“What are you planning?” He didn’t like the light that shone in her eyes. It spoke of pain, reckless anger—and that could prove dangerous.
Rowan pushed away from the table, crossed to the sink, and ignored his question. She grabbed the empty vase off the counter and headed toward the door. Azaiel let her leave and once she was outside grabbed his cell phone. Bill needed to know what they were dealing with.
The phone was answered before it even had a chance to ring.
“Cale.”
Azaiel frowned. “Are you now Askelon’s secretary?”
Cale ignored the sarcasm. “What did you learn?”
“I need to speak to Bill.” Azaiel owed his life to the head of the League. Simply put, he would do anything for the powerful Seraphim leader. His brother.
“He’s no longer at The Pines and will be off the grid for a while. He’s doing a little digging of his own.”
The Pines was a protected sanctuary, close to the Canadian/American border, where members of the League could gather in safety. The town wasn’t large, barely two hundred humans called it home, but it was their base in the human realm.
Azaiel’s lips thinned. The less he had to do with Cale, the better. None in the League had welcomed him with open arms. He knew of their animosity—their distrust—and sadly couldn’t blame them.
“We’ve got a problem.”
“Azaiel, there’s always a problem. Some just matter more than others.” Azaiel’s frown deepened. He was going to have to adjust Cale’s attitude. He clenched his hand and smiled—a dark, dangerous glint lighting up his eyes at the thought.
“Mallick is our problem now.” Silence greeted his words, and Azaiel knew the severity of the situation was not lost on Cale.
“Shit,” was the gruff response.
“Thought that would get your attention.”
“Has the League been breached?”
“I don’t know. At this point the only thing I’m sure of is that Cara’s granddaughter has been marked by Mallick, and he’s coming for her. Whether Cara got in the way and was murdered in anger is anyone’s guess.”
“We need to know if Mallick has more than the granddaughter on his radar.”
“Agreed.”
“Damn, but I’d love to kick that son of a bitch’s ass.”
“Sounds personal.”
“It is.” There was no hesitation, but then a pause. “Did you have dealings with Mallick when you were on vacation in Hell? Is your identity safe? Wouldn’t be smart if he finds out the Fallen is prowling the streets of Salem.”
“I’ve never had the pleasure.”
“Good. You’re not going to be able to deal with this on your own. If he wants Rowan James, nothing will stop him, and I’m sure you can appreciate the kinds of monsters he has in his employ. Unfortunately, I can’t join the party as he and I have an interesting history.”
“Care to share?”
“Not a chance.”
“Glad to see our lines of communication are so open,” Azaiel murmured.
“I’ll send backup as soon as
I can. Just not sure how long it will take to rustle up a crew.”
“More like, no one wants to work with the Fallen?” Azaiel responded dryly.