Shade knelt next to her and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and went back to sobbing.

There. The heart beat. Once. Twice. It shuddered as though unsure what to do next… and then it started up in a strong, steady beat. Kynan’s chest rose, and his lips parted as he took in a giant, choking breath.

“Kynan?” Gem scrambled off him. “Kynan?”

“Yeah,” he rasped. “Fuck. Yeah.”

Gem shrieked with joy and threw herself around him. Lore stood and backed away. A hand came down on his shoulder. Shade’s.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Lore said. “Really.”

Fuck, that was a stupid thing to do. Lore rubbed his hand across his chest, over the hand-shaped scar over his heart. These guys might have the answer to who he was, but really, did it matter? He could pretend to be his own man, could pretend to be a free agent. But the truth was that he was on a short leash connected to the fist of a demon who could—and did—call him to service at any time, on short notice, and for truly vile jobs.

He’d feel the life Lore brought back, and there would be punishment. On top of the punishment for not fulfilling the contract to kill the brothers. If there was one thing Detharu couldn’t abide, it was reneging on a vow.

That, and being cheated out of his cut of the death money.

So Lore was in for a shitload of pain.

Good thing, then, that he liked it.

Twenty-nine

Wraith ignored the Guardians who gawked at the state of his clothes, at the blood dripping off him, and yeah, maybe at the sight of the little piece of Heaven in his hand. Only Val wasn’t staring. He was sitting quietly in a chair next to Serena’s bed, head bowed, holding her hand.

Relief that Kynan was alive was tempered by the fact that Serena lay deathly still on the bed, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Shade gripped her wrist and channeled some of his gift into her.

“She’s okay,” he said softly. “I’m just keeping her asleep to slow down the…” He didn’t need to finish.

“Well, demon?” asked the Elder named Juan.

“Yeah, yeah. I got your precious amulet.” Wraith let the necklace slide through his fingers, totally getting off on how everyone—everyone except Val—was on their toes, holding their breath, waiting to see what he’d do.

“You need to hand that thing over, demon.” This from the one female Elder, Regan.

“To you?”

“Yes.” She held out her hand. “The Aegis is the best qualified to keep it—”

Wraith laughed. “Seriously, you people are so full of yourselves.” He stepped forward. “I’ll give it to Tayla then.”

“No!” Juan looked like he was going to stroke out. “She’s… she’s…”

“Half demon?” Wraith offered. “But she is a Guardian, and aren’t they the best qualified to keep it?”

Serena’s rattling breath reminded him that he needed to stop f**king around. Remembering what Reaver had said, he crouched next to the only human in the room besides Serena who was worthy of breathing the Earth’s air.

Kynan was still sitting on the floor, sweat beaded on his pallid skin, being held up, as far as Wraith could tell, by Gem.

Kynan tensed. “Wraith, no—”

Wraith looped the chain around Kynan’s neck and stood. “It’s yours, man. The fate of all humankind is in your hands.” He winked. “No pressure.”

While the humans gaped at Kynan, Wraith caught Lore by the shoulders. “You. You can bring back the dead?”

The guy watched him calmly. “Sometimes.”

Wraith shoved him into the wall. “No half answers. I want to know that if something happens to her—” he pointed to Serena “—you can fix her.”

Lore’s gaze was flat and black. “What’s killing her?”

“Demon infection.”

“Then no. Has to be a natural cause.”

Wraith gestured to Kynan. “Having his blood drained by a vampire isn’t exactly a natural f**king cause.”

“But bleeding out is.” Lore shrugged. “Your female’s problem is supernatural. Nothing I can do except make it happen faster.”

The casually spoken suggestion that Lore could put her down easily flash-seared Wraith’s temper. But before he could rip the guy limb from limb, Shade put an arm around his chest and dragged him away.

“Not the time, bro,” Shade said. “Not the time.”

Shade was right, but that didn’t stop Wraith from shooting Lore a “you’re mine later” glare as he scooped up Serena. “We’re taking her to UG. Now.”

He’d wanted her to be around people she knew while he was battling Byzamoth, but now he wanted her to have the best medical care available in an environment he thought of as home.

Home. Actually, he’d never thought of it that way. Until now. Because he’d just realized that home was the place you returned to when things were bad.

