“Ah, I see you’ve taken up reading scandal sheets,” Orion observed, walking over to the table. He sat down on the chair Angelo kept there for him and raised it to a comfortable height.
“Your granddaughter,” Angelo said, handing him the weekly magazine, “has taken up hawking clothing.”
Orion looked at the pages and nodded. “Well, a girl’s gotta eat. I take it you don’t approve?”
“I’m not sure anymore what I think.”
“That’s not like you. You normally have your prejudices dictating your beliefs. Mia is a strange creature. I understand she’s flying now.”
“Where do you get your information?” Angelo asked, surprised. “You’ve been in the Dark Vault for days.”
“Where do you think I got the information? We are not the only ones who are interested in the development of Mia Cooper Martin.”
Orion’s use of Mia’s married name wasn’t accidental. This was his subtle way of reminding Angelo that Mia wasn’t available.
“Mia came to me herself to explain how Sariel ended up teaching her the basics, including some battle moves.”
“Mia came here?”
“Yesterday. She wanted me to know that it wasn’t a well thought out decision to have Sariel train her. He showed up when she was in peril, acting quite the knight.”
Orion smiled as his tea was brought and thanked the housekeeper, who in turn asked what he would like for breakfast. He gave her his order and added honey to his tea before addressing Angelo, “Since knight isn’t a word Mia would use, I take it you looked into her mind.”
“With permission. I also saw her fight for Ted and their reconciliation. And the reason Mia won’t be transforming into a full bird.”
“Now you have me intrigued.”
“Sariel has put one of his feathers inside of Mia. Its placement has altered her transformations, and it acts as a beacon.”
“Sariel has LoJacked my granddaughter,” Orion said, visibly impressed. “The man’s a genius.”
“He’s not a man,” Angelo insisted.
“It’s an expression,” Orion said.
“Mia didn’t know it was there.”
“I suppose you told her.”
“Yes.”
“And…”
“She wasn’t happy, but I told her of the benefits of the feather. It contains battle strategies and other information that will be useful to Mia when she figures out how to access them.”
“Tell me about her wings.”
“They aren’t our wings nor the wings of an angel. Mia has archangel wings.”
“That’s impossible. That doesn’t happen anymore. Did the feather cause this?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping you knew. They are beautiful.”
“I would have to research further, but I think this is a singular occurrence. It could have something to do with the band of protection Sariel has around her ribcage. Maybe that combined with the feather…”
“She does have our tattoos though.”
“Mia let you see her transform?” Orion asked, puzzled. “I don’t understand. I thought she had chosen Ted as her mate.”
“I don’t think Mia knew that she had inadvertently started a mating ritual. I think, perhaps, you need to discuss a few things. Or should I send Judy to her?”
“Did you mate with her?”
“No. I warned her off. Besides, the Council of Women has taken away her ability to bear children for now.”
“Now that’s the first smart thing I’ve heard since I got here. I expect you know the reason why, but I doubt Mia does.”
“Nephilim. They can’t take the chance that Mia will be able resist or fight off Sariel if he chooses to take her,” Angelo said through his teeth.
“We must teach her how, without alarming her. Perhaps I should visit her. After all, I am her grandfather.”
“But not her only grandfather.”
“Émile has found her?”
“And claimed her and Brian,” Angelo added.
“Boy, you data-mined Mia, didn’t you?”
“She invited me in.”
“That was a mistake the first time. She must like you to let you in again. Look at the trouble you caused her.”
“It’s my weak human side,” Angelo admitted.
“If you are going to lead us when the time comes, you’ll have to learn to compartmentalize your feelings. We all yearn for those we can’t have, but most of us are able to set aside these desires.”
The housekeeper arrived with their breakfasts. Angelo watched the little birdman eat the vast quantities of food and realized this was where Mia got her appetite from. When they had finished, Orion nodded to Angelo. “We should go outside. I wouldn’t want what I have to tell you to be overheard.”
Angelo nodded and left the table, walking slowly in deference to his houseguest. When they had reached the shaded patio and sat down, Angelo asked, “What did you find in the Dark Vault library?”
“Cynosura.”
“As we suspected, but how?”
“A Cynosura nurseryman raised and planted the witch tree. I imagine there are many more scattered around this continent waiting to be activated. I saw what it did to Mia before you came to the rescue. It was good to see the two of you battling together by the way.”
Angelo didn’t react to the comment. He was concentrating on the problem at hand. “It’s another sign that they need to be destroyed before they start the culling of the human race.”
“Oh, Angelo, they have been doing so for quite some time. It has been mistaken for politics. With every step towards human rights that is taken, they have taken away three steps in other areas. They have started to cull the emerging societies of Africa and Asia by funding terrorists. Only the strong will survive, and they will soon find themselves either signing allegiance to the Cynosura or be themselves culled. This is why the angels are recruiting. They have seen it emerging. We have been too involved in our own survival to see the big picture.”
“While we have been balancing good and evil, they have been building their empire.”
“So the abundance of demon activity is because…”
“There are more of them. The offspring of the daughters of the Cynosura and demons grow faster.”
“No human survives a demon birth,” Angelo said.
“Apparently, it matters not
