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I tried to work through all these scenes that seemed disconnected. They were from different eras, but something connected it all together. Something linked them. I could feel it. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Perhaps it was the weapons of heaven and hell? The two angels had wielded them, and so had I.

My gut told me that all of this was connected to what was happening with the Guardians. I couldn’t say why. I just felt it. And I’d learned to trust my gut.

I hoped my confidence didn’t come from somewhere deeper, like Grace’s scheme for me. I hoped that I wasn’t falling into her trap. Or Faris’s trap either. Or the Guardians’ trap for that matter.

Maybe Grace really was behind all of this. I could have gone to her and demanded answers, but demons, like gods, never gave you a straight answer to anything. That wouldn’t have fit into their whole plan of universal domination and manipulating us lesser beings.

The ruins were quiet, except for the soft steps of our shoes against the shifting rubble. A shrill ring punctuated that stillness, a dramatic, orchestral ringtone from a movie of old.

I ignored it and kept moving.

“Are you going to answer that?” Gin asked me.

I shrugged. “No. Not really.”

We kept going, and another minute later, my phone rang again, once more breaking the silence.

“Are you going to answer that?” Gin asked.

I pulled out my phone and glanced at the screen. “No,” I declared and pressed on, deeper into the building.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, my phone rang again.

“Ok, Leda. What the hell is going on with you?” Tessa asked. “Who keeps calling you?”

“Various people,” I said cryptically.

“Spill it.”

Tessa gave me a look far too commanding for her young years. She must have learned it from Calli. Calli, with a single, silent stare, could squeeze secrets out of someone better than the Legion’s Interrogators could with all of the tools and magic at their disposal.

“It’s just Alec calling,” I said as my phone rang once more. “He can wait.”

The next time my phone rang, Tessa grabbed it from my hand. “You’re ignoring people, aren’t you? People from the Legion.”

“Maybe.”

Gin glanced down at my phone screen. “You’re ignoring Harker too?”

“Wow, Harker’s calling now,” I commented. “That escalated fast.”

“What is going on, Leda?” Tessa demanded. “Why is the whole Legion of Angels calling you?”

“Well, not the whole Legion of Angels,” I said. “But this is certainly working its way up the hierarchy.” I sighed. “Truth be told, I’m not exactly supposed to be on this mission. Or on any mission, for that matter. Nyx has grounded me. She told me I’m not to go on missions because of my condition.”

“That makes sense,” said Gin.

“That makes sense?” I repeated, exasperated. “How does it make sense? I’m pregnant, not an invalid. I’m just as powerful as I’ve ever been. Maybe even more powerful. No, scratch that. I’m definitely more powerful.”

“Yeah, well, I guess the Legion wants to keep your baby safe,” Gin said. “It’s not every day that a child of two angels is conceived.”

She was right about that. The child of an angel was a precious miracle indeed. And the child of two angels…well, there had only ever been one of those before, and he was the father of my baby. Even so, Nyx needed to chill out. But I supposed chilling out wasn’t part of the First Angel’s job description.

“I hope we don’t get in trouble with the Legion for going off with a rogue angel,” Tessa chuckled, looking at Gin.

“You know, you’re right.” Gin grinned. “Think we should call the Legion and turn her in?”

“Na. We’ll give her a little time.” Tessa turned toward me. “But we’re keeping our eyes on you, angel.”