“It’s none of your concern, demon.”
“You’re pretty demanding for someone in your…diminished…position.”
Gabriel growled. “I am the Archangel Gabriel, Lord of the Kingdom of Chrystalis, Destroyer of Demons, Builder of Realms, and over two hundred other titles of such significance that your puny demon brain can’t even begin to comprehend. Youwillcontact him for me.”
“I see. How about this?” Eidolon wadded up a sheet of paper and tossed it into the trash bin. “Show me your official Center of the Universe credentials, and I’ll shoot Ares a message right now. Or, you answer my question and tell me why you want to talk to him. Your choice.”
Insufferable fiend! But the fiend held all the cards, and Gabriel wasn’t in a position to do anything about it.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
So humiliating. “I want him to grant me asylum.”
“Interesting.” Eidolon spun back to him on his stool. “What makes you think he’ll allow you to stay on his island?”
“I’ve helped train his children—and yours—in battle. I can help the Memitim on his island in their dealings with Heaven. And,” Gabriel added, “I have information he wants.”
“Lilith.” Eidolon’s dark eyes sparked with hatred as he stood. Everyone despised Lilith. As they should. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Good. Gabriel had a plan B named Stryke, but Ares was in a better position to help him. Besides, if Heaven learned that Stryke was in any way aiding Gabriel, they would destroy him. But they would think twice about starting shit with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
As Gabriel shoved himself off the exam table, Eidolon’s sister-in-law, Idess, stepped in, her eyes glued to Gabriel.
“It’s true,” she whispered, awe making her voice tremble. Finally, someone was revering him as he should be. “You’re really here.”
“Greetings, Idess.” He’d only seen her a couple of times, back before Azagoth destroyed his realm, but she’d always been gracious. And adequately adoring.
“I can’t believe it.” She glanced at Eidolon, excitement sparking in her eyes. “We need to take him to Eva.”
“Eva?” He frowned and then remembered Azagoth and Raika telling him a while back that the female—Logan’s wife—was hosting Harvester’s Grace. “Why do you want me to see her?”
Idess’s eyes glistened with emotion. “She’s dying.”
Frankly, Gabriel was surprised that Eva was still alive. The human body couldn’t withstand the radioactive power of an angel’s Grace for long. Harvester had died months ago, her blood raining down on Earth, coating the Temple Mount and a small beach in Hawaii in splotches of crimson. Most in Heaven had considered it a suicide. Others, like Gabriel, called it murder, no matter that she’d entered an unsurvivable portal with intent. If she hadn’t been forced to, she’d still be around, advocating for her imprisoned mate and stirring every angelic pot she could.
He sighed. “What do you want me to do about it?”
“We need your help to expel Harvester’s Grace. And as far as I know, only an angel can do it. A powerful angel, like an Archangel.”
Powerful? Gabriel almost laughed. He’d lost his wings, his power, and his dignity when those bastards booted him from Heaven. Bitterness coated his tongue and his words. “I can’t help you.”
“Can’t you at least try?” Idess pleaded. “I’m not an angel anymore, but surely you can draw Harvester’s Grace—”
He cut her off with a frustrated curse. “I said no.” At the devastation in her expression, he tempered his tone. “Therehavebeen instances of dead angels being brought back and reunited with their Grace, as long as their Grace hasn’t returned to Heaven.”
“So, itistrue?” Excitement bled into Idess’s voice. “Aleka found an ancient ritual she thinks will do that, but we’ve had no real evidence.”
Of course, Aleka had found the ritual. Ares’s eldest daughter was useless with a weapon, but she could wield knowledge against evil as effectively as any blade.
“You’ll need Harvester’s blood. Just a drop will do.”
Idess nodded. “Aleka’s been trying to find some, but I fear we’re running out of time.”
“You say Eva is here? In the hospital?”
“She was brought in a few hours ago,” Eidolon said. “She’s weak. Her body is caving in on itself.”
Damn. “Have her eyes turned white?”
