Hunted

- 13 - UNEXPECTED ANSWERS

The alley behind Jethro’s bar was filthy, as usual. Leading with Lucien, I slowed down our teleport until I found a spot away from the icky puddles, then rematerialized.

Lucien grinned. “That was cool. How did you slow down?”

“A trick I learned recently,” I said absentmindedly, reaching under my trench coat to touch my lower back. It felt warm and tingly, like an itch that wouldn’t go away. Not sure what it meant, I ignored it and focused on Bran.

A quick scan told me he wasn’t at Jethro’s, which was packed as usual. I still didn’t understand why he chose to sleep at Jethro’s when it took less than a second to teleport home.

The twins appeared, one after the other. They looked around with disgust. Once again, I couldn’t tell them apart until they spoke.

“Where are we?” one asked. Her voice was gentler, which meant she was Lunaris.

“L.A. warehouse district. This building belongs to Jethro. The bar’s entrance is that way.” I pointed toward the front of the building.

“Yeah, I can feel them,” Solaris said in her high-pitched annoying voice. “Demons,” she added, reaching for the ninja stars she’d placed in sheaths around her waist when we were in the weapons room.

“No weapons, please,” I warned. Her eyes narrowed as though she wanted to defy me, then she backed down, her hands dropping to her sides and forming fists.

“Where’s Esras?” I asked when the Guardian didn’t appear.

“Master Haziel came to the weapons room right after you teleported and needed to have a word,” Lunaris answered.

“He’ll miss the telegate if he’s not careful,” I warned. A telegate was a trail of energy disturbance left behind when one teleported. “One time, when we teleported here, only two of us made it while the others ended up across town.”

Esras appeared just as I finished speaking. He was red in the face, uneasiness pouring from him.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said and tugged the collar of his shirt. The fact that he couldn’t meet my eyes told me his nervousness had something to do with me. If he didn’t want to talk about it, fine. I couldn’t take any more mess directed at me. What bugged me more was the twins’ antagonistic attitude toward all demons. They had grumbled while we chose weapons, and I was sure they wouldn’t stop.

“Before we go inside the restaurant, you need to know it is packed. Don’t do or say anything to antagonize them, because we are not here to fight. In fact, Jethro has a policy against many things, including fights and teleporting, in his bar. If a demon makes a sudden move, don’t assume he or she is about to attack. If you have to respond, just subdue them.”

“This is not right,” Solaris murmured.

“Solaris,” her twin warned.

“You know I’m right,” Solaris snapped. “He did this on purpose. He knows how we feel about…about…” she glanced at me and lifted her chin, “about being friendly with demons.” I had a feeling she meant to say something else.

Lunaris sighed and glanced at me. “I apologize for my sister—”

“You don’t need to apologize to her.”

The way she said “her”, I might as well be something that crawled from the sewer.

“What is your problem, Solaris?” I asked, working hard to control my temper. “If you feel so strongly about them, why did you volunteer to come with me?”

“We didn’t volunteer. The senile old fart told us to come,” Solaris said.

Something inside me snapped. “Don’t call Master Haziel names. He’s many things, but he’s not senile or a fart, whatever that is. I’m sure he had his reasons for choosing you.”

“Of course, he does,” Solaris snapped. “He is playing head games with us, as usual.”

My eyes narrowed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“He knows how we feel about demons because they killed our parents,” she snarled.

I blinked at the hatred in her voice. “Oh, I didn’t know.”

“Why should you? It happened thirteen years ago during the demonic raid,” she answered, her eyes flashing. “You were only three.”

Oh, no, not that again. Did they know my father was behind it? Would I ever put what he did behind me? My father had gone on a murderous rampage while searching for my mother and me, but no one had ever made me feel guilty for his actions until today.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“You should be,” Solaris said with so much venom I cringed.

“That is enough,” Esras interjected.

“You stay out of this, Esras,” Solaris snapped.

Solaris, her sister warned her telepathically, but somehow I heard her. It is not her fault.

Of course it is. He was searching for her.

Was this the purpose of this mission? To see if I could work with people who hated my guts?

Solaris continued to glare at me. “Your father—”

“Is in Tartarus,” I said with as much venom as I could master, which was easy because I was now pissed.

