Present day

Sariel

They’ve taken her. I couldn’t see anything other than Selah as she vanished into nothing. It must be Gabriel and Michael who have Selah. How did they get through the barrier I drew? Selah hadn’t left the property. She should have been safe.

Letting out a growl of frustration, I grip my hair and tug until it hurts, trying to pull myself away from the edge. But the fact remains, my brothers have her and there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop them. I close my eyes against the pain radiating across my back, through my chest, into my heart. She’s gone. Because I was fool enough to let her leave. If they kill her, I’ll tear down the gates of Heaven with my bare hands.

Limbs shaking, I use the power I’ve been trying to control and materialize in Galen’s home.

“Sariel, fucking hell, what’s wrong?” Galen shoots up from the breakfast table.

“They’ve taken her. Michael and Gabriel have Selah.”

Reese gasps and brings her hand up to her lips.

“How? You warded the property against them.”

“I don’t fucking know. They’re stronger than me.”

“What do you need?” Galen asks.

“What I came here for. The witches. I’m going to need your help. Reese, can you spare him? I can’t do this alone.”

She nods and stands, crossing the floor to pull Galen in for a deep kiss. “Just come back to me.”

“Always, a ghra.” After kissing his children, Galen leads us outside and to his waiting car. “Where is the coven?”

“I’ll need to summon them. Do you remember the barn we crashed into?”

He chuckles. “You mean that time I flew through the windscreen and had a piece of farm equipment embedded in my thigh?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“I remember it.”

“I can summon them there. It has to be a place my blood has been spilled, and I doubt you want to relive the moment Gadriel staked you in your home.”

He winces as he starts the car. “You’d be right about that.”

The drive is all of ten minutes through winding back roads, but with every passing second, my panic boils closer to the surface. I need to end this and get Selah back. Even if she isn’t with me, I need to see her safe. Galen pulls the car around to the back of the barn before shutting off the engine and turning concerned eyes on me.

“What’s your plan? Every witch I’ve encountered hasn’t wanted to do anything for free. You’ll need something to barter.”

Cocking one eyebrow, I assess him, knowing he’s going to hate me for what I have to do. “You’re my plan.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?”

“Galen, you’re a man who was blessed by Gabriel. God returned your soul and your mortal body after you should have been damned to purgatory. I’m giving you to them in exchange for their help.”

His jaw tightens, and he sucks in a harsh breath. “The fuck you are. I’ve got a wife and kids. I’m done with this. You can figure it out on your own.” Throwing open the door, he steps out of the car and begins walking, as though he can get away from me.

With a flare of my power, I stop him in his tracks and pull him back toward me. I need him to do this, and I need his reaction to be genuine if this is going to work. “I don’t think so.”

“So help me, Sariel. Unbind me.”

“I’m sorry it has to be this way, friend.”

“You’re no damned friend of mine. I knew I should never have trusted you.”

His toes drag twin lines in the dirt as I use my grace to force him into the large, mostly empty barn.

The summoning is the easy part. I am, after all, a former angel of the Lord. I’ve still got some clout. After rendering Galen unconscious and propping the hulking Irishman on a hay bale, I set about preparing my circle and begin to call them.

“Helena, Guinevere, Isolt.” I say their names three times each and wait. I’ve known these witches in one form or another for centuries. Summoning them is a risk. They’re cursed to live their lives over and over, never truly dying, but never getting a chance to fully live either. And it’s all because of me. Because they helped me begin my fall. They’ve been the stuff of myths since the dawn of time, sometimes being called enchantresses, but more commonly known as sirens, luring their lovers to horrible ends. Some generations serve the light, fighting for the greater good, if not directly for God. Others…they go dark.

The question is, are these incarnations good witches…or bad ones?

A soft flutter fills the room, and the light of the sun dims momentarily as they appear. Gorgeous beyond measure, with the exception of my Selah, these beauties are dangerous and deadly.

I don’t miss the gasps of surprise that fall from their lips as they see each other. Have they been separated all this time?

Helena brushes a hand over her hair and turns her attention to me.

“Well. If I’d known we’d be summoned by a naughty angel, I’d have worn my hair down.” Helena grins, her full lips red and inviting. “Isn’t that how you like it, Sariel? Long and flowing. Something to hold on to. Like your Selah’s.”

