Of course Michael personally knew this UnHallowed. They had shared Heaven, way, way, way back in the dinosaur era, Amaya rationalized. But the way Michael said, I see you two have met, made it seem as if he and Bane were frat brothers. Like they met every Friday night after a long day of work to drink beer and chase women—friends, not mortal enemies.

That scenario was fucking impossible.

The weight of Bane’s stare forced her to look at him. There were questions in his red-rimmed eyes, but she had questions of her own.

“Is he the one you’re protecting?” he asked her.

Amaya sealed her lips. For better or worse, her loyalty remained with Michael.

Bane snorted. “Never play poker.” His gaze shifted to Michael.

Expression hard, Michael stepped forward. “What is going on here?”

By his relaxed stance, Bane didn’t seem worried. “Why are we here, Michael? Spit it out so I can leave.”

The archangel’s gaze narrowed on both of them. Silence stretched for an awkward moment. “The Cruor is here, on this property and it needs guarding.”

“What is a Cruor?” she asked.

“It’s the portal to Hell,” Bane answered without breaking eye contact with Michael. “And it’s closed. So, what does it matter if the Cruor is here or not?

Amaya was still tripping over the portal to Hell being within walking distance. She had to keep up with the conversation.

“Though closed, it’s not secure,” Michael said.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Amaya murmured.

“Explain.” Bane’s acerbic tone would’ve melted a lesser being.

Michael’s gaze shifted back to her. “I caught the scent of a Spaun on the property.”

Bane let loose with a string of curses. Judging by his reaction, whatever a Spaun was, it was level ten bad. Damn, she hated being in the dark on the brink of an apocalypse. What the fuck was all her training for if she didn’t know the important shit when she needed it most? Furthermore, what was the point in keeping her oblivious to all the dangers she’d face? She glared at Michael, blaming him, only because Braile wasn’t there to share the blame, but if she ever laid eyes on him again… “Someone explain what the hell a Spaun is.”

“How long ago did you catch his scent?” Bane said to Michael.

“Recent.”

Another string of curses left Bane.

I’m gonna ask one more time, then I’m hitting someone. “What is a Spaun?”

“It’s a demon, one of a higher class that escaped when the UnHallowed were freed.” Bane moved to the nearest window and peered out of a slit. He hissed and shifted away, a red scorch marred his cheek.

“Now, you understand the gravity of the situation,” Michael said to Bane, and then both their gazes settled on her.

“What?” She backed up, uneasy under their weighted glares.

“The Cruor has to be guarded twenty-four hours a day. Though, it seems it has survived for months without any type of protection.” Bane glared at Michael.

“What does that have to do with me?” She pointed a finger at herself.

Bane pointed at his fading burn. “I don’t tan in the sun, sweetheart.”

“Not my problem, sweetheart.” Was that a grin on his smug face?

“Oh yes, it is your problem, because you’re stuck here with me.” His feral grin widened.

“The hell I am. Get some of your UnHallowed buddies to help you out because I won’t,” she gritted out between clenched teeth.

“You and Bane are the only two I trust for this assignment, Amaya,” Michael said.

I’m not falling for this load of bull. Amaya whipped around and gave a firm shake of her head. Michael couldn’t show up years later, toss out the trust card, and expect her to lap it up. Like she used to. So eager to please him and Braile, she’d done everything they asked. She trained harder, focused longer, sacrificed whatever got in the way of being the weapon they needed her to be, all for the two she trusted most in the world to keep her in the dark. The Cruor, the Spaun, the Darklings, what else didn’t she know? Worse, what else hadn’t she bothered to investigate because she’d placed her trust in the wrong place?

She lost friends and lovers over her dedication to perfection. She’d trained to kill Darklings and UnHallowed, and now Michael wanted her to work with one of them? No. The stakes were high, but not high enough for collaboration with the enemy. On a planet with seven billion people, there had to be someone else.

Amaya walked around the two beings and stormed out of the house. She made it into the tall grass when Michael blocked her path. Panting, she skidded to a halt and shouted, “Get out of my way!”

“Amaya,” he started in that oh so reasonable voice of his.

“I said no, Michael. You can’t ask this of me.” She jabbed a finger at him.

“Yet, I am more than asking you. This is what you have trained—”

“I trained to kill those bastards. Not work with them.”

“You were trained to kill Darklings and ordered to stay away from UnHallowed.”

Now he wanted to nitpick? Fine! “You and Braile drilled into my head that I had to stay away from the UnHallowed because I wasn’t ready. They were monstrous, lecherous, corrupt beings that would show no mercy. They would kill me the second they laid eyes on me.” Instead, Bane almost kissed her. Almost. “You and Braile implied when I was ready, I would have free rein to kill UnHallowed. Now that I’m more than ready to skewer the bastards, you show up and say, ‘Hey! My bad. It’s cool to partner up with them.’ Nope. Not happening.” She moved around him and nearly made it to her car when three words stopped her.

“I need you.”

The Archangel Michael, Seraph to the Throne, needed her. Well, she didn’t need him. Proved how much she didn’t need him by surviving the last six years without him.

He came up behind her. “You are the only person in this world I trust. There is no one else.”

Her insides melted, though she’d never let him know how much his words resonated with her heart. She was tempted to ask, Does Braile trust me also? but she suspected the answer was no, otherwise he would be here instead of Michael. She hiked her thumb at the house. “What about the UnHallowed? You said you trusted him too.”

“He is a means to an end, though, in this I do trust him. Nevertheless, my faith resides in you, Amaya. And you are correct, you have trained for this.”

His praise curled around the knot in her stomach. “I have a life, Michael. I have a job.”

“All your needs will be provided.”

That could mean anything from her tilling the land to living in Oprah style luxury. One thing was certain, there was nothing luxurious about the house behind her.

Realizing what her answer had to be, Amaya sighed. “I will arrive at sunrise and leave the second the sun sets. I don’t want that UnHallowed in my presence. We have no reason to speak to each other!” she bellowed for Bane to hear. “I’ll start tomorrow.” Michael opened his mouth and she cut him off. “Tomorrow isn’t negotiable. You got your way. Now leave well enough alone.”

Amaya marched the rest of the way to her car, got in, and slammed the door. She cranked the engine and stomped on the gas. Pebbles pinged the undercarriage as she peeled away from the house. Laughter reached her, whether Bane’s or Michael’s, she couldn’t tell.