“No, he’s not. He’s been seen more than once the last two weeks.”

My stomach hollowed out. “That’s crap. My grandfather defeated him during the battle on Jarvis Island, and anyone who claims he’s alive is calling my grandfather a liar. I’m sorry you lost your family, but I lost my mother and grandmother, too. And, I am not responsible for Valafar’s actions.”

Solaris opened her mouth again, but her twin grabbed her arm and marched her to the back of the building. I didn’t bother to listen to their exchange. I took some deep calming breaths, then glanced at Lucien and Esras.

“You handled that very well,” Esras said. Lucien nodded.

I shook my head. The very thought that Valafar could be alive filled me with dread. My feelings toward him were still conflicted. Part of me wished he wasn’t suffering in Tartarus. He had once loved me enough to raid Guardian enclaves while searching for my mother and me. The other part of me wished he would just disappear forever. He’d been ruthless and ambitious, and if by some remote chance he’d survived Jarvis Island, he’d come for me again. Even giving weight to Solaris’s rants pissed me off.

“Are your feelings going to get in the way of this mission?” I asked when the twins rejoined us.

“Of course not,” Lunaris answered and I could tell she was telling the truth.

Solaris glowered instead.

I cocked my eyebrow, but she still refused to speak. “If you can’t be objective, Solaris, then go back to the valley and report to Master Haziel.”

A flicker of uncertainty flashed in her eyes.

“I mean it. If you can’t take orders from me, you have no business being here.”

“My feelings won’t get in the way of my duties, Cardinal,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Good because rule number one is never let personal feelings get in the way of getting a job done.” I glanced at Esras, then Lucien, before coming back to the twins. “If any of you have a problem with me because Valafar was my father, put it aside for now. You’ll have plenty of time afterward to continue hating me. Jethro may be a Hermonite, but he’s an ally. His customers are our allies too. You don’t attack anyone unless I say so.”

Silence.

“Is that understood?”

“Yes, Cardinal,” the four said in unison.

This time, I didn’t tell them not to call me Cardinal. We’d wasted enough time talking. “Let’s go.”

No one spoke as we sidestepped puddles of grey muck and walked toward the entrance. Valafar alive? What utter nonsense. We exited the alley and entered the road running in front of hulking warehouses. The parking area in front of the bar was packed with bikes.

Like most of the warehouses in the area, the exterior needed fixing. In fact, it looked exactly the same as the first time I saw it. The green and black canopy above the metal railing was faded, the chairs and table were chipped and paint was falling off the surface. The only new additions were the ancient words scrawled on the glass window.

“Ready?” I asked before opening the door. Lucien and Esras nodded right away. The twins took their time, but they eventually did.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed with spicy foods greeted us when I opened the front entrance. The tingle and heat at the base of my spine slowly spread upward and outward as though someone had injected something hot into my spine. My fingers grew warm and for one brief moment, my vision blurred then sharpened as I glanced around.

I recognized faces in the crowd, but the usual nods and smiles were missing. There was a mass transformation as the shape-shifters reverted to their human forms. Scales smoothed out and body hair shrunk until skins were human-like. Horns, tails, and claws retracted. Cat and dog-like ears shifted. Lizard-like tongues stopped lapping at bug soups. Then there was mass teleporting from the tables near us to the far walls, Hermonites tripping and bumping against each other.

They’d never run from us before. Maybe it was the new faces. I glanced back and was surprised when they all stopped walking and stared at me like I’d sprouted two heads. When Lucien’s eyes went to my hands, I looked down and gulped. My hands were glowing. Why?

The ancient texts were visible on my wrist and the back of my hand, and it hit me. I was a human lethal weapon. The Kris Dagger’s powers had sensed the demons, just like they had with Dante and Kael a week ago. Chances were I was already emitting rays harmful to everyone in the room. No wonder they’d teleported away as soon as we stepped inside the restaurant.

I glanced around and fought panic. Jethro’s customers stood near the walls and watched us warily. The tingle along my spine and arms intensified, and the glow around my hands grew brighter. If I didn’t control my powers, I’d flood the room with the Kris Dagger’s death rays and kill every Neutral in the room.

