Gates of Death - Rae Foxx Page 0,27

us on a mostly magical quest.

"We can walk," I said. We could've popped in, but we weren't sure what we were going toward. Better to approach slowly with all our senses at full power. Not that it meant much for me and Luc, but for Gabe and Michael it did.

We walked about two miles to a small cottage on the outskirts of the city. Luckily, we'd arrived toward the edge anyway, since the city had to have covered a good thirty square miles easily.

A young boy chased a puppy in the front yard. As soon as I saw him, I knew.

"No," I breathed. "It can't be."

"I'll be damned," Luc said.

"That's important information to have," Gabe said.

Michael looked like he was going to be sick. "He made a Nephilim. God's going to kill him for sure."

"As if what he's already done isn't enough?" I asked.

"Maybe the birth of this child has convinced him that what he's doing, for whatever reason, is the right thing," Lucifer suggested. "I can vouch that the birth of a child makes you think differently."

He was right, but I hadn't realized he felt that way. It gave me hope for his future attitude, once we had our daughter back and everything fixed.

"Let's see who this child's mother is," I said. Walking toward the gate, I opened it easily. "Seems like there should be something stopping us," I whispered. The little boy noticed us and ran for the house. "He can't be more than four." Not that I was an expert on children's ages.

A pretty woman with long, dark hair came to the door. "Hello," she called in accented but clear English. "Can I help you?"

"Wait here," I told the men. "You'll scare her."

"Hello," I replied. "My name is Lilith." I considered giving a fake name, but as soon as the woman described us, anyone that knew us would automatically know who visited her. "Are you Mia?"

She stepped onto the porch with the dark-headed boy peeking out from behind her. Now that I got a close look at him, I saw Raphael all over his face and coloring.

"I am. What do you want?" She didn't seem hostile or suspicious. If she had any inkling of what was going on, she would've been, immediately.

"I'm looking for Raphael," I said flatly. "It's very important I find him."

Her face fell. "I'm sorry. Raphael hasn't lived here in many months."

Nodding, I pursed my lips and looked around the yard. "I was afraid of that. Would you mind if we asked you a few questions? It's a matter of life or death. I promise, we mean you no harm at all."

I laced my words with magic so that the woman would feel the truth of them. She nodded as she looked suspiciously behind me. "They are with you, yes?"

"Yes. The dark one," I pointed at Lucifer. He'd been in the sun enough to give himself a deep tan under his black hair. He always had tanned easily as Lucian. "Is my husband, and the other two are his best friends." Better leave out the polyamory part. "We're looking for our daughter, who has been kidnapped."

Mia gasped. "Oh, no, please, do come in."

The front door opened into a tiny living room with open windows, letting the warm afternoon air in. It was a stark contrast from the last living room we'd visited, where the shades had been drawn for privacy. This woman didn't have a secret in her soul.

Too bad his father did. Mia gestured we should sit on her couch and one recliner. She perched on the edge of the coffee table with her little boy in her lap. "What can I tell you?" she asked. "How can my Raphy be involved with your daughter's kidnapping?"

"We believe he may have information that will help us, ma'am," Lucifer said. He put on his diplomatic face. "But we've been unable to track him down."

"He's been scarce for many weeks," she said. "He comes by on occasion, but his business keeps him traveling often." She gestured around the living room. "But his job keeps us in a comfortable home, so we cannot complain."

"I'm sorry," Michael said. "What is it that Raphael does?"

"He is an airline steward," she said. "He travels the world, flying on his wings, as he calls it." Well, at least that was partly true. He did have wings, could fly, and did travel the world. "He's working on his pilot's license, as well."

"Yes, that matches the information we have about him," Gabe said.