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.
As always lately when thinking of Belial’s trinkets, or whenever in fact his mind drifted at all, Nahum thought of Olivia and their child. Their daughter. Having that news delivered by Amato infuriated him. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to know, but he did not wish to be told by him. Information Amato could only know through Belial. He had taken pleasure in revealing something Nahum should have learned with Olivia. He had phoned her as soon as he could with the news. It seemed only fair. Of course, he had checked with her before revealing the fact, but she had wanted to know, and could barely contain her joy. A daughter. Nahum closed his eyes, imagining Olivia’s expression. The curve of her smile, the tease in her eyes, her smooth skin.
He had kept his distance at New Years. It was one night of passion. That was all. With lasting consequences that were unexpectedly good. But once their daughter was born, what was he to do? Unable to deal with that right now, he returned to his team and their conversation.
“Of course,” Ash mused in a low voice, “if Amato had accomplices at that church, they may already know where to look for him.”
Shadow nodded. “True, but would they want to make it obvious that they knew exactly where to look? I wouldn’t. Someone will stumble on him in a few days, I’m sure. We should keep our eye on the news reports to see if anyone in particular found him. It might be another clue.”
“Or, of course, no one will report the death at all,” Nahum suggested. “His body did fall into a big hole. Or maybe they’ll make sure it seemed to have occurred well away from the church.”
“There’s that they again,” Gabe complained.
Ash laughed at Gabe’s grimace. “He did say there were more of them. We can’t ignore that. That shrine was significant. It could involve the entire church. There were a lot of angel motifs as decoration.”
However, even as he was saying it, it didn’t ring true to Nahum. They were all sure that Amato had worked alone there.
Niel, ever impatient, stripped his shirt off and extended his wings. “We should take a quick look around while we’re here. If the place is empty, then we don’t need to return later. If he has a housekeeper or someone else lives there, lights will be on now.”
“That’s logical,” Nahum agreed.
Gabe considered the suggestion and then nodded. “Okay, if it looks deserted, come back and we’ll join you. Be careful!”
“I’ll come, too,” Nahum said, stripping and extending his own wings, anxious to dispel his circling thoughts of Olivia.
“I’ll move the car under that stand of trees,” Gabe said, gesturing down the road. The forested slopes pressed closely along the lane, and the wind in the trees sounded like whispers.
“We won’t be long,” Nahum promised, and in seconds he followed Niel’s lead and flew over Amato’s grounds.
Amato’s country house was a stocky building with a square tower and was actually much smaller than Nahum had anticipated. The grounds were heavily wooded, with the trees ending in a circle around the property. It would be menacing here even in midsummer, the air close and thick. And it was dark. No lights glowed in the windows, and there were no cars on the drive. They landed on the flat roof of the tower, and up close it was obvious why the house was deserted.
“This place is a wreck,” Nahum said, noting the cracked masonry and general air of dilapidation. “I don’t think anyone has lived here for years.”
Niel peered over the parapet onto the roof of the main house. “I agree. Everything needs to be repaired. There are holes in the roof, and cracked windows. But why? What happened here?”
“Maybe nothing. Amato could have preferred living in Florence.”
Niel scanned the woods, and then finally looked at Nahum. “There are secrets here. Or were once, at least. It feels ominous.”
“I don’t like it at all. I sense evil.”
