Page 7 of Wicked Savior
Vargas’ eyes gleam with satisfaction and pleasure as if he was personally responsible for the death of his enemy. “Anybody I know? Do we get to take the credit?”
“General Balith,” I murmur absentmindedly, trying to sift through the images from the vision.
“If it’s not someone from the Underworld, we should immediately recruit them,” he interjects, eyebrows raised in shock. “Balith was ancient, a real O.G. One of the best. Who managed to get the jump on him?”
My brows furrow. “I’m not sure. One minute he was standing in front of a human, and the next he was lying on the ground. Dead. Not a mark on him.”
Vargas’ face fills with outrage. The thought of a human taking out someone so powerful is an anathema to him, even if it is an angel and his arch nemesis. “A human? I don’t believe it. Are you sure?”
I flick him a dark look.
“Right,” he states, shaking his head vigorously. “Sorry. I’m sure you know.” Translucent fingers tap a rhythm on his chin. “Could it have been a witch? Nobody knew about Arden. Maybe there’s another witch out there with significant power.”
A smile graces my lips at the thought of Arden, Vargas’ ward—although he thinks of her as his daughter. She’s also bonded to my son, the First Vampire, Daire, and part of my family. As far as we know, Arden is the most powerful witch alive.
“It’s a possibility; although, witches aren’t the only humans with magic. Druids are human,” I remind him absentmindedly.
He snorts. “It’s been a long time since Druids had significant power. I doubt they could kill an angel today.”
My mind calculates the odds of a human, without power, killing an angel, and it’s so astronomical, it’s ludicrous.
Then, who? And not just one, but three. “Balith isn’t the only angel to die recently. Two others have also met their end. Admittedly, he was the most powerful one of the three, which is why this concerns me.”
Vargas’ narrows his eyes. “Could another angel have taken them out? For power or position?”
“A possibility, but highly unlikely. Only three… two archangels possess the ability to kill another angel. Mercy and Michael,” I reply, contemplating the odds. Technically, I’m not an archangel anymore.
I silently snort. The odds are higher than a human without power. Getting cast out of the kingdom of Heaven and losing everything is a pretty powerful deterrent. I doubt anybody, much less Mercy or Michael, would be stupid enough to follow in my footsteps.
“Besides, the aether showed me…” My voice trails off. His death. That’s it. Nothowhe died. Another thought occurs based on recent events. “Him facing off with a human and dying. Besides their own magic, they could have used a magical artifact, protection spell, or perhaps called upon a powerful protector. All are possibilities. We need more intel.”
Vargas nods in agreement.
I skim his translucent body. “Can anyone else see you?”
He thinks about it for a minute. “I don’t think so. I’ve been to The Abbey several times to see Solandis and Arden, but they can’t see or hear me.” A sad smile graces his lips. “Arden’s mates and the staff are often nearby, but none seem to know I’m there.” He pauses. “Although, I think Valerian’s dragon senses something because he’ll glance around, but the feeling isn’t enough to put him in defensive mode.”
“Good,” I reply with a nod of satisfaction. The Abbey is full of supernaturals from various races and the perfect testing ground. “Your inability to find a suitable body gives us a huge advantage. The angels will be all over the crime scene. Observe them. Find out what they know.”
He laughs and rubs his hands together. “Brilliant. They can’t see or hear me. This is going to be fun.”
I chuckle. “Even if they know you’re there, they can’t kill you because you’re already dead. But make sure you get the intel before you start fucking with them, got it?”
He nods his agreement.
“Before you go on this mission, I need you to do something for me. Lord Invidia and Lord Gula failed to deliver their inventory list. The deadline passed yesterday. I want you to bring them to me, so we can discuss the consequences of their actions,” I snap, my voice filled with fury.
Vargas whistles, then disappears.
Minutes later, Envy falls to the floor in front of my desk.
Bewildered, he looks around, unsure of where he is until his gaze finds mine. Panic flashes across his face, and he scrambles up. Brushing off his pants and straightening his jacket, he opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up a finger and he slams it shut.
Vargas appears with the Gluttony and drops him to the floor beside Envy.
The lord scrambles up, power sparking in his hands, quickly spinning in an attempt to find his enemy.
Vargas laughs.
