It was hardly news. Raziel thought of the Twelve’s meeting with him in the conference room below, and snorted. Drumming the sofa, he considered the implications of what he’d just seen. Though the two dimensions had split off from each other eons ago, the human and angel worlds had once been one and the same – and this meant the Twelve, as First Formed, had links to this world’s energy. On its own, the fact didn’t worry him overmuch. The possible cost to the human world after the Council’s deaths had always seemed a low risk to him – it was the angels’ link to each other that was the main issue.

But now there was this mad plan of theirs: to use their connection with the Earth’s energy to bond with it and calm down places that felt “buzzy” to angels, so that angels around the world would be more inclined to resist their baser urges. How noble of them. And how...interesting, in terms of what consequences their deaths might now bring.

With a silken rustle, Charmeine swung her feet off his lap and sat close beside him. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you? Because I certainly haven’t, even if it does make things more of a gamble.”

Raziel had given her a withering look. “Are they going to back off and recognize my leadership here? What’s that – the answer’s no? Then no, I haven’t changed my mind either.”

Now, alone in his office, Raziel knew he’d increased their gamble even further by his impetuous statement to the press. Just to reassure himself that all was still well, he reached for the connection to Willow. He checked it often to keep abreast of the AKs’ progress, though had to admit that he also found the girl oddly intriguing in a way. Not to mention how surprised he’d been by her angel’s anxiety ever since he’d first entered her mind. On some deep level, Willow was obviously aware there was something amiss. While his daughter’s distress didn’t concern Raziel enough to try to soothe things for her, he did find it interesting. Her psychic skills were stronger than he’d thought.

His cellphone rang before he could get very far, jolting him back to his office. With a glance at the screen, he saw Charmeine’s name. She didn’t often get a chance to ring with updates; he snapped the phone open. “Yes? What is it?”

“Something’s up,” she said tightly.

Raziel cringed; he’d been waiting for this. “Let me guess – they saw my TV interview.”