Chapter 25

 

Serinda stood at the door, her usual battle gear replaced by soft, leather pants beneath a long leather coat. She swiped the fur lined hood back and fixed them with blue orbs of intensity.

“Keeper.” She greeted Liam first. To everyone else, she inclined her head, but went right back to Liam. “I would have sent word ahead to announce my arrival…”

Liam shook his head. “There is never need for that. You are always welcome.”

Her discomfort was a subtle shift in her stance before she was a warrior queen once more.

“I come with news.”

Liam began to lead her towards the kitchen, but she claimed a seat at one of the tables already cleared of dishes. She waited for Liam to follow suit.

But Liam pulled a seat for Kyaerin first and made sure she was comfortable before taking his own. The others made a half circle around the trio. There was nothing threatening about the gesture, but Serinda swept a glance over the group once before returning her attention to Liam.

“We were visited by our angel contact. She arrived an hour ago to make us aware of our arrangement with the Summit.”

Liam nodded. “We had our own guest around that very time.”

Serinda seemed unsurprised by that. “They must have realized they’ve already lost two houses in this war. I’m sure Kyros and Sita—”

Magnus stiffened. “Kyros?”

Serinda slanted him a sidelong glance. “After Tiana’s execution, Kyros took the southern throne. He’s king now.”

He couldn’t fathom what part of that pissed him off more, that Kyros, his best friend had survived Baron and hadn’t told him, that his best friend was king and hadn’t told him, or that his best friend had made no effort to contact him at all. Granted, the last time Magnus had seen the guy, his family was making plans to kill him, but still, they’d been through too much.

“We were not made aware of the change,” Liam explained.

“Did you say Sita?” Kyaerin cut in.

Serinda folded her arms on the table. “King Jub’s oldest daughter has taken the eastern throne.”

“So, you have Jub?” Kyaerin asked.

“He’s our guest until his trial and execution for ordering the attack during Tiana’s trial,” Serinda stated. “I have been cleared by the Summit to proceed.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Valkyrie stepped in. “There was no love lost between the two houses. Why would Jub risk the treaty?”

“The east and south have both joined their alliance with Baron. That would make them allies. Stopping the execution and saving Tiana would be the best move politically if they were trying to build trust. Unfortunately, they did not take into account our numbers, or the wisdom of issuing an attack on the enemy on their home turf.”

“Jub has always been the most passive aggressive of the leaders. I don’t see him ordering an attack, even for an ally,” Liam mused.

“My commanders and I think Baron is running the armies and using the leaders as pawns. Jub may not have had anything to do with it.”

“Unlike Father.”

Magnus hadn’t been expecting her inner voice to jump into his head without warning. The intrusion gave him a start. His gaze flicked to Zara and was met with a quick glance back.

“It was important,” Zara said pointedly.

Magnus had to agree.

“What about your father?” he interrupted Serinda.

The glower Serinda shot him brimmed with annoyance. “Father is of no concern to this discussion, Caster.”

“Her father had joined with Baron before his death,” said Zara’s voice in his head.

“Your father sided with Baron?”

That stopped the others. Heads rotated back to the Harvester, waiting for an explanation.

Serinda had gone rigid. Her icy gaze pierced through Magnus.

“I do not care to have my mind invaded when I am here as an ally.”

“You must understand our concern,” Liam interjected smoothly. “The situation leaves very little room for uncertainty.”

Serinda looked on the verge of arguing, or skewering Magnus in the eye with her blade, but she did neither. She simply continued to glower at him while a muscle flexed in her cheek.

“What is she thinking?” he asked Zara silently.

Zara stared at Serinda without blinking, her expression thoughtful, but curious. There was no mistaking that she was rifling around in the Harvester’s head. She wasn’t being subtle at all.

“She thinks you’re nothing like the man who kissed her all those years ago.”

Magnus’s head jerked around. “What?” he blurted out loud.

Zara looked away. “The night after the war, when you and she were intimate.”

“What…?” That was when it hit him and he turned his outside voice to his inner voice for Zara only. “Jesus, that was over six … no, seven centuries ago. And it was only a kiss. I barely remember it.”

If he thought that would reassure her, it didn’t.

“It was more than a kiss.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or rub both hands over his face in exasperation.

“I didn’t touch her like that,” he explained. “It was after the war ended, literally five seconds after. It had been a long eight years and she was there. I kissed her.”

