13

I dreamt I was an angel, flying on silver wings, my red hair fluttering in the wind. I walked down the streets of the golden city, looking up at the red and orange sky. The ground shook with earthly tremors as another angel landed before me. He dropped to one knee.

“Sierra,” he said.

“Why do you bow before me, Calin?” I asked him. He’d been doing it ever since we’d first met, and no matter how many times I pleaded with him to stop, he just kept doing it.

“Because you are the Keeper,” he said. “You are our savior.”

I didn’t feel like a savior. I felt…lost. Like I’d inherited someone else’s destiny, like I’d been thrown into a war I didn’t even understand, a war that had been raging since the birth of magic.

“Sierra, we must hurry.” Calin took my arm, leading me toward the gateway to the Treasury. “They are coming. You need to don the armor and wield the weapons of heaven and hell. You need to save us all.”

* * *

I woke up in a hospital bed, feeling like I’d been flayed, then left out to burn in the scorching sun. I was alone in a dark room. Outside, a full moon shone brightly over the city, mixing with city lights born from a million different sources.

I managed to sit up, but I had to fight for every inch. A hand brushed across my forehead. I turned my head to find Nero in the chair beside my bed.

“Hey,” I said, my voice shaking.

“Hey.”

We stared at each other for a few minutes in silence—I because it hurt to talk, Nero because, well, he’s Nero.

“I got your message,” he finally said.

I managed a smirk—or at least half of one. “Which one?”

“All twenty-two of them. You must have really missed me.”

“Well, just look at what happens when you’re gone.”

Nero clenched his jaw.

“I take it you’ve heard of the changes Colonel Fireswift has made around here.”

“Yes.”

“Has Nyx?”

“Yes.”

“And? What is she doing to stop him?”

“Nothing.” The word sank like a stone between us. “He was following her orders to get her more higher level soldiers. Last night, forty-two were promoted.”

“And twelve people died,” I growled. “Not initiates, Nero. Established soldiers of the Legion.”

“Nyx didn’t specify how he should get her those higher level soldiers. He picked the people he thought most likely to survive, adding them to the promotion roster. And then he added those he saw as weak links.”

Lucy.

“Nyx is happy with the results,” Nero said.

“Happy?” I gasped, disgust burning in my raw throat. “She’s happy with twelve pointless deaths?”

“Colonel Fireswift took a risk, and it paid off for him. Nyx considers those acceptable losses.”

“How could she?”

I couldn’t help but feel betrayed. Colonel Fireswift was a cruel, toxic angel, but Nyx was supposed to be one of the good ones. At least I’d thought so.

“Never forget that Nyx is not like us,” Nero said in response to my unspoken thoughts. “She was born an angel, born with one foot in the world of the gods. And to the gods, those are acceptable losses.”

“Does that mean we can expect Colonel Fireswift’s ‘acceptable losses’ to become a regular visitor to this office?”

“I hope to be back here before then.”

“So you’re not back now?”

“Unfortunately not. I only came to check on you. I heard what happened when you drank the Nectar yesterday morning.”

“So it’s been nearly two days.”

“Yes.”

“That explains why I’m starving.”

He handed me a bar of chocolate. “Eat this. It will make you feel better.”

I bit off a small piece. It melted in my mouth, and I felt new energy fill me. Maybe after a few more bites, I’d begin to feel alive again.”

“What did happen yesterday morning, Nero? When I had Nectar before, it was so different.”

“Every time, every level, is different.”

“But not like this. I went from getting drunk on Nectar to passing out when I have it. And the Nectar tasted…different.”

“How so?”

“At first, it was the same, sweet and delicious. But then it went sour in my mouth, turning acidic. I felt like my whole body was burning in agony. Like I was being boiled alive.”

“The first time you had the Nectar, you threw up,” he reminded me.

“I remember. But this time was different. The Nectar was wrong. It tasted like there was something inside of it that didn’t belong there.”

“Poison.”

“But the Nectar is a kind of poison. How can you poison something that’s already a poison?”

“It’s not easy, but there are ways,” he said. “Ways known to few people.”

For some reason, my mind thought back to Captain Somerset’s promise that she would kill me if I ruined Nero’s life. And I’d been poisoned shortly after Nyx had reassigned Nero. Had Captain Somerset tried to poison me?

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Nero said, touching my face.

“You’re in my head again.”

“It hurts for you to speak. I’m just trying to help.” His face was perfectly serious, but I caught a flash of wicked delight in his eyes.

“Nero Windstriker, you are so full of shit.”

“I’ve missed your mouth.” His finger softly traced my lower lip.

“I wish you’d never left,” I said, pulling him down.

He kissed me softly. “When the First Angel commands you to go on a top secret mission for her, you don’t refuse.”

“What did she want you to do?”

“Top secret, Leda.”

