Page 166 of Wicked Bonds

“We are done with this conversation, Caro,” Adriel replied. “You will be sent back to reformation and joined by your mate and daughter. Gabriel will go as well, since we now have proof of his intentions. He’s betrayed us. And I have no doubt you are the cause of that betrayal.”

He pulled out his sword, the six behind him following suit.

“Last chance to come willingly,” he threatened.

“Is that what my father said when he invited you into the reformation chamber?” her father asked conversationally.

Adriel’s brow furrowed. “I’ve not undergone reformation.”

“Osiris—”

“Sir, they’re wasting time,” one of the warrior Seraphim interjected. “We need to strike now before Gabriel returns.”

Stas frowned.They know Stark isn’t here.

How?Issac asked.Can they sense it?

No. They know he left and will be back.A sense of unease trickled through her veins, causing a shiver to traverse her spine.They must have set up a distraction.

With Balthazar and Leela as bait,Issac translated.Shit.

Tell Luc.

Already on it, he replied.

That meant Patreel must have betrayed them, but he wasn’t here now. She only vaguely recognized the angel who had spoken. He was either Leek or Kital. Both males were present now. She recognized them from Iceland, but not which name went with which appearance.

The other tracker was here as well.Arvane.

But not Patreel.

We have at least three warrior Seraphim, one of which is the eldest and strongest, and a tracker. The other three are unknown, but all have swords. So I’m guessing they’re warriors or something similar.

Conveying details to Lucian,Issac replied.

Adriel doesn’t seem to know about his own reform, and the warrior beside him isn’t letting him ask. Her mother had tried to explain twice while Stas had been talking to Isaac. But the warrior had kept interrupting, stating they were stalling.

The blankness in Adriel’s features suggested he agreed with the warrior beside him.

It’s something we should use, Issac murmured, the words sounding more like Luc’s than his, but perhaps he was conveying the sentiment.

I don’t think he’s in a listening mood,Stassaid as Adriel’s sword slammed into one of the wards.

Energy sizzled through the air, reminding her of a lightning bolt as the magic behind the marking crumbled to dust.

Uh, incoming…she whispered as the others started slamming their swords into the wards before them. “Shit.”

She ducked down to the second security layer, her parents following suit.

“We’re not going to last thirty minutes,” her father said.

No, we’ll be lucky to last five, Stas thought as the Seraphim finished smashing through their first line of defense.

“He brought the three highest members of his line after Gabriel,” Stas’s mother replied. “A tracker, a telepath, and a cryptographer.”

“A cryptographer?” Stas repeated. “Like, someone who specializes in patterns?”

“In this case, they specialize in runes,” her mom replied grimly. “They knew about the wards.”