Page 28 of Secrets in the Shadow

Scrubbing a hand through his long, dark hair, Zymore sighed. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out. I’m surprised Bashar didn’t think of it. Then again, he really isn’t that bright.”

“He does that a lot,” Cody whispered to Raziel. “He pauses too much and gets sidetracked.”

The side of Raziel’s mouth twitched.

Ignoring the comment, Zymore continued. “Bashar was livid he couldn’t detect where you were, which means you masked your location. Which means you had help.”

“See, told you,” Cody whispered again. “You should’ve seen how long it took me to get the information I wanted. It’s like trying to make a sloth run.”

Zymore glared at him. “You rush your words, you leave out vital points, smartass.”

Not only did Raziel snarl, but so did Quinton and Killian.

“Fine,” Zymore huffed, looking completely disgusted that he couldn’t take the long road. “In order for you to hide your whereabouts, you would need a masking potion. Who has powerful potions? Unseelie. I just tracked down the guy who sold it to you, and he sold me a potion to find you. It was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever consumed, by the way.”

Cody had no clue what an Unseelie was and didn’t bother to ask.

“I really am going to wring that fucker’s neck,” Raziel groused. “Why are you tracking me if it isn’t for Bashar? If I remember correctly, your pussy-ass just stood by while—” He glanced at Cody.

As much as he wanted to tell his mate he’d seen his life, he didn’t want to confess the truth in a room full of people.

“Because…” Zymore glanced toward the floor, revealing a sense of shame before he could hide it. “You’re right. I didn’t want to suffer the same fate. But I couldn’t stand the thought of Bashar recapturing you, so I wanted to do whatever I could to help you remain free.”

“And you think that makes up for standing by and—”

Once again, Raziel’s gaze met Cody’s, with a similar look of shame in his eyes. But there was no reason for him to feel guilty. “What exactly is Bashar’s issue with you?” He knew some of it, but he was unaware of what secrets his mate held that were valuable enough for him to endure torture.

“Raziel is our Father’s keeper of secrets,” Zymore responded when the silence stretched.

Cody reached out and took his mate’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze to let him know he was there for him.

“Why does he want them so badly?” he asked his mate.

“He wants the knowledge in my head to rise to power, to usurp our Creator’s place and rule over heaven and earth.”

“So, he’s a megalomaniac.” Jeez. “Talk about overreaching.”

“Like I said, Bashar isn’t the brightest,” Zymore cut in, quickly explaining something for the first time. “Not too long ago, he was just one of the overzealous, not leading them. The jackass he worshipped was named Hadad. But Bashar ran like a little bitch when faced with a real threat. I guess running with your tail tucked between your legs bruises your ego. After that happened, Bashar started gathering followers of his own.” Zymore spread his arms. “And here we are as a result of it.”

Cody had heard of ambitious men willing to do anything for power, but Bashar was insane. He was only an angel, while their creator was a god.

Too bad Cody couldn’t enjoy some popcorn while he watched Bashar get his ass handed to him.

“I contacted the last angel that found his mate, at least that I know of. There could be more. Anyway, it seems being mated hasn’t mellowed him out. Guy was ready to rip me apart,” Zymore went on.

“Are we going to have to twist your arm?” Cody scowled. “If you try to take the long road, I’m putting up blockades.”

“You are a wet rag,” Zymore muttered. “Gavril told me how we could possibly win.”

“I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t keep talking,” Killian snarled. “My nephew’s life is at stake.”

Cody looked up at Raziel. “Congrats. I heard you had a boy.”

Pride and pain showed in his pretty green eyes. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

“Panahasi helped Gavril,” Zymore said. “So maybe, I don’t know, you could possibly reach out to him.”

“You want me to ask him for help?” Raziel spat the words as if it offended his tongue.

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