The incident with Euriel had left me shaken to my core in more ways than one, and I couldn’t sit still. After he had dropped me at the house, setting me gently on my feet before whirling away into the night sky without a single word, I had paced about the driveway for a bit, my mind in chaos. In the end, I had grabbed my bike and taken off, needing the wind in my hair once again and something a bit more reliable between my legs than an angel that I was starting to believe was losing it.
Goosebumps dotted my arms as the freezing wind gusted over them. In our hurried departure from the island, my jacket had been left behind, and my thin t-shirt did nothing to protect me from the chill of the early spring wind. Fucking Euriel, I liked that jacket. I leaned forward, pressing myself against the bike as I sped down the motorway. The rumble through my body reminded me that Euriel had left me rather high and, well, not dry actually. My pussy ached from his kisses, his touch. Maybe that had been his intention. Maybe he’d wanted to leave me hanging, to let me experience how he felt when he wanted me and had to hold back.
Thankfully for most humans, we didn’t have an issue with relieving our own tensions, and as the rumble of the engine sent a disarming shock of pleasure through my core, I swung the bike across a couple of lanes, cutting into a layby that was screened from the road by a line of trees and bushes. Thankfully it was empty, and I unbuttoned my trousers, biting back a moan as I slid my fingers into my damp underwear.
Seeing Euriel take control like that had been hot as fuck, and some part of me had loved the way he completely dominated me as if I were his slave and nothing more, but his kiss had told me that wasn’t the case, and watching him completely fall apart when I took him in my mouth had made me desperate to feel him inside me. I buried two fingers deep in my channel, imagining him forcing his cock into my pussy the way he had forced it into my mouth. I pictured him dragging me away by my hair, turning me around, and slamming into me again and again. I leaned forward, rubbing my clit against the heel of my hand as I braced it against the bike seat, and my climax tore through me, leaving me trembling as I lay across my bike, catching my breath. I sat up, feeling both sated and yet incredibly pissed off.
What the hell was wrong with me? I had four amazing guys all falling over themselves to be with me. Guys who, even I had to admit to myself, I was falling hard for. The absence of Amadi was like a stone weight in my chest, and there was no way Euriel could replace him. But when Euriel looked at me in that way he did, like I was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen, and when he touched me like I was china, my heart reached for him. I was so stupid. There was no way he’d ever be with me, not with his beliefs and his life, his purpose, and I had no right to ask him to give that up for me. I was going to get my heart broken.
I took a shaky breath. No more. No more flirting, touching, or… anything. If no one found out about what we’d done, then maybe he could just carry on. He’d go back to Heaven when his investigation was complete and…
Shit. His investigation would lead him straight to me if he got any further. Would he give me up? I wasn’t a nephilim, but I wasn’t sure what I was. Would I be accepted, or would I be condemned to eternal torment and imprisonment too, like the watchers? I couldn’t believe Euriel would give me up, but maybe he’d tell his superior officer enough that someone else might work it out. And Deliah, what would he do about her?
As my head spun, I fastened my trousers and fired up my bike again, wheeling round to head back in the opposite direction. I hated to betray Euriel, but I needed to warn Deliah he knew about her involvement with my mother.
When I arrived at the Concordia, I was surprised to see Alex’s car and Cas’s bike there. A shadow danced over my heart as I wondered what they would think about me being with Euriel. They had been really accepting of each other, but they hated him. Would he have told them anything? Leaving my helmet on my bike, I ran my hands through my hair, wondering exactly how wild it looked. Two flying trips over the North Sea, a hot make out session, and helmet hair probably didn’t make a great combination when it came to looking polished and professional.
Smoothing it down as best as I could, I tapped in the code Cas had finally told me for the front door and let myself in. It was late, and most people had gone home for the day, though there would be a skeleton staff to support the many agents that would be working during the hours of darkness. With so many supernatural beings preferring the night, it only made sense for agents to work at night too.
As I approached Deliah’s office, I could hear Cas’s voice, and the low rumble sent a reassuring wave of warmth through my chest. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to chase away the goosebumps, and then I knocked at the door and pushed it open.
