“Please,” Nate muttered dryly. “Don’t lump me in with those angels. I was thrown amongst you lot not so long ago and resurrected as one of them. By the way,” he told Michael, “You’re all boneheaded bastards.”
Michael snorted.
Nia frowned. So, was Nate an angel? She let her mind’s shields crack open a little and felt the slight icy slide against her psyche.
Before she could ask, her brother was speaking again, “Since my change, something has been nagging at me. What are the angels so afraid of that they would harm the psionics?”
“Oh, that’s easy.” Aethan gripped the low backrest of Echo’s bar chair. “Angels are so high up in their own asses with pride and sanctimonious shit, they’ll let no weak human possess the powers of their most formidable kind. Nope, can’t have that now, can they?” he muttered. “They just might bring down the powers that be.”
Nia clenched her hands, the buzzing in them no longer constant, but she could feel the changes deep within her. They existed. Still, her powers weren’t really dangerous. She couldn’t kill anyone.
“So, that’s why they separated us and had our parents killed?” Echo whispered.
Nia jumped off the stool, anger sweeping through her. “They destroyed our family, caused us untold pain because of their damn fears?” Her gaze settled on the archangel. “We were children, but of course, you angels don’t care, do you?” Her last encounter with that Throne was still too fresh in her mind. She pressed a palm to her roiling belly. “One of you might have put a protection spell on me, but it doesn’t change the facts.Y-you allshattered our f-family.”
Nate scowled, his eyes shards of ice.
Michael sighed, then gave a single nod. He didn’t defend himself.
“Much as I hate those holier-than-thou bastards,” Aethan said, “Michael wasn’t a part of their machinations. This was the seraph’s doing.”
Michael lifted an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you actually came to my defense.”
“And now I regret it,” came the dry retort.
Michael shook his head, seeming a little amused. “No, I wasn’t aware of what they did to your family until two years ago when I learned the truth.”
“But why kill us?” Nate demanded, switching off the stove. “I mean, I was lethally wounded. Nia was shot, so death was her end, too. They wanted Echo to be their Healer of the Veils and could have simply taken her. Then, one of them decided to save Nia. None of this is making any fucking sense!”
Nia remained near the fridge, frowning at the discrepancies.
“They couldn’ttakeEcho because her powers hadn’t come into being yet,” Aethan said, taking the seat Nia had vacated. “Those duplicitous bastards probably wanted no weak mortal in their midst if her power failed to awaken.”
Michael nodded. “When Marmaroth heard about the annihilation of Watchers’ descendants, he arrived a tad too late,” he explained. “Nate had already lost his mortal life. Eshana hadrun off, and Rania was dying. Before humans gathered at the scene of the crime, he took you?—”
“No!”Nia doubled over, a vicious pain tearing through her like someone had shoved an icepick into her chest and torn out her heart.
“Nia!” Nate shot to her side, but Michael, being closer, had already grabbed her.
“What’s wrong?” her brother demanded.
Nia shook her head, gasping for breath at the agony consuming her. She pushed away from Michael and stumbled across the room for the door, needing air.
“Nia—”
“Nate, let me,” Echo called out as Nia lurched out onto the wooden deck.
She grasped the railing, breathing in copious amounts of chilly, briny air. Tears drenched her eyes, distorting the moon and smudging its cold light over the undulating sea.
“What happened?” Echo appeared at her side, Ely flanking her.
“I don’t know. No…” she moaned, tears falling, drowning in anguish.
“Dammit!” Echo grunted, rubbing her own chest. “I feel your pain. What the hell is going on?”
“We have you,” Ely said quietly from her other side.
“Nia, describe what’s happening, then maybe we can help you,” Echo begged.