Anger grips my throat, tightening it and keeping my words stuck. How dare she say Selah’s name? Closing my eyes, I breathe deep and force myself to tune her out. She wants to goad me into making a misstep here. Light or dark, Helena has always been a challenge.

“Helena, let the angel tell us why he summoned us. The Bachelor is on, and I don’t want to miss it,” Isolt complains. Her slight build and heart-shaped face have always made her appear sweet and innocent. She’s anything but. The witch holds more power in her little finger than most Watchers.

“What do you want, angel? As you’ve heard, we were busy.” Helena crosses her arms over her ample chest and pouts.

“I need a spell.”

Guinevere giggles, a high-pitched, bell-like sound that fills the barn. “The angel needs a spell. You have to be kidding. I can see the grace flowing through your veins. Your power is back to full strength. Your wings are so close, I can almost see them in your aura.”

“It’s not for me. My Selah—”

“Is dead,” Guinevere interrupts.

My stomach clenches. Guinevere, the seer. She’s never wrong. Never.

“No.”

“Yes. But you know that, Sariel. Your Selah has been long gone.”

Relief hits me like a tidal wave, nearly buckling my knees. “I’ve found her in this life.”

“You’ve found her soul, but you know as well as we that she’s not the same.”

Gritting my teeth against the rush of frustration, I nod. “I’m aware. But, she’s still mine. More importantly, I’m hers, and she’s in danger.”

“Because she carries a Nephilim?”

Guinevere’s abilities have always been eerie, and today is no exception. “Yes. My brothers have taken her. I need you to rid her of the child. It can’t be born, not without risk to her.”

Her eyes go wide, and she lets out a soft gasp. “But…why would you do that to your own flesh and blood, Sariel?”

What? My heart stutters. “It’s not mine. Lucifer has had her. He…he ruined her.”

She walks across the room, her steps so fluid, she appears to float. Taking my face in her small hands, she pulls me down until our foreheads touch. “You know I see all things living. The threads that connect each life, the auras, the possibilities. Yours is connected to her, even now. The child is from your blood.”

I can’t breathe. Staggering back, I run a hand through my hair and try to absorb what she’s said. This isn’t possible. I gave up the ability to father children to save Sean. The archangels don’t make mistakes. “No. I can’t be…this…you don’t understand.” I know I’m not making sense, but the thought of all the terrible things I said to Selah, the talk of getting rid of the baby—our baby. Nausea rolls through me. “I gave too much of my grace. Michael said I’d never father another Nephilim.”

Isolt flicks a glance at Helena. “He can’t be this stupid.”

“Izzy, don’t insult the angel before he’s given us payment.” Helena shakes her head before turning molten bronze eyes on me. “Sariel, your grace has been restored. Did you really think you wouldn’t regain all your, um, abilities?”

Isolt’s cheeks turn a deep shade of pink as she giggles. “Are the stories true? Do you really take women and leave them drained of their energy because you fucked them so well?”

“Really?” Guinevere rolls her eyes. “You know he’s not like the other fallen. He searched for her for centuries before finally giving up and going dormant.”

“I’d always hoped he’d give in and give me a romp in the sheets at least once.” Isolt pouts and bats her long eyelashes at me. “But, no. You had to hold to your devotion.”

“She is my soul mate.” I bite out the words, my growing rage sending my power spilling into the room.

The small woman groans. “Please, spare me the melodramatics.” Pulling a slim phone from her pocket, she glances at the screen and sighs. “Can we move this along?” Her gaze flicks to Galen, who has just started stirring. “Who is that? He is…delicious.”

“Payment.”

She cocks one eyebrow and grins. “So…you do need more from us than just to take the child. I was right. He’s a very…substantial payment. It must be a dangerous job.”

I cross my arms over my chest and frown. I can’t get a read on these three. “First, I need to know where your loyalties lie. Are you light or dark?”

“I can be whatever you want, baby. For the right price.”

Guinevere narrows her eyes as she pushes the littler woman out of her way. “Sariel, what kind of trouble have you gotten into?”

“You should know. Aren’t you a seer?”

