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“You sure know how to woo a girl, Windstriker.” I sighed. “Ok, so the only reason your arrival didn’t set off all my alarms is because you’re on the guest list.”
The crinkle between his eyes deepened. “Guest list?”
“That’s right. My building has a guest list,” I told him. “The security system can identify people’s individual magical signatures. And if it senses someone it doesn’t know—or someone I’ve marked as a threat—it goes into high alert. The building locks down, and all Legion soldiers inside are ordered to rush to the breach site.”
Nero considered my words, then said with a stoic nod, “That is acceptable.”
“Try not to jump up and down with excitement,” I snickered.
“I think I can contain myself.”
Nero had always been serious—the day I’d met him, I’d dubbed him Colonel Hardass—but in the years that had followed, he’d opened up and shown me the man hidden beneath the hard angel armor. I’d learned that he felt deeper and harder than anyone I’d ever known.
And that’s why he was so serious now. He loved our daughter and was fiercely protective of her, especially since so many insane people were after her. He would do anything to keep Sierra safe. And so would I.
“Don’t worry,” I told him. “I’ve totally got this building’s security covered. If only I could put a big protective bubble around the whole Earth…”
“I will settle for eliminating each and every last Guardian in the universe.” He put his arms around me. “And anyone else who threatens our family.”
I rose to my tiptoes, kissing his cheek. “I am totally down with that plan. Is that why you’re here?” I shot him a hopeful look. “Have you found out where the Guardians are hiding?”
Nero frowned. “Unfortunately, no.”
He’d gone to tons of different worlds, trying to track down the Guardians. But after we’d ruined their grand plans and chased them off our world, they’d completely vanished, like a big hand had scooped them up and whisked them out of existence.
They’ll be back. They hadn’t schemed and manipulated deities and mortals for millennia just to fade away now. Wherever they were, they were still planning their ascension—and our destruction.
“This isn’t about the Guardians,” Nero said. “Actually, I need your help with something else.” He glanced at my open computer, adding, “If you’re not too busy.”
“Not really.” I shut the computer. “I was just about to write up today’s mission report.”
He looked me up and down, his voice serious when he said, “You just got back from your mission.”
He gently caught a lock of my still-damp hair between his fingers. After the whole setting-off-explosives-in-the-sewer fiasco, my team had needed a shower pronto. I’d used magic to dry my hair afterwards, but apparently I’d been in so much of a rush to finish that I’d missed a few spots.
“Yep, I’ve just returned from a fun tour of Purgatory’s underground sewers. I bet you’re sorry you missed that.”
“It depends,” he replied. “Were there powerful foes to slay?”
I shrugged. “There were some oversized sewer rats.”
“Oversized sewer rats? I thought we’d purged all the monsters from Earth.”
“We purged all the monsters that the gods and demons brought here. But these rats were some kind of mutant version of normal Earth rats. Gin thinks they wandered into magical waste and that made them go all big, bad, and bite-y. I dropped off the corpses in Nerissa’s lab, but I also sent a few pieces to Bella so she can check them out too.”
“I’m sure your sister will appreciate the gift,” said Nero.
I wasn’t sure what was funnier: that Nero wasn’t even being sarcastic, or that Bella would honestly be excited to receive a shipment of pieces from mutated, abnormally-large rat corpses.
My life was so weird.
“I must admit, Pandora. I’m impressed,” Nero told me.
I frowned in confusion. “With the rats?”
“No, not with the rats.” He looked like he was about to roll his eyes, but then stopped when he remembered that would be very unbecoming of an angel. “I’m impressed with your dedication to duty. You set to work writing up your mission report the moment you got back. That’s so unlike you.”
“Hey! I always fill out my mission reports. Eventually,” I added under my breath.
