Lucas isn’t in the bed when I wake.

I rise with the sun, my body sore, my mind so full of thoughts I don’t quite know where to put them all, and I’m glad he’s gone.

Too much, too fast, I think.

First house. First time having sex. First time having sex with an angel. First one-night stand. Vomiting blood. All within days, even hours and minutes, of each other, because I’m an over-achiever like that.

I grab the pillow next to me, stuff my face into it, and scream. A good scream, not the bad kind. Unlike Aunt Eloise, I have no desire to take back my virginity.

If anything, I want to thank Lucas. It might not have been what I imagined—sex with someone I’ve had at least three dates with or a guy I am head over heels in love with—but it was everything I needed. Right now. At this moment.

Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I rush to my closet, quickly donning the usual skinny jeans and sweatshirt. Heavy coat. A knit cap. Solid colors. No words.

My camera bag sits on the living room floor, and I sling it onto my shoulder.

Everything outside looks and feels new. The snow on the ground, the white powder dusting the trees, the way the rising sun paints the sky a rainbow of blues, pinks, and purples. The way the air smells, crisp and tinged with smoke.

Taking my camera out of my bag, I turn back to my cabin, focus the shot, and shoot a picture of the arched front door.

“I’ve heard of people skipping out on one night stands, but never on me. I think I’m offended.”

Smiling, I spin to find Lucas standing in the snow, his hands cradling two cups of coffee, and I know by the way he’s gripping one of them, he’s hiding a logo.

“You went into town?” I ask.

“More like blinked in and out. Here.” He hands me a plain white Styrofoam cup.

The awkwardness of our situation slams into me like a high-speed train. “I don’t drink—”

“It’s hot chocolate.”

Accepting the cup with my free hand, I sniff the contents. “How did you know? I didn’t tell you . . .” My gaze swings to Lucas, then back to the cup, my eyebrows practically shooting to my hairline. “How did you know?”

His silence is telling.

I groan. “Oh, no . . . don’t tell me.”

He smirks. “It’s an angel thing. Well, a Seraph thing, though a few other castes can do it as well. If it makes you feel better, I can’t really read your thoughts. I don’t know why. Maybe the demons? You’ve trained yourself to block out demons for so long, it’s like trying to break through an incredibly sophisticated security system. I only get small things from you. Things like the fear of touch. Hot chocolate.”

He walks toward me, and he’s so brilliant surrounded by the snow and the sky, I rush to set my cup in the snow. From a crouch, I lift my camera.

The click is loud in the still morning.

“So, all those things I told you,” I ask, still crouching, “you didn’t see them in my head?”

He crouches in front of me. “No, and it’s refreshing having to guess. Most people make it too easy.” Touching my camera, he raises his brows. “You know this won’t develop, right?”

“The picture of you?” I’m unable to hide my disappointment. “Why?”

“Seraph means fiery one. The only thing you’re going to get on that film is a walking blaze. Since I’m fallen, you’ll get a touch of blue fire in there, too.”

Standing, I peer down at him. “You like being fallen, don’t you?”

“What makes you think that?”

“The way your eyes light up when you say it.”

He stands, instantly towering over me. “It bothered me at first, but over the years I’ve learned to embrace it and what it means. Blurred lines exist for a reason. Some of the best warriors exist in the gray area.” Tapping his head as if it’s a treasure chest full of knowledge, he smiles. “Half your town’s Court among them. Besides,” his gaze slides over the snow-covered mountain, “I’ve been fortunate enough to fight alongside beings and people I would not have fought with if I was still a Risen.” His eyes find mine. “And the ones I fought alongside were in the right. Not all demons are bad. Not all angels are good. Not all people are innocent.”

Fierce passion makes his eyes glow, lightening them until they are almost colorless, and I suddenly understand why he’s a fiery one.

Stooping, he picks up my hot cocoa. “Come on, I’ve got you a present, and if you’re in the mood to take pictures, it’s the perfect place for it.”

He saunters away.

I rush to catch up with him, camera in hand. “There isn’t a place on Mt. Souza, or any mountains around Havenwood Falls for that matter, I don’t know.”

“Oh, it’s not a part of the mountain. It’s more of a thing.”

We march through the snow, hitting a trail just behind the cabin. My boots leave deep prints in the white powder. His boots leave no marks whatsoever.

“Another Seraph thing?” I ask, indicating the snow. “Just what all can you do? Other than healing demonic wounds, vanishing, and reading thoughts.”

Lucas glances at the ground. “A lot.” When he lifts his head, his eyes are shuttered. “Too much.” The tone of his voice tells me everything I need to know. Despite his arrogance, Lucas is not a flashy angel.

