Demon Forged

Charlie—Alejandro had heard about the gift, even if he hadn’t seen it before.
    From beside the monkey, he lifted a framed icon and quietly regarded the Virgin’s mournful eyes and adoring face. Irena had never owned—or sculpted—many religious objects. The small icon might have been a gift from one of the villagers Irena helped support during the long winter months, as was the rag doll propped on the shelf. He remembered her receiving another doll four centuries earlier. Perhaps it had rotted by now—or at some point, she had offered it to a different girl.
    He replaced the icon and continued on. New weapons topped the discard pile next to the wall. Though she always said she’d find another use for the metal, she never had. At the bottom of the pile were rusted swords almost a thousand years old. Alejandro knew some of his would be in there.
    He’d lied to himself. All these years, he had lied to himself. Two hundred years ago, when she’d returned from her self-imposed exile, he’d told himself that he’d accepted they wouldn’t be together. That there was no future. But until Alejandro walked back into the forge, he’d been lost.
    And all this time, he’d been waiting to come home.
    His chest aching, he returned to the sofa where he’d spent so many hours studying—and reading aloud to her once he’d realized that she had difficulty ordering the letters. She hadn’t stubbornly remained illiterate, as he’d initially thought; she could read because she was stubborn and had forced herself past the difficulty. She simply took no pleasure in it. But she enjoyed listening, and so he’d often read to her.
    She probably would not enjoy listening to the files he had pulled from Rael’s office, so he read through them while he waited for her to emerge.
    Almost an hour later, the ripple of water brought him out of an education reform bill choked with useless additions and meaningless language. Irena was sitting up, the water lapping at her bare shoulders. A small frown creased her brow.
    “Why am I not dead? I killed the first nephil, but I could barely hold my ground against the female. Why did the second male not come up behind me?”
    Had she been ruminating over the battle all this time? Or was that simply what had pulled her up?
    “The first wasn’t dead yet,” Alejandro told her. “The other male was holding him when we teleported in.”
    Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Comforting him?”
    “Yes.”
    “No demon would do that for another.”
    “They are not the same as demons. They are siblings.” When she remained quiet, he frowned. “I hope you are not doubting yourself—”
    “No.” She stood and water cascaded into the bath. “They were here to kill me. They massacred communities of vampires. I do not doubt that I should have struck first.” She cast him a wry glance. “But I can wish that they did not care for each other.”
    Yes, it was the same difficulty with their mother. Anaria’s intentions were good, but if her plans meant that she would prevent humans from acting freely, the Guardians couldn’t allow her to carry them out. It wasn’t just a difference of opinion and method; agreeing to disagree didn’t work when one of the parties insisted on imposing its will over the other.
    Irena shook her head vigorously, flinging water in a wild spray. She stepped out of the tub and vanished the rest of the moisture from her clothes.
    She walked to the hearth, bending close to the fire and pushing her fingers through her hair, letting the heat dry it. Her mind was still on the battle. “Why did you not have Jake use his blade when he teleported behind the nephil?”
    “He likes explosives,” Alejandro said.
    She glanced at him sharply. Her mouth curved. “And you, too?”
    He enjoyed knowing that the nephil hadn’t just been killed, but obliterated. “I understand the appeal.” When she laughed, he continued, “How did they find you?”
    She gave him a look that told him he’d either said something obvious, or something she’d have no way of knowing—but either way, he was an idiot.
    A moment later, he realized she was right. “Your Gift,” he said. A nephil might have been miles away and still have felt it. “You will want to check on the vampire communities in your territory.”
    He knew she did regularly, but if the nephilim were in the area, it was best to check as soon as possible.
    “Yes. I will visit them each when night falls.” Her gaze landed