“I’ve heard about enough, Mac,” Luca announced. “Work with you, Monte? When hell freezes over.”
“Well, perhaps you should check to see if the temperature is dropping, my friend. Do you know how Azakriel works?” Monte quirked a brow in Luca’s direction.
“Of course we do,” Mac interjected. “He plays on forbidden desires. Things people want, or think they want, but morally or ethically would never act on. He obliterates the filter between right and wrong…and all hell breaks loose.”
“Esattamente! You are exactly right. And did you also know that when Azakriel was banished to the book, he became incorporeal?” Monte leaned forward eagerly, jabbing a finger in McAllister’s direction.
“Do you have a point, asshole?” Luca asked in a cold, bored voice.
“Indeed.” Monte looked down his long, Roman nose as though Luca was an odd specimen under a microscope. “Because his body died centuries ago, in order to escape the book Azakriel must inhabit the body of another. If that body is destroyed while he is in residence, he is destroyed along with it.”
“You’re sure of this?” Luca growled.
“Certo! My plan was to release Azakriel in a contained environment and allow him to inhabit my body. I am ancient, gentlemen...scusi, and signora.” He nodded politely in Kat’s direction. “I feel certain I would be able to resist Azakriel’s temptations long enough to allow the destruction of us both.”
“That’s it!” Luca headed for the door. “You may be older, Monte, but we sure as hell weren’t born yesterday. Let’s go, Mac.”
Kassian got to his feet and reached down a hand to pull Kat to hers.
“Wait,” Kat said in a surprised tone, her gaze firmly fixed on the Fallen.
“I think he means it.” She sent her thoughts to both her husband and Luca. “I’m feeling a lot of things...anger, grief, frustration. What I don’t feel is even a whisper of deceit, subterfuge, or fear. Whatever Monte’s beef is with this demon, he’s not only willing to work with his enemies, he’s also willing to die to make sure the demon dies with him.”
“You’re sure about this?” McAllister asked.
“Absolutely? No. But if I had to bet on it, I would.”
McAllister’s phone jangled and he reached into his jacket and checked the display.
“Excuse me,” he nodded at Monte.
“What’ve you got?” Mac listened intently while Luca worked at reigning in his unreasonable need to get back to Callista. She was at the villa surrounded by complicated sigils. She was safe. So why did he suddenly feel so uneasy?
“You’re absolutely certain?” McAllister’s tension showed in his voice and he shot a worried glance in Luca’s direction. “Okay. What time do you get in? I have a hunch we might need your big ugly ass.”
McAllister shoved the phone back in his pocket and looked at his wife. Something in his expression, or perhaps the emotions her empath detected swirling around him must have alerted her to trouble.
“What is it, Kassian?”
“Dimitri found something,” he said in a tone that Luca recognized as one that didn’t bode well. “He went back to Elle’s apartment again and this time when he got no answer he uh, let himself in to have a look around. The place was trashed just like yours, but he did find a notepad near the phone. It appears Elle booked a flight to Rome yesterday.”
“But...” Kat’s face twisted in a confused expression. “If she left yesterday, she should have been here by now. Why wouldn’t she have called? Why wouldn’t she have come to the villa?”
Kassian’s gaze slid away and he didn’t immediately answer.
“Allow me to explain, Signora McAllister. Your friend did not contact you because it is very likely that your friend is not the entity in control of her body or her actions at this moment,” Monte offered silkily. “Am I right, McAllister?”
Luca watched his sister through narrowed eyes and saw the look of horror that crumpled her features as understanding dawned. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her husband by the front of his jacket.
“We have to find her, Kassian,” her eyes were huge and her chin quivered. “We have to find her and get that monster out of her.”
“And for that, you will need me,” Monte interjected smoothly.
“I’m not so sure about that.” Monte was not a small man. Still, Luca was larger and as he stepped up to the Fallen, he had to look down to meet the other man’s eyes. He was annoyed to find that his menacing stare had little effect on the evil one.
“Luca, please!” Kat cried. “At least give him a chance to explain.”
He turned slowly to his sister with a look that spoke volumes. He knew she could feel the rage building in him.
