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Even if I don’t know how, my wolf can tell.
I keep my wits sharp as I walk through the door and past the two guards who are always posted there, finding that the floodlights on the Rig have been turned off. There’s a strangely shaped vessel in the space the crew made on the deck, a sleek white disc with a triangular entrance on the side. I’ve only ever seen them fly; it never occurred to me that they travel in flying machines.
I come up to stand beside Gideon, Abel on his other side.
“Good,” he says. “You showed. Didn’t know if you were gonna come out at all today.”
“I think Esther is going into heat early,” I lie. “I’ve been tending to her as you asked.”
He buys it—and I hope it might throw him off the fact that she’s already pregnant. “You’re a good man, Javier,” he says, slapping his hand on my shoulder. “Now don’t you embarrass me in front of our guests.”
The triangle opens and darkness pours out like ink, the shadows inside the ship much, much darker than the night around us. There’s always been confusion about whether they’re really angels or if they’re purely extraterrestrials…but this seems alien as hell. A ramp slides out, filling the space like water before hardening into crystal, and the Angel steps out.
I’ve seen them before, but they’re still chilling. Wrapped in white robes with skin the same color, their eyes are blacker than the shadows onboard their ship. This one has masculine features with long white hair pulled into a braid at his back, everything floating around him as he hovers down the ramp with his hands clasped. Two figures completely covered in armor come with him, silent and cold.
Not aliens, maybe…but not angels either.
Whatever they are, they’rewrong.
“Uriel,” Gideon says, bowing his head. “Welcome to my humble home.”
Uriel regards him coldly, sweeping his eyes over the rest of us. He stares at me for an unnerving few seconds, his head cocking to the side. I get the horrible feeling he knows everything—my innermost thoughts, my past, my secrets—and the reason why he’s here becomes more pressing.
“I did not wish to come here,” he says, wrinkling his narrow nose at our surroundings. “But you said you had something to offer.”
“We do,” Gideon says. “Come with me.”
Gideon leads the way to the room above the mess where he likes to hold court, Uriel taking his two guards with him. I flank them, walking slowly, wondering if I should try to turn and run. Something about this whole situation makes me want to flee, my wolf howling to escape.
But I have no choice—if I don’t follow Gideon’s orders, Peaches is at risk.
Our babyis at risk.
I’m one of the last to enter the room, standing at the door and crossing my arms as it shuts behind us. Gideon takes a seat in his throne while Uriel remains standing—or,hovering—at the center. He doesn’t seem remotely afraid of any of us, his guards not moving at all.
“You should know that if you intend to harm me, you will be unsuccessful,” Uriel says. “I’ll slaughter you and your men—and I will leave here without a scratch.”
“I would never hurt an esteemed member of the Heavenly Host,” Gideon says. “I want your help—Iprayfor your aid.”
“Get to the point,” Uriel says.
Gideon smirks.
“We want to offer you an army to take out the Austin pack,” he says. “And in return, we want a steady supply of omegas. One or two a year, if you can manage.”
“You lycan and yourbreeding,” Uriel says with disgust. “Why not find your own mates? Don’t you people do that?”
“It’s harder and harder to bring people in from New Orleans and the surrounding areas,” Gideon says. “They don’t believe in our gospel—”
“Because your gospel has been corrupted,” Uriel says. “You have neglected your duty to bring people into our ranks, and you have become selfish. Meanwhile, other lycan in your region break with us, actively rebel. We’re losing the south due to yourgospel, Gideon.”
“Which is why I want to make amends,” he says. “With your help, I want to bring the Gulf Pack back to full strength…and I want to take on the Austin wolves.”
I don’t know what I’m doing here, but it seems suspicious. Does he know what we’ve been planning? Did Ephraim come clean?
Uriel scoffs. “With this many alphas? You would be outnumbered, even against the upstart pack.”
“We know they’ve been a thorn in your side since they took back the city,” Abel cuts in. “You need help.”
