Page 5 of Forged in Twilight: The Complete Series

The big werewolf shrugged his shoulders. “No problem. You need me, just shout.”

“I will.”

With a nod over at Becca, Zev loped away. She watched him murmur something to the waitress who’d been serving her. She immediately turned to avoid their table.

Wonderful. She was really on her own with an angel.

Why hadn’t she thought to order a drink that was a little stronger than tap water?

“Um. Hi. You can take a seat if you want.”

Raziel raised his eyebrows at her. “No need. I was told you had something to discuss with me. I promised Ariel I could spare five minutes.” Glancing down at his watch, he said, “That starts now. Go.”

“Sure. Okay. You see, it’s about Lucifer’s curse.”

He was still watching his Rolex. “Gotta be more specific, sweetheart. Lucifer is always cursing the factions. It’s what he does.”

He didn’t understand, did he? If so, he wouldn’t be brushing her off like this.

A hint of fury rose over her nerves. “Maybe, but this time he used the fires of Hell to make it really stick.”

“Oh?”

Look at that. He finally glanced at her instead of his pricey timepiece.

Becca nodded. “Forged in twilight, he used dark magic to steal the factions’ powers for himself.”

“Really.”

“Yes. From what I heard, it worked, too. But it wasn’t just the factions he was aiming for. At least, not in general.”

“Why not? He’s done it before.”

Why not? Good question. The little bit she overhead while working in the Pit didn’t quite explain his motivations, but Becca was still sure she was right. “It’s not about making other beings’ lives hell. It’s about destroying the factions entirely. His curse… he targeted it very specifically.”

Raziel’s eyes seemed to darken. “You’re one of his. Why are you telling me this?”

Because she didn’t want to be Lucifer’s.

“Because it’s not right. And because, if you don’t already know, you should.”

“And why’s that?” A quick peek at his wrist. “Three minutes.”

Becca tried not to get too flustered. What was the worst that could happen?

Well, Lucifer could find out she was telling one of his mortal enemies secrets that she overhead in his domain, hoping to using it against him…

Becca squeezed the onyx bead on her rosary, grateful for the familiar chill of the stone. “He went for the heart of each one,” she blurted out. “He’s cursed all of you. The royals of each faction.”

“Allof us?” To her surprise, Raziel pulled back one of the stools, climbing on top of it as he faced Becca. Obviously, she’d caught his interest at last. “What do you mean, all of us?”

Becca swallowed. “Angels, too. He’s cursed you and the other princes.”

Raziel didn’t say anything for a moment. He just watched her with those dark blue eyes, as if he could see right through her.

Could he? He was an angel, a powerful one to be considered a prince among his kind, and even if he’d been living on the mortal plane for longer than Becca wanted to imagine, his powerful aura was a crackle against her overheated skin.

And then he lifted his hand, catching the attention of the oversized werewolf still looming nearby.

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