Page 33 of Destined for Eternity
Raguel frowned. “What sort of problems?”
“There is a trio of demons there who must be vanquished as soon as possible,” Jeriel said, voice grave. “They are causing trouble we can ill afford.”
Gone was the casual cowboy Bartol had grown used to and now they had the full archangel in front of them. It wasn’t just his meeting with the nerou that made him more formal than usual; something else was going on here.
“Could you narrow down what sort of trouble?” Demons were making the news more and more, though humans blamed the supernatural races since they didn’t know Hell’s minions were infiltrating Earth.
“They are keeping a portal open to allow more of their brethren to get through and possess humans.” The archangel ground his jaw. “They must be stopped immediately.”
“I thought they were forbidden to do that through the treaty,” Bartol argued.
“They couldn’t. At least, they weren’t supposed to, but these three are a remnant of the past who have returned with no regard for the rules.”
Raguel remained oddly silent, not questioning this latest development at all.
Bartol glanced between the two archangels. “But if they’ve broken the treaty…”
“Let’s just say it’s complicated,” Jeriel replied, letting some of his exhaustion show for the first time. “There is a reason for the instructions we’ve given you and the others, for why things are changing rapidly.”
“And that is?” Bartol prompted.
“I’m not at liberty to say for the moment. For now, go kill the demons as swiftly as possible and return for the rest of your training. We are relying on you to do this before too many more demons enter this plane.”
“Let’s go, son,” Raguel said, lifting his chin. “This shouldn’t take long.”
Bartol understood the urgency but still hesitated. “I must check on my mate before I go.”
Jeriel nodded. “Do it quickly. I’ll have one of my men keep an eye on her while you’re gone.”
“You will?” This came as a surprise since it wasn’t something angels would normally offer.
“Your child is the future.” Jeriel’s features softened. “Contrary to what you might think, we’ve always protected them from harm—even if it meant taking them from their parents and sequestering them away.”
“Perhaps, but only to use as enforcers,” Bartol growled.
“Of course we have our reasons, but nonetheless, your mate and unborn child will be safe while you’re gone. That I promise.”
He hated to admit it, but he believed the archangel. Bartol felt as if everything he ever knew and believed was being turned on its head. For so long, they’d thought the nerou were gone forever once the angels took them away after birth. He’d spent the better part of a century in Purgatory without knowing they were there with him—only in a different area of the island. It had stunned him when he’d found out. There was so much about the angels that didn’t make sense to him and perhaps never would.
“Very well, I’ll hold you to that promise,” he said, and flashed away.