“You might be willing to trust Lucifer himself to save Elle Gates, Katrina, but I cannot not so easily overlook what Monte’s thugs did to Gia, nor the fact that Calli was threatened.” Before the sound of his voice had even faded from the air, the look on her face told him he probably should have kept that to himself rather than shouting it at her across the room. And her expression paled in comparison to the one Mac flashed him and as quickly suppressed. Elle Gates was the only person Kat had been able to trust or turn to for years. Losing the woman would devastate her and Kat had lost enough in her life. He tried to remain unmoved as his sister’s tears escaped from her eyes and slipped down her cheeks in reaction to Luca’s sharp words. He’d never raised his voice or spoken to her in anger, and now he’d made her cry. Merde! He supposed for her sake he’d have to try to find a way to reconcile his hatred and distrust of this particular Fallen with the fact that Monte might have the answers they needed.
“I admit, the interrogation of the Moscato woman was unfortunate,” Monte allowed, intently examining his carefully manicured nails. “While I don’t personally condone those particular tactics, I could hardly be overly concerned with the sensibilities of one measly half-breed in the greater scheme of things.”
“Why?” Luca asked in a hard voice. “You want us to work with you? Help you? Trust you? Then you spill it. Why are you so hell bent on destroying this demon and why are you even willing to die in order to do it?”
“I understand your curiosity Fiorelli, but at the moment I prefer to keep my reasons to myself.”
Luca’s fingers curled into fists at his sides. It was all that he could do to keep from beating the information out of the bastard. Monte raised his eyes with a vague smile curling his well-defined lips. Luca saw no remorse, no compassion for what had befallen Gia, no apology for the threat to Calli. Well, what had he expected from a Fallen? Luca’s gut twisted. As far as he was concerned, the son-of-a-bitch deserved no more mercy than he’d ever shown anyone else.
Luca glanced at Mac. His friend’s face remained unreadable and his thoughts were equally vague. Damn! Mac usually took the lead in these situations but it was clear that he was deferring on this one. Because of Calli. Calli had been threatened. Mac was stepping aside and relinquishing responsibility for Calli to Luca. Luca recognized and appreciated the gesture for what it was, a sign of acceptance and respect. He also realized Mac could simply be preoccupied with plotting ways to kick his ass when this was all over for the way he’d verbally flayed Kat. Merde! Was it too much to ask that he give up a freakin’ clue?
Luca’s gaze then slid to Kat. She clung to her husband’s hand and the faint trace of a tear still glistened on her lashes. She met his look and squared her shoulders, letting him know that she wouldn’t interfere with anything he needed to do, even if it cost her personally. Today, his sister turned out to be a better soldier than he. Luca, not Kat, had been the one to break a cardinal rule of the Defensori: Always present a united front in the presence of an enemy.
“I’m sorry, cara. I didn’t mean to jump all over you like that.” He used a mental pathway that was specific to him and Kat. He held the aloof expression for Monte’s benefit, but hoped his sister’s empath would feel his regret for having taken out his frustration on her. She nodded
ever so slightly and Luca saw her hand tighten reflexively on Mac’s as though to let him know everything was all right.
He returned both his cold stare and his attention to the Fallen. Diavolo! Why had he never stopped to appreciate how simple his life had been when he really didn’t give a shit about much of anything beyond a good, invigorating battle or a casual roll in the hay?
He sighed inwardly, recognizing the truth. Life had been simpler perhaps, but it had also been empty. He needed to get a grip. Calli was safe at the villa. She wasn’t going anywhere. He needed to put her out of his mind and focus on the disaster at hand. They had to find and harness this demon before the situation got any worse. Elle was important to Kat. If this son-of-a-bitch had a way to save her, he owed it to his sister to try. It didn’t mean he had to like it. At all.
“You must have loved her very much,” Kat unexpectedly addressed Monte in a quiet voice. His head swiveled so sharply in her direction that Luca suspected he might have suffered a whiplash. Monte opened and closed his mouth like a gasping fish. Maybe in shock, maybe in denial, but whatever the reason, no words came out. They didn’t have to. Ignazio Monte’s face said it all.
