“Two Nephilim have been discovered. One is a four-year-old child.”
Nate’s caustic response died in his throat. All Nephilim, the beloved children of archangels, had perished in the great devastation that had swept Earth. They all knew this. It was why so many of them had forsaken the planet.
Just because Mephisto said something, didn’t make it true.
“If any Nephilim had survived, we would know.”
“Yeah.” Mephisto’s lip curled in barely suppressed rage. Nate had the surreal conviction it wasn’t directed at him. “These Nephilim were found on an obscure planet in Andromeda. Their ancestor was a demigoddess who had been on Earth and they had no fucking clue they’re also descended from an archangel.”
Nephilim had only ever been born in Ama-gi. And they had all died there. He had never had a child of his own, but their loss had haunted him through millennia.
But some had survived. In Andromeda?
He sucked in a harsh breath, but it didn’t help clear his head. Fundamental beliefs that had been a part of him for too long threatened to shatter.
“You found them?” His voice was hoarse, accusing.
“I’ve met them. There’s no mistake. They’re ours.”
Nate swung away and raked his gaze across the oblivious crowd. But he didn’t see them. All he could see in his mind’s eye was the ravaged Earth, after they’d escaped their goddess’ gilded prison.
But they hadn’t been the only ones to escape the planet.
Mephisto’s revelation sank further into his brain, unfolding threadlike tentacles, and discordance stirred. How could the Nephilim be descended from a demigoddess?
Archangels only conceived with their beloved. And while many of the gods had been more than eager to take archangels as their lovers, the affairs were never serious. Because most of the gods believed, at their core, that archangels were anomalies of nature.
Slowly, he turned back to Mephisto, whose black gaze continued to bore into him.
“Demigoddess?” He double checked.
“I need to find the archangel, Nate. He should know of his descendants.”
Well, sure. He agreed. It was of paramount importance that the Nephilim were brought back into the fold, to be loved and protected as they had been in Ama-gi.
“No idea who the demigoddess is?”
“She died. Giving birth.”
“Shit.” What the fuck had happened? Demigoddesses didn’t usually perish in such a mortal manner.
“You’re still in contact with many archangels who broke ranks.” It wasn’t a question. Nate’s feathers bristled at the not so subtle censure. But there were no ranks to break. There never had been. Mephisto had simply enjoyed being the number one. Their goddess’ favorite.
He was right about one thing, though. Nate had remained in contact with a great many of the archangels who had turned their backs on Mephisto.
After a frigid silence, Mephisto exhaled a long breath. “Will you pass the word? The archangel responsible needs to contact me.”
“Very well.” He’d do it for the Nephilim, and for the archangel who knew nothing of his bloodline.
“How much longer are you going to keep this grudge going?”
Typical Mephisto. Total gaslighter. If not for the fact he still needed information, he wouldn’t even deign to answer.
But if Mephisto was going to be an asshole, then maybe it was time to let him know the truth.
“Fine. I’ll tell you. I returned to the shattered remains of Nibiru.” He paused and rubbed his brow. Nibiru, the home world where their goddess had created her beloved archangels. The planet where she had incarcerated them when the devastation had struck Earth.
The place they had decimated in order to escape.
No flicker of emotion distorted Mephisto’s basalt expression. Did he even remember meeting their cursed goddess after her unforgiveable betrayal?
“I saw you,” he clarified. “With Her.” Even now, the thought of uttering her name choked him.
Crimson flashed in Mephisto’s eyes but was gone in a second. “And?”
“And nothing.” It was all he’d expected, after all. Because the other archangel had no excuse to offer. “Tell me what you’ve discovered about the alien substance.”
“It’s an extraction from the Guardians’ atmosphere. The elements are unidentifiable.”
Gabe had already told him that. “Anything else?”
“No. How much of it do the vampires have?”
It was a valid question. “As far as I’m aware, not a lot.”
“Can you get hold of it?”
“I doubt it.”
“Did you hold any back from Azrael?”
What was this, a fucking inquisition?
“No.” He ground the word between his teeth. He hadn’t wanted to keep any of that shit, and the only reason Az had, with great reluctance, taken it was because he planned on handing it over to Mephisto. The fact he had withheld a minuscule sample to pass onto Astrid was none of Mephisto’s concern.
“Just the vampires, then.”
Was he being paranoid, or did that sound like a veiled threat?
“Their scientists are working on it. Az said you have information for me.” Mephisto had wanted to see him. Surely he had more data to share?
“I told Az I needed to speak with you. And I’ve shared that information. As for the Guardians’ shit—I’m dealing with that. Stay in touch.” He gave a mirthless grin and vanished.
Chapter 15
Bella
It was time to go to the Zagros mountains.
Bella eyed her luggage that sat at the end of her bed. Usually when she went to the Vernal Equinox celebration, she caught a flight and was picked up at the airport by a member of the Watchers who would then drive her, and any others who had recently arrived, to their hotel.
