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“That reckless Leda didn’t have a daughter who needed her,” I pointed out.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

You would have thought that after all the times I’d saved the world, the First Angel would give me a break now and again.

But she was right. I had a lot of magic. And I had to master that magic if I wanted to protect my daughter.

As soon as the little angels finished their epic battle, they fell asleep under the balloon arch. The party wound down really fast after that.

“Hey.”

I turned at the sound of Nero’s voice—and the touch of his hand on my back. “Yes,” I told him.

“Yes?” His brow crinkled. “To what?”

“To whatever you were going to ask me,” I replied with a sexy smile.

Magic—silver and gold—flashed in his eyes. “I need to speak to you.” His gaze flickered to my foster family, then back to me. “Alone.”

As I walked beside him, catcalls and smooching noises—probably from Tessa—bounced off our backs. Nero led me out of the ballroom and into the hallway.

“So, what do you want from me?” I asked, licking my lips as I looked him up and down.

“Pandora.” His tone was chiding and inviting, both at once.

“Ok, ok. I’ll behave,” I promised, crossing my fingers behind my back. “Mostly.”

“I have to leave.”

“Off to save the world again, General?” I teased him.

But he was serious. “Yes. We’ve got a location on the immortal artifact we’ve been tracking. We’re going after it.”

“Want me to come along?”

“Of course.” He claimed my hand. “I always want you by my side.”

“Ready to go?” Damiel asked as he and Cadence stepped out of the ballroom.

“Yes,” replied Nero.

Damiel’s gaze snapped to our linked hands. “You coming along too, Leda?”

“I am.” I pulled out my phone to check the screen. “Most of the sleeping beauties are heading home. Calli’s made a pillow fort around Sierra and Eira. And Alec has assigned soldiers to watch over them while we’re away.” I tucked the phone back into my jacket. “So where are we going?”

“We’ve tracked the missing artifact’s magic to Salyn, a world at the edge of the gods’ territory,” Cadence said.

“Salyn,” I repeated. “Which god controls that world?”

Cadence exchanged glances with Damiel. “Zarion,” she told me. “It’s Zarion’s world.” She shifted her weight. “And that’s not all we found out. We now know what the artifact does.”

“And?” I prompted her when she didn’t continue.

Her shoulders tensed up. “It kills demons.”

11

THE HALL OF ARTIFACTS