Before I can ask, Ender is gently pushing me toward Garvan. Clearly, his job is complete, and he’s eager to leave this place. Lucky bastard.
“Please follow me, Miss Sinclair,” Garvan says before walking toward the castle. Unlike Ender, I don’t need to jog to keep stride with him.
The last thing I hear before we disappear into the castle is Oziel saying, “Ender, do you have a moment?”
I don’t hear The Guardian’s answer before I walk through the castle’s front doors, and they close with an ominous finality behind me.
Chapter 5
Oziel
Ender bristles at my question, then relaxes his body—as much as he’s capable of doing—and nods.
“I won’t take up much of your time. I’m certain you are eager to get home, as much as I’m eager to get to know my new wife.”
My pretty little human.
Hair the color of shadows and lips the shade of fresh blood. Her skin pale like the moon. A wicked tongue that slices me with her words. She’s intriguing and will be fun to torment, but my concern at this time isn’t with Isabelle. It’s with the creature in front of me.
Ender, or more appropriately, his title, The Guardian, is an enigma to me. As far as I know, he’s the only one of his kind and the only person who can pass through the human world into ours. Yet, he never stays in Mescos for long, opting to live in solitude in the human world. He’s an ancient creature; power settles dormant over him. We don’t know if there were more of him, but most assumethere was. The real question is what happened to them, and why is Ender the only one left?
I have questions. Many questions.
“We are in the midst of a war, Ender.”
The Guardian nods slowly, showing no emotion. I’ve seen little from this man and taste nothing but emptiness wafting off him. Demons have a keen awareness of emotions. We feed off them. Use them to our advantage to always have the upper hand. But Ender is giving me nothing. It’s as if he’s locked his emotions away and sealed them shut.
Curious.
“I have faith the kings of Mescos will prosper against Gadreel and his army,” Ender says in a way that’s far too casual for talks of wars.
“As long as you continue to bring us our wives,” I say.
“Yes, of course.”
“Why?”
Something akin to confusion flickers in Ender’s smoky eyes. His head tilts slightly, eyes roaming over me. “Why what?”
“Don’t play dumb, Ender. We both know you are the furthest thing from it.”
Ender balls his hands into fists and then slowly unfurls them. “You will not win this war if you do not have the love of your human. The Great War is proof of that.”
“Then help us. You seem to know a lot about a war you have no stakes in. Of course, perhaps you have the most to lose…” I trail off, waiting for his reaction.
A tightening jaw and clenched hands are his onlyresponse. This man is good. Too good. Which means the secret—because there has to be one he’s hiding—is big. Life-altering even.
“Are we done here? I must be?—”
“We caught a Nephilim,” I interrupt him.
Finally, I get a reaction from him. He freezes, mouth slightly agape. He’s quick to school his features back to his normal stoic expression, but not before I catch the change. “Have you?”
“Mhm,” I hum. “Come with me to visit our captive.”
I don’t give Ender the opportunity to say no, but he’s more than capable of leaving if he chooses to. I can’t stop him, but I’m nothing if not a gambling man. I turn my back on Ender and make my way to the castle. The soft crunch of his footfalls behind me says his curiosity won.
We walk in silence through my front entrance. A few of my demons linger in the shadows, their attention focused on the horned stranger at my flank. Ender was a warning whispered in the shadows. A rumor mill with never-ending stories. Now he is flesh and bones. Real. It’s easy to see the merit in those stories now.
