Impatience seared his insides, and he curbed the desire to snap. “Yes?”
“Please hurry. There’s something brewing. I feel it deep in my bones,” she confessed.
Whenever Kaldria admitted to a deep physical reaction, the warning was never to be taken lightly. “Understood. Take whatever precautions you believe necessary. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Have a care, Luc,” she said softly. “I don’t trust it isn’t a ruse to lure you out.”
“On this, we are in agreement, Kal. Send word to Baraqiel and the other Watchers of the Two Hundred. I’ll notify Thamiel to have a second contingency on standby. Those who choose peace are to shelter, but not in the standard locations. Find safe spots not on the books.”
“Smart.”
“Triple the guards. No one enters or exits your building until I arrive,” he instructed. “I would not have you jeopardized.”
“Your concern is appreciated, Luc, but I’m here to serve you.”
“No, Kaldria. Michael and Raphael are stirring up trouble, and you are to serve yourself now. I won’t have you caught up in a second war.”
“There was always bound to be another. We, the Morningstar Followers, all knew this. All of us understood the risks the uprising brought. Like Dinathial,” she added softly.
Grief washed over him, and he closed his eyes against the wave. He cleared his throat, displaying the only vulnerability he dared.
“We all adored her,” Kaldria said. “Don’t expect us not to exact revenge if or when the time comes. We are no different from you, Lucifer. Our cause is the same.”
“Our cause died a long time ago, my dear. What we are is the fallout.”
“You say fallout. I say family.”
“I must confer with Gabriel and secure Nadia. Be safe until I arrive.”
Luc disconnected but stared at the screen for a moment longer. Yes, he had to leave here, but he also recognized Michael’s attempt to divide and conquer. It was from him that his brother learned the art of warfare. The wily bastard had been the most apt of students.
The slider opened, and Nadia touched his back. “Luc?”
“I have to go out of town.”
The horror on her face almost made him chuckle. Nadia’s reactions were heartfelt and unrestrained. He adored that particular facet of her personality.
“Why now?”
He held up his cell. “The corporate world waits for no man.”
“Well, it sucks,” she muttered.
“Your breakfast or my leaving?” he asked, tongue in cheek.
“You know I mean your leaving,” she retorted with an eye roll.
While he had access to her thoughts, hearing her say it aloud pleased him in ways he didn’t wish to examine.
He clasped her hand and led her inside. After years without the feel of a lover’s tender touch, he was a glutton for hers. Nadia’s skin was smooth in a way his battle-scarred body could never be.
“It is said, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I can only hope you will grow fonder of me, Nadia,” he replied with a smile.
“There’s still a killer on the loose. What happens if I wait for you, only to be murdered the night before you come home? I will have missed all this.”
Her complaint was unfounded. Yesterday, he’d discovered the real culprit. He had yet to enact a punishment, but he would exact his pound of flesh when the time was right. But he couldn’t tell her. She was already on the fence, believing she was falling for the worst sort of evil.
He dared a glance at Gabriel, who was frowning at their joined hands. But when Gabe finally looked up, his concerns were shielded by a bland mask.
