The grief on his chiseled features morphed into stone. “Enki, my sire, was a whoring son of a bitch despite being soul-joined to my mother. After one of his many indiscretions, he waskilled—”
“Wait, I thought once soul-joined, you neverstrayed?”
“You usually don’t.” He stared into the night as if lost in the past. “Finding one’s bonded mate is rare among the gods, and treasured. Many want it, very few find it.Hehated the Fates tying him to one female and was determined to do as he pleased. Being the progeny of the ruling god An, no one dared stop him. Even in death, he had the last laugh, sealing my mother’sfate.”
“What do youmean?”
A vein throbbed on Dagan’s brow. “Once soul-joined, if one mate dies, so does the other. Before she succumbed, she begged me to keep Inara safe. And I failed her. I godsdamn failed them both!” He slammed his palms on the metal balustrade, and the thingshuddered.
“Dagan!” Shae grabbed hisarm.
He pivoted. “It’s why I won’t let harm come to you. You are my mate, Shae. Maybe I should have told you about my suspicions regarding your mother, but I didn’t want to worry you or get your hopes up if I was wrong. I made you two promises. I’ll find Jenna, and the one who wielded thatdagger.”
A thought struck her then. “Wait. You can see a person’s thoughts when you touch an item of theirs, right? If I gave you something of Mom’s, would you know why sheleft?”
“Depends on what she touched last. You have anythinghere?”
Her heart slid to her feet in disappointment. “No, but at thepenthouse…”
He shook his head. “We can’t draw undue attention to ourselves, not with a Fallen having access to your kin’s place and possibly waiting for you.” He pressed his lips to her brow. “We’ll find another way. Come. Let’s go down and see if Hedori found out anythingelse.”
* * *
Shae satat the giant oak dining table in the kitchen, her anxiety growing while Hedori reiterated all that Dagan had revealed. She forced herself to eat one of the two sandwiches he’d made forher.
The last bite sticking in her throat, she pushed her plate away and picked up her cell from the table. “I have to callHarvey.”
Dagan nodded and leaned a shoulder on the jamb of the French doors leading out to the small, herb-scentedterrace.
Harvey answered after a few seconds. “Hey,Shae.”
“Any news on my mom?” She put her cell on speaker and set it on thetable.
“No, nothing yet. But the demon I told you about goes by Luka. He’s as tight-lipped as a closed porthole with his cronies around. I tried following him a short while ago, but the bastard took me on a wild goose chase. He was highly amused when he cornered me, and I had to freakin’ pretend I had an itch for him.” His surly tone made her smile. “Said I ruined his fun. The butthead was trailing after some human girl he had the hotsfor—”
“Wait—” Hedori stepped closer to the phone. “This Luka, is he a little on the thin side? Dark hair, average height, with an eight-point star tattoo on the side of his neck that goes up to hisjaw?”
At the silence coming down the line, Shae hastily said, “Sorry, Harvey, I should have told you, the Guardian, Dagan, and Hedori are here.” She’d tell her friend the truth about her and Dagan later. “They’re helping me with this,too.”
“Okay,” Harvey muttered. “Yeah, it’s the sameasshole.”
Hedori nodded at Dagan. “I trailed him to the Bronx last night, but then he did a turnabout and vanished. Probably sensed he was beingfollowed.”
A light, ocean-scented breeze with a hint of amber swept through the kitchen from the open French doors. Frowning, Shae looked up as Michael took form on the night-darkened terrace and strode into the kitchen, his shaded gaze sweeping overthem.
“I’m assuming there’s been a change in your situation and you’re not here for the briefing before patrol?” he drawled atDagan.
“As if there were any doubt,” hecountered.
“Harv, I’ll call you back.” Shae hurriedly ended the call. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she had the distinct impression that Michael wasamused.
He pushed his shades to his brow, revealing eyes like shattered blue gems. Shae gaped. The silvery light seeping out of his cracked irises gave him an otherworldly appearance. No wonder he wore dark shades all thetime.
A moment of surrealism hit her square in the face. Hell, she was in the presence of a being most humans thought a myth—theleader of all the archangels. Her gaze skipped back to her ownimmortal.
Dagan lifted a brow in question. She shook her head and slid her cell into her jacketpocket.
The kitchen door opened, and Týr and Aethanentered.
