Archangel's Heart(150)

“I understand, Elena,” Majda said. “We will treat her with care.”

Elena had told her sister they were coming and Beth was waiting for them in the doorway, a wide smile on her face and her body clad in a lovely floral print dress with a big skirt. “Is this them?” she asked excitedly before running over to hug first Majda then Jean-Baptiste with warm exuberance. “I’m so happy to meet you!”

Both grandparents smiled in unabashed delight.

Beth had that effect on people.

“Hello, Bethie.” Elena hugged her sister when she came over, kissed her temple.

And heard an excited cry behind Beth. Releasing her sister, she turned just in time to scoop up a gorgeous toddler dressed in a neat blue pinafore and with a ribbon in her air. “Hello, Giggles.”

Her niece giggled and kissed her on the mouth. “Aniellie!”

“Yes, Auntie Ellie.” Elena rubbed noses with her niece before turning to her stunned grandparents. “Grandmother, Grandfather,” she said because this was about family, “I’d like you to meet Marguerite Aribelle, your great-granddaughter.” She kissed her niece’s soft cheek. “Maggie.”

Maggie stared from Elena to Majda as her great-grandparents’ eyes shined wet at the knowledge that their family line was another generation strong.

“Aniellie?” Maggie said at last, a frown on her little face as she looked at Majda.

“No, this is Great-grandma Majda,” Elena said. “You want to give her a kiss?”

Maggie’s smile was shy, but she held out her arms. Majda took her great-granddaughter with gentle care, her entire body trembling. “Hello, azeeztee.” It was a whisper.

Patting at her wet cheeks, Maggie said, “Gamma have boo-boo?”

Majda shook her head. “I’m happy.” She leaned in, accepted Maggie’s sweet kiss. “Would you like to meet your great-grandfather?”

Her mother’s daughter, Maggie fell head over heels for her handsome great-grandfather, all but batting her lashes as he took her into his arms. He, in turn, was clearly besotted.

Looking at Elena with eyes that held a piercing joy, Majda said, “We will be staying here. Near our family.”

Beth, leaning against Elena, clapped her hands as Elena smiled . . . but her heart, it wasn’t in this city she loved or with the people who meant so much to her. It was with an archangel with wings of white gold who was in the heart of nightmare.





Bloodlust


The Cadre had been forced to make landfall not once but multiple times when the lightning storm returned three hours after their departure from Lumia, appearing in erratic bursts as if it was formed by the sheer proximity of so many archangels. Avoiding it had put them behind schedule, but they’d finally arrived in China.

As for their specific destination, they headed straight to the area Jason had pinpointed as having fallen to bloodlust. Jason’s information, however, was now a week out of date—and things had deteriorated. Smoke rose from burning homes several miles forward of where Jason had marked the then current line of blood red.

The Cadre flew on, past the burning buildings and deeper.

Below them, the movements were jagged. People running, others moving almost like crabs as they scuttled over the landscape and tried to hide from angelic shadows. The same pattern continued for miles, right up to the mountains that acted as a natural barrier.

Turning in silence, they flew back over the bloodlust-drenched lands. Elijah dropped first, to take care of what appeared to be a large village. Favashi took the next kiss of vampires. Then Raphael. He knew the others would continue on to do the same. After he cleaned up the insane vampires in his area, executing them as quickly and as cleanly as possible, he rose up and flew past the areas the other archangels were handling, found another section to clear.

Relatively speaking, it didn’t take them long to get things under control: a single day. They were a Cadre of archangels after all. The villagers would put out the fires now that they no longer had to fear a vampiric attack.

“We need to go to Lijuan’s stronghold,” Raphael said when they landed as a group in a clean section ten minutes from the final nest of blood-maddened vampires. “I have the location.” He assumed the others did, too—though they might not have been able to get inside. Most archangels didn’t have Jason and Naasir on their side.

No one argued with him and they lifted off. All of them should’ve rested after the amount of time they’d already spent in the air, but this situation had the potential to be catastrophic. And they were archangels for a reason.

They flew.

And arrived at the stronghold in stygian darkness long past midnight. No lights, no sounds, no hint of habitation, the stronghold offered the chilliest welcome. Throwing power into the sky, Alexander lit up the world for a vital minute so they could confirm that the jewel in Lijuan’s crown was indeed deserted.