He doesn’t see me.
‘He does not exist in this reality any more. Not entirely,’ Sammael said from beside him.
I turned my heated glare on the exile, my senses on high alert as they fought against the onslaught that was Sammael. Beyond powerful; unlike the last time we’d crossed paths he wasn’t holding back. He wanted me to know what I was up against.
He looked exactly the same as he had that night at Lilith’s estate. Unassuming. Short, slim and bald with light grey eyes hidden behind wire-rimmed glasses. Again he wore an expensive-looking yet conservative suit with a blue tie. The only difference was that this time, his shoulders were back and his eyes proud – he expected to be noticed.
He gave nothing away, taking his time to study first Phoenix and then Lincoln, who were standing on either side of me.
‘Would you prefer something more like what you are used to?’ he asked, sarcasm leaking into his words as he suddenly morphed into a taller, considerably more handsome – and haired – appearance. ‘Humans are so predictable. They all dream of being surrounded by beautiful things.’ He smiled, returning to his former self. ‘Angels who exile automatically take on beautiful forms. Why would they not, when beauty is so often richly rewarded?’ He winked at me. ‘But I’ll let you in on a secret. I never wanted the beauty. You see,’ his tone dropped and became more intimate, ‘you can achieve so much more when no one is watching.’
‘Give him to me,’ I said, keeping my eyes on Sammael and making my threat clear.
‘Of course,’ Sammael continued as if I hadn’t spoken, ‘all those angels who abandoned their realm simply thought they could rule this world better.’ He chuckled lightly. ‘Not me. No, I never wanted to rule this world.’
‘Then perhaps you should consider leaving it,’ I sniped, losing patience.
He ignored me. ‘I am going to make a better world.’
‘A world based on fear?’ I asked.
He shrugged, holding out his arms. ‘What do you think this world is built on? Do you not ever wonder why religion exists? The point of it all? Ask yourself: are humans more inclined to conform because they hope for Heaven or because they fear Hell?’
I didn’t respond. Instead I asked, ‘What have you done to Spence?’
‘How could I deny him? It was a beautiful dance of free will at its worst for him and best for me. Oh, Violet, he wanted to find me. He has hunted me for years. Of course, I could have taken him any time, but I needed to be sure everything was in place first.’
When I narrowed my gaze he rolled his, as if disappointed I wasn’t more impressed. ‘He is absent. Absent in mind, in conscious thought. Adrift, while his imagination has very likely delivered his mind to somewhere … unpleasant.’
‘Release him!’ I yelled, pulling out my dagger.
‘Violet,’ Phoenix – who had remained otherwise silent – warned quietly from behind, causing Sammael’s eyes to sparkle with glee.
‘Release him,’ I demanded, my voice now lowered, but no less intense.
Sammael watched me calmly.
Too calmly.
‘How have you been sleeping, Violet?’ At his taunt I took a menacing step towards him, but he merely chuckled and held his hands up in feigned surrender. ‘Agree to aid me and you may take him with you now. I will return him to his previous state as payment for your services once completed.’
‘What do you want her to do?’ Lincoln asked, his tone even despite the raging protectiveness I could feel through our connection.
Sammael tilted his head, studying Lincoln. ‘It is intriguing that even as soulmates and with your powers entrenched within one another, her ultimate powers have been withheld.’ He turned his attention back to me, his eyes roaming up and down making my skin crawl. Lincoln took a threatening step forward as Sammael spoke again. ‘Why don’t you tell him, Keshet? I am sure by now, you know.’
I swallowed, keeping my eyes on Sammael as my grip on my dagger tightened and my free hand fisted even as my body shook with both fear and anger. ‘You want to cross the realms.’
Lincoln’s power caressed me, reminding me he was there.
Sammael smiled and then suddenly shoved Spence towards us. Phoenix caught him as he stumbled.
‘If you want the rest of him …’ He walked casually to the large portside windows and pointed to a tall decrepit building close to the riverbank. ‘You will be on that rooftop in the minutes before midnight tomorrow.’
‘Even if she decides to go, she’s not going up there without me,’ Lincoln said.
‘Understood,’ Sammael conceded. He took out a handkerchief and pulled off his spectacles, to clean them. ‘Did you ever wonder what might be odd about the rainbow being the sign of the covenant? Interesting, don’t you think, that the ultimate bow that can harness the arrow of destruction, Violet, Keshet, is pointing up?’
He’s talking about me. I’m the damn rainbow.
My mind spun with his words.