Page 94 of Legacy of Chaos

“And what will they do once they have her? I doubt they’ll release her back to the Creator. They’ll imprison her somehow. Maybe put her inside another host so they can use her for intel that only she, as Satan’s daughter, can provide for the Last Battle. They could torture her.”

Reaver’s eyes flew open.

Gabriel nearly jumped out of his skin. “Hey. You there? If so, you need to close your eyes. You can’t let anyone know you’ve got even the tiniest awareness right now.”

Very slowly, Reaver’s lids lowered, his long lashes leaving shadows on his skin.

Yes! Excitement made Gabriel’s hands shake as he laid them on Reaver’s arm. “If you are capable of anything more than opening your eyes, flex your biceps.”

Not even a twitch. Nothing. Reaver was probably on the very edge of awareness. Which meant he could slip backward, or he could gradually come around.

Gabriel would make him come around if it was the last thing he ever did.

“Listen to me, Reaver. My Ordeal is happening soon. It’d be great if you exploded back into consciousness and started cracking heads before that. And it’s not just because I want to avoid some bullshit punishment. A lot of people need this. Your family. All of Heaven. Harvester.”

A gong rang, signaling that his time was up.

“Don’t let us down, Reaver,” he said hastily. “Armageddon draws near, and we need Heaven to be in order with our best warriors ready. We’re counting on you.” He inhaled deeply and released the breath in a slow, controlled flow as if to counter the heavy feeling in his gut. “I feel a darkness descending on us. On…me.” His voice trembled, and he lowered it again, almost to a whisper. “I’ve done something terrible, Reaver. Something that turns the soul black. I need my choice to have been the right one, and that’ll only happen if the Archangels are restored to power.” He almost laughed at his delusion that everything he’d asked and hoped for would be possible. “So, you know, wake up and save Heaven and Earth. Again.” He headed toward the exit, turning around at the doorway. “But no pressure.”

No, the pressure was all on him now.

Chapter 23

They completed evacuation from the platform in a couple of hours, but Stryke remained behind to deal with the aftermath and find the way forward. Apparently, he’d had his suppressants delivered, and he’d sent Cyan on her way through orders from Taran without telling her goodbye.

Sure, he’d been extremely busy. With all communications restored, he’d been bombarded with communiqués. They all had.

But still. He could have at least…what? Kissed her? The way he’d kissed her before she’d gone into the water with Gabriel?

Warmth flooded her at the memory. His intensity, his passion…she shivered, wondering how that passion would translate if they weren’t in danger, were alone, and in a bed. Or on the floor. Or wherever.

Would he even be interested now that he no longer needed her? It certainly wasn’t as if they were in a relationship.

She laughed at the very idea as she opened the door to her apartment. A relationship with Stryke, billionaire CEO of StryTech and the world’s most eligible bachelor? How ridiculous.

Stepping into her apartment, her amusement faded, replaced by a sudden loneliness. The place felt empty without Shanea, certainly. But as she closed the door behind her, what she felt struck her as something new. A different kind of loneliness.

Or maybe she was just overly tired. And she was. She wasexhausted. Physicallyandmentally.

An Archangel wanted her to lie about a highly dangerous, monumentally important bit of information. How was she supposed to function with that weight on her shoulders? How would she keep asking Stryke about his plans for theSea Stormwithout looking suspicious?

Could she even trust the angel? The one who might have beheaded his buddy?

Shivering with a sudden chill, she made a beeline for the shower. The hot steam both relaxed and revived her, making her think about Stryke’s aversion to water. And sex. And food. Some of the greatest pleasures in life. Whatdidhe do for fun?

She took her time under the cleansing spray, and by the time she’d dried her hair and put on sweats, she almost felt like a new person.

Someone with the fate of the world in her hands. No big deal.

She scrounged in the fridge for something to eat, her belly protesting when she didn’t find anything that wasn’t spoiled or moldy. Which left her with a choice between oatmeal, ramen noodles, or boxed pasta using water instead of milk.

Ramen would be the quickest, so ramen it was. Resigned, she slammed the fridge door just as the doorbell rang. The mounted kitchen viewscreen revealed Parker in the hallway, peering into the camera.

What was he doing here?

“Door open,” she called out, wistfully eyeing the package of dried noodles on the counter.

The door swung open, and Parker stepped in, holding up a couple of bags. “Hey, welcome back. I figured you might be in need of a good meal.”

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