They stepped forward, hands joined. I wasn’t sure which one saw Zayne first, but they both stopped at the same time. They were too far away for me to make out their expressions, but I was betting shock and awe were etched into their features as they stared at Zayne.

Neither of them moved as I looked for the very scary third arrival, but they were alone as the portal closed behind them. Did that mean they failed?

“Holy shit,” Roth whispered, his attention fixed on Zayne.

Layla stepped forward, her hand falling free of Roth’s. “Zayne?” she whispered, not making it very far. Roth captured her hand, holding her back as he stared at Zayne. “Is that—?” Her voice cracked. “Is that really you? How?” She jerked her head toward me. “Did Grim help you?”

“It wasn’t Grim,” Zayne answered, his voice thicker. “But it’s me, Layla-bug.”

“Layla-bug?” she whispered as I repeated the rather cute nickname in my mind, and then it appeared as if her face crumpled. A knot of emotion swelled in my throat as she pulled against Roth’s hold, reaching for Zayne.

“He doesn’t feel right.” Roth stopped her. “What do you see around him, Layla?”

“I...” White-blond hair swayed as she shook her head. Her gasp reached my ears. “I don’t see anything.”

“You wouldn’t, because I’m not a Warden any longer,” Zayne said, standing still. “Roth knows what I am. Apparently he’s always known what we once were.”

Layla’s head jerked back to Roth and then swung back to Zayne. “Wardens were once angels who Fell, but you’re not an angel. You don’t have an aura—”

“That’s because he’s a goddamn Fallen.” Roth yanked Layla back then as he stepped in front of her. “With his grace.”

“What?” Layla demanded, sidestepping Roth.

“Yes, he’s a Fallen,” I chimed in. “And yes, he still has a whole lot of heavenly fire in him, but he’s still Zayne.”

“Impossible,” Roth bit out.

“I’m standing in front of you, so I don’t know how you think that’s impossible,” Zayne responded. “But to make a long story short, I was restored, given back my Glory. They let me Fall and keep my grace to help fight Gabriel.”

“They let you?” Disbelief filled Roth’s tone. “A restored angel Fall and keep the grace when the only other being that equals that monumental bad life choice is—”

An intense burst of white light streaked across the sky, startling me. I looked up, flinching as another bolt of light ripped through the darkness, slamming down to the ground not too far from where we stood. A boom of thunder rattled my very bones and then the sky erupted in lightning. I jerked back, heart leaping.

“We’re going to have to finish this conversation later,” Roth said.