“This isn’t good,” Daniel whispered.
“Just stay calm,” Tristan said, his gaze locked on the man ahead of him.
They continued forward until they were about fifteen feet from him, then they stopped, trying their hardest to look non-threatening. The farmer’s gaze ran over each of them for a minute, and she saw his jaw lock.
“What can I do for you three?”
“We have need of your help.” Tristan’s words were carefully chosen and screaming of caution.
“What sort of help?”
In the field behind him, white-winged angels appeared. Surcy took a step back, her fingers itching to call her blade. The six angels were dressed in the clothes of hard-working farmers, and their glamours made them appear human.
Are they working for the farmer?
She racked her brain, trying to figure out why. With each Immortal they had found, Caine had trapped them in their own personal hell. He planned to break them down slowly until he could finally steal their powers and become the most powerful being in existence.
So what hell were these angels creating for the farmer by working for him?
Tristan didn’t react to the angels, never moving his eyes from the farmer. “Our car broke down on the road.”
Some of the suspicion died from the farmer's tanned-face. “What’s wrong with it?”
“The battery.”
He regarded the three of them for a few more seconds. “I can jump you; just give me a minute to get my car.”
One of the angels came up behind the farmer and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Clarence, we’ll stay here and keep an eye on the wife and kids.”
The farmer nodded. “Thanks.”
She clenched her fists. Clarence might not understand what the angel meant, but she and her demons knew. The angels were threatening them. If they took off with Clarence, his wife and kids would pay.
Now what?
“Actually,” Surcy rushed out. “I’m feeling a bit overheated from the sun and walking so far. Would you mind if I get a glass of water?”
The farmer stared at her.
Think, Surcy, think!
She forced a smile. “Some women get morning sickness. Not me! I stay sick all day.”
His gaze moved to her belly and he relaxed a little bit more. “My wife was the same way. Come on, then, I’m sure she’d be glad for the company.”
The angel walked beside the farmer, explaining to him some problem with the chickens. She and her demons followed slowly behind, tense as they felt the other angels sliding through the cornfield, keeping pace with them. Their odds were a hell of a lot worse without Mark.
Before, we had a chance against all these angels, but now? Not at all.
Her eyes stung, and she was glad she didn’t have to talk, because she thought she’d start crying if she did, which was stupid as hell. She was supposed to be alert and ready for anything, but instead, her mind kept slipping back to Mark.
If she couldn’t focus, she might make a mistake. She couldn’t make a single mistake, not with the stakes this high.
By the time they walked past the broken down farm equipment and fenced-in animals, she was feeling less emotional, but even more nervous. Glancing behind her, she saw the angels glaring near the farm equipment.
Creepy fuckers.
The farmer went into the house and came back out a minute later, a woman and two children behind him. His wife was tall and thin, with long blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. She wore a smart-looking blouse and ironed slacks. When her gaze met Surcy’s, she smiled.
“Welcome, I’m Beth. You want to join me inside for coffee while the boys jump-start your car?”
“Surcy,” Daniel was suddenly at Surcy’s side, his grip tight on her arm. “We shouldn’t split up.”
I know I agreed this would be fast, just in and out, but I can’t leave this woman and her children behind. I just can’t. I’m sorry.
She plastered on a smile. “Let go and act normal.”
He released her arm, but she could sense his frustration.
“That sounds just perfect!” She moved up the porch, nodding at the farmer, and coming to stand beside his wife.
“We’ll see you soon!” she called, waving to her demons.
Both men looked like they’d swallowed glass, but Tristan nodded in a casual way she knew was forced.
The farmer and her demons squeezed into his truck together, and Surcy looked back at them as she followed the woman into her house. Five angels used a glamour to conceal themselves, stretched their wings, and took off into the air. But a few angels remained, staring directly at her, a challenge in their gazes.
Swallowing hard, she closed the door behind her. Now what?
5
In the kitchen, Surcy sat at the little table. The house could only be described as a disaster. Toys and clothes were thrown everywhere, yogurt dripped off one wall, and pencils were stuck in the ceiling. Surcy glanced around the kitchen and out into the living room in shock.
“No kids yet?” Beth asked, smiling.
Surcy felt her cheeks blush and looked at the two little ones who had dragged coloring books onto the cluttered table beside her. “No, not yet.”
“But Clarence said you were pregnant.”
Surcy nodded.
“Then, just you wait, all this chaos… it’s perfectly normal.”
Something twisted in her heart. Being an angel meant she’d never have children, and she’d never had any in her human life either. For the first time, that seemed strangely sad.
“I never thought I’d have children,” Surcy admitted softly, her gaze constantly sliding around the house, looking for danger.
The woman laughed, putting ground coffee beans into a fancy looking coffee-maker. “Why not?”
Surcy shrugged. “I guess… I thought I wouldn’t have the chance.”
Beth nodded, as if that made perfect sense. “It was kind of an adjustment for me. I work in marketing, so I didn’t want to give