Reaching the top of an incline, he turns and offers me his hand. Even though it isn’t steep, I accept his help.

A shallow hollow spreads out before us, mountain slopes rising on three sides, majestic and full of power. A cold, pine-scented wind reddens my cheeks before whistling into the valley.

Nature sings.

“One of my favorite places,” I breathe, lifting my camera.

“Not yet,” Lucas says, stopping me. He gazes out over the space, and then points. “There.”

From the edge of the valley, something lopes toward us, a dark blur on snow. “What is that?”

“A favor.” He grins. “From a friend.”

I edge toward the angel, unease trickling down my spine. “Is that . . . oh.”

From the snow, a lion approaches us, his face surrounded by a magnificent fiery mane, his eyes narrowed. Wings protrude from his back, the appendages large enough to envelop him. The closer he draws to us, the more magnificent he becomes.

I blink, and he’s in front of me.

Words fail me.

Resting on his haunches in the snow, the lion studies me. Like Lucas, he leaves no tracks in the snow. I am tiny compared to him. Strangely, he doesn’t dwarf Lucas at all.

“Meet the Destroyer,” Lucas introduces.

“Destroyer?” I whisper, awed. I have met too many supernatural beings in my life to be cowed, but impressed . . . oh, I am most certainly impressed.

Lucas pats the beast on the shoulder. “Or Desi for short.”

The lion glares. “You go too far, angel.”

“Don’t be fooled,” Lucas tells me, ignoring the creature. “He likes it.”

“What . . . how . . .” Inhaling, I try again. “Where did he come from?” My gaze flies to the lion. “You, I mean. Where did you come from?”

Lucas answers for him, a secret smile on his lips. “A very powerful gargoyle friend of mine out of France. He has a thing for collecting ancient weapons.”

“Weapon? That does not look like a weapon!” The lion growls, and I step back. “No offense or anything. I just . . .” I shake my head. “I think I’m going to shut up now.”

“Into the mace, Desi,” Lucas snaps, startling me.

Grumbling, the lion stretches out in the snow, folds his wings over himself, and then vanishes. Poof. Gone. In his place is an intricately carved wooden club, the end of it covered in bronze thorns.

Time out.

“Did,” I gesture at the club, “that lion just turn into a baseball bat on steroids?”

The mountains echo when Lucas laughs.

Setting our drinks in the snow, Lucas swipes the steroid-bat off the ground and offers it to me. “It’s a mace, a much more popular weapon a long time ago. It’s yours, for now.”

I stare at it. “Not that I don’t appreciate this, but I wasn’t expecting to wake up this morning to hot cocoa and a new pet, er, mace.”

“He’ll be an invaluable ally for you.”

Tucking my camera into the bag on my shoulder, I let Lucas place the weapon in my hands. It’s surprisingly light considering it was just a massive, flying male lion.

“I don’t like the way you’re giving this to me,” I say quietly. “This gift comes with too many unsaid things.”

Reaching out, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear before pulling my knit cap down over it. “You are stronger than you know, Harper. You don’t get ruffled easily. You take pain better than most mortals I’ve met. You’ve been locked away from your abilities out of fear, and when that fear is gone, you’re going to discover a whole new woman locked inside of you, too. It takes an awful lot of power to keep a Seraph out of your head. Until then,” he winks, “Desi here will be a friend. He’s a sentient weapon, which means you can fight with him, use him for information, or even let him fight for you when you can’t. I’d teach you how to use a sword or some other form of defense, but we’re running out of time.”

“What about you?” I ask, my hands gripping the weapon. “Couldn’t you use the mace?”

Lucas ducks his head. “Seraphs are nearly invincible. I say nearly because we do have weaknesses. Not many, but we do. If Leviathan is threatening me, he’s got something he knows will harm me.” At my look of alarm, he tips my chin up. “I’ll destroy him no matter what happens to me. This has been a long time coming. This has nothing to do with your town or you. It’s not your fault.”

I’m not worried about the demon’s destruction; I’m worried about Lucas. He may have charged into my life too quickly, like a flame sparking, but now that he’s here, I want to know more about him. I want to know more about what and who he is. I want time. My abilities have always left me with little time. Scrawl a message to a guy in town. He dies. Scrawl a message threatening an angel, and my life becomes a fast-paced action novel. In audio.

I hug the weapon to myself. “What did you do to the archdemon?”