I focused hard on staying calm. It was one thing to control my powers when I sparred at home and quite another when I faced demons. They’re not my enemies…they’re our allies…they’re not my enemies…they’re our allies…

Flashes of past scenes zipped through my mind—Jethro welcoming us with open arms, giving us information, riding in a motorcade, eating, playing a game of pool in the next room, listening to Karaoke singers. Some of the memories were hazy, possibly because I couldn’t remember when they happened, but being in the bar brought them back.

My hands grew dimmer. The more I focused on the Neutrals’ past goodness, the dimmer the symbols grew. After a few more seconds, the glow disappeared, though the buzz along my spine remained. I glanced at the other Guardians, who were watching me with a mixture of concern and awe. Even Solaris forgot to glare at me with hatred.

Let’s go, I telepathed them.

Eyes followed us as we approached the counter. One of the bartenders teleported, leaving behind the one I recognized from a few months ago. He’d helped us locate a Nosferatu demoness. Because of my messed-up memories, I didn’t know how often our paths had crossed since.

A wave of fear and resentment flowed from him, his gaze shifting from me to the others then back to me again, but he didn’t bolt like his friend.

“We need to talk.” I could see the Neutrals watching us from the corner of my eyes, so I kept my voice low. “Privately.”

He nodded, then appeared on our side of the counter. I must not have been emitting the harmful rays because he didn’t appear to be in pain. We followed him across the restaurant, eyes drilling holes in our backs. I had no idea where the resentment came from. It couldn’t be because I’d become a demon’s worst nightmare. From what I remembered, Jethro’s customers had always liked having us around.

Before we left the restaurant floor and the narrow hallway leading to Jethro’s office and private quarters, I glanced back. The Neutrals watched us like hawks.

“Esras, you come with me. The rest of you keep watch out here. If anyone approaches, stop them and find out what they want. If they want to talk to me, ping me. If they attack, knock them out.”

They nodded, even Solaris. Her attitude had undergone a dramatic change, but I knew it wouldn’t last.

“I’m an empath, so I’ll know if you need our help,” I added, then followed the bartender and Esras down the hallway to Jethro’s office, which was a lot more spacious than I’d first thought.

The once dreary room had undergone some changes—several bunk beds and a dresser now replaced the piles of newspaper that had taken up most of the space. The lumpy sofa Bran had used when he’d lived with Jethro was still there along with the desk.

I faced the bartender, who kept his distance as though he expected me to hurt him. “Where’s Jethro?”

“He is missing because…because…” He swallowed.

I frowned. “Because of what?”

“His association with you guys…the Guardians,” he finished in a rush, his face flushing.

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“Two nature-benders came looking for him last night after he left for a meeting with the Cardinals. They knew he was meeting with you. Not you, Cardinal Lil. I mean the older Cardinals, who picked him up. The nature-benders vowed to come back. As soon as the Cardinals brought Jethro back, they reappeared and took him. I didn’t know what to do, so I contacted the Hermonites out there.” He slanted his head to indicate the bar. “They organized a search party. Most of them spent the night searching for Jethro. Some are still out there.”

That might explain the resentment toward us.

“What did the nature-benders look like?” I asked, hoping they were Dante and Kael.

“Tall, big, long, curly brown hair. They looked like twins.”

Definitely not Dante and Kael. “Have you seen Cardinal Llyr?”

“He was here an hour ago. As soon as I told him about Jethro, he left to search for him, too. He thinks whoever took the others has Jethro.”

“The others?”

“Young Hermonites have been disappearing for several weeks now. There are rumors that the Guardians kidnapped them.”

“What would we want with demons?” Esras asked.

“To turn them into Guardians, like you turned Cardinal Llyr,” the bartender said.

I sighed. How many times did we have to go through this? “Bran chose to be with the Guardians. No one turned him. And we have nothing to do with their disappearances,” I added firmly. “I’ll talk to the Hermonites before we leave.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” Esras asked.

“They are our allies, Esras. Of course we have to calm their fears or they could turn against us. With Jethro gone, that seems more likely than ever.” I turned my attention to the bartender. “Did Cardinal Bran sleep here?”

