“Are we seriously reverting to name calling?” Toby asked in shock. “I thought you were all professionals?”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” Artemis asked as she shared an amused look with her boyfriend, Torrent. “We aren't pros, we're just a bunch of gods stumbling about in the dark, trying to find a light switch so we can see what the other gods are secretly doing to humans.”
“We're friends,” I amended. “And as such, we sometimes tease each other. But at the end of the day, we have each other's backs. Isn't that right, Horus?”
I expected a snarky comment, but Horus went serious and said, “That's right, Vervain.”
I started to smile.
“No matter how annoying or imbecilic you and Pan get, I still have your backs,” Horus went on.
I grimaced at Toby and said dryly, “I must be a masochist.”
“If only.” Re sighed dramatically. “It's been ages since I've used my wall shackles, and I have drawers of toys going to waste; paddles, whips, handcuffs, chains—”
“Anyway,” Horus drawled.
“No; wait.” Hekate smacked Horus' knee. “This is getting good.”
“Anyway,” I mimicked Horus and looked at him pointedly.
“Morpheus and I questioned the family on what this angel looked like,” Horus said as he glanced back at his notes. “He was tall and muscular with dark hair, brown eyes, tan—”
“Oh, come on,” Morpheus urged. “You quoted all that other stuff. Tell them what she really said.”
Horus sighed and grimaced before reading, “He was the statue of David come to life, but far more exotic; the most handsome man I've ever seen.”
I lifted my brows at him.
“It's a quote,” Horus growled. “I'm not speaking for myself.”
“Yeah, babe, she knows,” Hekate said. “She's messing with you. It's well-deserved, by the way. What else?”
“His eyes were full of the light of God, and his voice was like sunshine,” Horus read with irritation. “When he took my hand, I instantly knew that everything would be all right.”
“She said all of that in front of her husband?” Pan asked.
“Mr. Bianchi is deceased,” Horus said. “It's just the mother, her two daughters, and her son living in the house.”
“Just the four of them in that enormous house?” I asked in surprise.
“They rent out the smaller villa for special events,” Horus said.
“Did you get the name of this sunshine-voiced angel?” Finn asked.
“Yes.” Horus tapped the paper. “Reginald Mackenzie.”
“The angel is Scottish?” Finn asked dryly.
“It's probably a fake name,” Toby said.
“There are hundreds of Reginald Mackenzies listed online, but most of them are dead and the rest don't fit the description,” Torrent said.
“Any angels?” I asked with a smirk. Then I frowned. “How about priests? Are any of them priests?”
Torrent's eyes moved side to side quickly; as if he were reading. Then he said, “Not a single one.”
“Sugar snap peas!” I huffed. “I thought I was onto something.”
“Are you certain of the spelling?” Blue asked Horus. “Could it be Mckenzie—without the A—instead of Mackenzie?”
“There are hundreds of Reginald Mckenzies,” Torrent offered hopefully. “One is a football player.”
“No; I verified the spelling,” Horus said. “It's definitely Mac.”
“Maybe we should return to Pride Palace and see what the others have discovered,” Torrent suggested.
“Hopefully, they'll have more than the name of a dumb Scottish angel,” I muttered.
Yeah; I was going to go straight to the kitchen when we got home. I needed a sandwich stat.
Chapter Seven
“You should have eaten zere,” Kirill said as he handed Lesya another cookie. He looked up at me in concern. “Do you vant another sandwich?”
“No; I'm fine,” I said as I brushed the crumbs from the front of my dress. “And I couldn't go to lunch mid-track.”
“And after?”
“After we spoke to the priest, we had to get back to the villa,” I said.
“Mommy, I want tea with my biscuit,” Lesya declared.
“Tea and biscuits?” I looked down at her. “When did you become British? We call those cookies in America.”
“We aren't in America,” she said.
I gave her my Don't-be-sassy-with-me-I'm-the-Queen-of-Sassy face.
“She vants tea party,” Kirill explained with a smile at our daughter. “Zariel has tea set zat zey play vith.”
“You want a tea set too?” I asked her.
“Yes, please.” Lesya beamed up at me; looking so much like her father that it made my heart hurt in the most wonderful way.
“You're getting really good at that look, little lioness.” I leaned down to kiss her forehead. “If you act as sweet as that face promises, you'll get a tea set for Christmas.”
Lesya pouted. “But I want—”
“If you finish that statement with 'it now,' you will never have one,” I warned her sternly.
Lesya widened her enormous, blue eyes at me as her lips started to quiver.
“That won't work either.” I narrowed my eyes at her.
Lesya looked at her father for help.
Kirill laughed and picked her up. “Some zings are vorth vaiting for,” he told her with a glance in my direction. “Trust me; tea vill taste better in cups you've earned.”
“What?” Lesya scrunched up her face at Kirill.
“It means; be patient, Kotyonok.” Kirill kissed her cheek. “You and Zariel can play vith her tea set for now. She's a good girl who shares vith you. Be zankful for your friend; she's vorth more zan all ze tea in China.”
I had a flash of Zariel in a future that I'd changed—hopefully—and she hadn't been so good then; not as a friend to Lesya or in general. I'd been pushing aside those memories of Zariel; telling myself that I shouldn't blame her for things she hadn't done. But just knowing that she had it in her to betray my daughter and the Intare made me distrust the child. I felt horrible about it, but I couldn't change it.
“Vervain?” Trevor came into the kitchen. Then he spotted Lesya.
