There, the roof was lower, and several doors led to different parts of the warehouse. One led to a staircase to the upper levels. Graffiti covered everything here too, some of it old with water and rust stains, some of it fresh, the bright colors adding a hint of life to the gloom.
At the end of the passage, a pale-blue glow emitted from a doorway on the left.
Raphael flashed ahead and then passed through it, so she followed. Stepping through the open archway into a low-ceilinged room—
Her heart stopped, and her stomach opened like a pit inside her.
Heavenfire burned in a small sigil in the center, casting a pale glow on the walls. On the floor surrounding it were three Empyrean sigil traps—for demons, angels, and any other paranormal creature.
Within the middle one stood a woman.
Standing at nearly six and a half feet tall, an uncommon height for humans, her eyes glowed an unearthly silver—the second indication she was a supernatural being. Her skin was dark, and her hair was an abundance of tiny ringlets. The top half was tied into two little buns, and the bottom fell onto her shoulders.
She looked…sweet, especially with those little pixie buns. She also looked terrified.
Sunshine froze, staring at the woman in horror, knowing exactly who she was.
Daniel’s forbidden daughter, Evangeline. Currently shifted into her Nephilim form, which gave her the increase in height. As an angel-human hybrid, Eva would’ve been able to flash away under normal circumstances, but the sigil kept her trapped.
She opened her mouth, maybe to ask for help, but her eyes traveled down to the cuffs on Sunshine’s wrists, and the sudden flare of hope in her eyes bled to concern. The two women stared at each other.
“Go into one of the empty traps, please, Shamsiel,” Raphael said.
“Shams— You’re Sunshine?” Eva gasped. “My dad told me about you. But—”
Sunshine shook her head quickly. Her friendship with Daniel was unknown to anyone in the Realm—angels were not supposed to associate with Grigori—and that was how she wanted to keep it. Eva’s silver eyes widened, and she fell silent.
Sunshine longed to reassure her, to promise she would do everything to help her escape, but she didn’t dare in front of Raphael. Nephilim were forbidden, and it was within Raphael’s rights to kill Eva simply for existing. If Sunshine had any hope of talking him out of this, she needed to appeal to his reason and pretend she was on his side.
Still, she made no move toward the sigil. She wasn’t going to voluntarily trap herself either. She looked at Raphael. “I’m not sure what you think I’ve done wrong,” she began, “or why you’ve kidnapped an innocent person, but surely there is no need to—”
“We both know that woman is not innocent, nor even human. And I’ve brought you here because it is time for the lying to end.” For the first time, his eyes were hard, and his smile vanished.
Sunshine wasn’t confessing anything until she knew exactly what he knew. Any chance to maintain her fragile web of lies had to be taken. “I don’t know what lies you think I’ve told, Raphael, but I assure you there is nothing warranting this kind of—”
Before she could finish, Raphael flashed in front of the sigil containing Eva and unsheathed the powerful sword at his hip. He held the white flaming blade in front of Eva’s throat but didn’t strike. Eva shrank back to the edge of the sigil, but she knew better than to touch the edge of the circle, lest she get electrocuted. The shock would likely send her forward into the path of the deadly sword.
“Step into the trap or she dies now.”
Sunshine’s thoughts ground to a halt and she stared in horror, unable to believe she was looking at the same Raphael she’d known for so very long. Her gaze snapped to Eva’s. The Nephilim’s human side meant she didn’t have the same regeneration capabilities as full angels. If Raphael followed through on the threat, she would die—permanently.
“Raphael, please!” Sunshine fought to keep calm. “Surely this is not the way to—”
“Step into the sigilnowor the Nephilim dies.”
She had no choice. He would kill Eva; the intent was clear in his eyes. Eyes she’d once thought friendly. Eyes that now looked cold.
Stomach hollowing with dread, Sunshine slowly backed toward the trap to the right.
“Don’t do it!” Eva shouted. “Get out of here while you can. I can fend for myself.”
But she had no choice and they both knew it. Without her ability to flash, there was nowhere for her to go anyway. Any possibility of trying to disarm Raphael was too risky with Eva’s life on the line.
Sunshine’s foot crossed the line with her next step.Trapped.
Satisfied with her compliance, Raphael lowered his sword, the white flames licking against his robe though they didn’t burn it. The cold look in his eyes vanished, and he was back to his charming self once more. It was almost more frightening now that she knew what hid behind those friendly eyes.
“As you now know, I have been hunting the rogues for some time.” He spoke calmly, as if he hadn’t just threatened cold-blooded murder. “It’s a good thing I followed you. Montreal was on my list of places to investigate, but I wouldn’t have prioritized it. I’d just assumed the demons wouldn’t choose to hide in Canada.” He shook his head. “I mean, demons in Canada? Seems a bit silly to me.”
