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“Yeah, well, blame my demon half.”

“Oh, I am,” he said tightly.

“Ok, so I’m heading off to gather the troops.” I moved toward the door again.

And again he got in my way. “By ‘troops’, I presume you are referring to Callista Pierce and the others?”

“That’s right.”

“They aren’t soldiers,” he declared.

“No, they’re not soldiers,” I agreed. “They’re something better: family.”

“Familial bonds are no substitute for military training.”

“They’re far from being novices as far as dangerous rescue operations go,” I retorted. “And they’ll fight harder than anyone to save Bella.”

“Remember, Leda, your mission is to find new sources of Nectar,” Faris reminded me, “notto set off on a wild goose chase for a cure that probably doesn’t even exist.”

“That’s what I love about you, Faris.” I gave him a big thumbs up. “You’re just so damn optimistic.”

“I’m serious, Leda,” he said in a low, warning tone. “Your priority is the Nectar. Don’t forget that.”

“Don’t worry. If all goes well, we’ll come back with both: a cure for Bella and more Nectar than you could ever dream of.”

His granite stare hardened further. “See that you do.”

CHAPTER 9

THE EARTHQUAKE BEFORE THE HURRICANE

By the time Faris finally left, I had four unread text messages waiting for me on my phone.

The first was from Calli.Zane called. He’s back in Purgatory.

The second was from Gin.Hey, Leda, we decided to skip the waffles. Calli needs time to make a big banquet to celebrate Zane’s return. We brought your telepath home with us and Sierra and your cat too. Dinner at seven. Everyone will be there. Nero, Cadence and Damiel…we already called them. They’re eager to give us a proper sendoff before we dive into the Veil. So don’t be late!

The third message was from Tessa, sent only two minutes after Gin’s.Yo, sis, where are you? Ditch the grumpy god already and get your booty over here asap.

And then, a minute later, also from Tessa,P.S. You still aren’t here? Ok, well, if the promise of FOOD isn’t enough for you, maybe this will get you moving. Our new boyfriends will be at dinner too. Aren’t you dying to meet them? ;-)

I chuckled as I raided my closet for something to change into, preferably something that didn’t smell like dirty snow and cow manure. Then I hurried over to Calli’s house. I was so focused onthe promise of food that I even managed to teleport in correctly on the first try. Which was pretty good for me. Nowadays, I was only about fifty-fifty on my destination and landing. I usually gotoneof the two right but rarely both.

When I arrived in the front lounge, I inhaled deeply, drinking in the scents of Calli’s cooking. The house smelled of rosemary and thyme, chicken and roasted potatoes. I licked my lips.

I glanced over at the sofa, where Aerilyn was sitting with Zane. She was trying to convince him to tattoo her name across his whole chest. Tessa and Calli were sorting supplies for our journey into various backpacks. And Gin was checking her text messages.

“So, where’s your lover?” I teased her.

“Where’s yours?” she countered, smiling as she tucked her phone into her jeans.

“Nero will be around soon. He’s busy at work.” I looked around. “Where’s Sierra?” I moved through the rooms of the house, that same old familiar worry knot forming in my stomach. “And where’s the cat?”

The two of them were up to some mischief or another. I could feel it.

Calli sighed. “The two outlaws are probably setting my curtains on fire again.”

“Oh, not this time,” Tessa laughed. “I got them an enchanted origami toy. It constantly, randomly refolds itself into new shapes: a bird, a mouse, a tabletop unicorn. It’s been keeping themverybusy.”