“Anima, come join us. We were about to eat,” Uriel says, taking a seat to Nox’s right. It leaves the seat on his left side open. I expect Umbra to sit there, but she pushes me in the direction and sits farther down near Mammon.
They set the table with a bountiful pile. Fruits, bread, nuts, and pastries crowd the table. Something resembles a pancake and another pot looks like cream, but the most important item—coffee.
My eyes light up, and Torque doesn’t miss a beat. He slides his hand underneath the table to squeeze my leg. A rush of excitement runs through me, but I tell myself it’s for the coffee.
He pours a cup of the steamy nectar, then places it in front of me. “Do you want cream?” he asks, a purr in his voice.
“Yes, please.” Suddenly, I’m breathless, looking into the depths of his garnet eyes.
He pours the cream inside the coffee, and swirls of pale milk mix with the dark rich color. The scent of the brew hits my nose, and a shiver passes over me. How can a cup of coffee make me feel this turned on? Then I think about who’s pouring it, and my vision blurs at the edges. Is it hot in here?
“Anima.” Nox’s stern voice breaks through whatever was happening.
I straighten in my chair and grab the mug with both hands, bringing it to my lips. Best. Coffee. Ever. “Did I miss something?” I smile sweetly, knowing this is pissing him off.
“I asked what you planned for today. Umbra mentioned sparing. Was that all?”
“I need to work on using the shadow smoke more. I almost had it where I could maintain a solid link for more than a few minutes. I think it will come in handy if I can control it as much as you do.”
He nods, wiping his mouth with a cloth napkin before gulping his juice. “Scur doesn’t know all of your powers. He may have tasted your blood, but the story within you is still being written. We must keep him guessing. You’re our ace in the hole.”
“A poker reference? Really?” I ask, a smile on my lips. Nox isn’t at all what I expected, but none are.
All my life, they have taught me to hate demons since they are the reason the Mortal Realm is the way it is. But the lines aren’t so clear anymore. How can a race of people who behave with such love be evil?
“I’ve played poker with some greats. Before the fall of the Mortal Realm, I frequented New York City every decade. My favorite times were the 1920s. Prohibition was a thrilling time,” he says, waving his fork in the air after he takes a bite of fruit.
I don’t think I could be any more shocked than I am. “Demons were on Earth before the fall? Walking freely?”
“Did you think we stumbled upon it while we were fleeing for our lives? Demons have always been in the Mortal Realm. The only difference was humans didn’t know about us,” Mammon says.
“I loved the 1960s. Free love and all those drugs. It was a great time,” Umbra adds wistfully.
“If you think it’s freaky the demons were in the Mortal Realms, you won’t like what you hear about the angels,” Uriel quips, leaning back in his seat and sipping from his cup.
“Tell me the stories about God and all that isn’t true. There can’t be one guy up there floating on clouds like the humans think.”
“Nothing like that. The angels have been around longer than humans or demons. The first demon was an angel, which is how it all began. So, if you think about it, everyone at this table has some angel blood, though it just depends on how much.”
“Garden of Eden?” I ask, putting a forkful of what looks like eggs in my mouth.
“Story, but one angel shaped his holy magic to make fruit trees. Some more primitive humans were wary at first. I guess that’s where the story comes from.”
“Consider me officially freaked out. Are there many angels still?”
Uriel sighs. “No, we lost many in the war between the Fallen and the high. There were so many of us, but hundreds of years of bloodshed takes a toll on any race. I don’t know of any in the Demon Realm except for me.”
“What about the Mortal Realm? Any there? Any in New City who can wield the holy magic?”
If Rahna has an angel on her side, I fear the battle will be worse than I originally thought. Their holy fire could wreak havoc on the demons.
“We can’t wield all holy magic. Only our own.”
“You mean you can’t use the orb?”
“The orb contains the magic of another angel. Think of it as a lock. There is only one key that can open it. You have a universal key.”
Holy shit. It must piss Rahna off that she let me go, but then why send me to Torque? She had to know it was suicide.
“That explains why they created me, but not why she let me go.”
“I’m not sure that was her plan. I thought she wanted you out of the way from the start, but now I think she wanted you to retrieve the orb or at least give her an in to do so. With me out of the way, she could have magic from two different angels, making her even more powerful,” Torque explains.
“You have holy magic?” Umbra interrupts. Togmerin places his hand on her shoulder to keep her seated. Fury blows through her like a storm, and her eyes turn silver.
“I do. I plan to use it against Rahna when the time comes. I don’t dare use it here. There are too many things that could go wrong if we did,” he replies, buttering a roll and taking a big bite. I watch his mouth pull at the bread, and I can’t help the strange tingle inside me.
“It’s here! Unbelievable. Did you know about this, brother?” She shrugs off
