Her attachment to Lucifer troubled him, and Gabriel wished he’d discovered her existence first. As the Kingdom’s public enemy number one, Lucifer wasn’t a popular man to love.
Disarming her, he gestured to the sofa.
“Sit down, Rafe. Tell us what you know while I make Nadia a meal. She’s hangry and likely to carve your eye from its socket with little provocation.”
Thunder boomed again, shaking the building.
“Don’t treat me like a child, Gabriel. To you, I may be, but I’ve survived thirty-four years on my own.”
Prior to that exact moment, he couldn’t say he felt any paternal affection or fatherly pride, but he felt kernels of both pop.
“Eighty-two, if Luc is to be believed. And yes, you’re correct. I apologize for not considering your feelings. Now, tell me how to make a grilled cheese.”
Raphael snorted. “Your penchant for steaks and seafood is telling, brother. Clearly, you’ve never been holed up with limited food supplies.” He raised his brows and gestured to the stove. “If you’ll allow me?”
“As long as you promise you won’t poison me, sure,” Nadia said. “During which you tell me about Luc and explain to Gabriel why you’re blocking transmissions.”
He rolled his eyes as he strode for the kitchen. “Has anyone told you that you have a one-track mind?”
Another high-pitched frequency set Gabriel’s head to ringing. The drum-piercing sound grew with each passing second, and he fought against the pain. As it reached its highest pitch, he fell to his knees, covering his ears in his agony.
He shouted Nadia’s name as the guards dropped to the floor.
She dove for him, kneeling down as she gripped his wrists. “What is it? What’s happening?”
“Run,” he ordered through gritted teeth. “Get to… Luc’s… Double protected.”
With her concern all for him, she strained to get him on his feet.
“Come on, pops! Work with me here, dammit!” she panted.
Raphael approached her from behind, his intent unknown.
In a last-ditch effort to protect her, Gabriel pressed one knife in her palm and threw the other.
“Run, Nadia,” he growled as he crawled toward his treacherous brother.
Rafe lifted his foot, prepared to kick him in the face. But Gabriel caught it, swept his leg, and brought him crashing down on the sofa table. The impact broke the flimsy engineered wood and leveled the battlefield.
From the corner of his eye, he checked Nadia’s progress. She dashed toward the sliders, only to jerk to a halt.
She paled, and he cursed as Michael touched down, wings spread beyond the patio’s boundaries.
“Harness the storm, Nadia,” Raphael called out as he scrambled away. “Specifically, the lightning. Electrify the railing, and do it now, or he will kill you.”
His suggestion shocked Gabriel.
Why in Heaven’s name was he helping her rather than Michael?
“I don’t know how!” she cried.
“Get angry, dammit,” Raphael snarled. “Michael beat Luc bloody.”
Her head whipped toward them, and lightning raced across the darkening sky.
“His beautiful face is mincemeat,” he taunted as he climbed to his feet.
A bolt traveled up from the ground. The rocking building threatened Michael’s footing, and he grabbed the railing to steady himself.
