the one who wanted to come. He just wanted to make sure I wasn't alone on this world. So if you're gonna blame anyone, it should be me."
Uriel chuckled. "Trust me, seeing you is not a cause for blame. I just would have been a little more prepared if I'd known you were coming."
"She'd love a coffee," Luke drawled, sounding like some spoiled rich boy.
Kacira pressed a hand to her husband's shoulder, then left. I could only guess she was going to get the coffee Luke had just requested. It was such a completely domestic thing that it made me smile after her. Of course, Uriel saw.
"Believe it or not," he said, "she just wants to make you happy." Then he gestured to a chair, silently inviting me to sit.
I took it, aware that it was on the longest couch in the room. I expected Uriel to claim the other side, but he didn't. Instead, he lowered himself onto what I thought was an ottoman, then leaned his elbows on his knees and smiled at me.
"So to what do we owe this pleasure? Since we all know you didn’t come just for a polite visit."
I quickly glanced at Luke, not sure how much was safe to tell him. "I kinda had some questions, and I was hoping you would answer them," I said.
Uriel dipped his head in agreement. "As much as I can, if I can," he assured me.
"It's fine, Sia," Luke said. "If he tells anyone what you ask about, then he all but admits that he's welcomed you into his house, and that would cause more problems than it's worth. I know Bel's worried, but I think you can trust your father. He hasn't screwed me over in well over two decades."
"Just under," Uriel said. "Right at nineteen, almost 20 years. You're what, almost 25 now?"
I nodded. "You been keeping track?"
"We have," he agreed. "But I'm distracting you."
He didn't have to say it. I knew he was dying to know why I was here. He was also probably chafing to ask for a deal. That was an angel thing. Everything they did had to be balanced against what the other person could do for them. The last time I was here, I'd made it clear that I wouldn't play that game. I was actually kind of impressed that he'd remembered.
"I need to know about the slaves," I said. "How many there are, where they're located, what kind of facilities they have, what kind of training and experience they've been given, and how many were born here."
Uriel's eyes narrowed but never wavered from my face. "What do you think you're going to do with my slaves?"
"They are not yours," I said, making it clear that was not up for debate.
His lips curled in a lazy smile. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong. They are mine, and I made sure of it. No, not all of them, but quite a few. The thing you don't seem to understand is that they're safer when they're mine."
I leaned forward, mimicking his pose. "No, they are theirs. No one should be owned. We are not pets, resources, or anything else you angels seem to think is okay. We're people who can think and feel just like you. We are no less than any other sentient on any plane of existence."
He sat up and lifted his hands, spreading them apart. "This is the world I live in. What do you want me to do about it?"
"Something!" I snapped. "Doing nothing means you approve of it, don't you get that?"
"And yet here I am," he said, his voice perfectly calm, "willing to answer questions. What is that if not doing something?"
His elegant and collected attitude was only making me angrier. I was dying to scream at him, pick a fight about this, and make him see just how bad this really was. Yet, he had a point. He hadn't told me no, and he wasn't trying to stop me, so I had to give him a little credit.
"Okay, then I need that information." I crossed my arms, making it clear I meant now.
"We currently have approximately ninety-seven thousand midworld slaves on Angelis. Two thousand of them are on this… property. I have what can best be translated as a stable near the orchards. The rest are scattered across the planet. Most archangels keep between five hundred and a few thousand slaves to manage their… property."
"Plantation is the word I prefer to use," Luke said.
Uriel dipped