Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“He magnifies what the other Horsemen have already done. Those who are hungry will starve. The sick will become even more contagious, even after death, and the wars sparked will become even more fatal And he’s a fan of causing natural disasters.”

“Well, isn’t he a ray of sunshine?” I let out a deep sigh. “So, uh, what do we do?”

“You mean what are the archangels going to do?” Lucas corrects and looks at my father. “What are you going to do?”

“I am rallying support from my brothers and sisters. We were the ones who cast the Horsemen in the caverns of Hell before.”

“Then do it again,” Lucas bellows.

“It’s not that simple,” Michael replies calmly. “The Horsemen are growing stronger every day, making it necessary to get support from the others. Uriel presents strong arguments against it and has several of my siblings convinced Lucifer will escape with more demons the moment we open the gates.”

“But Lucifer isn’t in Hell,” I say.

“The only way to prove that would be to betray my brother.” Michael moves over to the window, looking outside. “And right now, he’s the only other archangel on our side.”

“What about Camille or whatever?” I ask.

“Chamuel,” Julian says. “We believe she can be swayed, but we must be careful. Bringing the others to earth to fight the Horsemen is a surefire way for them to hear demonic chatter about you.”

“This is about more than just me,” I counter. “Save one person or save the earth? That’s not even a question. Save the freaking world, okay?”

“It’s more than that.” Michael pushes his broad shoulders back and turns to us. “Eliminating the Nephilim and punishing those responsible for her existence and for keeping her hidden will be deemed more important than fighting the Horsemen by my siblings.”

“So our relatives are all dicks,” I spit. “At least I never have to worry about making small talk with Uncle Uriel at a holiday dinner.” The headache starts to come back, and I close my eyes, bringing a hand up to rub the space between my eyebrows.

“I thought angels were supposed to be guardians and full of love,” Kristy mumbles to herself, slowly shaking her head back and forth. “We grew up differently, being witches, but how many times have you heard someone say to just have faith?”

“Over the years, I have seen religions rise and fall,” Lucas continues her sentiment. “Cities have been built and destroyed over beliefs.”

“There is no right or wrong when it comes to where you put your faith,” Michael tells us, and his words bring me an instant sense of comfort.

“Just don’t pray to me,” I try to joke. “I might hear your prayer, but I’m a hot fucking mess most of the time and probably can’t help.”

“At least you got the hot part down.” Lucas gently nudges me, and the knot in my chest loosens a tad. I can feel my heart racing, and I’m trying hard to chill the fuck out, but the harder I try, the more it frustrates me that I can’t.

“The nursery,” Michael says suddenly. “Show it to me.”

“You want to see the unfinished nursery?” I look at him dubiously.

He smiles warmly. “I do. Your mother wanted to set one up for you.”

“She didn’t get to.”

“No.” Some of the light in Michael’s eyes dims.

I watch my father look back out the window, a million questions running through my mind. What was his relationship with my mother like? Did he fly down into her bedroom at night and leave before sunrise? Did they go out on dates? How did my mom explain her pregnancy?

“She made you a quilt,” he says softly. “She was a terrible seamstress.” The light comes back to his face. “We would sit and watch the moon rise while she stitched little black squares of fabric together.”

“Oh my god. That was my baby blanket!” I feel a tug on my heart immediately when I think about it. “There were little stars in each corner and words embroidered in gold thread along the hem.” I close my eyes, remembering the way each letter felt when I ran my finger over it. “It said something about the moon, I think.”

“You could read what it said?” Michael asks, sounding surprised.

“Yeah. I learned to read when I was like five or six, I think. Abby read to me a lot. Why, is that young to be able to read?”

“That was written in Enochian. I didn’t think you’d be able to read it with all of your divinity locked away.”

“What did it say?”

“Know I am watching over you like the moon watches over the night, bringing the light of the day to the darkness.” Michael’s eyes get a little misty. “Your mother loved you very much.”

I tip my head down, choking back tears and losing my battle. They roll down my cheeks and splash onto my belly. Lucas wraps his other arm around me.