The dart pierces my neck, and the world turns cold and dark. A tear tumbles down my cheek, and my eyes flutter closed.
As I slip away, I’m so confused, because my inner voice—the one that just a second ago told me I failed—utters one, final thought.
No. You succeeded.
Twenty-Seven
Sin
Zoe is not answering me. Shoving the Bureau doors so hard the walls shake, I call out for her, but I can tell she is gone. As is most everyone else. On their assigned stakeouts across the city.
I should have been here. Should not have driven so far. Why did I not start with a phone call? Sariel, the only watcher I know in the earthen realm, would not answer my questions. He was downright angry at being disturbed, and we battled—physically—for an hour before I bested him and demanded he tell me why the Almighty would torture me like this.
“We cannot claim to know the Almighty’s will, demon spawn. If this Zoe truly is your Genevieve reborn, there is a reason she is here. You will have to see it through.”
I shove him up against the wall of his shed, lifting him off his feet. “How do I break through the wall built around her memories? At least tell me that!”
The watcher shakes his head. “You cannot. She must do that all on her own.”
Stomping through the bullpen, I catch sight of one of the witches. Ashley? Aisha? Amber. “Were you here? When Zoe left?” I snap.
“Yes.” Amber rushes over to me, her eyes wide. “She got a call and said something about Macy’s on Market Street. Is she in trouble?”
“Thorn has her. I am certain of it.” Saying the words aloud is too much, and I brace my hand on Zoe’s desk, my world collapsing as I speak.
“What can I do?” the witch asks. “I don’t know what she is, Agent Sin, but she’s strong. I read her aura before she left, and…she’s…something I’ve never seen before.”
I blow out a deep breath, searching for strength. “Zoe is descended from the seraphim. But she can be killed. She has died before. I will not let it happen again.” Admitting the truth frees something inside me, and I strip off my leather jacket and my shirt, yank open my desk drawer, and pull out a pocket knife.
“What are you doing, Agent Sin?” The witch takes two steps back, wary, and I offer her a cold grin.
“I’m going to find my partner,” I say as I cut two holes in the back of my shirt, another two in the leather jacket, and get dressed once more. “And stop hiding who I truly am.”
The witch follows me as I sprint for the parking lot. Now is not the time to bother with human transportation. As soon as I am free of the building, I let out a roar. My wings burst forth, and then there’s only air beneath my feet. I bank to the left, seeing Amber’s jaw drop open, and take off towards Market Street.
I am strong enough to glamour everyone within two blocks when I land—thanks to what Zoe and I shared this morning—and I hide my wings until I blend into the crowd. Zoe’s scent lingers, so very faint now, but still trackable. It’s strongest in front of one of the shop windows, and as I approach, something crunches under my shoe.
Fuck. Zoe’s earbud. On the corner, I find her broken cell phone. And on the next block, another concentration of her scent—along with the panther shifter. They used Dion to trap her, and now Thorn has two victims. From Zoe’s research, his final two victims in this city. In a day, perhaps two, he’ll brand them, and not long after, he’ll sell their pain and terror for the first time. Let them be ravaged, tortured, tormented by the worst of the otherworld. And he’ll drive them slowly insane. Zoe fought before. Can she do it again?
Even if her mind does not break, Thorn will still destroy her body. He will let her be violated, let others break her bones, trap her deep in nightmares she will be unable to escape from. And so much more. All to feed off of her misery.
“Zoe,” I whisper as I stare up at the sky, the city lights obscuring the stars. “I will find you. I swear.”
Clenching my hands into fists, I call upon all of my strength to hide myself from the world around me and take to the air, returning to the cliff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Gabriel! Get your celestial ass down here! Right the fuck now!” The wind howls around me, angry and vicious, and I turn in a slow circle. “Gabriel. I swear if you do not show yourself to me, I will fly up there and pull the feathers from your wings one at a time while you scream for mercy!”
The air stills, and Gabriel’s arrival sends me stumbling, but I am ready for him, rolling and beating my wings until I am hovering five feet above him. The energy pulsing from my body lights the darkness, and if I thought I could get away with it, I would toss him over the edge and let his body break against the rocks below. Angels can die in the mortal realm, and though they heal—very quickly—they can still feel pain.
“You have the gall to summon me like this, Sinclair? I could end you in a heartbeat,” Gabriel sneers.
“He has her, you piece of shit.” The angel’s attitude enrages me, and I swoop down and plant my feet in the center of his chest, sending him flying back and skidding on the dirt path for a highly satisfying distance. “You sent a celestial being to the earthen realm with no memory of who she is or knowledge of what she can do. One Thorn has met before. And then you put her right in his path! Tell me why I should not end you right now. You are not immortal on earth, Gabriel. And I am stronger than you by half.”
“What are you talking about?” He pushes up on an elbow, raising his other hand in surrender. “Who does Thorn have and what kind of celestial being is she?”
“You truly do not know?”
Gabriel is many things. Arrogant, unfeeling, and the least responsible angel I have ever met. But he does not lie.
“No. Of course not. Can I get up now, demon?”
I lower myself until my feet touch the ground, then nod, but I cannot bring myself to offer him a hand.
“I am only half demon. See the wings, asshole?”
“Fine. Halfling,” he mutters as he gets to his feet. “Are you going to answer my question?”
“He has Zoe. She is part seraphim. And Gabriel? She is the reason I was able to fight Thorn and Regina centuries ago. Her death gave me the strength to break free from his control and drag the two of them to Hell. I was in love with her. And that incubus bastard killed her right in front of me. If he finds out who she is now? If he already knows? He will not kill her again. He will keep her alive so he can torture her for all eternity.”
The archangel’s blue eyes widen, and he takes a step back. “Well, fuck.”
Twenty-Eight
Zoe
Cold. Damp. Dark. My nose wrinkles, but I don’t try to move beyond that. I’m not sure I can. My arms and legs are bent, and I’m folded almost in half. My entire body aches, like I’ve been in this position for a long time.
The rough stone under my cheek confirms that I’m on my side. My left shoulder throbs. Along with my hip. I can’t feel my fingers or my lips.
Images ping around my brain, but they don’t coalesce into anything I can understand. A crowd of people. Stormy blue eyes. Black wings. The fires of Hell.