“Oh, come on. Are you really going to make me go through all your files?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

I held up the phone I’d swiped from his pocket. “I would.”

He grabbed his phone, giving me a look of pure disbelief. “You are nearly dead, and you are pickpocketing from angels?”

“Is this the part where you tell me in your deep, foreboding voice that no one steals from angels?”

“We’ve been through this song and dance many times before. It’s never done any good.”

“Then let’s not do good.” I clawed my fingers through his hair, drawing him in closer.

“You’re hurt.”

I winked at him. “I’m feeling better already. Promise.”

He gently caressed my face.

“You’re not actually considering taking advantage of the poor girl, are you, Nero? It hasn’t even been two days since she almost died.”

I watched as Captain Somerset emerged from the shadows.

“What is she doing here?” I demanded.

She frowned at me. “Nice to see you too, Pandora.”

“She thinks you were the one to poison her. On account of her ruining my life.”

Captain Somerset snorted. “You got yourself into this mess, Nero. Not Leda. Gods, the way you blasted through that stone monster.” She whistled low. “Now, that was a sight to behold.” She looked at me. “This wasn’t my doing.”

“You told me you would kill me if I didn’t leave him alone,” I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. “And you always do what people tell you to do? I was playing you, Pandora. I was trying to convince you to sleep with Nero. He hasn’t gotten laid in ages, and it’s making him downright grouchy. If you’re up to it, I can stand guard at the door and give you two a few minutes.”

“A few minutes?”

“He’s not going to last any longer than that today, honey.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Thank you, Basanti. I’ll take things from here.”

“Always happy to help,” she said, slapping him hard on the back as she took a step back.

“Leda?” Nero asked me.

I blinked.

“You’ve stunned her to silence,” he told Captain Somerset.

“I didn’t even know that was possible.” She waved her hand in front of my face. “I wonder how long it lasts.”

“I’m almost dead, not deaf,” I told them.

Captain Somerset looked at me and laughed. “I like you, Pandora. You’re not afraid of anybody. Or of asking questions that will probably get you in trouble.”

In the next room, the door to the medical ward swung open. Voices spilled in from the hallway. Captain Somerset rose and went to divert the doctors I could hear headed for this room.

“You trust her?” I asked him.

“Yes, I do,” he replied. “Basanti was the one who brought me here. She contacted me to tell me what had happened as soon as you collapsed at the ceremony.”

I decided to trust his judgment. After all, he’d turned against his other best friend when he’d turned out to be evil. Nero had a clear head, and he wouldn’t bullshit me.

“Is she keeping guard?” I asked him as laughter rose up in the front room.

“Yes. No one knows I’m here.”

“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t supposed to be here?”

“Because I’m not.”

I frowned. “I’m getting you into trouble again.”

“I am perfectly capable of getting myself into trouble all by myself, thank you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I did it quietly, though. There was movement beyond the closed door. Captain Somerset was talking to the doctors, trying to convince them to go away so I could sleep. Nero watched me, his thumb drawing slow, even circles on my palm.

“What is it?”

“You had me worried. The doctors couldn’t do anything to help you after you were poisoned.”

My breath stuttered. “How did I survive?”

“Your body did it alone. It must have integrated the poison like it did the Nectar. It’s a part of you now.” He shot me a look that was part admiration, part concern. “It was Venom, the demons’ equivalent of Nectar. That’s what was in your Nectar. That’s what made you pass out.”

“What will the Venom do to me?”

“Soldiers of the Legion of Angels drink Nectar and soldiers of the demons’ own legion drink Venom. Like Nectar, Venom will change you,” he said. “The question is how much such a small dose will change you. You’ve already had so much Nectar that the effects might not be big. Maybe you won’t even notice any changes.”

“There were an awful lot of mights and maybes in those sentences, Nero.”

“We don’t fully understand the effects of Nectar and Venom. The fact that you survived a mixed dose of Nectar and Venom is remarkable. No one has ever survived both together in a single dose. That combination should have killed you.”

“So the demons’ poisoned me?”

“That is one theory.”

“You don’t look convinced.”

“I have another theory,” he said. “Colonel Fireswift.”

“I know he wants to get me out of the way, but to risk poisoning me in front of the entire New York office? That’s gutsy.”

“He is a gutsy man. And he isn’t afraid to use a flamethrower to kill a mosquito.”

“Yes, I saw that firsthand when he rearranged the stone ceiling of the underground city.”

Nero made a derisive noise. “He always was a showoff.”

“Is he more powerful than you?” I asked him.

“He has raw power but no subtlety. It would be hard to kill him in a fair fight.”

“If he’s so direct, he wouldn’t use poison.”

