Page 96 of Under a Wicked Moon
“Probably not.” Zadkiel chuckled.
“Unfair. Why the hell not call Gabriel and warn him…her to get out of the church, then?” Flynn asked.
“That’s not how this was supposed to play out. I was sure of you, but the others were not. We needed to know, when faced with death, would you run to preserve yourselves or forego yourselves to rescue others.” Zadkiel glanced Shane’s way. “This was the only path to inspire to act the one who can free you of the curse. Like you, the one fundamental belief that carries him through is family. He needed to see this. To see how far they’ve gone. To remove the curse will not be easy, but once done you will have new jobs as protectors.”
All three brothers stared at Shane. Their answer to remove the curse.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“A minivan, Shane? I thought he said to bring an SUV.” Roman broke the long minutes of silence from the passenger seat.
Still blindsided by Michael’s appearance and miraculous healing, Ky wasn’t up to speaking about anything. He held a still unconscious, but alive, Vivi in his lap.
Ky touched the areas where he’d been injured, everything now healed. That said, he still ached. He felt weak, likely from the blood loss. That took time to replenish.
“It was the only car they had at the airport. This is the edge of the world, and it was this or a Chevy Aveo. I’m not even sure I could drive that little car without sitting in the back seat.” Shane lowered his voice and lost the sarcasm. “I saw the explosion while I was driving in. Freaked out. I knew, somehow, that it was all three of you. That you’d been involved. Can someone explain how three angels showed up?”
“A phone that calls back in time,” Flynn said. “Damned coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I want one of those.”
“That explains nothing.” Shane snorted in frustration, meeting Flynn’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
“You’re not dead.” Flynn leaned forward and smacked Shane in the head. The car swerved.
“Driving here, jerkwad.” Shane righted the car on the road.
“I thought Ky would tell you I helped him.” Shane frowned at Ky.
Ky shrugged. “I told them. They said I hallucinated youbecause my head’s fucked up.”
“You believed them?” Shane asked.
“I’m a mess, man. I thought it was real, but then I didn’t know…”
“How dare you not be dead?” Flynn said. “I was sad about you gone. Like torn up and shit.”
“Three angels… So you really are chosen by God, Roman?” Shane asked.
Roman opened and closed his hand on the arm that’d been macerated a few times. He adjusted Nova where she slept sprawled across the second row. “We all are, Shane. Even you.”
“All of us?” Shane croaked out. “So that weird angel tattoo that appeared on me a few months ago is a part of all this?”
“Yeah, it’s a lot to handle. Maybe too much for right now. We’re not done discussing why you disappeared but…” Roman touched Ky on the shoulder. “What exactly happened while I was passed out? What did you do that brought Michael to us and helped us pass whatever test they referred to?”
Flynn piped up. “He martyred himself to save us by going up against all thirty or so of those soldiers. He did his prayer with the pendant to Michael before going into battle, and he started glowing while fighting.”
“I did not glow,” he said.
“You were glowing, mate,” Flynn said. “Lit up like the star on top of a Christmas tree. Blue, like the angel was when he did his healing thing on you. You were fully channeling his power, or he channeled through you. Ky did some shooting stuff outside. Didn’t see that, since I was temporarily paralyzed. Next, I see Shane dragging in Ky. Then Michael—as in the legendary archangel who I wasn’t even sure I believed existed—healed Ky.”
“Now what?” Ky asked.
Roman sighed. “We have to corner the monarch to speak in private. Whether he’s in on this with Slate or not, he controlsus. Right now. We need to discuss our relationship and establish parameters. If he prefers us dead or that we not do what we’re cursed into doing and wants to stud us out, that’s not in the contract. He’ll need to let us free. Probably won’t happen, but no matter what, he has to replace Gerard.” Roman scrutinized Shane. “I think speaking to the monarch isn’t our out. The angel hinted Shane knows the path we have to take to get free. Do you?”
“I don’t exactly, but I know who might.”
Roman threw his head back against his headrest. “Now that they’re trying to kill us, we need to get on that train.”
“I think it has to do with the witch who cast it to begin with,” Shane said.
