Wanted Angel - Sadie Moss Page 0,69
contact other angels, in case there are those that want to help, but I’m afraid they wouldn’t believe me and it would just cause more of a mess. And Anderson might somehow hear about it, which is the last thing I want.
It’s going to be just the eight of us, but we’ll figure it out. If we can just find out what Salinas has planned.
He said that because the plan with the portals was foiled by yours truly—ha, take that—he’s going to have to go with “the nuclear option.”
“But what does that mean? What nuclear option?” I ask, scrubbing a hand down my face.
“Valentina said she’s going to look into it for us,” Sawyer says. We’re gathered in the kitchen, where Remi is stress-baking. It’s adorable that he does this when he’s upset. We have more baked goods to eat than we know what to do with. “She’ll send out word through the witch community.”
“Isaac said he’d see what he could find,” Ryland adds.
“What did you have to pay him?” Nix drawls, arching a brow.
Isaac truly is a neutral party. He isn’t going to turn us in to the demons, but he’s not going to just put his ear to the ground out of the goodness of his heart either.
“Nuclear,” Ford mutters. “Sounds like a fucking nuclear bomb.”
“They wouldn’t really set off a bomb, would they?” Sawyer asks, sounding alarmed.
Knight signs wildly, and Remi translates. “It would certainly kill off a lot of humans.”
“But the whole point is to take over the humans,” I point out. “Subjugate them. You can’t take over an Earth that has nobody left on it. Where’s the point in that?”
“But they could mean it metaphorically.” Beck purses his lips thoughtfully. “Maybe they’ve got some kind of weapon or spell that will kill enough humans to weaken them. Humans have grown strong. They were always strong in spirit, it’s true, but now they have technology to rival our magic, to rival the strength of demons, perhaps. And Salinas may have many minions on his side, but he doesn’t command all of Below. He doesn’t have the full might of their army at his disposal. He’ll want to press for every advantage that he can. And if he does kill many humans, some of them will go to Hell and some will go to Heaven. But there will still be plenty of leftover here, and those humans will make more humans. He’ll still have his slaves. I’m guessing he would call it an acceptable loss.” He shrugs, his black hair gleaming in the sunlight that pours through the window. “It’s like when I’m planning a business takeover.”
Yikes. That’s chilling. That a man—or demon, rather—is willing to kill so many people to clear his way, to weaken them so that he can take over.
It makes me shiver.
When I look around, I see that the other sins look as disgusted and horrified as I feel. It makes me feel warm inside, a bit, just a reminder that while they might be sins, they’re not monsters. They’re good men. They care. They’re complex people, and they’re more than just their sin. What Salinas and Anderson are planning is malicious. Not the kind of thing these men would ever condone or support.
“Fuckin’ assholes,” Ford growls. “They’re gonna get what’s comin’ to ’em.”
Knight nods empathetically in agreement.
“That level of greed and violence is abhorrent, yes,” Ryland says, and despite his fancy language, I can see in his taut face and his flashing eyes that he really means it.
Sawyer’s phone pings with a message. He pulls it out, reading whatever texts he’s getting. “It’s Valentina,” he says, his face darkening. “She’s got the information, and I’m afraid none of you are going to like it.”
I brace myself. Beckett nods at Sawyer, who clears his throat. “Apparently, they’re setting up some kind of… well, it’s not a nuclear bomb, but it sounds damn close to it. They’re reaching out to some in the supernatural world so that their allies can get clear of the blast, which is how Valentina found out. They’re combining their hellish and angelic abilities.”
Oh, shit.
My heart sinks. Combining hellish and angelic abilities? That’s a lot of freaking power. And I have a feeling I know what they’re planning.
“Salinas is going to unleash a beam of powerful hellfire from Below, and Anderson and the angels on his side will reflect it back to Earth using their heavenly light…”
“…creating a rain of hellfire,” I finish for him.
My stomach clenches and twists. Everyone