“Colonel Fireswift is an angel, a top member of the Legion. There are rules in the Legion, rules even we angels must follow. Colonel Fireswift cannot kill you outright, but if you were to die during battle or be poisoned during the ceremony, then it would look legitimate. Colonel Fireswift doesn’t want to lose his place or the place of his son in the Legion.”

“In the Legion, do the children pay for the crimes of the parents?”

“Not directly. But one way or the other, you must atone for them. Especially treachery,” he added with an almost woeful look. Maybe he was thinking about his own father who’d gone rogue all those years ago.

“What do you know about Osiris Wardbreaker?”

“Not much. He was one of Nyx’s original angels.”

“Like your parents.”

He gave me a surprised look.

“I’ve taken the photo tour of your office.”

“Yes, my parents knew General Wardbreaker well. The originals were a closely-knit group. Wardbreaker has since moved back to Europe, so I’ve had few dealings with him. But he is an original angel, and that makes him dangerous.”

“Has Colonel Fireswift returned to the Lost City?”

“Yes, with a team of thirty telekinetics. They’ve been working day and night to dig a tunnel to the Treasury so they can secure the holy relics.”

“The Lost Relics are not holy.”

He gave me a curious look.

“What I meant was, they aren’t what the Pilgrims and the Legion think they are. They were not made by only gods. Some of the pieces were forged in the fires of hell. They are relics of both heaven and hell.”

“Nyx has had me following whispers of ancient weapons, powerful relics forged in hell but lost on Earth. The demons are trying to reclaim them. She needed my ability to track objects of dark power.”

“You’re after the same thing as Colonel Fireswift. He is looking for heavenly weapons, you for hellish ones. But they are one and the same,” I realized. “Weapons of heaven and hell. And Osiris Wardbreaker is after them all.”

“How do you know this?” he asked me.

I told him about the visions I’d had in the city and the dream I’d just woken from. He didn’t look at me like I was crazy. He looked intrigued.

“Are you well enough to travel?” he asked.

I pushed off my blanket. “Are we taking a field trip?”

“Yes, back to the Black Plains.”

I tried to get out of the bed, but my legs collapsed under the strain of my own weight. Nero’s arms flashed out, catching me.

“Maybe you can carry me there?” I joked.

“Your body is healed,” he said, drawing a knife as he sat down beside me on the bed. “It’s your equilibrium, your magical balance, that’s off.”

He sliced the blade across his wrist. I immediately felt my body go alert, like every cell in it was drawing me toward him, toward his blood. But I hesitated.

“Hurry,” he urged me. “We don’t have much time.”

I took his hand in mine, bringing his wrist to my mouth, and I drank deeply. His blood tasted like pure, undiluted Nectar—the food of the gods, the song of my soul. It poured down my throat, flashing through my veins like a raging river, cascading, building, burning. Need crashed through me, driving me hard and fast into a dizzying state of raw arousal.

I pulled away suddenly, before I did anything rash. I glanced down at my hand, which was planted on his thigh. So much for not doing anything rash. He chuckled as I removed my hand from his leg.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked me, tapping his finger against the cut at his wrist. The skin sealed together before my eyes.

“Yes. Much better.” Well, except for the dark, wanton thoughts flashing through my head, reminding me that Nero and I were alone—and that we were already in bed.

“I like this dress,” he said in a silky voice.

Apparently, no one had bothered to change me out of my evening gown. Come to think of it, it had probably been Captain Somerset’s idea.

“I bought it because I thought you would like it,” I told him.

“That is a dangerous confession.”

“I like living dangerously.”

“That is an even more dangerous confession.” Nero’s fingers brushed through my hair, caressing my scalp, even as his mouth dipped to my throat. “You smell so good. I can hardly resist taking a taste.”

“Then don’t.”

“Leda.” The word was a plea, a demand.

“Bite me, Nero.”

He locked his hand around my waist, tugging me roughly against him as his fangs pierced my skin. “Your blood tastes different.” He gasped. “Even more delicious.” He drank faster. Pain and pleasure twisted together inside of me, pulsing against my skin. His hold was hard, possessive.

“Nero,” I gasped. “I’m getting dizzy.”

He held onto me, drinking greedily.

“Nero. Stop.”

He didn’t stop. His hold was tight. I wasn’t sure he was even still here with me. He’d gone somewhere else, somewhere dark and dangerous.

I made a fist and hammered it against the side of his head. His whole body froze for a moment—then he jumped off the bed, backing far away from me.

“Leda.” His eyes trailed down my neck, burning with guilt.

“I’m all right.”

“I can’t drink from you again.” He brushed his glowing hand across the punctures in my neck, and they healed. “As much as I want to.” He traced his hand up my jaw. “As much as I can think of nothing else.” Silver flashed in his green eyes, and then he was on the other side of the room, as far away from me as he could physically be.

“Nero.”

“We have to go,” he said. “We have a rogue angel to stop.”