“You’re right.” Tilting her head toward the sky, she lets out a soft sigh as her eyes cloud over, the once brilliant and startling bronze now a stormy gray. “A battle between Heaven and Hell. The vampire with a soul is Lucifer’s captive. You need a way to stop him.”

Her chin dips as she lowers her head and closes her eyes. “Yes,” I say, taking her hand. “I need to imprison him before he ends the world.”

“But you aren’t doing this for the world. You’re doing it to have her.”

I shrug. “Why does it matter? As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t a world without her.”

“You have a point.”

Helena slinks across the dusty floor until she’s standing over Galen. Crouching to his level, she trails her long, blood-red nails across his cheek and down his neck. “He is a fine specimen. What I wouldn’t give to have this face between my thighs.” She frowns, then smiles. “Oh, he’s been your vessel. He’s touched by grace…and has lived as an immortal. How unique. Sariel, you’ve brought us a wonderful gift.”

“I thought you’d appreciate him. Now, I need you to find Lucifer before he makes any more progress. And help me with the spell I’ll need for this trap.”

She gives Galen one more lustful glance. I hold on to my hope that he’ll stay down until after I get what I want. If she sees in his eyes, sees that his soul is already owned by another, he’ll be useless to me.

“Let’s get this done,” she mutters. “I want to get our new toy home so we can have some fun.”

Galen moans and blinks. Shit.

The three women join hands in the center of the barn and close their eyes. White trails of light snake out from their chests, converging in the middle of their circle and swirling slowly as they chant in unison. As the spell builds in intensity, so does the brightness of the light, until I have to close my eyes against its glow.

When the room goes dark, we all stand in silence. Even Galen has gotten to his feet.

Isolt walks to me, holding a small ball of light in her cupped hands. “You will need the blood of a fallen returned to grace, a vampire with a soul, and the mother of an angel’s child.”

Dread settles in my gut. I can’t ask this of the people I now consider my friends.

“This is the only way, Sariel. If you fail, the world burns.”

She presses the glowing orb into my chest, and instantly, I know how to find Devin. Sometimes I love witches.

Then as she leaves me, Guinevere shudders and says, “A blood sacrifice will need to be made. One whose loss will be felt beyond measure.”

Chest burning as the spell takes hold until I need it, I let the meaning of her statement sink in. Damn it all to Hell and back.

“Fucking hell. What in the name of God was that?” Galen asks.

Helena smiles at him, a wicked gleam in her eye. “That was your freedom, handsome.”

His jaw drops as he takes her in. “Sariel, what did you do?”

My stomach churns as she crosses to Galen and places her hand on his chest. “Do you know what power a siren possesses?”

“Siren?”

“It’s part of our curse. Never to love, never to truly live. We take what we want and give nothing in return. Not anymore.” Leaning close, she begins to sing softly in his ear. Galen’s big shoulders tense as the spell threads through him, but as her hand travels down his torso to rest on his belt, he grips her wrist.

“Get the fuck off me, woman. I don’t know what you’re playing at, but I’m not interested.”

Shoving him away, she rounds on me. “You. What have you done to him? He’s heard my song. He should be mine.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I forget to mention he’s found his soul mate?”

She focuses her attention on Galen once more and takes his face between her palms, staring into his eyes. I know the moment she realizes my words are true, because a growl tears from her throat. “Then I’ll take payment from you, Watcher.”

I laugh. “You can’t. You know I’m immune to your song.”

“I don’t want your body. I want your protection. For eternity, you’ll come when I call.”

Hesitating, I frown. They never truly answered me when I’d asked which side they fought on.

“Or, I could share your plan with Lucifer. I’m sure he’d be glad to have this information. Maybe he’ll protect us.”

I can’t take that chance. Not when Devin and Selah hang in the balance. “No. I’ll do it.”

A sly grin turns up her lips. “Good.” She saunters to me. “We’ll seal the deal with a kiss.” Her mouth looks like rubies, glistening in the light that beams through the window. With a feral gleam in her copper-colored irises, she fists my hair and pulls my lips to hers. I feel it when the spell winds around my heart. I’m bound to her call now, but it’s worth it if I can save Selah, if I can stop Lucifer and keep her alive.