The Arc’s eyes narrowed. He slowly set his Coke down. “Isee.”
His features inflexible, Hedori started preparing a tea tray. “The moment I sensed her in the room at the penthouse, Iknew.”
Well, damn! No wonder he’d been so determined to be a part ofthis.
“Explain something,” Dagan said, screwing the cap back on the bottle. “How did Jenna survive Gusion’s demise? A soul-joining always takes the remaining mate when deathoccurs.”
Michael scratched his shadowy jaw. Yeah, he knew something, because he sure as hell hadn’t seemed surprised by Jenna’srevelation.
“Gusion didn’t soul-join with Jenna,” Michael finally said. “Celestial angels can’t soul-join with anyone unless they fall. But spawn offspring? Yes, they can do that, just like the Watchersdid.”
Dagan remained silent for a moment then setting his water bottle on the table, he met the Arc’s shattered blue stare. His expression implacable, he laid down his decree. “I won’t let any harm come toShae.”
Michael exhaled a heavy breath. “Iknow.”
Dagan headed outside to go back on patrol and stopped on the terrace. Despite the soothing sounds of the night insects, his mind churned. It was obvious Shae had no idea what her father was—whatshewas.
A nephilim, one marked for death if the seraphs had theirway.
Not in his lifetime. And since his life was eternal,never.
* * *
Shae wokean hour before dawn in an empty bed. Dagan hadn’t returned from patrolyet.
Rubbing her drowsy eyes, she looked out the darkened window.Mom!
Darn it. She was supposed to check on her mother, not sleep for solong.
A short while later, showered and changed, she randownstairs.
Hedori glanced up as she entered the kitchen, in the middle of preparing the morning’s meal—or more precisely, dinner for the returningwarriors.
“Good morning.” She gave him a quick smile. “I’m going to see if Mom’sup.”
“Your mother had a restless night,” Hedori told her gently. “Michael sent her to sleep. He thinks it better she rests.” He hesitated, then said, “It will take her time to recover, she’s been through…alot.”
“What did they do to her?” she whispered, dread squeezing her chest, her mind wavering between thoughts of emotional and psychical torture, and…rape? Oh, dear God! She pressed a hand to her cramping stomach. The warriors could have healed her bruises, but the trauma? Thememories?
“I don’t know,” he said roughly as if he were in pain. “Your name was the only thing that stirred her back to life back when we found her in the DarkRealm.”
Her eyes burned with tears. Dagan hadn’t said much, just that her memories were blocked and she’d been locked in an empty house. And they’d killed the demons guardingher.
“Thank you for bringing herback.”
He inclined hishead.
Shae hurried into the dimly lit room and quietly approached the bedside to kneel on the floor. Her mother resembled a shell of the woman she’d once been. Her face gaunt, her tan skin appeared pasty and stretched tautly over her cheekbones, and her once beautiful auburn hair lay over the pillow like dull, lifelessweeds.
Gently, Shae grasped the cold hand lying on the cover. Tears started toflow.
More than anything, she wanted the bastard Samael to pay for hurting her mother. With an angry dash of her knuckles, she swiped her eyes, not wanting her mother to see her this way if sheawakened.
Sensing a presence behind her, Shae glanced back. Hedori approached, his features grave, but those striking orange-green eyes were soft withunderstanding.
He set a tray on the table with cocoa and her usual cereal. “Thought you might want to eat while you waited for her toawaken.”
More tears lodged in her throat. She couldn’t speak, butnodded.