“No. He was in and out of here yesterday during the day. He told Jethro he was searching for his brother. He came back an hour ago, changed his clothes and was about to leave again when I told him Jethro was missing.” The bartender pointed at a scrunched-up black T-shirt and pants at the foot of the couch.

I picked them up with the tips of my fingers. They were filthy and smelled. Beside them were a plastic bag and several price tags. I glanced at Esras. “What do you think?”

He lifted the shirt, then the pants. “The dirt covers the front of his shirt and pants, which means he was on his stomach, either lying down or crawling.” He sniffed them. “Smells like sewer.”

If Bran had spent the night in some rat hole, it might explain why I’d tossed and turned all night long. I’d felt his discomfort. I glanced at the bartender. “Did Cardinal Bran say where he was headed?”

“No. Are you going to find them?” the bartender asked hopefully. “Jethro means a lot to us. This bar is a refuge for my kind, and half the people in the bar have called this home, just like Cardinal Bran has.”

“I know. Why don’t you go back to the bar and tell them I want to talk to them? They have to know we would never hurt them or turn our backs on—”

Several pings hit me at once. What is it?

A demon is here, and he insists on talking to you, Solaris telepathed.

I stepped into the hallway and frowned. All the three Guardians had their weapons pointed at…Gavyn? Dressed in white slacks and a matching blazer over a light blue shirt, his silver hair cropped in layers, he looked like he’d just stepped out of a country club.

He smirked and waved like we were best buds. The tingle at the base of my spine shot up my spine.

“Hey, little sister,” he said. “What are you doing in this dump? With the Tribunal’s army hunting your kind, I thought you’d be hiding with the rest of the Guardians.”

Tribe…Tribunal? The two words sounded almost alike. Did they mean the same thing? I had no interest in asking Gavyn because he’d only gloat and piss me off more. Already, I wanted nothing better than to wipe the smug smile off his face, but Bran would never forgive me.

I struggled to calm my mind and bring my powers under control. It wasn’t working. The power pulsing up and down my spine needed an outlet.

“What do you want, Gavyn?” I called out, fear of hurting him keeping me in the doorway.

“You and I need to talk. Alone. Tell your new minions to,” he wiggled his fingers, “move out of my way.”

“I don’t think so,” I said, aware that Esras had followed me. He stood protectively behind me, tension shooting from his body.

“Scared to be alone with me, little sister?”

“Yeah, scared for you, and I’m not your sister.”

He cocked his brow. “What? You’re not going to be mated with my brother? Last time I checked, the sun rose and set on him. You even saved my life from your malevolent sister. That’s the kind of thing you do for family, or family-to-be. By the way, I never got around to thanking you for that.” He touched his chest and bowed. “Thank you.”

No matter how annoying he was, I had to remember he was Bran’s brother. I focused on controlling my powers until the tingle on my back receded.

Meanwhile Gavyn lowered his head to peer into Solaris’s eyes and whispered, “How do you feel knowing your precious Chosen One is the reason you are being hunted, sweetheart? Why do your people have to suffer because of her? First Valafar and his raid, and now the Tribunal and its, uh, what do you Guardians call its army again? Yeah, the Tribe, the mighty Guardians’ worst nightmare.”

Seriously? He was like a child sometimes. When he didn’t get his way, he threw tantrums by saying the dumbest things. Solaris didn’t need him egging her on. “Let him pass.”

Instead of obeying, Solaris hissed out a breath. “What are you talking about, demon?”

He smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Move aside like a good little Guardian.”

“Only the weak and incompetent summon more powerful beings to fight their battles,” she snapped, then shifted closer to him. “And if you ever call me sweetheart again, fiend, I’ll send you to Tartarus so fast they’ll be picking pieces of you off the walls for centuries.” She threw a look at me over her shoulder. “He’s all yours, Cardinal.” Then she stepped out of his way.

For one brief moment, Gavyn leered at her. “I hope you and I meet again, sweetheart. I’d love to show you a thing or two that would make your head spin.” He sauntered past Esras and me. “Stay here, old man. My business is with the lovely Lilith.”

Esras hesitated and glanced at me.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured him. Gavyn’s arrogance was annoying, but he only ever acted cocky when he had the upper hand. He knows where the Summoners are, I telepathed Esras. Just give me a minute with him.

