“You may as well kill me. I’ll tell you nothing!”

“Oh, I’ll kill you, there’s no fear of that. The question is, will I kill you swiftly or slowly? It’s your choice.” Gabe had no intention of torturing him; it was abhorrent. Killing was brutal enough, but he didn’t have to tell Beneventi that. Gabe squeezed the man’s ribs even tighter, and discomfort flashed across his face.

He continued to plead, trying to catch his breath. “You don’t understand, which surprises me. You are a Nephilim, with angel blood coursing through your veins. How can you settle for so little?”

“So little? You have no idea how I live. Instead, you listen to Belial’s whispers. His jibes and taunts, and you think you know so much. But you are the one who knows so little.”

“This world,” Beneventi said, spitting saliva with frustration and pain, “is corrupt. We are cleansing it of the unbelievers.”

“You are the corrupt one, you fool! Belial is the Angel of Death and Destruction. He didn’t pick and choose his victims. He was indiscriminate, and so are you. You spread his jewels and his influence, causing arguments, violence, and confusion all around. But I care not to debate with a madman. Tell me where Jiri is.”

“He has a stronghold that you will not penetrate.”

“I’ve destroyed a Cathar castle. I can handle Jiri, and even his few supporters.”

“I hardly call twenty of the House of Belial few. They are the equivalent of a hundred.”

Twenty? So many? Or was he bluffing? Or even under-reporting? Twenty Nephilim could easily overpower his two brothers in Cornwall, and maybe even the witches in White Haven. And the Moonfell witches, too. His human friends would stand no chance.

“Where is he?”

“You will never find him. He will find you when you least expect it. When we have Belial’s horn, then the world will quake.”

“His horn?” Gabe feigned ignorance. “That is dust now. It will never be found. You’re pinning your hopes on a dream.”

“It’s here. Belial knows it wasn’t destroyed, and my ancestor had it for one moment before it was lost. It’s just a matter of time before we possess it.”

Beneventi’s bluster and arrogance had returned. Gabe flipped him upside down, ignoring his screams, and took a moment to check his house. A sudden explosion ripped out half the building, and another blast destroyed the statue. Gabe winced. He had intended to read the plinth first. He hoped Shadow had thought to do so, too.

The bright plume of flames illuminated Gabe and Beneventi, and out of seemingly nowhere, a bolt from a crossbow whizzed past him. Gabe dived further over the lagoon, and Beneventi smacked into the water before he lifted him up again. Gabe scoured the sky, but there was no sign of a Nephilim. There must be a soldier on the ground that his team hadn’t found yet. Already, he could see lights and sirens on the island from whatever small police force there was, and boats were mobilising in Venice. They had to leave.

Beneventi was screaming and flailing again. Gabe dipped lower, immersing him into the water for several long seconds. When he lifted the man clear again, he was spluttering and shivering. “Jiri?”

Beneventi gave Gabe a ragged grin, and open his clenched fist to reveal a ring. A bright light flashed out with a wave of Belial’s power, almost blinding Gabe. He must have been waiting for when he was closer to the ground. Gabe dropped Beneventi in shock, and he plunged into the lagoon once more.

The man’s eyes were glowing now, as Belial awoke within him. Gabe wrestled the alchemical weapon from his pocket and shot him, the weapon virtually eviscerating him. Then Gabe fled to find Shadow and Niel.

Shadow ran into Niel in the depths of the garden, both bloodied and bruised from their fights, and Niel’s hand was pressed to his side, blood pouring from it.

“Niel! You’ve been shot?”

“A graze. I’ll live.”

“It looks worse than a graze.”

“Sister,” he said, glaring, “I’m fine. As long as my pretty face is still intact for seeing Mouse.”

Another explosion by the gate rocked the grounds. “Perhaps we should discuss this later.”

Niel frowned as he looked over his shoulder. “You’ve bombed the entrance?”

“Seemed logical. It’s bought us more time.” She glanced anxiously overhead. “Where is Gabe?”

But Niel didn’t need to answer. A huge, winged shape came into view, wing tips gilded by blazing flames, and Shadow released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Gabe looked fine. Better than fine. His burnished muscles glowed in the light, and she wanted nothing more than to shower him with kisses and straddle him right there.

“Duck!” Gabe yelled. He fired over their heads to a man who had snuck up through the bushes. The man flew backwards, dead, propelled by the power of JD’s weapon. Gabe brushed his hair back, smearing blood across his face. “Time to go.”

“Wait!” Shadow turned away from them both. “I’ve found something.”

Niel scanned their surroundings. “Can it wait? The police are virtually at the door.”

“No, idiot. We’re not coming back!” She ran, trusting the others would keep up, until she was standing in front of one of the other statues in the garden. Two men lay dead beneath it. “I thought that this was another statue of Belial, but I was wrong. Look at his face.”

It was implacable, just like Belial’s, but the face was broader, and his body was, too. His wings were outstretched, and he carried a sword in one hand, and a curved scimitar in the other.

“Herne’s hair bollocks,” Niel said, aghast. “It’s Jiri. I’d forgotten he liked to use a scimitar.”

Gabe agreed. “The face is his, too.”

“Look at the plinth,” Shadow urged them, scanning the grounds while they did so. She was pretty sure most people were dead here, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

Gabe gasped. “Is that a city carved on the base? It’s wreathed in clouds.”

“It has a name under it, too,” Niel noted, getting closer. “Aethalia. I’ve never heard of it.”

“I think,” Shadow said, “that it’s where he is now. I’ve taken photos, and of the other sides. There’s writing on it, but you can read that later. I nearly destroyed it, but I didn’t.”

Niel snorted with surprise. “Wow. Wonders will never cease.”

Gabe, however, just smiled and opened his arms. “Now can we go?”

“With pleasure.”

Twenty-Three

Olivia was halfway across the cavern, heading for the exit with Estelle, when Maggie joined them.

“Had enough?” Olivia asked her. She was pleased that Maggie had been brought up to speed on everything, especially now that they were a pack, as she, Maggie, Harlan, and Jackson called themselves after one drink too many one night. The thought made her smile. Maggie was being so supportive right now, she didn’t know what she’d do without her.

“I was looking for you two, actually. I thought you were taking notes,” Maggie said, as she fell into step next to them.

Estelle laughed. “We need food and drinks. The boys are totally absorbed in reading the pillars, and until they find something of use, it’s a waste of our time. And besides,” she glanced around as they neared the tunnel that exited the cavern, “this place gets claustrophobic after a while.”

“I know that feeling,” Maggie agreed. “I’ll come and help you.”

Olivia had her own reasons for leaving. She needed distance from Nahum. He was like a drug. The longer she spent with him, the more addicted she became. Her talk with Estelle had both reassured her and terrified her. She felt she was losing herself in Nahum, and that was ridiculous. Absolutely nothing had happened between them after that one, fateful night, and he had only been kind and solicitous since, and yet there was a growing connection between them that she couldn’t ignore. Every time they touched, it was electric.

As they stepped out of the marquee and into the garden, she took a deep, cleansing breath, and stared at the spray of stars above her. Calm down. Don’t get ahead of yourself. It will all be okay.