Cas, Sam, and Alex stood around a screen that was mounted inside one of the tall cupboards on Deliah’s wall. They turned as I entered, and Cas immediately crossed over to me, sweeping me into his arms and squeezing me tight.
“Where have you been? I was desperate to see you. I’ve missed you.”
I pushed against him until he loosened his grip, and then I gasped in oxygen. “I was with Euriel, you knew that. And I missed you too. No more running off to Hell without me.”
“All this time?” Cas asked, frowning and stepping back.
“Yes. He… needed to talk to me about something,” I hedged, not quite meeting his eyes as I ran my hands up and down my arms.
“You cold, baby girl?” Sam asked.
I nodded, and he slipped off his top, leaving him in just a white shirt. He held the top up so I could slip my arms into it, and then I pulled it tightly around me. It was warm and smelled like him. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his body. That was the great thing about wolves, they ran hotter than most, so they made great hot water bottles. Smiling across the room at Alex, I realised I was going to be kept pretty cool in the summer too. Sam nuzzled my neck, then I felt him tense.
“And what have you been up to with Euriel, baby girl? Just talking?” His voice was low, and Cas didn’t hear as he turned back to the screen, but judging by the way Alex stiffened, I knew his annoyingly heightened vampire senses would have picked up Sam’s teasing tone.
“None of your damn business,” I told him, pulling away and turning to face him.
To my relief, he didn’t look bothered, just amused. “You little temptress, you. Poor Euriel.”
“What do you mean ‘poor Euriel?’” I asked as I raised my eyebrows.
Luckily Sam was saved from having to answer as Deliah came into the room. Her face brightened when she saw me, but I struggled to return her smile, wondering how on earth I was going to tell her what I knew.
“I’m glad you’re all here now. Faith, have you seen?”
“She just got here, so we haven’t shown her yet.” Cas beckoned me over, and I joined them. Alex raised the remote and replayed the footage.
“I’m standing outside the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia in Valencia, Spain, where, during the night, the cathedral doors were completely destroyed in some kind of blast. At first, the damage was attributed to arsonists, but the Spanish authorities have just confirmed that a holy relic is missing from inside the cathedral. With conspiracies ranging from pranksters to Satanic cults, it will be interesting to see how the Spanish police deal with the ongoing investigation.” The news reporter’s face froze in an amused smile as Alex paused the footage.
I looked up at the others. “So… am I supposed to know what’s so important about this?”
“The cathedral in Valencia is one of the rumoured locations for the Holy Grail.” Alex passed me his phone, and I glanced down at the photograph of a red marble chalice. I looked up and handed the phone back.
“Is it the grail?” I inquired, inwardly amused by the fact that six months ago, I’d have been freaking out about the idea of the actual Holy Grail existing at all.
“Just rumours, but yes, there was strong support that this was the actual grail, though there are a couple of other possibilities.” Cas sank down into one of the sofas, crossing his ankle over his knee. “I think we need to assume it’s Shemyaza, or Berith and Rose, who have taken it.”
“I think, considering they knew which Spear of Destiny to go after, that they might have a pretty good idea which grail they needed. Have there been raids on any other potential chalices?” Sam sat down opposite Cas and pulled me into his lap.
“No, nothing.” Alex looked up from his phone.
“Why are they collecting holy relics?” I asked. “I get the spear being all-powerful and everything, but the grail? Does it really give immortality? And if so, why does Shemyaza care if he’s going after Cain?”
“Maybe it’s a failsafe, in case he can’t find Cain?” Sam suggested.
“So no other raids in Italy? Near where the massacres took place?” Deliah questioned.
Alex shook his head. “Nothing.”
Deliah frowned. “We’re missing something, but I just can’t think of what. There must be more to this than the powers those artefacts are rumoured to possess.” She closed her eyes and took a breath, then opened them again and looked back at Alex. “What about Cain? Are we any closer to finding him?”
