Page 145 of Viper

A groaning sound came from Joe, but he didn’t wake.

“What’s wrong with his hands?” Mia asked the archangel, gesturing at her psi-mate.

“I burned them with holy fire,” Ophaniel answered matter-of-factly.

A low hiss came from Mia. “You tortured him?”

“Of course not. I simplysuggestedhe put his fingers into one of these.” Ophaniel conjured a golden, fiery orb. “I’d hoped the burns would shock you enough that you’d reach out to him—it was the only way he’d be able to teleport you here. It is pure luckthat your arm was looped through that of your sister.” Looking at Ella, he let the orb disintegrate. “I had thought I would need to get to you by insisting on a trade—you for your sister.”

“You said he burned himself at your suggestion,” Mia remembered, flicking a concerned look at her anchor. “So, what, you controlled his actions somehow?”

“Not quite,” Ophaniel responded. “I suppose there’s no harm in explaining, since you won’t live to share the information. I steered his will, though it took some time to get a real grasp on it. With humans and angels, I can easily slip into their minds, put them asleep, and use their bodies without their knowledge. I can also plant thoughts, suggestions, or ideas in their heads. The latter doesn’t work as well with demons. It’s also impossible to use them as puppets.”

Thank God.Because he could have otherwise wreaked all sorts of havoc. “If you’re so good at slipping into celestial minds, why didn’t you attempt to control any of the other Black Saints?”

“They’re unfortunately too powerful,” he replied, a note of faint resentment in his voice. “A dominion proved helpful, though—something he’s unaware of. ‘Prophet’ he calls himself these days. He is all tangled up in regret, bitterness, self-loathing, and fear. A mind is easier to invade if a person is vulnerable, but—what with him being so powerful—I could only pick up his surface thoughts. Still, it made him a good involuntary source of information.”

Right then, Mia’s mind stroked hers.Dice just telepathed me, he sees us.

It took everything in Ella not to smile.He found us?

Teague’s clan did. The Black Saints are all here, but they can’t get close. Archangelic wards have been placed around to keep people away—it seems Ophaniel isn’t taking any chances.

Oh, fuck.Can they unravel the wards?

Viper can, but Dice says it won’t be a quick process.

Panic again beat at Ella, and she almost cursed aloud. At least theycouldbe unraveled. That was something.

She tried mentally reaching out to Viper. Nothing. He wasn’t close enough for her to psychically touch, then.

“Are you the newest member of the Seven?” Mia asked Ophaniel.

“No, just one of many slayers.” His wings rustled slightly. “My superiors offer me the jobs that no one else wants to do. And they want Samael dead.”

Maxine’s head whipped to face Ophaniel, her lips parting in shock. Ah, she hadn’t known who Viper was. The other celestial displayed no such surprise.

Ophaniel looked at Ella. “My superiors also wantyoudead. Samael cannot be rewarded for falling by being allowed to live happily ever after with you.” He studied her expression. “You did not react on hearing his true name, so you must have already known it.”

Ella said nothing. Shecouldn’treally confirm it, due to the geas. “You wrote the notes I received.”

“Freddie wrote them,” said Ophaniel, gesturing at his celestial companion. “I embedded power in the ink.”

Ella’s brow knitted. “What were you trying to compel me to do?”

“The first two were intended to make you suicide. The latter two would have caused you to kill Samael.”

Her demon snapped its teeth. It wanted to tear out the insides of each person outside of the shield, but more particularly this archangel. “Youhadto have eventually realized I wasn’t going to fall for a snare, so why keep trying?”

“The fourth note was more of an attempt to force Samael into confessing all. I knew from Prophet’s surface thoughts that Samael was keeping you partially in the dark. I thought if you knew the truth about him, you might just do the smart thing andkill him.” He exhaled heavily in annoyance, as if he’d expected better of her.

“You were also the one who tried breaking into my apartment.”

“Guilty,” he admitted, though he didn’t sound at all regretful. “I would have taken you, had it been possible. You’re too heavily guarded for me to get near you. Joe is the only teleporter in your circle, but you would not have allowed him to take you anywhere.”

“You said you can’t use demons as puppets, but it clearly worked with him,” said Mia.

“No, he merely eventually succumbed to the suggestions I planted,” Ophaniel told her. “I was only successful because he is currently vulnerable—haunted by jealousy, pain, and bitterness. I had to wait until he was so eaten up by those emotions that his defenses were down before I could really influence his will. He probably wouldn’t have been half so problematic for you recently if I hadn’t been working on him daily. His subconscious fought me hard, not wanting any harm to come to you.”

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