“Damn you,” she breathed. “You are protecting her.”

“It would hinder our cause.”

Her gaze narrowed. “How so?”

He considered the best way to answer. “She came to me this afternoon, insisting that something’s wrong with Cain. She asked me to look into it and see if the ascension is responsible for his behavior. If she gets a look at that video, she’ll be sympathetic and even more determined. It’ll have the opposite effect.”

Sara’s manicured fingertips drummed atop the carved wooden chair arms. “You think you know her so well?”

“She’s my charge. Of course I know her. Besides, it’s no longer necessary to split them up. Cain did the deed himself earlier today?”

“C’est des conneries! Cain’s reactions are separate from hers. She needs to cooperate. He will want her back eventually and when that happens, we have to be sure that she will refuse him. That will be his breaking point. Not this—” she gestured to where the screen had been “—temporary insanity.”

“So,” he murmured, “you see it, too.”

“He is fine now. I saw him a few moments ago when he brought the two guards in.”

“Did we just watch the same video?”

“Perhaps that is just the way he likes to flick.”

“Now who’s talking bullshit? What the hell is wrong with him? Is Eve right? Did the ascension screw him up?”

“How would I know?” she said crossly. “The rest of us were created as we are. Stop worrying about Cain, and give me a better reason for why Evangeline should not see that tape.”

“You know.. .“ Reed lounged, but stayed watchful. “Despite your animosity toward her, Eve spoke on your behalf today.”

“Vraiment?” Sara tried to sound nonchalant, but failed.

“I told her you were a lying, self-centered bitch.” Rage shimmered in her eyes.

“I have never lied to you.”

“You knew I wanted to advance. You let me believe that you would help me do that.”

“You used me, too.”

He heard the bitterness in her tone and stood, rounding the desk with a deliberate stride. “Eve suggested that maybe you didn’t help me not because you wouldn’t, but because you couldn’t?”

“I do not need her to speak for me.” Sara swiveled her chair to face him and crossed her long legs. The red pantsuit gave her a seductive, wicked edge. The wary look she wore softened the image and reminded him that at one time he’d thought they were perfect for one another.

Placing his hands atop hers, Reed bent over her. She licked her lower lip and stared at his throat.

“At first,” he went on, “I thought she was being overly kind by attributing qualities to you that you don’t have. But I have considered it a little more, and you know what conclusion I’ve come to? I think you’d rather lose me than admit there’s something you can’t do.”

Her shoulders pressed more firmly against the seat back. “Did I ever really have you, mon chéri?”

“For a while there, you did. Because of that, you owe me the truth, Sara. If you’d wanted to help me ascend.. . could you have? Or was it impossible?”

She swallowed, then answered, “I wanted to help you.”

The knot in his gut loosened. “Why didn’t you just point me in the right direction? Tell me to go higher?”

“I went higher,” she snapped. “I spoke with Jehovah himself. I had to hide the request from the others. If Gabriel or Michael knew, they would stop me. But in the end, it was pointless.”

“Why?” Reed straightened. Running his hands through his hair, he asked, “Why was it possible for Cain, but not for me?”

He moved away, needing space, and heard her stand behind him.

“Think of that game,” she said softly. “The one where you try and spot the things that are missing from a second picture that were in the first. What is missing now, that was here before?”

“Raguel.” Rounding on her, he said, “He’s dead, isn’t he? That’s why none of you are actively pursuing him.”

“Look on the bright side,” she evaded. “Would you want to suffer like Cain is?”

“Cain’s issues might be unique to him and you know it. And what if you’re all wrong? What if Raguel is alive and we can get him back?”

Sara’s knuckles whitened. “Then one of us would have to cede territory for the establishment of a new firm.”

Reed moved to the window. He stared out at the nocturnal cityscape, but didn’t register the view.

Cede territory. For the first time, he wondered if the archangels had cannibalized their numbers. Survival of the fittest, perhaps. Could they be affecting Cain in some way? Corrupting him? Pushing him into madness? Sara was supposed to be mentoring him, yet she was actively working to sabotage him.

Even though Reed had turned away from the screen when the video was on, he’d still heard everything. Cain had spoken in tongues. They both knew every language ever created, so that was not a surprise. It was the words themselves that chilled him.

