“Or he gave you a fake name.” He crossed his legs at the ankles. “But why would he do that?”

“I have no idea.” I shook my head. “Usually he’s into oversharing about everything, but he’s been acting weird since we came here. He’s been disappearing for longer and longer times.”

“He didn’t come and go when he was with you in the Potomac Highlands?”

“He did, but he was around more.” I thought about what Peanut told me when I saw him last. “He did say something weird happened to him, roughly around the time I think you Fell. He said he was sucked into what he thinks was purgatory for a few moments.”

“Okay. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Neither was I.” I rose from the bar stool. “And I have no idea if what happened to him was somehow related to your Fall.”

“I don’t, either.” Zayne brushed his hair behind his ear. “But maybe my Fall created some kind of momentary pull?”

“Maybe,” I murmured, lifting my gaze to his. He watched me closely, and I exhaled loudly. “We need to talk, don’t we?”

He nodded. “Yep.”

“Do I get to pretend that I have no idea what you want to talk about?”

One side of his lips curved up. “I’m surprised you’re not already yelling at me for not backing you up on your poorly thought through plan.”

I stared at him blandly. “I wasn’t going to yell at you, but now I’m rethinking that.”

“It’s too much of a risk, Trin. Even if there was no chance of you being pregnant.”

There was a whooshing motion in my stomach. “And like I said before, everything we do is a risk. Using myself as bait is the quickest way to get to Gabriel.”

“And stupidest—”

“Do you want me to yell at you? Because I’m getting pretty close to that happening.”

“Sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry at all. “But too many things could go wrong with that.”

“And too many things could go wrong with Danika’s idea, starting with it not working at all.”

His brows lowered. “You sounded like you were on board with her idea when she talked about it.”

“I’m not against it. I just don’t think that’s the fastest way to get to Gabriel. How many demons will we have to kill to find the one who will carry the message back?” I folded my arms across my chest. “And while I do think Gabriel is arrogant enough to rise to the challenge, I don’t know if any demon we leave alive will actually risk Gabriel killing them to deliver the message. They’ll probably run for the hills.”