“Who is Ezekiel?”

“My oldest friend. He has the ability to trace by blood, making him a powerful tracker. My father has turned him into his personal hound dog by holding Skye hostage.”

Gabriel cocked a brow. “How are the two related?”

“She’s the love of his life.” Or so his friend thought. Sethios tried to convince him to move on several times, but to no avail. “Ezekiel could easily tell my father to fuck off, but he stays for Skye.”

“That’s illogical.”

“When you meet him, please tell him that.” Because Sethios more than agreed. “He can help you locate Skye, but he will require some convincing. And my father’s penchant for persuasion will make your negotiation tricky, as Ezekiel may be forced to report back details.”

Although, if anyone could work around his father’s antics, it was Ezekiel. The man excelled at word games and had centuries of practice finding loopholes.

“Your source sounds irrational and thereby unreliable.” An astute deduction, but wrong.

“Perhaps, but he’s your best bet.” Ezekiel may have lost his head over a woman, but he was still quite useful. “He’s also positively lethal. He’s revered as the finest Nizari assassin in our history.”

Gabriel rose one perfect eyebrow. “Should that mean something to me?”

“He hunts and kills fledglings, otherwise known as the offspring of Ichorians prior to being resurrected as Hydraians. Once he’s tapped into a bloodline, it applies to any and all progeny.” Sethios finished his drink and set it off to the side. “I suppose Seraphim don’t pay much mind to Ichorian and Hydraian affairs.”

“We were rather hoping you all would annihilate each other and save us all the task.”

“Charming.” The Seraphim must not have predicted the Treaty of 1747. Hell, they probably didn’t even know about it. “I suggest you look for Ezekiel in New York City. I also strongly suggest you meet him before heading to my father’s compound. Assuming you want to live.”

“Osiris does not intimidate me.”

Sethios shook his head in dismay. “I thought you Seraphim were supposed to be a logical lot. First Caro, now you… Do none of you realize what my father is capable of?”

Gabriel stared at him. “Why New York City?”

“Because Ezekiel has been helping my father with some project at the Catastrophic Relief Foundation. I’m pretty sure they are building super soldiers using Seraphim genetics, or that’s what I’ve gathered, anyway. You might want to have a conversation with the Ichorian in charge—Jonathan Fitzgerald—about it while you’re there.”

“Seraphim genetics?”

“It’s a guess, but my father is all about experimentation, and I’ve suspected for years that he’s building an army. His recent partnership with Jonathan cannot be a coincidence.”

Just the subtlest of tics in Gabriel’s jaw indicated the first crack in his unemotional exterior. Sethios had clearly struck a nerve and perhaps even piqued his interest. His work here was done. Either the Seraphim would take his advice or he’d try to hand Sethios over to Osiris.