Chapter Fifteen
Luca watched the Fallen jerk upright from the desk and then fiddle with his jacket lapels as he tried to recapture his former sang froid. He failed miserably. Luca kept a tight rein on his reactions, though he couldn’t suppress a satisfied smirk when Monte loosened his tie, inserted a finger into his professionally starched shirt, and ran it between the collar and his neck as though he couldn’t quite breathe.
Kat had gambled on interpreting the emotions she was sensing and somehow managed to hit the nail right on the head. His sister accomplished what neither Luca nor Mac had been able to do. She’d made the bastard sweat.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Monte replied stiffly at last.
“I can understand something so personal is difficult to talk about, especially for a man in your position, signore. But let’s be frank. We don’t trust you, you don’t trust us. Still, if you are to be believed, we all want the same result. It would seem the best way to achieve that is for us all to cooperate, at least temporarily.” Kat said.
“My wife is right, Monte,” Mac interjected. “Our motives are pretty obvious. We want one less demon in the world. We want to neutralize the threat to humanity and facilitate the safe return of Miss Gates. With us, what you see is what you get. Make no mistake. We’ll defeat this demon with or without you, but a temporary truce could expedite it. A Fallen looking to take out a demon doesn’t make a lot of sense. You’re going to have to give us something that does if you expect us to work with you.”
Monte moved around his enormous mahogany desk and collapsed into the chair. He leaned forward and tented his fingers in front of him. Then he simply stared at the desk blotter without speaking.
“You’ve clearly never accepted the loss,” Kat continued. “Was she your wife?”
Monte turned slowly in Kat’s direction, his eyes widening by the second.
“Una Strega!” he hissed. “What are you, some kind of witch? How can you possibly know these things about me?”
His voice quavered. Oh yeah, Kat had him good and rattled. Luca enjoyed watching her focus on unnerving someone other than him for a change.
“My wife is extremely intuitive,” Mac answered smoothly before Kat had a chance to respond.
“Again, I say to you, husband, I can speak for myself.”
“Of course you can, love. I was simply bragging a little.” Mac grinned in her direction.
Kat rolled her eyes and swatted her husband’s broad chest.
Luca watched them quietly. He wanted that. He wanted that connection, that capacity to tune out the rest of the world and become lost in one another no matter how dire the circumstances. He’d been happy for his sister and his best friend when they found one another, but he’d also been incredibly envious. He just hadn’t recognized the vague discomfort for what it was until now—until now, when he had the opportunity to experience the very same intimacy with Calli.
“Can we get on with this please?” Monte growled. “If your information is correct, Azakriel is already here in Rome. Of course, I would have suspected as much even without your questionable intelligence report. One needs only to look outside and observe the increasing chaos in the streets.”
“But I don’t understand,” Kat frowned. “Why come here? Do you think it could be because he’s possessed Elle? Maybe she’s trying to get to us for help?” She looked at Monte and then back at her husband with a hopeful expression.
“Doubtful,” Monte replied dryly. “She is human, si? There is absolutely no possibility she is in control.”
Kat’s face fell. “Then why? Surely New York would have been ripe with opportunity for a demon who wanted to promote mayhem.”
“I believe Azakriel has come to Rome for one of two reasons. One, to destroy the one who created the tools to incapacitate him. Or secondly, to destroy the one responsible for their being used against him successfully. The first, as you know, is Michael. The second is me.”
“You?” Luca sneered in a voice dripping with disbelief. “Those objects were specifically created to be used by Aandalena and her line, those with Archangel blood. I hardly think you swim in the right gene pool, Monte.”
“So skeptical, Fiorelli. But you are correct. I do not possess the right pedigree to manipulate either the ring or the key.” An odd smile hovered on the lips of the Fallen. He looked in Luca’s direction, but his gaze was far away, as though he was seeing something or someone else altogether. “My daughter, however, was another matter.”
“Your daughter?”
“Why so surprised, il mio amico? Earthbound don’t hold the monopoly on procreation.”
