Page 146 of Viper

The shield flickered like a faulty light bulb.

Ella’s heart slammed in her chest, and her demon spat a curse.

Ophaniel’s lips tipped up, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “The child’s psychic strength is faltering, I see.”

She telepathed her sister again.Ask Dice if Viper is close to unraveling the other wards yet.

Just did, said Mia.He says they need a few more minutes.

Ella wasn’t sure theyhada few more minutes.

Ophaniel’s gaze bounced from her to Mia. “Your eyes keep going out of focus, so I would imagine you’re having telepathic chats with each other. Or is it with your men?” His mouth curved. “Samael must be going wild right now, unable to get to his mate and child. Such a shame.”

Ella couldn’t fight a frown. That smile … it wasn’t triumphant or cruel. In fact, it was more like nostalgic. As if thinking of Viper brought him pleasant memories. The “Such a shame” part even sounded genuine. “You know him well?”

“Well enough.”

“Setting up his mate and unborn child to die doesn’t bother you?”

A shrug. “It’s nothing personal. I’m simply doing my job. You understand.”

“No, no, I don’t. I don’t understand howanyonewould want to harm a child.”

Ophaniel’s sapphire-blue gaze sharpened on Ella. “You are not stupid. You know why my superiors would be disturbed by the life in your womb and want it destroyed. They can hardly permit a half-demon half-fallen archangel to walk the Earth.”

If the Uppers knew of the baby from Ophaniel, then he’d been aware of her pregnancybeforenow. But how? Suspicion pricking at her, she looked at Maxine, who only smiled. “How did you find out?”

“It was more of a guess really,” replied the harpy.

“Maxine is well-known among celestials,” said Ophaniel. “Always a wondrous source of information for the right price.”

Unreal. Ella had assumed that Maxine used what information she scrounged up to blackmail or manipulate other demons. She hadn’t for a moment suspected that the woman would be passing it on to celestials. “Why? Why would you betray your own?”

“Why not?” Maxine challenged with a casual shrug.

Ella blinked at her.Why? Not?

“Oh, you were expecting some tragic, traumatic backstory?” Maxine gave a gentle shake of her head. “No, dear. Call it a … family business. Generations of us have been such sources. It is how we initially attained wealth.”

Son of a bitch. “Dionne wants nothing to do with the ‘family business,’ does she?”

The woman’s eyes hardened. “She will change her mind.”

Ella refocused on Ophaniel. “You asked her to befriend my aunt and wring her dry of any helpful information.”

He conceded that with an incline of his head. “Your aunt wasn’t very forthcoming, unfortunately.”

“And so Maxine planted her daughter at our store,” Mia surmised.

Maxine sighed. “She didn’t learn much either. But when I recently noticed your aunt and mother buying baby clothes and took into account Ella’s recent habit of wearing loose tops, I had an inkling that she was pregnant.”

“A surface scan of Prophet’s mind confirmed the suspicion,” Ophaniel added. “And so I passed on the news to those in the upper realm. Just be grateful they don’t instead wish to take and raise the child to use for their own purposes. They would … not be kind.”

Ella had the feeling he spoke from experience. Maybe, like Viper, he’d been forced into a life he didn’t want. It would explain his complete lack of enthusiasm here.

“You may judge me for my actions,” he began, “but know that Samael has done far worse deeds, even going as far as … ”

His words faded as Mia’s voice again poured into her mind:Two wards are unraveled, there’s just two more to go.

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