“And?” she prompted, turning to him at last.

Magnus sighed, vaguely aware of the eyes watching them with varying degrees of interest. He couldn’t fathom what they must look like, staring at each other with only various facial tics to indicate there was an actual conversation taking place. But they didn’t matter. There was a knot in his gut he couldn’t account for, a feeling of dread and guilt for something that happened before he ever even met Osha, before he lost his family. It was a whole other lifetime. Hell, it was several other lifetimes ago. He couldn’t even remember the person he was then.

“It was over layers of clothes and armor, Zara. I never felt her skin, or any other part of her.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

Heat prickled the nape of his neck. “I don’t remember it.”

Up until that moment, that night was nothing but a blur of celebration and the faces of his family as they finally accepted that the war was over. He had a vague recollection of hearing the horn announcing the end of the battle, and turning to the person next to him to see if they’d heard it too, or if he’d finally lost his mind.

Serinda’s blue eyes had been luminous in the dark. That was all he recalled before they’d collided in a tangle of mouths. He’d pinned her to a tree and kissed her out of sheer relief. It could have been anyone. They’d been fighting side by side for weeks, protecting the other’s back. It was sheer impulse.

Her legs going around his hips had been a surprise even to him. That, and the fact that he hadn’t had a woman in years, had pushed his hips against her core, grinding to ease the pressure building between them. He’d known even in that haze that nothing would come of that kiss. She was a Harvester, second in line to the throne. Her virginity was mandatory. But she’d gasped her release within seconds and had immediately pushed him away.

They never talked about it. Why would they? She was a Harvester. He knew they could never be together and he didn’t want to be.

“It was one kiss,” he tried to reason.

Zara shook her head. “It wasn’t. Not to her.”

Magnus threw his hands up. “And how is that my fault?” he snapped out loud.

Zara said nothing for a long moment. When she finally did, there was annoyance in her tone.

“I don’t like it,” she confessed with a low growl. “It’s making me angry. In here.” She splayed a palm over her stomach. “I want to hit her.”

Parts of his own annoyance faded into amusement.

“That’s jealousy, sweetheart.”

Her gaze shot up to his. “Jealousy?” She mulled that word over for a second, as if tasting it for the first time. “I don’t like it.”

He chuckled. “No one does.”

Her expression slipped into one of uncertainty. “Do you want her?”

“You’ve been in my head, Zara,” he said before she finished. “What do you think?”

He placed her palm to his cheek and left it all open for her, every nook and cranny of his dark soul. He didn’t keep even a shred of himself hidden. He bared it all.

Zara sucked in a breath. He wasn’t sure what she’d seen, but he found her in his arms, her mouth hot over his. Her body melted over his, a supple weight of female need and overwhelming adoration.

Magnus kissed her back. He knotted his hands at her lower spine and bowed her into him. But he also broke it when the urge to take her right there on a table began to look more and more like a good idea.

“We’ll finish later,” he promised, struggling not to be lured in by the lust in her eyes or the wet parting of her lips.

Someone discreetly clearing their throat reminded them of the crowd watching their silent argument with raised eyebrows.

“Why don’t we get back to what we were talking about?” Liam murmured, drawing the conversation back on track.

In Magnus’s head, Zara giggled and leaned into him.

He squeezed her fingers and planted a hard kiss to the side of her head.

“Was Father working with Baron?” Valkyrie broke in, seemingly having had enough of the interruption.

Serinda, who had been staring hard at the table, lifted her gaze to her sister. “We believe he may have made a deal with the Chief Demon, the throne for his compliance.”

“What do you mean the throne?” Valkyrie took a step forward. “Mother relinquished her title to him.”

Serinda hesitated. “When I spoke to the demon, he claims it was not of her choice.”

“He made a bargain with Baron,” Valkyrie concluded.

Serinda nodded. “That is what the demon claims.”

“You’ve spoken to Baron?” Liam asked.

“He’s made a visit to all the houses from what I can tell. He’s cashing in all his IOUs, reminding people that they owe him. But Father is dead. Whatever his arrangement with Baron had been, I will not comply. As of this morning, the west is unaligned. We will fight the demons as we have been for centuries, but not in services to heaven … or hell.”

“You can do that?” Gideon peered over the group.

No one answered him.

“We unfortunately don’t have that luxury,” Liam said instead. “The bargain wasn’t mine.”

