Page 39 of Wicked Bonds

Sethios nearly told him he would be waiting for a very long time, but Caro agreed with a soft “All right.”

It’ll keep him away from her for now, she added into Sethios’s mind.Buys us time to determine how best to handle this situation going forward.

He’s not going to give up.It wasn’t in his father’s blood to do so. Sethios understood that because he was built the same way. And it seemed his daughter was similar, too.

No, he’s not,she murmured.But at least he’s not using compulsion to force the issue.

True.When his father wanted something, he took it. So this was almost a gift of sorts to let them try their way first.

Rather than belabor the point, he nodded, agreeing to the terms, and glanced at the house. “We should join the others in determining the new plan.” Particularly as it involved Caro and the ability of the Seraphim to track her.

Osiris nodded, slipping his hands into the pockets of his gray trouser pants. He’d paired the gray with a white button-down shirt that was unfastened at the neck and rolled to the elbows, giving him a businesslike appeal. Yet the air around him remained deadly, confirming he’d more than held his own with the Seraphim in the sky.

“Why didn’t you teach me about runes?” Sethios asked him, genuinely curious.

“Because you’ve never been able to access ethereal energy,” his father replied. “I thought you might be able to after your twenty-fifth mortal year, but your wings never sprouted. So I didn’t waste my time teaching you something you couldn’t use.”

“Why didn’t I fully change?” Sethios pressed. “According to Leela, Seraphim genetics override the mortal half. So I should have become a full-blooded Seraphim.”

His father’s expression remained stoic. “Divine intervention, I imagine. Perhaps from that of a fertility Seraphim.” His attention returned to the body on the ground. “The regeneration process is well under way. If you’re going to determine a plan, I suggest doing so now.”

Caro grabbed Sethios’s wrist. “He’s right. We need a plan. Now.”

The midnight air swirled around him as she misted them to the house.

Where it appeared Jayson and Balthazar were engaged in some sort of argument.

“No,” the new father was saying. “That’s not happening.”

Balthazar grabbed the other male by the shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “It’s a solid plan.”

“Did you miss the part where Seraphim are immune to our powers?”

“I’ll have Leela with me.”

“She’s a fertility Seraphim,” Jayson snapped. “What’s she going to do? Impregnate them?”

Leela snorted.

Balthazar ignored the comment, his focus intent. “She delivered your child and brought her back to life. Thatbondedher to Aidyn, making her the perfect person to impersonate Lizzie. I will go with her and pretend to be you while you protect Lizzie and Aidyn. End of discussion.”

“Don’tend of disc—”

Balthazar pulled Jayson into a hug, cutting off his comment. “I hear your concerns, brother. But this is the best plan.”

“And what plan is that?” Sethios asked as he casually leaned against the wall near the door. “Leela and Balthazar pretend to be Lizzie and Jayson and take the Seraphim on a wild-goose chase across the globe?” The guess was based on what Balthazar had said about Leela impersonating Lizzie.

“Something like that,” Ezekiel drawled. “Meanwhile, the others will work on improving the wards around Hydria.”

“And where will the real Lizzie, Jayson, and Aidyn be?” Sethios pressed.

“In Hydria,” Balthazar replied, his gaze still on Jayson as he released him from their embrace.

“Also known as the first place the Seraphim will look,” Ezekiel muttered, taking the comment right from Sethios’s thoughts. Not literally. But it was exactly what Sethios was about to say.

“Which is why we’re going to give them a false lead to chase around,” Balthazar said. “Jayson knows it’s a good plan. He’s just worried about losing his favorite wingman. But who better to impersonate you than the man who knows you best, yeah?” He added that last part with a pat against the other man’s cheek.

Jayson wasn’t amused, his hand snagging Balthazar by the back of the neck. “If you get yourself killed for me, I’m going to bring you back just to kill you again.”