Page 56 of The River of Hatred

“I was about ready to pee my pants,” Mike agrees.

“Are you alright?” Ithuriel asks Sar, who’s still silent and tense as he leads our charge.

“No,” he replies. “But I need to talk to Father. I’m gonna have to return to Hell.”

“No need,” a voice sounds from the shadows of a neighboring building and I jump in fright as a delicious-looking Aim casually falls in step with us.

Mmm, if I wasn’t thoroughly taken…

Sariel stops and whirls on his father’s spymaster. “Have you been following us? Why hide?” he accuses.

Aim lifts both hands, the rings on his fingers sparkling in the sun. Not very stealthy of him. “Relax, Sar. I was following Andras. I got tipped off that he’s coming here and wanted to make sure you three aren’t in the crosshairs.” He raises a pierced eyebrow at the last part. “Guess my instincts were spot-on.”

“Who tipped you off about Andras?” Sar asks accusingly.

Aim winks seductively. “Not about to burn my sources.” He takes us all in, his gaze lingering on Itha’s sweatpants, my dusty T-shirt, and the dirty smudges on Mike’s cheeks. “Catch me up?”

Sariel sighs, looking exhausted. “Get Lana. Tell her Mike needs her.”

The boy in question brightens up at Sariel’s words and my heart swells for him. I can’t imagine thinking my best friend is dead for years only to find out she’s aliveandthat I’ll be seeing her soon in the span of one hour.

“Then tell Father he needs to talk to the Council,” Sar continues. “Looks like this goes beyond Belial. Andras is part of Asmodai’s court and we don’t know if he’s the only one who shares these ideals.”

“What ideals?” the assassin inquires.

“Of a pure Celestial race,” I interject, drawing his denim blue eyes. Feeling a flutter in my nether regions, I clear my throat. “They want to exterminate all halflings,” I finish.

Aim’s eyes widen at that and he looks at my angels for confirmation that I expressed myself accurately. Once they nod, he swears and straightens.

“I’ll go now,” he says. “Where do we meet?”

Mike clears his throat, calling for attention. “On Saint-Giniez in the Eighth Arrondissement,” he says.

“What’s there?” Sariel asks.

“My parents’ home.”

Chapter 27 – Ithuriel

Marseille

This part of Marseille is very beautiful. The streets are narrow and winding, the houses have terracotta roofs and colorful shutters. Most homes have gardens with olive trees and lavender. Every now and then, Jessica stops to take in a lungful of the fragrant Mediterranean air.

“I thought you were American,” she asks a now more cheerful Mike.

“I am,” he confirms. “But my parents moved to Europe when my search for Lana brought me here. They were over life in The States anyway. Came there with the original settlers,” he says proudly.

Sariel and I share a look. Angel and demon pairings are so rare, and we know for a fact that Lana’s grandparents were killed by Belial. Who could this boy’s parents be?

Jessica skips over to Sariel and hangs onto his arm. She hops up and down excitedly. “I know you probably have a killer home by the Lethe, Sar, but can we please, please, please get a house here too?”

The Fallen looks at her indulgently, then grins back at me, lifting an eyebrow as if to say ‘So?’.

My lips twitch into a smile. “D’accord,” I whisper.

“Yess,” she hisses, jumping up to kiss the Fallen’s cheek, then throwing her arms around my neck. It’s so good to see her happy. I get the overwhelming urge to call my wings and fly her up into the sky for a dance among the clouds. Instead, I pick her up and give her a spin, enjoying her giggles.

“Sorry to interrupt,” a smiling Mike says. “But that’s my family’s home.”

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