A single feather from either of their wings would’ve knocked Raphael over.
“She?”
His brother looked everywhere but at him.
“You knew Nadia before?”
A host of questions flooded his mind. How was it possible? Why hadn’t he killed her when he had the chance? Had they been friendly? They must have for her to teach him what she knew. Why had she pretended not to know him?
“Start explaining, or we are done here,” Raphael snapped, ignoring the buzzing for the third time.
With a resigned sigh, Michael gestured. “Answer and put Nadia on speaker phone.”
He hesitated a mere second.
“Hello, Assholes. You there?” Her voice came across as authoritative, but she couldn’t hide the tremble.
“One asshole is, and then there’s me.” Raphael smiled evilly under Michael’s irritated glare. “Hello, beautiful. How’s it hanging?”
“Shove your charm, you double-crossing bastard,” she growled. “I have a deal for you.”
“We’re listening.”
Her hearty exhale echoed across the line. “Release Luc and Gabriel, and I will turn myself over to you.”
Raphael’s stomach clenched. Michael’s expression was far too smug for his liking.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red.
“No deal,” he blurted, wiping the smirk off his brother’s face and causing her to gasp.
“Are you insane?” they shouted in unison.
“Perhaps.” He stepped back as Lucifer launched himself at Michael’s back and ripped one of the swords from his scabbard. “Perhaps not.”
The unmistakable sounds of a struggle came through the line, and Nadia ran for Thamiel only to find him gathering weapons.
“You are to stay away, miss. Master Luc will be upset if you were to be harmed in the fray.”
“But—”
“No.” His expression was sterner than anyone’s in her past. “Come. I will deliver you to the catacombs.”
“What catacombs?”
“Beneath the Grimwich library. I must get you to the room before I leave. You’ll be safe since only you are able to access it.”
“Cryptic, but okay,” she muttered, hurrying after him. One second, they were in Luc’s study, the next in a darkened corridor with flickering light, and another moment later, a cavernous room with human skulls and bones piled in the corner. “Um, Thamiel. If you hate me or intend to, you know, help Michael’s cause, couldn’t you have done it somewhere less creepy?”
He didn’t crack a smile, but his dark eyes crinkled at the corners. “This is the safest location for you.”
“If you say so,” Nadia said, far from convinced. “Are there wards? What if they find me here? Am I unprotected?”
“They do not know of this place, as it was only uncovered this week. You will be safe, miss. I promise.”
He stayed in the entryway but gestured to the middle of the nearest wall. “Pull that lever up.”
Silently, she questioned why he didn’t do it himself, but did as instructed.
