Page 13 of Alastair

“Zadkiel will go in your place.”

“He despises the Nephilim perhaps even more than Uriel does,” I said with a snarl.

Michael shrugged. “Those are the options. The choice is yours.”

“Not much of a choice,” I muttered, heart weighing heavy in my chest. “Allow Zadkiel to monitor them, which would most likely result in Galen unleashing Wrath and trying to rip his head off, thus proving the point of them being a threat. Or go myself and risk everything I’ve built falling apart.”

“Would it be so awful for him to learn the truth?”

“Yes. Alastair can never know. It’s the one thing both Uriel and I agree on.”

“Uriel’s prejudice blinds him.” Michael studied me, chestnut-brown eyes holding a sympathy I despised. “When the council ordered you to seal your bond, I argued against it. Fate chose—”

“I care not what fate chose,” I interjected, doing my best to keep a respectful tone, but some of my annoyance bled through anyway. I took a steadying breath. The weight in my chest ceased to exist. More specifically, it was pushed deeper and locked away. Blocking my emotions had become a necessary part of my life. “I will consider your request about staying with the boys.”

Michael tapped a finger on the railing. “Another matter was brought forward at the meeting. Asa Morningstar’s fate.”

“Asa is confined to the celestial prison,” I said, grateful for the topic shift. “His fate is to rot inside his cell.”

“Some members of the council want him to be executed.”

“What doyouwant?” I asked.

Each archangel on the council held authority over certain aspects of our realm. Michael was the chief angel of the warrior class. And when it came to deciding punishment and seeing justice served, his judgment was held in higher regard than the others.

Michael’s fingertips brushed the scars on his right forearm, his gaze hard yet distant. “Because of the attack on our realm earlier this year, many of our brothers and sisters were slaughtered. Light Bringer was also stolen from the vault and is now reunited with Lucifer. You remember the carnage left in Lucifer’s wake because of him wielding that sword. Asa’s actions returned that weapon to the hand that could cause the most damage with it. The crime is unforgivable.”

“Asa lost his powers when he came back to life,” I said. “He can do little harm to anyone now. Living in his weakened state, imprisoned, seems like a fate worse than death. A fitting sentence for his crimes.”

“Perhaps.” Michael spread his wings, the white and gold feathers catching the sunlight. “It appears we both have a decision to make.”

Once he was gone, I walked into my house and discarded the wet towel in the laundry hamper before going into the kitchen. A large red apple sat on the counter. Michael must’ve placed it there before greeting me outside.

“Curse your bribes,” I muttered but grabbed the apple anyway and took a bite. As the crisp flavor ignited my taste buds, I rested my hip against the counter and savored the fruit.

Apples. They were my favorite.

***

The sun heated the tops of my shoulders as I descended toward the island, my wings gliding on the air. During the drills with my unit, Alastair had reached out using the telepathic link our minds shared. He was the only cursed son with the ability to do so with me.

There was a reason for that, of course. A reason I refused to give him no matter how many times he’d asked. Eventually, he’d stopped asking. The link didn’t allow us to read each other’s thoughts—and thank the gods for that small mercy. It only acted as a method of communication.

“Echo Bay is being attacked,”Alastair had said.“What would you like us to do?”

“Stay where you are for now. I’m on my way.”

After relaying the message to Oliver and instructing him to take over command in my absence, I left the celestial realm and traveled to the island in Greece.

Sometimes I intentionally ignored Alastair’s calls depending on the severity of his problem. I couldn’t—and wouldn’t—be at his beck and call twenty-four seven. I had my own responsibilities, on top of Uriel constantly breathing down my neck. But more often than not, Alastair called on me, and I dropped everything to go to him.

He had his curse to bear… and I certainly had mine.

“That was uncharacteristically quick,” Castor said as I landed in the grass in front of the villa. His vibrant red hair and emerald eyes were an exact replica of his father, Caim. Their personalities differed though. Caim hadn’t been nearly as irritating. “You usually keep us waiting a lot longer.”

“Fortunately for you, you caught me on a good day.” I tucked in my wings as I walked toward them.

All of the cursed sons and their mates were present. The witch was there too, along with Penemuel, but I refused to look at the defector. The sight of him didn’t make my blood boil nearly as much as it once had, but he still irked me on principle.