“With Baron?”

Liam nodded. “It’s a matter of some delicacy.”

“You can trust her,” Zara said. She must have only conveyed the message to Liam and Magnus, because they were the only two who glanced at her. “She’s honorable.”

There was grudging reluctance in the statement that had Magnus concealing his grin into the top of her head.

Liam faced Serinda once more and told her about Baron’s visit. There were things he left out, like Zara being Baron’s granddaughter, which Magnus appreciated; that was a secret he didn’t want anyone outside the family to know about. There was no telling what might happen if that information wound up in the wrong hands.

“Do you have a course of action?”

“At this time, we’re working on it.”

Serinda nodded. “I understand. Unfortunately, until you’ve selected a concrete decision, our alignment may not work.”

Liam offered her wiry smile. “Of course.  I assure you, you will be the first to know when a decision has been made.”

That seemed to bring the meeting to an end, because Serinda rose from her seat. Liam followed respectfully.

“We will be holding an execution for Jub in the fortnight,” Serinda said, doing up the buttons on her coat. “You are welcome to attend.”

His mother sighed a little. “That’s the last one.”

“I’m sorry?”

Liam shook his head slowly. “She means the leaders … original leaders. With your father gone, Tiana and Jub now gone, that leaves only … me.”

He said it lightly, as if sharing a joke, but the weight of those words settled heavily in the air.

“Tiana killed my father,” Serinda stated with ease. “For her crimes against the treaty, she and her men were overcome by my warriors. Jub attempted to interfere and killed my people during a time of grieving, for which he needs to pay.” She lifted one shoulder. “Those are the ways of war. But you’re not like them. You don’t desire bloodshed if it can be avoided. I would not be surprised if Kyros or Sita attempted an alignment with the north in the next while. Your numbers are small, but your bravery and strength on the battlefield are legendary.”

Liam chuckled. “Kind words. Thank you.”

Serinda inclined her head once before turning her attention to Kyaerin. “Until there is cause to no longer, the west will stand with the north.”

As reassurances went, it was probably the best one she could have given his mother. Kyaerin offered her a smile in response, but didn’t speak.

“I must be on my way,” Serinda said when the silence went on too long. “Preparations must be made. I will keep seats open should you decide to attend.”

Magnus had no desire to attend another leader’s death. He knew his mother and father would, however. Not by choice, but duty.

His father motioned Serinda to the doors.

“You okay?”

Magnus turned to the sound of Gideon’s question. His brother was looking at Valkyrie, who had gone very quiet and pale.

Her blue eyes lifted to his. “My father had my mother killed to take her throne, to take Serinda’s rightful inheritance for his own purposes.”

Gideon nodded. “Fair enough.” He kissed the side of her head. “But he’s dead and the throne has its rightful ruler. All’s right in the world once more, love.”

She sighed. “Is it?”

No one answered.

No one could.

The moment the front door closed behind the Harvester, the kitchen doors opened and Riley stepped through with one boy hanging off her hand and the other perched on her hip.

“I went back to the parlor and everyone was gone.” She put Alec down in a chair. “What did I miss?”

“Where did you go?” Octavian asked.

Riley straightened and shoved back strands of hair off her face. “Well, I took the boys back to Akilah’s room, then came down to grab some leftovers. I figured it would be safer there, what with all the demons and angels that keep popping in here. I didn’t want to give any of them a reason to say … to tell me I can’t keep them.” She folded her arms and frowned. “I would have left them there, but Akilah is putting Talib down for a nap and I didn’t want to leave them alone. I figured they’re better off wherever we all are. Safety in numbers and all.” Her frown deepened. “Should Alec be taking naps? Babies need naps, right?”

To everyone’s surprise, Alec slipped off his chair and toddled over to Octavian. The momentum of his tiny body sent him colliding into the man’s legs where he threw his scrawny arms around the left one and clung to keep from hitting the ground.

Octavian peered down, all the way down, practically bending slightly to get a view of the tiny cub struggling to right himself.

“What are you doing?” he asked, as if the kid was going to answer.

Otis started forward, probably to pull his brother away from the man staring at him as if he were something that couldn’t be explained. But Octavian bent at the waist and scooped Alec up.

The ride from two feet to six must have been exciting, because Alec squealed all the way up. Then clapped like that was the highlight of his life.

“Aw!” Riley laughed, delighted.