A couple of days ago, she’d cancelled her flight. But she hadn’t yet informed the Elite of her new travel arrangements. It had been easy to agree to Eblis’ order to reveal more of her powers to them, but now it came down to it, she didn’t have a clue as to how she was going to handle it. How could she satisfactorily explain why she hadn’t told them before now? More to the point, how would they react to her revelation?
She’d soon find out.
She pulled out her phone and called Zane, who was one of the officials who organized the annual gathering. He was also one of the few higher-ranking Elites who didn’t exude an air of menacing superiority.
“Hey, Bella,” he said. “No last-minute problems, I hope?”
“No, everything’s fine. Where are you?”
“At work.” There was a thread of amusement in his voice.
Bella sighed. “Can you get to Inanna’s Eye? It’s important.”
“Now?” Suspicion had replaced the amusement.
“Alone,” she added. “I’ll explain when you get there.”
“If you know of a security breach, then spit it out. Don’t fuck around.”
“It’s not a security breach.” Well, not technically, although she imagined some of the Elite might consider her one very shortly.
“Going now.”
She picked up her luggage. She trusted Zane to go alone to the plateau near the summit of the sacred mountain, which had been called Inanna’s Eye for countless centuries, due to the staggering views of the surrounding snow peaked mountains and fertile valleys.
What would Nate have made of it, if she’d told him the other reason why she’d named her clubs after the great goddess? It was a hidden link to the Watchers and therefore her heritage, buried within the cradle of Inanna’s cult from antiquity.
Less than a heartbeat later, she arrived at her destination. The plateau was a massive slice of rock where in ages past, priestesses of the goddess had conducted awe-inspiring ceremonies.
Not that the Watchers were interested in collecting any of those mist-shrouded slivers of history for their archives. But she’d done her own research bec
ause, even though historically the gods had never been friends of demons, Inanna fascinated her.
Zane was standing at the mouth of what appeared, to the untrained eye, to be nothing more than a cave. He swung around, his phone in his hand, his green tourmaline ring, which signified his Elite status, flashing in the sunlight. His blistering glare wasn’t encouraging. There was only one way to reach this plateau, and that was from the chamber beyond the cave entrance, that led to a ceremonial atrium situated near the peak of the cavernous mountain itself.
Unless you could teleport.
He took two strides her way before coming to an abrupt halt. “Is this a newly acquired ability?”
“No.”
“Why?”
She didn’t pretend to misunderstand his question. “I heard rumors on NightRaven that an archangel had been damaged while on Earth. I decided it was time to step up.”
It was almost the truth.
What else can you do?
She kept her face blank. Zane hadn’t merely fired a telepathic question at her. He’d spoken in Basque. She wasn’t about to let him know she possessed all three of the most coveted powers. Especially when the majority of the Elites had only inherited two.
His expression gave nothing away. She kept her gaze fixed on his.
Never show fear.
“I can’t guarantee everyone will understand why you kept this from us,” Zane said out loud, reverting to English. “But we’re always in need of stronger bloodlines. Welcome, Bella.”
* * *
Zane took her to a room deep within the mountain. It seemed now she was on the brink of elevating through the ranks, she was entitled to stay within the sacred temple, rather than a local hotel. She wasn’t fooled by the so-called privilege of her own room, though. They wanted her where they could keep an eye on her.
“This is yours.” He opened the door, and while she obviously hadn’t expected a window, a carpet on the rock floor would’ve been nice. “The Elite are gathering in the atrium in twenty minutes. Don’t be late.”
She had no intention of being late. Although she wasn’t looking forward to the interrogation from the Elite, passing their scrutiny was the only way she’d be allowed to ascend into their ranks. And possessing that honor was the only way she could gain access to restricted sections of the temple.
“I’ll be there.” She kept her voice cool. Although Zane had been outwardly fine since her revelation, she doubted he was as accepting of her newly shared ability as he appeared. She wouldn’t, if their roles were reversed.
He smiled, but for the first time when it had been directed her way, it didn’t reach his eyes, before he turned and strode away.
She closed the door and took a deep breath. At some point in the distant past—long before demon bloods had taken the mountain for their own—the interior had been painstakingly hollowed out, to create an inverse temple. The first time she’d seen the breathtaking structure, she’d been spellbound by its stark beauty.
She wasn’t looking forward to the interrogation by the Elite and the sudden, inexplicable urge to contact Nate washed through her, stalling the breath in her throat. She had to stop thinking about him at such odd, random moments. He was the last person she could talk to about this secret part of her life.
For so long, she’d never been able to share anything that really mattered with anyone. After her family disowned her, she’d fought for survival and, as the years slid by, she’d had no option but to learn there was no one she could rely on but herself.
Things had changed after she’d joined the Watchers, even though it had taken her decades before she’d lowered her barriers enough to make friends. And of course, there was Octavia.
But that wasn’t what she meant. She sat on the bed and glared up at the smooth, rock ceiling. There was an uneven, fluttery sensation in her chest, and she was afraid—more than afraid—to probe what it meant. What it could mean for her survival.
