“I tried to get her to stay at the Sanctuary, but you know how she is.”
Nathaniel stood, fishing a golden key from his pocket. He approached the large cabinet, unlocking the lower half. “Is that one still following her?”
“Yes.” Luke’s hands balled into fists. “I don’t know what he’s about. He’s fast, so questioning him is nearly impossible.”
He placed the timeless Book in its place. The key went back into his pocket. He faced Luke. “Don’t go after him.”
Luke scowled. “So we should let him do what he wants with Lily? Is that what you are suggesting?”
“Lily is not Anna. You know that.”
Luke went still. His eyes turned glacial. There was a full minute before he spoke. “Don’t speak to me about Anna.”
His eyes locked with the younger Nephilim. A wealth of regret swelled in him. “Luke, I—”
“I don’t like where any of this is heading with Lily,” he cut him off. “This is how it started with Anna.”
“I don’t like his obsession with her any more than you do,” he responded quietly. “But Julian has never attempted to hurt her.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Luke spat out. “That’s what the Fallen did to Anna. He followed her, protected her, and gained her trust, only to spin that trust back on her. You can’t trust him!”
Nathaniel’s brows rose. “Do you think that I do? I trust Lily. That is what matters. She would never be so foolish to entertain anything with him.”
What had happened to Anna hung between the two and had created a gulf that would always remain. Nathaniel knew Luke blamed him for allowing Anna to have too much freedom. Just like Lily. But there were things he could never share about Julian. That fallen angel was the least of his worries at the moment.
Nathaniel went back to his desk. The distant laughter of children and the stern teacher hushing their excitement brought a faint smile to his face. “I am sure you’re not here about Lily.”
Luke nodded stiffly. “Micah spotted Asmodeus last night. He was with a senator’s aide.”
“Jesus.” Nathaniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. Asmodeus was one of the first angels to fall, and by far one of the most dangerous. If there was a hierarchy among the Fallen, then Asmodeus would serve beside Lucifer. Growing concerned of what was unfolding, he prodded Luke to continue.
“The aide works for the senator who’s been in the papers over screwing a secretary or something. This morning, the story broke that the secretary had been lying, trying to get money out of the senator, and admitted to falsely accusing him. How convenient, huh?”
“Great.” He was starting to get a headache just thinking about what kind of deal had been made to make it go away that quickly. “So, I’m assuming Asmodeus must’ve had a hand in that.”
“Exactly, but why would Asmodeus be making deals? You’d think that’s below him, but he must want something if he’s the one whispering in the senator’s ear.”
Unease shifted through Nathaniel’s gut. The Fallen congregated in and around the nation’s capital for obvious reasons. There were so many power players in DC to sink their claws into, and the Sanctuary typically ran interference, guarding politicians as best they could. But they couldn’t be everywhere. Some slipped through their fingers and ended up in the Fallen’s hands. It was a constant battle.
But for Asmodeus to be personally involved? “Something’s not adding up here. Who’d you say spotted him?”
“Micah. He’s been keeping an eye on the senator and his aide,” Luke advised.
He stroked his chin absently. “Make sure Micah is careful. He’s not to approach Asmodeus for any reason.”
“I would like to handle this.” Luke stepped forward, shoulders stiffening. “Micah is far too young to be handling something as serious as Asmodeus. With your…permission I would like to take over detail on Asmodeus.”
Luke had a point, Nathaniel admitted. Micah was far too young to handle the oldest of the Fallen. “Yes, that will be fine.”
With a curt nod, Luke headed toward the door but stopped. A muscle popped along his jaw. “You know, if Asmodeus is here, that also means Baal is back.”
As if Nathaniel didn’t already know that. His hand curled around the edge of the desk. The wood creaked. “Make sure Lily goes nowhere near him.”
“I don’t think she’d be that stupid again.” Luke ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t think he’d go after her?”
Something akin to fear clenched his heart, bringing him back to the night he’d truly believed he had lost Lily. “Have Micah keep an eye on her, but don’t go into detail about why. You know how she is when it comes to Baal. That may lessen the blow of removing him from Asmodeus.”
Relief washed over Luke’s face before he left this time. Nathaniel remained in front of his desk, lost in thought. The reappearance of Asmodeus didn’t bode well, especially with his recent suspicions that one of his own was betraying the Sanctuary. He could only hope it didn’t involve Asmodeus.
…
Cory stared listlessly at the beige walls of his study. His wife had stressed for weeks on the color scheme before finally settling on the earthy tone. All the paint chips he had been forced to stare at had driven him crazy. They all had looked the same to him, and only to stave off a fight with his wife, he had picked one blindly. Cory ended up hating the color. Now it seemed pointless.
The file lay open on his desk. A picture of a male in his late twenties was clipped to a basic information sheet: name, date of birth, and occupation. Like Asmodeus hadn’t already known that information. It had been the address Asmodeus needed. The fucking angel had been blocked from finding the guy’s location for whatever screwed-up celestial reason.
He’d done this to find out where a fucking cop lived.