Page 29

DIVING INTO DISASTER

T hank goodness Harker was right there beside Sierra because I never would have made it to her in time. The display case shattered, the broken shards shooting out like glass bullets. Harker folded his body over Sierra like a shield, taking the brunt of the damage himself.

And out of nowhere, a man in a purple cloak was suddenly here too. He snatched the gold ring out what little remained of the display case, then tucked it away inside the bag slung across his chest. Tucked under his arm was a book with ancient symbols carved into the cover.

“It’s him.” Sierra pointed at the man, her voice shaking as much as her hand.

“She didn’t see the present,” I said to Nero. “She saw the future.”

Legion soldiers had accompanied us into the treasury. They hadn’t wasted any time rushing forward to confront the thief, but even they weren’t fast enough.

“He’s making a run for it!” Nero shouted as that familiar buzz super-charged the air, the telltale sign of an impending portal.

It burst open a moment later, bright and brilliant. The thief hurled the book and the bag with the ring through the portal opening, then moved to go through himself.

Like lightning, Nero’s hand flashed out to catch his arm. He pulled the thief away from the portal, throwing him to the floor.

“Who are you?” Nero demanded of the thief as Legion soldiers moved in to secure him.

The thief said nothing. He simply smiled.

“What do you want with the ring?”

The thief remained silent.

“We found the ring only last week,” General Fireswift said, closing up beside Nero.

Nero turned toward him. “Where?”

“In the Veil. At an old Immortal site.”

The two of them exchanged loaded looks.

“Are you all right?” I asked Sierra, leaning down to check her for injuries.

“I’m fine. Thanks to him.” She looked up at Harker like he was the shining star of her universe.

I waved one of the soldiers forward. “Take Colonel Sunstorm to the medical ward.”

He waved off my concerns. “I’m fine, Leda.”

“No, you aren’t.” I plucked a glass shard out of his arm, and he winced. “You look like a porcupine. You can either allow this friendly soldier to bring you to the medical ward, or I will drag you there by your hair.”

“Fine,” Harker bit out. “I’ll go.” He turned to leave.

“Harker.”

He turned back around.

“Thank you for protecting my daughter,” I said, wrapping my arm around Sierra. “I am very grateful.”

“Grateful, you say?” He snorted. “I’d hate to see you upset, Leda.”

“Is he going to be all right?” Sierra asked me quietly as Harker left the treasury.

“Of course. He’s an angel. And angels are tough.”

“Will he…have any scars?”

“He shouldn’t. Angels heal fast.”

“Good.” She took a deep breath, nodding to herself. “He has such a pretty face.”

I chuckled. “Just don’t say that to your Aunt Bella.”

“Why not?” Sierra blinked. “She has eyes. She must realize what a hottie he is.”

“Yes, well, some of us can be a little possessive of our hottie husbands.” I looked toward Nero.

Sierra followed my gaze. The moment her eyes crossed Nero’s, they went from soft and dreamy to sharp and serious.

“I told you that you were being robbed,” she said, striding toward him. “You really should listen to me, Dad. I’m an angel. That means I’m always right. You taught me that.”

I snorted.

Nero’s gaze passed from Sierra to me.

“Hey, she does have a point,” I told her. “Plus, I thought you’d be happy that she’s learned your lessons well.”

His brows lifted, ever-so-slightly. “She’s learned your lessons equally well, Pandora.”

General Fireswift’s words distracted me from flirting some more with Nero.

“Stay back,” he was telling Sierra. “That wall isn’t sound. It might collapse on you.”

“I’m an angel,” she replied, pushing back her shoulders. “And I can survive a wall falling on top of me, thank you very much.”

I reached out and took her hand. “Even so, let’s put some distance between you and the completely unstable wall. This is a disaster zone, Sierra.”

She gave me a cool look. “When has that argument ever kept you away from trouble, Mom?”

This time, it was Nero who snorted. “She’s right, Pandora. You always dive into disaster.”

“I need to get a closer look at that debris to search for clues.”

“You know, I think those were her first words,” I told Nero.

“No, I’m fairly certain her first words were, ‘fluffy teddy bear’.”

Good thing Angel wasn’t here. She didn’t care much for explosions. They took away from her all-important napping time.

“What I need is in that debris,” Sierra insisted. “I’m sure of it.”

A chunk of the wall broke off and hit the ground. Sierra was not deterred. Not in the slightest.

I tightened my grip on her hand, pulling her back. “Let’s not be reckless.”

“She can’t really help it, Pandora,” said Nero. “She is your daughter after all.”

But Sierra was not just my daughter. She was his too. She was reckless and cautious—and so was her magic. She gave me a sharp zap through our connected hands.

“Nice,” I said, letting go.

“I have to figure this out,” she said, either to herself or to me.

“She has that look in her eyes,” Nero commented.

“What look?”

“The same look you get right before you stick your nose in something you shouldn’t.”

“That’s just my default look.”

“Exactly,” he purred.

Sierra stopped her pacing and turned to face us. “We need to figure out where the ring is and get it back.”

“ We ?” said Nero.

“Yes, Dad. We . I was the one who had the vision. I’m the whole reason you even knew about this guy.” She glanced at the thief, then back at us. “I will be involved in this investigation. You aren’t keeping me away from it.”

Nero sighed. “I suppose there’s no talking you out of this once you’ve made up your mind.”

“Exactly.” She nodded in victory, then continued combing the scene for clues. “This is where the portal was.” She waved her hands through the air, wiggling her fingers. “I can still feel the residual magic.”

Nero came up behind her. “Can you tell where he sent the ring and the book?”

“I don’t know…”

“I wonder what that ring does,” I said to Nero as Sierra continued waving her hands through the air, swimming through the fading magic.

“The lab techs haven’t discerned its purpose yet,” said General Fireswift.

“Maybe we should ask him ?” I tilted my head toward the thief. “He must have wanted the ring for a reason, right?”

“A surprisingly sensible suggestion,” General Fireswift said, the syllables just rolling off his tongue. He started to move toward the prisoner, then just stopped. He looked at Nero. “After you.”

An eerie cackle cut through the room, stopping the two angels in their tracks. The terrible noise had come from the thief.

“Did you really think I would make it that easy for you?”

Those were his first—and last—words to us. He phased out of his restraints, pushed free of the two soldiers holding him, then pounded both fists to his chest and exploded.