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recalling the faint scent of alcohol he’d smelled on Bruce’s breath while he healed Gabby. He didn’t want to accuse the man outright. Bruce had worked so hard to remain sober.
    “You sensed it, too?” Boon shook his head. “Evil surrounds him.”
    “Yeah, but I’m not sure it’s a demon in the traditional sense. I think he’s drinking again, and if Gabby finds out it’ll kill her.” There, he put the words out there and no one argued. If it was true, it was one more complication for Gabby to deal with. Not what she needed right now.
    Boon snuggled Sammy back into his side and that familiar twinge of envy snapped at his gut.
    “I’ve been scouting and there haven’t been any signs of demons,” Boon said. “We may have some time to work this all out. Maybe we should move Bruce and Gabby back to the house again.”
    Alexander’s stomach flopped. The idea of her sleeping under the same roof all night, without touching her, drove him insane. His pulse quickened with the image of her parading around the house in her nightgown.
    Grace sat down at the table. “I think we better come up with a new plan.”
    “We need to start training again first thing in the morning,” Alexander said. “Boon should continue handling the training while I scout.”
    They nodded, but they all knew that was just a temporary fix. They needed to find out more. According to Boon, the last war wiped out nearly all the angelic warriors, and in certain sections of the world, the human population. Of course, the humans blamed it on disease.
    Alexander stabbed another piece of pie. “Boon, you were in the last war. What else can we do?”
    A haunted shadow crossed Boon’s face. He visibly shook and Sammy pulled him close.
    “Train. All we can do is prepare and pray we’re ready. We weren’t last time and…” Boon’s voice trailed off and Alexander knew it hurt too much to finish the thought, let alone the words.
    “You told us that if you had known more at the start of the war it wouldn’t have been so devastating.”
    “Yes.” Boon stared at nothing for a moment before continuing. “The war lasted so long.”
    “Then this time we need to know more before going into this war.” Alexander leaned over the counter and took a bite. The cinnamon and hint of nutmeg coated his tongue with a little bit of Earthly bliss.
    Boon’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Alexander Lohr, you’re not suggesting—”
    “We go talk to Herak.”
    Boon left Sammy’s side and moved with purpose toward Alexander. Grace maneuvered between them. “Now, boys.”
    “You’re insane.”
    “Am I? He has inside info on how the demons will fight. If we use him—”
    “Use him?” Boon leaned around Grace to get into Alexander’s face. “You want to trust the most vile human ever to walk this earth? Who lead Hell in the last war that nearly destroyed humanity?”
    Alexander huffed. “You trusted him when we flew to get the medicine that saved Sammy’s life.”
    “That was different. We weren’t planning battle strategies. The man separated Sammy and me for over two thousand years? He nearly destroyed the entire planet, and you want to involve him in this war?”
    Alexander stood firm, his shoulders back, his spine erect. “Yes.”

     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    “Dad, I’m home,” Gabby called out. The dim light above the stove cast a yellow glare across the kitchen’s linoleum floor. From the kitchen doorway, she saw a dark figure rustled on the couch in the living room a few feet away.
    “Dad?”
    Something was wrong. He knew to answer her immediately. They had a deal—call out then shoot. Never wait too long for an answer. Unfortunately, there was no gun in the kitchen. She made a mental note to correct that as soon as possible.
    She slid a knife from the butcher block. Gripping it tight, she stepped into the living room. A faint sting covered her skin, but nothing happened. The great powers that usually burned or froze things in a matter of