And this was as bad as it could get.

Kynan sat there, unmoving and in shock as Shade and Wraith whisked Serena toward the door. Val tried to interfere, just once, but Wraith said something that froze him right to the floor

As they were leaving, Reaver entered, looking like he’d been through a meat grinder, but at least he was alive. The last Kynan had seen of him, he’d looked about one breath away from his last. Then again, right after that, Kynan had taken his own last breath.

Wraith held Serena against his chest, but he paused long enough to give Reaver a respectful nod, which was returned, and then the two brothers were gone.

Gem still hadn’t let go of Kynan, was wrapped around him like a blanket. Tears had left black streaks down her cheeks, but he’d never seen anything so beautiful. If he’d known he had to die to get her back, he’d have done it sooner.

And wait—how had he come back?

Juan turned on Kynan. “This was a huge mistake. Hand over the necklace. The Sigil will guard it.”

Regan shook her head, making her long, dark ponytail swish around her thighs. “Once the necklace is donned, it cannot be removed except by an angel.”

“Only if he’s charmed,” Reaver said, “which he’s not. But if anyone tries to take it, they go through me.”

The Elders appeared less than thrilled about that prospect.

A curious warmth emanated from the cloudy crystal at the end of the chain, heating his skin. How could something so small—about the size of a marble—have caused so much trouble? It looked innocent enough, but it was a freaking piece of Heaven. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around that, around the fact that he was touching it.

Wraith had obviously made a huge mistake by giving the thing to him. The Sigil would be the best guardians for it. He reached for it, prepared to hand it over.

A blinding flash caught them all off guard. When the light faded, Kynan nearly swallowed his tongue.

Standing in the middle of the room, bathed in a pale glow, was an angel. Female, with spun-gold hair and dressed in a white tunic that fell to the knee. She wore a sword in a scabbard at her hip, and in her hand was a golden scythe.

She looked at everyone in the room, and they pretty much gaped in awe right back. “Aegi. Guardians of the human race. You humble me. I am Gethel. Greetings.”

She moved toward Kynan, her footsteps silent, her stride graceful, and he felt like a mouse caught in a cat’s sights. He wanted to kneel or something, but he couldn’t move even though his heart was hammering so hard he thought his rib cage might crack. She smiled as though she knew what he was thinking.

“You honor your race, human.” She touched him on the shoulder, and an odd, amazing energy shot through him. “You are charmed.”

Stop gaping. “Why?”

“You gave your life to save all that exists.” She smiled. “And you hold the amulet.”

“You should give it to someone else.”

“Why is that?” There was a fierce intelligence in her eyes that told him she knew his answer.

“Because,” he said, bowing his head, “I’m not worthy.”

“You feel you aren’t worthy because you strayed from the path you were on?”

That about covered it. He’d lost himself for so long, and he wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was back.

She touched him lightly on the face. “You were tested. You fell and returned to your path. Only someone with extraordinary strength can set their lives right again. Those who have never fallen have not proved their resolve by finding their way back.”

“But… why me?”

“You are descended from Sariel.”

“Grigori,” Kynan breathed. “A Watcher.” The Grigori were angels sent to Earth to watch over the human race, but they’d eventually succumbed to lust and mated with women. The Army was right.

And he born of man and angel shall die in the face of evil and may yet bear the burden of Heaven…

Heaven… he touched the amulet. Heofon. My God.

“Indeed.” She smiled at him. “You will play a vital role in the Final Battle, as will your offspring. They will be born charmed—the first to have the charm passed on in such a way—and you will raise them as warriors. For someday, they will fight for all humankind.”

“Okay.” Okay? An angel had just told him that the future of mankind was in the hands of him and his offspring, and he says okay?

She laughed, a light, musical sound. “Okay.”

Hand dropping to the hilt of her sword, she swung around to Reaver, who had propped himself against the wall. His hair hung in ropes around his face, he looked half-wild, but he pushed away from the wall and faced Gethel, shoulders back, pride in his eyes.

“Reaver.” She moved to him, halting a foot away. “You interfered where you were forbidden. You associated with demons and revealed divine secrets to them.”

“I did.” Reaver bowed his head, and when he raised it, his eyes glowed with defiance. “And I would not change a thing.”