Page 400 of Castings & Curses

"May we see this note?" Gabriel asked.

I took it out of the gym bag and brought it over to where the three angels sat at a higher table, where I gave it to them.

"This is the sculpture it was in," I said simply as I set it down as well. I inclined my head and stepped away to let them read the note and examine the sculpture.

I wouldn't have felt comfortable sharing the sculpture, given its sensual focus, if Melinda hadn't agreed to it. Thankfully, she had.

The three archangels leaned in closer to read the note at the same time. It was an interesting visual, almost like three brothers stepping close together to fit in the frame for a photo. They couldn't look more different.

I reminded myself of what the note had said.

1. Archangel Gabriel — secret lovechild.

2. Archangel Uriel — fabricating prophecy.

3. Seraphim Joanne — bribery and coercion.

4. Fallen Seraphim Joaquin — aiding the escape of dark entities.

5. Goddess Thursa — fomenting rebellion.

6. Shapeshifter Tori Sarell — turning supernaturals.

"It's interesting and troubling that such a thing should be written down and hidden within the sculpture," Gabriel said. "It's no secret that I have a child, though I wouldn't call it common knowledge either, especially among humanity."

"This is true. I'm his godfather," Raphael said simply.

"And I weave the prophecy God intends for the world," Uriel said. "There is a degree of interpretation about His wishes and I bring them about in the way I feel is best. In that manner, I do fabricate prophecies, but it isn't something I'm dishonest about. This note is twisting the truth in an attempt to shame us or turn people against us."

It was eye-opening to hear their explanations. I trusted them implicitly, but even had I not, my angel senses discerned that they were telling the truth.

"That also casts doubt that any of the other accusations are true," I replied. "I'm sorry I brought this to you when it contained such great untruths."

"Oh no," Raphael replied. "It's important that we know about this. The mention of Joanne is timely. You say Melinda collected these items from her home?"

"Yes, the night before it was ransacked," I replied. "That was last night. The days are blending together a little. I was with her when she put them in her bag."

Uriel studied the note. "It's possible someone anticipated Melinda's return home. Then after she collected her belongings, they could've staged the break-in to suggest no one interfered with the house until after she collected her possessions."

"That's possible," Gabriel replied. "It's also possible Melinda might've written the note and slipped it inside the sculpture. It seems like a simpler explanation."

"I don't think Melinda would do that," I said. "She's been working on the case with me, trying to find who was responsible for Misha's death. What could she have gained by doing that?"

"A distraction maybe?" Raphael surmised. "I know you want to trust Melinda, and I don't believe she was responsible for Misha's death, but everyone has an agenda, Aurelia. Her intentions might not fully align with yours… and with ours. She is a goddess, after all, and investigation aside, she no longer seems driven to serve the angelic hierarchy."

"How do you know?" I asked Raphael. I was concerned about what this would mean for her, and if I was honest with myself, for us, but I tried to focus on the case and the larger picture. I needed to remain focused on the moment.

"Because she has opted to keep her powers and not have them locked again," Gabriel replied.

"I see. I wasn't aware of that." I frowned slightly, wondering when she was going to tell me — and if she was going to. It was a personal decision of hers though, and to have them locked again would mean giving up powers like flight for her. "Maybe she feels better able to defend herself with her powers available. If the locks hadn't been removed, she'd likely have died when Enchant was attacked."

"We don’t know that for certain but it’s something to take into account," Raphael said. "Now, we haven't discussed Joanne's name on that note. There's nothing to suggest she bribed or coerced anyone. It seems more likely at this stage that she was merely a victim, and that the person behind this had tampered with her mind. We've found signs that a being has tried to tamper with her soul."

"What?" I asked in confusion. "Who would do such a thing?"

"It would seem that it was most likely an attempt to infiltrate or influence heaven by someone who doesn't have access," Uriel said.

"So, someone powerful who isn't serving heaven," I said. "We had a theory that it might be a Nephilim or another hybrid of two species."

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