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remembering the valiant Grigori, who had helped him rescue Aaron during the Powers'attack on the boy's home. Zeke had been mortally wounded and the Nephilim had used his prophetic giftto forgive his trespasses and allow his return to Heaven. "It is your destiny to release all   who repent," hesaid.
    Aaron seemed to be digesting his words, the importance of his destiny sinking in even deeper. "Before Ido any more forgiving, we're going to find Stevie," he said. "Wherever this urge is taking us, whether it'sto my brother, or to Aerie, or to a place that makes really great tacos, finding Stevie and getting him

    away from that bastard Verchiel is the number one priority—agreed?"
    Aaron demanded, an intense seriousness in his look.
    Camael thought about arguing with the youth, but he sensed that it would be for naught. No matter howdifferent Aaron Corbet had become since awakening the angelic power that resided within him, he stillthought of himself as human. "Agreed," he answered.
    There was still much Aaron had to learn— but that would come over time.
    "That wasn't very nice,"Gabriel grumbled as he sniffed along the grounds of the picnic area.   "Not very
    nice at all."

    He was following a scent, something that made his stomach growl and his mouth salivate. Gabriel washungry—although there was seldom a time that he wasn't feeling the pangs of hunger. At a green trashbarrel, he found the crumpled remains of an ice-cream sandwich wrapper. There were other pieces oftrash that had missed the receptacle as well, but he would investigate those later, after he'd given thewrapper his full attention.
    The dog was hurt that Aaron could be so insensitive to his needs. He was hungry, and Aaron still wouldnot let him have the bread that he was going to throw away, anyway. It was frustrating and only served tomake him hungrier.
    Gabriel nudged the wrapper with his nose, pulling the delicious scents of dried vanilla icecream andchocolate cookie up into his sensitive nostrils. His tongue shot out to lap at the wrapper, the moisturemaking the scents clinging to the refuse all the more pungent.
    You don't eat things off the ground,he remembered Aaron scolding him. And he knew that he shouldn't,but he was angry, and so very hungry. Gabriel took the ice-cream sandwich wrapper into his mouth andbegan to chew. It didn't taste like much, but then, dogs don't have taste buds. The deliciousness ofsomething was based entirely on its smell. If it smelled like something to eat, that was good enough for adog, especially aLabrador . Very few things required more than a chew or two, and the paper wrapperwas soon sliding down Gabriel's throat and into his stomach.
    Unsatisfied and a little guilty, Gabriel turned his attention away from the barrel and toward a family ofthree who were having lunch at another of the picnic tables. The dog approached them, tail wagging inhappy greeting. There were two adults, a mother and a father, and a little girl who was about the sameage as Stevie.
    A wave of sadness passed over the animal as he viewed the family. He missed the other members of hisown pack; Tom and Lori were dead, and the Powers had taken Stevie away. But at least he still had Aaron. It wasn't how it used to be, but it would do for now. He still wasn't sure about the one called Camael. There was something about him that he didn't quite trust. He smelledtoo much like that nasty Verchiel to be accepted by him into the pack.
    "Hello, doggie!" the little girl squealed as she turned on the bench and caught sight of him.
    Gabriel could smell the caution seep from her parents' pores as he approached. He took no offense;after all, he was a strange dog and there were many that he himself would have been cautious of. He satdown, as Aaron had taught him brought one of his paws up in greeting, barked softly once, and waggedhis tail.

    The little girl laughed happily, and he noticed the adults smile as well.
    "May I pat him?" the child asked, already sliding