The boy giggled and stuffed the hem of his shirt into his mouth.

Octavian grimaced. “You don’t want that in your mouth.” He pried the fabric loose, making Alec bubble up in giggles and grab his hand as a replacement for the shirt. Octavian raised an eyebrow with barely contained amusement and splayed the full width of his hand over the boy’s face like a giant spider. “You really are a little animal. Come on. Let’s find you something you can gnaw on.”

He carted the boy towards the kitchen. Otis started after them, little legs taking three jogs for every one step from Octavian. The three disappeared on the other side with a wide swing of the doors.

Liam stepped forward. “We should take this upstairs. The others can’t stay up in their rooms forever and Gorje needs to start lunch, and we need to start setting up … chores, or something.”

Kyaerin set a small hand on his arm. “I’ll put something on paper, get everyone organized. But in the meantime, we have a bigger problem. We need to figure out what we’re doing. Baron and Abraham are both waiting for answers and I don’t think they’ll wait for very long.”

“If you give me a second, I can run up and grab some papers and a highlighter,” Riley offered. “I was always really good at note taking in school.”

“You mean like a pro and con list?” Gideon teased. “Pro, angels want to save mankind. Con, they’re assholes. Con, Baron is an even bigger asshole and a raving lunatic. Pro, to be decided.”

Riley pursed her lips and glowered at him. “A properly written pro and con list can solve all of the world’s problems, but I meant chore list and … notes.”

“That might help,” Liam agreed. “But not now. We need to all be present to go over this. At the moment, we can’t leave the diner unsupervised, and I want hourly patrols around the house. Magnus, you and Valkyrie switch off on perimeter checks. Riley, you, Octavian, and Reggie stay in the diner. I want the people we’ve sworn to protect, protected. Gideon, you have the tower. Kyaerin, deterrent. As much as you can make.”

“What about me?” Zara piped in. “I can help. Maybe not fight, but I can do something.”

Liam turned gray eyes to her. “Let us know if you sense anyone coming, and help Kyaerin, if you can.”

That must not have been what Zara meant, because her brows furrowed.

“Was there something else you had in mind?” Liam ventured carefully.

Zara considered that a moment. “No, I suppose not. Thank you.”

Liam nodded, and turned his attention to Gideon. His mouth opened, but Octavian took that moment to return with Alec still in his arms and Otis following alongside him, holding a thick sandwich. Alec had a fat, peeled carrot clutched in his tiny fist and was going to town on it like a beaver on a chunk of wood.

He dumped both boys at the nearest table and straightened.

“That should keep them busy for five minutes.”

“Still hungry?” Riley marveled.

Kyaerin chuckled. “You think that’s something? These four practically ate the house.”

“We might need to get the little one chew toys or something,” Octavian mused.

“Don’t say that,” Riley protested. “He’s not a dog!”

“Baby, he’s a wolf,” Octavian reasoned.

“I’m afraid Octavian’s right,” Kyaerin intervened. “They chew and bite things. It’s what they do. It’s better to give them safe things to nibble on.”

“Better than our flesh,” Magnus reasoned. “We weren’t kidding about their bite.”

“We’re not animals,” Otis muttered, staring up at Octavian with a look of disdain. “We know we’re not supposed to bite. At least, I do. Alec’s still little. He doesn’t know any better.”

“You’re absolutely right, Otis.” Kyaerin smiled at him. “We should be more considerate of your feelings. I apologize.”

The boy lowered his gaze back to the sandwich, but didn’t comment.

“Let’s get our guests out of their rooms,” Liam interjected when no one said anything else. “Does everyone know where they need to be?”

Assurances were given and the group dispersed.

Magnus went to Valkyrie.

“I’ll take the first six.”

“Your father said hour,” she reminded him.

Magnus nodded. “Have you ever broken your sleep up every hour? We’ll lose our minds before the fourth day. We’ll switch every six hours. That’ll give us each enough rest to function.”

She didn’t argue.

“Do you want first round, or...?”

Magnus checked his watch. “I’ll get you in six.”

She glanced at her own timepiece. “In six.”

Magnus left the dining area and made his way back to his room. He grabbed his coat, his blade, and tucked a few more daggers into the pockets of his cargo pants. As an afterthought, he strapped his sword across his back.

Zara was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs when he made his way back down.

“Hey.” He stopped next to her.

“Hello,” she said back.

