22
Right on time, Raphael arrived at the door.
Gabriel remained on high alert as he instructed Nadia to stand on the opposite side of the room, with Thamiel and another man the size of a mountain flanking her. After being admitted, Raphael was required to stand between two more of Thamiel’s hulking men.
“My place feels cramped. We should’ve gone to the rec room,” she remarked.
Although Gabriel heard her, he let her comment slide.
“State your business,” he demanded of Raphael.
“As I said, I’m here to propose a truce. The Creator wishes to meet Nadia.” His lapis eyes reflected genuineness.
Gabriel raised a brow. “Then why didn’t he send word to me directly?”
The problem with his brothers was that they believed they had a far superior intellect to that of the entire population of Earth, supernatural beings included.
They didn’t.
However, a case existed for them being the most deceptive. For this reason, Gabriel didn’t trust this supposed truce.
Raphael shrugged and widened his eyes, as if at a loss as to why their father might suddenly stop speaking to him. The chance existed, of course, but other than Adalyn, Gabriel had always toed the line.
Shoving distracting thoughts of his deceased wife aside, he uncrossed his arms and reached for the knives tucked in his waistband.
“The stall tactic won’t work, Rafe. Your tongue will be payment for your lies.”
“No! I speak the truth.” Alarmed, Raphael sought mercy from Nadia. “The Creator wishes to meet with you. Michael doesn’t want that. So he sent me here to offer you a deal. You in exchange for Lucifer.”
She paled.
Gabriel’s nerve endings tingled, and a sudden ringing in his ears indicated a message from home. But before he could answer the call, static cut across the sound, followed by silence.
“Tell me, brother. Who is blocking transmissions from the Kingdom?”
“I don’t know what?—”
Gabriel pressed his blade tip to Raphael’s jugular. “Lie to me again. I dare you.”
Nadia cried out, and with trembling hands, attempted to tug him away.
“Gabriel, please. If you kill him, we’ll never know what happened to Luc.”
Acknowledging the validity, he allowed himself to be swayed. He eased back, but not before nicking Raphael's skin as a reminder not to fuck with him. His wince was gratifying, yet Gabriel gave him credit for not immediately attempting to stem the blood flow.
Nadia’s sickly reaction didn’t bode well for her future as a warrior.
“Where is he? What have you done with Luc?” she demanded, rallying.
Raphael remained mute, his gaze locked with hers.
Lightning lit the skies outside the windows, and thunder rattled the panes.
“I am done with games,” she snapped. In a move too fast for mortals, she snatched one of Gabriel’s knives, surprising them all. With the tip an inch from Raphael’s left eye and a snarl on her mouth, she asked, “Where the fuck is Luc?”
“Do you have it in you to wound me, Nadia?” he asked softly. His compassionate look was disconcerting, and if Gabriel didn’t know better, he’d say his brother admired her.
“I only want to know he’s okay,” she said. She couldn’t hide the tremble in her lower lip.