I command you, unclean spirit, whoever you are, along with all your minions now attacking this servant of God—

The Rite of Exorcism. While fucking? It was perverse, and so bizarre Reed couldn’t begin to guess why the words were spoken.

Why did Azazel take Riesgo and not Eve? Why would Cain break up with Eve—then turn to Izzie of all people?

Cursing inwardly, Reed knew that he could trust only a handful of people now. They all had something they wanted, and were all ruthless about getting it.

Who could Cain trust since he’d alienated Eve?

Reed smiled grimly. Their parents.

He was surprisingly soothed by the thought. if Cain was aware of what was happening to himself, he’d be working to fix it.

Fixing it. . . Alienating Eve...

“Shit’ he breathed, considering that Cain might have pushed Eve away not because he didn’t care about her anymore, but because the reverse was true.

Reed looked over his shoulder and met Sara’s gaze dead-on. “Find out who helped Cain ascend. I don’t care how you do it, but make it quick.”

Sara nodded. “What does this mean for us? You and me? Anything?”

She couldn’t love him. He wasn’t sure why she bothered to act as if she cared.

“Not now.” Withdrawing his cell phone from his pocket, he prepared to shift. “My phone is on. Call me when you know something.”

He left to search for his brother.

Sara stared at the spot where Abel had been. There was something different about him, a change profound enough to make a noticeable difference since she’d spoken to him in Cain’s office that morning.

Suspecting it was connected to Evangeline Hollis, she woke her computer and tapped out a rapid series of keystrokes, pulling up the recorded feeds from the Mark’s home made earlier in the day. She stiffened when she found what she’d been desperately hoping she wouldn’t.

“Abel’ she whispered, hating him with a passion that equaled her lust for him.

She forwarded the video to Cain’s e-mail account.

For good measure, she sent a copy of Cain’s video to Evangeline.

Then, smiling, Sara left her office to set her backup plan in motion. If Abel didn’t have balls enough to get things back to normal, she would simply have to do it herself.

CHAPTER 14

Eve flipped through Riesgo’s Bible while making a mental list of all the things she needed to accomplish. She was on her couch, legs curled up, a glass of soda on the coffee table in front of her. Gavin Rossdale’s gorgeous voice was singing “Love Remains the Same,” and the History Channel was muted on the television in the hopes that a biblical documentary might air.

Going through the motions as if everything was normal was one of the ways she’d learned to cope with chaos. It didn’t always work—sometimes screaming was better—but in this case, she couldn’t risk freaking out and alerting Alec or Reed to her problem. Losing Riesgo and Gadara was too great a price to pay for breaking her deal with the Devil.

She needed answers, but without being able to discuss her problem with anyone, how would she get them? The archives in the Gadara system went back so far it would be like looking for a needle in a field of hay. The only solution she could come up with was to visit Hank, who could read her mind. If she managed to let something slip...

If she had the means, she would go to Hank now, but her car was still at the stadium, and asking one of the exterior guards for a ride would arouse suspicions she wasn’t sure she could deflect. She supposed she could call Hank through a landline and ask for a house call.

Alec’s front door opened.

Eve stiffened at the familiar, unmistakable sound. For a moment, déjà vu was so strong it was heartbreaking. She couldn’t help but think of her old neighbor, Mrs. Basso, and how much simpler life had been just a few months ago. Eve missed the words of wisdom and support her neighbor used to share with her, and she missed having her best friend Janice— presently on sabbatical—around to commiserate and laugh with.

When the knock came at her door, Eve forcibly tamped down her apprehension. For Alec to come to her the secular way had to mean something. Whether he wanted to talk about Riesgo and the guards or what had happened between them personally, it would be taxing for both of them. She breathed carefully, trying to attain a semblance of composure.

“Evangeline? Are you home?”

The soft, feminine voice froze Eve midstride. Frowning, she became more cautious, sidestepping to avoid being directly in front of the door. She considered grabbing the gun she kept in a padded case in the console drawer—clearly God was done giving her swords when she needed them—but she was concerned about what she might do with it. Jealousy was eating at her, goaded by the volatility of the Novium. What the hell was a woman doing at Alec’s place?