fairly quickly that angels played games that were far more vicious than I could ever imagine. But Mom didn’t raise an idiot. It was time I played along. “You owe me for saving her,” I said.
A growl ripped from the commander’s throat, and I knew I had him. I had him!
“Keep your distance, Michael,” came from inside the room. “Your baby’s life depends on your good behavior. Try to behave.”
The commander retreated.
Relieved, I sighed and cut the bread in half, put butter on it, and salted it. I offered it to the commander. “Eat something.”
He grunted.
“Your journey was long.”
He growled again.
I poured a cup of coffee from a carafe and offered him a cup.
He wouldn’t accept.
“Drink the damn coffee and sit your ass down,” came from the room. “Your hovering annoys me.”
“Pay less attention to me and more attention to what you’re doing,” the commander said.
“Sit down, Michael.”
The commander pressed his lips together. I didn’t believe he’d been ordered to do anything in a long while. It was kind of nice to watch him hop over the rail and plop into a chair, one of two with no backs. He eyed the coffee cup. “Where is the whipped cream?”
I didn’t think there was whipped cream, but checked a few small closed ceramic bowls with little spoons. Honey. Milk. “Milk?”
“Whipped cream.”
I’d forgotten how difficult the commander was. “Milk?” I prompted again, because clearly, there was no cream.
“Richard forgot the cream on purpose.” In disapproval, the commander shook his head. He added milk and sugar, then moved the cup to his right. He filled a plate and moved that setting to the right, next to the cup.
“Are you preparing her breakfast?” I asked.
“I am.”
Awww. He could be so sweet. Who knew? “It’s nice to see this side of you, Commander. I think you should let people see it more often.”
“No, thank you. Distract me.”
“Hm?”
“Eat, soldier, and talk to me about the situation in the Court. Particularly on the ground. Give me a civilian count. How many ground troops are left, and where are they positioned in this vast open space with no walls?”
I wouldn’t deliver the undead news to the commander. Raphael could have the honors. “I agree about the walls. So we agree on that, but the view…” I extended my hand. “The walls would block the beauty of this Court.”
“You are evading.”
“I don’t believe it is my place—”
“My soldier will see the Court’s situation through the lens of my Court. His soldiers do not have the same clarity.”
“Shut up, Michael,” came from inside.
“Ignore him,” the commander said. “Report.”
I scooped cold eggs onto my plate and ate, making sure to keep my mouth full. The commander watched me. Nothing would make him mad more than disobedience. I swallowed the food and said, “I am not your soldier anymore.” I paused, then added, “Michael.”
He contemplated me for a while, and, as if unfazed, I continued eating. He leaned in. “I cannot defend your Court if I do not know what I have at my disposal.” He paused. “Lady.”
I dropped my fork. “You will defend the Court?”
“I will.”
“But you said you wouldn’t.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Even if I can’t save your son?” Raphael asked from the room, voice closer than before.
“Even then.”
“Why?” my lord asked.
“I have reasons.”
Chuckling came from behind the glass, and Raphael pulled back the curtains to reveal Julia standing there, dressed in a long purple dress to her toes, her hair pulled up, her cheeks rosy, her eyes lit with a violet hue. She walked to the commander and sat on his lap, and he wrapped her fully with his wings. Only her hair peeked out from the cocoon.
Raphael moved to stand behind me, and when he placed a hand on my shoulder, his was cold. He’d expended too much energy and couldn’t keep warm.
“For as long she remains here,” Raphael said, “she and the baby will be well.”
“Do you mean to tell me I have to keep her here with you?” the commander asked, looking horrified at the prospect.
“You don’t have to, Michael. When you take her back, and she miscarries, and nearly dies, she will recover. Know, however, that mortals must recover in mind, heart, and soul, not just the body. I have found them to be rather complicated.”
“My son is on your life support, then?”
“Yes. It appears Julia’s transition from mortal to immortal while seeded had complicated things.”
“Raphael, if you’re lying to trap me with you so your Court survives, I swear I will defend it regardless.”
“I have