must go first to Illium.
I won’t budge from his side.
Raphael touched Illium’s mind without effort—all his Seven were permanent imprints in his mind. Illium.
Sire. Do you need me? I’m with Ellie. I was on my way to bed but she lured me over with a full tray of Sivya’s delectable treats.
Raphael hoped Illium’s bond with Elena would help him weather this. I have bad news for you. He gave the younger angel the information with no attempt to soften the blow—there could be no softening it. Your father has awakened.
* * *
• • •
Elena knew the instant Raphael told Illium whatever it was that had put that deadly yet protective tone in his voice. Illium froze in the act of reaching for another tart, suddenly as motionless as a marble statue. Seated beside him, she slipped her hand over one of his brutally clenched ones. He didn’t react, his jaw rigid and his wings held precisely to his back.
Elena just held on.
It felt like forever before he said, “I have to go to Morocco.” Each word was harsh, full of grit.
Acting on instinct, Elena said, “You’re fast, but you’re tired. The jet’s ready.” It was always ready and waiting to go when Elena, Raphael, or any of the Seven were in New York. “It’ll have you at the private airstrip in Morocco in eleven hours.”
Illium’s nod was jagged, his expression dangerously flat.
Raphael, Illium’s heading to Morocco. I want to go with him. There was no way she was going to put Bluebell on that plane alone, not in his current condition. Will my being absent throw a spanner in the works?
That was a question she wouldn’t have asked after first falling for her archangel, but their relationship had grown and matured. It was no longer about her fighting for her freedom and Raphael wanting to wrap her up in cotton wool. She was his consort and not only did he need her by his side at certain times, their enemies wouldn’t hesitate to use her to make a point against him.
Go, he said. Protecting you will snap Illium out of his shock. Aodhan will fly from the Refuge to meet you in Morocco. The current situation with the excess number of archangels will keep the Cadre distracted in the interim.
Elena’s shoulders grew less tight. Aodhan and Illium currently had a rocky relationship, but their friendship was centuries old. It might be under strain, but it wasn’t going to fracture anytime soon. I’ll be back as soon as Illium’s doing okay.
The crashing and ice-kissed sea in her mind, her archangel’s embrace dangerously more powerful.
“I’m coming with you.”
Illium snapped up his head, the blue-tipped black of his hair shifting with the movement. “You need to be here, with the sire.”
“We’ve spoken—it’s fine. I’ll call the flight crew to let them know we’re on our way.”
“Ellie—” Eyes of beaten gold dark with torment and confusion.
“Decision’s made.” She rose. “Do you need to grab clothes from your suite?”
Making a frustrated sound, he said, “This isn’t over,” but left at a run.
She alerted their most senior pilot—the grumpy but brilliant Dougal—then ducked into her closet to grab a change of clothes for herself . . . and saw a brand-new canvas duffel bag sitting there, packed and ready. Her battered old bag that had survived many a hunter trip had been at the Enclave house when it went boom.
This one was an identical match, down to the padded shoulder straps.
“Montgomery, I love you more than is natural.” Grabbing the bag and pausing only long enough to throw in her laptop and some underwear, she was out in the corridor when a thought struck her. Raphael. She waited for an acknowledgment of the contact; she wasn’t about to distract him when he was in a discussion with ruthless immortals who’d take advantage of any sign of weakness.
You can speak, hbeebti. Right now, matters are civil and calm and icy. With Lijuan awake, there is no room for these newly awakened ones in our world. It is not their time.
Elena’s skin prickled, his words reminding her of Cassandra, who lived always out of time. The Hummingbird—
It is done, Raphael interrupted. Dmitri has asked one of our toughest warriors in the region to have an emotional crisis. The Hummingbird has a soft heart—she will stay with the seemingly heartbroken warrior for as long as it takes. He has promised to cry if she tries to stir.
We have good people. And the Hummingbird inspired devotion; Illium’s mother was so