I let out a tired breath of disappointment. “That’s not what we’re looking for.”

“No?” Icarus asked. “This is the idol of Pazuzu, capable of summoning the demon of that name. I’ve been protecting it for two hundred years.”

While the relic was incredibly powerful, strong enough to make me feel a little light-headed, it was definitely not the one we needed. “The relic we’re after can summon any demons, not just Pazuzu. It’s a ring, kind of.”

Icarus frowned. “I’m sorry. I don’t have anything like that. I wish I could help you.”

An awful, nauseating dread began to creep through my belly and the worst worries whispered in my head. We’d come so far to find this thing, but it was a dead end. I’d have to call Ava first thing in the morning to see if she had found anything. We had to find the Pentalpha before anyone else did. Everything depended on it.

A hand touched my shoulder. “Hey,” Will said gently. “Just because it isn’t here doesn’t mean we won’t find it. We still have to check in with Ava and Marcus, and there’s still Belgium. If we can’t find the Pentalpha, then we’ll find another way to evoke Azrael.”

“Belgium, you say?” Icarus asked. “It’s a very well-kept secret among the guardians that there is a supremely powerful relic hidden in Belgium, protected by the same guardian for nearly six hundred years. No one knows the guardian’s name. That’s how well-hidden he is.”

“That sounds promising,” I said, hoping to seem positive, even as doubt crept through my thoughts.

“We’ll head out in the morning,” Will said.

“Do you two have a place to stay?” Icarus asked. “You’re welcome in my house. I insist. This facility is a whole lot safer from the demonic than a motel.”

After all of the traveling and fighting I’d done in the last seventy-two hours, I was more than willing to crash on the first soft surface I found. “That would be great, Icarus. Thank you.”

He seemed pleased with that and returned the Pazuzu idol to its safe and hidden place in the ceiling. “I’ll show you to a room. There are a few bedrooms, but I rarely have guests, as you might imagine. I promise you’ll find the accommodations very comfortable. Are you hungry at all?”

“We should both eat,” I said.

Icarus’s plum eyes grew to a vibrant hue with excitement. “I love to cook. I must have a hundred books on it. Since I don’t get to cook very often for others, let me make you this incredible dish I’ve been dying to try out….”

He chattered away as he made us several delicious dishes. As eccentric as he was, I liked him. He was a very interesting guy. I imagined that we could even be friends. But I knew too well what life was like for a guardian. Friendship didn’t often mix.

When we finished eating, I was so stuffed that it killed me to move around and help the boys clean up. When everything was put away, Icarus led us to the small bedroom we’d stay in for the night.

“I’ll show you another room, Ellie,” Icarus offered and began to leave.

I stopped him. “One is fine.”

He gave me a curious look. “Oh.” He paused, thoughtful. “Okay, then.”

“I’ll get our bags,” Will offered and disappeared from the room to navigate the strange underground house.

The room was cozy, with walls painted a forest green and a big fluffy bed against one wall. I collapsed on the mattress and considered falling asleep before Will returned with my stuff. When I plucked at my dust-caked hair, however, I realized I couldn’t sleep without a shower first. Perhaps the desert wasn’t for me after all.

I also realized that Icarus hadn’t left yet. Sheepishly, I sat up and smoothed my hair out of my face. His head was slightly cocked to the side, sort of like a bird checking out a worm. Thankfully, he was angelic and I was in no danger of sharing a worm’s fate. Maybe.

“You are very strange,” Icarus observed.

“Thanks,” I replied, a little unsure. “So are you.”

“I accept that.”

“Fantastic.”

He hesitated, his expression blank. “You’re also very different than I imagined you to be. You’re an archangel, but you’re so…”

“Human?” I finished for him.

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re very human. Why?”

I blinked, again uncertain. Then I shrugged. “Well, if it quacks like a duck…”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ve been on Earth for a very long time,” I continued. “I’ve been human for a very long time. I don’t really remember what it’s like to be an archangel.”

“You and your Guardian seem close.”

“We’re together,” I explained.

“Interesting.”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“No,” he said. “I don’t think so. But I wouldn’t have expected it.”

“Our relationship isn’t without its challenges,” I said. “I believe it makes us a stronger team, though. Love makes you fight harder on instinct.”

“Also interesting,” Icarus noted. “I wish I could understand that kind of fortitude.”

“One day you might.”

“I won’t,” he replied. “But that’s okay. I’m happy that you have found it. Keep it close to your heart.”