Couldn’t risk people snapping a picture of an Empyreal while they were gazing at the frescoes or elaborate marble detailing.
‘So,’ Callum said quietly, ‘do you want to talk about that little display of toxic masculinity back at the check-up?’
‘You told me to distract them.’
‘I did. I just didn’t expect you to be so … bloody about it. Brawls aren’t exactly your style.’
Kyan sniffed.
Callum grinned slowly. ‘As much as I’m enjoying this other side to you, you’re usually the one that breaks up the fights, not starts them.’
‘I know, I’m just’ – he pressed his lips together – ‘finding it difficult to remain clear-headed. Besides, he had it coming.’
Callum made a noise of agreement.
‘There’s definitely something here,’ Luca said, brow furrowing as the screen revealed what he was doing. Electric-blue lines lit up on the map of the building as he mentally scanned them. ‘Cameras, wards, and security points.’
‘Can you shut them off?’ Callum asked.
‘I can take over the feed as you walk along, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up. I can’t do it if you’re in there for, like, an hour. Not with this system.’
‘So, we have under an hour,’ Kyan said. ‘That means we need to be very clear on what we’re looking for. But if it’s not the right location, then we’ve tipped them off to a breach without getting anything. And if they have other Empyreals guarding it, we have no idea if they’d let us in.’
‘Since neither of us knew about these happy little experiments in the first place, and you’re supposed to be their top hunter, who else would they trust with this information?’ Callum mused.
Logan came to mind, but then the sadistic alpha-wannabe would do anything if it made him feel powerful for ten minutes. Why trust such unruly, aggressive Empyreals? Unless the Wake were playing to their egos to keep them loyal?
‘What I can’t understand, is why they’re doing this to begin with,’ Kyan said.
‘Ah, that’s easy to answer,’ Callum said, taking a seat on one of Luca’s modern black armchairs that looked strung together with nothing but leather and sheer will. ‘Money. Power. Sex. There are thousands of reasons people do things like this. We just need to find out what they’re guarding and where the weak spots are.’
‘There’s always a weak spot,’ Luca murmured in agreement.
The fact the Wake hadn’t trusted Kyan with this information toldhim one thing: they knew he’d disapprove, or be reluctant to join. But why was his opinion worth shit?
‘If no Empyreals are supposed to know,’ Callum began, ‘waltzing in there pretending to be Empyreal guards checking in might cause more problems than we want.’
‘So, we Influence anyone guarding the place?’
His friend hummed thoughtfully. ‘Might be our only option.’
‘Uh, you’ve got one big problem.’ Luca sat back, his eyes clearing of electricity as he pointed to a zoomed-in image. The carved and arched entrance of the building.
‘What are we looking at?’ Callum asked.
‘Those are not just sculptures of women,’ the Nazen said, highlighting the trio above the gated door. ‘They’re Babewyn.’
Kyan loosed a frustrated breath.
Babewynwas the old name for beings that guarded buildings. Many humans knew about gargoyles, just not that they werereal.While they fed on the water that funnelled off a building and defended the structure from unwanted supernatural visitors in exchange, Babewyn were more difficult to pass. They acted more like sphinxes. And this one seemed to be …
‘A record-keeper,’ Luca read, having brought up a webpage on the architecture of the building. ‘Called “The Recording Angel”. That,’ – Luca stabbed a finger at the central figure who sat with a mantle of stone over her like a cloak, concealing her face in dark shadows – ‘is going to log every supernatural that goes in the building.’
‘How do we get past it?’ Kyan asked.
He’d come across Babewyn before but never had a reason to need to circumvent them, considering the Wake were usually able to cover for him.
‘She controls all the stone in the building,’ Luca said. ‘If she doesn’t want you to leave, all exits will be blocked up. No way out.’