He nodded, but he didn’t like it. I hurried after Gavyn.

“Scram, minion,” he ordered when he entered Jethro’s office and saw the bartender.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the bartender snarled. “Jethro doesn’t allow your kind in here.”

Gavyn smiled. “My kind? I thought this,” he waved, “was a sanctuary for all Nephilim, good or bad.”

“Except bottom-dwellers like you,” the bartender retorted.

Gavyn’s eyes flashed. He studied the bartender, his lips curling up. “You know what I miss? The old days, when we tied traitors to rocks and set vultures on them for eternity.”

“And soul-suckers were sent to rot in Tartarus for eternity,” the bartender retorted.

In a fraction of a second, Gavyn’s hand moved and a sizzling, red energy ball materialized above his palm.

“Enough. You,” I nodded at the bartender, “go back to the bar.”

He scurried out of the room.

“He was being insolent,” Gavyn said, the energy ball fizzling out.

“What’s wrong with you? You know the rules. You can’t touch Neutrals under our protection, or all bets are off.”

He smiled though his gray eyes remained cold. “You’d test my brother’s loyalty by attacking me to protect that nobody?”

“He’s not a nobody, and Bran would understand.”

“Would he?” Gavyn’s eyes glistened. “I don’t have time for this. I have things to do, places to go.” He glanced over his shoulder at Esras. “Do you mind?” The he flicked his finger and the door slammed shut on Esras’ face.

I frowned. His energy powers seemed to have grown stronger. First an omni energy ball, now a show of telekinetic ability. “What do you want, Gavyn?”

Gavyn’s eyes narrowed as he studied me, his head cocked to the side. “There’s something different about you.”

What? I wanted to ask, but I hated discussing anything personal with him. Besides, there was enough weirdness that came with my new powers I really didn’t want to know. “Where have you been? Bran’s been looking for you for two days.”

“And he almost got killed, thanks to you. I’m getting strange vibes from you that are very intriguing. What have you been up to? I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, but the changes in you…” his eyes narrowed and he added slowly, “I can now see what my little brother sees in you.”

Ew. The thought that Gavyn found anything remotely attractive about me made me want to throw up. “Why is it my fault Bran almost got killed?”

Annoyance flashed in Gavyn’s eyes. “He was in trouble, I contacted you but you chose to ignore me. But that’s yesterday’s news. He’s okay, for now. In fact, he was here earlier. I can still feel his energy.”

“I don’t like being accused of things I haven’t done, Gavyn.”

“This time, you’re guilty as charged, but I’m in a good mood and would rather talk about you and this new vibe—”

I waved my hand without meaning to and sent him upward and backward until his back slammed the door and his feet dangled several inches off the floor. “I’m not in the mood for your stupid games either, Gavyn. Start talking.”

Furious didn’t begin to describe the expression that flashed on his face. “Put me down!”

“Tell me what you’re talking about. What trouble was Bran in? When did you contact me?”

“Don’t be hotheaded, Lilith. You touch me again and you, your minions, and everyone in this building go poof. You didn’t think I’d come here alone, did you? Put. Me. Down.”

I did a psi scan to confirm his words. There were demons outside, on the ground and on the roof of the building. I wasn’t sure whether they were regular demons or the Tribe, but I refused to show Gavyn that his threats worried me.

I guided the power buzzing on my back to move to my right hand, just like Master Haziel had taught me. My fingers tingled as the ancient writings appeared on the surface of my skin. Then my hand started to glow.

“What in Tartarus is that?” Gavyn asked.

“Start. Talking.”

Uncertainty flickered in his eyes, but then his smugness returned. “Go ahead. The Tribunal will only bring me back,” he bragged.

There was that word again—the Tribunal. What did it mean? “No one returns from Tartarus.”

“That is where you are wrong, little sister. Not only will I come back, but I’ll be stronger. On top of that, you’ll have to explain to my brother why you sent me there in the first place.”

Bran. If only Gavyn wasn’t his brother. I let him go. He landed on the floor like a cat, adjusted his blazer, and brushed off his shoulder. Another smug grin touched his lips.

“What is this new power you have?” he asked, staring at my hand.

