren’t my life—and the fate of the entire world—hanging in the balance.
I don’t know who throws the first punch. Or who slams whom into the wall so hard, a crack appears in the plaster. All I can do is drop my face into my hands and cry.
“Enough!” Zoe shouts. I lift my gaze to find her standing on top of the conference table holding the Devil’s axe. “You’re bothangels,for fuck’s sake. Get yourselves under control. We have work to do.”
“Zoe. Give me the weapon,” Sinclair says, worry lending a rough edge to his voice. “It could…damage you.”
Her gaze pings from her mate to the axe and back again. “I have a celestial’s soul, remember? Besides, it’s not even heavy.” She returns it to the table and lets Sin help her down and into his arms. “Are we sure Lucifer didn’t play the Underworld’s worst prank on Gabriel?”
My whisper appears out of nowhere, panic in her translucent eyes. Before I can get to my feet, the room starts to spin. Whatever Gabriel says fades into nothingness. With dizzying speed, she carries me—us—through the building and into the last rays of sun streaking from the horizon.
“Stop! This…something’s wrong!”
Either she can’t hear me or she doesn’t care. I don’t know which is worse. Oh, God. We’re heading for the cathedral.
“No, no, no!”
What if AURA is watching? They’ve never been able to see my whisper before, but…she’s so much stronger now.
The antechamber is dark, but inside the vault, the blue flames banish the shadows to the corners of the room. My whisper splays her fingers over the grimoire, staring intently at the pages like she’s expecting something to happen.
“Why are we here?”
She shakes her head, and her hands sink into the book, all the way down to the altar. This is new. I canfeelthe cool stone.
