Page 33 of Alastair

We flew around the island in a comfortable silence, staying within the borders of the protective barrier that shielded us from the outside world. Having him beside me made me feel better, if only a little. By the time we returned to the villa, Raiden was setting the table.

“Have a seat.” Despite Raiden’s welcoming smile, his eyes were glassy. Titan rubbed the small of his back. “We made fish tacos and mango guacamole.”

“That sounds great,” I said, voice tight. “Save me a plate for later? I don’t have much of an appetite at the moment.”

“Yeah, just let me know when you’re ready for it.” Raiden’s smile wobbled a bit. “It’s even kinda hard for me to think about food right now.”

Lazarus’ unknown fate was hanging over all of us. Raiden had been afraid of him when we were younger, and Lazarus’ training methods had traumatized him more than he’d ever disclosed. All the beatings and harsh lessons learned. But over the years, he’d grown to respect Lazarus. And Raiden’s big heart had room for everyone. He hated to see anyone suffer.

Titan’s head snapped toward the door, and he stepped toward it. “Stay here.”

“Ti?” Raiden asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone just crossed the barrier.” Titan grabbed his sword from against the wall. He had the ability to sense when anyone entered the island. Probably due to the fact he and Baxter were the ones who created the barrier.

Raiden set the platter of taco shells on the table before rushing after him. Galen and I followed them outside.

“There’s like twenty of them!” Nico said, landing in the grass. His black hair was damp with sweat, and he had bruising on his torso from training. Being so young, his healing power as a Nephilim was still weak.

“Twenty of who?” Galen asked, gaze lifting to the sky.

“Angels.” Nico’s brown eyes were wide. “White wings. Some had gold in them.”

“Gold?” I searched the sky. “That means they’re of high rank.”

Lazarus had only a dusting of gold in his feathers, not visible enough to be seen from a distance. I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying hope in my chest until that hope deflated like a popped balloon.

“Uriel?” Bellamy asked as he joined us outside. “If Lazarus died, he’d know about it. Maybe it pissed him off enough to come for our heads.”

Daman exited the villa with Warrin at his side. “That asswipe has been itching for a reason to kill us. With Lazarus gone, he has his opening.”

Warrin rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Let him try.”

“We don’t know if Laz is dead,” Raiden said, the only one of them who hadn’t yet written him off.

Bellamy’s intense stare lost some of its ferocity. “If he’s still alive, I imagine he’s begging for death. Purah likes to play with his prey.”

I saw them then. There weren’t twenty angels, as the hyperactive Nephilim exaggerated. I counted only twelve. The male at the forefront had gold-dipped feathers that gleamed as the sun hit them. I didn’t recognize him.

My breath caught as one came into view that Ididrecognize. “Lazarus?”

His injured shoulder had been wrapped—sloppily and with blood seeping through the cloth. I could already imagine Clara throwing a fit and insisting he sit down so she could properly clean and bandage it.

“He lives,”Pride said.“We didn’t fail.”

I wasn’t sure if my sudden bout of relief came from the fact Lazarus was alive or if, like Pride mentioned, it derived from the proof that my mission was a success with no causalities.

“Stay on guard,”I told my brothers using our telepathic link.

“You think these angel dudes wanna hurt us?”Raiden asked.“But Laz is with them.”

“I wouldn’t rule it out.”I shifted my gaze back to the male in the middle. His gold-dipped white wings told me he had to be the highest rank: an archangel. His presence made me apprehensive.

The angels landed in front of us. Among the unknown faces, I noticed Oliver. During the few times we’d met, he had always been civil toward us. A good sign. My attention moved to Lazarus. He stood to the right of the archangel and, apart from his shoulder, was unmarred. White hair ruffled in the island breeze, and the sun brought out the golden flecks in his blue eyes.

“What’s going on?”I asked him through our mind link.

He didn’t respond. His neutral expression told me nothing. More irritating, he didn’t even look at me.