“Oh.” I averted my gaze. His lack of concern made sense, because that would probably be the only circumstance in which Zayne wouldn’t care if angels were killed.
“I see where you’re going with this,” Nicolai said. “But we don’t know all the facts yet to start panicking and operating on the idea that this Harbinger can defeat angels.”
“I’m not panicking. I’m just pointing out the possibility that we might be up against something we’ve never seen before. Not an alien.” I shot Zayne a look. “But definitely something that can take down the most powerful beings ever created.”
“She has a point.” Zayne picked up a small circular object from Nicolai’s desk. “But we also don’t know yet. These spikes could be something ancient that we’ve just never seen before. And even if the Harbinger managed to take a weapon of angelic origins, that doesn’t mean the angel was defeated. These spikes could’ve been found. We need a lead.”
“Perhaps you’ll find one the next time you’re having dinner,” Nicolai suggested.
I blinked.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Nic?” Zayne asked. “Because it better not mean what I think it does. We need to eat. That’s what we were doing. And we can eat wherever and whenever we damn well want to.”
Nicolai stared at Zayne for a long moment and then pushed off the desk. “We do have another pressing issue we need to discuss. Some of the others have started to ask questions about Trinity.”
Tension radiated from Zayne to me through the bond, and I felt it shimmy over my skin. “And you told them it’s none of their business,” Zayne stated, the warning in his tone making every word sound like a verbal punch. “Right?”
I turned slowly to Zayne, brows rising. The clan leader position alone demanded respect, even if the actual leader hadn’t earned it. Zayne knew that, and not because all Wardens knew that, but because his father had been the leader, and because Zayne should have been the clan leader now. The title was passed down to a male heir of age, and Zayne was of age.
He’d simply turned it down.
Nicolai’s jaw hardened once more, and I fully expected him to remind Zayne who he was speaking to, but his expression smoothed out after several tense heartbeats. “I can tell them that all I want, but it doesn’t change the fact they have questions.” He sat behind the desk and shifted his gaze to me. “Keeping what you are a secret isn’t easy. You’re staying with Zayne and patrolling with him. Both of those things garner attention.”
“I know.” I rested my hands on the back of the chair. “But we need to keep it a secret.”
“Have either of you thought about the fact that, at some point, one of the other Wardens will see you in action?” Nicolai questioned. “The moment they see you fight, they’re going to know you’re not human. And if they see you use your grace...”
“Do you really think that hasn’t occurred to me?” Zayne shot back, placing the circular object back onto the desk. I realized it was a shiny black paperweight. “You damn well know Wardens don’t patrol in groups or in the same area unless something is going down. If we’re careful, we’re not going to cross paths with another Warden.”
“You can only be so careful for so long. I know you used Dez to get her out of that warehouse before the others arrived. It won’t always be that simple.”
“It may get complicated, but it is what it is,” Zayne said. “I don’t care if it’s easy or not. You’re the clan leader. Make sure they don’t find out for as long as possible. That knowledge is too much of a risk.”
I figured it wasn’t a good time to remind Zayne that there were currently two demons and a half demon who knew exactly what I was.
And didn’t that speak volumes?
Zayne trusted those demons over his own clan. Granted, he hadn’t known that Roth would be able to figure out what I was, but he hadn’t reacted this way when Roth had figured it out and exposed what I was to Layla and Cayman. If Nicolai discovered that, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he’d do—what the entire clan would think.
It would also be a very bad time to tell them that the Crone, Rowena and another random witch knew what I was.
“I’m surprised you remembered I’m the leader of this clan.” Nicolai’s voice was soft. “I was beginning to