Long ago, she’d locked her heart away in a mythical fortress deep inside her psyche. She’d imagined it was impenetrable, hung with thick cobwebs, impervious to anything the world might throw her way.
It hadn’t been a great way to navigate her existence, but it had worked. Until she’d met Nate.
Even knowing who he was, she’d confided more in him than anyone. And now, when she desperately needed someone to talk to, it wasn’t Octavia she thought of. Would it be such a bad thing? Over the last few days, she’d seen the other side of an archangel firsthand.
She could trust him. Unless she couldn’t.
She fell back onto the bed and squeezed her eyes shut. If she didn’t get her shit together and focus on priorities, her head would explode.
* * *
She entered the atrium with five minutes to spare, but already a couple of dozen of the Elite were seated. Shit. She hadn’t wanted to keep them waiting. Many of them were centuries old, and despite how long she’d been a member, there were several she hadn’t even spoken to yet. Unlike Zane and a few others, they liked to distance themselves from the general members.
The four magnificent columns, that punctuated each corner of the raised platform in the center of the atrium, soared into the sky, their fluted marble surfaces glowing violet and indigo.
Nijah, the eldest of them all and leader of the Elite, was standing on the platform. Rumors had always swirled around Nijah, that she had been born during the height of the Ottoman Empire and been instrumental in the untimely death of the previous leader of the Watchers more than two hundred years ago. She never attempted to suppress or address them which made Bella think they were true. Nijah indicated that Bella should stand before her, so everyone could see.
“We understand you have been concealing the true extent of your abilities from us.” Her tone was neutral, but it was an accusation, nevertheless.
“Not with malice. When I joined the Watchers, I wasn’t ready to enter the hallowed ranks of the Elite.” Her voice was strong, and she kept her gaze locked with Nijah’s. It wasn’t a complete lie. She’d been a mess when she’d first been welcomed into the fold. She hadn’t been mentally equipped to become an Elite.
But if not for her promise to Eblis, she would have been more than prepared to ascend within a few years of discovering her immortal bloodline.
“And now you are ready to be tested?”
“I am.”
Many of the Elite, although not all, could teleport. Several of them were telepathic and/or telekinetic. A handful were natural polyglots. To her knowledge, only Nijah and Zane, besides herself, possessed the coveted trinity.
She’d psyched herself up for the ordeal to come, but it was even more brutal than she’d imagined.
Every one of the Elite tested her.
Not just demanding to view her teleportation prowess, which included lightning fast visits to Antarctica and Tokyo and a score more places besides, which was no problem, but several psychic invasions.
Which were.
If not for the years of Eblis’ training she’d had at developing her mental shields, they would have clawed every secret from her mind. By the time the last one finished raking through the superficial memories Bella had allowed them to access, her brain throbbed, and body ached, as though she’d been plugged into an electrical storm.
But the fact she could leave the atrium proved she had passed their criteria. Now she was one of the privileged few, permitted to attend Elite-only gatherings and access classified information.
She’d been right to hold back the full extent of her abilities, though. Envy from those who hadn’t inherited that power, and simmering anger from others at how she’d concealed it for so long, tainted the air.
It was a chilling warning that she’d need to watch her back.
Nate
Nate opened his eyes and squinted as sunlight flooded his bedroom. Why had he stayed here last night? He didn’t even like the view from the window.
It sure as hell had nothing to do with the fact it was
closer to Isabella than staying in one of his other impersonal dwelling places spread across Andromeda’s more civilized planets.
Damn, he’d got it bad. Worse, he didn’t really care. They had no future together, but he couldn’t let her go.
She’s mortal.
Fucking great. He swung around, trying to ignore the echoey thud of his heart, that filled his head and squeezed his lungs. Curse the goddess, what was happening to him?
Mortals died. It was their fate. In Ama-gi he had witnessed many humans he’d called friends grow old and die. Their passing had caused his heart to ache but in the great stream of his existence, it had been fleeting.
He’d never fallen, the way some of his fellow archangels had. When their beloved had died, their grief had been terrible to behold.
A hoarse laugh flayed his throat. Isabella wasn’t his beloved. She was a woman who fascinated him beyond measure, sure. He’d concede that point.
She was always an ethereal presence haunting his mind, no matter what he was doing. That wasn’t fucking normal, but it didn’t mean anything more than he had yet to get her out of his system.
Unnerved, he glared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. If not for the fact she was somehow tied up with his hunt for Dagan, he’d never see her again.
Liar.
“Shut the fuck up.”
And now he was talking to himself.
He swore in the language of the ancients, which usually improved his mood, but it didn’t this time. It was just as well he didn’t know where she was going. He might’ve been tempted to follow her, just to prove to himself he could see her without having to speak to her.
He took a shower, forcing his mind to clear. It was harder than it should have been.
With biting economy, he dried off and pulled on a pair of jeans.
Barefoot, he strode across the apartment to the table and opened his laptop. It wasn’t Earth-made but it would be easy enough to connect it to the local Net.
Salvation: A Realm of Flame and Shadow Novel Page 14