smiled when she thought about it.
She shot a fleeting glance over at the statue of Seth, which still hadn’t been repaired, but at least the two body parts were missing. Maybe Hades was trying to fix them. Hopefully , he was trying to fix them.
A tingle of awareness signaled the arrival of a newcomer into the realm – it was kind of cool how anyone who resided in Sheoul-gra developed a sensitivity to the presence of outsiders. It was usually Zhubaal’s job to meet visitors, but he was busy, so she leaped to her feet.
Happy to toss her cleaning supplies aside for a few minutes and always curious about who was paying a visit, she hoofed it out of Azagoth’s mansion to the great courtyard out front, where the portal from outside was glowing within its stone circle.
And there, striding toward her, was a magnificent male with a full head of blond, shoulder-length hair and a regal stance that could only mean he was a higher order of angel. As a lowly Seraphim, she’d rarely seen angels ranking higher than a Throne, but there was no doubt that this male was at the very top. Perhaps even a Principality, one rank below an archangel.
“E-excuse me, sire,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Can I help you?”
The big male nodded, his blond mane brushing against the rich sapphire blue shirt that matched his eyes. “I will see Azagoth.”
“I’m sorry, but he’s busy––”
“ Now. ”
Mouth. Dry. A lifetime of fear of higher angels made her insides quiver, even as she realized that Heavenly angels held no power here. Inhaling deeply, she reached for calm. As a fallen angel in Azagoth’s employ, she was actually more influential in Sheoul-gra than this new guy was.
Somehow, that thought didn’t make her feel any better.
“This is not your realm, angel,” she said sternly. “You can’t just poof in here and demand an audience with Azagoth.”
“Is that so.” The male’s voice was calm. Deadly calm. Scarily calm.
“Yes. That is so.” She was proud of the way her voice didn’t quake. Not much, anyway.
A slow smile curved the male’s lips, and if it hadn’t been so terrifying, it would have been beautiful. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you, Cataclysm. So either fetch him or take me to him. Those are your only choices.”
“Or?” she asked, and how the hell did he know her name?
Suddenly, the air went still and thick, and massive gold wings sprung from his back, spreading like liquid sunshine far above them both. “Guess.”
Holy... fuck . He was...he was...a Radiant. An angel who outranked even archangels. And since there could be only one Radiant in existence at any given time, that meant that this was Reaver, brother to Revenant, the King of Hell. That alone would have been enough to terrify her, but making things worse, much worse, was the fact that she had lost her wings because she’d been in league with an angel who had not only betrayed him, but who had attempted to kill his infant grandchild.
Cat’s knees gave out, but before she hit the ground, Reaver caught her, landing her on her feet with one arm around her to hold her steady. Instantly, her skin became charged with his Heavenly energy, the magnitude of it rendering her almost breathless.
It was too intense, scattering her thoughts in a way that touching Hades hadn’t. As an angel, she’d touched other angels, but it had never been like this. As a fallen angel, she’d had skin-to-skin contact with Lilliana, and while the female had given off a slight positive energy buzz, it hadn’t been anything like what she was experiencing with Reaver.
Maybe the fact that she was a fallen angel had made the sensation of goodness too overwhelming for her. Or maybe the intensity had to do with the fact that Reaver was a Radiant. Whatever it was, it made her want to throw up, the way eating too much of a rich food did.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice low and soothing.
She couldn’t say a word. But her inability to