I willed the writings from my hands. They disappeared along with the glow. I took a step away from Gavyn. “I think you should leave now.”

“Okay, if you insist on knowing the truth,” he said flippantly. “I got your phone number through your human medium and sent you some text messages.”

My mind raced as I tried to recall what was in the messages from Kylie.

Are you with Bran? The first one had said. Kylie often checked if I was alone before asking me over to her place. I’d responded with a “no”. I hadn’t read the next two messages because of the meeting.

Get over here now, I need your help… The last text had sounded so much like Kylie, I hadn’t bothered to finish reading it. It never crossed my mind to wonder why she hadn’t used abbreviated texts like she usually did.

“Why couldn’t you be clearer? I thought they came from Kylie, and she thought her brother sent them.” I was yelling by the time I finished.

“Clearer? What part of ‘get over here now, I need your help stopping Bran’ wasn’t clear,” he snapped, losing his cool too. “Or ‘Bran needs you’?”

Guilt washed over me. I shouldn’t have ignored the rest of the message, or the previous ones. “What happened?”

“Oh, now you want to know?”

“Just. Tell. Me.”

He made a face. “He pissed off a few club owners while searching for me, got into a few fights. I couldn’t help him because I was in the middle of an important meeting, so I contacted you. By the time I finished, which was a few minutes ago, I learned he wanted to meet me, which as it happens works perfectly with my plans. I want to see him too.” His expression grew serious. “In fact, I have a proposal for the two of you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Really?”

“Listen first before you blow me off. Join me.”

“Excuse me?”

“You and Bran should leave the Guardians and join me.”

He had lost it if he thought we could ever do something so stupid. “Why would we do that?”

“It is the only way to stop the Tribe.”

Maybe he wasn’t crazy. “What do you mean?”

“All this mess would have been avoided if Bran had done the right thing and accepted his responsibilities as the leader of the Hermonites.” His voice dropped. “The truth is out, Lilith. The Tribunal knows how he ‘won’ the battle on Jarvis Island.”

The hollow feeling I hated settled in my stomach. A little over four month ago, Valafar had staged a fight-till-death combat on Jarvis Island and told the demonic world the winner would become their leader. At the same time, he had manipulated us, dangling the list of the humans who’d sold their souls to Bran until Bran signed a contract and joined the combat to win it back. I did not remember the details of that night, but Bran had filled me in. I had had no choice but to help him win. My participation, a secret among the Cardinals, had been known by only three demons—Valafar, who was dead, my sister and Gavyn. Even though Gavyn hadn’t been able to attend the event, Bran had told him afterward.

“How could you use what Bran told you in confidence against us?”

“I didn’t.” A weird expression crossed his face. “I mean, I did it to help you. Besides, that was just the first evidence we presented to the Tribunal. There’s more. You and your grandfather brainwashed Bran and made him switch—”

“Bran chose us,” I snapped. “I’m getting tired of your people saying we influenced his decision.”

“That’s your opinion. The fact remains that the switch is a first in the history of the Nephilim. The Tribunal wasn’t sure how to deal with that, until we told them about the Specials. Those children will cause an imbalance of power in the Guardians’ favor. And last, you decided to help soulless degenerates from the human cesspool. There are rules, Lilith. When humans sell their souls, they belong to us. You are not supposed to give their souls back.”

I couldn’t come up with an argument against the things he’d said. We were guilty. No wonder the Goddess wanted us to find the Summoners to avoid annihilation.

“Who summoned the Tribe? The Order? Can we meet with it?”

“Those feeble-minded members of the Order cannot agree on anything, let alone a historic moment as the summoning.” He smiled smugly. “I formed a new council and summoned the Tribunal. Then the Tribunal sent its army to fix things.”

I swallowed, refusing to panic. “Fix how?”

“Hunt you guys down and make Bran take his rightful place with us. If he can’t, then you must take his place. You both won, so technically you should be co-rulers. The Specials must be returned to us. However, if you and Bran join me now, the Guardians can keep them. Oh, and no more helping humans. We’ve recovered our losses over the last two weeks and even acquired new ones, so we are even. The bottom line is if we get you and Bran, we can ask the Tribunal to rescind its orders and send the Tribe home.”