Alex smiled at her. “Actually, yes, I have news. There have been reports of more attacks in the US, and they do seem to be indicating Shemyaza is moving south from New York. And I think I know why.” He sat down next to Cas and opened his laptop, which sat on the coffee table. “I went back and looked at crime reports around the areas where we think Cain took out vampire nests. The reports confirmed that the numbers of vampires in the city dropped suddenly and—”
“How?” I interjected, interested.
Alex blinked at me, his train of thought thrown off by my interruption. “How what?”
“How do normal police reports confirm that a load of vampires was taken out? I’m curious.”
He blinked again. “Oh, um, yes, I see… The number of reported deaths, especially suspicious deaths, or those that mention serious blood loss as a factor dropped like a stone in the months following a suspected attack by Cain.”
“Right, gotcha. Carry on.”
“Um, okay, so… working on that, rather than underground intel about vampire nests, I’ve found another four nests that have possibly been hit recently that we haven’t heard of yet.” He glanced up at me. “Places where those deaths have dropped suddenly.”
Cas sat up straight. “So you know where he’s been recently?”
Alex nodded. “I can do better than that, I think I’ve found him.”
“How?” Deliah asked, even her interest was piqued now.
Alex grinned. “Sheer accident. When I was going through all the police reports, I noticed a common factor—the name of the pathologist was the same on each report.”
“Well, that’s not exactly uncommon, is it?” Sam muttered.
Alex looked at him and smiled. “It is when you look at reports from five different cities and it’s the same name.”
I smiled. “Cain’s the pathologist. That’s how he finds the nests. He works for the police and hears about the deaths related to blood loss, and then he tracks the nest down from there.”
Alex grinned at me. “Now you’ve got it. He hunts around, destroys the major nests in the city, then moves on before the remaining vampires come looking for him. He takes a position working for the police in a new city and begins all over again.”
“Clever,” Deliah murmured. “So where is he now?”
“I have him working as a police consultant, but he’s based at the Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville.” Alex looked up. “The last massacre we heard about was in a small town just outside of Charleston. Shemyaza knows where Cain is.”
“Then we need to get there first and warn Cain,” Deliah stated, looking at Cas. “We can offer him protection, bring him back to Concordia.”
Cas stood up. “And if he doesn’t want to come?”
Deliah gave him a hard look. “If Shemyaza possesses Cain, he will become unstoppable. I think we need to protect Cain, even if Cain doesn’t want to be protected.”
Cas nodded and turned to Alex. “Alex, flights.”
“Already on it,” Alex muttered, tapping away at the laptop.
“What was his name?” I inquired, climbing off Sam’s lap. “I assume he isn’t going by Cain, son of Adam.”
“Um, Dr. Caleb Parks,” Alex answered.
“Interesting,” Deliah commented.
Cas turned to her. “Why?”
She smiled. “It’s just rather fitting, that’s all. Caleb means devoted to God.”
Cas raised his eyebrows. “Really? But Cain must hate God for what he did to him, why would he choose a name that meant that?”
Sam laughed. “Maybe he has a sense of humour. I have a cousin called Caleb, it also means dog!”
“Right, flights sorted for us… four. Wait, did I need one for Euriel too?” Alex asked, pausing as he started to shut his laptop.
“I’m sure if Euriel wants to join you, he’ll make his way there. Now, I suggest you all go and get ready to leave. We need to get to Cain as soon as we can.”
The guys made their way to the door, but I hung back.
“I’ll meet you back at the house, I just need to speak to Deliah.” Cas frowned then nodded, and they left, closing the door behind them.
“Any more developments on the abilities side of things?” Deliah asked, perching on the edge of the sofa.
I sank down into the one opposite. “Well, so far I can kill things with my mind, make my body burst into flames, oh, and steal fire and lightning so I can throw it at people. Well, vampires. And fly. Other than that, nope, pretty boring here.” I stared at a spot on the carpet, wondering how to begin.
“What’s troubling you?”
I took a breath and looked up, steeling myself. “I think you know more about where I came from than you’re sharing.”
“And what makes you say that?” She regarded me keenly, but this time I didn’t flinch.
