“She needs sleep,” Jaron said. “She only truly rests when I am here.”

“Why can’t you help her?” Ava asked. “Heal her? Keep Volund from torturing her every time she closes her eyes!”

“I do not know how.” He took a deep breath. “In thousands of years, no angel has violated his brothers’ children the way that Volund did mine. She has even begged Death to come for her, but Azril will not. I do not know why.”

“Why didn’t Volund kill her?” Malachi said. “After he’d attacked her, why didn’t he—”

“Whether he likes it or not, Ava is his mate. When Volund bound himself to my daughter, he didn’t realize it would affect him too,” Jaron said. “Perhaps it is her only power now, but she became his curse. He would kill her if he could do it without harming himself. But he cannot.”

“You hate my father.” Her instincts were screaming at her. “Because he’s Volund’s son.”

“Yes.”

“But you protect him.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“He’s her son as well. She did not hate him. And… he has my blood.”

“What is my father? Half Grigori. Half angel. How can he even exist?”

“How do any of our children exist?” Jaron asked. “They are the will of the Creator. Though if my master has a purpose for your father, I have not discovered it yet. Perhaps Jasper’s only purpose was fathering you.”

Ava tried to wrap her mind around it. “And Volund? Would he hurt my dad?”

“At first, Volund was interested in your father. I had to hide them both. He thought the child of an angel and a kareshta would be even greater than the Irin. But the child was far too unstable. He had power, but no control. More damning, Jasper has free will. I cannot control him, just like I cannot control you. Volund lost interest when he found out he could not control Ava’s child.”

“But he knows who I am.”

“He learned when you came to Istanbul. He was watching me and found you. When you attacked his men in the cistern—”

“All I did was scream.”

Jaron gave her a look that made Ava feel like an ignorant child.

“You unleashed power the Grigori had never experienced before,” he said. “Our children live in fear of their sisters, because their voices hold power the Grigori don’t understand. Volund’s sons didn’t know what you were. Your magic was dark like the children of the Fallen, but you were in the company of Irin scribes and they treated you as one of their own.”

“So?”

“You attracted his attention, Ava. It was easy enough for him to discover the connection when he started to look. You have his blood, after all.”

She shivered, and Malachi’s hands soothed the goose bumps from her skin. “That’s why he wants me.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I honestly don’t know. Nor do I care. He has become erratic.” Jaron stroked Ava’s temple. “Perhaps she torments him in his sleep as well. I can hope, but it does not matter. He cannot have you. Volund has taken enough of what is mine.”

Malachi broke in. “Unbelievable. This is like two dogs fighting over a bone. Ava doesn’t belong to either of you.”

“Why?” Jaron asked. “Because she belongs to you?”

“She belongs to herself!”

“Enough.” Ava stood and started pacing. “You can find me anywhere because I have your blood, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Can Volund? He’s disgusting, but I am his granddaughter.”

Jaron hesitated. “Unless I’m shielding you and you’re shielding yourself, Volund can find you. The Irina magic you learned has helped immeasurably.”

“That’s why he couldn’t find me in Norway.”

Jaron nodded. “Your magic and mine, combined with the old singer’s, made the haven the safest place for you.”

“Until I left.”

“The minute his Grigori spotted you, Sarihöfn became useless. I was the one who violated the wards there. You needed to leave.”

She shook her head. “You’ve been playing me all along. And Malachi?”

Jaron waved a careless hand. “I owe your Irin mate no protection. He is not mine.”

“Do you know how—”

“I have no idea how you were able to call him back. It was unexpected. But your blood holds the power of two archangels, and through your bond with this scribe, you were given the power of Mikhael’s line as well.” Jaron stared at her. “You are utterly unique, Ava. There are thousands of him, and only one of you. I do not care about him, but as long as his purpose helps mine, we are in accord.”

Malachi said, “I would say the same of you, Fallen.”

“Then we understand each other.”

Ava rested against a flower-covered wall. “What is your purpose? What are you after?”

Jaron said nothing.

“I know,” Malachi said, leaning against the bed, his arms crossed over his knees. “He wants to kill Volund.”

“Yes,” Jaron said.

“And he needs our help.”

The angel’s face was blank.

Ava asked, “Why should we help you?”

“Volund masterminded the Rending,” Jaron said.

A vein pulsed in Malachi’s forehead. “And you had nothing to do with it?”

Jaron smoothed the hair back from his daughter’s face. “I didn’t stop it, but I refused to use my sons to participate. I knew the Irin would kill many of our children, even in a surprise attack. Volund and his allies didn’t agree. I suspect they had some deal with whatever Councilors had power at the time, though I hardly think the Irin knew the extent of his plans.”

“You lie.”

“Do I?” Jaron asked. “Are your elder scribes so incorruptible, son of Mikhael? Are they not hungry for power?”

“We are not Fallen,” Malachi said.

Jaron only smiled.

“You didn’t participate in the Rending,” Ava said. “But you found me. You were looking for Fallen daughters in the human world. Why?”

“After the Rending, I began to see a way I could use the loss of the Irina to usurp Volund’s power,” Jaron said. “He had grown very powerful.”

Malachi said, “It wasn’t revenge for your daughter?”

“I didn’t have a daughter then. I simply saw the females as an asset.”

“How?”

“The Irin had lost most of their women. The Fallen had women it didn’t want, some of whom still clung to their fathers out of loyalty. How better to gain power over our only adversaries in this world than by giving them the females they so desperately wanted? Females we could track. That we had influence over.”

Ava’s stomach turned. “You were going to use them like cattle. Pawns for your political games.”

“Yes.” Jaron’s expression was unapologetic. “I was well on the way to putting my plan in place—ferreting out the Grigora who had filtered into the human world—when my daughter was born.”

“Did you change your mind about using them?”

Jaron blinked. “No. I had no plans to use my daughter. She was to be protected.”

Ava shook her head. Typical.

“What about me?” she asked. “Did you plan to use me when I came to see you in Istanbul?”

“You were unexpected. I had connections all over the world searching for women with Grigori traits, but I didn’t expect my own granddaughter to be one of them.”

“Why not?”

“Your human guardians had always seemed quite protective. The fact that they let you travel surprised me.”

“I used Jasper’s money. They really couldn’t control me after I got that.”

“Ah.” A slight smile lifted the corner of the angel’s mouth. “And we come full circle. Volund’s son draws you into the game, no matter how much I try to avoid it.”

“He’s your grandson too.”

Jaron’s face grew cold. “He is an abomination. No one like him should exist. My daughter’s torment will not be repeated.”

“Of course not,” Malachi said. “Because if you convince the Irin to take in the daughters of the Fallen, you know we’ll protect them. We may not be perfect, but we value our women. And we won’t let even the daughters of our enemies become victims.”

Jaron cocked his head. “You’re very predictable. It’s useful.”