The Judas Relic: An Evangeline Heart Holiday Adventure by A.K. Alexander, Jen Greyson Page B

near anything.” She took the dirty towel from me, laid a clean warm one on Clay’s forehead, and took a load of mess outside to the trash.
    “I wish my dog was here,” Clay said. “I need to call my dog-sitter Dee and see how he is. She said I had to come get him by the twenty-seventh.”   His eyelids drooped and I shifted, leaning down to check his pulse. It was strong and sure, but he needed rest. “Just relax, okay? I can check on Marvin.”
    “Her number is in my cell under Dee. Thanks.” He crooked a finger, beckoning me closer. I searched his eyes for signs of pain. His bloodied fingers cradled my face and he said, “You’re a terrible wife, I hope you know. But the only partner I’ll ever want.”

Lina

    The next day was Christmas Eve, and I woke up in a pair of borrowed pajamas from Anna. They were too short and too big in the waist but they kept me warm enough.
    It was mid-morning already and I realized how exhausted I must have been. I’m typically an early-bird-catches-the-worm kind of girl. But as chaotic a place as Ralph’s was, there was also something so cozy and comfortable about it.
    I heard some clattering coming from the kitchen and the smell of bacon hurried me down the stairs.
    Ralph was seated at the table with a cup of tea and a full plate of breakfast. He spotted me and rubbed his palms together. “Good, good. I don’t like taking a meal alone. Anna made some for you and Clay as well. She just had to run out, something about getting the two of you some clothing.”
    “Oh.” The gesture was sweet, but I was skeptic that the sixty-something caregiver might find anything that I’d wear, and even in my size. Then, there was Clay! Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers. “That is very kind of her.”
    “That is my Anna. You know that she has been taking care of me ever since my dear wife passed?”
    “She is a lovely woman.”
    “Yes. Yes, she is.”
    “Have you seen Clay yet?”
    “Sleeping still. Anna checked on him. I say let him rest,” Ralph replied. “Do get some breakfast. There is plenty there.”
    I did as he instructed and plated up some eggs, bacon and toast, and made tea. I sat down across from him and took hungry bites of the savory food.
    Ralph looked up at me from his plate. “What happened last night?”
    “We were ambushed. Someone wanted Clay dead. It wasn’t so much about me, but about him last night. It was seriously a close call.”
    “By Azazel’s men?” he asked, referring to the Angel of Death who had stolen my Griffin’s soul.
    I shook my head. No, had the Angel of Death sent his main guy, Harrold, after us, I wouldn’t be near as unsettled. At least I knew about him and had encountered him once already. This was different. This was personal and I didn’t like Clay being on the wrong end of an assassination attempt. A nearly successful one.
    “Not Azazel’s men. We’re safe for now, but I’ll need to come up with a plan going forward. And I’ll need to get this situation cleaned up before we go after the second relic…” I lifted my gaze to Ralph. “But I’m worried about the guy who put this attack together. He was the reason I met Clay at Felt’s. He was after the ring. The first relic. He wanted Solomon’s ring. Do you think he’s aware of the keys that lead to unlocking the gates of Hell, and knows that the ring is the first key?”
    Ralph sat down heavily in his chair. “This is not someone you can underestimate. Azazel has men and women everywhere and it is possible that this buyer of Clay’s is one of them. Metatron put the two of you together for a reason. Nothing is a coincidence. Clay may be more in this journey than a simple sidekick.”
    I sighed and rubbed my temple. I took the stone that I’d taken from the castle out of the pajama pocket. I’d taken if off the nightstand and placed it in my pocket before coming downstairs. I wanted Ralph to take a look, since he’d given me a matching one a few months back. He’d