She squeezed his hand.

“No mates,” he continued. “No children, except those they sire by accident, and what kind of relationship would they be able to have with them? They’ve had thousands of years to be hungry with no relief. I’d never thought about that before. I cannot imagine the rage they must feel. To have so much power and no control. To live only to be a slave for the Fallen.”

“They’re no innocents, Malachi. They hunted me. They killed you. They’ve killed thousands of humans. They seduce them, rape them, and—more often than not—kill them.”

“I know.”

“And you feel sorry for them?”

“No.” He paused. “Yes. Some. I feel sorry for some of them. Those who are trying to live peacefully but are caught on the other side of a battle they don’t want. I feel sorry for the children.”

“Do you think we can make the council see that?”

“I don’t know.”

They both fell silent.

When Malachi spoke again, his voice was low. “How will we make them see when I have trouble accepting it myself? Grigori killed my parents. Slaughtered our women and children. I cannot forgive that.”

“Bitterness only hurts you,” she said, echoing a lesson her mother taught her after she’d learned the truth about her father. “You can forgive without forgetting.”

He reached over and played with a curl of her hair. “My wise woman. What would I do without you?”

“Have a peaceful, normal life?”

Malachi grinned. “Now why would I want that?”

SHE caught him strapping two knives to his torso a few hours later. “What do you need those for?”

They’d settled into their hotel in Portofino and searched online to find directions to Luis Martin’s house.

She knew going after Luis was a good idea. Her father’s manager knew everything about Jasper’s life and didn’t trip her emotional wires. Rhys had found he was staying at a villa outside the harbor town a few towns over from Jasper. Malachi was confident. Ava was… unsure, but had agreed to follow Malachi’s lead.

According to Rhys’s research, Luis Martin used his credit card almost every night at a small tavern in the town. The card was swiped around eleven o’clock every time it was used. It matched what Ava knew about Luis’s habits. He was a very predictable man.

“Malachi?”

“Hmm?”

“The knives? Why are you taking knives?”

Malachi ignored her. He finished settling the straps around his shoulders before he came to kiss her forehead.

“Reshon, how many times have you asked Luis for his help getting information?”

“Between the phone calls and e-mails? A lot.”

“And has he given it to you?”

“You know he hasn’t, but I don’t want you to hurt him.”

He chucked her under the chin. “Don’t be silly. I won’t need to hurt him.”

“So why—”

“I just need to scare him a little.” He reached into his suitcase and took out another knife, flipping it in his fingers before he tucked it in his waistband.

She walked to him, putting a hand on his forearm. “Babe, I really don’t think—”

He stopped her mouth with a hard kiss. “Enough. He has information you need. Information you have a right to. You can reveal your power by using the spell Orsala taught you—”

She stepped back. Ava hadn’t realized Malachi knew about the spell.

“Yes, I know about the spell. You can use that, but it risks Martin knowing you’re not a normal human. That leaves me with the option of playing the brute.”

“You’re not a brute!”

He gave her a wicked grin. “I can be when I want.” He put a finger to her lips when she went to object again. “Enough. We’re doing this my way. We’re getting the information. And I promise you, all Luis Martin will have is some soiled sheets and a bit of embarrassment. Happy?”

She probably should have objected harder to terrorizing Luis….

But it wasn’t as if the man couldn’t be a huge asshole when it suited him. He was Jasper’s manager. Ava figured he probably had it coming.

AVA watched Malachi—dressed completely in black—as he stood at Luis’s door. It was a villa he’d rented for the month, but it appeared to have top-notch security. Ava recognized the logo on the keypad Malachi was fiddling with. Her stepfather used the same company for his homes.

“Babe, you realize this system—”

“Mmhmm.”

“So I know you cut the landline, but—”

Malachi muttered something in Turkish, and Ava frowned. Leaning forward, she noticed the small wireless earbud he must have slipped in during their walk to the villa.

He was talking to someone on the other end. Probably Rhys.

“Yes. Tell me when,” he said in a low voice. A few more seconds, then Malachi pushed a seven-digit code into the keypad, and Ava heard a small whooshing sound that sounded like a seal being released. He turned the knob and the door opened quietly.

“Dogs?” he asked her.

“He’s allergic.”

He walked into the house, holding her hand but moving ahead of her as he scanned each room.

“How did you get past the retina scan?” she asked.

“Rhys was able to override with an emergency password. We have five minutes before they call to confirm his safety.”

“How did Rhys get his password?”

“Because Luis Martin had a folder on his home server labeled Passwords.”

Okay, he was just asking to get robbed. Ava felt slightly less guilty.

They started up the stairs. Ava could hear someone snoring loudly.

“I feel like it should bother me more that you’re so good at breaking and entering.”

“Why?” Apparently, Malachi was no longer concerned with security. His voice was louder. He pulled out the earbud and tucked it in a small pocket of the vest he was wearing. “I’ve been doing this kind of thing for three hundred years. Trust me, it’s a lot less messy than it used to be. I don’t break and enter for personal gain. It’s just a useful life skill.”

“Useful life skills are starting a campfire, or… knowing how to tie really good knots.”

“I know how to do those things too.” He tugged her close and leaned down to her ear. “Give me one weekend without a world-changing revelation,” he whispered, “and I’ll show you my knot-tying skills.”

The color rushed to her face. “Bad man. Very bad man.”

He chuckled. “You wouldn’t be saying that by the end of the weekend.”

The snoring stopped and they both froze. There was a rustling sound before it started up again.

“Come on,” Malachi said. “Let’s get this over with.”

The first doorway in the hall at the top of the stairs was cracked open. A shoe was lying right in front of it. Malachi pushed the door open while Ava kept her eyes closed, hoping Luis wasn’t a nude sleeper.

“He’s fine,” he said, tugging her into the room. “And alone.”

The hard-nosed negotiator looked far less like her father’s pet pit bull and more like a normal guy when he was sleeping. His mouth hung open slightly. His hair was mussed from tossing and turning.

Ava sighed. “Okay. Time to scare the shit out of him. He’s never going to return my calls again.”

“Oh yes, he will.” Malachi put one knee on the edge of the bed and leaned over Luis. Pulling out a long hunting knife, he put it under the edge of Luis’s jaw.

“Luis Martin,” Malachi said in a loud voice. “Wake up.”

The snoring stopped, then the man’s eyes slowly blinked open.

“The hell?” he muttered. His eyes widened when he saw Malachi, and he jerked up in bed, only to catch the edge of the blade and cry out in pain. A line of blood welled up from his skin and dripped down his neck.

Just then, the phone rang.

Oh shit.

Malachi was totally calm. “Do you recognize me?”

Luis’s eyes darted between Ava and Malachi. “Ava, what—?”