He studied her face, trying to read her. “Something wrong?”

The avoidance of her gaze said it before she could. “I don’t feel like I’m helping enough.”

“Helping us get ready is helping,” he reminded her.

Zara nodded. “But everyone seems to be doing more than I am.”

He considered that a moment.

“You can help me,” he decided.

Her eyes widened. “I can patrol with you?”

Magnus shook his head. “I want you to stop blocking me. You can’t do it forever. Instead, help me do the door thing.”

“Oh.” She shrugged. “All right, but how when you’ll be outside and I’ll be inside?”

“The same way you always seem to find me, even when I’m outside.”

He brushed a kiss to her grinning mouth and slipped out into the cold.

Away from the house and all the noise of voices, it wasn’t too hard imagining a door blocking him from the world. But he knew he needed to start off slow before he could face a room full of people.

Nevertheless, even with him outside, the voices Zara could hear, filtered over to him, making him think it was a bad idea when the distraction kept pulling his focus away from his surroundings. But it was also a good way to practice.

His imaginary room wasn’t nearly as fancy or neat as Zara’s. Not everything was placed in order along shelves and the door wasn’t fancy.

It was black with a gold knob. The room was dark and barren with log walls and a wooden floor. Somewhere in the background was a window overlooking bare branches and a carpet of dead leaves. He couldn’t see the sky, but it seemed to be mid-day, a few hours before dusk.

“That’s a very lonely room,” Zara murmured inside his head, her voice a clear bell in his sanctuary.

“I can add a vase if it’ll make you feel better,” he partially teased. “Besides, it’s not real. It’s just some room in my head.”

“You’ve clearly never lived in your head before,” she mused, not unkindly.

“What’s that mean?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I just … I’ve spent most of my life alone with just the voices in my head as company. A dark, empty room might have killed me.”

Magnus considered that as he rounded the side of the house and paused at the trellis running up one side where the weeds had grown up to the gutters. He hooked the toes of his boots into the slots and hoisted himself up.

“Okay, tell me what I need in there.”

Zara was quiet for a moment, just long enough for him to reach the incline in the first dormer and crouch in the valley, overlooking the front doors.

“Things,” she said at last, as if waiting for him to be properly comfortable first. “What makes you happy? Gives you peace?”

Magnus frowned. “You tell me.”

“Your family.”

“Should I put them in the room?”

She hesitated. “I suppose.”

“Can I leave the room empty?”

“If you like.”

In the background, the din of voices made him think she was in the diner, surrounded by the newcomers. Possibly Riley. He heard the giggle of children. He doubted it was Otis or Alec. One of the new arrivals, he guessed.

He plopped down on his butt, raised one knee and rested his elbow on it. He stared out over the landscape of snow and naked trees. He watched the resistance of a leaf as the wind tugged at it, trying to tear it off the branch.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Sitting with Otis and Alec.”

“I thought you were going to help Mom.”

“Imogen is with her. She doesn’t need me.”

Magnus bit back his annoyance at the banshee’s interference.

Zara chuckled. “It’s okay. She seems to know more about it than I do anyway. I don’t mind sitting with the boys.”

“Where’s Riley?”

“Here.”

Magnus glanced in the direction of the path, the only way on or off the property.

“Go put on warm clothes and your coat, and come here.”

Surprise flickered between their link.

“Really?”

“Hurry up before I change my mind.”

It took all of ten minutes before she was standing at the bottom of the trellis. Her pale face peered up at him when he peeked over the lip.

“Start climbing,” he called down.

He watched her carefully as she placed one foot after the other into the gaps. He waited until she was close enough before reaching a hand down and taking her wrists. He hoisted her up the rest of the way and kept a firm grip on her when he wedged her into the V between his legs. His arms went around her middle, holding her in place as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

Zara turned her cold nose into the side of his face, the side with the scars, unperturbed by the rough rolls kinking the length from eye to lip. For him, it was what it was, but he never considered if they bothered her.

“They don’t,” she murmured, reading his mind.

Without commenting, he met the nudge of her nose with his. One bump before he captured her lips.

It was creeping towards midnight by the time the new arrivals were put away in their rooms and the doors were sealed shut all around the manor. Liam returned the magic shield keeping unwanted visitors out. Only problem with it was, no one could come or go once it was activated, and the process of putting it up, or taking it down was too long for it to be up around the clock.