With a visible effort, Monte brought his attention back to his visitors and looked from one to the other. Kat and Kassian were still seated side by side in the gray suede armchairs near the window. Luca remained standing in the center of the office, feet planted, arms crossed impatiently over his chest.
Monte leaned back in his plush leather chair with a fatalistic sigh and waved a hand in the direction of the chairs.
“Please sit down, Luca. While I have no doubt I am now strong enough to prevail over the demon on my own, a joint venture would certainly expedite matters, and as McAllister has pointed out, and the more time we waste, the more devastation he causes.”
“Sit down, Luca,” Mac added shortly. “Let’s hear what he’s got to say.”
“Why? It’s bound to be a load of bull anyway. Let’s get out of here, Mac. We’re wasting time,” Luca grumbled, but moved toward the chair and dropped his ass into it. He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed one booted ankle over the other as though he had all the time in the world.
He didn’t. Not anymore. His work, his mission, his salvation these many centuries now felt like endless minutes ticking away on a tired clock, minutes he would rather be spending with Callista. Still, he had obligations, right? He laced his fingers behind his neck and leaned his head back into them. He looked at Monte from beneath his lashes and quirked a brow. “Well?”
Monte glared at Luca, then turned his attention to Kat. “Si, Signora McAllister. The woman was my wife,” he began haltingly. “A beautiful, strong, and gifted witch of Aandalena’s lineage. But in spite of her power, she was a gentle soul. I never understood my good fortune in winning her love.”
“Me neither,” Luca mumbled.
“Luca,” Mac warned. Luca rolled his eyes in a fair imitation of his sister’s favorite response, then simply closed them and wondered how much longer this fiasco was going to continue. Maybe if he didn’t actually have to look at the bastard, listening to him would be slightly less irritating.
“My daughter, Daniela, was seventeen and even more beautiful than her mother. Unfortunately, she was also rebellious and headstrong. Perhaps that was her legacy from me, perhaps it was
a result of her age. Over centuries, customs and cultures change and evolve until they are sometimes unrecognizable remnants of what came before, yet adolescents seem always to remain adolescents, true?”
Luca assumed either Mac or Kat had offered some sign of agreement when Monte cleared his throat and continued.
“Despite her stubborn nature, she was basically a sweet child, but then her behavior changed and over some weeks became progressively more outrageous. She began sneaking off. She was in love, she said, and would listen to no one. Nor would she bring this man home to meet her parents. There was a terrible argument, and Daniela stormed out after wishing us both dead. My wife was devastated. I was sure Daniela was simply being dramatic, as young girls are, and told my wife this very thing. Then I left her there, determined to discover the identity of this man who was destroying my family. When I returned home later that evening, I did.”
“Azakriel,” Kat whispered hoarsely.
Luca opened one eye and glanced at his sister. Her face had turned ghostly white, and she bent forward with her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. Mac cupped his hand around her nape and his fingers traced firm, rhythmic circles in the tight muscles at the base of her skull. It was clear to Luca the pain she was feeling from Monte was significant.
He opened the other eye, sat up, and transferred his attention to the Fallen. If Kat looked bad, Monte looked worse. Deathly pale and wearing a haunted expression, the dark angel appeared to have aged a century in the last five minutes. Merde! The son-of-a-bitch was telling the truth.
“I was too late, of course. Azakriel had taken full advantage of my daughter’s childish tantrum and her mother was dead.” Monte scrubbed a hand wearily over his face as though trying to erase a memory that would never leave him.
“He stayed only long enough to take his pleasure in Dani’s reaction when he freed her mind and she saw what she had done…and to make sure I understood who was responsible, of course. I was much younger then. I had the will but didn’t believe I had the strength or the experience to destroy him on my own, and if I died in the attempt, Daniela would be all alone. So I had to find another way, a way to neutralize him until I gained enough power to destroy him. At my request, my wife’s sisters and my daughter used their combined power to summon the demon and then used the ring and the key to imprison him. It was Azakriel who orchestrated this tragedy, Daniela was not to blame. I certainly did not blame her. She said she believed me. I promised her that her mother would be avenged. I hoped vengeance would bring her peace. Sadly, peace for her was not to be. She slit her own throat three days later.”
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