“I mean,” he began, “that Antares fell before time began and she’s trapped there. The Cardinal Watchers are practically mad, Ellie. They’ve been forced to watch the world go by with little to no contact from anyone for so long they have become elemental. And you…You’re an archangel. You put her there. I don’t know what she would do if she saw you.”

Did I have the strength, in my human body, to fight her if she attacked me? What sort of price would she demand from me for Will’s cure?

“He’s right,” Ronan said from behind us. “I’ve heard stories, but Cadan is the only person I know who’s met one of the Lords. You’d be wise to take his advice.”

I turned to face him, narrowing my gaze. My hands trembled and I tightened them into fists to hold them steady. “I don’t have time to be wise while my Guardian is dying. I have to do whatever I can to save him. Wouldn’t you have done the same for Emelia?”

His eyes brightened almost imperceptibly. “If I’d been as crazy as you, she might still be alive.”

“Sometimes crazy is a surprisingly successful last resort,” I replied. Cadan and I headed for the exit.

“Cadan,” Ronan called, and we looked back at him. “If you love her, then let her go. You know you have to.”

Cadan’s teeth clenched, but he made no move or response to the other vir. I put my hand on his arm and guided him with me.

“Let’s go,” I said softly. “He doesn’t have anything else to say.”

He let me lead him from the club and we walked to his car in silence. Too many thoughts ran through my head for conversation, and I assumed the same for him as well. We both knew that I was using him, but he was willing to put his life in danger to help me. I couldn’t process what was happening. All I could think about was Will, dying on a kitchen table.

I climbed into the seat, fastened my belt, and leaned back. My eyes fluttered open and shut as Cadan got in the car and turned the ignition. He glanced at me.

“You should try to sleep,” he offered, his voice quiet.

I shook my head, fighting to keep my eyes open. “I can’t sleep.”

And then I did.

3

BEFORE I OPENED MY EYES, I FELT THE COOL MOIST air on my face and it smelled like the sea. The wind was chilly, combing through my hair and pulling at my clothes. I opened my eyes and stared at the ocean in front of me—and the next second I realized in horror that the ocean was hundreds of feet below me. Giant waves crashed upon jagged rocks at the foot of the cliff I leaned over. A sharp gasp escaped me and I flailed back, my heart pounding against my rib cage.

I looked around at the rolling, rocky landscape, desperate to know how I’d gotten here—and where here was exactly. The sky was dark and gray, the raging sea below even darker and mercilessly hurling itself against the cliff wall. The waves drowned out the cries of the gulls overhead.

“Ellie?”

His voice took hold of my heart and I whirled to meet him, to stare into his face. It had only been a few hours, but I felt like I’d forgotten how green his eyes were. He watched me with a perplexed look, as shocked to see me as I was about everything, but he looked healthy standing there in front of me.

“What are you—?”

I didn’t wait for Will to finish before I launched myself into his arms, holding him tightly. Something wasn’t right here, I knew that, but it didn’t matter. He was here and he was okay. “The last thing I remember is Cadan driving me home. I have no idea how I got here.”

He pulled away only just. “Cadan? Why were you with him?”

“He’s helping me to save you,” I said, twisting my fingers in his sweater. He was warm like always and I wanted to fold myself into him.

Will blinked and looked even more baffled. “Save me? I’m just fine, Ellie.”

“You look it right now,” I said, still piecing the puzzle together in my head. “But you’re sick. I must be dreaming. I must’ve fallen asleep or something.”

“Do you think you’re dreaming?” he asked.

I slipped out from his arms and studied the beautiful landscape. The cliffs and sea were familiar, but this particular location was unknown to me. I was certain I’d never been here before. “Where are we? This is Scotland, isn’t it?”

He gazed at me fondly. “Yes, the Isle of Skye. This is where I grew up, in the house on the hill. Beyond it is a human village. My mother liked to keep a small distance from them.”

Behind him was a small stone house, its chimney smoking gently. I’d never seen his childhood home. There was no way I could have imagined this scene so vividly. “This isn’t my dream,” I said, turning to Will. “It’s yours.”

His expression was determined and perhaps a little sad as he accepted this and looked past me and out onto the sea. “I miss this place. It feels good to be back here.”

“It’s amazingly beautiful,” I said, but my gaze was on him instead of the landscape. “Do you dream of it often?”

He frowned some, his brow darkening his eyes. “Not often, but enough so that I’ll never forget this place. I dream of many things.”

“Memories?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Good memories, terrible memories, of things I long for, and of things I fear.” At last he looked at me, but his form seemed to mist over, to dematerialize and become solid again, all in an instant. “Beware the serpent,” he said in a hollow voice that didn’t seem his own. “He comes for you, as he did the giver of life. The venom of God will try to tempt you, Gabriel. You must be vigilant and strong against the incubus.”