They gathered around the parlor. No one mentioned the absence of the coffee table.

Liam stood.

“This will be brief,” he told them. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on our situation and I may have a solution. But it needs to be voted on before we can put it into motion.”

“What is it?” Reggie asked.

Liam shared a glance with Kyaerin.

“We make our own bargain.”

Magnus wasn’t convinced of the plan. It left too many things unaccounted for, but the others seemed to accept it, leaving him no choice but to go along with it and pray for the best.

The meeting took place in the parlor the next morning. At least that was where they were when Abraham made his grand appearance as he had the last time, only this time, Zara was prepared for the arrival and had just enough time to brace herself. Her nose didn’t start bleeding and she didn’t faint, but the invasion was still a white, hot poker jabbing through her eyes, straight into her brain.

“You guys need a new way to invade people’s homes,” Magnus growled, temples thrumming.

Abraham barely spared him or Zara a glance. His full angelic attention was riveted on Liam.

“You requested an audience, Keeper?”

Liam rose from his chair. “Yes, thank you for coming on such short notice.”

The angel inclined his head. “You claimed it was a matter of some urgency.”

Liam nodded. “Before a decision can be made, we have a few conditions to place before the Summit.”

A line appeared at the center of Abraham’s brow. “The Summit does not negotiate.”

“Well, that’s too damn bad,” Reggie barked. “They’re going to have to make an exception.”

Liam put his hand up, stopping his youngest. “What my son means to say is that you really don’t have a choice. You have already lost the south and the east to Baron. The west has severed ties with heaven, which only leaves us. From where I stand, those who haven’t already aligned with Baron, are in hiding or dead. We’re all you have and we have some conditions before we will even consider a new alliance.”

Magnus smothered his grin by adjusting his stance and folding his arms.

Abraham raised his chin. “And what are your terms?”

Liam was too diplomatic to smirk, but Magnus recognized the glint in his father’s eyes before he straightened his shoulders and began.

“We will no longer be slaves to heaven,” he stated firmly. “We are allies. We will fight alongside heaven to protect humanity and this world. No more chains and collars.”

Abraham pursed his lips. “I do not recall any chains—”

“It’s metaphorical,” Riley piped in.

Abraham ignored her. No doubt his royal heavenliness was too angelic to bestow his precious gaze on demon trash like a strigoi.

“We will also be keeping Final Judgment,” Liam continued. “No matter what happens or how the war ends, so long as my family roams this earth, this will be our home.” Liam paused. “Would you like me to write this all down for you?”

Abraham sniffed. “Not at all.”

Liam inclined his head and continued. “We want protection around the building, warding demons from entering until the war has ended. All demons, except Zara. But only her.”

Abraham frowned. “This residence is built on a hell gate.”

“Yes, but until I can assure demons can’t pop in here at will to hurt my family, that gateway stays closed. And I don’t mean just lower-class demons. All demons. Even the high-ranking ones. Anything with demon blood. Except Zara,” he added, possibly to be safe.

“Anything else?” Abraham goaded dryly.

Liam nodded. “Equal strength. If you want us to win, we’re going to need our powers back. We need to be as strong, as fast as our opponents.”

Abraham clicked his tongue. “You squandered your own powers by creating that puddle.”

“Our pond is a place of peace and sanctuary,” Liam replied smoothly. “But it will not help us fight with you.”

That seemed to have made some kind of sense to the angel, because he sniffed and lifted his chin. “Is that all?”

Liam shook his head. “Two more, but they go together. The Black Law, we will continue to follow the rules laid out to us without question, except the one about mating with humans. That one needs to be removed.”

That was a new one. They hadn’t discussed that during the meeting, but it had Reggie setting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward.

“Humans are forbidden,” Abraham argued.

Liam nodded again. “We don’t mean for all humans. Just one human. My son’s mate. The law is to be lifted for her.”

Magnus was close enough to Reggie to hear his sharp intake of air.

“What’s the other thing?” Abraham pressed.

“Immortality. Not for us,” Liam said when Abraham’s brows furrowed. “For her. The human. We want an elixir of immortality to distribute at the proper moment with no consequences, no strings, no conditions.”

“You are asking a lot, Liam,” Abraham warned.

Liam never faltered. “I’m not done. Are you sure you don’t want to write this down?”

Abraham gritted his jaw. “Continue, but be warned the Summit may reject such high demands.”