He was nuts. There was no way I’d ever willingly join the dark side. On the other hand, if Bran were in danger… Unfortunately, he would do the same to protect me. There had to be a way to stop the Tribe. But what if Gavyn was lying to manipulate me?

“When do you want an answer? I mean, can we sit down and discuss the details with your council?”

Gavyn chuckled. “Nice try. You can meet the council after you agree to join us.”

“Where? Mount Hermon?”

“The assistant manager who gave you that name is in Tartarus. Don’t worry about the details. I’ll finalize them with Bran.”

“With both of us,” I corrected him. “Did your council kidnap Jethro?”

He cocked an eyebrow, the gesture so like Bran’s it annoyed me to see it on his face. “You ask way too many questions, Lil.”

“Did you?”

“We didn’t kidnap anyone. They volunteered. You have your army of Guardians willing to die for the cause, and now we have ours.” He smirked as though he knew his words would shut me up. “One little personal piece of advice, Lilith. That new ability you have can be very tempting to a power-hungry demon, so be careful who you show off to, especially when you meet my council.”

I stared after him, surprised. He’d just warned me. Now why would he do that? He opened the door and disappeared out of view. I thought I heard him say something to the others, but I was busy replaying the conversation I just had. It was crazy, yet everything made sense, especially the way the Tribe only came after us, never the senior Cardinals.

I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding, my gaze meeting with Esras’. Behind him stood Solaris, Lunaris, and Lucien. They slowly entered the room.

“You heard?” I asked them.

“Everything,” Esras said. The other three nodded.

“Are you going to consider their offer?” Solaris asked. “Take one for the Guardians?”

I shot her an annoyed look. “Of course not. You can’t believe anything Gavyn says. He’s mean and manipulative.”

“What if he was speaking the truth?”

“Not now, Solaris,” Esras warned.

“Why not? The CT ordered the portal closed and hundreds of SGs are being asked to put their lives in danger for something her team did. What if she and Llyr can stop this nightmare?” She faced me and raised her brow.

Put that way, it made sense to give in to Gavyn’s diabolical plan. “I don’t know, Solaris. Maybe we will. I have to talk to Bran and my grandfather about all this before…” I cleared my throat, refusing to give in to my emotions. I hated Gavyn Llyr.

“So who really won the battle on Jarvis Island?” Solaris asked.

Part of me wanted to blow her off, but another realized the truth would eventually come out. “Bran did, but I helped him during the last fight.”

“So it’s true, the two of you won?” she continued

I shrugged. “Something like that. Let’s go. I have to talk to Jethro’s Neutrals.”

The others started out of the room, but Solaris wasn’t done. “So the demon wasn’t lying. You two are co-rulers, king and queen of the Hermonites.”

“Shut up, Solaris,” her sister snapped from the doorway. “I swear, sometimes I wonder what goes on in your head.”

“We now know why they are after us and we will stop them,” Esras said. He shot Solaris a glance. “Cardinals don’t run or throw their own under the bus, Solaris. We find out the Tribe’s weaknesses, and use them to our advantage.”

“One thing still doesn’t make sense,” Lucien said. “Tribunal means court, right?”

Esras and Lunaris nodded. Solaris didn’t bother to respond. She was probably thinking up another line of attack.

“Why would a demon court decide our fate?” he asked.

Silence followed his question, but with it came another possibility. “If they have a Tribunal who decide their cases, then we probably have one too,” I said. “We could have a rebuttal for the accusations leveled against us.”

“Maybe the Senior Cardinals have answers,” Lunaris said.

“Master Haziel, not the seniors,” I said.

“Then let’s go home. I’d like to know if a Tribunal can really bring people from Tartarus like he claimed,” Solaris added. “It might explain why a Guardian saw Valafar. Maybe their Tribunal brought him back.”

I inhaled, then exhaled slowly. Of all the things Gavyn had said, that worried me the most. No one was supposed to escape from Tartarus, yet he had said their Tribunal could bring demons back.

“We can’t go home yet,” I said. “We must find Bran before Gavyn does.”

Solaris eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“He’s likely to do exactly what you want—sacrifice himself.” To save me.