Dougal and Connor glanced at the pile of dust, then at Russell.
Howard reached out to touch Russell’s shoulder, but Russell stepped back. How could he accept sympathy when he was the murderer?
“I’ll let Angus know,” Connor said as he headed out the door.
“I’m so sorry about Jia,” Dougal told the were-tigers in Chinese.
“We haven’t lost her,” Russell insisted. “We’ll get her back!”
Rajiv and Tenzen rose to their feet. Since their trousers were ripped to shreds from shifting, they tied their discarded tunics around their waists by knotting the long sleeves.
“Is she still alive?” Rajiv asked Briathos.
The leader of the God Warriors nodded. “Yes. I will give you more information soon.” His face went blank, and his body shimmered like a reflection upon water.
“When?” Russell waved a hand in front of Briathos’s face, but there was no response. “Hello? Are you there?”
“He has joined the Heavenly Host,” another angel explained.
“He’s telling them what happened?” Howard asked.
The angel shook his head. “They already know. We are in constant communication. The council of archangels called an emergency meeting and asked Briathos to attend.”
“They wish to extend their apologies for this unfortunate situation,” a second angel added.
“Unfortunate?” Russell gritted his teeth. “What’s happening to Jia? Is she being tortured?”
“Most likely she will be treated well,” the first angel replied. “Lucifer only resorts to torture when he has something to gain from it. In this case, he would gain nothing but the wrath of the Heavenly Father.”
The second angel nodded. “The Father does not approve of demons taking His children alive against their will.”
Russell snorted. “Well, that’s big of Him!”
“Calm down.” Dougal touched Russell’s shoulder.
“Jia’s in hell!” Russell clenched his fists, wishing he could hit something. “I’ve got to help her!”
Rajiv tilted his head, studying him. “You’re in love with her.”
“Yes, dammit!” Russell’s eyes burned with tears. “I have to save her, but I don’t know how.”
“ ’Twill work out.” Dougal gripped his shoulder harder. “Believe me, I know what ye’re going through.”
Russell took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. He’d never felt so damned helpless. “Tell me what to do,” he begged the angels. “Can I take her place?” After all, he was headed for hell anyway for killing his brother.
“The archangels have begun their meeting,” the first angel said. “Briathos is giving his report.”
“He’s in heaven?” Howard glanced at the shimmering angel. “I can see him here.”
“To interact in your world, we take on these human forms that you see,” the first angel explained. “But they are merely projections—”
“Enough!” Russell yelled. “How do we save Jia?”
“The archangel Gabriel has decided on a course of action,” the second angel announced. “First, a message will be sent to Lucifer, demanding the return of the live mortal.”
“And that will work?” Russell asked.
“Perhaps,” the second angel replied. “Perhaps not. Lucifer enjoys the havoc caused by his demons.”
“This sort of occurrence is not without precedence,” a third angel commented. “We had trouble banishing the demon Rasputin back to hell. He was planning on taking members of the Russian royal family with him.”
“But we were able to stop him,” a fourth angel added.
“The mortals kept trying to stop him,” a fifth angel chimed in. “But because he was a demon, they were unable to kill him.”
“What about Jia?” Russell demanded. “What if Lucifer refuses to return her?”
Briathos turned solid once again. “The meeting has adjourned. Gabriel sent a message to Lucifer. We will have a reply in due course.”
“How long is that?” Russell asked. “And what if Lucifer says no?”
“Do not fear. We are preparing for that,” Briathos assured him. “Gabriel is asking the Heavenly Father for permission to invade Lucifer’s domain.”
“Ye’re invading hell?” Dougal asked. “Ye can do that?”
“It is not done often,” Briathos admitted.
“I believe the last time was a thousand of your earth years ago,” the second angel added.
“If you go, take me with you,” Russell said.
Briathos winced. “That is not recommended. If you die in battle there, your soul could end up trapped in hell forever.”
Russell took a deep breath. “I’ll risk it if it means saving Jia.”
“So will I,” Rajiv said, then translated for Tenzen, who also vowed to go.
“When will we know?” Russell asked.
“All will be revealed in due course,” Briathos replied.
Russell grimaced. “What the hell does that mean?”
“That pissed me off, too,” Dougal muttered.
Briathos sighed. “It means it is hard to tell you a certain time. Our time is different from yours. A few hours for us are days for you. It could be a week.”
“A week?” Russell clenched his fists.