“But you’re a warrior! Warriors don’t have to behave or speak well.”
“Lazar and Murphy are warriors, and they speak well in front of civilians,” Mia said. “And warriors have to follow orders and behave.”
Brian looked at Lazar. “He’s not a warrior.”
“Yes, he is. He fought to save the freedom of others, and now he’s watching over us when Murphy is busy. You don’t have to be whole in order to be whole, remember that.”
“Yes, Mom. I’m sorry, Lazar.”
“It’s okay, kiddo.”
“Hero!” Varden chirped.
“Where?” Murphy looked up in the sky.
“Not Hero the bird, but hero as in a person who is admired for his courage, achievements, and noble qualities, according to Uncle Cid,” Brian told him.
“Then we have a lot of heroes here,” Mia said. “It makes me feel safe.”
“I know a song about heroes,” Lazar told Brian and Varden.
“Sing it!” Brian said.
“Your heroes will help you find good in yourself
Your friends won’t forsake you for somebody else
They’ll both stand beside you through thick and through thin
And that’s how it goes with heroes and friends…” Lazar sang.
“That’s beautiful,” Mia said.
“They’re not my words. Randy Travis sang it. My unit adopted it after hearing the sarge singing it in the shower.”
“When I sing in the shower, everybody leaves the house,” Mia said, bummed.
“There are two things you should stay away from when you’re in the water,” Murphy advised.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What?” Mia asked.
“Singing and rowing boats.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Mia stopped off at the aerie to change the sheets and give the place a once-over. She did this herself after her guests left. Lazar took the boys home so she could get some work done. She ran up the stairs and ended up at the beach.
“Whoa, that was the smoothest transition yet,” she said, flipping off her shoes. She looked around her and didn’t see Roumain immediately. She pulled off her sweatshirt, rolled up her pants, and waded into the water. It was bathwater warm. The sun sparkled off the water.
“Somehow, I feel a bit used,” Roumain said from behind her.
“I thought about all the times you brought me here and I bitched about it. I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf. Are there sharks in here?” Mia asked, turning around.
“Just me.”
Mia laughed. She could see the tall, strong, black entity was doing his best to be cordial. “I’m sorry. Whatever I’ve done to make you hate me, tell me so I can apologize.”
“I don’t hate you. I fear you.”
“Why?”
“You’re one of the few creatures who can kill me.”
“Impossible,” Mia said.
“Mia, you killed the demon-with-no-name. Dispatched him in minutes according to gossip.”
“Ruax was overconfident. Nicholai taught me well. I was operating on automatic.”
“Very well. What can I do for you?”
“Right to business, K. Did you have anything to do with a volo candle?” she asked.
Roumain remained silent, and his face gave nothing away.
“Let me rephrase this. Did you originate the candle?”
“No.”
“But you slowed it.”
“I tried to stop it, but the magic was too strong.”
Mia stood there and tried to stop her emotional reaction from compromising both of them. She sniffed. “Thank you for trying.”
“I know what was at stake. Your losses would have been overwhelming.”
“I’m ashamed to say that if that had happened, I was headed down a bad road. Murphy did his best to keep me from self-destructing. I died once, and he brought me back. The second time I died, someone else brought me back. Both times, I was rejected by an archangel.”
“Azrael,” Roumain said. “Mia, I don’t know what you want from me?”
“You’ve always been a trusted advisor. I’ve had problems with some of your puppeteering moves, but I believe that most everything you do is for the balance.”
“Maybe at first. Then I did things for me.”
“That’s not exactly right. You did them for me,” Mia said, wading closer to him. She breathed in his scent. He hadn’t bothered with the cloying jasmine. Mia’s eyes lit up with the realization.
He turned away from her and walked to the beach.
Mia studied his back. Why hadn’t she seen the scars before? She ran after him, tripping on something in the water. Before she could rise, a wave crashed over her. The retreating wave pulled her deeper into the sea. She fought to get to the surface but had lost where the surface was exactly.
Strong hands reached for her, and she was plucked from the depths. She coughed out the swallowed water. “Where did that wave come from?” she asked, freeing her face from the knot of her hair.
“It was a warning,” Roumain said, setting her down on the beach.
“I don’t understand. Why did you do that?”
“Mia, I didn’t do that to you. I wanted you, and I fear you may have been losing your resolve too. Mother Nature always has your best interests in mind.”
“By drowning me?”
“She likes to get her point across. You’re not supposed to fall in love with the king of Purgatory.”
“She speaks to Murph. Me, she drowns.”
“How are you and Stephen?”
“We have put the GSD behind us. I think our friendship is stronger than before.”
“You need him.”
“I know.”
“Ted?”
“Good. We’re talking about having another child.”
“So you’re fertile. We should behave ourselves. How are you going to explain giving birth to a black Nephilim?”
Mia started coughing and then started to laugh. “Yes, that would be an interesting conversation. I’m sure Alan, our lawyer, would be involved.”
“According to my
