He one-eyed her curiously. “You’re using spells instead of natural ability?”
She disappeared her weapons and wings. They were glorious. Like his had been. Now, he just had bloody bone stumps that never healed.
“I use everything at my disposal,” she said. “And in this environment, I was afraid she’d sense the use of angelic power.”
Raika was probably right. And truthfully, he didn’t know what special powers she’d been granted by Heaven when she reached maturity and had been tasked with capturing the evilest of the demons her father had set free. During Gabriel’s restriction in Heaven, he’d been forbidden access to any information about her or her duties. He’d been forbidden access to almost everything.
“Well?” He held his bound wrists out. “You’re freeing me, right?”
She appeared to consider his request, and he started sweating. He couldn’t take another day in this place. He was starving and in pain—little more than a mass of well-tenderized meat at this point.
“I guess I might as well,” she said, sounding distracted as she looked around the room. Clearly, his situation was of little concern to her. She was just like her father. But hotter. “Lilith won’t return anytime soon. And now she knows she’s being hunted. I fucked up.”
“Yeah, that’s too bad.” He gestured with his hands. “Free me?”
She regarded him with the aloof gaze she’d also inherited from her father. That looking-down-her-nose thing belonged to her mother, though. “I’ll take you to Underworld General.”
“The demon hospital?” He’d considered going there when he first landed in the human realm, but only until he could figure out his next move. He’d had weeks to do that now, and his plan to get back into Heaven didn’t involve demons. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Look at yourself. Do you really think you’ll survive more than a day without getting caught by demons or fallen angels?” Her mouthtwisted in distaste. “You have broken bones punching out of your skin. You’re so dehydrated you’re not even bleeding from gaping wounds. And I’m pretty sure your right clavicle isn’t supposed to be on the same side as the left. So, yeah, I’m taking you to UG.”
The very idea of being treated by demons, inside a demon facility, was outrageous. Insulting. He was an Archangel, dammit. He should be taken somewhere far more appropriate.
“Take me to Ares.” Gabriel and the Horseman weren’t buddies or anything, but Gabriel had been to his island, and if anyone could help, it was Ares.
“I’m not your taxi service.” She hauled him to his feet, uncaring of his agony. “You’re going to be Eidolon’s problem now.”
Mace had known pain in the past. He’d broken about a million bones, had been nearly disemboweled a couple of times, and once, Blade had even had to restart his heart.
But the things Dr. Vale had done to him made all those other instances seem like minor scratches and contusions. At least his parents had stepped outside and hadn’t—hopefully—heard his roars of agony.
Talon had, though. Figured his half-brother would be standing right there, using the excuse that he needed to monitor Mace’s organs in case they exploded or melted or some shit. They hadn’t, thankfully. Mace would have hated for Talon to have an I-told-you-so moment.
“Hey, kiddo.”
Mace looked up from the video game he was playing in the 3D projection from his wrist comms. He’d needed to take his mind off Blade and Scotty, the mission he’d failed to complete, and the fact that he couldn’t contact them.
“Hey.” Mace shut down the game as Wraith sauntered into the room, decked out in battle gear and a worn leather trench coat, beneath which there would be dozens of weapons. Weapons he’d taught Mace to be proficient with by the time he was ten. “Who called you? I know Talon didn’t.”
“Idess sent me a message.” Wraith moved over to the bed as quickly and smoothly as the creature that was his namesake. “How are you doing? Your parents said you could have died.”
“They worry too much.”
Wraith gave Mace’s arm a fond squeeze. “It’s what parents do.”
“What do parents do?” Talon blew into the room like a storm cloud, no doubt pissed about Wraith’s presence.
“They worry about their kids.” Wraith turned his words into a challenge as he faced Talon. “Even when they’re adults.”
“Well, there’s no reason to worry about Mace.” Talon tossed his clipboard onto the counter. “He’s doing great.”
“What about you?” Wraith asked.
“Me?” Talon scoffed. “I’m not the one who was dumb enough to get caught in a bone-crush spell.”
“Fuck off,” Mace sighed. “Traps aren’t always easy to detect. Because, you know, they’retraps.”
“Speaking of traps,” Wraith said to Talon, in a voice that was definitely a trap, “you still messing with that fallen angel?”
