“Thanks, Harlan. I appreciate it.” Jackson watched him leave, thoughts immediately drifting to Amato. He had a few hours to investigate his background. He’d see what else he could dig up.

“Are you sure she’s all right?” Olivia asked Morgana, scrutinising her expression for anything that might suggest otherwise.

“I’m not lying!” Morgana pursed her lips, but then immediately softened as she ran her hand a few inches over Olivia’s still-flat abdomen again. Olivia could feel the witch’s magic like a gentle warmth. It comforted her. “She’s perfect. Stop worrying.” She stood back, her examination over.

“And still hardly a bump!” Harlan noted. He squeezed Olivia’s shoulder as she sat up. “You look radiant.”

Olivia adjusted her clothing, glad she could still wear her skinny jeans and silk blouses for a while longer, and then patted her stomach. “I thought I’d be feeling sick by now, but I’m fine!”

“That’s Nephilim blood for you.”

The three of them were in Morgana’s private consultation area on the south side of Moonfell house, comprised of just three rooms—an examination room/office, a herb preparation room, and a bathroom. It had its own private entrance that was tucked into one of the building’s many nooks and crannies. There wasn’t even a door into Moonfell’s interior. The better for privacy, Morgana told them. That explained why Olivia had never seen the rooms when she had wandered the house before Christmas. However, they were still decorated in Moonfell’s flamboyant style. Morgana was a witch, after all, and used magic to help her clients, not science.

Morgana jotted a few notes into a file on her desk and then turned to face them. She looked a little less severe than usual. Her long hair was loose, and she wore a dark blue dress instead of her customary black, but it was still loose fitting and long, with a thick, colourful cardigan to add warmth, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. “I must admit that I’m not sure what to expect of a Nephilim baby. Potentially, it could grow much quicker than a normal child, or will be bigger. I have chatted privately to Nahum about this though, and he reassures me that previous pregnancies have all progressed like any normal, human-fathered one.”

Olivia recoiled in shock. “I didn’t know you chatted to him alone!” Nahum certainly hadn’t said so. It made her feel like a child. “You can tell me these things!”

“Of course, and I’m telling you now. But, if the pregnancy was moving along quicker than expected, we would all have had to adjust. I wouldn’t have wanted you worried, or your energy depleted. Fortunately, though, all is as it should be.” She smiled as she leaned back in her leather chair. “It’s given quite the bloom to your cheeks.”

“I know. Everyone keeps telling me how well I look, and they have no idea I’m pregnant. I haven’t told anyone yet. Not even my best friend.” Olivia felt horribly guilty about that, but thought it best to stick with regular time frames. “I won’t tell either, not until the first scan. I’m hoping Nahum will be around for that.”

She felt Harlan stir, knowing he was worried about their relationship. He’d become oddly protective lately, which was sweet, but unnecessary. And Maggie was being Maggie. Belligerent and forthright. Although, she had already brought her a pack of newborn baby clothes, unexpectedly revealing Maggie’s tender yet practical side. Jackson was wonderful, like an indulgent brother, and that reminded her of Nahum’s brothers. Blimey. They were something else, and her reception at New Years when she went to stay with Nahum at his Cornwall farmhouse… Well, she was treated like a queen. Not that they were together, of course. She had her own room, and he was courteous and solicitous, and very much at arm’s length, when all she wanted to do was get him naked again…

Morgana’s lips twitched with amusement, as if she knew exactly what Olivia was thinking. “I’m glad Nahum is being supportive, but I would expect nothing less. He’s extremely charming. How is he? I gather he’s off chasing Belial.”

“They’re in Florence, Italy. The team had a run-in with one of Belial’s agents last night. He’s dead now. The shrine was destroyed—accidentally, of course,” she said, watching Morgana purse her lips.

“I’m not disapproving. I’m frustrated. Did they find anything out before he died?”

“Just that there are more of them.”

“And,” Harlan added, “that there was a lot of jewellery there. They managed to take some of it and place it safely in the spelled box that the Cornwall witches supplied, but some of it was lost forever. Well, we hope forever.” Harlan ran through the events, and they coincided with what Nahum had told Olivia, which was good. At least he hadn’t held anything back.

Morgana’s eyes widened in surprise. “They were caught in a trap?”

“Yeah.” Harlan huffed. “Seems to be the season for them. Shadow had to break it with JD’s weapon.”

“The priest, Amato, said that Belial had scored the trap into the rock?”

He nodded. “Do you think he was lying?”

“If he wasn’t, it’s very worrying! He’s either found a way to act here, or it has been here for millennia.”

“It was a very old shrine, hidden deep beneath a church,” Olivia informed her, “so yes, perhaps it was that old. I think the shrine was hacked out of bare rock.” She felt dizzy with it all. “If I hadn’t found that reliquary, we would have known nothing. Surely that means whatever is happening is on a small scale? No one even knew!”

