Finale

a fair fight. And I was going to do my best to give them one.
    I’d been wrong before—shamefully wrong. I’d avoided fighting for the Nephilim out of fear of the archangels. Even more reprehensible, I’d used war as an excuse to get
more devilcraft. All this time I’d been more concerned with myself than the people I’d been charged with leading. That ended now. Hank had trusted me with this role, but I wasn’t
doing it for him. I was doing it because it was the moral thing to do.
    “I think Nora has made a strong point,” spoke Lisa Martin. “There is nothing more uninspiring than leadership propagating itself. Perhaps the Black Hand was right about
her.” A shrug. “Perhaps he made a mistake. We will take the matter into our own hands and settle it once and for all. Then we can go to war against our enemies, unified behind a strong
leader.”
    I gave her a nod of appreciation. If I had her on my side, the others would step into line.
    “I agree,” a Nephil across the room spoke up.
    “As do I.”
    More ratifying buzzed through the dining room.
    “All in favor, make it known,” said Lisa.
    One by one, hands shot up. Patch locked eyes with me, then raised his arm. I knew it killed him to do it, but we were out of alternatives. If Dante swept me out of power, I would die. My only
chance was to fight, and try my hardest to win.
    “We have a majority,” Lisa said. “The duel will take place at sunrise tomorrow, Monday. I will send word of the location, once it has been determined.”
    “Two days,” Patch immediately interjected, speaking in Scott’s voice. “Nora has never shot a pistol before. She’ll need time to train.”
    I also needed to give Pepper time to return from heaven with his enchanted dagger, hopefully making the duel a moot point.
    Lisa shook her head. “Too long. Fallen angels could come against us any day now. We have no idea why they’ve waited, but our luck might not hold.”
    “And I never said anything about pistols,” Dante spoke up, eyeing Patch and me shrewdly as though trying to guess what we were up to. He watched my face for any hint of emotion.
“I’d prefer sabers.”
    “It is Dante’s call,” Lisa stated. “The duel was not his idea. He reserves the right to choose the weapon. You’ve settled on sabers, then?”
    “More ladylike,” Dante explained, squeezing every last ounce of approval from his Nephilim peers.
    I stiffened, resisting the urge to send Patch a plea for help.
    “Nora has never touched a sword in her life,” Patch argued, again speaking through Scott’s voice. “It won’t be a fair fight if she can’t train. Give her until
Tuesday morning.”
    No one was quick to support Patch’s request. The disinterest in the room was so thick, I could have reached out and punched it. My training was the least of their concerns. In fact, the
sooner Dante was in power, their impassive attitude said, the better.
    “Are you taking it upon yourself to train her, Scott?” Lisa asked Patch.
    “Unlike some of you, I haven’t forgotten she’s still our leader,” Patch answered with a cold edge.
    Lisa tilted her head as though to say,
Very well
. “Then it’s decided. Two mornings from now. Until then, I wish you both the best.”
    I didn’t hang around. With the duel rolling forward, and my part in this dangerous plan upheld, I let myself out. I knew Patch would have to stay a little longer, to gauge the room’s
reaction and possibly overhear vital information, but I found myself wishing he’d hurry.
    This wasn’t a night I wanted to be alone.

C HAPTER

33
    K NOWING PATCH WOULD BE OCCUPIED UNTIL THE last of the Nephilim left the Millars’ old house, I drove to
Vee’s. I was wearing my jean jacket with the tracking device and knew Patch would be able to find me if he needed to. In the meantime, there was something I needed to get off my chest.
    I couldn’t do this on my own anymore. I’d tried to keep Vee safe, but I needed my best friend.
    I had to tell her everything.
    Figuring the front door wasn’t the best way to reach Vee at this time of night, I picked my way carefully through her yard, hopped the chain-link fence, and tapped on her bedroom
window.
    A moment later the curtains were flung aside and her face appeared behind the glass. Even though the hour was creeping up on midnight, she hadn’t changed into pjs. She raised the window a
few inches. “Boy, you picked a bad time to show up. I thought you were Scott.