Page 28 of Wicked Savior
Trust builds in the smallest of gestures. “Thank you.” I thread my fingers in hers. “I—”
Vargas appears in front of me, a similar look of panic on his face. “Gabriel took Ishkova.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I roar, startling Evren. “Not you. I’m not yelling at you.” I pull my hand from hers and wave a hand in front of us. “My second-in-command, Vargas, is sort of here. Long story, but he’s temporarily without a body, which is why you can’t see him.”
Turning back to Vargas, I start firing orders at him. “I’ll give you a note to take to Ishkova’s second. What’s his name?” My mind sees an image of the hydra, but I can’t remember his name.
“Moge,” Vargas replies.
I snap my fingers. “Right, take a note to Moge. Make sure he grabs our top men. I want them to surround The Abbey and protect Evren while I go after Gabriel. Can you—?”
Fingers tap on my shoulder. “Excuse me? I’m not going anywhere,” Evren pertly informs me. “I have work to do. Patients to take care of here. Families to find. I’ll be fine.”
My face hardens. While she might be able to kill an angel, she’s still human, with a human’s vulnerabilities and weaknesses. “Gabriel took Ishkova, who is thousands of years old with ferocious fighting skills and the ability to beat almost any angel in battle. He’s one of the best warriors I know and my third-in-command for a reason. You think he went quietly? I know you can kill angels, but how well can you fight? If Gabriel sends a full platoon to get you, can you fight your way through thirty angels?”
She crosses her arms and glares up at me. “Stop yelling. Offer me a reasonable alternative, and I’ll consider it.”
I scowl. “This isn’t a negotiation. You’re going to The Abbey. It’s a sanctuary protected by a primal source. Gabriel can’t cross the threshold, nor can any of his angels. If you want to keep your patients safe, you’ll take them there.”
She sucks in a breath. “You think he’d kill my patients?”
I give her a firm nod. “At this point, I don’t think he’s operating on sound logic. He’s desperate.” I smother the tinge of satisfaction the latter statement generates. “So, what’s it going to be?”
“We’re going to The Abbey, of course,” she replies, throwing both hands in the air. “I’ll get everyone ready to go. At least Aurora will be able to finish her treatments. I assume The Abbey is where Arden lives?”
She blinks innocent green eyes at me, but I see the knowledge in their depths.
The reminder of how close she will be to my family makes me uneasy, but there’s not much choice. An incredibly powerful spell protects the cottage and surrounding land, but spells can be broken. The Abbey is protected by a primal source. If I have to choose the safest option, it’s definitely not going to be the cottage.
“What did Arden tell you?” I ask gruffly.
“Not much. She said you were family. At the lake, you mentioned your son and his family live at The Abbey. I simply put the two together,” she explains with a smirk. “I wouldn’t worry about Arden. She moves like a warrior, and like you said, I can kill, but I can’t really fight. She could probably take me out in less than five seconds.” With those final words, she walks out of the room.
Vargas roars with laughter. “She’s good. I like her.”
“You like anybody who compliments your daughter and her fighting skills,” I say exasperatedly. After all, he’s the reason she’s so good at it.
His dark eyes study me. “True. But it’s also nice to see someone stand up to you.”
It is actually, but I don’t admit that to Vargas. “Let’s get back to the plan. While you’re taking the note to Moge, I’ll transport everyone here to The Abbey. Then I want you to focus on finding Ishkova. When you have his location, send me the coordinates. Got it?”
When he nods, I wave a hand over a piece of paper and a note to Moge appears. Sometimes electronics don’t work well in Underworld. The old-fashioned method is often the best, and surprisingly, the fastest due to portals, although Vargas has an even faster route now.
I hand it to him. “Thanks.”
He disappears, and I head downstairs.
“Aurora and Becca are ready to go,” Evren says when she sees me. “You can take them now.”
“We’re all going together,” I state firmly.
She looks puzzled but keeps moving, aware our time is short.
I dial Daire. “I need your assistance and the protection of The Abbey.” Given Arden’s been here several times already, I don’t bother to give him my location. I hang up and cross the room to help Evren get her other patient ready to go.
The young man sways when she pulls him into a sitting position. “He can’t sit up, much less stand. Can we take him in the bed?”
“Yes,” I tell her. “Are you ready to go? Is there anything you need to take with you? I don’t want you to return until I’m sure it’s safe.”