“These are not demands, they are payments for centuries of unwavering service,” Liam countered. “They are a show of good faith. We are giving our lives for a war we can easily walk away from. From where we stand, you need us far more than we need you. Now, may I continue?”

Abraham never uttered a word.

Liam continued. “Riley will not be harmed and her debt to Baron will be lifted. Heaven will make it clear that she is an ally and thus protected at all costs. That goes for Valkyrie, Zara, Daphne, and Kyaerin. And any children now or in the future. Should we not make it back, they will be relocated to somewhere safe and kept out of harm. Even if that means moving them to another planet. You will guard them, keep them alive, keep them safe, and give them a new start. Is that understood?”

From the look of shock on Kyaerin’s face, that wasn’t something they’d discussed.

Liam ignored her. “Those are my conditions, Seraph. You protect my family and you will have my sword, and the swords of my sons for as long as heaven needs them.”

Abraham was silent for a long stretch of time. Finally, his thin shoulders lifted in a deep inhale.

“I make no assurances the Summit will accept your terms, but I will bring them forward. Someone will get in touch when a decision has been made.”

Liam inclined his head. “Understood. But so it’s clear, the demons are requesting a response within the next few days. If heaven wishes us to fight, their answer would need to be prompt.”

Abraham merely inclined his head once before popping out of sight.

“Liam.” Kyaerin bounced to her feet. “We never discussed—”

“There was nothing to discuss, love,” he interjected. “Those were my conditions.”

“I will not simply leave you!” she barked.

He faced her. “Should something befall me during battle, you will leave me. You will take our children somewhere safe.”

“I agree with Dad,” Gideon prompted. “We can’t promise we’ll all return, but we’ll fight better knowing there’s a safety net for you guys should something happen.”

“Will you all shut up talking like that!” Riley blurted. “All this crap about not coming back and...” She drew in a breath. “You all better come back. I will hunt you down in whatever otherworld wormhole you might be in and I will kick your ass.”

“I agree with Red,” Valkyrie added. “No one’s dying. We go into battle together, and we will return together. It’s what we do.”

“Wait, she’s fighting?” Riley jabbed a finger towards Valkyrie.

“I’m a Harvester,” Valkyrie reminded her.

“Ex,” Riley piped in. “I thought getting booted from the cult meant you didn’t have to fight anymore.”

Valkyrie’s red lips twisted into a frown. “It wasn’t a cult. It was my family.”

“This is your family.” Riley made a circle with her finger, indicating the group around them. “Those people were crazy, but that’s not my point. If she gets to fight, I want to fight.”

No one spoke for a long moment.

“Sweetheart,” Kyaerin began.

“What?” Riley demanded. “I can fight. I’m strong. I’m fast. I’ve been in fights with you guys before. I can watch your backs. I can make sure you’re okay, and nothing can kill me. I got this!”

“No.” Coils of barely suppressed anger wove off Octavian as he peered down at his wife. “You’re not going.”

“But—”

“I said no!”

Riley flinched, but like a startled cobra, she went from surprised, to pissed off in the time it took for her to bound to her feet.

“One damn good reason why!”

“I’ll give you two,” he shot back. “Both are currently sleeping down the hall. I’ll give you another, just in case, you’re not trained to fight. You may be strong and fast, and have limited weaknesses, but you can be killed, Riley.”

“Don’t bring Otis and Alec into this,” she snapped. “You didn’t even want them, but now you’re all concerned? And I can be trained. I’m a fast learner. You’re not going to fight alone. I am not going to sit here and wait for you to come home like some prairie woman. It’s not happening, okay? You go. I go. That’s what partners do.”

“I have handcuffs and a paddle in my room,” Gideon broke in when no one spoke for a long stretch of time. “You’re welcome to both.”

Valkyrie elbowed him.

“What? Not the time?” Gideon smirked at her exasperated frown. “Oh, come on, there’s no wrong time for bondage and light spanking.”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Octavian muttered, ignoring Gideon entirely.

Riley shrugged defiantly. “You can talk about it all you want. You’re not going to change my mind.”

“No one’s going to train you.” He rounded on his brothers. “I mean it. One person shows her how to hold a blade and I’ll use it to cut your hand off.”

“Don’t talk to them like that,” Riley shouted. “And it’s fine. I’ll find something on Youtube. I will teach myself.”

She stomped out of the room before Octavian could think of a rebuttal.