“No one knew about Black Cronos, either, and there was nothing small about that. But,” Harlan said, “actually I agree, and as I said to Jackson, there’s no reason for us to get panicky.”

Morgana snorted. “Have you forgotten the night we banished him?”

“How could I? It’s imprinted on my brain. But a few lone religious nutters spreading his word might not amount to anything.”

“Bollocks to Belial!” Olivia was sick of hearing about him. “I’m pregnant. I want positive thoughts around me. Morgana, should I be doing anything? Or can you detect anything? Does the baby have wings?”

“Good grief! I hope not. You don’t want to give birth to that.” Morgana laughed. “It’s a baby! Although, I will admit to feeling a strong spirit, and most definitely a whiff of Nephilim magic.”

Olivia felt a fool for confessing, but… “I’ve never considered that they have magic. Not like you.”

“Because it’s not like a witch’s magic, or fey magic, either. It’s their own, angelic magic. Diluted, of course, being half-angel, and their human part is dominant, but supernatural strength, healing, speed—and wings—are all magic.”

Perhaps this should have reassured Olivia, but instead it set off another wave of worry. “I’ll have a magical baby! How can I be a mother to that?”

“Just like you would be a mother to any other baby. You will shower her with love, keep her warm and safe, give her boundaries, and educate her. Quite honestly, Olivia, I think you’ll be wonderful. You’re strong and feisty, and no one’s fool. I doubt Nahum would have slept with you otherwise. I think he must have had a sixth sense that you were the perfect mother. Not that he was planning to impregnate you, of course.”

“I’m not a test tube!”

“I meant that some creatures, paranormal ones in particular, know when they’ve found the right mate. That’s all.”

“But they are not mates like some fated mates bullshit,” Harlan said a little too forcefully. “They are fuck buddies!”

Olivia slapped his arm. “One time does not make a fuck buddy! And please don’t use that term again. It was a tryst! A late night comfort. That’s all.”

Morgana’s eyes sparkled with intrigue. “Of course, Olivia. Just a tryst. Now, I have a packet of herbal teas that I want you to drink regularly. Just one cup daily will suffice. It will strengthen your immune system, help you sleep, and generally support the pregnancy. It’s a slight change to the last mixture, just a tweak to adjust for the growing baby’s needs. Okay?”

“Thank you.” Olivia glared at Harlan once more before turning back to Morgana. “You’re very kind. I feel much better for having your support.”

“And mine?” Harlan asked.

“Sometimes! You can take me to the pub for dinner, and that will make up for slurs!”

With luck, it would also take her mind off Nahum, wondering what he was up to, and whether he was thinking of her at all.

Four

“It’s unusual that a man such as Amato should have such a grand country residence, don’t you think?” Nahum asked his brothers and Shadow as they finally located the building in the wooded valleys around Palazzuolo sul Senio, a small town to the northeast of Florence.

“I think it’s probably his reward for decades of service,” Ash said, staring beyond the locked gate and down the drive. It was dark now, close to seven in the evening, and the country lane was quiet. “It’s impressive, without being overbearing.”

“And very well concealed,” Shadow added, craning her neck out of the window. “It’s impossible to tell from here whether anyone lives there or not.”

Gabe just huffed. “Another late visit, then.”

“I need to get out and stretch my legs,” Niel complained. “Two hours stuck in a hot car with you guys is driving me insane. No one will spot us.”

Gabe obligingly pulled onto a grassy area just past the drive entrance, and they all exited on cramped legs. Nahum rolled his shoulders, taking deep breaths of fresh evening air and strolled down the verge, needing a little space to clear his thoughts. In the end, they had left Florence later than originally planned, after deciding they should stake out the church where Amato had worked and died. They had wanted to see who might be involved and whether anyone would arrive at the church that looked suspiciously upset and panicked. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, nothing untoward had presented itself.

They had carefully locked up the crypt after leaving the previous night, and nothing appeared to have been damaged on the upper levels of the church after the destruction below. They had hoped that with luck, no one would find his body for days. Maybe even weeks. His disappearance would be suspicious, but far less so than his death—especially in such a place and such a manner. Eventually, however, after the day proceeded as normal at the church, they decided that delaying any longer would be dangerous, especially since there was nothing else to learn.

No one talked much on the journey. They had all been shaken by what they had found, and they had barely slept when they returned to their hotel after their encounter and collective near-death experience. It was only now that they all seemed to be shaking it off. Belial, as usual, had slid under their skin. Nahum wondered what would have happened if they hadn’t spotted the necklace around Amato’s neck and the ring on his finger. If Shadow hadn’t removed them, would Belial really have manifested through Amato’s body? The glow of angelic light was real enough. His annoying cackle and superior laughter suggested inside knowledge. He knew who all of them were. Was someone spying on them? He glanced uneasily overhead, as if Belial’s presence was close. It didn’t help that they had a stash of Belial’s trinkets in the boot of the car, either. They may be wrapped in protective spells, but they were like magnets, always drawing their thoughts. Well, Nahum’s at least.