Page 76 of Galen

“Sure.”

I people-watched for a while. A couple walked past the shop, taking cover under the same umbrella. Cars drove by, their wheels kicking up water onto the curb. The hair on my nape stood on end, and I turned around right as a smug-faced demon appeared on the other side of the counter.

“You must have a death wish,” I said, reaching for the dagger I kept hidden in my boot.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Stop.”

“Why are you here, demon?”

“To send you a message.” He glided the tip of his finger across the books sitting on a shelf along the wall. “A warning, really.” His dark brown eyes shifted back to me. “The war I spoke of is only just begun. And it’s a war you cannot win, Wrath.”

“You think you and Belphegor can defeat us?” I stepped toward him, my blood starting to simmer in my veins.

“A time will come… soon, I might add… where you and your Nephilim brethren will be given a choice. Kneel or die.” Phoenix shrugged. “Now, I can’t tell you what to do. But I highly suggest you kneel like the good little mutt you are.”

“Kneel?” I grabbed him by the front of his suit jacket. “To who?”

He grinned. “To your new king. The world will bow to him.”

And then he disappeared.

***

“He said we’d be given a choice?” Alastair asked, setting his cup of hot tea on the side table. The fireplace was lit, the wood crackling. The only other light came from the tall lamp in the corner.

“To kneel or die before the new king,” I said, placing a hand on the mantel above the fireplace. “He left without saying to who.”

A picture of Joseph was framed on the wall in front of me. Other pictures sat beside it, ranging from colored portraits to black and white. All men Alastair had loved at one time. I knew a part of him still did, each love lost creating another hole in his already withered heart. I wondered how much would remain once Joseph died.

“We will kneel to no one.” Alastair stood and walked over to the window, gazing out into the night. “Sounds to me like Belphegor plans to become the new king of the underworld. To take Lucifer’s place at last.”

“Most demons didn’t bow down to him last time,” I said, remembering the battle so many years ago when Belphegor attacked with his army—when I lost Marcus. “Many demons feared us back then and refused to follow him. It would take someone even more powerful than him to gain their loyalty.”

“Unless he got his hands on a certain ring that could give him that power.” Alastair looked back at me. “After you told me about your talk with the witch, I contacted Lazarus. He responded for once.”

“What did he say?”

Alastair gritted his teeth. “He said we needed to ‘stay out of affairs that don’t concern us.’ I reminded him that we were the ones who located the ring and deserved to know more. He then remindedmethat we are nothing but soldiers who have no business interfering with angel matters.”

My hands formed into fists at my sides. Lazarus knew how to get under my skin, treating us like mindless killing machines.

Alastair’s phone lit up on his desk. When he grabbed it and glanced at the screen, his face paled a shade. “Hello?” A pause. “This is him.” As the person on the other end talked, his expression became more and more grave. “I see. I’ll be there shortly.”

He disconnected the call and turned away from me, his body tensing. A dull ache spread through me, an echo of his own aching heart which I felt as if it were mine.

“Alastair?”

“I… I need to go to the hospital. That was the nurse. She said Joseph won’t make it through the night and that I should come and say my final goodbyes.” He stepped away from the window and walked toward the door.

I grabbed his arm before he could pass me. “Do you need me there with you?”

His eyes lifted to mine. The sorrow in them struck the center of my chest. “No. I’ll be fine.” He moved his gaze to the doorway. “How many more times will I have to say goodbye to someone I love, Galen? I should’ve learned my lesson by now.”

I thought of Simon then, of how hard I fought not to fall for him.

“Sometimes love sneaks up on you,” I said. “You have no control over it.”

Alastair gave a sad nod before exiting his study. He took his car instead of flying, and I watched as he drove down the road leaving the mansion, the headlights disappearing as he rounded the corner.