“Because Euriel told me you were involved with my mother when she was pregnant.” This time, I saw the panic flicker behind her ice-blue eyes.
“Euriel knows?” she whispered.
“He knows my mother came to Earth, got pregnant by someone, and had a baby. He knows you were involved with her during her pregnancy. Were you?”
She stood up and walked around the tall window, staring out into the darkness. “Has he told anyone? Michael? Has he told Michael?”
“No,” I answered, watching her. “He’s a little torn as to what to do. He thinks you’ll be punished.”
She let out a forced laugh. “Punished? They’ll tear me apart.” She turned away from the window and sat back down. “Faith, your mother came down to investigate something that was going on here on Earth, something to do with corrupted human souls.”
“Human souls? Why?”
“She was the Guardian of Souls. She had been tasked with protecting the souls of unborn humans in Heaven, directing them to where they needed to be and carrying them down to Earth at the appointed time. Something was wrong with some of the souls, they had been corrupted, tainted. They grew up… wrong.” She stared at her hands, twisting a gold ring on her finger.
“What do you mean wrong? Evil?”
She looked up. “No, not evil. Evil is a choice, a decision, lots of decisions actually, made over and over again to do what you know is wrong out of selfishness or pleasure. These souls never made a decision, they had no free will. They simply followed whatever instructions they were given, no matter what they were told to do.” She sighed. “One of them died prematurely—a young girl destroyed from years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her father. He eventually beat her to death, and her soul descended into Sheol to be judged. When she went in front of Mahazael, he realised something was very wrong. He summoned both councils, and he and Lailah were tasked with uncovering what had been going on.”
“Mahazael knew my mother? He never said anything.”
Deliah gave me a sad smile. “He doesn’t know who you are though. No one does. And their task, it went very wrong somehow.” She sighed. “I don’t know the details, but by the end of it, Mahazael had returned to Sheol, damaged and burned beyond recognition, and Lailah was pregnant and in hiding. She never told me what they had discovered in the few times I saw her, and then in a short time, she was dead.”
“And me?” I raised my eyes to her, not knowing how to react to any of this.
“Your mother finally accepted my help. She contacted me, and I gave her the address of a safehouse. I was supposed to meet her there, but I was based down in London, and by the time I reached the house, she had been and gone. All I found was you.”
I stared at her. “You found me?”
She nodded. “She left me a note with your name inside and the necklace you wear, begging me to seal your powers and conceal what you were, even from you. I believe she led Phanuel away from the house so he never found you. She died to protect your existence. She loved you so much.”
I couldn’t answer. I felt like there were hands gripping my throat, and I fought to keep the sobs away, though tears still fell down my face. I couldn’t even look at her. So many emotions raged through me, I could barely put a name to each one.
Taking a breath, Deliah stood and went over to her desk. She took out a long, polished box and passed it to me. “She also left you this.”
I took the box with shaking hands and opened it. Inside lay a long white feather, soft and downy at the stem. I gently ran my finger along it. “You saved me. Phanuel would have come back and…”
She nodded. “I think so, yes. Though I don’t know what she told him. Maybe he stayed to look for you, maybe he stayed because he couldn’t return. I don’t know. I took you from the house and brought you to Rose. I knew she and her husband wanted children but had been unable to have any. I could keep you close and watch over you, but still let you be under the radar if anyone were to look for you. I had no idea what Rose would become…” She trailed off, and I saw the guilt in her eyes.
Swallowing, I reached out and placed my hand over hers. “You couldn’t have known.”
She nodded and wrapped her gnarled fingers around mine, squeezing them.
“Deliah, if I’m not nephilim, if I’m half angel and half demon, then Lailah could have only met my biological father while she was on Earth.”
Deliah nodded. “I had that same thought, and I know what you’re going to say, and I agree with you.”
I squeezed her fingers in return, unnerved by the sudden flare of hope inside me. “If my father is a demon, and Lailah met him on Earth, that means he could be alive. I could have already met him and neither of us knew.” I took a breath. “Deliah, what if Mahazael is my father?”