Lucas glances at the valley beyond. “When the world was ancient, Leviathan was considered a god. He was worshipped as one. His need for power, his greed, and his cruelty grew. His possessed followers were sacrificing humans for him, specifically young virgins. In his bid for supremacy, he nearly wiped out whole cities of mortals. Archdemons are a pain in the ass. For even their own kind.” His gaze returns to mine. “This was the time of the gods, of the Greeks, of the Romans, and of great power. Before I fell, I was commanded to take down Leviathan before he caused more destruction. The battle wasn’t an easy one. It took me and a legion of warriors to take down Levi and his minions.” His eyes go distant. “A dragon of the heavens against a dragon of the seas and the land. In the end, I managed to lock him away in the Infernum, a dark place for very powerful and dangerous supernaturals who are hard to kill.”

I stare, awed. “You felled a god.”

“I felled an archdemon who wanted to be a god, and now he wants retribution.”

If the morning was cold before, it’s frigid now.

I should say things like, “No, you can’t fight him!” Or at least beg him to leave Havenwood Falls, but I don’t.

In retrospect, sex kind of foiled things because now I feel something for him and that complicates everything.

I also keep my mouth shut because he’s right. This is his battle with an old enemy, and I am simply the tool to make it happen.

“What can I do to help?” I ask. “You know, other than bleed everywhere?”

Respect fills his gaze. “Find a way past your fears. There is unimaginable power in you. I sense it.”

The mace in my hand shudders, and I nearly drop it, a shriek escaping me.

“Desi senses it, too,” Lucas adds, chuckling. “Now for a suggestion. Your bed was much, much warmer than this mountain. If you catch my meaning.”

I throw him a look. “Do you even feel the cold?”

“No, but admit it.” He leans close. “Bed has a nice poetic feel to it. Besides, it’s Thanksgiving.”

His words paralyze me. “What did you say?” Oh, God! My aunt! With everything going on, the date completely slipped my mind. “We need to go!” I wave the mace. “Make us do the whole blink in and blink out thing.”

Lucas watches, amused. “I don’t really do the holidays.”

“Why?” I ask, aghast. “What’s not to like? Food, fam—”

Family. My thoughts cut me off. Do Seraphs even have families?

“Harper,” Lucas warns, grabbing for me.

I feel the gush before I see the blood pouring out of my face.

Ripping off his button-up shirt, Lucas stuffs it beneath my nose. I clutch at the material, and the mace falls to the blood-speckled snow at our feet.

“I’m sorry,” I say to Desi, my voice nasal because of the shirt.

Resting a large hand on the back of my head, Lucas presses me against him. “Don’t worry about the mace. He’s been ordered to stay with you. Trust me, he finds his own way.”

Blood soaks the shirt, and I sag against Lucas. “How has this not killed me?”

“You’re weak because Levi is drawing on your energy. You’re not dead because it’s not your blood.”

It takes a moment for his words to sink in, but when they do, I recoil, pure horror crashing down on me. “What?” I panic into the shirt, because who wouldn’t? “What do you mean it’s not my blood?”

“You stay calm when you think it’s your blood, but you get all up in arms when it’s someone else’s?”

I push away from him, still clutching the shirt. “Lucas! That’s like pissing out someone else’s urine!”

He reaches for me. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Whose blood is it?” I insist.

Lucas inhales, his gaze settling on mine. “The condemned. It’s the blood of the condemned in the Infernum. Levi can’t sacrifice humans, so he’s sacrificing the condemned imprisoned with him so he can build enough strength through their deaths and your energy to escape. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but I know it’s not your blood.”

My knees go weak, but I hold my ground. “There’s no way to stop him from doing this?”

“Not without going into the Infernum, and there are some places even Seraphs can’t go. Escaping it is one thing; entering it is another.”

“Has anyone ever escaped it before?” I don’t think I want to know this answer.

“No.”

My vision blurs, and I stumble away from him to lean against a tree. My hands are covered in blood, and it’s not my own.

Lucas appears next to me. “The condemned suffer more than you could ever know. Death is relief. Even if it’s brief. They won’t stay dead. Remember what I told you about the Infernum, Harper. It’s a prison for supernaturals who are nearly impossible to kill. Like archdemons.” He pauses, letting that sink in before adding, “For creatures like me.”

My gaze flashes to his face, Levi’s words potent when I recall them. You will have a place in Hell, Lucas Fox. Cast and chained in the Infernum of darkness. Death to the messenger. Death to those who give her sanctuary.

“That’s what he plans to do to you,” I whisper.

Silence, and then, “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

A new resolve fills me. “Today, you’re doing the holidays.” He pulls back, surprised. “I may bleed everywhere, and it may be the most uncomfortable meal I have ever had, but you are damn well doing the holidays today, Lucas.”

If I’m going to bleed other creatures’ blood, and Lucas is prepping for a fight that may cost him more than he gains, then I’m damn sure going to show him what it means to be human.