off. Now she looked fit to spit nails.
‘Right,’ Mum snapped, and the word dripped loathing. ‘Right. I’ll make some tea then.’
She stalked out of the room. Mum, it seemed, was not a fan of angels either.
‘You’re going to replace that,’ Dad told Zadkiel.
The angel bowed his head. ‘As you say, Grigori. And now we must talk. In private.’
‘Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of my daughter. She is a Grigori too now, thanks to your sister, Sorath.’
Zadkiel’s expression suggested he had sucked the largest lemon in the world. ‘My sister was … misguided. She is fallen and lost to us forever, thanks to your daughter.’
Izzy took a step towards Dad. Sorath may have been an angel, but she was also a psychopath obsessed with freeing her beloved Lucifer from his prison, and she had manipulated, coerced and possessed Izzy in order to try to achieve her ends. Zadkiel made her sound like a victim and that didn’t bode well.
‘What am I supposed to have done now?’ she asked, painfully aware of the edge in her voice.
‘You gave the spark to Azazel. All that was left of Sorath is in the hands of a demon.’
‘Well, given what that angel had just tried to do to me it seemed like the best plan. Anyway, isn’t that old news? That was months ago.’
Fire flared in his eyes again. ‘You are a fool, girl. You put your trust in the wrong places. It will see you damned.’
From him that really meant something. She ought to be afraid, she knew that. But she wasn’t.
Her anger was too strong for that. Balling her hands into fists she jerked forward a step, but Dad’s arm blocked her way.
‘Enough,’ he said, before Izzy could explode and tell the sanctimonious cretin exactly what she thought of him and all his kind. ‘This isn’t helping anyone. Sorath manipulated us, every one of us, my daughter most of all.’
Zadkiel glared at her. ‘And yet she walked away.’
‘Which is just what I’m going to do now.’ Izzy twisted away, rage simmering through her, ready to reach boiling point and overflow.
‘You are going nowhere. If we must include you, so be it. You will stay. There is more we need to know from you.’
‘I’ve told you all there is. All I’m going to tell you.’
‘One of our brethren is missing. An explanation is needed from you.’
‘From me? Am I responsible for every lost angel aroundhere now?’
But Dad interrupted before Zadkiel could say anything. And probably before Izzy could make it into a complete unmitigated disaster. He even managed to smile although it went no further than the corners of his mouth. ‘Who is missing?’
Zadkiel visibly calmed himself, turning his attention back to her father. At least he was willing to be polite there. She wondered what Dad would do if he wasn’t. She’d never thought of her father as in any way, remotely kick-ass, but the super-natural world seemed to regard him with respect, and not a little awe. It was a shame she couldn’t get the same treatment.
What had he done for them, over the years? What had he done to them?
She’d have to ask him. One day. Whenever there was a moment. It certainly wasn’t going to be now.
‘Haniel,’ said Zadkiel. ‘The joy and grace of God.’
Dad frowned and glanced in Izzy’s direction, just for a moment, but she could see his genuine concern. ‘Haniel is powerful. It would take something very great indeed to overcome him. And you can’t find him anywhere?’
Haniel was also one of the angels who had come after her and Jinx. She remembered his icy glare and complete lack of empathy. Not someone she was going to regret never seeing again.
‘Nowhere,’ Zadkiel replied. ‘Not since the hilltop last summer. Not since your daughter gave away Sorath’s spark.’
Back to that again. Joy. Izzy bristled. ‘Well, I haven’t seen him.’
‘No,’ the angel gave her a withering glance. ‘And yet you were among the last who did.’
‘So were a whole load of other
‘Right,’ Mum snapped, and the word dripped loathing. ‘Right. I’ll make some tea then.’
She stalked out of the room. Mum, it seemed, was not a fan of angels either.
‘You’re going to replace that,’ Dad told Zadkiel.
The angel bowed his head. ‘As you say, Grigori. And now we must talk. In private.’
‘Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of my daughter. She is a Grigori too now, thanks to your sister, Sorath.’
Zadkiel’s expression suggested he had sucked the largest lemon in the world. ‘My sister was … misguided. She is fallen and lost to us forever, thanks to your daughter.’
Izzy took a step towards Dad. Sorath may have been an angel, but she was also a psychopath obsessed with freeing her beloved Lucifer from his prison, and she had manipulated, coerced and possessed Izzy in order to try to achieve her ends. Zadkiel made her sound like a victim and that didn’t bode well.
‘What am I supposed to have done now?’ she asked, painfully aware of the edge in her voice.
‘You gave the spark to Azazel. All that was left of Sorath is in the hands of a demon.’
‘Well, given what that angel had just tried to do to me it seemed like the best plan. Anyway, isn’t that old news? That was months ago.’
Fire flared in his eyes again. ‘You are a fool, girl. You put your trust in the wrong places. It will see you damned.’
From him that really meant something. She ought to be afraid, she knew that. But she wasn’t.
Her anger was too strong for that. Balling her hands into fists she jerked forward a step, but Dad’s arm blocked her way.
‘Enough,’ he said, before Izzy could explode and tell the sanctimonious cretin exactly what she thought of him and all his kind. ‘This isn’t helping anyone. Sorath manipulated us, every one of us, my daughter most of all.’
Zadkiel glared at her. ‘And yet she walked away.’
‘Which is just what I’m going to do now.’ Izzy twisted away, rage simmering through her, ready to reach boiling point and overflow.
‘You are going nowhere. If we must include you, so be it. You will stay. There is more we need to know from you.’
‘I’ve told you all there is. All I’m going to tell you.’
‘One of our brethren is missing. An explanation is needed from you.’
‘From me? Am I responsible for every lost angel aroundhere now?’
But Dad interrupted before Zadkiel could say anything. And probably before Izzy could make it into a complete unmitigated disaster. He even managed to smile although it went no further than the corners of his mouth. ‘Who is missing?’
Zadkiel visibly calmed himself, turning his attention back to her father. At least he was willing to be polite there. She wondered what Dad would do if he wasn’t. She’d never thought of her father as in any way, remotely kick-ass, but the super-natural world seemed to regard him with respect, and not a little awe. It was a shame she couldn’t get the same treatment.
What had he done for them, over the years? What had he done to them?
She’d have to ask him. One day. Whenever there was a moment. It certainly wasn’t going to be now.
‘Haniel,’ said Zadkiel. ‘The joy and grace of God.’
Dad frowned and glanced in Izzy’s direction, just for a moment, but she could see his genuine concern. ‘Haniel is powerful. It would take something very great indeed to overcome him. And you can’t find him anywhere?’
Haniel was also one of the angels who had come after her and Jinx. She remembered his icy glare and complete lack of empathy. Not someone she was going to regret never seeing again.
‘Nowhere,’ Zadkiel replied. ‘Not since the hilltop last summer. Not since your daughter gave away Sorath’s spark.’
Back to that again. Joy. Izzy bristled. ‘Well, I haven’t seen him.’
‘No,’ the angel gave her a withering glance. ‘And yet you were among the last who did.’
‘So were a whole load of other
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